We decided to see what the festivities were like at the Champoeg Holiday Gathering.
Champoeg State Heritage Area is an amazing place to go to learn about pioneer era history. The holiday gathering was focused on pioneer era crafts for children. Their events are free (although a $5 parking fee per vehicle is required at this state park). A storyteller was there telling wintery tales, and musicians played lively folk tunes. I was spellbound by the four ladies who had gathered there to make lace. This was a dying art when my mother was young, and I'm amazed they actually found four people who were available to come there at the same time, who actually know this astonishing art. The lady whose lace appears in the photograph, told me that so far she'd invested about 200 hours in this piece. Kids were making pomander balls from clementines and cloves, lavender sachets with real raw wool, and cup and ball games. (An acorn is attached to a wooden cup with a string. The object is to flip the acorn into the cup- pretty tricky!) There were also cookies to decorate, swags to be made from evergreen branches, bows, and holly, and more. Jasper got very excited about weaving
God's eyes, one of those pleasures of childhood I'd all but forgotten. We went out and bought a bunch of yarn, and he's been weaving more and more at home. I suspect they may end up all over our Christmas tree! A volunteer struck up a conversation with Jasper about beaver trapping. He showed Jasper the beaver traps they have on display. He explained that they liked to bait traps with a beaver scent gland, and that different sized traps were needed because beavers could reach sizes of up to 120 lbs, or 5 feet from snout to tail! Champoeg has a wonderful pioneer garden that Jasper loves. He insisted on visiting it, despite the fact that little grows in the garden in December. In fact it was hard to drag him away. He can't wait until he's old enough to volunteer to help grow it. If you are looking for a way to get your child intrigued with history, or if they already are, Champoeg is a great place to visit.
We decided to see what the festivities were like at the Champoeg Holiday Gathering. Champoeg State Heritage Area is an amazing place to go to learn about pioneer era history. The holiday gathering was focused on pioneer era crafts for children. Their events are free (although a $5 parking fee per vehicle is required at this state park). A storyteller was there telling wintery tales, and musicians played lively folk tunes. I was spellbound by the four ladies who had gathered there to make lace. This was a dying art when my mother was young, and I'm amazed they actually found four people who were available to come there at the same time, who actually know this astonishing art. The lady whose lace appears in the photograph, told me that so far she'd invested about 200 hours in this piece. Kids were making pomander balls from clementines and cloves, lavender sachets with real raw wool, and cup and ball games. (An acorn is attached to a wooden cup with a string. The object is to flip the acorn into the cup- pretty tricky!) There were also cookies to decorate, swags to be made from evergreen branches, bows, and holly, and more. Jasper got very excited about weaving God's eyes, one of those pleasures of childhood I'd all but forgotten. We went out and bought a bunch of yarn, and he's been weaving more and more at home. I suspect they may end up all over our Christmas tree! A volunteer struck up a conversation with Jasper about beaver trapping. He showed Jasper the beaver traps they have on display. He explained that they liked to bait traps with a beaver scent gland, and that different sized traps were needed because beavers could reach sizes of up to 120 lbs, or 5 feet from snout to tail! Champoeg has a wonderful pioneer garden that Jasper loves. He insisted on visiting it, despite the fact that little grows in the garden in December. In fact it was hard to drag him away. He can't wait until he's old enough to volunteer to help grow it. If you are looking for a way to get your child intrigued with history, or if they already are, Champoeg is a great place to visit. 
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