Andersonville Prison Camp

 My husband travels with his job & two weeks ago we went with him down to south Georgia.  He was working in Hawkinsville, a very small town, but only 45 miles away was .  In case you are not an American Civil War buff, Andersonville was the site of the most notorious Confederate prison camp for Union soldiers.

So while my husband worked, Noah & I went to Andersonville for the day.  It was a cold & windy day so we started out by going through their museum hoping the weather would warm up as the day went on.  Not only do they have a museum for Civil War POW's but for all American POW's from all the wars.  

Noah is only 11 years old but his grandfather was a POW in Germany during WWII (don't ask me how old I am...Ha!), so it was of great importance for me.  It also gave Noah a chance to see what it was like for his Papa during the war.  He passed away before Noah was born so we make sure all of the family stories are passed down & he knows the importance of their sacrifice.

After going through the museum we watched a 30 minute documentary on POW's  from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, etc.   It was difficult to hear some of the things they had to go through but also inspiring at the same time.  Their courage & love of country was amazing to see.

After that we bundled up & headed outside to see the site of Andersonville prison.  They have some reconstructed walls to show you what it was like & the site is laid out with markers so you can see the size of the prison itself.   There are still some original earthworks left that are amazing to see as well. 

You can see where prisoners dug tunnels trying to escape as well as deep holes where they tried to dig for water.  When they were brought there nothing was provided as far as shelter.  They made tents or lean-twos out of anything they could find.  If they did not have that they just slept & lived out in the open.

The prison was originally 16.5 acres but was later enlarged to 26.5 acres.  The prison was intended to hold 10,000 prisoners but its average occupancy was 26,000.  At its fullest peak it held 32,000 at one time!  The Confederate government was weak economically & could not provide adequate food, clothing, or medical care.   So it turned out to be horrific for anyone who was imprisoned there.

The park is 10 miles northeast of Americus on Ga. 49.  Along with the museum is a visitor center where rangers can answer questions, as well as a gift shop to purchase items from.  My son chose an Andersonville build-a-fort set.  He loves putting forts together & setting up scenes with all of his toy figures.

The amazing thing was that admission is free!  I wasn't expecting that so it was a nice surprise.  If you are going south on I-75 from Perry you would take a right off the interstate onto Highway 26, then left on Hwy. 49.   It is really easy to find.

After we left Andersonville we headed back to Hawkinsville.   We were hungry so we stopped at Yoder's restaurant on Hwy 26 to eat.  It is a Mennonite restaurant & bakery with fresh from scratch food...yum!  They also have a gift shop which we did not go in.  It is out in the middle of nowhere with great views of pecan orchards & pastures.  So if you are passing that way on any trip to or from Florida, it is worth the short trek off of the interstate.

Hunter Museum of American Art Homeschool Classes

The Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga offers home school workshops for home school learners & their families.    Each session includes a museum tour, studio art experience, & a take home packet to extend your museum experience.

Workshops are for kids age 5 - 13 years old & their providers.  Providers can explore the museum & participate in a studio art experience while their children attend the workshop.  There is no additional cost for providers who participate in the workshop.

Workshops coming soon are:  "Art as a Mirror",  February 10th, "Museum Buildings & their Architecture", March 17th, & "The Elements of Art", April 14th.  All classes are 10am - 12pm & cost is $10.00 for members & $12.00 for non-members.

Workshops are limited to 30 students so register soon to reserve your space.   Go to http://www.huntermuseum.org/ for more information.  They are also having their homeschool day event this coming Wednesday, November 18th at 10 am.

Chattanooga Nature Center

Just 15 minutes from downtown Chattanooga, located at the bottom of Lookout Mountain, you can find the Chattanooga Nature Center.   They offer educational programming Monday - Friday throughout the year.  Learning adventures are done in a "Living Classroom" where hands on field classes are taught by naturalists.

Some of the classes offered are "Birds of a Feather", "Things that go Bump in the Night", Predator / Prey Connection", and more.  If you are interested in finding more information for your group, call 423-821-1160 ext. 107 or go to http://www.chattanooganaturecenter.org/ to view other current events.  They also have birthday facilities & special Christmas events coming up soon.

Homeschool Day at Tennessee Aquarium

A few weeks ago we went to the Homeschool Day at the Tennessee Aquarium.  I have been so busy with my mom visiting from Florida & our activities in a new homeschool group, that I haven't had time to post much.  So now I finally get to tell you about our trip.

We arrived there in the morning around 10:30...the actual homeschool activities did not start until 11:00am.  We signed in & then our first stop was in the theatre they have there for the class on "How to Build A Jellyfish". 

The teacher was awesome & very good with kids.  She did a step-by-step demonstration, using the kids, on the different layers of the jellyfish body. Our son was chosen to be the eye of the jellyfish.  It was a cute live presentation & a good visual for the kids.

