Caspar David Friedrich

This term we studied Caspar David Friedrich for our artist study. We could not decide on a group favorite. Ronnie, Mitchell, and Lizzie liked Cross in the Mountain best because they like the colors used.


Mary and Nicole liked Chalk Cliff on Rugen the best because we think it's beautiful.
Britany's favorite is Moonrise Over the Sea, because she likes the color and because you can see the details very clearly.
Alli drew a picture that we think looks similar to the painting Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon, ...

...although Alli's depiction includes a cherry tree.

Jr. Coal Museum and the SW Virginia Museum

We visited the Harry W. Meadow Jr. Coal Museum in South West Virginia. The mine was in operation from 1895 until 1995. The miners worked twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and sixty-two train cars of coal were removed from the mine every two days.

The steps to mining are to check for Methane Gas, drill a hole in the wall of the mine, stuff it with dynamite, light the fuse and leave the area. Then after the blast, the miners loosen the coal with a pick and load it into carts to remove it from the mine. In the early days, the miners were paid by the cart load of coal removed from the mine.

The majority of the miners came to town when a railroad line to the mine was built. People came from Germany, Scotland, Poland, England, Hungary, and many other countries. Free African Americans came too. They were all paid in company script which they could only use to buy goods at the company store.

Lizzie - The lunch bucket had three compartments in it. It had one for a sandwich, one for a drink and one for a dessert. The drink was in the bottom, and it was like a thermos thing. They used a scoop to scoop out the water and drink it. The sandwich went in the middle compartment and the dessert went up on the top. The dessert was frequently a piece of shortcake.

Several different kinds of animals were used in the mines. In the above picture, dogs were pulling a coal cart. We also saw pictures of mules and a cow pulling a cart.

The machine above helped clear out the walls in the mine.

Then we went up the street to the South West Virginia Museum. This museum is in the old Ayers Mansion which was built from 1888 to 1895. House Builders at that time charged 17 1/2 cents per hour, and the Ayers Mansion, which took 7 years to build, cost $25,000 to build.

Making Walnut Ink

By Britany

Long ago there weren't any ink pens like today, so they had to make their own. They made pens out of turkey quills and ink by a long process of boiling and straining walnuts. When we made the ink the gross smell went all around the house, and we smelt it for the rest of the day. If you make it yourself you might want to make it outside. Our walnut ink turned out so dark that when we painted with it, it was a beautiful rich brown. Painting with the ink was really fun, but it stains everything that it gets on. Boy, am I glad that we don’t have to make our pens like that today!

How we made Walnut Ink

• Collect nuts from a walnut tree. We read that the best ones are the ones that are already black because they have begun to oxidize.
• Place nuts in large pot and cover with water.
• At this point you are supposed to simmered for 8 hours then soaked for another 16, but after 15 minutes we knew this was not an in-the-house project! It smelled terrible. So, after 15 minutes of simmering, we took the pot out to the garage and let it sit for about 24 hours.
• Strain the liquid several times through a sieve to remove large pieces of husk and the nuts. We used a metal strainer, covered by a pair of pantyhose.
• Reduced the liquid in half. (Again, after 15 minutes on the stove we called it done!)
• Added 1TSP Vinegar

Our paintings with Walnut Ink

by Britany

by Mary

by Lizzie

I enjoy painting with walnut ink. Although it smells horrible, it makes a pretty picture.The aged brown ink mixes well with walnut ink, and makes a beautiful picture.It's necessary to wear a smock or some old clothing while painting with walnut ink because it stains anything it gets on. I'm looking foward to doing it again.

by Nicole (Teacher)

ETSU Basketball Game

By Elizabeth

I went to an ETSU Buccaneers basket ball game with my Upward team. The most enjoyable part for me was getting all the free stuff. First, there was free food, so I chose to have a hotdog, chips, and lemonade. While we were eating, a man went around giving out foam swords that said “The Power of Blue”. Then, I got a frisbee that was white and had the ETSU mascot on it. Later, every one got a t-shirt that was either white or blue. I chose a white one, because I like that color. Finally, after about two hours we left with all of our loot and went home.

By Ronnie

When I went to the ETSU versus Jacksonville women’s basketball game, I was very excited, for this was the first game I have ever been to. The game was held in a hanger looking place. I was rooting for ETSU, and so were most of the people there.

When we got inside there were free hot dogs and hamburgers, so we ate before the game started. When the game started ETSU was losing! During halftime, cheerleaders came out and did back flips and other cool tricks. People passed out free shirts and Frisbees, but I only got a shirt.

After half-time, we were winning and I was happy. The other team was trying their best to catch up, but there was only one minute on the clock, and the score was 74 to 85, so there was no way they could catch up.

When ETSU had won, we went to a different part of the hanger to get the cheerleaders and basketball players to sign our shirts. We left after we got their autographs. I can’t wait to go to another game!

