Most of us relate canals with the Erie Canal, the Panama Canal or the Suez Canal. Did you know that George Washington proposed a canal system for the transportation of goods from the west to the east?  That vision became the first canal system in North America, begun in 1785 in Richmond.  The James River goes through Richmond. Although prodigiously deep to the south, it becomes unnavigable at the Fall Line, a geographical area creating rapids and waterfalls. (I don't agree with the geological timeline but the photography is incredible.) 

     This shows the elevation of the locks in Richmond.

This shows the elevation gain, sealevel is on the right, for the canal that was built through Virginia.

Here is one rendering of the canal at its peak.

This shows the canal alongside the James River.  See how much higher the canal is to the river?

   Most of the locks are now gone.  However locks 4 and 5 still exist. This is one of them...looking up...

From the top looking down...

     I have always found canals fascinating and I have ridden on several in upstate New York. I will try to dig out pictures to share later and explain the process of how they work.  It is fascinating! In fact, there is a canal in Washington DC that is on my to do list. Unfortunately, the locks in Richmond no longer work, although the canal still exists.  The Canal Walk reminds me  little bit of the San Antonio River Walk, minus the restaurants. 

The Canal Walk is full of interesting historical tidbits.  Seeing the old locks is one of them.  There is also this model of a lock system for kids to play with...except this wasn't working when we were there.

 Even though the locks no longer work, we did get to take a cruise on the canal. The boat driver, in costume, gave us the history of the area for our 45 minute tour.

     We learned about the history of the area, from Colonial times to the Civil War.  We learned about Edgar Allen Poe as we rode by the Poe Museum.  We also rode by the Holocaust Museum. Apparently that tells the story of a man who was in one of the camps when he was a little boy, and tells how he and his family escaped.  We learned about the tobacco exports from the area, the Shockoe Slip, and the Triple Crossing.

     In the nineteenth century, the canals were replaced by the railroad.  Above our heads were three different railroad lines (the Triple Crossing) that cross over each other at virtually one point, the only city in the world with this type of railroad intersection.  These railroad lines continue to operate.  Although rare, it is possible for all three railroads to cross overhead simultaneously. Above that is the highway for the transportation marvel of the twentieth century.     

At the far end of our ride, we saw this invention by Leonardo da Vinci...

The machine on the right uses a flipping motion to open the railroad trestle to the left.  It no longer works, since parts were scavenged during the Civil War.  We probably played with one of these at a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit last summer.

 Towards the end of the tour, the guide told us about St. John's Church nearby, where a famous man gave a Revolutionary famous speech.  Then he did his Patrick Henry interpretation of "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!" After the ride we walked around. During the cruise, the guide pointed out this box.  A slave escaped to freedom in a box this size, sitting in it like my son is. Can you imagine?  Although he nearly suffocated, and spent hours on his head, he reached freedom after seventy two hours in the box.

   This is the Christopher Newport Cross, which commemorates the one Christopher Newport stuck in the ground when he and John Smith reached this area, while exploring the James River.  Christopher Newport was the captain who initially transported colonists to Jamestown. 

We also got a peak at the James River and the rapids.  We are standing on the level of the canal, looking down and out over to the river.

There are better places to stand and more of the Canal Walk.  However we had spent the majority of our day driving, looking for parking and restaurants, and we were thinking ahead to our drive down to Williamsburg and dinner.  You knew we couldn't possibly drive this far south and not go to Williamsburg?

     I've had my eye on the board game, Made for Trade, for years.  When I was at the Historic Jamestowne gift shop the recently, I saw it and bought it.

 It's been sitting around, since I'm usually busy, busy, busy. But an eye exam yesterday and getting my pupils dilated slowed me down. The kids and I spent the afternoon playing the game and thoroughly enjoying it. 

       There are different levels of play for all ages. At every level, the player will learn about the different trades and the items they make.

