Saturday, Ken suggested we go hike up Kennesaw Mountain; Kathryn and I agreed that would be a fun way to spend the day. First, however, we fueled up with a yummy Ken-cooked pancake breakfast (Kathryn says he makes the best pancakes!).The hike up the mountain is only about one mile, but it sure does feel farther! We were on the lookout for critters, but on Saturdays, the park is pretty busy, so mostly we just saw lots of other hikers, including some of the canine variety. We heard birds and saw butterflies, but mostly just enjoyed the somewhat cooler-than-usual August day, and the lovely shade along the trail.
We like Kennesaw mountain; it's where we went for our fun picnic day with friends a few months ago. The very first time Kathryn hiked up the mountain was when she was three. As we drive around, we sometimes see Kennesaw Mountain peek out among the trees and she kept asking what mountain that was, and if we could go there. At the time, she was crazy about Dora the Explorer, and wanted to climb a big mountain like Dora. At the mountain top, Kathryn said she "could see the whole world!"
After our ascent on Saturday, we all had a snack (and lots of water). I took a little break while Ken and Kathryn explored a bit. We were called for a NILMDTS session, but wouldn't have been able to get home to get the rest of our equipment and take Kathryn to my mom's in time for this family, so we had to request that the coordinator for that hospital find someone else. I hate to ever have to turn down a call, but there's no way to know when our services will be needed.Kennesaw Mountain is also a National Battlefield Park. It was the site of a major Civil War battle. Just as we were reaching the bottom of the mountain, we heard drums and realized that they were beginning a presentation on Civil War soldiers. We had no idea they would be doing this, so it was a wonderful surprise! A day of nature & family time ended up including a fabulous history lesson, too! We learned about the daily life of a Civil War soldier and the Union Army's uniform, had a lesson about marching maneuvers, and saw a demonstration on musket loading and firing sequences. Kathryn remembered a lot about loading the gun from reading about how Pa did it in "Little House in the Big Woods." She didn't much like the loud gun sounds, but when they began a playing some of the bugle calls and authentic songs from the Civil War, she liked that much better.
I always think of areas like Boston, and especially over in Europe, as having a rich history to learn about, but I realized Saturday that we have a lot to learn right here. I've lived in Georgia all of my life, but there is so much I still don't know about my own home state. We're focusing on Georgia history this year, and will be learning more about American Indians as well, and I'm excited about it. Splendid days like this get me excited all over again about how blessed we are to homeschool. I'm guessing there are quite a few fun educational things to do where you live, too; I'd love to hear about them!
