We are currently undergoing a historic storm in the Mid-Atlantic region, according to weather.com.  Ida has come ashore and her low pressure system has teamed up with the high pressure over New England to wreak havoc on the coastline. We are fine, but have had quite a bit of rain. I have a friend in Virginia Beach though, where winds are 50mph, waves are high and flooding is a threat. This is not the first time I've been in Virginia with a lot of rain, albeit without the wind and waves.  The steady rain we have personally had reminds me of a vacation and a movie. This is a blog entry I started 3 months ago, so now I thought I'd finish it up and finally post it, since the rain seems to be a common thread...

     I've resisted buying the movie, "The New World", since I don't usually care for modern made movies, which tend to stray from historical accuracy.  However, we were in Jamestown in 2004, during the filming of this movie. We visited the living history center and got to go on two of the three ships. We were told that one of the ships were out for filming "The New World". Then we visited the actual site of the Jamestown settlement a few months ago. Because I finally found the DVD at a used bookstore for $4, I decided to take a chance on it. This movie elicited strong opinions from us!

     Before I tell you about the plot, I'm going to tell you how the movie was made. There are special features on the DVD, which we always enjoy, going behind the scenes. This movie was made entirely in the Jamestown area and in England. The setting was perfect! The costumes are very close to what I have researched, even down to the snakes in the earlobes of the witch doctor. Excellent costumes.  (Here's my son wearing some historical armor at the Jamestown living history center in 2004.)

The Jamestown fort and Powhatten village were accurately recreated for shooting...they had actual models they could follow at the living history center.  On the DVD, they showed the process of recreating the mud and dauble for one of the buildings.

     We had to laugh, when the cast and crew said that they had to deal with a lot of rain while they were there. They shot the movie in 6 months, a time frame where that area of Virginia got record rain fall. We experienced it too!  Every summer that I lived in Texas, I carefully kept track of hurricanes. I was on the e-mail list for the hurricane center, but there had not been a single hurricane all summer. If it looked as though a hurricane was coming through, I was prepared to cancel all reservations and have us head to Colorado. However the Atlantic had looked pristine all summer. We drove out of Texas, Aug 2. When we arrived in Colonial Williamsburg 3 days later, it was raining, raining, raining. I asked someone if this rain was ever going to stop. She laughed and said, "Oh it's just a hurricane."  "A hurricane? Should we evacuate?" Oh no, this was Alex and he would bounce back to sea. She saw we had young children so she told me how to get tickets to meet with Thomas Jefferson in the dry Kimball Theater that afternoon.

The skies cleared that afternoon, but the following night we had thunderstorms in the area. Since we were in KOA Kabins, I was exceedingly thankful we had not done tent camping. We would have been washed away. Eventually we drove up to New York for a few days, then we drove back to see more of Virginia. As we drove through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Northern Virginia, it poured, and poured, and poured.  I asked someone, "Where is all this rain coming from?" "Oh it's just a hurricane." "A hurricane? Should we evacuate?" "Oh no, it's just the remnants of Hurricane Bonnie that came up from the Florida panhandle."  The next morning the rain continued while we toured Mount Vernon, then it cleared up for a beautiful afternoon.  The next day we drove to Monticello in rain drops. Not again.  As we tried to tour the grounds of Monticello it was extremely cold and we were caught in a deluge! 

 I asked where all this rain came from. "Oh it's just a hurricane."  "Hurricane Bonnie?" "Oh no, this is the remnants of Hurricane Charlie that came up from Florida."  (The National Hurricane Center should have named this storm Clyde.)  If we went through that much rain in 2 weeks in Virginia, I can only imagine what the film crew went through.

     It was amazing to see how the film crew paid close attention to details in setting, costumes, and actors to get the story right. It's amazing because the plot line is 90% fiction and 10% historical. Basically it's the love story between John Smith and Pocahontas. (They were never in love.) Also one needs to know more than the basic history of Jamestown to follow the story. There are very few lines. Midway through John Smith finally spoke! Clarity of speaking in this movie is rare, as most of the lines were mumbled. It's an extremely artsy film, with flashes of scenes here and there and back here. My kids and I spent a week of study on Jamestown with our TOG Year 2 Unit 3 historical studies a year ago. I even had extra books for my kids to read.  Because they did not have time to read everything, my daughter chose a biography of Pocahontas. My son read a diary account of a young boy who went to Jamestown and worked under John Smith. I read both books. My son and I were the best prepared to understand most of the bare thread of history that was in this movie. Although my husband is neither a bookish nor a historical person, even he knew this movie was off target. 

     I feel as though the producers and director of this movie missed an excellent opportunity.  They had the entire cast and crew in location of the original settings of Jamestown and England. The costume designers designed authentic costumes.  However the creativity got in the way of historical veracity, leaving a confusing mess to plunder through while viewing. If you are looking at using this movie to teach your kids the history of Jamestown, a book is better!  In fact, a trip to the Jamestown living history center, is a terrific interactive experience.  Oh, and contrary to present evidence, it's not always wet in Virginia!