We first played the easiest level. This is perfect for little ones, teaching them how to pay attention.  You place shillings equal to the number of players minus one in the center with the draw decks. When you get the required number of cards, you sneakily get one of the shillings, but keep "pretending" to play.  Whenever someone figures out that someone already won the game, they can get the other shilling. When all the shillings are gone, the game is over. One person will be left, who never got a shilling. 

     The next levels of play deal more with bartering. I'll describe the higher level of play, which we enjoyed.  We each chose an identity.  On one side is the picture of the person and on the back is their name...colonial names.

We began the game as an indentured servant and had to earn our freedom. While we were servants, we could not trade or collect money. We simply went around the board.

However we could play the Event cards.  Sometimes those allowed us to earn shillings. Once we earned our freedom, we were able to play any space. It took many turns around the board to figure out all the options, resulting in missed opportunities. It was like really being newly freed after seven years of servitude and trying to make the transition. (My goodness I feel like that in making the transition from living in Texas to Virginia, even after these few months.) 

    My son, aggressive player that he is, taxed my property when he passed the custom house. Wait a minute! Well, I taxed him on my next turn around. He did not like that!The problem was, those properties we worked diligently to accumulate so that we could win the game, were taken away and put in the Market, due to the tax. We realized that we were supposed to tax any player, by taking one of their property cards and putting it in the market, every single time we passed the Custom House. How would we ever win?  If you save enough shillings, and if you land on the Blue market square, you can buy your pieces back.  That is IF you land on the Blue Market square, which I never did. Frustrated, I was prepared to ammend the rule and say only if we LAND on the custom's house, would we tax another's property. However, as the kids read their Event cards, they kept reading about taxation laws. My daughter got one that told her she was a Bostonian in 1773 and in protest to the King's tax, she was to go to the Custom House, collect any shillings she earned along the way, but she was not to enact a tax on any of our properties. As more and more cards like these were read, I finally got it.  These people in Colonial times were heavily taxed by the King.  It was frustrating. The Stamp Act, the Townshend Act, the Tea Act...and all without representation. I don't remember having an opportunity to be a representative voice about all these taxes.  Where was Patrick  Henry? Actually, my son was so heavily taxed, he was fuming! He was close to spouting off as Patrick Henry did  (and he does a great first person interpretation of Patrick Henry so watch out!)

     By this time, I had finally figured out the strategy to win the game.  Actually all of us had our own ideas, so it was a chance to see whose theory would pay off in the end.

    Amazingly whenever I drew an event card, it never had to do with taxes. I got the cards that represented the French who helped America in one way or another.  I got to keep those cards. Whenever I got into a trouble spot, I could save myself by using those cards!  And yes, I won the game! I'd better enjoy the moment. I know my son's wheels are spinning and he's got a new strategy up his sleeve.   

When my kids studied Jamestown a couple of years ago, we spent an entire week learning about the first English colony in America. Here are some of their favorites and a few others I came across. 

Videos, audios, podcasts, lesson plans, etc at Jamestown Settlement

This was a favorite activity for my kids.  You have the opportunity to lead the colony.  Can you make wise decisions for survival?

Resources from the 400th Anniversary

An interactive adventure with Captain John Smith from National Geographic

Interactive map of Captain John Smith's explorations of the Chesepeake Bay

     Each Christmas I usually purchase a handful of movies for the entire family.  Then in the evenings, we light the Christmas lights and the candles, I throw a blanket over my lap, kitty settles down on my lap, my daughter snuggles against me and the cat, my son hangs out with his dad in the recliner, and we enjoy a new movie each evening.  So far the best movie by far was the one I initially had the most doubts about.  

     When I saw it on the shelf, I was intrigued...secret clues to a hidden treasure (I like thinking games), Knights Templar (we studied them in school), Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington...ah, many of my favorite subjects!  I purchased it on the chance that this could be a great movie. We tend to prefer older movies, but the reviews I read on-line looked promising for this contemporary, yet original story line.  

