Thursday, January 23, 2014

P is for Popcorn



Sunday, January 19th is National Popcorn Day!!!

How will you celebrate this treat that has been around for centuries?  Well I am upset because I absolutely love popcorn...and I can no longer enjoy it in any form.  Even poor Joey can no longer enjoy it.

But I still wanted to do something fun for the kids.  I decided to plan a field trip to one of the coolest places in our area......the J. H. Fentress Antique Popcorn Museum.



This great museum features a large display of popcorn makers and memorabilia from the early 1900s to the present day.  It is very unique and the only one of it's kind.   There are several other popcorn museums in the area, but nothing like the personality from the owner of the J. H. Fentress Antique Popcorn Museum.  
He is very passionate about his collection and loves to share the information with others.  This is our second time visiting and it's always a great time and we learned something new each time.
They feature over 35 original Popcorn machines, including street vendors from the early 1900s.  This went really great with our study of American Girl Rebecca and American Girl Samantha (since she bought peanuts from a street vendor and many of the original popcorn machines also had peanut vending machines on them also).
Popcorn on the cob.  He shared this with all the kids and sent home some with all the families.  Who knew???  I remember reading about this in a unit study Joey did, but never seen it up close.  How fun!!
See the bags on the right, This is the amount of popcorn you got for a nickel.  It was a real treat.  No where near the $8 - $10.00 tubs that we get now days at the theater.  He also shared the fact that popcorn is extremely cheap.  So don't feel bad about getting those refills :)


Popcorn vending machines from gas stations.  I don't know if I would've done it, but I'm sure the kids would've loved this treat.
Check out the lower front of this machine.  It has a popcorn blower.  He uses special mushroom popcorn to make it look nice.  It blows around to draw in customers.  The kids loved watching this.


An original popcorn machine from around 1905.  

Popcorn megaphones.  At sporting events, and even high games they would fill these with popcorn.  When you finished eating, you would pop the cap off and use it as a megaphone.  He has one from Marlboro cigarettes that they would use at High school sporting events.  



We also got a chance to see one of his restorations in action.  Two years ago he was working on this drive able truck.  We were excited to see how much more he had finished.  



It's fun to find all the unique museums in any area, especially around where you live.  Don't forget to check out your community has to offer.  We look forward to celebrating National Popcorn Day with the J.H. Fentress Antique Popcorn Museum again and again!!

Popcorn resources: (no affilitate links, just some things we have used in the past or found.)

Early Childhood/Preschool Popcorn links....KidSparkz
Popcorn.org
Popcorn Themes
Popcorn Day activities
Popcorn Olympics
Amanda Bennett Hoppin' Popcorn Unit Study (This was fun...Joey did it last year and really liked it)
Popcorn Activities from Currclick.com

Linking up with others at Blogging Through the Alphabet.



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