The Titanic sinks in…

April 13th was the 99th anniversary of the sinking of the unsinkable.   The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA offered a homeschool day in observance, with extremely well done exhibits, activities and presentations.

We registered in advance, so when we got there, getting started with the activities was a breeze.  Each child was given a “boarding pass” of a real passenger who had been on board the Titanic and was instructed to check the registry to see if they survived.  Odds were much better for women and children!  This was a point driven home over and over again throughout the exhibit.   We were also given a mini-quiz to fill out with a few basic questions about the Titanic, as well as specific information about a key passenger.  A reward of a free frozen confection insured Grace’s enthusiasm to get the quiz completed and turned in.  (Something I need to remember!)

There was a slideshow presentation that was easy enough for the kids, but interesting enough to keep parents attention.   The presentation focused on some of the famous people on board, the separation of the classes, the accommodations found in each section of the ship, as well as the history of the famous tragedy. 

Well lit and labelled displays showed various artifacts from the ship, photographs and travel posters.  Hands-on exhibit tables staffed with friendly volunteers showed toys, clothes and games of the era.  There was a chance to try tapping out morse code (like the Marconi operators),  period music was performed,  and we peeked inside a lady’s trunk to see what kind of clothes would be packed (and if you were upper class – how many outfits per day!) .  A big hit for Grace was the Passport to get stamped as we visited each exhibit.

The Mariners’ Museum is all things nautical.  Displays explain the early history of sail, ship life during the  “Master and Commander” period, and examples of many of the tools of sailing that we read about in “Carry On, Mr. Bowditch!”    Ralph slipped off and went quickly through the Civil War maritime area which features USS Monitor Center with sections of the USS Monitor, as well as letters and other artifacts of the historic naval battle between the CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimac) and the USS Monitor. 

We fell in love with The Mariners’ Museum and recommend it highly!  We’ll be signing Grace up for Big Winds, Big Waves:  the Science of Hurricanes this September.  We are also looking forward to visiting during two big Living History Days in 2012.  The first will be held on Friday, March 9th commemorating the Battle of Hampton Roads.  On Friday, April 13th many of the exhibits I’ve described will be enhanced and enlarged for Titanic Day, the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the star of the White Star line.  Maybe we’ll see you there!

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We’re Game!

I had to chuckle when I saw this fun blog post by one of my favorite home school bloggers, Heather, over at  Blog, She Wrote: More Game Storage.  I can really relate to her need for added storage!  Ralph loves games.  Card games, board games, you name it.  We have games stored in the den coat closet, in all the upper shelves in his office, and on his floor, and on his card table…

Me?  Games?  Whatever.  My memories of games involve getting creamed at chess, within a few moves, by older brother, looong never-ending games of Monopoly at my grandparent’s house, and boy cousins who would not include me in their games of Risk.  Scrabble is okay.  I like Mhing (a card version of Mah Jong).  When I was in college, everyone played backgammon so I have a bored or two, (misspelling is intentional).  I used to be pretty good at poker, because I have a good poker face, but alas, I don’t have the funds…

Ralph, however, really loves games!  Big boxed games with intricate boards, colorful cards

“Hey!  Be careful!  Don’t bend them!”

and beautiful figures and pieces.  Games that you have to “set up.”  Complicated games that take hours to play.  He enjoys reading…the rules.

I can’t complain.  Ralph has been very supportive of homeschooling.  Especially since  each period of history has a game to go with it!  He has Ark of the Covenant, Journeys of Paul, Hannibal – Rome vs Carthage;  Settlers of Catan, Roll through the Ages, Thebes, Beowulf, Condotierre, Yspahan (set in Persia), Serenissima, El Grande, Dominion, San Juan, Puerto Rico,  Age of Empires, Wilderness War, Liberty, Founding Fathers, Lewis and Clark.  Now that we are discussing the Civil War, He’s pulled out Battle Cry.  I could go on and on  -  because these are only the history games.

His most recent acquisition, Ticket to Ride, is in fact thanks to Heather.  He was ECSTATIC when I mentioned that Heather uses Ticket to  Ride in homeschooling.  He shared excitedly, that Ticket to Ride is a wonderful “gateway” game.  A gateway game is one that non-gaming wives, (I’m apparently not the only one), will actually enjoy when guilt requires that they finally play a game with the family.  Undaunted by our tighter than usual circumstances, he enrolled Grace in the Barnes and Noble Kids Club, and started watching for coupons.

So, on our recent weekend at the farm, we all gathered around the table to play Ticket to Ride.  Gamer Husband was trying to outfox all involved.  Gamer Son figured out his strategy at the beginning and did not swerve.  Sort-of-Gamer Daughter just had lots of fun!  Non-Gamer Mom, this would be me, was assigned three routes of track to lay, all three of which were cross-country and required lots of cards to accomplish, and so she just kept her mouth shut, focused, and did it.  Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?  Imagine EVERYONE’s surprise when Non-Gamer Mom won!  Gamer Son still can’t figure out what he did wrong….

Blubber, blubber, between gloves of rubber!

Today, I did the messiest experiment!  Dad got Vaseline all over himself.

Our experiment was to show the benefit of a layer of blubber to sea creatures, particularly those who spend a lot of time in cold water like  whales, sea lions, seals and walruses. 

 We had to put an inch of Vaseline or shortening all over a gloved hand, and it was really messy!  Then we were to put a second glove over top of the Vaseline.  We were using medical gloves, which fit super-tight!  When Dad tried to put the second glove on me, the Vaseline oozed out, so he had to try to stuff it back into the glove, into the fingers and everything.  If felt really gooey, and I laughed really hard! 

My other hand just had two gloves, but no layer of “blubber.”

I found out that blubber is WAY better than just skin in ice water.  I could hold my hand in the ice water three times longer with my “blubber!”

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The Hawk

My office, and Grace’s schoolroom, is the former sleep porch perched upstairs in the back dormer of our 1919 Bungalow.  When we look out our windows, we are surrounded by trees.  In the summer, it is a cool green leafy tree house.  In the fall, we watch a squirrel cirque du soleil performance, as they run, play and leap with total abandon in search of pecans from my neighbor’s pecan tree, often sporting nuts hanging from their mouths or clustered in their cheeks!  In the winter, it is a study of bare branches on two sides, and evergreens on the other with the swooping of bird wings more evident with the sun lower in the sky.  The sun sparkling on choppy water reflects off of our schoolroom walls where the light refracts just so. 

Grace has finished her Apologia Zoology Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day curriculum, but we are trying to remain vigilant of bird sightings to retain knowledge.  The other day, we caught the quick shadow of a

Hawk in the American Holly with lunch

hawks wings and quickly picked up the binoculars.  The Hawk is from Phylum Chordata, Class Aves, Order Falconiformes, Family Accipitridae, Genus Accipiter.  As far as the Species, we think a juvenile Coopers Hawk. Cooper’s Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks will hunt near bird feeders and song birds are their favorite lunch…Ralph caught this scene with the camera. 

For more about Hawks in Virginia visit: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/birds/raptors/