     National Treasure was a hit for the entire family!  We were on the edge of our seats (poor kitty was on the edge of my lap) and we were trying to guess the clues.  When the Washington DC scenes were shown, we exclaimed with enthusiastic memories, "We were there!  I remember that!" as the action went to the White House, National Archives and the Library of Congress.  Scenes of and from the various memorials excited the kids.  They knew exactly where all of those places were, so they were able to feel more involved with the action!

     Although we've never been to Philadelphia, when the good guys were looking at the Declaration of Independence in the Assembly Room I thought, "Wow, just imagine...the last time the Declaration of Independence was in that room was over 200 years ago."  Well I no sooner thought that than the Nicholas Cage character took my very words out of my thoughts!  lol (And yes, I know that the Declaration of Independence used in the movie was a fascimile.  That is just how caught up in the movie I had gotten.  Even my kids were commenting during the movie that it wasn't the original.  We had seen the real Declaration of Independence at the National Archives last Aug and it is so badly faded, that it is difficult to read.  Also, it is too fragile to let loose in the streets like that!  The one in the movie was obviously not that fragile and it was easy to see the calligraphy. )

     After the movie my son took charge of the controls so that we could view the behind the scenes components.  One showed a different ending to the movie.  The director explained how they changed the ending, to get a different reaction from the audience.  I told the kids that even the professionals have to edit their work and keep their audience in mind.  This was a great application for writing skills.

     There were also lots of puzzles for us to solve and we had a lot of fun learning about the various methods of secret codes.  To our shock, by the time we were done, it was midnight!  Where did the time go?  We are usually in bed long before that!  lol

     I have discovered that there is a part 2, where they uncover information of Lincoln's assassination, using 18 missing pages from the diary of John Wilkes Booth.  Apparently, Mount Vernon has been hosting tours of National Treasure 2...I'm guessing that some of the scenes were shot at Mount Vernon. (That link for the tour may not be available much longer.  Apparently this tour ended Dec 28.  Oh how we would have loved to have done this tour!) The kids are already trying to puzzle out the connections in National Treasure 2!

     For Christmas, we had given my son a copy of George Washington Spymaster which has opportunities for the reader to decode secret messages throughout the book. Even one of my Lafayette books has an example of a coded message between Washington and Lafayette. I'm glad they explained the coding, because we never would have caught it. My son has so far flipped through his Spymaster book and seen some of the same examples he saw in National Treasure, that were actually used during the American Revolution. I think my son will enjoy that book, especially now that he's caught the excitement of National Treasure.    

A week ago we had our Year 2 Unit 4 Celebration about the years from 1706-1801.  It's taken me this long to blog about it because at the last moment I realized I should video tape portions of the kids' recitations.  Having never done this before, I had a lot of issues.  If you'd like the long version, read the final paragraphs of the previous blog entry.  In short, I apologize to my poor dd who's only 2 moments on video tapes got messed up.  As you will see in the Liberty Tea Party, I had no idea it's important to keep the camera in one position while video taping.  sigh. Then I shortened the video of her poem and that made the clear picture fuzzy.  excuse me while I shed a few tears. Nevertheless, let the show go on!

This is set up in the foyer for the guests who arrive, my parents.  MIL had flown 1500 miles to see the event and opened the door for them so that we could make our grand entrance as a family. 

Here is the display of the historical documents, sealed letter from George Washington to his wife Martha, quill pen, ink, sealing wax and stamp.

Here are some games, musical instruments, compass and scope from the era.

Here are the books that were read and the art projects that were completed. The dc wove baskets, decoupaged boxes, made silver plates and cups, copy books and clay pieces which was a popular art form back then. 

Sadly, I have no pictures of the big event, or video tape, so just imagine.    We came down the stairs with ds in the lead, playing Yankee Doodle on his fife which he had gotten in Colonial Williamsburg four years ago.  Back then I had given him flutophone instruction and he's currently learning piano.  In 7 days he figured out how to finger the notes and blow into the fife (which isn't easy) for the big entrance.  How I wish I had video tape of this!  DD made and wore this hat while we made our grand entrance.

