Mangesyslaren - Lærdal municipality
There were excited children and adults who showed up at Gamle Lærdalsøyri one early morning in September! They were supposed to be with Gry and Gro from Nærøyfjorden World Heritage Park for a whole day on the "Mangesyslaren" program.
In connection with the Cultural Remembrance Days, Nærøyfjorden World Heritage Park developed a program for grades 3-4 where the focus is on reuse, being able to repair, being useful, and being able to utilize our resources. In close collaboration with partners and the schools in Lærdal municipality, the students learn about history, construction techniques, the use of wood to make darning mushrooms, about wool and how it is processed into yarn. And then they get to try to darn a hole with darning mushrooms and yarn.
The base for these two days was Gamlebanken, which I was able to borrow from the Association of Ancient History.
The pupils started with a tour of Gamleøyri, where I told them about construction techniques, about the development of the town center and about the lives of those who lived there a long time ago.
Up on the second floor of Gamlebanken, an introduction to the use of wooden material and the aging of wool for yarn awaited. The pupils were each given their own stopper that Edvin Flåm from Undredal had made, and which they now had to finish polishing before they could use it.
It is hard work to clean, but before they could sit down to the table, butter had to be made! This probably whetted the appetite even more, because the porridge got legs to walk on - the self-made butter eye was great!
After the porridge pot had been emptied, it was time to try out the stopper and needle. Full concentration, and indeed it was possible to repair worn knitted socks!
As the pupils said they had finished with needle and yarn, they were given tasks to solve - a repetition of something they had been involved in that day.
Finally, there was a reading aloud, and the pupils seemed to enjoy a calm end to a meaningful working day.
Many thanks to all from Lærdalsøyri children's and youth school and Borgund school!