field trip

Homeschool Day at the History Museum

Today we went to a “Homeschool Day” at the Missouri History Museum. We’ve been to quite a few of these over the years, but this one was the best by far!

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This month’s event was centered around the Route 66 exhibit currently on display at the museum, which we’ve already visited several times. There were some fun crafts, a dancing workshop where we learned popular dance moves from the 50s and 60s like the jerk, the swim, the twist, the money, and the stroll, a storyteller, a musician, and a guided tour through the exhibit which focused on some of the less-than-pleasant aspects of traveling Route 66.

We also got to go on a scavenger hunt, which took us all over the museum. We had visited all of those exhibits before, too, but this helped us focus on smaller details that we might normally miss.

We may be on our fall break, but we still learned a lot on our field trip today!

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2015-16 School Year–Week Nine

This has been kind of a weird week.

We started out strong on Monday. Turkey and Bunny had their first quarterly exam in math, at which they both excelled. And they (and Ladybug), kept up with the rest of their lessons this week, without too much trouble. There were a few new concepts, but nothing earth-shattering.

And then there was writing. Turkey and Bunny had to write their first big essay this week. They’ve written essays before, but using pre-researched materials. This week, they had to find books, do the research, and then write a 500 (or more) word paper. Turkey chose the Oort Cloud, and Bunny picked the Protestant Reformation. They both did an excellent job…I was quite impressed with their essays, and learned something from each! This was a huge project, though, and we didn’t get very much science done because of it.

We also had a very felicitous moment when our readings in Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation (about Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heermann, and Paul Gerhardt), converged with a church commemoration (for those three hymn writers), and our history lessons (the 30 Years’ War). These moments don’t happen often, and you really can’t plan them, but when they do occur, it really drives home the point!

We also learned about Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, and Charles II and the great fire of London in history this week. Talk about an intense period of time! I love teaching British history even more than American history, so this was a very exciting week for me. We had a great discussion about how Charles I and Cromwell were very similar, and we also talked about the sadness of the crown jewels being destroyed.

We also had a field trip day this week. The Gateway Arch, the most recognizable icon in St. Louis, celebrated its 50th birthday on Wednesday. To acknowledge this event, tickets to the Arch were available at throwback pricing of $1 a person. Of course I couldn’t resist, especially when I learned we would also receive pins and certificates commemorating our “Journey to the Top!” There was also an Air Force band, a flag raising, speeches, and free cupcakes as part of the celebration, and adding in our visits to the Old Cathedral and the Old Courthouse (as well as Citygarden and the KSDK building), it was a full day event!

Next week is our fall break. I considered just going through to Thanksgiving week, but I need some time to be just mom, and not teacher, too!

Children’s China

On Friday, we took a field trip to The Magic House to see the special exhibit “Children’s China: Celebrating Culture, Character and Confucius” before it closed down. This exhibit was the perfect complement to our study of Asia this school year, and our specialized study of China, which began when we went to the Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden in May.

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Our first stop was at the restaurant, where the children could pretend to cook an authentic Chinese meal, set the table, and take part in an ancient tea ceremony.

We also got to visit a Chinese market…the scooter was a big hit!

There was a park, complete with exercise equipment and table tennis. We all had fun trying all of it out (even if some of us can’t play table tennis to save our lives)!

We got to experience home life in China, as well. The shutters in all of these settings opened up, with pictures of what a view from the window might actually be like, which was a nice touch.

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We took a peek at a Longtang (a traditional Chinese neighborhood):

We spent a great deal of time in the Chinese school. There were tangrams, crafts, and a place to practice Chinese character writing. I was amazed at what the school schedule looks like, especially the daily 80 minutes of calisthenics!

The other area we spent a great deal of time in was the panda reserve. We learned all about pandas, and about how they care for baby pandas in China. The children enjoyed having a chance to name a cub with a traditional Chinese two character name, weigh it, and care for it. They also liked the panda playground!

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In addition to those settings, there was also a hands-on area dedicated to crafts (like making paper lanterns) and music.

This was without a doubt the best special exhibit we’ve been to at The Magic House. I loved how hands-on and immersive everything was…I think we all got a very good and realistic glimpse into Chinese life and culture!

A Summer School Field Trip to Cahokia Mounds

Since we’re learning about the history of Illinois in summer school this year, and since we hadn’t visited in longer than I care to admit, we spent yesterday morning at Cahokia Mounds, the place in Illinois with basically the oldest known history.

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It’s an amazing place to visit, because when you see it in person, you really get the magnitude of a 100-foot high, man-made, earthen mound. When you just look a pictures, you don’t really get the scale of it.

