|
School
|
|
Our artsy child - the actor - also loves to play the piano. It's like
a release valve for him. When he gets frustrated with his math (which
happens frequently) I can bribe him to finish with the promise of
playing piano next. He loves it and all you have to do is watch him
play to see it. It's like the music moves through his whole body. He
patiently tries to figure out how to play new pieces and then excitedly
calls us to hear him when he gets them figured out. It's so beautiful
to me, and naturally I hated to take that from him. So once again I
set out in search of a way to allow him continue to play piano on the
road. My answer - Skype.
|
|
Continue...
|
Discuss this article... (0 posts) |
|
Virginia
|
Driving up the mountain toward the home of Thomas Jefferson I was struck by the beauty of the landscape. It was easy to imagine him riding his horse up winding paths to get home after a long day. No wonder he loved Monticello . It is gorgeous.
Thomas Jefferson was our only president who was also an architect. He designed his home, so when you walk through it and listen to the stories of the tour guides you get a feel for what he was like - for how he lived. I could imagine him there. He loved books. They are everywhere. He was creative and inquisitive and studied science - even invented a few things, some of which are on display. We left with a mental image of who he was. That's perfect, because before long we'll be studying about his contributions to our nation's beginning, and now we have a frame of reference.
From Monticello we went to lunch and then to the home of James and Dolly Madison, called Montpelier , just 45 minutes away. We were fortunate to be there toward the end of an extensive resoration of the home. It was great for the kids to see how an historic landmark is restored and for us to talk about why. We heard from the staff stories of how they scoured through old letters, paintings and pictures to find out exactly where certain items would have been in the house during Madison's day. They even studied the pattern of nail holes in one wall to determine where certain paintings were hung. We decided they were history detectives and that sounded like a fun job.
Both Madison and Jefferson were remarkable men, the Father of the Constitution and the Father of the Declaration of Independence, but we couldn't help but wonder why they both owned slaves and yet spoke against slavery, calling it morally wrong. This topic sparked a great discussion on the way home about what it might have been like to be in their shoes and what the boys would have done.
Montpelier restoration in the news.
|
Discuss this article... (0 posts)
|
|
Virginia
|
|
We've been reading about how tobacco made the people of Virginia wealthy, and how they needed a lot of people to work a plantation. Since many of the settlers died, it was hard to convince people to come to America. In the end, the colonists were willing to pay people to come and work for them. Sometimes the pay was enough to entice ship's captains to kidnap people and bring them to Virginia. So, for the love of money our country and countless innocent Africans were dragged into slavery. What better way to understand how it all began than to tour an actual tobacco plantation?
|
|
Continue...
|
Discuss this article... (0 posts)
|
|
Virginia
|
|
From speaking to the natives in the Powhatan village to meeting the blacksmith and the carpenter at James Fort to climbing aboard the replica of the Susan Constant and the other ships that brought the first settlers to Jamestown, our day was full of history brought to life! Finally, everything we had been reading about took shape.
|
|
Continue...
|
Discuss this article... (0 posts)
|
|
North Carolina
|
|
The final stop on the tour of the Outer Banks of North Carolina is the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Lighthouse. Climbing the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is a unique experience. The climb is strenuous! The 248 iron spiral stairs to the top equal climbing a 12 story building. The stairs have a handrail only on one side and a landing every 31 steps. There is no air conditioning. It can be noisy, humid, hot and dim inside the lighthouse and there is two-way traffic on the narrow stairs. The lighthouse guards the Diamond Shoals off the coast known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic."
* Research Blackbeard, the pirate, and his relationship to this area. What happened to him here?
A fun family activity at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore is crabbing. The season starts around the beginning of June, according to one local. Here are his tips for crabbing:
|
|
Continue...
|
Discuss this article... (0 posts)
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
|
| Results 64 - 72 of 86 |
We're excited to be able to partner