Shelf #3: The Farm School era 1970-2007
Shelf #3: The Farm School era 1970-2007
Embedded Files
Aside from the three abandoned buildings, which have had multiple uses over the years, there is little surface evidence of the farm school’s existence on the site and the childrens’ engagement with the area besides the play structure. It is possible that some toys and other objects found on the site and displayed on Shelf #3 belonged to the farm school kids, one day lost, misplaced, or discarded and added to the archeological record. We can look at the types of toys found, their patent or production dates, and overall condition to decipher when they may have been deposited. Because the farm school closed in 2007, any objects manufactured after that date would have come from unaffiliated UCI student activities at the site when it was ultimately abandoned.
Check out some individual artifact profiles below!
In the late 1960s several of the Bonita Camp buildings were utilized for social science experimentation that brought indigenous artisans to live and share their cultural traditions with students as part of a living ethnographic laboratory that doubled as something of a hippie commune. That project was soon shut down, and by the early 1970s the School of Social Sciences, under Dr. Michael Butler, developed the site for what would become the experimental K-8 “Farm School” that educated local children (many of them faculty offspring) for the next 35+ years. Utilizing the latest research surrounding the new educational perspectives developed by social scientists at UCI and beyond, the school explored alternatives to conventionalized forms of learning and living. It sought to develop a deeper understanding of a child's learning processes, such as their cognitive development and their varying levels of ability to retain information at different age groups. However, the pressure to develop East Campus for student housing, the building of the ARC, and low enrollments led to the Farm School’s closure in 2007.
Display Case Item #32: Orange Cat Toy
Display Case Item #32: Orange Cat Toy
When the fragment is connected to the larger piece, we can see that this cat figurine has both paws in the air. If the cat is a Lucky Cat, or Maneki Neko, both paws up means protection of the home or business. The small size and plastic material of this object suggests it may have been a prize in a gachapon, capsule toy machine or vending machine, where there would have been multiple styles or colors for patrons to receive. These machines can be found most frequently in shopping malls or arcades. It's possible that the item was used as a prize for the farm school kids or was exchanged between friends. This item shows few signs of wear as its face and paw details are still visible and the object is overall quite clean.
Display Case Item #23: Red Toy Die (8-Sided)
Display Case Item #23: Red Toy Die (8-Sided)
This 8-sided red die is plastic, the numbers on each side being quite worn down either from frequent use or from being deposited in the archaeological record. Dice have been used in many types of games for thousands of years, with the 8-sided variation being patented in the United States in 1917. The first plastic polyhedral die was made in 1950. Polyhedral dice are popular in tabletop games such as Dungeons and Dragons, which first released in 1974 and grew to be very popular in the 1980s, and are often used to determine compass directions. These dates and the level of wear tell us that this particular d8 found at the site could have been used in games played by the farm school kids.
Webpage created by: Alli Stefanoff, Fall 2024 Agents Club
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