II.    A Harvest Vocabulary  
1.  husking bee – a gathering of farm families to remove the husks (outer coverings) from corn, usually as a party or celebration
2.  quilting bee – a gathering where women make a quilt
3.  bed-warmer – a covered pan or box containing hot coals used to warm beds in winter
4.  quilt – a coverlet for a bed made from two layers of fabric with a soft layer in between and stitched in a pattern to keep the filling from shifting
5.  corn husk dolls – a simple doll made from the husks or covering of corn
6.  smoke house – a out building on a farm used to preserve meat with a slow fire
7.  johnny cake – another name for corn bread
8.  apple butter – apples that are cooked to a paste then sweetened and spice to make a spread
9.  Indian corn – a type of corn today usually thought of as multicolored and used for decorating
10. butter churn – a machine in which cream or milk is agitated to make butter
11. apple peeler – a tool used to remove the skin from apples
12. corn grinder – a machine used to crush corn into a powder
13. Dutch oven – a heavy kettle with a close fitting lid, used over an open fire
14. fanning mill – a machine used by farmers to process wheat, to separate the grain from the chaff
15. corn sheller – a machine used by farmers to remove the corn kernels from the cob
16. flail – a tool used by farmers for separate seed from grain by hand
17. bow cradle – a tool used for cutting grain in the field
18. scythe – a tool with a long handle used for cutting hay or grass by hand
19. sickle – a tool with a short handle used for cutting hay or grass by hand

20. hay fork – a tool used to lift hay from one place to another; also call a pitch fork

III.  Other Pre or Post Visit Activities

Introduction:  Do without a modern convenience for one day.  This can be done as a group using a classroom convenience, or it can be discussed as group and then each child can choose a convenience at home to do without.

Food Related: Find one or more old kitchen utensil for the children to handle and guess the function of.  (Suggested utensils – apple peeler, cherry pitter, pie crust crimper – often these can be found at garage sales or in grandma’s kitchen)

Keeping Warm: Bring in an old quilt to feel and cuddle with, while imagining an unheated house.  If the quilt is torn, the children can see they way it was made and also they can discuss the need to take care and preserve “old” objects.