Friday, February 18, 2011

In Which MrsMama Plays Hooky

The weather was so beautiful today that I put Master Munchkin’s seatwork on hold and we hit the road for a Field Trip.  We’ve been studying local Kansas History and had recently learned about John Brown and his role in the anti-slavery movement.

One of his historical battles, the Battle of Black Jack, was fought just minutes from our house.  We set out to explore the site.BlackJack1 BlackJack2

The Master gazing at a grove of Sugar Maples, thinking about syrup.BlackJack3

Some historians consider the Battle of Black Jack to be the first true battle of the American Civil War.

The men on both sides of the fight took refuge in the creek beds that run along the property.  The Master was hoping to find a bullet or even a gun that somebody dropped during the five hour fight.  Hey, a boy can hope!

We didn’t find anything metal but we did find ruts from wagon wheels near the creek (I’ve marked them in red on the photo).BlackJack4

We found a neat stone bridge.BlackJack5

While not related to John Brown, this silo also demanded exploration.  Look closely - can you see the Master?  Wait!  Don’t go in there!  I think there’s something in the Homeschool Handbook about safety…BlackJack6

Past the silo we explored some native prairie and ambled down a nature trail.  We saw some deer tracks and a few very large dog-like prints.

After tromping around for a few hours, we were ready for a break so we headed into the little town for some Wheat State pizza.  Wheat is one of Kansas’s main crops.  So eating pizza on wheat crust is definitely educational.  That’s in the handbook too. :)

BlackJack7  

I love field trips!

3 comments:

Alisa said...

What I miss most about homeschooling! What a beautiful day.

Thirkellgirl said...

Cool! I haven't looked at your blog in forever, and I got a kick out of you visiting a John Brown site. We also homeschooled (3 more months to go, for a total of 15 years) and we took a daytrip to Harper's Ferry. Around here *that's the site we associate with John Brown. :)

MrsMama said...

Thirkellgirl, I'm glad you stopped by. We just got done reading about Harper's Ferry - it would be interesting to visit it! The battles of Black Jack and Harper's Ferry are sort of the bookends of John Brown's infamous life. This June they are going to have a reenactment of the battle in Baldwin. June isn't a good time to hang out in a field in Kansas but we might have to go (note to self - take bug spray!)

Congrats on your 15 years of homeschooling!