One thing is for sure: this trip across the United States was a meaningful, educational experience that our kids will always remember. I'm so proud of their adaptability on the road and their following insight about our country and its history. The last few weeks we've been reviewing our adventures under a different lens, comparing what we've seen to patriotic songs, poems, and artwork. The kids illustrated what the song America the Beautiful means to them now that they've seen it (see Brickhead's colored pencil illustration above--all freehand.) He chose memories from his favorite place, the Badlands in South Dakota, for his poetry assignment. Back in the BadlandsBack in the Badlands the rocks stand tall, A barren wasteland, so it was called. A place once feared by both whites and their native ‘guides’, Now is admired by tourists’ eyes. Any corner that you turn there lies more rocks to climb, So up and up I scurry, away from ground and towards the open sky! They also researched the history of the Star Spangled Banner and learned about the American flag. He loves to tell action stories, so here's one for you: What does the American flag mean to me? by Brickhead Francis Key Scott strode up the gangway on to the deck of the British ship, which was sailing a few miles from the United States border. He had been instructed by President James Madison to negotiate for the release of the American prisoners who were being held captive in the barge. He found the captain of the ship. The captain reached terms for the prisoners’ release but also had information for the unexpecting Francis Key.
“We will release these prisoners,” He started. “But it will not matter when it’s over.” He pointed to a hoard of little dots on horizon. “That there is the entire British navy. They are poised to strike Fort Henry and will arrive in the next two hours unless otherwise delayed. They will not stop until that flag that you hold so dear is on the ground. You will belong to England once again.” Francis was infuriated. “You can’t do that!” He hollered. “That fort is filled with not only men, but women and children, too! You’ll kill them all!” The navy captain smirked calmly. “We have allowed them a way to live,” He said. “If they lower that foolish flag of theirs to the ground. If they perish then it is of their own fault.” Francis Key grimaced. “A true American Christian will sooner die on his feet than live on his knees.” The captain scoffed. “Then only they can claim fault for their deaths.” He said. Francis Key turned his back on the British admiral and started down the stairs to below deck so he could notify the prisoners. He stared at the starved men, bound in shackles and nailing at the walls of their prison cells. He only wished he could help them. Once he had made the situation clear to all of them he vowed he would report progress of the one thing they wanted to know; Did the flag remain waving? Within the next hour or so dusk had came, and darkness was setting in. The once distant fleet of British warships was much clearer now. They lingered merely a mile or two off shore. Francis Key stared coldly at the merciless army. He braced for the words that would begin the bombardment of Ft. McHenry. Ready… Aim… FIRE! The words rang through the air as hundred of cannon balls rained through the sky. A deafening boom thundered from shore as the first cannon ball struck ground. More followed. The glowing fires illuminated the crumbling fort as screams echoed through the air. Men were shouting on the ground in attempt to evacuate the fort. The cannon fire continued showering the fort but the now tattered flag stayed upright. “Focus all fire on the flagpole.” One of the commanding officers ordered. “We mustn’t stop until it lies on the ground like the useless piece of cloth that it is.” The cannons re-poised themselves to aim at the flag. All the while Francis Scott Key was scurrying to tell the prisoners what was happening before the chaos continued. FIRE! Cannon balls were tearing through the sky once more. Each one landed a direct hit at the flagpole, and yet it remained standing. At last, after several rounds of useless attempt to bring down the flag, the British were forced into surrender. After being allowed back ashore along with the other prisoners Francis Scott went to investigate the crumbling Fort McHenry. He gasped when he saw what had been holding the flag at such an awkward angle. Hundreds of dead bodies of his fallen comrades were lying around the pole. Men who had died for their country, knowing they wouldn’t live to see their victory. Later, in his notebook, Francis Scott Key wrote the worlds that would be remembered to this day: Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that Star - Spangled Banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? Even now we sing this song and honor this flag to honor those who gave their lives for our country: Fifty stars for fifty states… Thirteen stripes for the thirteen original colonies… Red for valor and bloodshed… White for purity and innocence… And blue for perseverance and justice. To me this flag and this song stand for honor to those who died so we could be happy, the ones who perished for our country, the ones who stood up for the American way, and the ones who offered what we have today: Liberty and Justice for All.
