A Day Away

Road Trip

As a homeschooler, there are time that the four walls of your house seem to be closing in on you. And with the beautiful weather we are having in NorCal, it's really hard to stay inside. We've taken walks and rides to the park but it was just not enough. So, one of the mornings this past week, we had to ake a little errand to the post office. And the sun, along with the cool weather, just beckoned us to stay a little longer. Yep, it beckoned us, okay? And I mused aloud, "Boy, I just feel like taking a drive.." and no more than a second passed before Grace piped up with a, "Me, too!" I've got to admit, it didn't take much to convince me. So, we went back home and got all the essentials and headed out for our ride. And a ride it was! We started on the back roads of our town and gradually made our way past the popular lakes in the area. Eventually we ended up in Calistoga where we stopped to have lunch and a look around. Calistoga is one of those towns that make you forget about the recession, the state giving you an IOU, and the stimulus package. At least for an hour. It is the essence of relaxation; massages, spas, mud baths, stress relievers. Now, that was not on the agenda on this little escapade but it certainly started the wheels in my head for the next trip! After stopping by the candy store, the pizza place and the orginal train station, we made our way back towards home, but not without stopping at a fun park in Napa.


The great thing is that you can do a lot of learning just by taking these jaunts and apply the things that you have learned already. Here's some of the things we did while we were out!


We found lots of shells where the water had receeded. Unbeknownst to me, there are clammy type creatures in freshwater lakes.


This shell was a unique find. And Dayna found a rock "chair". It really had an indentation that looked like it had been carved out to sit in.

Here's Emily with her collection of shells. Several were still closed.

The water had been visited by the deer in the morning.

Gulp -- I don't even want to know what left these tracks... But you can believe that I was like a mother deer after I found these tracks. My ears perked up at any noise (it was so quiet out there) and my eyes constantly scanning the area. Of course, my senses aren't anywhere near that of a deer but hopefully I looked tougher than the average doe.

Dayna and her favorite thing in life -- Candy!

A funny little mannequin that we came across

At the train depot

"Aw! My flower lost it's power"

And that completed our day! A little more fun than division, language arts and the history of America, for today at least.

Behind

Oh my, do I need to update or what?? I guess we just haven't done anything postable lately. We are currently going through Exodus in the bible and studying history in 1400-1800's. We just finished Columbus and will now transition to California Native Americans. We read a great book called, The Tainos, the First People to Greet Columbus. Very interesting. Sad in many ways. Even though I know that we didn't have anything to do with how this country was founded, I can't help but feel pangs of guilt for those who were pushed off and out of their land. Grace was able to make the connection of what it would be like if that happened to us. When I read the book and about how the Tainos were required to prepare a tribute (gold dust or other valuables) or the Spainiards would enslave them, I thought of A Bug's Life. That is what the grasshopppers did to the poor ants, requiring them to prepare a food tribute for them... or else! Unfortunately, the Tainos didn't fair as well as the Ants. Today not one traceable person can be called a true Taino. Anyway, it was very interesting as this is the most investigating I have done on Columbus since we started homeschooling. But that's okay because I think at this age they are able to understand more than they would've years before. This is definitely not the story I heard about Columbus when I was in school!

I'm looking forward to learning about the Californian Native Americans. We have local information here and we will also look at the development of the missions. That's interesting timing because my nephew, who is also in 4th grade, started studying missions this year, too, at his school. It'll be fun to compare notes! We are close to several missions and have visited one in Sonoma, but there are others that would be fun to visit. The one in Santa Barbara actually has an adobe called the Covarrubias adobe! I have a picture with David standing under it somewhere. Here is one from the Sonoma mission that we visited last year.

There was a lot going on there that day because a school was visiting. They invited the girls to weave a basket, but they were also cooking, making candles and bead jewelry. I would like to plan this for our homeschool group in the future.

Well, that's all I have time for today! Hope you enjoy the update!