     In 2004 we visited the living history part of Jamestown and had a lot of fun!  At that time my kids were ages 11 and 8.  There were numerous activities, perfect for that age group. They carried these memories with them when we studied Jamestown in school at the dialectic level in TOG's year 2 unit 4. Because this unit covers my favorite era in history, we read lots of extra books and spent extra weeks on the history. One week was specifically devoted to Jamestown, as we examined the causes and effects of the choices the men made.  Recently we got to come back to Jamestown. This time we visited Historic Jamestowne, which is operated  by the National Park Service. This is the actual site of the budding colony, whereas the living history center is recreated next door.

     We drove to Jamestown on my favorite road, the Colonial Parkway.  Well, this lovely drive through wooded area came to an end abrupt end because of a detour. Detour???? We don't know Williamsburg roads at all.  The detour signs took us out to Jamestown Road, and like it's name implies, it takes you directly to Jamestown.

     When we arrived to purchase our entry tickets, I told the ranger that we were not vacationers, because they sell vacationers a one week pass into both Jamestown and nearby Yorktown. I explained that we now live in Northern Virginia and will be coming back.  After discovering that we were homeschoolers, interested in history, nature and the beautiful scenery, he suggested the annual National Park Pass.  He started naming several locations near our home that we could visit with the pass and we were excited.  We had been talking about visiting all of those locations.  

     The Memorial Church...

     Captain John Smith... 

      This was the site of the fort.  Although placed stragetically for military purposes, it was extremely unpractical. Strategically, it overlooked the James River, which is near the merging of the York River, Chesepeake Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean. The enemy by sea were the Spaniards. 

However the men who arrived were primarily interested in gold, which didn't exist in the area.  Most of the men who came were gentlemen, used to being served.  They spent their days seeking gold, going hungry due to the dwindling food supply which they lazily refused to work to replenish, drinking brakish water and getting bitten by maleria infected mosquitoes.   Most died.  To keep the American Indians from knowing how many were dying, the dead were buried within the fort.  The entire land upon which we walked is a graveyard.  Only a few are marked as graves, and even fewer marked with names.

 Although John Smith had been initially appointed as one of the leaders, the men had issues with that, imprisoning him.  In due time he assumed leadership of the colony.

Running a tight ship, he made a steadfast rule: those who don't work, don't eat.  Grudgingly, hunger drove the men to comply.  Although condidtions improved, the location continued to drive disease, leading many to death.  Furthermore, injuries from an accident sent Smith back to England. Relations with the Indians were tenuous.  When new ships arrived full of more men seeking gold, they came with few supplies and joined the seemingly hopeless task of survival.

      The infamous Pilgrims, who came to the New World seeking to raise their children according to their Puritan ethics, without influence from the rest of the world, were ontracted to sail to Jamestown. However a storm blew them off course and they landed in what would become Massachusetts Bay Colony. Interesting these first two colonies assumed leadership roles in the American Revolution and our first presidents. 

     When we studied Jamestown in our TOG books, we concentrated a great deal on the financing of the venture.  The stockholders in England paid money to send these men to the New World, specifically to find gold. Eventually, they came to grips that there was no gold.  Instead, their fortune was to be made in tobacco. John Rolfe, who married Pocahontas, was famed for bringing a special tobacco seed to the area.  Although the Indians grew tobacco, it was bitter. Rolfe's seed produced a sweet tobacco. Thus, the British Empire established a strong foothold in the Virginia colony with the production of tobacco, enrichening the stockholders' pockets.  Since bachelors weren't fruitful, families were sent to the colony, providing stability. At last, Virginia began to be a productive colony.

     We walked around the grounds and found the foundations for many old sites. After the tobacco industry became profitable, wharfs were built for exporting to Great Britain. Jamestown became the seat of government for Virginia and the first House of Burgesses met in Jamestown. The crown required all tobacco to be shipped from this one port.  It was interesting reading about all the control.  I could faintly hear Patrick Henry in the distance, arguing about the tyrannical control of the King of England.  

     There are a lot of markers and foundations to see on the path in the park.  If your kids are young, and quickly get bored, there are plenty of paths to explore and boats to see on the river.  We saw the ferries go back and forth. Then we saw a tugboat pulling a huge boat.  Keep an eye out because someone might be watching you...

My son captured this shot of the eagle spreading his wings.  

      At the edge of the path, I noticed some people sitting in a rest area watching tv.  I heard voices that sounded familiar, so I went to take a peek. When they left, my family joined me as I panned the television across the park to certain locations. By activating buttons, we learned more about some of the sites we had walked to. After reading a bit of history and visuals of what the sites looked like, we selected videos of reenactors recreating historical stories that went with those sites.  And guess who these reenactors were?  We gave exclamations of delight as we recognized favorites from nearby Colonial Williamsburg! 

