Feeling the need

I haven't written anything here for a long time.  I guess I feel like I use Facebook as my mini Blog.  But today I'm feeling inspired to write.  To share more about today than a brief status and sharing some pictures.

Today I took the kids to Jamestown Settlement.  4th graders study Virginia history and Jeff has been eating it up.  Erin is also loving her history class, although her focus is US history post-Civil War.  Neither kid has ever had a field trip to Jamestown.  I remember growing up in Central Massachusetts.  5th grade was where we learned Colonial US history, and I'd swear we went on something like 8 field trips that year.  We visited Boston several times.  We went to Concord and Lexington.  We climbed the monument at Bunker Hill.  Schools these days just don't have the opportunities we did.

These were formative trips for me.  I came away with such a passion for history and museums.  My parents continued to feed that passion.  They took me to visit Orchard House (Louisa May Alcott's home) and back to Concord and Lexington near home.  When we went on vacation we hit up places like Falling Waters, Gettysburg, museums along the National Mall, Colonial Williamsburg and even Jamestown.  I remember sitting and watching the glass blower at Jamestown for what felt like hours.  I was simply mesmerized.  It was these trips that convinced me to study history as an undergrad and get my MA in applied history to work in museums.  Although I've stepped away from working in museums, my passion for history, especially living history, hasn't faded.

So, when I get to take the kids somewhere that I connect to it means so much. Jeff is the one who originally asked to visit Jamestown.  We've got a mini break these 2 days so I decided just to jump on the opportunity.  Weather wise we had a gorgeous day.  Bright sun, sweatshirt weather.  We took our time to watch the introductory movie in the theater and then headed outside to explore the rest of the site.  Nearly everything there is hand's on, and the kids ate it up.  Aside from the museum and galleries there is a Powhatan village, a Jamestown fort, and replicas of the 3 ships that sailed to the New World.  I was amazed at how much time the kids wanted to take with everything.  We explored every house in the Powhatan village, cleaned hides and dug out a canoe with seashells.

The fort is where we spent most of our time.  Jeff was most excited about the musket demonstration, but we really spent the majority of our time watching the blacksmith.  The blacksmith was their comparison to my glass blower.  Part of it was that the interpreter was just fantastic.  He brought the kids right into his world.  Responded to their questions and asked them questions in turn.  Several groups came through and Jeff and Erin continued to stay and chat.  To ask questions.  To watch him make nails.

When we finally walked away from the blacksmith, Erin held a clinker in her hand. Apparently a clinker is a term for the waste material that builds up in the smith's fire.  We watched him clean the fire out, cool the clinker off and hand it around.  Erin looked up at me and stated -- I want to be a blacksmith when I grow up.  Go for it young lady.  Live your dream.