A couple of weeks ago Rylee brought home a permission slip for an Ellis Island reenactment. I thought it sounded like a fun thing to participate in so when she asked if I would come and be a volunteer I signed up.
The kids were ushered into one room at the beginning of the day with their passports and backpacks filled with their possessions. We had an outline of a boat on the floor and they had to crowd into the boat and sit on the floor with their backpacks on their laps. A story was read to them about what the journey was like and after about five minutes I carried a poster of the Statue of Liberty around the outside of the ship to represent them arriving in New York. After they disembarked they had to follow their schedules and go to different rooms which represented different stations the immigrants had to pass through on Ellis Island. One kid from each class got a golden ticket which meant they were first class, they got nice comfy chairs to sit in on the boat and got to go to the front of the line in every room. The rest of the kids were steerage and had to wait in long lines in the "medical" room, "baggage" room and others that I don't remember. I followed Rylee for a little bit but then had to go back to the great room to be with the first class kids who got done fast. Slowly the other kids were making their way back to the room we were in after they passed through all of the other rooms. I knew some kids were being "deported" and as more and more kids came with no sign of Rylee I wondered if she was one of the ones being deported. Finally in came Rylee, she was the last one to arrive, and I was happy to see her.
I enjoyed being their watching and observing and thought the reenactment was such a great idea. The kids learned a lot about what emigration was like for these foreigners and I thought it was an awesome way to learn history.
On the ship sailing to New York
I planned on being at the school helping out until 12 and so I packed a lunch with the intentions that I would stay and have lunch with my girls. The reenactment finished a little early and I debated whether I wanted to hang out for half an hour or just go home and not have the lunch date. I never come and eat lunch with the girls and I knew they would like it so I decided I would just stay until lunchtime. A friend of mine was sticking around as well so I visited with her until I saw Avynlea coming through to go to lunch. Avynlea and I sat down with her class but I felt really crowded and I worried about where Rylee would sit so I suggested we move to one of the middle tables where guests can sit with their kids. Avynlea's two friends came along as well and when Rylee's class came to the cafeteria she came and sat with us. Rylee's best friend had gone home sick right after the reenactment and I asked her who she was going to hang out with after lunch. She shrugged her shoulders and said nobody. I told her she could go and play with any of the girls from her class but she didn't seem inclined to. I had to leave after we ate because I had a meeting to get to and Avy goes back to class after she eats since Fifth graders have play time before they eat rather then after. I worried about Rylee and her being all alone as I left and after school I asked her what she did and she said she walked around by herself. I questioned why she did not play with anyone else and she said she didn't want to and she enjoyed being alone, to her it was not a big deal. I guess it didn't really surprise me because she has always been more independent, but it sure did give me a little bit of anxiety because me in her shoes would have really struggled with being all alone watching everyone else play.
I sure love these girls of mine who are growing up way to fast!
