Kansas Field Trip (Days 5 & 6)

First stop of the day on Friday, August 15 was the National WWI Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. This was one of our favorite places of the huge week-long field trip.

After the helpful informative introductory video, we procured a tour guide that moved us through the museum pointing out key events and exhibits, covering a lot of history and keeping it interesting at the same time. The children had some time on the interactive tables while I peeked at the menu in Over There Cafe which included Trench Stew and similar dishes.

We squeezed into a tiny elevator that zoomed us to the tower top, 217 feet in the sky, enabling a fantastic view over Kansas City.

We said our goodbyes to one family in our group, ate on the picnic tables in the great lawn of the museum, then drove the short distance to the Federal Reserve Bank Money Museum.

We watched the employees sort and stack bills behind glass walls, and a robot cart transport them inside the vault. Annie and Caroline made their own currency with a photo of themselves in the middle and everyone grabbed a souvenir package of shredded money. It was a great run-through stop before our next tour at Steamboat Arabia.

We drove through town to hear the discovery story and view uncovered artifacts from the Steamboat Arabia. While waiting for our tour to begin I strolled the produce market just across the street where they had phenomenal deals on strawberries, grapes, potatoes, cabbages, and more. If we had been going straight home I would have piled every nook and cranny of the van with cheap yumminess! As it was we did fill in a few cracks with fruits and veggies.

our enthusiastic tour guide

Cora slept the through the entire museum and video

We spent the night at Stony Point Baptist Church in KS City. Before retiring we watched a DVD on renown abolitionists. 

Day 6
The next morning we explored the grounds of the Shawnee Indian Mission.

They still have several small gardens that are tended still today: an herb, a flower, and vegetable.

We drove southwest for an hour or so to the town of Osawatomie where a cute little museum and Adair log cabin gave us more insight into abolitionist John Brown's family, life, and part in "bleeding Kansas", prelude to the Civil War. We enjoyed our last meal together in the shelter at the town park.

Back on the road, we cruised along the Kansas Frontier Military Scenic Byway, stopping at Mine Creek Battlefield, the largest Civil War battle fought in Kansas.

And ending at Fort Scott which was originally built to protect settlers from Indians in 1842 and eventually used as an army outpost in the Civil War. 

Annie and Caroline filled out the Junior Ranger books which included a few activities like brushing the horses tail in the stable...

and washing a uniform shirt.

That ended our week-long KS Spiritual Heritage Tour, (what I refer to as the ultimate state field trip). 

People and places we'd never heard of, some we'd always wanted to see... now a picture and memory in our minds, all wrapped up with new friends and experienced historians.

Kansas History Field Trip (Days 3 and 4)

Wednesday morning we traveled from Topeka to Atchison. Our first stop was the Santa Fe Depot Museum. A tour guide gave us a quick overview then we meandered through the small, but very interesting museum. The children liked the clip of the song "On the Atichison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe" in a Judy Garland movie "The Harvey Girls". We read an account of Reverend Pardee Butler and pro slavery ruffians who set him afloat on the MO River with a 2 board raft intending that he drown so his blood wouldn't be on their hands.

For lunch we ate at a soda fountain that was recommended. Burgers, sloppy joes, egg salad, tenderloin and chips were our fare.

We walked through the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in a beautiful old home built in 1861. Lots of reading and non touchable exhibits, neat maps and photos.

front porch of Amelia's grandparents home overlooking the Missouri River

Next we meandered down the shady town streets following a brochure that pointed out opulent and splendid historic homes, architecture, and dates. Some had beautiful carriage houses behind. We watched a video in one restored horse barn. Atchison was one of the first settlements when the Kansas Territory was opened in 1854. It's position on the bend of the Missouri River helped it become an important supply point  with steamboats docking , then later the railroad originating here. It is a lovely romantic anniversary kind of place!

There is a marker where Abraham Lincoln gave a speech outside the courthouse years ago during his campaign. Back then, the KS-MO border towns were hotbeds for debate!

tour group picture by Abe Lincoln marker

We ate out of our coolers for supper on the river's edge at The Lewis & Clark Trail Park. On July 4, 1804 their expedition passed through and camped in the vicinity.

We stayed at this little churchhouse for 2 nights. The first evening we watched an exciting documentary about Lewis and Clark.

Day 4
Thursday morning breakfast treat at the pastor's home in Atchison. Several of us also showered here for the first time on our trip. 

We drove a half hour south to Leavenworth, entered the army post, and spent the morning inside the Frontier Army Museum. After a picnic lunch and short playtime on a playground. We peeked inside an old chapel (as our tour guide is a retired army chaplain), drove past the National Cemetery, and walked through the Buffalo (black) Soldier Monument.

Next we left post and drove through town to the Veteran's National Cemetery. Sobering, impressive, and beautiful.

The children spotted a fox, stalked him, and chased him into a culvert.

Meg isn't much taller than the cemetery markers.

On our way back to Riverbend Bible Church we passed the impressive penitentiary and picked up rotisserie chicken, dill potato salad, and watermelon at the grocery. After eating, we watched a reenactment video of Quantrill's Raid, the children played board games, and we slept again on the hardwood floor or narrow cushioned pews.