Then we welcomed everyone and announced who we were.  DH was portraying Ben Franklin, I was portraying Martha Washington, dd was portraying Abigail Adams and ds was portraying a boy from a plantation in Yorktown.  (This picture was taken by MIL before my parents arrived.) 

Then ds distributed programs for our guests to follow the presentation.  These baskets contain the programs (on the left) and souvenirs (on the right, more on that later).

Afterwards, ds gave some background information on the historical events leading to the boycott on tea.

I had given my dh a script of comments Ben Franklin made during different historical points.  DH interjected these after every recitation. Can't you just imagine Ben Franklin doing this? At this point he interjected, "This king will stand foremost in the list of diabolical, bloody and execrable tyrants!"

Then dd presented her speech on Liberty Tea (which we made from fresh orange and chocolate mint leaves in my garden...it tasted excellent!), explaining proper ettiquette, and then served tea. (Editor's Note:  I didn't think about keeping the camera in one position.  Oops!)

After dh prayed the blessing, we served a buffet dinner made from recipes from historical places in Virginia. 

Virginia Ham

Currant Nut Tea Cake from Carter's Grove Plantation near Williamsburg, Virginia

Almond Macaroons from King Arms Tavern in Williamsburg, Virginia

Sweet Potato Muffins from Christiana Campbell's Tavern in Williamsburg, Virginia

Garden Salad from Monticello near Charlottesville, Virginia (Thomas Jefferson's cooks were known for using fresh ingredients from the garden, especially peaches, which are in this salad with an herbal vinaigrette.)

Whipped Honey Butter imported from New York Colony (For Christmas last year my SIL sent honey from the bee farm in her backyard in upstate New York.)

Apple Cider Cake from Chownings Tavern in Williamsburg, Virginia (This cake got stuck in the bundt pan.  I had to scoop it out.  It was then renamed Spiced Apple Spoonbread with Apple Cider Sauce.  It turned out to be the best tasting item offered!)

In the kitchen we had Peanut Soup from Mount Vernon near Alexandria, Virginia.  (This was one of George Washington's favorite dishes.)

There was also Wassail from Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg, Virginia.  

At the end of dinner, the children each played pieces on a keyboard borrowed from my mom.  They used the harpsichord setting.  DD played a piece she is currently learning.  DS taught himself in 2 weeks how to play Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.  Then dh, portraying Ben Franklin, got up to share about one of Franklin's inventions, the glass armonica.  DS is dressed very casually, because like Ben, he planned on jumping in the lake for a swim after the presentation. Also I had no time to make a full costume (see last paragraph of that blog entry) for him, which he announced a desire for at the last minute. lol  MIL had read that blog entry right before she leftfor the airport to come here.  She said that if she had known she could have packed a colonial costume she had in the garage for him to wear!  Go figure!  I never thought to ask her for something like that!  lol

 Then dd gave a speech about the events from the Boston Tea Party to Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech.

Then ds recited "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death."  I coached him very little on this.  This was entirely his interpretation.  It did help that he saw Patrick Henry do this in Colonial Williamsburg four years ago! Hold on to your hats!

Ben Franklin then interjected...I had to stand before the English Parliament and endure verbal abuse at their outrage over the Boston Tea Party, while lords and ladies sat in gleefully mocking tone.  I was sarcastically questioned and called names.  I endured this outrage in stoic silence.  However, as I left, I hissed, "I will make your master a little king for this." 

Then ds gave a speech on the geography of Boston, Lexington and Concord and background behind the poem "Paul Revere's Ride." 

Then dd recited "Paul Revere's Ride."  It was 6 minutes long, too long for photobucket so I shortened it....and sadly the video is now terribly grainy.  boo hoo  But she did a great job!

Then Ben Franklin interjected...I had just arrived home from England when the Battles of Lexington and Concord errupted.  What I thought would be retirement, became a unified call to arms.  "Nothing can save us from the most abject destruction but a spirited opposition.  It will be our salvation." 

