Kansas
Kaleidoscope
 Story
Starters
Vol. 12, No. 2 October/November
2008 -" Primary sources ... history’s clues"
A big thank you to our readers who sent in Story Starter stories! The
story below was written and submitted by Teddy Barfield, a first grader
from Wichita. Thanks Teddy!
I found a photo of my grandfather at a young age. I asked him
to tell me about his life at the time the photo was taken. I learned
he was born on November 5, 1936 in Middletown, New York. He had two
sisters and he did not share a bedroom. Grandpa walked to Academy Avenue
School. It was about a half mile away, and there were 10 to 15 students
in his class. Grandpa’s dad didn’t have a job. Grandpa’s
mother was a retired nurse. He had to take care of his pet skunk, fox,
and rabbit. He had to keep squirrels away from his birdhouse. He had
to take care of his blackberry bushes. For fun grandpa went sail boating.
He got his first sailboat when he was 8 to 9. He caught crayfish. On
the weekends he went sailing. He went in sail boating races and got
lots of trophies. Grandpa swam in the lake and went fishing with his
mom.
Teddy Barfield, First Grader
Some of the other stories we received are below:
I found a photo of my grandfather at a young age. I asked him
to tell me about his life at the time the photo was taken. I learned
he was born in Orange, New Jersey on January 26, 1942. He had an older
sister and younger sister, and he did not have to share a bedroom. His
father was a farmer and minister. His mother was a school administrator.
He went to Salisbury Central School in Lakeville, Connecticut. Poppop
waked a half mile to the bus stop and rode twenty-five minutes. Poppop
made is bed and cleaned his room. On the farm he fed the cows, fed the
chickens, and gathered hay. For fun he made dams in the stream to make
a pond for himself. He went biking and rafting. He went once a month
to cut his hair. The hair cut cost twenty-five cents. Poppop visited
his grandmother. He liked to o fishing. He also liked to drive the tractor.
Edison Lewis, Second Grader
I found a photo of my grandmother at a young age. I asked her
to tell me about her life at the time the photo was taken. I learned
that my grandma, Jo L. Colborn, was born on December 30, 2943 in Medicine
Lodge, a small town. She had one younger sister, Louise. They shared
a bedroom. She kept her side of the room clean. Her mother was a housekeeper,
and her father was the janitor of the hospital and a police officer.
My grandma went to a school called Medicine Lodge Grade School. She
had about 40 kids in her class, how hard would that be! She walked to
school about 12 blocks. She washed dishes, and babysat her sister, Louise.
That is what I learned about my grandma.
Hailey Colborn, Second Grader
I found a photo of my grandmother at a young age. I asked her to
tell me about her life at the time the photo was taken. I learned her
birthday was November 1, 1961, and she was born in Shattuck, Oklahoma.
She had three brothers and one sister and she mostly had to share her
bedroom with her sister Donela. Her dad was an aircraft worker and her
mom was a stay-at-home mom. She went to Martonson Elementary School
and rode on a bus with seventeen students in her class. My grandma went
to girl scouts, played with her friends, and watched her brother pay
baseball. Debbie spent her weekends cleaning the house. On Sunday she
went to church, read, and did homework.
Makenzie Fouch, Second Grader
I found a photo of my grandmother at a young age. I asked her to
tell me about her life at the time the photo was taken. I learned she
had a farm and was born in Philippines on August 13, 1955. With my Grandma's
nine brothers and four sisters, she had to share a bedroom. She played
shot bone and played hide and seek. She went to grade school at Ensebio
Lopez Elementary. She walked to that school. It took about one hour.
She had about 30 students in her class. She had to wash dishes, bring
water in the house, and feed chickens and pigs. Her mom had a store,
and her dad had a sugar company. Grandma went to the market with her
mom on the weekends.
Michael Vance, Second Grader
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