The Expedition Must End — But Very Slowly

Surprisingly this was more comfortable than the dorm beds.

The trip to Philadelphia was a great experience. I really enjoyed the many topics we studied and places we visited. I will be able to use the information I learned in many different ways in my classroom. Overall this class has helped me in some cases to see some topics from a different point of view then I have had in the past. It has also helped me to better understand different events that have occurred particularly  the different battles. 

I will bring many of the places we visited up on the computer for my students to see. Also, being able to visit these sites has helped to deeper my understanding of the topics and places so that I may help my students better understand the topics through discussions along with reading materials and pictures. For instance the Philadelphia Museum of Art has a great portion of their collection on the internet. I will be able to show the students paintings and sculptures, items from the time of knights, pieces of glassware and silver, and furniture to help them better understand what they are learning. Some other ways I will be able to use this information is to use some of the paintings as writing prompts for the students to write a description of the picture or a story to tell what is going on in the painting. With the information I learned about Franklin, Lincoln, Washington, and others I will be able to discuss with my students what makes a good citizen and what they could do to be a good citizen.

 

Day 12 Gettysburg

 

The highlight of the day was our short session with Professor Boritt. His place was beautiful and he seemed to be genuine nice guy. I know he expected us but I felt we were intruding upon him.  

Today was one of the days that I was looking forward to but either my expectations were doused as we took our tour. I feel that our tour was rushed with time to absorb what we were looking at our to take a closer look at some of the monuments. I think our tour guide had his a speech memorized and if we interrupted him with questions we would get him off what he had to say.

The museum was well put together with so many things to look at and read. At the end of the exhibits it seemed to become a little over whelming. The cemetary was very humbling. You could almost see what it was like when Lincoln gave his speech.  

 

Day 11 Winterthur

Today was an awesome day. Even though the lecture went a little long I thought it was interesting how the some of the different markets were created and the impact these new markets effected everything else.  I never thought of how our want or for some addictions for sweet in white sugar and chocalate or our need for tobacco or caffine in coffee.  

Our tour of the library was extrordinary the thing they had in their collection were amazing. I liked the childrens book. The book was opened opened up to a page that had a little girl burning up into a cinder. The rhyms were very much like the orginal fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.

The Trolley tour through the gardens was amazing hearing about the different plants they had, when they were planted, where they came from, along with when the different plants were to bloom.  Dave and I jumped off the Trolley at the childrens garden. It was very neat with a fairy garden, a birds nest complete with eggs, bridges, a small stream, greek pillars, and stones that replicate Stonehenge.

The afternoon session was very intersting walking through the house. There was so many things to look at that it became nearly overwhelming. The painted and block stamped “wallpaper” was beautiful. The kids program was  very well put together. My group did a barter activity between shop keepers and farmers. We then did an archeaology identification activity. D60 & D70 teachers who have had a TENS class there is an archeology dig kit with artifacts — probably not colonial but it will give the students the idea. We then toured another part of the house portion of the museum. We finished with an activity that we had to create a sign of a business we would like to operate at that time period with out using words. They did an awesome job putting together their student programs.

Day 10 Morning Lectures/Afternoon Exploration

This mornings lectures were interesting and came from different perspectives on each subject. Our first speaker, Dr. Waldstraeicher, spoke on Benjamin Franklin in the light from coming from indentured servitude to a man of prominance. Our second speaker, Dr. Engs, spoke on the Great American Slave Rebellion.

This afternoon I went to Franklins Underground Museum, Elfreth’s Alley, NPS Living History Center, and the Post Office Museum.

In Franklin’s Underground Museum you could see some of Franklins Furniture and portraits of his family. You were also see some of the materials that he printed. There was a section where you could dial a telephone and listen to people talk about Franklin from around the world.

The Living History museum had a great work area where there was a person putting pieces of glassware back together. All of these pieces were found where the National Constitution Center stands today. Many of the pieces came from privies where they were thrown away.

At the Post Office Museum we say Mr. Zip, along with other postal memorbelia.

Elfreth’s Alley is a historical residential street that shows us what a typical street would have looked like during that time period. Thehouse fronts were very cute.

