Little White School Museum 
Discover and Learn with the Little White School Museum
NATIONAL HANDWRITING DAY JANUARY 23
Celebrate the day with a break from screens and keyboards! Pick up a pen, pencil, chalk, or maker and take to paper, chalkboard, whiteboard and write away! You can write down these fun facts and pencil them in for next year’s celebration!
- In response to fears shared by educators that penmanship was becoming a lost art and skill, National Handwriting Day was created by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association in 1977.
- Historical research suggests the art of handwriting dates to 3400 BC with writing in cuneiform (meaning “wedge-shaped” and one of the oldest known forms of writing) appearing on clay tablets.
- Ancient Romans were some of the first to create and utilize a written script for recording transactions and communications.
- During the 1700’s fancy penmanship evolved into a status symbol and teaching schools emerged to train scribes.
- Professional penmen were employed to copy the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
- According to researchers, there are twelve characteristics required to produce quality penmanship: line quality, spacing, size consistency, pen lifts, connecting strokes, complete letters, cursive vs. print, pen pressure, slant, baselines, embellishments, and placements.
- January 23 was selected to celebrate National Handwriting Day as it is the birthday of John Hancock, the first to sign the Declaration of Independence with his distinctive signature!
A TASTE OF HISTORY
Indulge your senses this winter season in specially curated recipes from the collections of the Little White School Museum. Try creating a sweet treat from the past, re-discover a family favorite or start a new tradition of tasting history! Throughout the season, we will feature recipes from the compilation cookbook, Favorite Recipes Compiled by Oswego Schools Cafeteria Ladies, 1975.
Toffee Cookie 
Toffee Cookie Video Instruction Here
Toffee Cookie Printable Recipe
Quick & Easy Brownies
Quick & Easy Brownies Printable Recipe
Peppermint Delight Pie
Peppermint Delight Pie Instruction
Peppermint Delight Pie Printable Recipe
Peanut Butter Fingers
Peanut Butter Fingers Printable Recipe
Explore and Do
- Exhibit Scene Activities – Look and find, recreate, imagine a story, and more! Peek into the past with this exhibit scene and explore all the fun you can have with it!
- KidCitizen – Connect the past to the present through primary sources and engaging interactive activities for kids of all ages.
- Midewin At Home: #AllInIllinois Webinar Series – Gain information on natural resources & conservation topics with ties to the prairie.
- National Archives – Experience U.S. History through a variety of resources for research, learning or fun.
- Outdoor I Spy Heritage Park– Stroll through the park at the museum and try to see what you can spy with your detective eye!
- Smithsonian Digital Volunteer – Help transcribe historical documents and data while learning and making your mark in history!
- Smithsonian’s History Explorer – Dive into history from daily life to pop culture through through video, activities and more.
- Twisted Timeline – Untangle the historic events listed and match them with the correct year.
- Tour – Historic Downtown – Explore downtown Oswego virtually or by foot.
- Tour – Stonehouse Walking Tour – Discover local stonehouses virtually or by foot.
- U.S. Military Veteran photographs of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
History from Home – Virtual Visits
Little White School Museum Gallery
- American Battlefield Trust
- Anne Frank House
- Google Arts & Culture
- History of Science Museum
- Little White School Museum Gallery Tour
- The Museum of Flight
- NASA
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- National Women’s History Museum
- Oswegoland Remembers Those Who Served
- The Olympic Museum
- Smithsonian Museum of American History
Fun First Facts!
- Do you know when the first traffic light was installed in Oswego? How about the telephone? First business? Discover fun facts and interesting info in our Oswego Firsts Brochure.
Local History Resources
- Kendall County GenWeb (excellent local history site)
- Kendall County Historical Society
- Oswego Public Library
- Aurora Historical Society
- Illinois Trails History and Genealogy
- Batavia Historical Society
- Geneva Historical Society
- Naper Settlement
- St. Charles Heritage Center
- Joliet Area Historical Museum
- History on the Fox