history

World Tour – European Castles

July 18, 2014 by Amy 2 Comments

While studying Germany and France we looked online at webshots and saw some amazing pictures of castles.

When we began to study the United Kingdom, we decided that this was the time to really dig into the history of castles: how they were built, who built them, who lived in them, what they looked like, and what castle life was like.

We started out by reading a few good books for background information:

The Knight at Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne
The Best Book of Knights and Castles by Deborah Jane Murrell
Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures: Medieval Castle by Joanna Cole

Of course, now that we knew all about castles, we had to build our own.

We hit up a local grocery store for some boxes and completely lucked out. They let us take as many as we wanted – and they had really big paper towel cartons that hadn’t been broken down yet!

After getting them home, the kids carried them down to the back yard.

And soon the assembly began!

My Big Helper was much more interested in the construction than the little guy, and she developed a plan for how to build it. We broke out a knife, and after she drew the lines for the cuts and for the drawbridge, I started cutting.

We lined up the boxes and used heavy tape to cover the seams, inside and out.

Then they used smaller boxes that we had been saving to construct different things inside – beds, bathtubs, etc. They both got really excited about planning the interior layout!

Next, the kids decided to embellish their castle with paint. We broke out some ancient clothes we didn’t mind staining and a few old buckets of paint leftover from various household projects.

My Little Man didn’t stick with painting in one place for long …

My Big Helper got a bit more creative and used both colors to paint doors, window panes, and decorations on the drawbridge.

The whole thing never did get painted, but they had a blast – and they were so creative! We had loads of fun learning about castles – and the whole project was completely free, too.

Who knew you could have so much fun with some old cardboard??

Do your kids play with old boxes? What do they do with them?

Field Work Friday – Egyptians in the NC Museum of Art

July 18, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

This week we traveled to the North Carolina Museum of Art for a tour of the international collections. This worked well for us since we are studying Egypt, and they have a pretty neat Egyptian collection.

Guest posting for me today are My Little Man and My Big Helper to share what they learned on this trip.

This ship from Egypt. This is the ship that would carry the Pharaoh to the Afterlife. The person in front is playing a drum to tell the rowers to work together rowing. The Pharoah is sitting under the shade.

This coffin was made for a queen. There were hieroglyphics and pictures all over.

That is a coffin. A dead person goes inside the coffin. It is called a sarcophagus in Egypt.

These are gold plates. They go on the mummy, plus a death mask.

This door was the door of a tomb. It is made out of stone. The Egyptians believed that the spirits would come out of it.

These are gifts because the Egyptians believed that in the Afterlife they would need their things.

Our tour guide was wonderful about explaining things in terms that everyone could understand. We had a great time on our tour, and seeing real Egyptian artifacts was pretty cool, too!

What interesting things have you found in an art museum?

Field Work Friday – Old Salem Village

July 18, 2014 by Amy

Earlier this week we headed west to visit Old Salem Village, one of the first Moravian settlements in North Carolina. This now-restored village was established in 1766 and now reflects the lifestyle lived there from its inception through the Civil War era. The village is seven blocks long and three blocks wide, with lots of gardens, buildings to tour, and demonstrations to see.

Our first stop was in the gunsmith’s building. This man was carving the stock of a new gun they were building. This process was fascinating to watch!

Inside the tavern’s barn sat a man beside a pile of corn husks. He explained that the early Moravians stuffed their pillows with this material and allowed the children to tear up husks for stuffing. The barn itself was large and very sturdily built.

Our next visit was to the cider mill and press, located directly outside the barn. Here we learned how the two cylinders, made of wood, turned when the beam at the top was pulled, usually by a draft animal. The cylinders then squished the apples, allowing the juice to run out of the bottom for preservation. Next the apples were pressed in the cider press.

The Big Helper and My Little Man each took turns powering the cider press. They seemed to think this would be a great job to have back then!

The tavern itself was the local inn for travelers. George Washington stayed here and made a speech in 1791. This room, located on the second floor, was the dining area for the travelers and prevented people who might wander in from taking food. Since food and drink was the primary money maker for the inn’s owners, it was important that they take care in tracking their expenses here.

