Sparkle Schoolhouse

FIFTY: Minnesota— " This House"

FIFTY: Minnesota— "This House"

Each story in the FIFTY collection focuses on a remarkable American from a different state. Below are some recommended topics to inspire further investigation of the history and geography of the state, as well as themes that can support our children's growth and development.

When Louise Wahinoge moves her family to a small city outside of St. Paul, she purchases a house that has a long and powerful history. Not only is the house where the famous Mayo Clinic was founded, but it is also connected to one of America’s most famous food companies. This information comes to Louise in a most remarkable and magical series of accidents.

*Note: Though this is historical fiction and the characters have been developed to accommodate a story, their attributes and development may be useful as reference points and inspirations. *

Minnesota History Biography of William Mayo and Mayo Clinic Biography of Carson Cosgrove and Green Giant Vegetables

Minnesota Geography Map of Minnesota — pinpoint where the historic home is located Overlay current map with Dakota tribal map

“This House” study topics Study of the relationship between geography (noting the presence of flint) and biography. Why is this house central to so many huge successes?

Topics for Reflection

From a Child Development Perspective:

In this story, your child might learn that:

• Our dreams can tell us things that we might not otherwise know. It’s important to listen to them when they speak to us, because sometimes the messages that we hear can be a sign: they might guide us about making a decision, teach us something about ourselves, oer help us to discover and navigate our feelings. Louise woke up from a dream feeling like she had been giving a message — and she listened.

• A fresh start can help with the healing process. When we lose someone we love, sometimes we need to make changes in our lives — not to forget our loved one, but to create a fresh start. Louise had tried to stay in St. Paul, but it was painful for her because living there was a constant reminder of having lost her husband. So she sold her house and moved. It was just the right thing for her to do — not in order to leave her husband behind, but to bring him with her into her future rather staying in their past.

• Our guts can tell us things that we might not otherwise know. It’s not just a dream is that can give us messages. Sometimes we have this little feeling in our gut that tells us what is true for ourselves. When Louise moved from St. Paul, the first house the realtor showed her was the one she immediately knew was right for her and her children. There was something that whispered in her ear. Sometimes we don’t even think about it — we just know.

• Sometimes our emotions are triggered by the most unexpected things, and when that happens, we can just allow it. Who would think that a phrase “Flint is for choosing” would bring Louise to tears, but it did. The message in her dream combined with the memory of her husband upon waking combined with the fact that she was very tired resulted in her feeling a tenderness that lead to tears. Perhaps what also brought her to tears is that before falling asleep she asked for a sign, for some guidance about how she was going to make her new life work, and when she heard a message in her dream she cried from the power of having heard back.

• Curiosity is a treasure chest. With curiosity, we gain new capacities and new skills. Louise had come to know a great deal about working on homes. She didn’t set out to explore any of this, but when she would visit her husband at work, she would become interested and start to ask questions. Everyone enjoyed her questions, and they were happy to tell her whatever she wanted to know. Little by little, she became quite skilled.

• Sometimes it happens that we receive just what we need at just the right time. As Louise was pulling up the floorboards in her home, she discovered a book. And it was the writing in the book that lead her to her future. She never would have known to look for that book had she not been renovating her home. Life gave her just what she needed at just the right time.

• Sometimes coincidences happen in our lives that are so uncanny we have to stop and marvel. Louise was dumbfounded at the similarities she saw between the writing in the book and the dream that she had had. And who could have predicted that there would be a knock on the door just as she was reading a book by a woman who knew all about the arrowheads that she had dreamt about?

• “Be careful what you decide to do, because odds are it’s going to be successful.” What a wonderful way to consider all of the positive possibility in your life. Very often we protect ourselves by preparing for failure. We even tell someone to “break a leg” before they go on stage. But now Thea warns Louise to be careful of what she decides to do, not because she will fail — but rather because she will succeed!