Mock state fair teaches Lincolnshire students about Illinois
Fourth -grade students at Lincolnshire's Half Day School held recently hatched chicks, cooked popcorn and voted at an election booth as part of visiting the "Illinois State Fair" on Wednesday.
The hands-on learning experience provided more than 200 students a chance to tour exhibits highlighting the state's various industries, and to hear from several guest speakers, including Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran, Lake County Judge Christopher Stride and several Stevenson High School alumni.
"This is a culmination of a unit where the students learned about the state of Illinois," said Kelly Bichkoff of the Parent-Teacher Organization of Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103, which coordinated the fair. "It is activities that represent various things in Illinois, such as manufacturing, agriculture, government, wildlife, sports and recreation."
Parents staffed the mock state fair with exhibits that included animal furs and a live snake, talking with a judge, a representative from the Lake County Farm Bureau showing products made in the state, and a chance to play sports with a Northwestern University athlete.
"I think it's kind of fun to see what's happening at all the booths," fourth grader Anneliese Rudloff said after milking a simulated cow. "The baby chicks were fun because they are fluffy and you get to hold them and pet them."