It started with the happiest of emails. Not the fake “you’ve-won-a-million-dollars” type, but the a real from-the-personal-assistant “Congratulations! You’ve won!” type. In this instance, though, the prize was a thirty-minute interview with Chris Grabenstein for my students. It would be exciting to interview any children’s author. We love books and love reading, so being able… Continue reading Interviewing Author Chris Grabenstein
Tag: field trip
Field Work Friday: Route 11 Potato Chips
Sometimes it’s possible to stumble onto great educational experiences without really trying, and that’s what happened when we stopped in at the Route 11 Potato Chip Factory. The Route 11 Potato Chip Company started out on its namesake road, but it has since moved to a newer, bigger location just off Interstate 81 in Mount… Continue reading Field Work Friday: Route 11 Potato Chips
Field Trip Friday: TS Designs Makes Revolutionary T-Shirts
My husband has been fascinated with screen printing for years, and that’s why I was so excited to find that TS Designs would be open to having us come and tour their facility. We soon learned more than we ever expected. Eric Michel, Chief of Tech and Logistics, kicked off our tour with a history… Continue reading Field Trip Friday: TS Designs Makes Revolutionary T-Shirts
Book Clubbing in the Wild West: Climbing Mountains
I love being able to make hands-on plans for book club. I love that we’re not only about books and discussion but about really getting into the books with all of our senses. That’s why I was so excited for the kids to read Missing on Superstition Mountain by Elise Broach this month, and just… Continue reading Book Clubbing in the Wild West: Climbing Mountains
Studying the Wild West: Going on a Trail Ride
We’re studying the Wild West this semester, and it’s impossible to do so without noting the importance of the horse to this expansion. From pioneers moving west to the Pony Express, stagecoaches, and cowboys, horses played a huge role in it all. With that in mind, I scheduled a horse lesson and trail ride so… Continue reading Studying the Wild West: Going on a Trail Ride
Rolling Sculptures: Art Deco @ the NC Museum of Art
My Little Man adores cars, so when I heard that the North Carolina Museum of Art was hosting a new exhibit of rolling sculptures featuring 14 art deco cars from the 1930s and 1940s, I knew we had to go. The exhibit opened on a Saturday morning, and we headed to the museum early to… Continue reading Rolling Sculptures: Art Deco @ the NC Museum of Art
Learning Leatherwork with Tandy Leather
Education can be found everywhere, and I love finding new avenues to learn – that’s why I was so excited to take the kids to Tandy Leather in Raleigh for a leatherworking lesson. Little did I know just how kind and generous the store manager, Aubrin Rhem, would turn out to be. Rhem gave the… Continue reading Learning Leatherwork with Tandy Leather
Touring Penn State University
A few months ago we traveled to Pennsylvania to visit my grandmother, a natural-born teacher. Although she was quite sick at the time, she sent us on several field trips while we were there – and one of them was to her alma mater, Penn State University. Penn State is a huge, land grant… Continue reading Touring Penn State University
Field Work Friday: The Lancaster Central Market
While on a recent trip to Pennsylvania we had the opportunity to visit Lancaster Central Market, the world’s oldest continuously running farmer’s market. It had been years since I visited downtown Lancaster, and while we found parking easily, these maps and historical markers made our journey over to the actual marketplace much simpler. The market… Continue reading Field Work Friday: The Lancaster Central Market
Writing History at Epic Patriot Camp
Last week my kids experienced the most amazing camp ever. It was Epic Patriot Camp, sponsored by the National Park Service, held at the Abingdon Muster Grounds, and taught, in part, by the wonderful author Jenny L. Cote. For six hours each day, the lived the Revolutionary Battle of King’s Mountain. Over the course of… Continue reading Writing History at Epic Patriot Camp