Math and UnMath

Hi. We're back. Things have been ups and downs here. We've been doing a lot of learning-on-the-fly, because our schedule has been topsy-turvy, and sometimes you just have to go with the lessons in front of you, instead of a lot of planned-out sit-down stuff.

Andy has been having some trouble with sit-down stuff. Partly, we've spoiled him, and he doesn't want to do stuff he considers "work." If it looks like work, it's Bad. This is not conducive to good study habits, or feeling good about homeschooling from the parental point of view. In fact, it's pretty frustrating to have a kid who can get through all three DragonBox apps in a couple of weeks, but when you pull out a math sheet, has a screaming meltdown fit.

But then I thought, wait; he got through all three of those math apps in a couple of weeks. He's got the logic of algebra down. Maybe part of the problem is that it is time to move on. Time to get into practicalities of math, and how it really is used. Algebra is how we really do math- we have formulas to solve a problem, and we need to find the missing information using the information we actually have.

We start pre-algebra when my classes end, so I am sure to have some solid time blocks to work with him. We start algebra this fall. He's ready.

Today, we worked on logic of coding and computer algorithms. This is the base work for starting computer programing and logical sequencing, and we are working on it through a game we got at the science museum. It has a minecrafty theme, and you have to get from point A to point B on the board, using the correct number of moves, with restrictions on direction you can move (this is level one. It's going to get more complicated, up to level 4.) He liked it, though we were both hoping it was going to have a two-player version of the game that might offer competition of some kind, so that we could both play; instead, the only multi-player involves one person creating the instructions and reading them off for the other person to put into action. Not even really a lot of teamwork there.

Yet we got through ten maps on level 1, and that was a pretty good math lesson for the day.

Then I told him I learned some basic coding from coding multi-user games. So he wanted to see one. And lo and behold, they still exist- and there were even some friends online! So I introduced my son to the world of MUDs. Text-based MUDs, people. Choose-your-own-adventure in real time. He was fascinated.

So coming attractions: Andy starts adventuring online, and having to READ to do it. Stay tuned.

The Difference a Year Makes

Last year, we started with a little dude who seriously needed some recovery time.

School had been a disaster. Stress and anxiety had won. Bullies had won. I brought my son home so he could recover and start learning again, so he could be supported in his adventure and find that he was, actually, smart and competent and and lovable. He curled into a fetal ball under my desk and screamed when I showed him a math problem or a vocabulary word.

This year, we started with half-days, as Joey's school was also starting with a week of half-days. I wondered how far we would get, as summer had been a bit here, a bit there.

Our first day out, we did a few science observations, learning to use magnifiers and microscopes. We got into a discussion of how cells break apart and re-assemble proteins. We did some writing in his journal.

Our second day out, we did some experiments with vinegar, wrote the experiments up in his journal, did a short lesson on Sumerians (because we stumbled on a video about them while looking for something else), did a lesson on nouns and adjectives, and wrote five sentences pairing up nouns and adjectives (which I will be using to expand into adverbs, then verbs, and build into stronger sentences and writing by the end of the year). Oh, and we did some educational games during the breaks.

Then I reminded him that this was a half day.


Yep. It really is that different. So if you're just getting started, and you still are in the screaming puddle of reluctant child stage? Hang in there.

They re-discover the wonder if you give them the time they need.

Summertime, and the Learning is Easy

Teaming up!

Summer is flying by, and though we have eased up a bit on the hard-core lesson thing, Andy is still moving, shaking, and being awesome.

Pool days are the best, for the most part. We've had a few lessons on other people not being very kind, but we've rocked it by sharing our toys, including others in our games, and making sure Joey is involved. Brother love is awesome.

Making up our own games.

We have had a penchant for making up new games this summer- card games, battle games, games with small pieces and lots of people challenging the arena. We are thinking about learning to play Dungeons and Dragons soon.

Ready for camp!

We kicked off summer with a camp, the only one Andy asked to attend: History Camp! The program is through Ferry Farm/Kenmore, and features important colonial sites in town. Every day was a different site, with lots of awesome activities and new friends.

Attacked by Lear the Leech, sewed by his very own hands. 

We also had lots of fun learning about how to drive bumper boats.

Let's get SOAKED!

The bumper boats have been a great favorite in our discovery this summer of being able to tolerate Funland. With noise sensitivity under control, we can enjoy a lot more things that the big kids do.

