Life in the Past

How did we have it earlier?

(Oulunsalo - Finland)

It is custom to the pupils in our school to visit the local village museum. Sometimes there are older people telling the children how it was on the 20th century when they were young. In the museum there are several items that were made at home for everyday use.

The first thing to be able to live in the countryside is to build a well to draw water from it. One could find tall trees in the forest and use them to make a pump. It had to be light enough for the women to sink the bucket and to lift it up with the water. These pumps are to be seen even nowadays in the country but most often they are not in daily use.

The fathers often were industrious and had learned to be good carpenters. They didn't have electric light but had self-made kindling chips to give light to do objects to the mother, household and children. Houses had shingle roofs, the furniture was made of wood.

In the farmhouse livingroom there was a large table and benches made of treetrunks. Larger houses could have even a finer room with decorative furniture for festive occasions. Rockingchairs were and are favourite places to ease the mind. And long thin trunks were placed up near the ceilings to hang the bread for the week.

Some fine pieces of furniture were the cradles that are nowadays the valuable heirlooms of many families.

The mothers were in charge of the clothes. Many households had a handloom to weave fabric first. These looms were also used for making carpets and Finnish rugs for the walls.

Wooden Products Now

Information centre, Staircase,

Wooden earrings, Kitchen utensils

Wooden toy,Wooden door,

Wooden fence, Sauna

Wooden Products in the Past

Ski and sleigh, Butter form, Lateru,

Tool for making cottage cheeseOld wooden table and chairs,

Old wooden clock, Piano, Zither, Wooden sleigh, Tools

September in Oulunsalo

Our new tree is Mustakuusi, 'Picea mariana'. We planted it the 3rd of September, just one month before our trip to Turkey. The tree itself was about 120cm tall and has beautiful small cones. Our janitor had dug the hole ready when the pupils and some teachers and grandparents arrived to the ceremony. We had new soil and fresh water for the roots. The children sang two songs about trees, one of a finch that makes a nest in a birch and one of a squirrel that has its soft home in a fir. We are happy with our new ever-green tree. The children have looked after it well and have placed stones around the root area.

It is September 2009 and our first Comenius tree, Pylväshaapa, Populus tremula Erecta, is still alive and growing. The pupils have taken good care of it, no branches broken. At the moment it is green but we are waiting for the leaves to turn to autumnly colours, more or less reddish.