The Relatives Came

September 1-5 Shannon's sister and family came to Kansas. It had been 5 years since their last visit!

They came bearing birthday gifts!

Meg revealing a little doll stroller

Riley's funny singing chicken card was a hit

The men and boys spent most of the days replacing the door on the small shed, building a door for Shannon's shop on the big shed, and general outside work. 

They also went canoeing one afternoon with all the kiddos.

The older girls prepared a 3 course "mystery lunch" for everyone using leftover pizza, hot chicken sandwiches, carrots & celery, turnips, tomato slices, cucumbers & onions, apple slices, and peanut butter bars. 

filling our 1st course menu orders

the boys first plateful

Annie learned a new hairstyle from Kate.

Ginny and Caroline (with Mom's help) designed and sewed this knit dress for Meg out of hand -me-down t-shirts. Kate and Annie made a tiny orange skirt.

The girls prepared dinner, fed the children, and fixed a fancy table to celebrate Jay & Gentry's Anniversary.

Then provided entertainment after the meal!

Meg stealing the show

such flair!
(the outfits were more impressive than the acting)

another mealtime

We enjoyed our last evening in the front  yard with glow sticks Grandma sent out.

best friends

matching cousins

Goodbye! Don't wait so long to come again!

Kansas History Field Trip (Day 1 and 2)

Where did we go? What did we do?

It was 5 weeks ago! I wish I knew!

So glad for pictures to help refresh the memory...

It all started at the home school conference where I attended a workshop about making history exciting. The speaker said he was planning a week long Kansas spiritual heritage tour for the summer, so we signed up for the informational email.

Next thing ya know..

August 11. We woke up in the pre-dawn hours to leave by 5 a.m. for Topeka.

First on the itinerary: tour of the capitol building. 

 

Shannon & Caroline climbed many steps above this dome (pictured below) to an exterior dome and walkway outside where they looked over the city from the tip-top of the tall tall structure!

inside looking up into the dome

The very old library had one solid bookshelf towering from the bottom level to the 2nd, glass floors, a dumb waiter, and neat-o lighting.

Details in the ceilings, furnishings, and wall paintings are amazing!

When the tour guide offered for anyone to sit in the big chairs for a picture, Meg quickly retorted, "I want to!" So Daddy escorted her to the front of the room.

such a handsome Daddy

Next on the schedule: Old Prairie Town. We ate a picnic lunch and wandered midst the old buildings. There was a garden behind the log cabin where the little girls picked and slurped cherry tomatoes. The unpicked okra was higher than our heads and 8 inches long! An old apple tree's low branches made a lovely shady perch for Caroline and her new friend. They gathered the windfalls and we enjoyed apples the rest of the week.

In front of the old barber shop, soda fountain/candy shoppe. Apple tree on the right.

A beautiful botanical garden was also on the property with winding paths, fountain, and sparking stream.

kaleidoscope of  living flowers

Then, we spent several hours at Brown vs. Board of Education national historic site learning about the role Kansas played in the desegregation of public schools. Very interesting, unfortunately both Annie's and my camera batteries were dead. There she he received another Junior Ranger badge.

The day was waxing old and the historic churches were closed. However we sat on the steps of the church where Charles M. Sheldon preached his sermons that eventually were compiled in the book In His Steps (WWJD) and listened to our tour guide give a short account of Charles' life and ministry.

We ate a picnic supper at the huge Gage Park where even the big kids had fun playing!

Cora met a new local friend and they moved from one play area to another, almost covering the entire park!

At dusk we arrived at our overnight accommodations: Topeka Bible Church. The children played in the gym upstairs and we settled our packs and bags on the basement floor, each family in their own corner.

Day 2
We spent all morning browsing through the Kansas Museum of History. Annie took a survey that likened her to William Allen White, a famous newspaper editor. She liked the Indian exhibits and the more modern displays. The younger girls liked the discovery center where they dressed up, had puppets, and hands on activities.

Most of our group stood for a picture next to the famous Kansan mannequins...Carrie Nation, George Washington Carver, Amelia Earhart,

Dwight D, Eisenhower, Kiowa Chief Satanta, and painter John Stuart Curry. Annie is in the back next to her similar personality, Mr. White.

The Pottawatomie Baptist Mission building has been relocated outside the museum.
We picnicked on tables nearby.

Then we drove 30 minutes to Lecompton and browsed through the Territorial Capitol Museum and Constitution Hall: places and events in history that our family knew nothing about because we grew up in different states that had different statehood significance.

mid-1800s jail

Next we traveled to Lawrence where we watched a  documentary at the Information Center at Santa Fe Railroad Depot. Just down the street by the river, some children had made mud forts similar to those built long ago. Our children played and pretended awhile before we walked downtown Lawrence retracing Quantrill's Raid.

Our second day of the tour ended with supper at South Park, Lawrence. Another homeschool family had joined our group for this afternoon, so we enjoyed more fellowship on a lovely summer evening!