Hooray! Aunt Emily!

 We have also been having adventures in visiting family. We drove to Tennessee, where we got to visit Aunt Emily and Granny Ann, and see the Nashville Zoo.

Our first grits, in our first Waffle House.

Andy tried some new foods, and mostly liked them. Most notable was the grits he tried at Waffle House. He decided they were pretty good.

Hooray! Granny Ann!

Engarde!

We set off fireworks for July 4, which was very exciting. Lots of big sparklers, and fireworks that went up into the air! We also enjoyed watching the town fireworks from the Sonic.

Andy was especially fond of Granny Ann's cats, who were also particularly fond of him.

Ta-da was especially fond of Andy. 

Nerf. It's a way of life.

 We got home to have a lesson in auction buying, and Mom's talent for bidding on large lots of Nerf guns and accessories.

Look on Andy's face when he saw the car was full of Nerf guns.

The best thing about Nerf guns is that Andy can make up all sorts of games with them. He also shares them with the whole neighborhood, so everybody gets to play. And we don't use the bullets, so no eyes are taken out. 

Sunflowers!

Andy's garden has been doing well. It hasn't needed a lot of tending, because there has been plenty of rain- just a little light weeding. However, lack of sunshine also means we haven't had a huge harvest, either. 

 We have had a few crook-neck squash. This one was picked a bit late, but it was still delicious. He decided they are very good picked young, cubed, and put raw on salads. We are going to learn to steam and sauté them before the summer is out.

We have also gotten a few tomatoes, mostly from the plants we put in pots near Grandma's deck. Apparently deer thing tomato plants are delicious.

TOMATO!

So the summer is going by fast. It's already August! Before we know it, it will be time to get back to things like math and grammar. But for now, we are learning about being a boy, and having fun, and realizing that the world is one big classroom, with lots of world to explore. 

Year One is a Wrap!

Well, what do you know. We're through a year. This time last year, we were figuring out how to make it official and exploring ways Andy would learn. We were nervous, manically planning and re-planning and skimming through materials and trying to figure out schedules and I was generally panicking, because I knew this had to happen. Public school was a wash for the Squirrel. Would I be up to the challenge of educating him myself?

Deschooling took the whole five months everyone promised me it would take, maybe a bit longer. Then he slowly came out of the dark and fear and resentment, and started to be interested in things. At this rate, we will be rocking and rolling by fall.

I had a lot of things absolutely confirmed for me, and I hope for Andy, this year.
->Andy is smart. Holy cow, that child can learn and make connections and is totally amazing.
->When given the time he needs, he can also demonstrate his intelligence.
->When not given the time he needs, he reverts to a fetal ball of screaming sobs, because he becomes frustrated and feels like an idiot, because he's been told he shouldn't need that extra time.
->You can be smart as hell and need extra time to process and communicate that intelligence.
->Andy works his patookas off. Sometimes even when he doesn't realize it.
->He is very, very dysgraphic.
->He has an imagination to die for. Fortunately, he is happy to tell you all about it. He just can't seem to write it down.

I also learned a lot of things this year; it was full of surprises.
->Unschooling. No, really. By letting him communicate to us what is interesting him, we can use that to catch him up and invest in his own learning. We can also fit skills he needs into topics that are engaging for him. It's much easier to learn to multiply if you learn it by seeing how it can be used for something you like. For example... Pokemon. It takes a lot of math.
->Expectations for fifth graders was far lower than I expected. When looking over the materials, they looked, well, too young and simplified. Teaching to my own expectations and memories of fifth grade, he easily passed the required testing with top marks. Even in his most challenging skills, such as spelling, he was above average.
->Andy likes history, especially if he can be hands-on in experiencing it. The only program he asked for this summer? History Camp. The waking-up moment when he emerged from the public school nightmare? We were at Jamestown. His favorite activity this year? Homeschool day at Kenmore, where they let him grind corn. Never underestimate the power of living history programs and hands-on activities.
->Reading to Andy is a great way to have him retain and think about material. You know he really likes it when he asks for it to be read again.

Now that we seem recovered from the trauma of school, I'm looking into getting him back into more organized and structured opportunities, such as local classes and library groups. It will soon be time to start thinking about what adventures we want to explore next. This time, I won't be so worried about that whole "grade level" thing. Sometimes, keeping it simple is OK. Having a variety of levels within a topic is great, so that he can familiarize himself with topics and skills. We may try a more unit-based approach this year. Not sure yet.

