Fourth graders from Berrien County Elementary School were treated to a trip to the past thanks to the generosity of some local financial institutions.

First Commerce Credit Union, Farmers & Merchants Bank, and Bank of Alapaha recently sponsored a field trip for 200 fourth graders to the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum of Agriculture.

To get a glimpse of what life was like at the turn of the 19th century, students enjoyed the “Visit to the Past” workshop, which combined a variety of educational and fun-filled activities. Museum Director Garrett Boone said the support of local businesses is a fantastic investment in that community’s future.

“It’s great to see these Berrien County businesses providing educational opportunities for their local youth,” Boone said. “I appreciate their generosity and support of their local schools and the educational experiences for Berrien County children.”

The trip was divided over two days. Students were led by costumed interpreters throughout the site, providing them with an interactive and hands-on learning experience. To get a true sense of what it was like for schoolchildren long ago, the students were dressed appropriate for the period with suspenders, aprons, and skirts that were provided by the Museum.

Also, they enjoyed an authentic farmhouse lunch cooked over the open hearth or on a wood stove, at one of the Museum’s houses or cabins.

While at the Museum, the students had the chance to operate the hand press at the printshop, grind corn into meal and grits at the gristmill, wash clothes on a washboard, make a poultice at the doctor’s office, and experience what it was like to learn in the one-room schoolhouse.

Both mornings, students were greeted by Sammy the Squirrel, First Commerce Credit Union's friendly mascot, and welcomed to the GMA by Esther-Marie Lawrence, the Community Engagement Coordinator for the credit union. First Commerce Credit Union gave out over 200 goody bags to the students that attended.

ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture provides learning experiences for thousands of children of all ages every year.