A group of Mount Prospect children recently gathered on a Saturday to celebrate author Laura Ingalls Wilder’s 150th birthday in the newly-restored 1896 Central School. The 4th graders had a book discussion about Wilder’s book, “These Happy Golden Years,” which focuses on her teaching experiences in a one-room schoolhouse.
“The modern-day students wondered what it was like having all the grades together in one room with only one teacher,” said Deborah Rittle, program coordinator. She is a teacher at St. Paul Lutheran School in Mount Prospect.
Tin pails were packed with a simple lunch — an apple, sandwich, corn muffin and an old-fashioned candy stick — like Laura might have carried to her prairie school. Students churned their own butter for lunch by passing a jar of cream around and shaking it very well while discussing the story.
“We were delighted to have the book talk so well-attended, “said Michele Runde, a member of the museum’s living history committee. “It was a fabulous start to the fun and educational programs we plan to offer in Mount Prospect’s own historic one-room schoolhouse.”