We will figure it out together.

Moving Right Along

 Well, we've been busy here at the squirrel's nest. In the last couple of months, we have seen a pick up in interest in learning, and working on projects, and doing things- so I've been going for it. We have found a number of new strategies for getting Andy to think about material, access information, and work on his learning, so we have more experiments to do.

We did make these cool suncatchers for Mother's Day presents for my mom. They were super easy. We use cake and pie pans, regular plastic pony beads, and the cookie cutters. For the flowers, we set the cookie cutter in a cake pan, filled it with a layer of beads, and then put it on the gas grill (medium-high heat) for about ten minutes. We turned the pan halfway through for that second one; the first one you can see the uneven bead melt.

For the bigger rounds, we used a foil pie pan. We liked that the pattern from the bottom of the pan was captured in the suncatcher, giving it a star pattern. We tried a couple ways to make a hole in the catchers without having to drill, but none of them worked.

We also made some in a muffin pan, but I think Andy wants to use those as targets or something for his nerf collection. Right.

Lots to talk about with it, though- heating, melting, color. We experimented with other kinds of beads, and talked about why those didn't work (for example, glow-in-the-dark beads, when melted, are too cloudy).

Andy as a flamingo. 

We also started our animal unit, where we study different animals, and then we are making a lap book for each one. This is actually my sneaky way of teaching him writing. With the lap book, you look up information and complete several small mini-projects. Then you organize those mini-projects into a larger project, like a book or poster. You end up with a nice interactive learning tool- but also a way to break down information, process it in smaller chunks, then organize it effectively into a larger project. It give him a visual and kinesthetic organization tool! Woo-hoo!

With eagles under our belt, and cats up next, we went to the Richmond Zoo to check out possibilities for future projects. I'm thinking of doing this all summer, as he likes the animals, he likes the lap books, and hey, organizing thoughts and information! Yay!

He loves the parakeets, and did his best to pet one of each color. He watched the penguins get fed. He touched a giraffe. What better way to pique interest?

He also took some of his own photos... mostly of the peacocks.

Oh, and this owl, because he knows I like owls. 

I have the feeling peacocks are going to be on our lapbook list. We also found an animal we had never heard of: the Patagonian Cavy. We totally need to do that one. 

So our cat project is under way, and we are learning about cats. We put together some note sheets to help him remember what information he needs to learn about different animals- their classification, their special adaptations, etc. Then, hey, what better way to study cats than to take them to the vet? They needed their check-ups anyway. We made a whole list of questions to ask our veterinarian. She very patiently answered them. He was interested in the shots they were getting, and wanted to know how they purr, what whiskers do, and how much to feed them. 

I think it may all be connected to his current obsession with Garfield, but hey, learning is learning, right? 

The first mini-projects he completed were about what cats eat, and generally about pets and why people keep pets. Next up: classification and what makes a feline a feline.

 Andy also got his garden started at long last. We started some seeds, and that went really well. He has celebrity tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, basil, watermelon, cantaloupe, and crookneck yellow squash started, and he also insisted we plant some cat nip. At home we put in sunflowers and zinnias in the front, as well as some of the tomato plants. We shall see what he learns.

Part of it will likely involve "you need to mix the soil better in your garden bed" and "rabbits think gardens are yummy", but I am also hoping we learn a lot about how to can tomatoes, freeze squash, and eat melons.

Planting watermelon.

We've come a long way from curling into a fetal ball and screaming every time "learn" was mentioned. This coming fall I am hoping he will be ready for classes and more structured lessons, and get that solid base of information under his feet. He's been clipping right along in math, though memorizing times tables is definitely not his "thing".

A little caterpillar love

Spring has arrived... the tent caterpillars are out and crawling. Andy loves to touch them and pick them up, and no wonder. They are cool, and don't bite or sting. We noticed them as we were leaving our ASL class this morning. Andy got upset that one was crawling into the road as we were getting back into the car, and he was afraid I would crush it pulling out, so he hopped out and this happened:

You may not be able to save all the creatures, but he made a difference for that one.

One Paragraph At a Time

Andy has been hitting the writing hard lately. He wrote a whole paragraph, by himself, last week.

This may not seem like a huge thing when we are talking about a fifth grader. However, we are talking about a fifth grader with dysgraphia.

We learned a lot in the writing of that paragraph. It took the whole day to do it. We did the editing part the next day. This was just the writing part.