1 Comment
After traveling our beautiful country, patriotic songs and poems have a whole new meaning. Since we've been home (well, back near Calvert County in a different house), we've been reliving memories under a different lens. Here are some of Banana's projects from the last week. She analyzed the lyrics in the song America the Beautiful and illustrated what the song meant to her. Each state includes one of her favorite memories from our beautiful United States. She read the poetry book My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States, then wrote her own poem about an experience she had at the Sand Caves in Kanab, Utah. Sand CavesClimbing up a sand hill so slick Hard to find hold where our feet don't slip. I must admit it was worth the climb, a dark cave with arches of light. A perfect place for animals to hide. The cars down below honk so loud As they see us dance nice and proud. The down was like a slide. We made it back to the car. The steepness caused no scar, The adventure proved who we are. What does the American Flag mean to me?The American flag stands for our nation. It has 13 stripes for the 13 original colonies: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massecursettes, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island. The flag also has 50 stars for all the states in America. After 9-11, everyone went and bought American flags and put it on the front of their store or on their front porch so everyone knew that they were American and they will use all their strength to fight for their country. Even people who lived in America but weren't American had flags to show their support for America. To me, the American flag stands for how strong America and its people are. We will fight for our country and we will not surrender. We will keep going until we die. The flag has been held through almost all the wars we have had and it has never and will never hit the ground. We will carry it through every war and we will remain free as long as our flag stands. Our flag will also wave in honor of those who got injured, disabled, or died and those who served to save our country. We hope that the later warriors will survive in later fights and they will save our freedom and hope in times of need. Our flag makes us strong and always will. Our flag will always stand strong and will never be replaced. Banana would love to hear your feedback. Feel free to leave a comment!
By Brickhead (age 12) One hundred twenty six years ago, Rheinlander, Wisconsin was thought to be a land that lacked excitement. Whilst other states had something, Wisconsin had nothing. But one day that all changed with the first sighting of the Hodag. It was said that a man by the name of Eugene Shepard caught a glimpse of the terrifying creature perched atop a fallen pine. Eugene un-boxed his camera and caught a photo of the beast just as it readied to pounce. The camera caught an image that would never be forgotten. The photo displayed a strange beast, coated in green fur with malevolent red eyes peering out from narrowed sockets. The creature displayed terrifying razor sharp teeth. Glistening claws protruded from the beast's leathery hands. Curved, white horns crept out from its frog-like head. A row of terrifying spikes emerged from its dinosaur-like back and continued out across its foxish tail. After emerging from the sighting of the beast, Eugene proudly displayed the black and white photograph, and knew that Rheinlander now had something to live for: It was Hodag Country.
About a year after the discovery that was now Rheinlander’s fame, the news of the attack had spread across the nation, right to the capital in Washington DC, and to the Smithsonian. The world famous museum quickly sprang at the opportunity and announced that they would be sending a group of their best biologists to investigate this strange creature. When the news made it to Rheinlander, Eugene Shepard was forced to fess up. The Hodag was a hoax. The now famous photograph was a fake, and the creature in the image was made of wood, metal, and ox hide that Eugene had pieced together for the trick. It was a tremendous let down for Rheinlander and for everybody else in the US who had been looking forward to the Smithsonian’s research on the new-found creature. But the citizens of Rheinlander knew the truth: The Hodag was no hoax. This beast, no matter how cruel and terrifying, lived on in their hearts, and it would until the end of time. While Wisconsin may now be famous for its cheese, the little town of Rheinlander celebrates their legendary hoax of a beast with commemorating statues, restaurants, shops, the town high school, their local newspaper, and even a country festival called the Hodag Country Festival. (Creative, right?) The Hodag has its own website, kids activity pamphlet, fan club, and a discovery center for learning about the Hodag. So if you're ever driving through Wisconsin and stumble upon the little, seemingly boring town of Rheinlander, take a stop at the Chamber of Commerce and learn everything you need to know to begin your HUNT for the HODAG! Hidden around the town are twenty-five Hodag statues, all with a unique, creative designs. Once you return to the Chamber of Commerce with photographic evidence that you have found the bounty, you will be rewarded with a trinket from the Hodag's 'Gold' Collection. You can also download a special scavenger hunt app called Adventure Lab, where you find five key statues and answer questions about each one to complete the Hodag hunt. The Hodag hunt is on!