We also were able to buy tickets for the Behind the Scenes Tour.  They usually cost around $15 but the homeschool price was only $5 per person.   I think the favorite for the kids was when we were in the kitchen watching the workers prepare food for the animals.   Our guide pulled out some food they were keeping in the freezer & the item that got the best response was a freezer bag full of mice...and the frozen rat!  They use these to feed the snakes...gross!

The rest of the day we spent at leisure touring the aquarium on our own.  They had several demonstrations throughout the day...the favorite was the shark feeding time.  Unfortunately the sharks were not hungry...so no feeding frenzy.

My favorite was the jellyfish exhibit.  They have all kinds of jellyfish that are just awesome!  They were so beautiful that they inspired me to buy a jellyfish paperweight from the gift shop. 

The Tennessee Aquarium will be holding another homeschool day in January so go to their website to check for the date.  They also hold homeschool classes during the year for students.  We live to far to participate...although I was really tempted to make the drive.  It is too late to sign up for classes this year but put it on your calendar for next year if you live in the area.

Tennessee Aquarium Homeschool Day

The fall Tennessee Aquarium Homeschool Day is coming this Monday, September 28, 2009.  There will be educational programs from 11:00 - 3:00 & special behind the scenes tours will be offered at a discount.  Animal encounters will also be scheduled each hour.

There will be discounts on admission & homeschoolers receive a 10% discount in the gift shop.  If you are a member of the aquarium admission is free & you receive a 20% discount in the gift shop.  For more information & prices go to http://www.tnaqua.org/KidsTeachers/Homeschool.asp

Atlanta Braves' Homeschool Day

The Atlanta Braves had their 2nd annual Homeschool Day this past Monday & since my husband had the day off we decided to go. We ordered our tickets ahead of time & the special price for the homeschool tickets was either $6.00 or $11.00 seats (normally run in the $30 range).

Along with the discounted price was a meet & greet before the game with one of the Brave's pitchers by the name of Logan. He answered several questions for the kids but I have to say they should have picked another player for a homeschool group. He is a young, single guy who has no experience with kids. When asked his favorite city he said Chicago because it had a lot to do & good nightlife (do kids even know what that is?). When asked his favorite TV show....2 1/2 Men (need I say more). Funny show but nothing the kids could relate to, I mean I have a middle schooler & he is not allowed to watch that show.

The kicker however was when he was asked what the name of his high school was (in Texas) & who it was named after. The name of his high school was Sandra Day O'Connor High School, but he had no clue who she was...said "she must be somebody important". I leaned over to my son & said "he should have been homeschooled".

The kids did get to have pictures taken with the team mascot "Homer". My son was not so excited about that because next to Homer was "Dora the Explorer", & for a tween-age boy that was not so cool. Homer actually grabbed him for the pictures & held onto him so he wouldn't run away....it was funny.

After the meet & greet the homeschoolers walked in a parade on the warning track down on the field before the game started. It was nice to get right down on the field & get a perspective that you usually do not see. As we walked off the field we were greeted by John Oxendine who is running for governor of the State of Georgia. He was there to let us know that he supports homeschooling.

After the parade we went to the play area that is sponsored by Cartoon Network. It was a neat building with some hands on things for the kids to do. My son enjoyed the baseball throw & they also had computers set up for computer games...his favorite.

We then went into the game & watched for a couple of innings. It started getting hot so we went to the museum that they have there at Turner Field. This was free for the homeschoolers & they had a lot of Braves history there. We then went back to the game, but my son was more interested in the computer games so we left my husband watching the game & we went back to the Cartoon Network area.

We rejoined my husband around the 5th inning & it was much cooler by that time so we enjoyed watching the rest of the game with him. My son is not a huge sports fan but he got into it & even joined in the wave.

All in all it was a great day & a good value for the cost of the ticket. However, we did not know that we could bring in coolers for drinks & food. We were stuck buying food there & at $4.50 for just a bottle of water it turned out to be an expensive day. So if you happen to go to a Homeschool Day at your local ballpark, check to see if you can bring in your own refreshments.

Bakery Tour at Publix

As I stated on Monday we went on a bakery tour. The tour was at one of our local Publix grocery stores. A friend of ours called them & told them we had a small group & they set up a time for us to go.

They took us to the back & we saw people decorating cakes, kneading dough, & the kids got to go in a variety of coolers & freezers. At the end of the tour they gave us free cupcakes for the kids...so it was fun for them. I think the highlight was when we all had to don hairnets - the kids loved that & brought them home as souvenirs.

So if you have a group & are looking for a free field trip, call your local Publix. It lasts about 15 minutes so it won't tie up your whole day. We combined our day with swimming at the neighborhood pool afterwards.