We learned that writing is absolutely exhausting for the Squirrel. He needs so many breaks to even get the words out there, that we lose the thoughts. He spent most of the time talking to me... and what he wrote was a pale shadow of a glimpse of all the ideas in there, but it was all he could manage.

We learned that he can be perfectly organized in his head, and the words come out almost at random onto the paper.

We learned that trying to come up with the words all by ourselves, instead of copywork after scribing, is what is exhausting. If we can copy the words, we do pretty well. If we are trying to think, organize, focus, sit, and get our fingers to comply all at the same time, we end up with a jumbled mess. And the handwriting is bad, too.

For those of you who know anything about my handwriting, you know how bad it had to be for me to say the handwriting was bad.

We learned we need to do something else, or writing is not happening. So we went out and bought a headset with a microphone. The project for the coming week? Write a paragraph. First, we are going to speak it- and see if we can get our first draft out into the computer a wee bit faster this time. Then we will focus our energy not on the getting the ideas out, but on the editing so others can enjoy those ideas, too.

Wish us luck.

Shades of Red and Green

Andy made that great milestone of growing up this year, the one parents both fear and love, a pivotal moment when the world shatters and comes back together in sparkling new facets.

Andy figured out Santa Claus.

Proud as a peacock, he strutted through shops with me, picking out presents for Joey, presents for Grandma, surprises and foods for Christmas morning. He understood perfectly that Joey still believes in his own way, and was careful not to spoil the magic. Yet he knew he was now in the Grown Up World, where he was, indeed, Santa Claus himself. He was in on the Big Secret.

One of the fun things about this moment is how much a child can learn in this epiphany, when he realizes that it is not just some Mysterious Stranger who brings joy and love into their lives in the magic of Christmas morning, but his own friends, family, and parents who embody that spirit of generosity, love, and wonder. To guide your child's step into the fun of the season with a real understanding of Santa Claus, into the wonder of believing and being that spirit, taking on the role for yourself- that is something to learn in making the world around you a better place.

We had been in Cicis, having lunch, taking a break of the bustle of Christmas preparations, when we decided to get Joey a 3DS XL for Christmas. They were on sale, and we had an extra coupon, and Grandma needed a big present for him. We could do it. Joey would love it. Andy's eyes sparkled and we pulled out my phone and checked to make sure we would get the best deal. He picked it out himself,  and proudly took it to the closet where I hide the other presents, to be wrapped as the Great Surprise for Christmas Morning. Yes, he was Santa Claus. He knew. He beamed with being so grown and part of the season.

Then I went out and bought another one, and wrapped both, and set them both with the stockings (which we open last).

Yes, there is nothing quite like a child who thinks he gets it, and then on Christmas morning, opens up a package and stares at it.

"This is Joey's," he frowned, a little disappointed.

"No it's not," we all chimed, pointing to the similar package in Joey's sock. He stared a moment, and then the understanding came.

Merry Christmas, little Squirrel. The beautiful, technicolor, dazzling, brilliant world. In this house, we believe in Santa Claus.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Voluntary

"What want to...? Of course! Sure!" I put my teeth back in my mouth, sat in my chair, and stared.

Andy asked if he could read the bedtime book tonight. He picked a chapter book. He read the entire first chapter, out loud. Himself. Alone. Voluntarily.

My son wants to read a book.

This may seem an odd thing to be jaw-dropping, when your child is ten years old, unless he is requesting to read War and Peace. Here, reading at home has been a never-ending struggle at pulling teeth, for both of my guys. Joey reads very well, and he will gladly read dictionaries all night long, but getting to voluntarily read anything else at home is Mission: Impossible. Andy loves books, but never likes reading them. It takes too much energy. He had a vision problem that stalled his reading with confidence. He is still shaky for ten, and I suspect there may be other issues. The book he picked is a Star Wars chapter book, geared to elementary readers, with large type.

But holy cow, people, he asked to read it. He read the whole first chapter. By himself.

A month ago, asking him to read a book might result in a sobbing, screaming child in a fetal position on the floor. Now he is asking to read a book!

I am so proud of my little squirrel.

