A Day in the Past

Michael knows all about change because he recently moved to a new state! This got him thinking about how time makes things change, and he’s wondering what life was like long ago.

Michael thinks about what he does each day and the different types of technology he uses all day long. He does his schoolwork on the computer, and plays video games for fun. He talks to his grandparents on video using his cell phone because they live far away. His family uses their oven and microwave to cook. What would a day in his life look like if he lived long ago?

What happened? This doesn’t look like his house. Why is he wearing these clothes?

Wait a minute... Michael has been transported back in time to see what a day would look like long ago!

Michael is a little nervous, but excited to see life long ago. He better log in to a computer so he can start school.

Oh no! Michael can’t find a computer anywhere! Just then, he hears his mom tell him it’s time to walk to school. Oh, right! Computers weren’t invented yet! His mom walks with him to drop him off at school. He’s surprised how far of a walk it is!

Once he’s in school, Michael notices that the other students have pencil, paper, and books. He looks around the room for a computer tablet so he can use it to complete the work. Once again, Michael realizes that tablets weren’t invented yet! He finds some scrap paper to write on. His teacher writes on the chalkboard to teach them. Michael is thinking that this is much different from what he is used to.

After school, Michael looks for a school bus to take him home. He sees a lot of people walking, but there are no buses. In fact, he doesn’t even see a car! Michael will have to walk home.

Some boys walk with Michael and invite him to play. Michael thinks he will learn a new video game! Cool!

But when they arrive at a friend’s house, he learns that they all play marbles for fun. Marbles? Michael has never heard of this game. Thankfully, the friends are kind enough to teach Michael how to play. He finds out that it’s pretty fun!

Michael heads home for dinner, but stops in his tracks when he walks in the front door! His mom is cooking in a pot over a fire pit inside the house! Where is the microwave? Where is the oven? Michael is realizing that life was completely different long ago. He starts to think that he’d really like to go home now.

Woah! Just like that, Michael is back in his home and in the right year! Traveling through time was fun and very surprising! Michael is glad that he got a chance to see what life used to be like. He knows he will be so much more thankful for all the technology tools that he uses each day!

He thinks about what he should do first now that he has returned to the present, and realizes... he’d really like to buy some marbles!