Pioneer Days Summer Experience teaches respect for land

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“I would love for people to have a better understanding and respect for the land, and what it can provide for us.” - Sandy Koteskey. FLPC Director

By Emma Palova || Contributing writer

6/12/2024

Pan for gold, make soap, go berry picking, learn how to use a bow and arrow this summer, at the Franciscan Life Process Center (FLPC), north of Lowell, during Pioneer Days Summer Experience.

Led by Sister Mary Paul Moller, FSE, the Pioneer Days experience offers an insider’s look into the life of early settlers. “Sister Mary Paul has a lot of experience with early settlers’ education and living experiences,” said center director, Sandy Koteskey. “She brought her expertise when she moved to Lowell.”

A letter from Molly attests to that:

“Dear Sister Mary Paul, Mr. Chris, Miss Amanda and all other staff,

The farm was an amazing trip and I loved it all. The soap making, the hikes and all the other activities. I feel like when I say this, I speak for the whole class. I loved the farm. Thank you. Sincerely, Molly.”

The program teaches respect for the land and natural order of things, according to Koteskey. “Early settlers living experience reconnects the children with how to use the land,” Koteskey said.

For example, in panning for gold, the children learn that gold is a mineral in the land; that animals are not just for meat, but also for clothing and soap making.

The bow and arrow activity teaches the children how to hunt and forage.c“We’ve had a large response as the culture is returning to homesteading,” Koteskey said. “It’s reinforcing some of these natural processes.”

The participation ranges from small intimate groups of five to big groups of 18. “It’s geared toward that age group of eight to 12 years old,” she said. “It’s part of their development, where they’re at, willing to explore. It’s a sweet spot of age when the children are old enough to have self- control.”

Children need self-control during the bow and arrow activity, when safety protocols are involved. All the tools are provided, such as a wooden box with a screen to sift in a natural water source for gold. A trough pre-filled with water will serve as a water source. Using different fat products and oil essentials, the children will make soaps. If ripe, they will pick berries, and cook or bake with them, but no time to make jam. Games are planned for all four days.

“They will have the same experience in each session,” she said. “Please pick one of the sessions and call today. There will be no walk in registrations.”

The children get to keep everything they make, including the gold they find.

As part of the environmental programming at the FLPC, fifth graders from area Catholic schools studied birds, learned to identify their migration patterns, worked in the garden and completed farm chores.

During the spring clean-up days, young men from Harmel Academy volunteered for land clean-up in March, and returned in April to install new windows in the San Francesco yurt. The Harmel Academy provides hands-on education in the trades in a Catholic faith-based setting.

“I would love for people to have a better understanding and respect for the land, and what it can provide for us,” Koteskey said.

The Pioneer Days experience will take place at the Lowell campus in three sessions: June 17-20, June 24-27 and Aug. 5-8, from 9 am to 12 pm. To register, call the center at 616-897-7842 or go to website www.lifeprocesscenter.org