What’s an inn without beds? The kids were eager to check out this rope bed and stuffed mattress. They decided that they were most happy with their own modern beds!

Downstairs, in the main kitchen, a woman was baking breads with different grain combinations. She explained how poorer people couldn’t afford wheat flour and sometimes baked their breads with other, rougher grain combinations. She had samples of four different types to try. The wheat-rye kind that I tried was really good!

The kitchen looked like it must have been a very busy place then.

Many of the beds were very simple – almost cradle-like in structure – but this one was elegant and beautiful. My Big Helper particularly liked this one!

The Fire Engine House was a neat building. There were two small pumpers inside, and the kids were amazed to see a fire ‘truck’ without an engine. Seeing the horse stalls in the next section of the building was enlightening, as well.

While there was not much action to see in the tavern’s kitchen, the one in this house was hopping. The woman here was preparing a soup and a stew, as well as a few other dishes.

After her speech was over, she kindly showed us how her fireplace tools worked and shared more information about the peppers, carrots, cow beans, and leeks that she had cooked with that morning. We’d never heard of cow beans before!

In the doctor’s summer kitchen the children were invited to make sachets. They scooped two spoonfuls of dried lavender flowers into each prepared bag and tied it closed. They loved their sachets, and I loved they way they smelled for the rest of the day!

The next building over had costumed leaders showing how to play a Native American bean game. Both kids liked this, and it was great for counting practice. I think we’ll be playing this for school this semester!

I must admit that the Winkler Bakery was a highlight of our tour. The bakery is run by men who still mix everything by hand and bake their bread in a brick oven heated by a wood fire. My grandmother recommended the sugar cake, and we all agree – you can’t go wrong there. It was fabulous!

I can’t imagine baking 94 loaves of bread in this thing, but it’s still done today.

Many of the plants in the Misch House garden were nearing the end of their season, but the gardener was hard at work and kind to explain what each plant was. Taking care of this – and the two beds like it nearby – must have been a full-time job.

Inside, this woman had finished her cooking for the day and was cleaning butter. She explained that butter was salted to preserve it, but this left it inedible, so the women would put it in a bowl with fresh water and squish a knife all through it. After a while, they would pour off the water, and much of the salt would go with it. After doing this three or four times, the butter could be eaten.

This new oven was outside the Miksch House. I can’t imagine having to power this one!

This tailor was sewing a fancy cuff for a sleeve. He explained how tailors of the time would sit on a table by a window to work so that they had enough light. All sewing was done by hand and the clothing worn by everyone was quite formal compared with the clothes we wear today.

This woman is weaving a broom together. After growing the plant that produced straw-like stuff used for the bottom of the broom, it was cut, dried, and then soaked to make the top part pliable for weaving. Seven pieces were woven together to make the inner core for this broom, and then another 13 pieces were woven around this core to produce a big enough broom for use. Without a handle, this broom might have been used to clean the hearth after cooking. Adding a handle increased the expense and the time needed to finish the broom by about 50%. Brooms with handles would have been used to sweep wooden floors indoors.

The demonstrators had extra brooms so that the kids could try them out. Both of mine agreed that it’s easier to use a broom with a handle than this kind!

This nearby pump enthralled all the kids. I bet it was somewhat less fun when this was your best – and only – source of water, especially in the cold winter months.

These women worked together to make pumpkin fritters. They mixed pumpkin puree, cornmeal, eggs, milk, and salt until it was thick, then fried it in a spider (pan with three legs) over hot coals in butter. The women sprinkled cinnamon and sugar over the top.

The finished fritters were a bit bland but not bad, though my kids chose not to eat any more after their initial taste. Fritters of all kinds – apple, pumpkin, squash, carrot, etc. – would have been staples at this time, often eaten hot at the noon meal and then cold for supper.

I’m happy to have a bit more variety in our meals!

We had a really great time on this trip, both opening and closing the village. Neither the kids nor I were ready to leave at the end of the day. The actors were super polite and very kind, and they shared lots of neat information.

