I have transcended to the next level of homeschool mom success.  I've made a movie.  Actually, Alec and I have made a movie.  And Carmen was standing by, trying hard not to giggle when the camera went on.  It was like this ...

Sub Alec was appeased for a few days.  But, you know Alec (well, you should by now!)  His next obsession became making a movie to recreate the events the Hunley experienced.  He created yet another Hunley out of paper (this one is stuffed slightly to make it more 3-D) and drew the ship the Hunley blew up, the Housatonic.  He wrote a script with each scene briefly explained.  He laid down some blue towels on the floor for water.  I got the video camera and we did a stop-action feature.  The Hunley is launched.  The Hunley dives.  The Hunley surfaces.  The Hunley dives and gets caught in a net and sinks. (True story, Mom, I read about it!)  The Hunley is hauled up and dives again.  The Housatonic appears.  The Hunley dives silently and blows up the ship.  The Housatonic sinks.  The Hunley is lost as well.  The final scene is just the blue towels (I mean, just water.)

I have to tell you, this was a riot to do.  I don't generally enjoy doing projects after dinner when I'm tired but we had so much fun, I'd do it again!  My son came up with all of this on his own - which impressed me, greatly.  He drew up a front and back sheet for the cover of the video which apparently he's going to ask his father to make for him from the film we took.  He didn't want any screen credits or sound - but he's a funny guy and I just let it go.  What I do realize is how much learning took place in all this.  If there's any way on earth I can put this short, short film on here some day, I will.  Honest.

I just wish we were up to the Civil War in our American History lessons that I just started.  Makes me want to dive right into this time period pronto but it's o.k. for him to be learning about this on his own.  There is time, right?  And he'll be that much ahead when we get there. 

Alec has been thinking about doing a stop-action film about something for quite awhile now, ever since we watched a bunch of Davey and Goliath stop-action claymation videos.  He's really pleased with the results of this project.  And so am I.