Field Trip to the Joel Lane House

Our last field trip with our Five in a Row group was to the Joel Lane House in Raleigh.  It was a very hot day for a trip to this historic site of the man who is considered the "Father of Raleigh" and the "Father of Wake County".   This was a perfect tie-in for our study of Betsy Ross since the house was built in the 177os.  It was on Isaiah's birthday, so Roger took the day off of work and spent it with us.  It was a fun outing.  (Of course, I think that of all field trips.)  We brought along another visitor - a "Flat Stanley" from a friend. 



We split into 3 groups by age.





Roger went with the "middle" group and I went with the younger children.



The docents were all dressed in period clothing which gives a much more authentic feel to the trip.  Our guide did a wonderful job of answering questions and giving information, in a way perfectly suited to young children.



Each group rotated areas.  We started in the small herb garden.  Many herbs were used for food, flavoring and medicinal purposes - just like today!  The Lambs Ear, which Daniel is touching the photo below, was used for bandages.



Next we visited the kitchen - a separate building from the house in order to reduce the incidence of the house burning down.  We learned about various tools used in the kitchen.



Additionally we learned about how clothing was made the the types of fibers used in clothing (wool, cotton and flax/linen).  I couldn't help but think about the smell of people in all of those clothes, in the heat and with infrequent baths.  (Sorry for the image.  Time around sweaty football players lately has affected my senses.  LOL)



Next we entered the main house.  It was considered quite a nice house at this time period.  There were three rooms downstairs in addition to a large entry.  First we were in the dining room.  The painted walls were a symbol of wealth.



Next was a parlor with a writing desk in addition to some games and examples of food.



 The docent told about the money used during the colonial times and the children loved holding and examining it.





There was also a bedroom used for guests and travellers.  They could fit 4 to 5 people a bed!  Can you imagine?!!

Upstairs were two bedrooms - one for the children.



We learned about the various things that could be in a "ticking" (mattress) including moss and corn husks.  We don't always realize how very good we have things today!

The other bedroom was for the parents/baby. 



I think the clothing from this time period is beautiful, but I'm also thankful I don't have to wear so many layers during the hot southern summers.



The last part of our morning was spent outside in various stations.  This was in a little courtyard in front of the house.



One was on kitchen stations.  This was a favored spot due to the cool position under the arbor.  Here they learned about kitchen implements.



There was a station about schooling and also on on toys.  All the children loved the toys.  Some things never change!









After our morning was finished, we headed to a nearby campus for a lovely picnic.  Even though some mornings it is hard to get up and get everyone ready, I know it will be worth it!  These days are a sweet time of  learning and hanging out with friends.  I'm thankful for these days.



Blessings

Leslie

Walnut Creek Wetland Center - Field Trip

We had a great field trip a couple of weeks ago to the Walnut Creek Wetland Center.   It is a really neat place.  I'm always amazed each year that we are able to find so many neat places that we have never visited before.  I've been planning field trips since 1995.  (I love field trips!)  Finding new places is a treat!

We split into groups when we arrived - a younger group and an older group.  I stayed with the 3 younger boys and Eliana hung out with Rebecca during the first half of the program.  Each group did similar activities and then switched.

The younger students started in the classroom and learned wetlands and the types of animals that live in them.  They were given cards to identify and then take up to the table.  I loved seeing this sweet moment of brotherly love.  Gotta love the fedoras too!



Next they talked about soil and erosion.  They learned that grass helps to hold the soil when it rains (or floods).  It was a fun experiment. 



Next we went on a short nature hike. 



We walked beside a stream.  I loved the picture because Daniel reminded me of a "runt" trying to squeeze in and see.



We walked beside a stream.  It's pretty low as we are in the midst of a pretty severe drought.



We learned about different insects and animals that live in this wetland.



They talked about hearing and how you can hear better with your hands cupped around your ears. 



 I don't remember why they talked about this as I wasn't really paying attention very well.  *blush*  They also looked for animal tracks in the dirt and sand. 

For the second half of the program we met on the porch (what a nice shady spot!) to talk about   The instructor was very engaging.  The children collected various things in a little baggie to represent things found in a wetland.



There was also a small visitor's center area which had books, toys, puppets and more.  I highly recomment a visit if you are local.





We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the porch area before heading home.  It was a delightful morning!

If you want to see some pictures of  the older kids, you can visit my friend Angela's blog post about this same field trip.

Blessings

Leslie

Old Salem

We went to Old Salem this week for their homeschool days.  We decided just about a week and a half ago to try to visit.  We were blessed to have 7 other families join us for a fun day!  One was a sweet friend that has just moved to NC! 

Honestly, I didn't think it was going to work.  The weather forecast was ... awful.   Cold, snowy/rain and visiting old historic buildings.  Does that sound like fun to you?  I think if we'd been by ourselves, we might have considered trying to go a different day.  As it is, I'm so glad it worked for us to go!  We had a blast!

