What better place to spend the Fourth of July than in the nation's capital? Granted, about a million other people are there as well, but there's so much to do and see, and much of it is kid-friendly AND budget-friendly...
We had the great fortune to have family living in the area, and are extraordinarily grateful to the kids' aunt and uncle for letting us crash at their apartment for several weeks!!! They made memories which will last a lifetime.
One of the trip highlights for the boys was using their Metro Pass. If you are going to be in the area for any length of time, look into purchasing one for the reduced fares. While walking is still the easiest way to get around, the Metro is quicker. Subways are not a part of their everyday world, and there were days that I was fairly certain they were more excited about taking the Metro than anything else!
Outside of the metro area, we visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery (free admission) and saw the changing of the guard and John F. Kennedy's eternal flame. Kudos to our men and women who stand guard 24/7, regardless of the weather.
Also on the periphery, is George Washington's home in Mount Vernon, Virginia. This is an all-day affair, but air conditioning was sparse and it was 100+, so we hustled through the tour.
As our trip came to a close, we prepared to celebrate the birth of our nation in the capital....along with a million other Americans. This included watching the preparations for "A Capitol Fourth", taking one last stroll around the mall, and then heading out to see fireworks!
........let's just take a moment to reflect on exactly HOW HOT it was...
With the Summer Olympics coming up, we took a road trip to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs! It's also a great chance to hike Garden of the Gods...
The US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs is home to athletes and coaches as they train for the next Olympic Games. It opened in 1978, and is able to provide housing, dining, recreational facilities and other services for up to 557 coaches and athletes at one time. It also gives tours every half hour, for those who like to dream big! The athletes stay in fully furnished dorms, and have access to an all-day-long all-you-can-eat buffet at the adjoining cafeteria. It's the best of the best for the elite few who are lucky enough to be invited to train here...
The swimming pools are humongous; the weight rooms are tricked out with every possible weight-lifting technology, including some you've never even thought of in your wildest dreams! They have some fantastic equipment here, and probably the best sports medicine facility around. It was lunchtime, so the pool and weight room were fairly quiet during our tour.
We watched the boys' volleyball team in training games, and got to play around in one of the bobsleds...
One of the highlights of the day was springing along on the same floor that some of my favorite gymnasts have trained on! Oh....to have one hour to play on that equipment!!!
When we told the kids we were heading to Colorado, the only place they really wanted to visit was the Garden of the Gods. Granted, they didn't really know what else was out there, but they had a one-track mind on this. So it was our number one 'must do.'
At the entrance of our parking area, there was a trail guide pointing out all of the various geological 'structures,' like the Kissing Camels shown in the second photo. We had fun renaming almost all of them!
Ah, but the disappointment quickly set in when we made them get down and stop climbing. Without a permit and (naturally) the correct gear, climbing is not allowed. We had not come prepared to climb, but we did spend a long time watching the ones who had.
We spent a lot of time walking the trails and exploring the plant life in the area. It's pretty different from what we're used to seeing at home and on our east coast jobs. It was morning, not too hot yet, and the day was shaping up to be a beauty!
As we were leaving, we discovered the area that is set up for climbing. We had watched the rock climbers from the trail, and the boys were a little disappointed that they weren't able to climb, so we let them crawl all over this area. All four of us enjoyed that hour!!
What you can't see in this picture is that the oldest has just fallen off a rock and disappeared into.....well, apparently a mini-cave that he found.
Imagine a world where the choices you made, and opportunities you were offered, all stemmed from the color of your skin....welcome to Birmingham, 1963.
Despite the abolition of slavery, very little had been accomplished toward equal rights for blacks and white after the Civil War ended. Throughout the country, African Americans were often subjected to discrimination, but nowhere was it as extreme as in the South. There, many public areas, such as restaurants, schools, playgrounds, motels, bathrooms, and drinking fountains, were racially segregated. They could only be used by the indicated race - Whites or Coloreds. The facilities for blacks were always of poorer quality. Many states passed laws that affected African Americans’ opportunities for schooling, housing, and employment. In 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public schools could no longer be segregated. The most extreme confrontation over this desegregation took place at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. At the time this book takes place, the civil rights movement, which had begun in the late 1950's, was gaining momentum. Not since the Reconstruction period after the Civil War had so much ground been gained on the equal-rights front. Black leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Medgar Evers, and Thurgood Marshall led black and white activists in peaceful protests, including marches, sit-ins, boycotts, and rallies. On August 28, 1963, 200,000 people marched on Washington, D.C., to pressure Congress to pass the Civil Rights Bill. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech at this march. Freedom Riders - usually college students from northern schools - rode south to help register African-American voters. (see photo above) One of the most shocking crimes committed during the civil rights movement was the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963. When a bomb went off during Sunday school, four young girls were killed. This event is in the book.