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We walked around outside, visiting Monks Mound (the tallest of the over 100 mounds), Woodhenge (a prehistoric solar calendar), a “borrow pit,” and the reproduction stockade:

We also spent time in the interpretive center, where we watched a short movie about the history of the settlement, and then walked around the various exhibits, which are really well done.

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Because we’re not on the East Coast, where all of the colonial and Revolutionary War memorials are, it can be easy to think that there’s nothing really old here. A quick trip to Cahokia Mounds, however, you will remind you that the opposite is true!

Knowing When to Let Go

Today I went on a field trip with Moose and his class to Willoughby Farm.

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Back when he was four and five years old and in the Early Childhood class at his school, I went on field trips in the fall to one of our local apple orchards. It was a lot of fun, and I was glad I had the chance to go with him. I noticed, though, that he would only spend time with me on those trips, and not with his class.

Because of that, I made a hard decision when he was in kindergarten, first, and second grades not to go on any field trips with him. It was hard for two reasons. First, because his trips in those grades were to bigger, busier places like the St. Louis Zoo, and I was worried about everything…him getting lost, or being overwhelmed, or just being miserable. It was also hard because I wanted to be able to share those experiences with him. But, I thought it was best for him to go without me, to force him outside of his comfort zone, and make him spend time with other people. I had to let him go.

Now, though, after an especially successful field trip last year where he not only had fun, but also conquered a fear, I feel like I can go with him. And he specifically asked me to attend, so I happily told his teacher I would be there. And it was a lot of fun to spend the day with him, watch him learn, and see how he interacts with his peers.

There was a time when I needed to let him go, for his own good. But I’m very happy that time has passed, and I can be a fun field trip mom, and spend a day with him!

Early Spring at the Garden

Today, we took a field trip to the Botanical Garden. We’re finishing up our science curriculum for the year, which has focused on botany, and the last chapter is about keeping a nature journal. We decided to take our sketchbooks out and capture the crocuses, but we were pleased to see a lot of other new growth, as well!

We decided after our visit today to make it our goal to visit the garden once a month this spring…we don’t want to miss out on any of the beautiful flowers!

The International Center

It’s funny…even though I used to work at the LC-MS International Center, and have visited the Concordia Historical Institute Museum there, and even been in the KFUO studios as a guest on Faith ‘N’ Family, I’ve never actually toured the building, and haven’t seen much outside the main entrance, the chapel, museum, and of course, the cubicle in which I worked. So when I found out our church was going to take a field trip to the center, of course I decided we should all go…Moose even got to take the day off school to go with us!

Our tour started in the chapel, one of the few places in the building with which I was already familiar. Before the service, we had a chance to look around, and I learned quite a bit about the history of the building. And, as a special treat, the pastor that preached the day’s sermon also happened to be a member of our congregation!

We then got to visit the office of synod president, Matthew Harrison. Unfortunately, he was traveling, so we didn’t get to greet him, but we did get to see his very impressive collection of books (some of which are very old!) and crucifixes, and his famous banjo. I think this was my very favorite part of the tour…such an amazing personal library!

We then visited the Walther Room, where the Council of Presidents meets with the synod Board of Directors. The size of the tables in that room is unbelievable. There were also some gorgeous relief castings on the wall from the exterior of the old administrative building on North Broadway in downtown St. Louis.

After admiring the Walther Room, we then went back downstairs to the KFUO studios. We again ran into a member of our congregation, who also works for the radio station, and he explained a lot about how the studios are set up, and who is listening to the broadcasts around the world.

There’s quite a bit of stained glass throughout the building, including a large, curved piece depicting the verses of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” that stood over the revolving door at the old Broadway building, and panels of the four evangelists which used to be located in the president’s office in the former administrative building.

In addition to the stained glass, there’s a great deal of art throughout the building, including my favorite, a wooden depiction of The Great Commission, which is made up of almost 1,600 pieces of wood.

Our last stop was the Concordia Historical Institute Museum. Before going in, we stopped to admire the solemn beauty of the Walther Bible:

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We were then free to look through the museum at our own pace. It begins with, as you might expect, Martin Luther and the Reformation, and continues through the Saxon immigration, the early days of the LC-MS, the various mission fields of the church, and the modern LC-MS. Although it’s a relatively small museum, it’s very well put together, and I highly recommend making time to go through it if you’re in the area.

It’s interesting to compare the gavel on display in the museum (which is used only for synodical conventions every three years), with the one on the table in the Walter Room (which is used for the more regular meetings):

The only thing we didn’t get to see that I was hoping to show the children is the cafeteria. Not for the food, but for the flags adorning it which show all of the countries with which the LC-MS has a relationship. Other than that, we saw everything I love about the International Center, as well as everything I’ve always wanted to see!

