Silly Guy had a project to go on a dry seed hunt. I wanted to take him somewhere we would find a more native selection. I thought...the lake. We hopped in the van across 10 miles of desert. The drive was nice and much shorter from our house than the hotel. The lake is such a peaceful place so the kids and I are excited it isn't far from home. As we were driving we saw three herds of wild horses grazing. It's like seeing sea turtles swimming in the ocean...beautiful.
Once we reached the lake and since we got there so quickly we decided to go a little further to somewhere we hadn't been-Fort Churchill. We were so glad we did! It was a neat place!
A little history...
The Mess Hall- The diet of the typical frontier soldier consisted of beef, beans, saltpork, coffee, and some condiments such as sugar, salt, molasses, and vinegar. The men rarely were able to eat vegetables. Gardens were cultivated to supplement their diets. Each company had their own cook rarely trained. The favorite cooking method was boiling. They would combine meat and vegetables into stews called "slumgullion" or just "slum". The company cook was called the "slumburner". Sound yummy?
Barracks...Enlisted life was tough on the fort. The fort was an isolated, dreary outpost with a $13.00/month pay day. The hardships and low pay caused many of the men to desert. Enlisted barracks(lower right)had dirt floors were furnished with bunks and chairs. Unlike most of the frontier post, soldiers had the luxury of their own bunk. The bunks were furnished with a blanket and made of straw. However, the officer quarters(lower left)were excellent. Each had a parlor, dining room, two bedrooms and an attached woodshed with an indoor privy. The officer quarters were described in 1864 as "the most comfortable quarters on the coast. Many of the officers had their families living on post with them too.
We saw a nature trail path and the kids were begging me to go. I am just not comfortable enough with the area yet(especially without dad) and because of these guys...
Learning more about our new home...Great find!
this week for her independent history reading. In Literature she began reading 
She also read the tale of Rip Van Winkle. 
. Basically reading and finishing up Module 3 with studying and taking the test. 
) he continued learning about plants. His lessons were focused on plant reproduction and fruits/vegetables. Along with reading he had an experiment and a project. His experiment was to dissect fruits and vegetables and then classify them first into either a fruit or vegetable. Then into different groups: dry, juicy, pomes or drupes/stone fruits. The best part of this experiment was all of the taste testing going on by both Silly Guy and Little Man. It was funny. It was as if they had never tasted a fruit or a vegetable before. Little Man ,who loves Science, was chiming in,"Ohh, it has seeds...Yup, it's a fruit!" 
at the start of the week for his Literature study. Now he is reading Lewis and Clark Expedition by Richard L Newberger. For his independent History reading he read and finished 
. 
to his Language Arts curriculum last week. I felt he needed more grammar practice. The lessons are short, sweet and to the point. It's great for him and he's picking it up(getting 100%'s ). Now if I can get him to use what he learns in his writing!! In writing he had a few journaling assignments. He loved this assignment!! He is my journalist. He carries his journal with him everywhere; the house, outside, the car, to bed, to the store, etc. Always writing about something:)