Yellow River Game Preserve in Georgia

Yesterday we went on a field trip to Yellow River Game Preserve next to Stone Mountain in Georgia (near Atlanta). We met a homeschool group there & were supposed to get a group rate which I think was $1.00 off the cost. The adult price is normally $8.00 & the child price is $7.00. There were some other customers in between parts of our group (they were really busy), & when we got up to the cashier to pay she informed us that we could not get the group rate because we did not pay all together (even though the group leader informed her that we were with them). She was really rude as she explained to us that she had informed the group leader of this & made a really big deal about it in front of the other customers. It was totally unprofessional & was obvious she could care less about the visitors. So if you happen to go with a group (15 or more) make sure that you stay together & all pay at the same time.

We were polite & determined that she was not going to ruin our day.

As we entered the park we were greeted by a lot of deer that have no fear of humans at all. They were interested in what we had to feed them! You can buy bags of food there to feed to the animals but we brought our own bag of lettuce, crackers & carrots.

The park had a large array of animals for the kids to interact with.

There were a lot of different kinds of goats & sheep. They also had bears, coyotes, foxes, ducks, geese, turtles, rabbits, hawks, owls, raccoons, vultures, some big cats, chickens, pigs, turkeys...a hugh variety of animals.

Peacocks roamed freely & displayed their feathers for us. Even the "wild" animals have become domesticated in the park....I'm talking about the squirrels & chipmunks. The come right up to you looking for food & you can feed them right out of your hand.

You can even see the home of the famous groundhog, General Lee. He is the South's version of Groundhog day & comes out in the winter to see if he casts his shadow.

All in all it was a nice day for the kids. As an adult I was not impressed with the place. It looks like it has been a long time since there has been any serious upkeep or cleaning. I was raised on a mini-farm & am accustomed to animal smells, but some of the pens I thought were really bad...terrible urine odors. The buildings & other signs, etc., could have used a good pressure washing & just repair in general. Along with the poor attitude of the cashier I would rate this 2 stars out of 5. The only reason I give it this is because the kids had a good time. So if you are planning a vacation to Stone Mountain & are looking for something extra to do give them a try (for the kids).

Tellus Northwest Georgia Science Museum

Explore the earth & search the stars at the Tellus Northwest Georgia Science Museum. Tellus is a world-class, 120,000 square foot science museum located just off I-75 in Georgia at exit 293. Tellus features four main galleries: Weinman Mineral Gallery, Fossil Gallery, Science in Motion and Collins Family "My Big Backyard". A digital planetarium and an observatory are also located at Tellus.

For years my husband & I have been taking our son to the Weinman Mineral Museum in Cartersville, Ga. It has always been a great place to explore rocks & minerals plus they have a geologist on staff. We would take our rocks in & they would take the time to look at them & let us know what we had. It has always been a great place to go for minerals plus they had fossils from different areas around the world & discussed Georgia geology from prehistoric times to the present day.

They have been building a new science museum addition for the last couple of years & it was finally opened early this year. Wednesday we finally got the chance to go & boy has it changed! They didn't just add on, they totally revamped the mineral museum & built an awesome facility.

So take the tour with our photos as we go through the museum. We will start with the Mineral Gallery since that is the one that started it all. Featured exhibits include over 50 cases of gems, gold, and some of the world's most prized minerals.

A hugh piece of copper boulder.

Stare into the jaws of a Tyrannosaurus rex, catch a glimpse of a saber-tooth cat and discover how life on Earth began in the Fossil Gallery. This walk through billions of years of history takes visitors past skeletons of dinosaurs, reptiles and mammals of all shapes and sizes that dominated the land, sea and air.

I think this one is the Elasmasaurus.

Take a stroll through history & discover the early break-throughs in automobile manufacturing featuring electric, steam and gasoline-powered cars. A special portion of the gallery is dedicated to the men who first traveled into space. A replica Apollo I capsule, a Mercury capsule and a replica of Sputnik are all on display in the Science in Motion Gallery.

Noah in the space suit.

They have a fossil dig & gem panning room where the kids can become miners & paleontologists. They can uncover fossils to take home & the precious gem stones they find are theirs to keep as well.

We went with a homeschool group & this is Noah with some of his friends.

There is also a room called "My Big Backyard". This is a hands on room where kids can experiment with light, rainbows, mirrors and more in the greenhouse. There is a shed filled with sound experiments, a garage where they can discover properties of magnets and work with electricity. A really fun room which we didn't have much time for...next time we will have to hit that first.