 At this point ds handed me (Martha Washington) a  letter from George Washington.  Martha thought she had burned all the correspondence between her and her husband, but three have been found.  I printed a copy of one and then the dc and I sealed it with actual sealing wax and a stamp purchased at Monticello four years ago.  We left it sealed until I opened it to read out loud for all to hear.  Being the wife of a military guy myself, I was able to relate to much in this moving and endearing letter.

Then dd gave a speech on the Declaration of Independence.

Afterwards ds recited the first two paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence from memory.

 
Then Ben Franklin interjected, "We must all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."

Then dd gave a speech on the role of women during the American Revolution, specifically Abigail Adams and Martha Washington.

Afterwards ds gave his speech, telling how he lived on a plantation near Yorktown and how he helped in the war, even though he was only a boy.  He explained how he helped make ammunition and the events he saw at the Battle of Yorktown and the final victory!

Then Ben Franklin interjected, "We are now friends with England and with all mankind.  May we never see another war!  For in my opinion, there was never a good war or a bad peace."

Then dd gave a speech on the Constitution of the United States of America.

 Afterwards ds recitated the Preamble to the Constitution.

Then Ben Franklin interjected...During the Constitutional Convention I studied the carving of the sun on the back of General Washington's chair and pondered "...whether it was rising or setting. But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun." 

At this point the children distributed souvenirs to the guests and everyone got a big smile on their faces.  These were our Colonial Newspaper projects.  The children each wrote one article of their choice each week of our studies, on a current topic.  News topics range from historical events to gardening and architecture spanning time from the French and Indian War to the term of our first president of the United States.  On the last page ds wrote an advertisement.  There are 10 pages that we printed in double columns on parchment paper and folded in half.  There were other things we wanted to do to make it realistic, using ideas from many of my TOG friends.  But simply doing this took time:  mainly keeping a header then formatting the rest ito double columns.  

Then dh, as Ben Franklin, closed with comments based on Franklin's famous quote.  As he left the Constitutional Convention after the papers were signed, he was asked, "What kind of government did you give us?  A monarchy or a republic?"  He responded "A republic if you can keep it."  (Personally, as a teacher, I had pondered over the course of our study what these men sacrificed for us to have these freedoms and what they would think of the liberal agendas today threatening the family and conservative Christian values.  So I wrote a script for dh and after the above quote he continued with another of Franklin's quotes that he spoke during the Convention to the delegates) "I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth-that God governs in the affairs of men.  And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?  We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that 'except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it.' I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a bye word down to future age. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human Wisdom, and leave it to chance, war, and conquest."  Then I wrote in his script...Remember this as you leave.  Study your Constitution well.  Elect those who will uphold it.  Pray before the Lord and ask for His guidance and direction.  Adieu and good night.

We are currently studying our absolutely favorite time period in American history, the American Revolution.  We have had a wonderful time learning about key events leading up to this pivotal point of our history.  We have added extra books to our TOG reading list in order to study this period in depth.  Following, are some of our favorite resources. 

To aid us in our studies, is a wonderful book I purchased at the homeschool bookfair last year from HSLDA.  Why America is Free is an incredible book published by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.  We have used it as a spine for all of Unit 4.  The life of a colonial boy parallels the historical events of the 1700's.  The book begins with the typical day in the life of this boy who lives near Williamsburg, Virginia on a farm.   He takes care of the family flour mill while his father goes to fight in the French and Indian War with George Washington.  When the boy grows up, marries and has a family of his own, he is fighting in the American Revolution.  Later he will serve at the Constitutional Convention.  Of all of our books, this has been the definitive book of details of the why's surrounding the events of our country's search for liberty.  The book has simple and clear language with beautiful photographs and pictures.  While reading this book, we feel that we are there.  

Furthermore, we studied how the Great Awakening helped to not only win souls for the Lord, but also Providentially unified the diverse 13 colonies in preparation for the Revolution.  TOG had some great notes on this.  In fact, we changed up some TOG weeks in order to focus on the Great Awakening.  The Light and the Glory has a great chapter on this event.