Yorktown, VA Musket Removal

by Lizzie

On February 24, 2009, we went on a trip to Yorktown, Virginia. The most fascinating thing for me was that I got to pretend I was a surgeon and take a musket ball out of a man's side. I had to put my finger in the patient's side to feel where the ball was at. When I had found it, I used a tweezer-like tool, with scissor-like handles to pulled the ball out. A cauterizing tool is used next to stop the bleeding. The tool is put over a fire and made red hot. This is the only sterilized part of the surgery. No anesthesia is used during this procedure, so the patient will frequently pass out at this point. To keep the wound clean, I had to soak a piece of cloth in vinegar and pack it in the wound. I'm so glad I saved a life! ;-)

Jamestown, VA God Speed

It was a very cold yet sunny Monday we went to Jamestown, Virginia to see what it was like to live when America first began. We saw many interesting things like the canons, the gunsmith and the church, but my favorite part was the God Speed. The God Speed was one of the first ships to land in America. This ship came from England with two other ships carrying one hundred forty-four men. Out of the three, the God Speed is the largest. It has three levels. On the bottom was the storage area where they kept their tools, extra food water and livestock. The next level up is where the crew spent most of their time and slept. The top level was the deck. The cook, the captain, and the ships boys slept on deck in cabins. For a little over two weeks into their journey they would eat meat. When their meat went bad or was gone they ate hard tack. Hard tack is a biscuit that is as hard as a block of wood. Their water lasted about the same amount of time as the meat, and when it was gone they drank beer. This journey across the ocean took a little over four months, but not a single sailor died which was really interesting. It was very crowded. I wouldn't be able to sail across the ocean for that long without getting sea sick.

Homeschool on the...uh-oh, we've got a flat

We're on our way to Colonial Williamsburg and we have a flat! Bummer. We waited a couple hours for the truck service to change the tire on the motor home, and now we are about to be on our way. While waiting, we checked out the little lake near here, and ran around in a field. Some time around 6:30 pm we realized that we have been only about 6 miles from the Monticello! Dang! That would have been a good use of our wait time.

WCQR 88.3 Christian Radio Station Field Trip

We took a tour of WCQR Radio Station today. It is a beautiful studio, and Tiger Brooks did an excellent job of fielding all of the kid's (and mom's) questions. WCQR is the favorite radio station in our house, and it was great to go check it out.

Hands On Museum

Everyone loves playing at the Hands on Museum. The stage and grocery store are all-time favorites. Here Alli is dressed up like a wizard. She also did a bit of hula hooping.

Gracie -
I was a bat. I love going on the stage. Mitchell and Braden played the guitar and I flew around in circles.

Gracie -
I love the grocery store at the Hands on Museum. My favorite part was going to get food. It was funny getting a whole bunch of it. We paid after we got all of our groceries. Alli got syrup and milk and fruit and orange juice.


Lizzie -
In the art room, they left out some material and some really fancy paper for everyone to make Valentine's cards. Some of us made Valentine's cards for our parents. Gracie made one for me.

Hands On Museum Squid Dissection and Hissing Cockroach Program

Britany -
On Friday we went to the Hands On Museum for a squid dissection. We paired up into groups of two. I was partnered up with Luke. We looked at the fins. The fins are used for direction. When we looked at the spots, we had to check if they were the same size and shape, but they weren't. The spots are used for camouflage to help the squid blend in to the surface that they are on. After we determined what the spots were for we looked at the tentacles. The squid really has two tentacles and eight arms. On the tentacles there are small suction cups. After that we looked at the mouth. The mouth is my favorite part because we get to look inside the squid to find the beak. The beak is a small tooth that looks like a birds beak. This beak helps the squid chew its food. It also helps the squid to digest because it is hooked on to the esophagus. Next, we looked at the siphon. The siphon is used for swimming. It is used like a jet to suck water in and out of its body. When we cut open the squid we looked at the hearts. A squid has three hearts, and they are all in one area. Then, we looked at the ink. The squid uses its ink to fog up the water around it in order to get away from its enemy. Did you know that the squid has a pen? The squid uses this pen to keep its shape. When we found the ink we were allowed to write with it, but my squid's ink was dried up. When we were asked to find the pen I helped a lot of people find theirs. We were allowed to take the pen, eyes, and the beak home with us. I didn't take any home because I already had a pen at home, and Luke wanted to show his brother, so I he took it all home.

Lizzie -
My favorite part about the squid dissection was looking at the ink sack. We got to write our names on a piece of paper with the ink. I also really liked looking at the suction cups on the end of the tentacles. We used a magnifying glass and then drew a picture of the suction cups.

Mary -
The squid had blue rubber in its veins. It was very stinky, but the got to keep some of the squid parts. I kept the eye, stomach and tentacles. I took pictures with the squid.

Mitchell -
The squid dissection last week was cool and fun. My friend Keegan and I dissected a boy squid, and we saw the beak and the tentacles. My favorite part was the beak. I liked it better this time because I had a partner. The last two times I've done dissection my partner had to leave because they fainted or almost fainted.

Ronnie -
When I first saw the hissing cockroach it looked pretty cool. It was a lot better than dissecting a squid. I learned that a hissing cockroach can walk up walls, and can talk to each other with its antenna. They live in Australia, and they can have up to 50 babies at a time. They have holes in their back which they suck air through, then blow back out to make a hissing sound. Hissing cockroaches are very cool and I am glad I got a chance to learn about them.