My 87-year-old Granny isn’t well. She lives in Alabama with my aunt and uncle who are doing a wonderful job caring for her. We were so blessed to be able to visit, along with most of the rest of my extended family, for a Thanksgiving reunion.
We took the opportunity on the way home to take a three day I-65 mini-vacation. First stop, Birmingham. We visited the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, which is a wonderful walk through the Civil Rights battles of the 20th century. Photos weren’t allowed in the museum, so I don’t have any to post. You’ll have to trust me that it’s an excellent field trip if you’re ever near Birmingham! We also walked through the Kelly Ingram Park just across the street from the museum and viewed the outside of the 16th Street Baptist Church where four children were killed during a violent bombing by the KKK in 1963. Unfortunately, we also had the opportunity to view several homeless people in the area, too.
Second stop, Huntsville. I can’t tell you how much all of us from the two-year-old to the 39-year-old enjoyed the US Space and Rocket Center! Real rockets, hands-on exhibits, life-size models, demonstrations, 3-D and IMax films, three rides, a playground, a rock climbing wall and more kept our attention from open to close. This is a trip my children will talk about for quite some time!
Third and final stop, Franklin, TN. It’s a beautiful little town with lots of character! I wish we could’ve spent more time touring and meandering, but a Civil War reenactment was taking place at the Carnton Plantation and that took up most of our day. Plus, the troops were beginning to wear down and we knew too much more touring and hotel hopping would send them (and us) into grump city – a place we didn’t want to visit!
Sorry for the picture-intensive post. I hope it didn’t slow down your computer too much!
In case you don’t know, Frankfort is the capital of Kentucky. It’s also where I grew up and where my family still lives. There is a wealth of field trip opportunity in Frankfort from government to history to museums and more. We’ve been trying to make it a habit to go on a quick field trip or two when we’re in for an extended visit with my parents.
This week’s trips were finished before lunch, but both were great fun!
Fort Hill
Fort Hill is a Civil War battlefield where remnants of earthen forts remain. Earthen forts are walls of dirt that were built to protect soldiers from the penetrating weapons of their enemies.
The soldiers didn’t always live inside the fort. Their more permanent, albiet rustic “homes” were just outside the fort. The soldiers only stayed inside when under attack.
Many remnants also remain of a rock wall where soldiers hid from oncoming bullets as they fired back at their enemies.
The fort was built on a hill that overlooked most of Frankfort at the time. You can see just how far they could see from the main vantage point.
The parks department has been excavating in the fort recently. There was an early 1900′s house on the property and they located the owner’s dump pile. I included this picture because we have also located an early dump pile on our farm. As we dig new garden space each year, we find new treasures like bits of old pottery, china, medicine bottles, jars and the like. It’s very interesting!
We also found some unsually camera-friendly little friends on our way out!
Rebecca Ruth Candy Factory
So we could say we got in a little science (and because we wanted free candy samples) we headed downtown to the Rebecca Ruth Candy Factory.
We weren’t allowed to take pictures on the tour, but it was great fun seeing how candy is made and packaged. Is their chocolate worth the very expensive price tag? Hmm…On some days I would say “YES!” Most days, though, I think not.
The tour costs $2.00 for adults, but children are free. It only lasts about 15 minutes, so it’s a very easy tour to fit into your schedule if you’re in Frankfort for other visits. Oh, and you don’t need a reservation. Just remember they don’t give tours during lunch hours.
It just so happens that we’re studying chemistry this year AND the Living Arts and Science Center has a special exhibit open called Invisible World: The Beauty of Microscopic Life. Perfect!
Observing prepared slides of all sorts.
Completing a scavenger hunt of the hands-on exhibits.
Making our own pond water slides for the microscope.
Guessing what items are magnified.
Do I look any bigger to you?
Magnifying letters using various unconventional tools.
Fingerprinting with pencil lead and tape in order to observe the prints under hand-held microscopes.
We visit the LASC every year. They do a wonderful job with hands-on learning!
I’m considering this one of those impromptu fall break days. My house is a wreck. Really. With all the busy fun we’ve had over the past several days, the house has suffered greatly. So, today is a cleaning day. No school – except for those all important life skills called chores. Sadly, the house is in such disarray, I’m afraid we won’t even be able to scratch the surface in one day. How does that happen so quickly? Anyway, here’s a peak into what’s been keeping us busy…..
I forgot to take pictures when visiting with my friend Dawn on Friday. She’s a treat to be around, and if you’re a homesteader, you’d drool over her chicken area. Look for an article by Dawn on entrepreneurship in the upcoming Old Schoolhouse Magazine!
Also on Friday, we attended a benefit chili supper hosted by Nancy to support the Hopeful Farm Foundation. I met Claire Novak, who is a very sweet gal! Above is a video of Eli dancing to the bluegrass band that was there.
Saturday was spent at the Preston Court Days. It’s a HUGE yard sale/antique sale/flea market event that takes place every year. You can’t tell from the picture, but we were there for seven hours and didn’t see every booth!
And Sunday was our church’s annual trip to the pumpkin patch. It’s always great fun!
The camera didn’t pick up the brilliance of these pumpkin colors. The first was bright red and the second was almost a robin’s egg blue. Beautiful!
Remember the Field Trip Journals? We’re still using them this year and I couldn’t be happier with them. They are proving to make great writing assignments, and I’m finding the kids absolutely love looking through them for the memories. I love to watch the kids sort through brochures, ticket stubs and pictures trying to decide what to include and how to organize the memories. They’re going to make wonderful keepsakes!
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