Our first dissection class…

We had a wonderful opportunity to attend a class on dissection recently and it was perfect timing since we are currently in our human body study using “Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology”…
The class was taught by an area public high school AP Biology teacher and was excellent…
                
She had folders for each child with various handouts from lab safety to voacbulary words involving dissection and body parts.
   an overhead video of the heart muscle pumping blood in and around it’s chambers… Perfect since we are finishing the muscles chapter this week…
The kids were broke up into groups of 2 and they got to share in the dissection process of a fetal    pig…
    A bucket full of piggies…
    She supplied all the lab trays and instruments for the kids to use…At the beginning of the class, she focused on lab safety and proper procedures for lab activity and dissection.
The proper way to set up a tray and specimen ~

  Hands on learning…                                     
     Concentrating on removing the liver, lungs, intestines, and kidneys in tact…
             
Tommy was able to view the masseter jaw, and how the esophagus and trachea are 2 separate tubes. He also got to see a fetal malformation where the stomach and liver had fused during development…This was a wonderful class and he learned tons from it.
There’s the possibility of having more advanced science classes being offered in the future on a quarterly cycle and I am really hoping this becomes a reality. It would add so much to our homeschool journey.
Big Thanks to Mrs. Rebecca for teaching it and for do such a wonderful outreach to the homeschool community…

As the Nolichucky floats by…

I love taking photos of my children… My favorite pictures are the ones where I get a glimpse of how close they are and what good friends they will become…

President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library

Next door to the Doak House is President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library on the Tusulum College Campus ~ here they have a museum of the history of the college and quite a collection of items belonging to the Andrew Johnson family…

The building is from the 1800’s when the school was originally started and has the distinction of being the oldest college in Tennessee (1794). The campus actually has 10 structures that are on the National Register of Historic Places…

  clothing worn by various members of the family while being in the White House…

    President Johnson’s side table with a trinket box, his wallet, and several other family possessions..

 a beautiful family vase that was in the White House during his presidency…

I really like all the quotes from President Johnson they have hanging on the walls…

 

   This one is my favorite…

The kids were very interested and seeing all the items made the history of our 17th president come alive…    In the archive room, looking at several treasures kept under glass…

 

 

     a book from the 15th century

 The desk and library of President Johnson ~ the desk was used by him while in the White House.

             

Learning more about the history of the college and our wonderful state…

A gilded mask of our 16th president (and Libby’s favorite) Abraham Lincoln…

     

This was a wonderful trip and I think I learned as much about our 17th president and our state as my children did…

 

 

Ride'em DEER GIRLS????

Having fun with friends at the Ranger Station at the Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park ~ near the bank of the beautiful Nolichucky River...

Davy Crockett Birthplace

With the cost of gas rising, we decided to make the most of our day in Greeneville and see some other historic sites…
The Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park in Limestone was the next on  the list being only 15 minutes from the Doak House…
Inside the park at the Ranger Station there is a small museum with artifacts and other thinks from Davy Crockett’s time period.
When you enter the museum you see several photos of Davy Crockett ~ my favorite was this drawing of him…   and several items that could have came from that era.
a buckskin shirt like worn by Davy
   a leather pouch and powder horn…..
This is the cabin that sits where he was born
Then out in the yard surrounding the house (which sits on the banks of the Nolichucky River), is an open oven
and a corn crib       
and a stone marking his birth  


And then the beautiful river views…   

Doak House and Museum

We had a great time with our fieldtrip group (SELAH)... Our trip was to Greeneville, Tn. to see the “Doak House” next to Tusculum College..
My kids posing beside a split rail fence…

Our group posing in front of the beautiful “DOAK HOUSE”…..
It was a beautiful day ~ the kids got to do some crafts in the "one-room schoolhouse".
  Our Welcome to the Schoolhouse

 
Homeschool class in the “One-Room Schoolhouse”
  Cutting out paper dolls….
The kids got to make “THAUMATROPES” , which were commonly made by kids in the time area for entertainment…
     
After a picnic lunch where the kids got to run around and play with their friends by the creek side,we had a tour of the historic home...
   A beautiful antique secretary and a grandfather clock which (while we were there) suddenly started chiming after not working for a hundred years.
Learning about the Doak family and the history of the home. We found out about the stoneware that was used by the family and about how they found the exact same pattern which was still being produced by a company in England.
 
The furniture and artifacts are from the family (1794 to 1860) and are on display in the original home. The museum is home to lots of educational and religious artifacts / documents from Northeast Tennessee. They have a nice collection of pieces that belonged to the Andrew Johnson family (while they were in the White House)....
In the kitchen, where we learned how Mrs. Doak would sometimes serve up to 150 meals a day by cooking for up to 30 young men that were staying with the family while being taught by Mr. Doak…
  ANTIQUE TOYS….
A corn husk doll…
Finishing the day with marble run races between the boys and girls…
         

Welcome to Our "NEW" Home

Welcome to our "NEW" home... I am excited to begin a new blog... My old home at Homeschool Blogger was great but I have had lots of difficulty posting pictures and articles of interest to me and hopefully others... So, I am hoping by moving my posts and trying again the "problem" will be fixed... I look forward to sharing our life with you...