Our day started very early (especially since I'd been up very late checking Joshua's numbers - boy, has it been an erractic week!).  We met some of our friends to caravan.  Our trip was a little under and hour and a half.  We had rain on the way there.  Shortly after we arrived ... it turned into snow.  It was so very pretty.

Also shortly after we arrived, I realized that I had not packed the test strips for Joshua's meter.  *sigh*  I knew we'd be gone most of the day and we just couldn't go that long without checking him.  So, I made a quick trip to a local drugstore to buy some VERY expensive test strips.  Of course it would be the one item that is outrageously expensive that I forgot.  It's definitely the money-maker iterm.  I paid $35 for a box of 25 strips.  We go through at least 7 per day.  Crazy, huh?  Thankfully they aren't this expensive with insurance.  I'm very thankful to have insurance. 

On to our day.  We started at the Children's Museum.  Lots of neat old toys.  It was a little crowded - probably a lot of people starting there.  Next stop, the gunsmith.

We decided next to go to the furthest building away and make our way back.  We walked in the snow - which was a very wet snow.  It left most of us a little damp, but it wasn't so terribly cold.  Not sure if you can tell it is snowing in this picture.  It was a very wet snow!

We had to stop at the pump in the town square.  My children loved this the last time we were here too!  Just something fun about water - and using a pump is just not something any of them get to do on a regular basis!  (Yes, it really does work!)

We visited the Vierling House.  Since the owner was a doctor, we learned about medicine.  We visited an apothocary and learned about the herbs and medicinces that were used in the 1700s to treat people.  We also viewed exhibits describing medical care at that time period.  I should also mention how very glad I am that we live now and not long ago as several of my children have needed the care available today and I thank God for that!

Downstairs in the kitchen, we learned about their favorite drinks - coffee and tea.  We were show different types of tea leaves and how they were used.  We also saw coffee beans and cocao/chocolate beans.  We were given tea to try.  I will say that I'm not a tea drinker and that this tea did not endear me to it either.  It had a very smokey taste.  There were several tea drinkers in our group though and they liked it!

In the adjacent building, the children washed up and were given marizan to use to make fruit - or other - shapes with.  They had some beautiful examples to look at.

I tried to get a picture of Eliana, but by the time I had her sitting down and had moved around the table, she had eaten all of hers and was saying and signing "more".  LOL  It was fun seeing the children hard at work. 

The children made some neat things and really enjoyed being able to be creative.  Rebecca copied down the recipe in case we wanted to try this again at home.

They also seemed to really enjoy eating it too.  I love pictures of my oldest having fun with little people.  Just warms my heart to see a teen and a tot having a good time. 

It was getting closer to lunch time by now and so we thought we would wander back to the visitor center.  We stopped by the bakery on the way there.  If we weren't hungry before then, we certainly were now!  We were given a sample of a moravian cookie.  YUM!  We also saw bread and sweet cakes that were rising and waiting to be baked. 

We bought some buns to have for lunch that were marked down.  They were sweet and delicious.  We ate our lunch that we packed from home and then started back.  I love this bridge that goes from the Visitor Center into Old Salem.

We headed to the Single Brothers  House.  There was a lot going on in here!  We learned about the ribbons on the women's caps.  The color had special significance.  Rebecca noted that she would have gotten a new ribbon this year when she turned 14.  Mine would have signified that I was married. 

There were a number of "trade shop" displays set up in various rooms.  We visited a man who made furniture, a potter and a tailor.  It was neat to learn about the clothing and inspired some of mine to come home and make some new clothing for their stuffed animals.

We also watched gingerbread being made and were given some to eat. 

One of the favorite stops of the day was in a room with period toys.  Everyone loved this!  Eliana liked playing with the beanbags.  It reminded me that I need to get out the cute ladybug beanbag set from summer camp!

There were tops and really neat castle blocks to build with.

There were  marbles.  My boys had just been talking about playing marbles earlier in the week and I loved that they had a chance to do that here.

This cute little spinning toy was a lot less cute when a teenager wanted to see what would happen when it got close to your head.  Ouch!  It gets caught in your hair and pulls it out!

One of the stores reminded us of a Five in a Row book - The Hatmaker's Sign.

Of course, we had to go in and see the hats.

Many of the homes had a little alcove under the steps.  I'm not sure what it was for, but the children loved going in them!  It would hold quite a few of them too. 

We had a very full, long and wonderful day!  All of mine fell asleep at one point or another on the way home.  I was totally exhausted when we got home.  Roger had been out of town for the week and arrived home that night.  It was good timing, because I crashed! 

I'm glad we went.  So glad to have spent this time with friends making memories and learning about the past.  I love history field trips and love sharing these experiences with my family and friends.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!  There were many more and I tried to be brief in describing our day, but it is still a long post.  It was a lot of fun!

Leslie