2014-15 School Year–Week Seven

Whew! It’s been another busy week! In a lot of ways, though, it was actually pretty easy. Turkey and Bunny have moved on to geometry in math, which they both like and breeze through. They also really enjoyed getting a chance to use their protractors, so it was a good math week for them! Ladybug has been working on counting by eights, and adding three-digit numbers with carrying, which she seems to have mastered.

We abandoned our history studies this week so we could really focus on The Hobbit. We’ve met the dragon now, and nobody wanted to stop reading this week. I figured since we were slightly ahead of where we’re supposed to be in history, taking a week off wouldn’t hurt!

We wrapped up study of fruit in science. Even I learned a lot about the different types of fleshy and dry fruit…it’s very interesting! The children are wanting to try some more exotic fruits just so they can see what the inside looks like, so it’s the gift that keeps on giving. I think we’re going to try to find a star fruit first.

Friday we took a field trip to the St. Louis Art Museum. We saw a special exhibit about Louis IX, and we also saw an exhibit about calligraphy in Japan and China, which was timely, since we recently learned about both countries, and calligraphy, in school. The pieces displayed were beautiful, and we learned a lot. Even I didn’t know how big a calligraphy brush could be, and I also had no idea there were so many different kinds of calligraphy script.

While we were out, we also visited the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. I had promised the children we would find a time to go view the mosaics there (the largest collection in the world!), after we learned about mosaics in history several weeks ago. It’s not the first time we’ve been there, but the magnitude of the work that went into making the mosaics, and their beauty, take your breath away every time. A lot of people may not realize it, but St. Louis really is a wonderful place to view all different kinds of art!

Next week we’re taking our fall week, and I’m really looking forward to it, because I have some housework that’s been piling up that really needs my attention!

Summer School 2014

This has been a very busy “term” of summer school! I originally planned to wrap up each week, like I do during the standard school year, but there were many weeks when we only had school two or three days. That’s the beauty of homeschooling, but it’s not very conducive to weekly reports!

We had a great book list for the basis of our lessons. This created a great scope of baseball and American history, for our purposes. We also studied geography, focusing on the locations of all of the MLB teams, as well as some other notable baseball locations. The coloring books I got for the children not only encouraged them to color carefully and in details in terms of uniforms, but also taught them a great deal about individual players. We studied math and the science of baseball, as well, and watched several baseball movies.

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The highlight our summer school was field trips. We went on a Busch Stadium tour, and learned more history.

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We also visited the new Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, and were immersed in hands-on history.

We went to a Cardinals game, you know, to get the full baseball experience (not that we’ve never done that before!).

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We also went to a vintage baseball game, to see how the game has changed over the years.

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And we toured the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, where we learned not only history, but the practical how of how baseball bats are made.

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And we visited the Louisville Slugger Walk of Fame. Even more history!

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I truly believe that this was our finest year of summer school ever. It covered a topic everybody is interested in, and because it was history-focused, something about which I am especially passionate. I hope my children will always remember the lessons they learned this summer!

Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory

Yesterday, we took a field trip to Louisville, KY, and toured the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory.

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It’s a fantastic place. We went on the factory tour first thing, and while no photography is allowed on the factory floor, there is one window into the factory for public viewing. It was fascinating seeing how the bats are made, and how quickly!

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The Bat Vault, the “Fort Knox of Louisville Slugger,” was especially popular with the children.

The museum was also fascinating. It’s quite interactive. There’s even a place where you can stand and see a 90 mph fastball coming at you, which is unsettling…you barely see, and it’s on the ground!

Of course I loved the tribute to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League!

There’s a section dedicated to the Louisville awards, including the Silver Slugger and the Silver Bat.

There’s also a small theater that shows a short film narrated by none other than James Earl Jones. The exit from the theater leads you through a clubhouse-like hallway to a dugout.

Baseball is everywhere you look in the building!

Of course, we had to look for Stan Musial on the two Walls of Fame!

There’s even a batting cage, which was very popular with the big kids (including Daddy and Grandpa!), and a “Small Ball” area with a tee and plastic bats for the under-five crowd.

 

The outside of the museum boasts the World’s Biggest Bat, an exact-scale replica of Babe Ruth’s Louisville Slugger.

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And a large brickwork ball to go with it!

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There’s also a super-sized Kentucky limestone glove inside.

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This was a great day trip for our family…we got to learn more about baseball, and there was plenty of activity to keep us busy after we spent a few hours in the car!