We learned lots of things that will translate beautifully to background information about life without electricity over the next few months as we learn about the Pilgrims and early life in America.

If you have never been to Old Salem in Winston-Salem, be sure to plan a trip. There are lots of special events coming up over the next few months, and it’s definitely worth your time!

What’s your most favorite field trip??

Field Work Friday – Visiting a Civil War Camp

July 18, 2014 by Amy

While we were visiting my hometown in Pennsylvania a few months ago, we heard about a Civil War camp and re-enactment happening in a local park. We knew the kids would want to check it out.

It was a warm afternoon in early May, but although we missed a gun battle, we caught a few stations still set up – like a field hospital and mess tent.

As we watched, the stations ended and the re-enactors went about their normal lives. This man settled into his tent for a good read.

These men immediately retreated to a tent to clean their weapons. When we approached, they explained what they were doing and showed us their tools.

My Big Helper was playing journalist with her camera and wanted to know more about what their tents contained. This nice man walked the few feet away to his tent and showed her the items the soldiers would’ve had access to – a simple cot, blanket, etc. He also pointed out his largest weapon and showed how it functioned. Both kids loved this, and my Big Helper even had a chance to feel its heft! Weighing in at nine pounds, this was both heavy and awkward for her, especially in such a tiny space.

We were excited to see these actors stirring a kettle of chicken corn soup. This is a staple where I come from, and it was fun to see that it was eaten even back then.

The best part of the affair for us girls was the ball. That night the camp held an old-fashioned ball in a pavilion, and many of the re-enactors came in full regalia. My Big Helper especially liked this gown, one of the fanciest there.

She was brave enough to ask her for pictures, and we were then surprised by a kind offer from the actress: she asked my daughter to dance with her!

This kind girl assumed the role of the man so that she could guide my Big Helper around the dance floor. See her there in the back? She was having a … well, a ball! This meant a lot to her, and she talked about it for days.

Both kids are now super excited to study the Civil War. We don’t have any plans to add in a unit for that in the near future, but we might venture out to more Civil War re-enactments.

You’ll never know what you might find.

Do you like living history? What’s your favorite era?

Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “The Smuggler’s Treasure” An American Girl Mystery

July 15, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

It’s book club time again! We ate well this month after reading The Smuggler’s Treasure, an American Girl History Mystery set in New Orleans during the War of 1812.

I had the chance to visit New Orleans a few years ago – back before Katrina – and so we talked about the culture and what makes the city unique – the Cajun culture, the heat and humidity, the architecture – and then we talked about the food. Food is always fun to talk about, but especially when the book you’ve read is set in a bakery!

Our club meeting just happened to be scheduled for Fat Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday, and while that wasn’t mentioned in the book, beignets were – and since I come from an area where doughnuts are the traditional way to fry the fat and sugar out of your cupboards before Lent, we decided to do the same.

First we got our dough ready. Beignets use yeast, so we talked about the science of how yeast makes bread rise as we watched it wake up and act. The girls seemed to think that was pretty cool.

When the dough was ready, we rolled it out and used a pizza cutter to shape the squares. I wasn’t sure we’d have enough at this point, because we really wanted to be able to share outside the club, so we started on another batch.

Then we moved them to a tray so we could roll and slice the second batch …

and while all of the dough was rising, we headed off to talk future careers. The main characters of our story were torn – one wanted to run the bakery someday, while the other wanted a different life. After the girls each shared their dreams for their own future, they thought about how they would market their bakery – if they had one. Each girl came up with a name and logo for her bakery – except for these three. They decided to work together and did the project jointly.

Next it was time to fry the beignets. The girls watched from a safe distance, and then after they drained, we dropped three into their bags on top of a small pile of powdered sugar, just as they’re served in Cafe du Monde now.

Then it was time to do the happy beignet dance and shake that sugar all over the hot pastries! My Little Man couldn’t bear to be left out of this fun, so he grabbed a bag, designed his own logo, and hopped in line.