Day 9 American Philosophical Society and the Atwater Kent Museum

 

The APS museum was interesting with what they displayed and how they displayed the information. There was not much there but it held alot of information. I loved John Audobonds book of birds. The book was very large and the pictures filled the page in great detail.  The Wood Ibis on the page was very beautiful. A teaching point I could have with my students is to bring up these types of pictures with my students on the Promethean board and discuss the animal, where it lives, to see what it looks like, or to study the technique it was presetned to us such as painted, chalk, or sketched. The discussion could go in a number of different ways.

Another thing I took away today is how diverse Peale was. He was a very accomplished artist, he created museums, he spent alot of money and went great distance to collect artifacts. He aslo sent things on expedition through Europe.

Day 8 Lancaster County

What I brought away with me to day was the beauty and the simplicty of the area. The films at the Menonite Center were very informative about the different classifications of the Menonite culture. I did not know that there were three areas Omish, Omish-Menonite, and Menonites that we consider as modern day christian worship.

One thing I found interesting was that here they were not allowed to ride bikes — Because of wheel size? they ride bikes. In Wisconsin they ride bikes all the time on the raods there. It must be a small change for that group to allow bikes.

I would teach my students about the culture of the Omish and the Omish-Menonites. I would teach about the lifestyle choices they have made.

Omish — They choose to be stress free through work to live practices. They choose to  make their life simple through growing their own vegetables, raising their own meet, sewing their own cloths, and raising crops for their animals. They also beleive in family and community. They will help their neighbors and others in time of crisis or time of need. After a devestation such as a fire, tornado, or hurricane they will gather to help the people who are in need with a barn raising or help with repairs that are needed. They do not purchase insurance but make arrangements with the necessary emergency departments if such an event would happen but they did have liability insurance for the horse drawn wagons.

The Omish-Menonites –Do drive cars, they have made the choice to take steps away from the Omish beliefs but not totally move away from them.

Menonites — Dress and do the same things that we do. They drive cars, have electricty, have computers and so on.

Teaching my students about the Omish, Omish-Menonites, and the Menonites would be informing them of a culture that has been around since before we became a country. That it is a religous belief and a lifestyle choice.

Day 6 Washington’s Crossing and Battle of Monmouth

 Today was another day out in the country looking at the beautiful green away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We started our day at the beautiful park at Washington’s Crossing. Where we had an interesting tour with cranky tour guides. The buildings were well displayed and they had lots of interesting information to give us about the area and the original owners of the buildings.

 Then we boarded the bus and went on to Monmouth battlefield. Our guide used a diaroma of the area to show how the battle went. Thinking of the diarama helped as we walked the battle area. The mowed pathways made me a little homesick of my parents home in Wisconsin, as this is how my parents keep the path ways to the fields and around their property mowed.  

Thank goodness Bob can really handle the bus. We put him in some tight situations today that he handled with very well. I just imagined in my mind that we were going to get the bus stuck when we were going on that gravel raod to the battlefield.

Day 6 Franklin Institute

The Museum District was very pretty. There were beautiful fountains, statues, and flower beds. On the way back we visited City Hall. It is the largest municipal building in the nation. The building’s architecture is very beatuiful.

The Franklin Institute is very kid friendly. The exhibits let the students explore what theyt have learned in the classroom. It also gets them to think about things they may not have covered in their classrooms as they play with the exhibits. I aslo believe that the Franklin artifacts we saw to day should be on display somewhere in the museum. There is plenty of space for them to do this. 

 Our speaker today was better than our Bunker Hill speaker last year. Another bonus was that there were places to sit here.

Day 4 National Constitution Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Todays high point was having Carol Berkin speak to us. She is such a lively speaker. She is full of knowledge and is able to share this knowledge in an easy to understand way that is very enjoyable. I wished she would have spoken a little more about some of the personal lives of the delegates. I believe we are all waiting for her next book, which sounds very interesting.

I also thought the lifesize statues were pretty neat. The artist did an awesome job on his research to make these men so real. I thought the presentation in the theater was well done.

Day 3 Princeton

Our speaker at the battle ground was very good. I enjoyed his blow by blow of the what was happening. This helped me to picture in my mind what was happening.

 

The interesting information I received today was about Albert Einstein’s house. What I found interesting was that Einstein did not want his house turned into a museum. The historical society does have most of his homes furnishings though and put them on display in their museum. They show a few pieces at a time. They are currently showing one of his chairs in the 1930’s portion of their display in the museum. Another interesting tidbit I learned was that Einstein would help students that would show up at his door with homework questions.