Tag Archives: history

Hiking, History, Museums/Events, Parks

We went to a different country!

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We decided while we were up on the North shore we should go ahead and cross the border into Canada!

It would be a first for everyone in my family.

First stop was the Grand Portage National Monument! It is right near the border and we had gone several years ago.

It ended up being a great stop because we got the early history of the Northwest Trading Company here and then at our next stop we got the what happened when they moved to Canada. I have been reading several historical novels about fur trading around the time of the French and Indian War and early fur trading in America so I found all of these stops fascinating. The boys looked the part! Such a beautiful area! Next we crossed into Canada and went to Fort William!

It is a giant fort and the tour is pretty amazing.

It was a little long for some of my kids but Nick just took them to walk around some.

The man giving the tour acts the part the whole time and was very interesting! He even had the boys act the part! The twins favorite part was the barnyard.

They let you help with chores!

Chicken lovers.

While at Fort William one of the workers told us about a giant waterfall that we really should go see so we looked it up and went, not really knowing what to expect.The Kakabeka Falls was breathtaking!It was a total surprise and was the biggest waterfall I had ever seen!We did not really have any other plans other than make it back over the border and hopefully stop at High Falls on Pigeon River which is at Grand Portage State Park.

What I did not realize was how close to the border it was!

I was a bit flustered from the border patrol questions and totally missed the park so we had to turn around!It ended up being totally worth it though!

It was a beautiful stop and was another part of the history we were learning.

 This is the reason for Grand Portage, this giant waterfall.

Best field trip ever.

History, Homeschooling

If you give a child Jonathan Park…

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The children and I have been listening to Jonathan Park and The Hunt for Beowulf(a creation science audio adventure series) because it touches on Noah’s Ark and Creation.

Which we have been studying.

But they became really interested in Beowulf because of it and asked that I get it for them.

I had been wanting to do the Brave Writer Boomerang on Beowulf but thought they might find the book too difficult.

Since they requested it, I got them the book from the library.

Because they were going to read it anyway we are doing the boomerang.

Because the boomerang had them recite the first 11 lines I had them listen to the “Eve of Saint Crispin Day Speech.”

Because I was already on youtube, I had them watch the “Old English Version of Beowulf” and found “Seamus Heaney reading Beowulf.”

Which was amazing.

I felt a bit like “If you give a mouse a cookie” but I think it is my favorite way to teach

So if you also want your child to read Beowulf, listen to Jonathan Park 😉

History, Homeschooling, Museums/Events

Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park ~Prairie Grove, AR

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While at Devil’s Den State Park, I picked up some brochures on other state parks nearby.

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I had wanted to go to the Prairie Grove Battlefield for a little while so I was happy it was pretty close to where we were staying.

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The museum was small but had a lot of hands-on and interactive displays!

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The battle of Prairie Grove was a large Civil War battle and would be a perfect stop if you are studying that era or just find that time interesting.

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When you touched a cannon ball(what my oldest daughter is doing) it would show you a animation of how far it would shoot.

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My oldest liked looking at all the different weapons.

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Little bit trying to lift a cannonball!

She did not succeed…

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The grounds were so pretty!

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So many old buildings!

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There is a 1 mile walking tour but also a driving tour!

We did both and it was an easy way to learn some interesting history.

And really sad history.

Be prepared that it does talk about the ground being soaked in blood and other facts like that.

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The first part of the walk was my favorite.

Lots of beautiful historic buildings to see and give the kids a glimpse of what it was like back then.

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It looks so peaceful.

Such a contrast to what it must have looked like during the battle.

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I can’t help but think of the families who lost everything just because their house ended up being in the middle of a battle.

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They find the Osage Orange’s so interesting.

I can’t blame them so do I!

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I really like to visit these kinds of places when they have reenactments going or other historical events.

If you are planning a trip just to see it, go to their website first and see if they have anything coming up.

It really helps history come to life!