Then we started reading the biographies of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.  We've heard all the legends.  We've read short stories.  But never have we fully studied them.  Ben Franklin's Almanac is a great book that I am reading now for fun.  It's at a dialectic level and patterned after Poor Richard's Almanac with paragraphs that take only a part of a page to tell something about his life.  This is split into themes: early years, printer, public do-gooder, years in England during the French and Indian War, electrical studies, work on Declaration of Independence, amabassador to France, work on Constitution, etc.  This book is perfectly set up for those teaching UG and D children writing with IEW.  

We studied the different wars within the complex French and Indian War.  We read, Alone Yet Not Alone, a true story about two girls who were captured and their faith in God kept them whole while living among the Indians.  When the Forest Ran Red and George Washington's First War are award winning documentaries aimed at educating high school students about the little studied French and Indian War.  Filmed in several states in the Northeast on location, historical reenactors recreate the events.   Although we were all interested in the DVD's, 12yos was riveted to the screen. It was terrific to have the opportunity to take the events we had read about in a book and see it on screen in the proper setting (Northeastern Woodlands) with the people involved (French, Native Americans (who looked very different from those we have seen on the Central Plains), British Redcoats, Scots (yes Scots in kilts), Virginia militia, colonists, and of course George Washington in his early years.)  I'm glad I recently found these at my recent homeschool bookfair! 

Another favorite biography was that of Paul Revere.  Coinciding with our study of the Boston Tea Party we also read Johnny Tremain, then compared that to the movie version (my all time favorite), which we love.  Both books were written by the same author, Esther Forbes. Also both were beautifully illustrated by Lynd Ward.  While reading Johnny Tremain, I told the dc to parallel the character traits of Johnny and Rab.  We read part I the week we studied the Boston Tea Party.  Then the following week, when we studied the Battles of Lexington and Concord, I told them to note the change in their characters, and to look for foreshadowing.  Because literary devices are not always found in literature, it was a treat to read Johnny Tremain from a literary perspective.  It is truely worthy of the Newberry Award. This book lends much to discussion.  

We have studied the great orator Patrick Henry, listening to the Colonial Williamsburg interpreter give his famous "Give Me Liberty" speech.  We got to meet this interpreter when we were in CW a few years ago.  In fact, that is when we first became delighted with this forefather.  We arrived in CW in the afternoon and had time to buy our tickets for the week and watch the movie, Williamsburg-The Story of a Patriot.  This movie is about a fictional character (who represents the typical gentleman plantation owner near Williamsburg) who must choose between Britain or colonial rights.  He leaves for Williamsburg to attend the House of Burgesses.  When he arrives, he meets Col George Washington, the outspoken Patrick Henry, the quiet Thomas Jefferson, etc.  The meeting of the House of Burgesses is abruptly ended by the Provincial Governor because they are speaking out against the Townshend Acts of 1767.  The movie accurately showcases key events in the unfolding drama of the decision for independence in 1776.  I bought a copy of the movie knowing we'd be watching it several more times for school.  While visiting Williamsburg, "Patrick Henry"  gave the "Liberty or Death" speech by special request in the gardens behind the Governor's Palace.  By the end of the speech, I was ready to join the militia!  There are some interesting interviews with this actor where he talks about this speech and how he is delighted that the audience is always spellbound.  DS is currently memorizing the final paragraph of this speech.

Due to a busy schedule, we expanded our TOG weeks to allow time for our in depth study. We split week 31 into 3 weeks, with an entire week devoted to the Declaration of Independence.  We listened to Colonial Williamsburg interpreter, Thomas Jefferson read the Declaration of Independence aloud.  We also began our biography of Thomas Jefferson.  We learned about the committee of 5 men that was formed to write the declaration.  Of them, three were the most influential. Thomas Jefferson did the writing because he was well liked, had great rhetorical skills and had already proven himself in writing clearly about the problems with England.  John Adams was instrumental in keeping things moving along, when the other delegates kept stalling the issues.  Benjamin Franklin's humor kept the seriousness of the business at hand from getting too heavy.  In fact, one of the reasons they did not want him to write the declaration, was because the delegates feared he'd throw in a few jokes in this monumentous and important document! 