We skipped going into the Planetarium to eat at the Cafe. We were with a large homeschool group so the shows were running around 15 mins each. My friends who went in were not impressed with the show but I think they shortened them so that everyone would get a chance to go in. Normally Planetarium shows run every 45 minutes beginning at 11am on weekdays and 10:15 on weekends. So we will have to go on our own one day & see how the show is on a normal day.

If you are ever in north Georgia (north of Atlanta), plan on stopping by the Tellus Museum. It is open everyday except major holidays. The admission is $12 for adults, Seniors (65+) $10.00, Children (3-17) $8.00. You can also become a member & then admission is free. For more information go to http://www.tellusmuseum.org/ -

Etowah Indian Mounds

I had posted this field trip that we took last month, but in being new with this blog I accidentally deleted it so I am finally getting around to posting it again. We took a trip to the Etowah Indian Mounds in Cartersville, Georgia.

The Etowah Indians started building the mounds in 1000 A.D. & it took several hundred years to complete. Their village was built compactly on a field or plateau around the mounds. There were three altogether & the photo to the right shows one of the smaller mounds looking down from the tallest one.

They built their houses with a wattle-and-daub construction, consisting of a post framework, clay-plastered walls, and probably cane mat or bark roofs.

The mounds were built by digging up the clay close by & the ditch were they dug it from remains today. The tallest mound is approx. 63 feet high, covers 3 acres around the base, & is 1/2 acre on the top (which is flat). This mound is where the Chief lived. The second highest mound was 25 feet high & another leader of the tribe lived there. The 3rd mound that is still visible today is 19 feet high & this was the burial mound. A ramp with steps of clay, with log risers, led to the tops of the mounds.

The original steps were unearthed by archaeologists in 1994, but they were recovered & the modern stairway was built over them.

The Etowah were part of the Mississippian Culture which began around 700 A.D. These mounds were used between 900 - 1550 A.D. The Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto & his men visited the site in 1540. They brought diseases such as smallpox & measles which the Indians had no immunity for so a drastic amount of the population died. The rest fled & joined other groups & they eventually became known as the Creeks. The Creeks however did not pass down their history & soon later generations along with the Cherokee who came to the area had no idea where the mounds had come from. Research is still going on today & only the burial mound has been fully excavated.

If you would like to visit the Etowah Indian Mounds it is not far of I-75 north of Atlanta near Cartersville. For an enjoyable visit allow 1 & 1/2 hours. There is a museum which displays 400 specimens. A video is also shown in the theatre that seats 100 people. This is a State Historic Site so there is a small fee to view the museum & mounds (the Georgia Park Pass is not valid for this site). For more information go to www.gastateparks.org/info/etowah/ or call them at 1-800-864-7275.

Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History

This is our official spring break week but since we went to Texas a few weeks ago I decided to at least do some school. Monday we used as a field trip day & went to the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History. This is located in Kennesaw, Ga on Cherokee St.

We have been several times in the past & have enjoyed it. They have a homeschool day once a month which includes extra activities for the kids. On this last trip they were teaching about the games that children played during the Civil War era, as well as some weapons demonstration. I actually let my husband take our son & took the day off so I do not have all the details about what went on. They have a homeschool day once a month & the next one is scheduled for May 4th, so take your kids. You don't need a group to get the homeschool rate so if it is just your family go ahead & check it out.

If you do not homeschool but are looking for a fun family activity the Southern Museum has something for everyone. They have Children's History Workshops, the next one is April 25th & will be teaching Civil War Tactics. They also have Mommy & Me classes for those of you who have younger children.

For more information, directions & prices go to http://www.southernmuseum.org/
They are not far off of I-75 north of Atlanta, so if you are passing through plan to stop by & pay them a visit.

Booth Western Art Musuem

After our visit to the Etowah Indian Mounds (read about it in my last blog), we drove to the Booth Western Art Museum which is only about 5 miles away in downtown Cartersville. Our home school group was greeted by the tour guides & then they broke us up into 2 different groups. The younger kids were taken to the basement which has a hands on activity area & they also did crafts. I went with my son in the older group to the Presidential Gallery which has portraits & information on all of the presidents (Obama has not been included yet). The kids were given sheets of questions about the presidents & they worked in teams going around the exhibit & finding the answers to the questions. It was fun for them plus they learned a lot from doing it that way.

Next we went & did a hands on question & answer session on Teddy Roosevelt & then the kids worked on the three branches of government. They were given pieces of paper with information & had to place it on a poster either under Legislative, Judicial or Executive. It was challenging but the museum volunteers were there to help those who needed it.

After our guided session we took the older kids to the basement to play (after all they still love make believe). Then we went through the art galleries at our own pace & of course hit the gift shop on the way out. So if you are looking for a field trip or just a day out with the family, check out the Booth Western Art Museum. They are closed on Mondays. For more info visit their website at http://www.boothmuseum.org/