     There is an architectural dig, that was all covered up from the rains the night before. This dig is especially interesting, because it is one of the featured Colonial Williamsburg Electronic Field Trips this year. Are you signed up yet?  The deadline for this wonderful series is looming. In December, an entire field trip will be devoted to the archaeological dig at Jamestown.  There is an archaeology museum nearby, showcasing many of the artifacts they have unearthed.  We didn't have time to see everything, so we'll be back. There is clear glass on the floor so we can see the original foundations of the building that held the House of Burgesses.  Eventually, the seat of government moved to Middle Plantation, so named because it was between Jamestown and Yorktown. (Those mosquitoes finally got to them.) You and I know Middle Plantation today as, Colonial Williamsburg.   

     We went back to the Visitor Center and ate the lunch I had packed  at picnic tables nearby.  Then we toured the visitor center quickly, since we had to head home for our 2.5 hour drive.  (We'll be back.) 

    Then we went for a drive around the island on a special road. Along the way, we had to stop for a raccoon family.  I wasn't able to get a picture in time. It was a mother raccoon with several babies.

     Then we went to the historic Jamestown glasshouse.

     Then it was time to leave. It was close to dinner and my husband asked me where to go. Um, I don't know. I had a Williamsburg tourist booklet of restaurants but I have no idea how to get around town.  But I did know that we were on Jamestown Road and that would take us to Merchant Square in front of the College of William and Mary, bordering the CW historic area.  My husband has this thing about asking me for directions, then not following them. He told me there was another way to get to Merchant Square.  Well, yes, the long way.  Since he's driving and a longer route would mean more time in Williamsburg, I wasn't about to complain! Actually, he followed my directions and we stayed on Jamestown Road. I had never driven on this road before, nor many other roads in Williamsburg.  I was delighted. Can't my husband imagine living here?????  It is beautiful!  My husband did admit, he now considers Williamsburg our second home!    

Yesterday we had our Year 2 Unit 3 celebration.  I guess my M&D couldn't wait to come, they were here nearly an hour early! 

The foyer is our time machine area.  ;)  I post a sign (red cardstock) with the era of our celebration.  (Don't we usually like a road sign telling us where we are going?  These signs tell my parents where they ended up!  lol)  On each side of my year plan are the TOG binders my children use.  They contain all of their Accountability and Thinking Question sheets, maps, papers, etc for history and literature for the year.   

Here are the literature and history books we read.  DD did the display.

Here are extra literature books that were read.  They are excellent but unfortunately out of print. We read these a few years ago.  However, since all of our other literature books had been read, these were a terrific review into some history of the Puritans in Salem before the witch trials.  One of the books is missing from the stack because ds was reading it.

Here we are!  DD was Pocahontas.  DS was Squanto.  I was a praying Indian.  The children each gave speeches on who they were.  We were extremely busy last week with finishing up the term paper and power point presentation; I didn't have time to supervise the construction of these character speeches.  The first I heard them was during the presentation.  They were excellent!  Then when it got to my turn, I used Socratic questioning to help pull details from the children on who I represented.  Since I didn't have a name, my dh and dc named me.  DH decided to name me Running Deer, because I am always running around and he always calls me dear.  LOL  The children went through many names for me...Evening Primrose, Sweet Primrose, Quiet Waters, Rippling Brook.  I'm not sure what they ended up with but I liked them all!

Ds studied animal tracks and made a model.

Here is the display table. Their term papers are on the left.  A Squanto audio CD from Focus on the Family is at the bottom. This was excellent! To the right is a rabbit skin and some oyster shells they had collected while in Willliamsburg and Jamestown a few years ago. 

They wore most of their projects. DS made mocassins for himself and me.  He helped dd make hers.  DD designed and made this wampum/seashell necklace.  I did not have much involvement in this and I was quite pleased with how it turned out!  DD's work is usually quite random.  I've been encouraging her to use patterns in her beadwork.  This time she showed me the pattern in her beadwork she had designed.  I loved it!   

 DS made the hatchet, drawstring bag, bear necklace and wampum.  

He designed and made the bear claw necklace with an arrowhead, seashells and wampum.  He had made several extra strands of wampum, tied together on his belt.  Grandpa asked him if he had wampum and right on cue he showed him the wampum.  Now we can't find it anywhere!

The bulk of their time the last few weeks was invested in a 10 page research paper on the settling of the Thirteen Colonies.  They then used that information to do a power point presentation.  

We had lots of food.  DS helped make the New England clam chowder.  DD helped roast the turkey, bake pumpkin bread with walnuts and cranberries, cook cornmeal mush with cranberries topped with maple syrup, prepare trail mix with pumpkin seed, dried cranberries, dried blueberries and corn nuts, and bake blackberry cobbler with cornmeal crust.  We served apple cider to drink. 

 Then we closed with what is considered the first Christmas Carol written in America, "Twas the Moon in Wintertime."  Written with imagery the Huron Indians could understand, it is a carol about the Christ child written by Jesuit missionary Jean de Brebeuf.  He was later tortured and killed by the Iroquois Indians.  Here is the  history and words.  Here is the tune.