One movie we did not watch, was 1776.  I had purchased that a few years ago and was embarrased by the adult humor.  If only that was never put in.  Because of this, I always questioned the veracity of the movie itself.  After reading numerous sources, I now find that movie is quite accurate.  Jefferson was a very quiet man, who moped in session while his draft of the Declaration was edited to pieces by the other delagates, who quibbled over ever phrase.  Adams was not the most liked man in the sessions, but he kept everything moving along.  The movie also showed wonderful interpretations of his correspondence to his wife near Boston.  1776 is a musical, and John and Abigail would sing their letters to each other in the movie.  It was quite effective and you could see the love for each other that has become famous. 

However we did access The Declaration of Independence on line at the Charters of Freedom.  There is terrific information here, as well as an interactive opportunity to sign one's own name to the important document!  One gets to choose their handwriting style and then type in their name.  When "submit" is clicked, a warning comes up, that all signers of this document will be considered traitors and could be hung.  Want to proceed?  We did this site a few years ago and my dc had to stop and think.  At that time dd could not sign it.  This time they had no fear.  But it gave us time to talk what these men actually did when they signed the Declaration.  They risked their very lives and fortunes.  Included are biographies of the signers and what happened to them during the war.

This week we are studying all the battles from Saratoga to Yorktown.  Our literature book this week is a gem given to me by my MIL.  It is an autographed copy of Guns on the Heights.  It is the story of a Quaker family during the Battle of Saratoga.  MIL lives near the battle site and took dh and I there when we were first married.  At that time, I did not understand the significance of the battle site, even though I read all the signs.  I was impressed though by the view from the hill overlooking the Hudson River.  MIL has suggested we take the dc  but I kept postponing it until they had studied it.  I knew they wouldn't enjoy the tour until then. Well, now I understand!  And the dc are learning too!  The British tried to control the entire Hudson River system extending from Canada into New York, hoping to block New England from the Southern Colonies.  Although the Continental Army had been struggling, the Battle of Saratoga was a major victory, largely due to that scoundrel Benedict Arnold!  We've also been reading the biography of Benedict Arnold and no wonder he became a traitor!  Today, one will not see his name on any monument.  But at the Saratoga Battlefield, is good deeds are mentioned but are nameless on a monument.  Also at West Point, where he served and nearly turned over to the enemy, there is a plaque to him as to all the other generals who served there, but it is nameless.  How sad for a man who was greedy, selfish and prideful.  Anyway, Saratoga became the turning point in the war and that caused other countries like France to join in the war effort against England.

Fri night we watched the movie, Drums Along the Mohawk.  I found this movie at the homeschool bookfair.  Starring Henry Fonda and Claudette Cobert, the movie was made in 1939.  I couldn't believe how young Henry Fonda looked!  Gil marries Lana, a well young lady with social upbringing in Albany, NY, in 1776.  They move west along the Mohawk.  They deal with Indian uprisings, prompted by the British.  We were delighted to see the German General Herkimer whom we read about in the Battle of Oriskany this week!      

Another terrific biography we have been reading is about "the boy" Lafayette.  I remember when we were at Mount Vernon a few years ago he was mentioned by the tour guides with great fondness.  Now I can see why. 

This afternoon as we discussed the Battle of Yorktown, we listened to Colonial Williamsburg's "George Washington" being interviewed about the upcoming Battle of Yorktown.  

sigh

It is with sadness that we are closing out our study of the American Revolution.  As we move on to a new topic next week, we hope to culminate these studies by making a trip to some of the historical places of the American Revolution this summer. 

When I was in college, if there was a simple class to take, we used to joke around that it was Basketweaving 101.  I have since been  educated as to the error of that thinking and have changed my mind!

