#MuseumMonday with childhood blankets

Oh how I love museums!  But, you already knew that! Today's museum story comes from my childhood blanket and Charles Schulz.

As I child, I grew up listening to my childhood pediatrician, Dr. Watson, tell me stories of his friend, Charles Schulz.  How cool was it to hear stories of the man that drew Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the entire Peanuts gang.  Flash forward several years, my best friend Melanie and I dreamed of attending CU and opening a Snoopy store.  We practiced drawing Snoopy sleeping on his doghouse.  We would then saran wrap gumballs to the drawings to "sell" in our store.  

This week in class, we are studying Minnesota, Wisconsin, and iowa.  Charles Schulz was born in Minneaplis, MN on November 22, 1922.  I was pulling out my books for the week and reread Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown by Charles Schulz.  As I read the story, I couldn't help but to think of my own childhood and my blanket.

The slideshow above, shows images from my childhood. I carried around a blanket and my "tickle pooies".  As I got older, my dad got tired of me always having that big blanket and he cut it up onto smaller pieces. I still have my "tickle pooey" and one piece of my blanket.  A couple years ago at Christmas, the cutting of the blanket somehow came up with my dad and our daughter.  She was appalled (coming from a kid who loved her blankets).  She loves her Papa, but still gives him grief about this choice.

Today, I brought my blanket square and "tickle pooey" in as artifacts to share with my kids.  I told them the story of my blankets and my "tickle pooeys."  As I read Happiness Is A Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown, I chuckled as Linus' grandmother threatened to do the same with his blanket.  He outwitted his grandma.

As with most of my research, my curiosity starts with a book (and memories in this case).  I started exploring Charles Schulz online and discovered the amazing museum located in Santa Rosa, California.  As an educator, I truly appreciate when a museum has a strong online component so that I can bring the information into my classroom.  The Charles M. Schulz Museum does not disappoint!  The timeline gives excellent visual detail to his life, so much so, that I will use it as a further teaching tool for artifacts and primary sources.  The museum website also gives in incredible insight into the background of the characters from the Peanuts gang.

Charles M. Schulz Museum