Includes sixteen unit studies covering American History. Each unit addresses a new topic, spanning the Revolutionary War to Vietnam. Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand.
There are photographs and illustrations, and we have also included primary documents when available.
After this text, there are featured videos, which augment the background information and help make the topic more accessible for more visual students.
You will also find a short list of reading books, including a featured novel that the unit builds upon.
There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the era to life.
Some units also have cooking projects.
These studies are directed toward upper grades students, but some have resources for younger students so that the whole family can work together. Our family has used unit studies as curriculum for many years, and we hope that your family will enjoy these, too!
New York, New York, a wonderful town; The Bronx is up, but the Battery's down. The people ride in a hole in the groun'; New York, New York, it's a wonderful town!
We drove to New Rochelle, NY and (after driving around in a circle for 45 minutes) took the Metro into New York City for an unplanned day of fun and adventure! (Note the word "unplanned," as it will lead to a very important lesson...) We had exactly half a day to see as much of NYC as possible!
The Metro pulled into Grand Central Station, and suddenly the boys understood what I mean when I occasionally answer the phone "Grand Central." The ceiling, painted with constellations, is very beautiful, and the architecture so lavish and meticulously detailed, that I dare you NOT to take pictures. We researched the history of Grand Central on the train ride in.
Our first stop in the city was probably not the most traditional. Being NASA Passport members, we wanted to make sure to hit the Sea, Air, and Space Museum, so we snagged a taxi driven by the one of the least friendly people I've ever met. I'm not sure he spoke English, as we had to give him instructions three or four different ways. And the music was some sort of eastern-European vibe...possibly Ukranian? But we got there...alive.
At the museum, we found Skipper , from the movie Planes , as well as many other aircraft from our various military branches. My son's favorites were the Blue Angels and the Coast Guard helicopter.
Looking for cooler temperatures, we left the flight deck of the USS Intrepid and went inside the exhibit gallery to see the space shuttle Enterprise. We had a chance to speak with some former astronauts and compare all of the space shuttles we had visited in the past year. The last section of the museum was the Growler submarine, but there was a promotion happening and we were unable to get into the tour.
We decided to go see that great American landmark, the Statue of Liberty! Unfortunately, again, we were unable to get tickets to see her. The next available tickets were for late September!! Luckily, a local overheard our quandary and made an alternative, and free, suggestion. So we hopped aboard the Staten Island Ferry and got to at least ride by and wave hello to Lady Liberty.
On the return ride, we found a little corner of the boat that wasn't cramped with people who have a very different understanding of "personal space." This was the most relaxing, enjoyable part of our trip to the city. For half an hour, we drank in the sights and sounds of the city, without feeling walked upon and overwhelmed.
We might joke that us on our first trip to New York City was a bit like the Clampetts going to town, but it was a little much trying to wing it for a day trip to the city. We weren't able to get into the Empire State Building tour, or many of the other places we wanted to see, mostly because we didn't plan ahead. Spontaneous trips have their place and time, but this wasn't it.
This photo, taken on the subway, pretty much sums up how we were all feeling as we left the big city. Hot, tired, and generally irritated - it's what we encountered all day; it must be contagious. Our lesson learned - national landmarks require considerable planning ahead.
Videos of some of the places we were unable to get into....let's take the virtual tour together!
USS Intrepid - Growler Submarine
Ellis Island
Empire State Building
A few years back, my baby sister won a contest and had the privilege of being married at the top of the Empire State Building. It was on such short notice, that none of our family was able to attend, but it still makes a good story! We all had a great time at their 'second wedding' a few months later.
What better place to spend the Fourth of July than in the nation's capital? Granted, about a million other people are there as well, but there's so much to do and see, and much of it is kid-friendly AND budget-friendly...
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