New Market Battlefield (from March)

This Civil War site is about 20 minutes from our home. They have a Homeschool Day event each year. We went with our friends from NC (last weekend in March). The day looked like it would be rainy so we left the little ones home with the dads and Leslie and I took the bigger kids. Though it was overcast, we made it the whole day without showers. They did a really nice job of having activities, hands on demonstrations, and historical interpretors explaining things.

The actual battle took place in the orchard and fields behind the house. The family, hunkered in the cellar during the battle and when it was over their home was turned into a field hospital.

Outdoor bread baker.

The kitchen outbuilding. They were actually preparing lunch for the interpretors.

They had a soldier camp, where you could learn about the daily life of a soldier.

First you had to register, verifying that you were 18 or older.

Then take a soldiers oath

Learn how to pitch a tent

Dig a latrene

Learn about cooking and what rations you would be given. Even some hints about how to supplement with stuff from local farmers.

Learn the consequences of disobeying orders or rules of conduct. They would have to wear a sign of their offense and hold heavy items or backpacks of rocks. These guys look way to happy to be punished.

Then you had to learn how to carry your arms and march to orders.

This was a more permanent winter tent. It's complete with fireplace and chimney, very inventive.

Dressing up in period clothes and writing letters home.

They had a section set up as a time period Fair, with all kinds of games. The kids had fun trying them out, some were rather hard.

Lauren was determined to do this, she tried and tried. It was really hard to keep your balance, especially on uneven, muddy grass. Christopher gave her a helping hand.

The big girls enjoyed learning the Virginia Reel, to live music.

One of the activities was a craft barn, where the kids could make flags, quilt patterns and harmonicas. I caught Isaiah and Joshua soldiering with their flags.

The crew hanging out on a cannon, while we walked the battleground .

A view from the battleground, obviously located on a peak, looking over the town and a small river.

They had a really nice museum. It had wonderful artifacts from the Civil War, lots of information about the famous battles and how they were fought. It also included a film about the New Market Battle called "Field of Lost Shoes". This was how this battle was later known, as so many soldiers lost their shoes in the field due to the rain and mud. It included this statue done by one of the VMI students who fought in this battle and went on to become a famous artist. His name is Moses Ezekiel. The film showed him returning to the field after the battle was over to find one of his friends. He took this friend to a place in town and stayed with him, tending to his wounds until he died two days later. It was a moving story of loyalty and friendship. He went on to become a famous sculture who was knighted by the King of Italy. This sculpture is of Thomas Jefferson.

This stain glass window represents the Battle in art and glass.

Leslie took this picture of the girls while we were walking near the Battlefield. I just loved it.



A little history lesson if you're interested http://www4.vmi.edu/museum/nm/index.html

School Field Trips

We went on a field trip with our co-op to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library which is located at his birthplace in Staunton (about 20 mins away). The girls did the tour, while the boys and I ran errands. So the pictures were taken by Hannah, though they were limited by museum rules. They got a guided tour of the library and the museum, which is located next door in an old mansion. They got to dress up in period clothing, see the famous Pierce Arrow limousine of the President, learned about the Treaty of Versailles, and saw other pictures and memorabilia of the President, from his time in office and his childhood.

We also went on a field trip to Crossroads Valley Brethren Heritage Museum. It is about the local history of the settling of this area by the Brethren/Mennonites. It has an old homestead, school house, blacksmith, kitchen out building and museum. We went on a guided, hands on tour. It was very nice, but a very cold day. The buildings are from the mid 1800's to early 1900's. Though the initial Mennonite settlers arrived well before then.

The house sits atop a hill, so you can see the city and valley around it.

Of course farm animals are always a big hit.

Aaron was so captivated that he forgot how cold it was outside.

Lauren playing an old suitcase pump organ. They used to carry this to peoples houses for Sunday service singing. It was very small, hard to imagine a grown up playing on it.

The one room school house. The lady giving the tour's grandmother attended school there.

The parlor to the main house, where they did a demonstration of carding and spinning the wool for knitting or looming.

They also had a music demonstration in the parlor with some fun instruments and an old pump organ.

The main house also had a kitchen, that had been added on to the original house and they demonstrated cooking over an open fire and talked about the ways this kitchen was different from the one the kids have at home. They got to make some butter and taste homemade apple butter.
We also toured the ice house/kitchen and the blacksmith barn. A fun but very cold and windy day.

Lauren cooking one of our school meals, this one with a Caribbean theme ~ jerk chicken, black beans and Caribbean rice. We also made some fun fruity drinks. She loves doing these meals and it's a fun way to try new things.

Horseback riding

Just a few pictures of the girls riding. They are learning how to cantor, which is a quick trot or a slow gallop, depending on your perspective. It's much harder than it looks. Hannah's first attempt resulted in spaghetti legs, which didn't work very well for maintaining control of the horse. They are enjoying the warmer weather for riding. The horses are shedding their winter coats and are requiring lots of pre-riding grooming. Hannah's horse in particulare was shedding while she was riding, she left of trail of floating fur behind her.