Moving On Up

One of the great things I have found about this homeschooling thing? We can go at our own pace. If that's a slower pace, that's fine. If that's a faster pace, that's fine. It doesn't need to be steady- we can speed through the things Andy knows, slow down and take time with things he doesn't. Not feeling the learning love today? We can scrap the whole thing and try something else. As long as he keeps up with math and reading, as Virginia requires we either test those skills at the end of the year or come up with a portfolio, it's all good. We want to spend a lot of time on Colonial America? Why not? We have a lot of resources here for it. He needs more practice in multiplication, but knows his geometry terms pat? Well, let's allocate the time to what we need.

It's amazing.

When we started, I tried him in a fifth grade math workbook, and we had tears, screams, and gnashing of teeth. We scaled back a bit, then noticed we needed some other support. I put him on a computer site and had him work on that for a while to gauge where he was. The answer? End of third grade. Well, OK, then. I went out, got ourselves a fourth grade program, and started there.

As he has calmed down all-around, his math has also picked up. Multiplication remains a sticking point, as he needs to practice it. But once we plowed through and got him doing it correctly, we picked up steam.

We finished the fourth grade book today. I am totally proud of my little guy.

The plan is to focus on the multiplication and on programs such as Prodigy through the holidays, then start on the fifth grade program in January. I'm not expecting him to finish that in three months, but I think we will be fine. I may even work on some mathemagic with him, and help him understand what these skills really do.

Meanwhile, he is working on the Revolution, and reading Johnny Tremain. Oh, and we started earth science with minerals and the Moh's Scale. All in all, I don't think we are doing too badly.

Jamestown

 Jamestown, you lovely, lovely place. I think Andy cemented more learning in one day than we had been tossing at him for two months.

Though it probably helped that we had been talking about colonial life for two months before we went.

It was going to be the last lovely day for a while, so we picked up Grandma and headed down to stomp about Jamestown and see what we could learn from reconstruction. Andy was totally excited about the trip, and had a blast. He got my old phone to take with him to use as a camera, and initially took plenty of pictures- until he got distracted by the boats. Then he was too busy.

He loved the Indian village. They had plenty of folks out in costume (apparently this is a popular time of year for school groups to come), and most were super nice and patient, even as Andy had to pace. He liked taking a good look at the homes. He loves corn grinders, and spent a good deal of time grinding- good heavy work for the arms and joints.

The shelves and compact nature of the homes also interested him. He looked at the storage pots and scaffolded shelving a long time, running from house to house to see the different ways the homes were set up. I think he was getting ideas for his own room...

He liked all of the animal skins, and took a few photos of a wolf skin in one house.


 He was fascinated by the daily activities presented in the village. Along with the grinding, he discovered cooking, pottery, canoe-hollowing, making fishnets, basketry, sewing, and making leather. The hands-on learning approach at the site really held him. He wanted to dig at the canoe, scrape the hair off the deerskin leather, touch the bone sewing tools. He got into the ring of ancestor posts, and noted how each carving was actually unique. He ran in and out of houses, and picked one that was "his", because he liked the way the house was arranged and cozy. He asked questions. Why weren't the needles sharp? What were they made of? How long did it take to make a pot? Did they have guns? Who did the cooking? What were these things in the baskets to be cooked (he didn't recognize dried pumpkin)?

It was amazing.

In our little museum back home, there is a miniature reconstruction of these houses. He likes it, but was really impressed by the ones at Jamestown- full-scale, and varying sizes as family sizes varied. 

 The one he picked for himself was a smaller one, with lots of animal skins and a very warm-looking bed. He tried it out, and said it was totally comfy. He would run around the village, checking things out, then go back to his "home" to check it out some more.

I was thrilled to see him actually show interest in what was around him. Watching him dart about, checking it out, thinking it through, perhaps he has been putting more into that head than we have been giving him credit for. Moving through the world may just help him process all that information.

Next up was the boat dock. Andy was thrilled to be able to go all over the boats, climbing up and down between the decks and even finding other kids to pretend they were adventuring. 

We got to bring out Treasure Island into the discussion as well- these were, after all, the kinds of boats in the book. The Susan Constant was the biggest of the boats at Jamestown- and smaller than the Hispaniola described by Stevenson. 

The folks on the boats were very willing to talk about them, so again, Andy got to ask questions. He also got to listen to answers. In talking with him after we left the boats, I was impressed how much he had heard and retained, even when I thought he was just running about with his new little friends. 

He was interested in the different decks, and that the Susan Constant was four stories- the hold, the lower deck, the crew cabins, and then the upper decks. He bounded between the layers, checking everything out. 

