Study America Saturday ~ Ft. Barrancas, Pensacola, Florida

Some accidental American History occurred this week for Eli and Brynne. While in Pensacola, Florida, on Spring Break, I took the kids to tour Ft. Barrancas.

According to the National Park Service, "European colonization, American expansion, and threats of invasion led to the building of coastal forts along the northern Gulf Coast. Situated on the bluffs (barrancas) overlooking Pensacola Bay and the gateway to the outside world, Fort Barrancas served as the lock on the gate from potential foreign invaders."

"The forts of Gulf Islands National Seashore span almost 150 years, from the Spanish colonial Bateria De San Antonio (1797) to the World War Two-era Battery 234. This reflects the historic value of the anchorages at Pensacola Bay, Florida and Ship Island, Mississippi. Most striking among these are the American Third System forts: Fort Pickens, Fort Massachusetts, Fort Barrancas, and the Advanced Redoubt, all of which saw action during the Civil War."

"On Jan. 8, 1861, United States Army guards repelled a group of men intending to take Fort Barrancas in Pensacola Harbor. Historians say that this event could be considered the first shots fired on Union forces in the Civil War."

There are excellent materials for teachers at the Gulf Islands National Seashore site at nps.gov. One such resource is a "Parks as Classroom" pdf download. For instance, there is a lesson on "How to Build a Fort" with instructions how to do it. This comes after lessons about important figures in the Gulf Coast area and the changes of the flags of ownership of the Gulf Coast area. The entire download is a couple hundred pages long. (We might use some of this download as lessons before Spring Break next year, because we will be coming here again.)

When you are on vacation, check where you are going for a nugget of American History. Chances are, you'll find something!

Cells ~ It's What's for Dinner

Dawson made edible cells on Friday. He made an animal cell pizza ... and a plant cell chocolate chip cookie ... He reviewed what he's learned about cells the past two weeks, and I had dinner made by someone else. Win, win!! I am linking up at Science Sunday at Adventures in Mommydom.

A New Year, the Same Me

Happy 2019! It is that day of the year where everybody is up extra early starting their new exercise routine, eating only healthy foods, cracking open the pages of a new planner and Bible study, and debuting their Word for the year. You chuckle or roll your eyes, but you are doing at least three of these things. By the way, so am I. So let's start with the Word of the Year. Mine this year is Lagom. It's the Swedish word for "not too little, not too much, just right". It's a concept of being, doing or having just enough. So let's rewind to last New Year's Day. My Word was Might. And that's how I planned to tackle my year. And, I did. I worked out hard, I mommed hard, I traveled hard, I worked hard. And it was a good season. It prepared the way for this year. I accepted the Challenge I set for myself and succeeded. But, I don't need to keep up that pace. I am at a place in my life where I can kind of sit back and enjoy my life without f...

Science Sunday ~ Hmmm ... Let Me Think About It!

This week in our study of the Human Body , Brynne moved on to the Nervous System . Our first stop was a Pamela Hill Nettleton book called, Think, Think, Think: Learning About Your Brain . As part of our discussions about the brain , and the fact that it's the BOSS of the body, we discussed the importance of the spinal cord . We did a hands on spinal cord project by alternating gummy Life Savers and wagon wheel pasta on a pipe cleaner. We talked about why there was the "squishy" stuff in between the vertebra and how the back can bend and sway because of it. We completed "The Brynne" by adding the stomach, small intestine and large intestine, from our study last week of the Digestive System (although I just realized I have the large intestine coming out of the stomach, when the small intestine should be) and the brain and spinal cord. We are now done talking about the parts of the body and will conclude our study of the Human Body with a two-day unit ...

Sweet TeaMarch 23, 2012 at 10:19 PM
I love it when learning is FUN and that looked like great fun.
I would have enjoyed seeing that "in person". Thanks for sharing the photos. Very interesting. Loved it!
KarenMarch 24, 2012 at 2:25 PM
I have been there before! Love the 'memory'. We also love the forts at St. Augustine. Thanks for the "Parks as Classroom" resource.
TiciaMarch 25, 2012 at 4:17 PM
I love going places like that. I'm going to have to check out "Parks as Classroom," because I KNOW we're going to some great history spots on our upcoming trip.

We went to the fort in St. Augustine several years ago and LOVED that!

Journey to Excellence

Search This Blog