Georgia National Fair

Our third field trip this fall (wow! are we getting any book work done? yes, we actually are.) was to the Georgia National Fair in Perry Georgia. My two youngest children and I have been to this fair once about three years ago. This time, my husband was able to accompany us.

The only thing that was disappointing was the fact that the livestock shows were not scheduled to start until the next day! We don't show any livestock, but it is fun to watch some of the shows. The first time we went to this fair we were able to watch the miniature horse show. That was pretty cool, so we were disappointed that we didn't get to see that again. But other than that, we had a fabulous time at the Georgia National Fair!



at the poultry exhibit

It was fun seeing the baby chicks. We were even able to watch one hatch in the incubator!



watching a baby chick hatch

at the petting zoo

maybe he's not too happy with his cage mates



Are we in Mayberry?

This is my child that keeps us laughing!

an archaeology exhibit

at the circus

 an Australian animal exhibit

my little "upside-down" joey... I told you he's the family comedian.

heritage exhibits

enjoying honey straws while waiting for the show to begin

photo op with the cast of "Wild West Shenani-Guns"

As you can see, we had a wonderful time at the national fair! I hate that we missed the livestock shows, though. Well, some of them! As I said before, the miniature horse show is so cute. We enjoyed a magic show, a science show, an animal education show, a pig race (my son was chosen to participate in the race, but his pig didn't win), and the circus. There was so much to see and do, we didn't have time to go to the midway for the rides. But no matter. We had a fabulous day nonetheless!

Jekyll Island Field Trip

We have several fall field trips scheduled for this month. This past Thursday we went to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and the 4H Tidelands Nature Center on Jekyll Island. My daughter was out of school the last half of this week, and my husband took off work so we were able to go on this field trip as a family (minus our son at college).

the group

Here is our guide, about to feed Amy, an injured loggerhead sea turtle. Amy has trouble swimming down to feed, so for now she lives at the Center and serves as an ambassador for her species. They expect her to overcome her injuries and be released in the wild soon.

We were able to meet the patients at the Center and our guide shared with us about the injuries these turtles have suffered. This one was injured by a boat propeller. One of the turtles even had a stroke! He is currently unable to dive down to feed, and he is in rehabilitation where he is relearning to swim!

friends

We even saw one of the patients having some sort of procedure performed.

It was fun learning all about sea turtles, about their journey from hatchling to adulthood. I thought it was neat that no matter how far they migrate, females will always return to the same beach where they were hatched in order to lay their eggs. Wow! Only God can get the glory for that! And males will spend their entire lives in the ocean, never going ashore.

Our next stop was at the 4H Tidelands Nature Center where we participated in a herpetology program and learned much about the reptiles and amphibians native to our area.

getting started

We learned that this terrapin lives in the salt water marshes of Jekyll Island.

petting a yellow rat snake

father and daughter, enjoying the program

These next photos are of some of the inhabitants of the Nature Center:

yellow-bellied sliders

I forgot what kind of snake this is, but I thought it was so cool to see it drinking from its water dish!

soft-shelled turtle

hermit crab

watching the starfish move about in their habitat

It was such a nice day, we decided to finish up our trip with a stop at the beach! Some of the kids swam, but most just waded in the surf. The water was definitely a little chilly! Even we adults decided to take off our shoes and roll up our pants legs and walk on the shore. A fun ending to a fun day!

I do believe a fun time was had by all!

Pioneer Harvest Festival

We took a group of kids from our church to the Pioneer Harvest Festival on Saturday. Although only two from my family went, we had an enjoyable time. It was a nice day for it, perfect weather. Personally, I love history, so I really enjoyed myself. It was a good history lesson for my son too, seeing the people dressed in period costume, hearing them explain what they were doing, seeing what life was like in that time period. I think his favorite thing, aside from the animals of course, was the blacksmith shop. All the volunteers did an excellent job portraying their role, but the "smithy" really took the time to explain to everyone exactly what he was doing and why. Here's our day in pictures.

on the hayride from the parking lot to the Pioneer Village

asking this lady some questions about quilting

this lady showed us all the steps involved in taking wool from the sheep to the loom

enjoying watching this little girl make candles

inspecting her handiwork

at the smokehouse, learning how pioneers preserved the meat the father provided for his family's food 

taking a turn at sawing wood

at the blacksmith shop, the kids all had a turn at being a "bellows boy", keeping the fire at a high temperature

by means of pumping air into the fireplace with a hand-cranked bellows or forge

probably the funnest part of the day for him, meeting all the animals on the homestead, learning about their care and upkeep, and why they were needed on the farm

feeding the goats

a tunnel built onto the side of a tobacco barn, we never learned of its purpose...

mom & son

sitting on the back porch of the cabin, just outside the kitchen

We had a great time learning about the pioneers and their way of life. We watch Little House on the Prairie at our house, so he knew a good bit already as we were making our way around the village. In the HOD curriculum this year, we will read A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840, by Barbara Greenwood. I can hardly wait to get to it! I just love history, and seeing how everything weaves together for God's glory. After all, it is HIS-story.

Praising Him

O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace.

My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim, to spread through all the earth abroad the honors of Thy name.

Jesus, the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease; 'tis music in the sinner's ears, 'tis life and health and peace.

He breaks the pow'r of cancelled sin, He sets the pris'ner free; His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me.

He speaks and, list'ning to His voice, new life the dead receive; the mournful, broken hearts rejoice; the humble poor believe.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb, your loosen'd tongues employ; ye blind, behold your Savior come; and leap, ye lame, for joy.

My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your splendor all the day. - Psalm 71:8

Father in Heaven, if I had a thousand tongues they would all say, "I love You, Jesus." Today help me to listen to Your voice and use my mouth to honor you. Amen.

    - Taken from the book Hymns For A Kid's Heart, that my youngest and I are reading together each day.

Lest We Forget...