THEME:This week I’d like to invite you to share your favourite field-trip that you’ve been able to go on since you’ve started homeschool. I’d encourage you to include photos, but you don’t have to.
This seems like the perfect opportunity to finish writing about our September family camping vacation, since our vacation was really like an extended homeschool field trip. Many of the places we visited turned out to be very educational. Here they are in the order in which we visited them:
1. Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Georgia - we were camping at F. D. Roosevelt State Park during this time, for three nights. The first full day, we spent at Callaway. It was very quiet that day, with few visitors, since it was off season. They have a magnificent butterfly exhibit, inside a glass building, with non-native butterflies from around the world. Our children are such butterfly lovers, and they could have stayed at this exhibit all day long. Once we could pull them away, we enjoyed the birds of prey encounter, and learned many of the blessings that birds of prey provide for human beings. One of them, is that they get rid of a lot of harmful bacteria, like botulism and anthrax. Did you know that birds of prey can consume carrion with these bacteria, and never get sick. In fact, they rid the world of these harmful bugs. Another reason that birds of prey need to be respected and protected.
2. F. D. R.'s Little White House, Warm Springs, Georgia - we visited this interesting home, where FDR retreated for many years, including during his presidency. He loved Warm Springs even before he took office, coming there often for relief from his post-polio symptoms. He eventually had this home built there. It was interesting to see the sentry posts at various places outside the house. He actually passed away at this house, while he was having his portrait painted. He became ill and had to be carried to his bed, after which he died. The unfinished portrait is still there, as well as a second portrait that was complete, for the artist to show what she had in mind with the first portrait. FDR died only three weeks or so before V-E Day (Victory in Europe, World War 2). Surely the stresses of the war did him in, and it was a shame that he did not live to see that day. While we were touring the home, a park ranger called us outside to the front porch to see a huge praying mantis. Needless to say, that is what our children remember best about the Little White House.
We also visited the favorite picnic spot of FDR where he would go for contemplation. There was a bronze statue of him sitting on a car seat there. He was most comfortable on a car seat that was placed upon the rock there, overlooking the valley. Little Son was curious to see how FDR would have looked wearing his (Little Son's) eyeglasses. This is the result.
During the three nights we were camping at F. D. Roosevelt State Park, we had to do some violin practice. Baby Girl and Little Son both did their practicing. However, while Little Son was practicing his concerto, he noticed that a girl, who was walking by our campsite, had stopped to listen. Shortly after the violins were placed back in their cases, she came over and introduced herself. "Hi, my name is Ashley and I'm nine. Say, you're pretty good. I am taking up violin myself now, although all I can play is 'Twinkle'." The rest of the day, our children played in the campground with Ashley and her siblings, all homeschooled. The moral of this story is: Playing violin is a great way to meet girls!
We drove from there to a mock town called Westville. This was a place where everything is supposed to be as it would have been back in 1850. We had an opportunity to see craftpersons sewing, quilting, making candles, doing laundry the old-fashioned way, making shoes, making rope, making wood furniture, growing cotton, etc. All of the buildings in Westville have been moved from other locations in Georgia to their present spot. This was definitely a "field trip" type of destination. Again, it was very quiet there, as there were few visitors. On a weekday in early October, it is quiet unless there is a local school visiting. Here are some photos from that experience:
Here are photos from that excursion.
In Americus, we visited the Habitat for Humanity Global Village. This was a very worthwhile place to visit, and I highly recommend it. It is an exhibit showing the terrible conditions that folks are living in in various places in the world. You can walk into a slum full of shanties that would be typical of the type of communities outside the U.S. where Habitat works. After that, you take your passport and visit (walk through) about 15 full scale models of homes that Habitat builds for families in those countries. Some of the countries represented were India, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Kenya, Mexico, Guatemala, and Botswana. For each country, climate, and culture, they decided the construction method that would build a strong, solid house that is typical of the middle class of that country. Then they involved the families in the building process, often by teaching them how to make the bricks. The result was a house that might not seem special by American standards, but was clearly far superior to the slum shanties that were at the beginning of the exhibit.
Here is a snapshot from the Georgia Vets military museum:
The last night, upon returning to Florida, we stopped to camp for one night at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. This is a great one night stopover when entering or leaving Florida. The campground, itself, is top notch. The rangers were very friendly, and while we were there, our children satisfied the requirements to become "Junior Rangers". They are proud of their Junior Ranger badges, and Little Son is anxious to enforce all the campground rules when we next camp at a Florida State Park. by the way, at this park is a unique museum celebrating the life and folk music of Stephen Foster, who made the "S'wanee River" famous with his song. Oh, I mustn't forget - we had to take at least one photo standing onthe banks of this famous river (spelled Suwannee).
Well, I managed to accomplish two things with this post. The Homeschool Memoir of the week, AND the rest of our vacation travelogue.
Whew! That's a load off my mind.
Our next Field Trip (a.k.a. Camping Trip) is scheduled for a week from tomorrow. Yippee!
3 comments:
Great pictures! I'm surprised your son isn't talking about the tank, as well as the mantis!
This is an area of GA I've never visited (I'm a native Georgian). Great pics - looks like everyone had a wonderful time. :o)
What great field trip pictures!! :) Thanks for sharing.