Homeschool Discoveries

During our holiday weekend camping trip to New Ulm, Minnesota just after July 4th, we also took some time for a bit of sight seeing.  At the top of my list of places to see in New Ulm was the Hermann Monument, affectionately referred to as “Hermann the German”.  My childhood memory of this place was that it was a really huge structure, and my memory served me well — the copper statue and base has a total height of 102 feet, and provides a great view of the surrounding region from the viewing area:

The Hermann Heights monument comemerates the role that Hermann (also known as Arminius) played in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 A.D. — a victory for Germanic tribes over the Romans.   Over the centuries Hermann became a sort of national hero, and a much larger statue of Hermann can be seen in Germany, somewhat near the site of the battle.  You can read much more about Hermann and the monuments to him on Wikipedia.

In the base of the monument there is a small interpretive center with interesting artwork and displays:

The displays were quite interesting and I learned much about Hermann that I had forgotten (or never learned) since my childhood visits to Hermann the German.

Linking up to Fantastic Foto Field Trips @ HSBA Post!

I have been eagerly anticipating our outing to ride the Como-Harriet Streetcar for months.  I’ve wanted to do this for years, really, but I kept forgetting about it during the right time of year.   Back in January I read the book, “Twin Cities by Trolley: The Streetcar Era in Minneapolis and St. Paul.”  I loved reading about this bygone era in transportation in our city, and firmly planted in my mind the desire to go ride this historic streetcar.

We all enjoyed this fun and inexpensive family outing.  It was the perfect “after dinner” fun outing since it is less than 15 minutes from our house, and the ride is a short one (only about 15 minutes).  But the ride and the time looking around the platform and small gift shop were perfect for short attention spans.  🙂

I’m fascinated by this form of transportation that once criss-crossed our city and was completely torn out in the 1950s.  Buses were all the rage then and much less expensive to operate and maintain.  Now fast-forward fifty years and a different type of passenger rail service is making a comeback — a second “light rail” line is being installed in the Twin Cities to join the already-popular Hiawatha Line that made it’s debut several years ago.   I can’t help but wonder how transportation in our city might have looked different today if the streetcars had been improved instead of torn out…wishful thinking, I’m sure!

Visit Blogging through the Alphabet @ Ben and Me to see what other bloggers are writing about for the S (link coming on Thursday).

Field trips are one of my favorite parts of homeschooling.  As I browse back through some of our photos from the past two and a half years or so (from when Miss M started Kindergarten until now), it was so much fun to be reminded of some of the places we’ve been and the things we’ve seen:

And this doesn’t even represent all of our destinations in the past couple of years! I didn’t always bring my camera, and some trips were not conducive to pictures (like concerts and other performances).

Some destinations we visit frequently — like the Minnesota Zoo and the Minnesota Children’s Museum.  Some destinations we visited on our own (many of the museums we’ve visited), while we have also participated in group activities through our co-op and through a local mailing list that facilitates field trips and other events for homeschoolers.

Some trips have really been just for fun, like trips to an indoor play area or a special outdoor playground.   Most have been very educational! We’ve learned about history and culture at the Minnesota History Center, the Swedish Institute, the Mill City Museum and various historical sites.  We’ve learned about science at the zoo, farms visits, the Physics Force show, the planetarium and an aquarium. We’ve been exposed to arts at orchestra, ballet and theater performances as well as at art museums. We’ve learned about our community with tours of a fire station and a pizza restaurant.

Aren’t field trips wonderful? I am so glad to live in an area with so many field trip possibilities…there are many places we haven’t even seen yet!  I can’t wait to see what we learn and discover in the future!

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