ANOTHER FIELD TRIP OF THE YEAR - TERRACOTTA ARMY!!

In addition to going to see King Tut during our time in Atlanta (see previous post), we went to see the Terracotta Army of Emporer Qin. The exhibit was at the High Museum in Atlanta. Cooper did not want to come to the museum, so he stayed at Aunt Traci's with his nanney. Carter and I were really grateful to have a day together to explore. Here is an example of one of the Terra Cotta Warriors. You could not take any pictures inside the exhibit - just like King Tut - so we took as many pictures as possible before getting inside!!

The Warriors inside were much taller than this. Carter and I took the audio tour and learned that each warrior was 6 and 1/2 feet tall, not including the platform that they stand on. As you all know, I would be lucky to be 5 and 1/2 feet tall, so this cardboard example is not a good representation of the size of the "real" Warriors.

Carter was really impressed with the exhibit. He loved the audio tour. He walked around punching in the numbers on the exhibit to his audio device and listening to the tour guide. We learned through our studies at home that each Warrior had individually distinct facial features. We also learned through our studies that each Warrior had different armor and hair styles to show their rank in the Army. Carter and I were really impressed with the detail of each Warrior. Carter even said how "cool" it was to see so many of the things that we had read about!!

The story of the Terracotta Army is a very interesting one. Carter, Cooper and I studied Ancient China for history and geography and we read several books on the First Emporer and his Terracotta Army. The Magic Tree House series has a book called Day of the Dragon King that we read that tells of the Terracotta Army. If you would like more information about the Terracotta Army, you can find it here.

BEST FIELD TRIP EVER!! KING TUT!!

At the beginning of the school year, I read that the King Tutankhamun (KING TUT) exhibit was going to be at the Atlanta Civic Center until May. I knew that the boys and I were going to Atlanta to visit in April and and I decided that we would take advantage of this great opportunity while we were there!! The exhibition was great!! We were inches away from real heiroglyphics (not in glass cases) that we could have reached out and touched - if the guards would not have arrested us first. HA! There were real sarcophagus', huge statues and not to mention the gold . . . aaaaah the gold!! It was beautiful. I was in awe to be in the presence of such rich history and so thankful to be able to expose my children (and nephew) to such a once in a lifetime cultural event!!
While both the boys liked King Tut, I think Carter was much more impressed than Cooper. However, Cooper really enjoyed the "Egypt 3D" movie that we watched after visiting the exhibit. Part of the movie, Egypt 3D, shows the mummy of Ramses II or Ramses the Great. Ramses the Great is known as the Pharoah of the Exodus. Therefore, his mummy is probably the only face we will ever see from the Bible. HOW COOL!!
Overall, the trip was awesome!! I am so impressed that Carter and Cooper remembered a lot from our studies of Ancient Egypt and are still associating things we see and read to our studies and our visit to the exhibit!! BLESSED ARE WE!!

Don't they look Egyptian?

Cooper . . . walks like an Egyptian!!

Carter . . . walks like an Egyptian!!

SAVANNAH MUSIC FESTIVAL 2009

Another great year at the Savannah Music Festival for the Smith Family. We are so lucky to live in such a great city with so many cultural opportunities. The following is a list of programs we went to see at the Savannah Music Festival:

1. Roger Day - We have his tapes (yes, we still use tapes) in our car and we love him!! We love his song, "Mosquito Burrito". We sang along and had a great time on this day!! We had our friends, The Sebrings, with us at the festival on this day! We have seen Roger Day four times now and he always has a great show!!

2. Max and Ruby - what a great performance. The picture of the house above is from Max and Ruby. It was so fun. It was a musical and the boys really enjoyed it!! We had our friends, The Whiteheads, with us at this performance and it was so fun!

3. Sounds Crazy: The Science of Music - WOW! What a funny show!! The two pictures above of the older gentleman with a tuxedo on were from this show. He was hilarious. He made great instruments out of things that you can find around your house. He was also full of "slapstick" comedy that mainly the adults got, but it was really enjoyable!!

4. Concert GRAND! - This performance was wonderful. The famed violinist, Daniel Hope, brought his friends, who played violin, piano, viola and clarinet and they made beautiful classical music. They also played a piece by a Russian composer that was VERY non - traditional and it was really good for the boys and I to be exposed to such wonderful music!!

5. Billy Jonas - We have seen Billy Jonas twice now and he hasn't dissappointed yet. Billy Jonas makes music out of recycled materials and things that you can find locally. The last picture above is of the Billy Jonas show. He gives you a feeling that "Everyone is in the Band". It is great and educational entertainment!!

You can click on any of the above links for study guides or additional information about these performances! WOW! We had fun!!

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN!!

Cooper is playing soccer for Pooler Recreation Department this year. He had the choice to play t-ball again or to play soccer. He really felt that he was ready for "real" baseball (as his dad and I did, too), so he decided to play soccer!! Cooper did really well during his first soccer game. He scored two goals. He was really good. He is a tremendous runner. He is very fast!! I think that his coaches think that he is a really great player, too. He even got a compliment from a stranger after the first game who said, "Hey, great ball handling, number 4"! Cooper had a "big head" for an hour after that!!
Carter is playing U8 baseball for Pooler Recreation Department this year. Here is Carter, playing catcher. I am really amazed at the difference a year makes in baseball. Carter is doing great hitting the ball this year. They use ball machines instead of coach / player pitching and it is difficult, but Carter is really hitting great this year!!
Here is good old dad (Tony) feeding the balls in the ball machine for Carter's team. Tony really has a heart for coaching. He is really good with the boys on the team. When coaching, he has a good mix of being stern and being caring. I am so proud of him and all that he does for our boys and our family:) He is a great husband and father:) We are so blessed!!!

ART SHMART!!

Recently, a young man from our homeschool co-op offered to teach art classes to local homeschooled kids. He will be attending SCAD next year and is very artistically talented. As you all know, art is a gaping hole in the education of my children. Therefore, this was a *PERFECT* opportunity for someone who actually knows about art to teach Carter some basic art principles!! This picture is one that Carter drew on his first day of art. He was soooo proud. I was also very proud:):)
In co-op, Carter is taking an afternoon club called "Creative Learning". In Creative Learning, the kids did Junior Mad Libs. Carter's favorite was the Diego Junior Mad Libs. He got to bring a copy of the mad libs home and he spent lots of time during that week completing mad libs. When Carter's art teacher asked him what he wanted to draw, he chose the Diego from his Junior Mad Libs (above). You can compare and contrast, but I think he did a GREAT job!!