Welcome to my home! Grab your cup of tea or coffee and sit with me a moment. I want to share with you our recent adventures! When I am done I want to hear how you are as well. Without connection to others, sharing and storytelling, what would life be like?
In case you couldn’t remember I am currently teaching Waldorf Inspired First and Third Grade, along with our little nursling. In Third Grade not only are we learning all about the Old Testament and Jewish Festivals, but we are also studying Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Farmer Boy is about a little boy named Almanzo when he was nine years old and is beautifully paired with the nine year change our oldest child is moving through. If you want more developmental information about the nine year change, please visit my friend Carrie over at The Parenting Passageway. I hope to speak on developmental change from my perspective in the future on Nurturing Spirit.
With much gratitude, family affectionately known as The Gramps treated us to Conner Prairie, just outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. An interactive history park, set in 1836 and 1865. So off we went to learn and experience together. Upon entering the welcome center a college student from Wisconsin approached us and asked if my oldest son and I would wear a microphone as we moved around the exhibit Create.Connect. She asked us some questions afterwards about the exhibit she helped to create, in exchange for an ice cream coupon. Click on the link above to learn more about the exhibit. It’s worth some of your time I promise. However, the day was getting hotter by the minute, so we were a tad anxious to get on outside.
We headed on over to the Civil War area first, because it was the farthest walk. We entered into the Civil War area across a covered bridge, with Civil War banners and bayonet slices through Abraham Lincoln banners. I believe this park is top notch. Clean and accurate. The actors really take their jobs seriously. Parents with little bitty kids take note. Some of the interactive aspects in this area are loud, with yelling, horses neighing, pots and pans hitting the ground and video. If you have children with sensory issues, please check it out first, or avoid altogether. One little girl was crying because she was scared, and to her it was a very real. The park is great for older children who can understand. We did not take our little babe into those exhibits. The park is quality and worth admission, and theses actors and scenarios gave us a lot to ponder over. Upon returning home we are going to take a tangent into the life of a freed slave girl to try and understand the many aspects of this era, while reading this book by the Dear America series.
We looked ahead and decided we wanted to attend the funeral re-enactment, so off we went to Prairietown, after a delicious picnic lunch prepared by The Gramps. There was a funeral procession to the grave site dug that morning by the town folk. The coffin was made by the woodworker at the park, and will be buried permanently. We sang Amazing Grace and the Preacher read the bible verse we all know from Proverbs 31. We weren’t afraid to allow our children to see this aspect of the parks interactive history, because death is a part of the circle of life. Death is hard. I know because I am selfish and it is hard for me to release those I love most back to the spirit world, when it’s their time to go. But that is for me to learn to cope and teach my littles and this process has helped Awaken me to this life and my soul purpose.
Prairetown is my favorite and I really enjoyed each and every single building and the people. I had great conversations about the cooking, the animals ( oh my gosh, the piglets were so cute!), the work – like carding and spinning, which you can DO yourself right there! The Blacksmith was spectacular and made a nail right before our eyes. The Store. The Inn. Don’t let me forget to mention your child can play a part in the town! Spin the wheel or choose yourself a part. Town Healer, Deputy, Merchant and so on.
We have been reading Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and when I saw the two baby oxen in their yokes at Conner Prairie I immediately went to the picture in my mind of the book. Almanzo has two of his own oxen to train from babies, so the park was really bringing the book to life for us.
Well, I should leave the rest of the park for you and your family. We really hope to return, as we did spend 10 am to 5 pm, enjoying everything we could. If you want to see a plethora of pictures, visit me @healingoneself on Instagram, where I share our daily homeschool life in pictures. And let me say homeschooling has given me the opportunity to really bring Language Arts and Math to life. I feel Blessed and I want the universe to know I am grateful.
Learning about the Old Testament, Norse Mytholgy, Buddhism and other cultures and religions helps us to build our tolerance of others, and better understand God. It is antiquity, and I know it will shape and temper us into whole beings. I appreciate having more opportunities to learn along side our children, because as it turns out they are teaching me. And it is easy to see how “worth” taking the boys places like this are by the days-on-end of play and reenactment outside I have been watching. Thank you for visiting with us.
Nurturing Spirit 