Sidewalk Astronomy

  I have been getting email updates about events for a local sidewalk astronomy group, but I have never been able to attend any of the events.  Well, this past Saturday, we finally went to one.  I told Liam and his friends that we were going to X Beach City Hall. Of course, they heard "beach."  So, we decided to make it a beach day followed by planet gazing.  Best laid plans though.....   In any event, by the time we got everyone (Liam, three of his friends, Seneca, and I) ready to go, it was just about sunset and I wanted to get to Sidewalk Astronomy right at sunset.  So, we skipped the beach (for the time being.)
    So many generous people set up beautiful telescopes and allowed other people there to look through. The kids saw the gasses surrounding the sun. They saw Venus in one telescope. Venus looked like a crescent moon. The kids and I got to see the moon in several different telescopes. The moon is either in light or in dark, no in between.  And the kids and I got to see Saturn in one telescope!  Afterwards, the boys said to me that they were disappointed about not going to the beach, but the sidewalk astrononmy thing was awesome.  "Can we go again in May?"
      From now on, I will certainly make an effort to attend the X Beach City Hall set ups.  There are other set ups around town, but this one is the closest to us. 
   After leaving, we did stop at the beach for about thirty minutes.  No going in the water, but the kids dug in the sand and I did get my feet wet. :)

Library Book

Impromptu games of Improv and Duck Duck Goose

"Deadliest Warriors" Spike TV

 "Deadliest Warriors" on Spike TV
Crazy Horse vs Pancho Villa
Napoleon Bonaparte vs George Washington
US Army Rangers vs North Korean Special Ops
Joan of Arc vs William the Conqueror
Hannibal vs Genghis Khan - Liam saw this episode as unfair as Khan was hundreds of years later and had more advanced weaponry.
French Foreign Legions vs Gurkas
Ming Warriors vs Musketeers
Saddam Hussein vs Pol Pot
Spartans vs Ninjas
Persian Immortals vs The Celts
US Navy Seals vs Israeli Commandos

   Liam noticed the bias of the show and that the American, when an American is featured, always seems to win.  The show pits two historical figures against each other in battle.  Through a study of weapons of the time, injuries caused by said weapons, and knowledge of each historical person or group, a panel of experts determines who would have won.  The adversaries are pitted against each other in a computer simulation five thousand times. 
   I am sure many people would object to the war nature of this series.  I belong to a congregation that helps young adults fill out Conscientious Objector forms and believes in non-military solutions.  Why then, would I not object to my son watching a program featuring confrontation and battles?  Well, my answer is that because my children have been raised in a family and congregation that teaches non-violence, they can easily watch programs that have violence in them and feel no need to absorb that violence into their soul.  They can easily distinguish that this is a simulation and it is NOT REAL.  I'm not trying to suggest that all other children raised in mainstream households cannot distinguish between real and fantasy. I am suggesting that since no glorification of violence of ANY kind is around my kids, then what they see on the screen remains on the screen.  
   

Civil War Websites

Civil War Websites
civilwar.org
http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/index.htm

Math Art Day March 2012

Civil War Trip Journal November 2011

Tuesday November 8, 2011Stopped at Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor’s Center. Saw a short film on Battle of Gettysburg Saw the cyclorama painting of the Battle of Gettysburg Became a member of The Friends of Gettysburg Took a preliminary ride around the battlefield Stopped at the Virginia State Monument; on top of the monument is a statue of Robert E. Lee on his horse, Traveler.  The lower part of the monument features statues of Virginia soldiers.  Looked across the field toward the Northern side and tried to imagine the southern troops as they marched across that field while being bombarded by cannon shots.

Stopped at Pennsulvania State Monument.  It is the largest state Monument at Gettysburg.  On the monument are listed the names of all the Soldiers from Pennsylvania who fought at Gettysburg. Listed by regiment. Saw great-great-great grandfather’s name A. Dierenbach listed in the 73^rd Regiment.  There was not enough space for his first name, Andrew Wednesday November 9, 2011 Went to Harpers Ferry, WVA, a small town on a hillside overlooking where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet.  Three states meet here:  Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia  Saw Fire House where John Brown was captured.  The U.S. troops were led by Colonel Robert E. Lee.  Serving with him was JEB Stuart.
Visited John Brown Museum and Wax Museum

Toured Antietam Battlefield.  Antietam was the scene of the bloodiest day in American History.  23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing.  Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, risked her life to help the wounded On the battlefield.

Thursday November 10 Took a free bus ride around the Battlefield. Saw the Gettysburg Diorama, a scale model version of the entire three day Battle.  It is the largest military diorama in the U.S.
Friday November 11   R&R
Saturday November 12 R&R

Sunday November 13 Visited the Eisenhower Farm.  This was the first home that Eisenhower owned.  It is a National Historic Site.  He used it as a getaway during his Presidency and used it as a meeting place for world leaders because of its peaceful setting.

Photos from Civil War Trip November 2011

Below: Liam at Burnside Bridge Antietam Battlefield, MD


Below: Liam at the 73rd Pennsylvania Monument. His ancestor was a member of this regiment.

Liam at Eisenhower Farm

Liam with his Grandma at Harper's Ferry