Some school days are just a bit more fun than others, especially when learning takes on a whole new twist. Rarely do I have time to write about our home school journey, but this is one of those fun activities that anyone can implement with just a bit of creativity.
As our Classical Conversations home school group digs into all aspects of American History this year, I thought it would be fun to host an American History Festival at our home.
Weather on Dec. 1st is risky, but it was such a beautiful day.
I had seven various stations set up throughout our property and on these kind of days, my “Has it been worth it to move from the city to the country?” question is a resounding “yes.”
One of our stations was led by a sweet mom, whose husband is involved in Civil War Re-enactment. The kids were enthralled with the uniforms, details, guns and all the paraphernalia that came with being a soldier during that time period.
Our neighbor’s horse even popped into find out what was going on at our place. It made our history day that much more authentic.
The kids made Colonial Crafts and played some traditional Colonial games.
Building and painting Teepees was a hit with all ages.
I’m sure the kids active participation in the process of making homemade butter made the rolls that much yummier.
Somehow I am not sure if Colonial Children looked at their chickens as pets, but either way, fresh eggs always hits the spot.
After a little orienteering and tracking to build up an appetite, we ended with a feast based around the story of Stone Soup.
Isn’t this Twenty Gallon Cast Iron Stew Pot amazing?
I am now completely scoping Craig’s List after I had a blast making Stone Soup for our group (with a little help from everyone). Since cooking in bulk is my thing, this would be perfect for our large extended family gatherings. I sense a new family tradition on its way.
I wish you all could have joined us, but the wonderful thing is that anyone can make some history come alive by just living it. 🙂 (At least for a few hours)
That is great! We just had our first official day with the kindergarten curriculum (Dec. 2nd, odd, I know, but more and more people were commenting that DS was likely ready even at just 4 1/2 years old – he was chomping at the bit!). It’s experiences like this that have me excited about HSing… although we live in the country, I’m not sure we’ll ever have a set up quite like that! Although, our area would be perfect for it with the history it holds. The stone soup is a great idea, and I’m with you… that pot is awesome! I can see some great church gatherings around something like that.
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Jen Reply:
December 3rd, 2011 at 9:09 am
You are at the beginning of an exciting adventure. I started our oldest at 4 1/2 and he was ready. The others weren’t, so it all depends on the child, but when they are eager, it’s hard to say “no.” And you sure could do our fun outside day. It was easy with some help from everyone. 🙂
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