Dean and Jewel Oswald own the bear ranch and the 40 or more bears inside. Oswald’s Bear Ranch opened in 1997 and it has grown drastically through the years because every year they rescue black bear cubs from unfortunate circumstances. The ranch tries to make their new homes look like their natural environment so they are comfortable. Bears are separated by age (cubs and yearlings) and gender (adult males and adult females). The cubs have a smaller place to play than the other bears, but they still have a lot of space. The cubs’ pen has one area for getting fed and two areas for playing, with a door connecting each play area. They even have a swimming pool. The yearlings are in a natural area much larger than the cubs’ pen, and they have a small waterfall and a small pond. The males’ pen is a half mile in perimeter and has a trail so you can walk around it. The first thing we did when we got there was get our picture taken while spoon-feeding the bear cubs ice cream. Mac the cub was so excited to get his frozen treat that he dropped it at least five times. Brickhead and I both got an opportunity to spoon-feed a bear cub while the rest of the family pet it. There is a stand where you get four-dollar bags of apples to feed the bears, so next, we fed the older bears. The bears used one paw to put the apple on the top of the other paw and then nibbled at the apple. When you walk around the bear habitats, you might not see all the bears because they might be trying to find shade, but you will definitely see some bears. The last thing we did was go to the gift shop where you can get a picture with a statue of Tyson, the biggest black bear ever recorded. Tyson grew up at the refuge and was nearly one thousand pounds, but he died in a fight in 2000. They also have souvenirs, so if you want something to remember the ranch by, you can get a stuffed animal, a book, a necklace, a pocket knife, or a shirt. Oswald’s Bear Ranch is really cool, and I recommend going there if you’re around that area. The bears there are cute and they probably won’t think about biting you. If you feed them they will love you for two or three seconds! I think you should support Oswald’s Bear Ranch because they save bears that are in need and they care of them properly. They also educate people about black bears. Not to mention, those little baby bears are adorable!
By Banana (age 10) Have you ever wondered what litter has done to the outdoors? Has anybody seen the outdoors how Mother Nature made it, with no litter infiltrating? No, probably not. The trash everyone has thrown into nature— all the straws, plastic bottles and caps, fast food items, candy wrappers, plastic bags, shoes people have given up on, and more—destroys the beauty of the outdoors, animal habitats, and even the lives of some of Earth’s creatures. Do you want to help solve this problem and see nature how it is supposed to be? You can start by using reusable containers and water bottles, throwing your trash in the trash can, and start cleaning up your environment. A few weeks ago I went for a walk along the beach shore at low tide, and there was so much litter. In just thirty minutes we completely stuffed two big trash bags and also had three big pieces of plastic that wouldn’t fit. Most of what we found was fast food items, plastic cups, lids, straws, and water bottles, and plastic bags. Did you know that there are about 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean killing sea life? (2) Every day 8 million pieces of plastic makes the way into the ocean. (3) In order to fix this problem, every person needs to take action. You can use reusable water bottles and pack your lunches in reusable containers. Say no to plastic silverware and straws and choose to wash your own dishes instead of using disposable plates. When you go to the store, bring a cloth bag. If you have to use plastic, try to reuse it instead of throwing it away after the first use. You could even write to your senators or representatives to pass laws about plastic use. Bangladesh was the first country to ban plastic bags in 2002. (4) Rwanda became the world’s first plastic free nation in 2009. (5) In the United States, we could be more like Bangladesh and Rwanda and help clean our beaches and save the animals, while bringing back Mother Nature’s beauty. Litter harms animals and the environment. Litter doesn’t only pollute the ocean and ground, but it also pollutes the air. Researchers estimate that more than 40% of the world’s litter is burned in the open air, which can release toxic chemicals, and that leads to health problems. (1) All the chemicals in the air can lead to toxic rain. Also animals can mistake litter for food and die when they eat it. Animals also can get stuck in litter and die. For example, some sea turtles get tangled in fishing nets or plastic six-pack soda holders, making it hard for them to reach food or even deforming their bodies as they grow. Animals suffer because of your trash. Someday karma will happen and it will rain acid on you, unless you decide to make a difference and not litter. n
Animals die because of your trash. There's litter everywhere and you don't want to see that do you? You can help to solve this problem. Start by using reusable water bottles, grocery bags, containers, and more reusable items. If you use plastic, try to reuse it. For two examples, if you get a plastic grocery bag, use that bag to pick up trash in your community. If you order take out, reuse those plastic containers to pack your lunches. And clean up the beaches and the outdoors. Try saving your environment; don't destroy it.
References:
Shout out to Blaze Pizza for making smarter decisions about what's in our food, how we treat each other, and how we protect this wonderful planet we all share |
Archives
October 2022
Categories |