Lou Hoo

Ever have one of those school projects assigned to your kid that you whine and groan about,

then they end up learning a ton and loving every history soaked second?  No, just me? 

 

For the last few weeks, we've learned all kinds of facts about Lou.   Lou who? 

Lou Hoover. 

We know she and her husband spoke Mandarin, travelled the world and studied geology.  She threw great White House parties and after her death, Henry discovered that she'd paid for schooling for many under privileged kids.  In short, she was amazing. 

 

 

On history fair night, our girl proudly paraded in with all her knowledge, her very 1920s headband and her sprayed gray hair. ( I snapped pictures and reminded myself to get my whining in check.)

A Little History Lover's Guide to Civil War Battlefields

Two things.

The thing about home school is that life can be one giant field trip.

The thing about the south is that it is littered with Civil War battlefields.

This year, the mini history buff studied the 1800s in school,

so schooling called for a battlefield visit. No permission slip required.

We'd like to drop some tips for those who will follow.

To beat the heat, make sure the bus leaves the driveway early loaded with water bottles and snacks. 

History is a window into the past. 
Look long, as there is much to learn. 

Always start with the visitor's center.
Stop to poke your nose into a canon,
and never assume that kids are too little for history. 
Wear shades at all time, especially in the mini museum. 
Makes you look older. 

Be mesmerized by the old school light-up battle map. 
Plan to visit this again before leaving. 

History is full of adventure. 
Climb right in and don't miss it. 

Trace the steps of soldiers. 


Peek back into the simple life. 

Live out history by hefting logs for cabin and fire building. 
Many hands make light work, don't ya know.

Snap some photos. 
You are living your own history. 

Wander into historic fields of grass.
Connect with how hard it must have been to walk and drive covered wagons through. 
Think about how hot those uniforms must have been. 

Once in the middle of the field, pick some wheat, forget the Civil War,
call yourself Mary, and get your Little House on. 

End the day under the shade of a big tree,
sweeping the cabin floor with a broom. 

Pals. History. Field Trip. Snacks. Free.  Outside.
Somebody planned a perfect summer road trip.

An Exploding, Corn Husking Good Time

Sophia's last day was a celebration of all that she's learned about  chemistry and the 1800s.  It was a lively end to her Kindergarten experience. 

Her class has been mixing up some chemistry for the last several months, so the party called for an EXPLOSION!  With the Diet Coke and Mentos prepped and ready, she was all smiles. 

Then the fizzy stuff went airborne!

So she headed for cover,

and some victory dancing!

Back into 1800s mode, they had sac races, potato tosses,

and made corn husk dolls with friends.

Appetites worked up, they gobbled up pizza and had an Ellis Island food tasting.

Claire enjoyed being along for the Kindergarten ride. 

To cool off before the school awards ceremony, her class sold some lemony refreshment. 

The award that she was most proud of was the K History award! 

Our girl SOAKED in some 1800s this year, so we were excited that her history teacher recognized her for it!

 

Goodbye, Kindergarten.  Hello, Pre-First!

Museum-ing

One of our favorite things about homeschooling is visiting museums when there are no crowds.  With our study of the 1800s this year, a local western art museum made its way onto our field trip bucket list. 

 

We packed a picnic and planned to soak up some Native American and pioneer art. 

At check-in, we were given a little saddle bag filled with interactive activities, and a "find that painting" booklet. 

The stories of history become more exciting when you get to experience a bumpy wagon ride and more personal when you stand before an Indian mourning the lose of his land. 

Chuck wagon cooking is all kinds of interesting.

We loved taking the time to notice details

and consider life lived long ago. 

Well, then there was this guy. 
He required a second and third look.  

Still not so sure...

History is a cyclic poem written by time upon the memories of man.

~Percy Bysshe Shelley

Underground Railroad

little mermaids swimming to freedom=homeschool history

 

Part of our homeschooling is learning about the 1800s.  Lately, we've been studying slavery, the underground railroad, hate, compassion and good/bad choices.

We've been watching videos and reading books about the bravery of Harriet Tubman,

listening to spirituals, looking up at the sky to see what guided the slaves North, 

being awed at the courage of those who fought their way to freedom,

coloring,

making freedom quilts,

and pretending that mermaids are slave conductors. 

"I had reasoned this out in mind, there was one of two things I had the right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other."
~Harriet Tubman

Cherokee Indians on Display

We love that Sophia is learning

to appreciate the stories of the past. 

After reading this book, making a lap book,

and going on a couple fun field trips,
the Cherokee Indians were alive in our
hybrid homeschooling imaginations. 

To display all of her learning,

our mini historian was assigned her first big school project.

So, it was daddy/daughter design and build time. 
Twigs were collected, drawings completed, newspapers ripped into strips, and paste mixed up. 


The result?

A corn crib, fire pit, canoe, summer house, winter house, a tall wooden fence, and one satisfied girl with a tiny Indian village to share. 

 

Beaming with pride, she requested a picture for
"Mimi, Papa, Grandma, Grandpa, Mamaw and Papaw". 

What do you think grandparents? 

Charles, Caroline, Laura and Carrie Too

After closing the last Little House on the Prairie
novels about four months ago, the wish was made. 

What IF she could be Laura Ingalls come Halloween night? 

Better yet, how 'bout the whole Ingalls family? 

And so the quest began to

find your not so mainstream Halloween costumes

that represent the 1800s. 

Thanks to some generous and talented pals,

we had all kinds of laughs being

Pa, Ma, Laura and Carrie!

Bonnets, pinafores, hats and moustaches. 
The 1800s are so stinkin' fun y'all!

Thank you Ashley, the Capozzas, the Freuds, Mamaw and Papaw!

Becoming the Ingalls was a team effort. 

You gave us a fun family memory and
made a little reader's dream come true. 

 

And now on to endless rounds 1800s dress up...

Where the Tears Began

In the 1830s, Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act

forced the Cherokee Indians to give up their land and migrate to Oklahoma.  This journey became known as "The Trail of Tears". 

 

Why just read about it in history books,
when you can stand on the land where it all began? 

Sophie's first school field trip allowed us to learn about this sad aspect of our history by seeing it...and experiencing it.  Learning at its best. 

After learning about Sequoyah's invention of the Cherokee alphabet
in the museum, 

we headed out to the grounds to
tour original and reconstructed buildings.




The sunny and mild weather added to the sweetness of this experience 


of touchable history. 

"I saw the helpless Cherokees arrested and dragged from their homes, and driven at the bayonet point into the stockades. And in the chill of a drizzling rain on an October morning I saw them loaded like cattle or sheep into six hundred and forty-five wagons and started toward the west....On the morning of November the 17th we encountered a terrific sleet and snow storm with freezing temperatures and from that day until we reached the end of the fateful journey on March the 26th 1839, the sufferings of the Cherokees were awful. The trail of the exiles was a trail of death. They had to sleep in the wagons and on the ground without fire. And I have known as many as twenty-two of them to die in one night of pneumonia due to ill treatment, cold and exposure..."

Private John G. Burnett
Captain Abraham McClellan's Company,
2nd Regiment, 2nd Brigade, Mounted Infantry
Cherokee Indian Removal 1838-39