 Of course, the canons were of interest. The boy has a major collection of Nerf artillery. He discovered that canons are heavy and hard to maneuver.

The cabins again held much interest, as they were compact spaces with comfy beds. 

Very comfy beds. 

Then I had to explain that he would likely have to share that bed with his brother, switching off every four hours (one working, one sleeping). He was't too keen about that. 

 The officer's quarters were more to his liking, where the captain has his own cabin, and the officers were given more space to gather. He was allowed to "steer" the ship by pushing and pulling on the rudder- more lovely heavy work, and he did that for a long time.

He also likely the galley. In Treasure Island, the galley is described as a larger space below deck; on the Susan Constant, it's basically a little room with a berth and a brick fireplace for cooking. Pots and pans are stored in ready reach. Some of the other visitors were shocked that there was a brick structure on a boat, and Andy thought some of their reactions were amusing.

The Godspeed had been at a tall ship show in Baltimore, and we got to see it come in and dock. Andy decided he liked the Godspeed best, even though we weren't allowed on it. There is something magical about watching a boat sail in (even when it is cheating and using engines). 

 We then wandered up to Fort James. Andy has been working on a model of a settlement, but we haven't been that successful. The Minecraft model idea that originally started us on this adventure hasn't gone so well. We are now thinking a 3-D model, working with materials and putting it together in a diorama, might be more effective. So it was important to wander about and look at the homes of the Englishmen, and discuss how the spaces were made and used, the furnishings, the set-up of the fort in general. We found the blacksmith, the gardens, the well, the armory.

One of the cool things Jamestown does is it sits armor here and there, and the kids can wear it in the fort. Andy was delighted to try on a breastplate and a helmet. In fact, he checked out all the sets, and found the helmet and plate he felt suited him best- then spent the entire fort time wearing them.

His helmet included a little slot for a plume. He liked that- he felt it made him a fancy officer, not just a foot soldier.

The blacksmith was grinding up clay to make a furnace. Andy, who loves grinding corn, decided grinding clay was pretty good, too, though a little hot when wearing a helmet. The clay was from a previous furnace, and will be used to line the new one.

We found rich people's beds to be comfy, though in the end, he actually preferred the straw mattress on the floor. He said he liked the beds in the boat the best. 

 We found the meeting house, and Andy thought the pulpit was awesome. He clambered up, and began a speech, encouraging his fellow colonists to join him in a fight against unfairness in taxation from England.

He spoke about taxation. He spoke about the Boston Tea Party. He talked about King George being unfair. He talked about how the "British" thought of the colonists as "different", even when the colonists thought of themselves as British citizens.

Not a bad speech by a ten-year-old.


He wasn't as held by the gun room as I thought he would be. I think he was getting tired by the time we arrived, and many of the weapons he had seen at the Renaissance Faire.

He started instead meandering about the settlement, as if on inspection, looking at the details of things- the different guns in the compound, the plants in the gardens, where the woodpile was, the different wells, the cooking fire, the blacksmith, the chickens.

 We have the museum a pass for the day. We will do that another day. You can't take pictures in there, anyway, so not very blog-friendly. Andy had plenty to think about all the same.

Instead, we wandered over to the original Jamestown site, so he could see it was farther out in the bogs.

Then we swung about and ran over to Williamsburg, to pick up some ginger cookies and give him some "coming attractions."


 I remain disappointed that they no longer make the cookies on-site. One of the wonders of Williamsburg was how many things they made, with master craftsmen, right there in Williamsburg. Now they are not only baked elsewhere, they are individually wrapped. Sure, they stay fresher. But the scent of ginger that makes Williamsburg awesome? Gone.

Gone also are the brass-smiths, the candlemakers, the American artists and their crafts. Williamsburg used to be a mark of American quality. Now, it's all crap made in China. I think economics is one of the things Andy and I will be discussing when we do a full Williamsburg day.

 While we were there, they did start a little show-activity, where some of the costumed folks got up and started acting out a call to join the Revolution at Yorktown.  I asked a very tired child if he was ready to go- but no, he wanted to stay and listen. So of course, I let him.

It helped that apparently Williamsburg is all but abandoned on Wednesdays after 4. Seriously. We saw all of a dozen tourist people, and most of those turned out to be there for the little show, which was part of a paid thing. The kids lined up to "join up."

Once the fancy speeches were done, however, so was Andy. We headed for home.

Never fear. We will be back.