Wordless Wednesday: A Day in Colonial Williamsburg

A Day in Olde Yorktowne

I don't consider myself much of  a history buff, but I do find delving into history with the kids somewhat more interesting than I ever did when I was in school.   That interest increases significantly  when we can visit some of the places that we're  learning about.  We are doing American History this year in our homeschool,  which means that we can take a bajillion  relevant field trips without driving too far from home. It's one of the joys of living in this neck of the woods…we are surrounded by places of historical significance! 

Our first big field trip of the year was last week to the Williamsburg area to take advantage of their reduced admission rates for homeschoolers in September.   We left last Tuesday morning and headed straight for a tour at the Yorktown Victory Center.  Situated right on the banks of the York River, Yorktown is best known for being the place where the British surrendered to colonists in the final battle of the Revolutionary War.  

We got to see up close and personal what a Revolutionary War encampment was like.  It was humbling to learn how meager their supplies were, how the soldiers' pay often didn't come through,  and how up to six soldiers slept in one of these tents.   

 It is crazy to think of the odds the Americans were up against trying to fight and gain their independence from the most powerful military power in the world.  There's no other way in my mind to reconcile the US's victory over Great Britain, other than it was God's will to establish a land of freedom, equality, and justice.

George Washington, like the other Founding Fathers, is an inspiration of bravery and sacrifice for the greater good.     

We watched several reenactments (one of which Ellie assisted with) and were surprised at the noise just one musket or one tin foil cannon ball made.   I can't imagine how deafening the battlefield must have been!

This encampment oven was pretty cool to see.   They didn't often have enough to eat, but my guess is that cooking it in here at least made it taste a little better.

Our tour guide  showed us some of the medical supplies that were used in that era.  Yikes!   I am grateful to live an era of modern medicine!

We also got a glimpse of the average Revolutionary War era farm and the way they preserved their foods using salt or the sun.   

If you visit Yorktown in a couple of months, try to eat a carrot there.   

My guess is that it will be an extra crunchy and flavorful carrot, in which case you can thank my kids who helped plant them with great skill.   If, on the off chance,  the carrot ends up floppy and tasteless, just keep in mind that there were other kids there helping too. ;) 

It was a great way to kick off our year of American History.  

I am grateful to live in a place close enough that we can visit many of the  sites that I only read about in my history books!    It's fascinating to see the the past come to life and to see a small glimpse of the legacy of hard work and passion for liberty that our forefathers (and mothers) have bestowed upon us.   

Stay tuned for more about our American History field trip coming soon!

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Taking Notes...

I am one of those people who has to learn something new in two or more ways before my brain really processes it.  When everyone else in college said I could skip attending the physical science class because "everything on the tests came straight from the book," it took approximately one test to realize that that method would not work for me.  To get  good grades, I needed to hear the teacher teach it, take copious notes on what the teacher taught, and then still read the text.

Because of the way my brain works, I always assume that that's how everyone else's does too.   I even got binders for all the YW in my ward, so that they would have a place to take notes, draw diagrams, and answer questions from the Sunday lessons.  I make interactive and often illustrated lesson outlines whenever I teach, because even preparing it that way helps me to teach more effectively.

So when I went to the homeschooling conference, I knew that in order for me to learn what I wanted to learn (and to stay awake) that I would need to attend as many classes as possible and take as many notes as my hand muscles could handle.    Too bad that I didn't expect the distraction of the beach being in view at all times,  as well as most of my friends I was there with who spent most of their days at the beach.  It was enough for them to just read the outlines of all the classes that were included with the registration materials.    Unfortunately I knew that wouldn't work for me!

Despite the lure of the sand, waves, and sunshine, I managed to stay on task {mostly}.  I sneaked out to the beach at lunchtime and in the evenings, but mostly tried to absorb as much as I possibly could from the people who'd been down the path before me. In the end it was well worth the effort and I spent the three days feeling inspired and rejuvenated for another year with the kids at home.  

On the final day of classes, my family came to join me at Virginia Beach.

While we wrapped up the amazing three day experience with some inspiring words from John Bytheway...

my family played and frolicked on the beach.  

I never got in the water myself, but I understand that it was still a tad cold.  That fact didn't stop the kids from having a great time though. 

We were all crammed into one hotel room, so Spence and Cam opted to sleep on the balcony.   

Luckily the weather was absolutely perfect for sleeping outside! 

The next day we checked out of the hotel (only having to pay for two of the three nights) and drove to Busch Gardens.  We got season passes this year, since we knew we'd be down that way a few times and the passes only cost the same as a one day admission price anyway.  

Glen took off for the roller coasters with the three oldest  while Ellie, Adam, and I stayed on the tamer rides together.   The three of us were taking  turns choosing the rides we went on, but I still managed to pick one that freaked Ellie out and you can see her eyes are all red and puffy in the picture.  I let them choose all the rest of the rides after that.  

We ate like champions...

and even met a little cuckoo bird!

Between the conference and the mini family vacation, it turned out to be a perfect getaway.  The weather was idyllic, Glen and Spencer both only got warnings instead of traffic tickets, and we left the park by 5:00, so I could get back in time and prepare my lesson for Sunday! 

I'm already looking forward to next year! 

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