It all began a few years ago when we went to Colonial Williamsburg.  One of the crafts we saw was basketweaving.  My son must have been 8 at the time and was fascinated by the process.  He asked tons of questions.  At the gift shop, I purchased a kit thinking we could all enjoy the project together.  However we never got around to it.  Then last Christmas, a family member gave dd a colonial basket kit from the same company that we got our first kit.  I decided to save these for our TOG Year 2 Unit 4 studies of the American Revolution. 

When we started unit 4 in March, the first craft we pulled out was the basket kits.  We laid everything out.

We laid out ds's kit and figured out what all the various pieces were.  Good.  I figured ds could get started on his and then tell us how to do ours (because I would help dd).  DS always figures things out and always tells us what we are doing wrong.  ;)  He always knows.  He is very good at this type of thing.  =)  I was very happy to defer to his skills, because I had a lot on my "to do" list and I was getting a bit confused with the directions.  However, I just knew my ds would save the day!  The next step was to soak  the reeds.  They must remain wet in order to be flexible enough for all of the bending.

While those were soaking, dd and I got her kit set it but we were confused.  Some of the pieces were  different and they weren't as easy to identify as ds' were.  We called ds over to help....and he was  equally confused.  Hmmmm.  Well we soaked hers in the other sink.  Meanwhile ds got started on his...and got stuck.  He was clueless.  He needed my help.  What????  I was depending on him!  Well, I took a look at the two sheets, looked up the web site, which didn't seem to be much help to me or him.

 I was ready to make a momentous decision.  I was ready to throw everything away!  We needed a life!  Who needs basketweaving anyway?  Basketweaving is for the more intelligent genre of people of this would, not for us lowly types who can't read directions.  Of all the crafts I have tackled in my entire life, of all the self taught things I have ever done, I was ready to admit defeat!  I was not ashamed to concede that basketweaving is a highly intelligent skill.  I was prepared to repent of my sins of Basketweaving 101 put downs in college.  But the look in my children's eyes reduced me to give it the good old college try.  I always tell them to do their best, to not give up...what did we have to lose?  We could just go for it and make something to share at our unit celebration, no matter how pathetically it turned out.  

So we did the next thing; we took one step at a time, not worrying about too many steps ahead.  This is the foundation part of ds' basket.  We used a ruler to measure and set the pace for an even grid.  Who knew math would be involved?????

Getting the foundational grid even on dd's basket...

Does it look like a basket yet?  Hmmm....

DS' basket, turning up the ends...

Meticulously working our way through the weaving.  Believe me, this is not as easy at it looks.  I had to pull out dd's weaving quite often and help her a lot, because it would get confusing.  I even had to pull out my own work more than once.

DD's basket in the home stretch...

DS's basket at this point...

He got a little further than this when we had to put things away to sing at the nursing home.  The next afternoon after church I crashed onto the bed and slept all afternoon.  DH finished the basket with ds.

Ta da....

For the last several years, we have celebrated President's Day by eating some of George Washington's favorite food. 

He liked fried chicken.  Because of the cherry tree legend, I make a salad with dried cherries in it.  Because Abraham Lincoln was a big fan of George Washington, I have some hasty pudding (aka polenta).  George Washington probably ate a lot of that too.  Then both men probably had a lot of chicken gravy, so that tops the hasty pudding.  Afterwards, to top it all off, we have cherry pie, in honor of the cherry tree legend.

But one of George Washington's favorite foods, which seems to be a staple of Virginia, is Peanut Soup! That is in the bowl in the first picture.  If you ever visit Mount Vernon, you can eat at their restaurant, and order Virginia Peanut and Chestnut Soup from the menu.

 www.mountvernon.org/visit/plan/index.cfm/pid/3/

A visit to Colonial Williamsburg also offers many restaurants with this regional soup.  One is the King's Arms Tavern.

www.history.org/visit/diningExperience/kingsArms/

The King's Arms Tavern even provides the recipe for you to try yourself!

www.history.org/visit/diningExperience/kingsArms/images/kat_recipe_book.pdf

This soup is now one of my husband's favorite soups.  President's Day would not be the same for him without it.  ;)