Old fashion reality check
No kid is going to get voted out of Naper Settlement during "Survivor: Prairie," but there will be plenty of 19th-century-type challenges to meet.
"They'll be challenged to start a fire with flint and steel, which is no easy task," said Nancy Smith, the 19th-century's living history museum's education manager.
A takeoff on television's the popular "Survivor" reality series, the winter break event from 8:30 to 4 p.m. Dec. 27 and 28 at 523 S. Webster St., Naperville is part of the settlement's reinventing of its School's Out programming and adding themes, Smith said.
"The response from the community has been very good so far," she said.
"Survivor: Prairie" is meant to be both fun and educational. Between 50 and 60 first- through fifth-graders can participate each day at a daily cost of $45. Kids can attend one day or both.
Children will be divided into teams to tackle such challenges as producing one cup of corn ground fine enough to go through a sieve and loading the Conestoga wagon for a trip west.
"They'll have a host of things they can pack in a limited space and be rewarded for what they choose," Smith said.
Just like on "Survivor," there'll be immunities to win, and children will play the lie detector game. Three staff members will talk about their time at Naper Settlement, with two telling about authentic experiences and one giving a fictional account. Then the kids will tell real and made-up facts about themselves in a get-acquainted game.
They'll also sample frontier food by making butter and tasting cornbread, beef jerky and cheese curds. Along the way, they'll learn what was stored in the root cellar and how beef was salted and stored, and they'll see parts of a NCTV-17 documentary on "Surviving the Winter of 1830."
Kids who survive the prairie or want a different kind of adventure might try the next School's Out program, "Hidden Treasures," from 8:30 to 4 p.m. Jan. 2, 3 and 4.
Using maps, compasses, puzzles, secret codes and high-tech GPS devices, they'll seek out clues and hidden items. The kids also can hide their own treasure and make a map for others to find it.
Smith said each day will be different.
"They could attend one or all three," she said.
If you go
What:"Survivor: Prairie," Dec. 27 and 28; "Hidden Treasures," Jan. 2-4
Who: Kids in grades 1-5
When:8:30 to 4 p.m.
Where:Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville
Cost: $45 per day
Info:(630) 420-6010 or napersettlement.museum