NEGAUNEE — An important aspect of Michigan history was the focus of some fun activities for a group of Lakeview Elementary students. Friday was Lumberjack Day.

The fourth-grade classes are learning about Michigan’s logging industry and the impact it’s had on the Upper Peninsula. Kids participated in team building exercises to simulate what lumberjacks would do to pass time in logging camps, including relay races.

“I love everything about it,” Lakeview Elementary fourth-grade teacher Bryan Solander said. “It’s fun to see all the kids excited about it, especially on something we’re learning about so it’s a very rewarding feeling. It gives them something to remember about the actual stuff we’re learning, and even if they hopefully remember everything we teach them, they’ll remember this, too.”

While playing activities like card games and a lumberjack discus throw makes the day fun, it’s also a chance to build a community feeling among the fourth graders.

“It’s great to go cross curriculum with things like this because a lot of times kids are contained to their own classrooms and don’t get to see the other fourth graders so to interact with all the fourth grade classes at once it’s a lot of work but it is a lot of fun for the kids, especially,” Solander said.

Lumberjack Day kicked off with a full lumberjack-style breakfast, complete with hash browns, bacon and eggs.