BRISTOW, OK — Located within walking distance of our ECC campus, the Bristow Route 66 Toy Museum is giving new meaning to hands-on learning for local students.
This week, Mrs. Mattox’s and Mrs. Watts’s pre-K classes traveled just down the road to tour the museum as part of their Letter T study. The visit offered students a unique opportunity to explore the history of toys while connecting classroom learning to their own community.
Owned and operated by Brett and Lanette Fadley, the museum houses close to 1,000 toys currently on display, with many more still waiting their turn. “There are so many small things,” Fadley shared. “And I still have a garage full at home — more than what’s in the museum.”
Fadley has been collecting for more than 45 years, carefully curating toys that date back as far as the 1930s. When asked about the oldest toy in the collection, he noted that it can be hard to determine, but an early 1930s toy truck is among the oldest pieces currently displayed.
Students eagerly searched the museum for the smallest toy, the biggest toy, and the oldest toy, turning their tour into a scavenger hunt of discovery.
Perhaps the most heartwarming moment came when Fadley shared the story of his favorite toy — a small stuffed dog named Oscar, which he received as a Christmas gift around 1965. Oscar holds special meaning and will soon have a featured spot near the front of the museum for visitors to find.
The Bristow Route 66 Toy Museum is currently open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., welcoming visitors of all ages to step back in time and rediscover the joy of childhood.
For our ECC pre-K students, the short walk down Route 66 turned into a big lesson in history, storytelling, and community connection — proving that sometimes the best classrooms are right in our own backyard.
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