<p>
	The internship has been an absolute blast! The last three days have been devoted to teaching about Michigan&rsquo;s history and I have been playing the part of a French fur trader from the year 1800. This gives me the opportunity to dress as a voyageur and teach the children about what life was like before Michigan&rsquo;s statehood.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s also a great opportunity to start a conversation with the students about conservation and natural resource use.&nbsp; Conversely this results in the children teaching me about the joys of technology and the inventions they are familiar with which have made many of the tasks I end up showing them obsolete.&nbsp; Like candle making for example.&nbsp; They say, &ldquo;Where we come from we don&rsquo;t use candles anymore.&rdquo;&nbsp; At that point the hardest part of the day is remembering to act confused when they attempt to explain how light bulbs work for the tenth time!&nbsp; It is such a joy to watch them connect the dots as they work through the steps of explaining to me the miracle of electricity.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Colten_1(1).jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 188px; float: right;" />After I make candles with the students, we venture to the wigwam. Once inside, we all sit down and I begin telling the kids about the Ottawa people and how they worked in close synchrony with the environment and how they made the most of the earth&rsquo;s seasonal provisions.&nbsp; Fall, winter, spring and summer all bring a different routine and responsibility to the Ottawa way of life.&nbsp; I am amazed at the calming effect the wigwam has on each group.&nbsp; It is as if they enter a new world and time.&nbsp; Their senses are heightened as they make observations about everything they see and touch.&nbsp; They especially sympathize with the difficulties the Ottawa experienced during the winter months.</p>
<p>
	Finally, I tell the kids about how the Ottawa use a bow drill to create fire. Despite the fact that getting a fire started from a bow drill is difficult even for an adult, they approach the activity with unwavering optimism.&nbsp; With some practice, and time, they will eventually see smoke rise from their spindle.&nbsp; Smiles and excitement don their faces, as is often the result when informal awareness meets first hand experience.&nbsp; Two key ingredients for good memory making.</p>
<p>
	Eventually Eli, my co-instructor, will interject and inform the group that it is time to go.&nbsp; He will take my group to learn about other aspects of Michigan&rsquo;s history, like the logging era and the lumberjacks that roamed our northwoods long ago.&nbsp; As for me, the departure of one group means the arrival of another and the process begins again.&nbsp; Rain, snow, or shine we will teach, just as the voyageurs would.</p>
