Merry Christmas from our Southern Home to you!

Hobo Dreams by Shelley Hopkins

Hobo dreams, part 1

            Today I remembered my childhood hobo dream while walking the dog.  As a child I used to stare down long railroad tracks and imagine following the metal and wood road for days on end, imagining where the journey would take me.  Power lines held the same allure, the double wired lines that seemed to cross the entire country.  Riding in the back of my parents car, I would stare out the window, the power lines stretching across fields off into infinity.  My feet would begin to itch with the desire to walk, and I could see myself with a pack and stick, travelling the world along the already cut paths of these power lines.

            My dog and I started our walk the normal way.  From our apartment we followed a grassy field, crossed the road and walked through a new neighborhood, the kind with large houses close together and few trees or plants.  After circling the suburban and highly controlled neighborhood we returned to the apartment property with the plan of finishing the walk on our nature trail.  The apartment complex is built along one of these sets of double power lines.  I can stand in front of the main apartment building and look both ways along the power lines, looking off into great distances.  I began to wonder what I would see if I followed these pathways.  I remembered my childhood dream as I walked toward the nature trail.  This trail is one of my favorite walks, but it is also a highly controlled pathway, covered in landscape bark and lined with signs reminding us who can enjoy the walkway, residents of the apartments only, and how, clean up after your pet and no fires please.  I wanted to walk under the power lines; I wanted raw untamed nature, not controlled and carefully parceled out nature.  At the start of the walk the ground was easy, a bulldozer had recently pushed dirt off from under the power lines.  Quickly the ground became softer and a little wet.  I passed plenty of deer tracks.  Grass grew high on either side of the path and within just a few minutes the grass had covered the entire pathway.  I was now walking in thigh high grass, following a thin animal trail.  Even though it was December, it was December in South Carolina and it was possible that snakes or ticks could still be hiding in the grass.  I walked carefully keeping my eyes and ears open. 

            After a few minutes I ran into a wall of dirt, higher than my head from the bulldozer. As my dog joyously ran up the mound, I tried to find my way around it.  From the car these pathways seemed clear and easy, but all along the way there are obstacles.   I chose to walk around still in the high grass, still following the game trail, made probably by the deer.  After a few minutes of walking I came to the back of a neighborhood, rough high grass ended in perfectly manicured lawns, bright green grass glowing and screen porches looking at me.  If anyone were home, and looked out what would they think to see a woman in her 40’s and her dog strolling behind their yards as if she were in a park?  Very few people are home during the day, and I was able to walk undiscovered. 

            The exploration of the power line trail ended as we entered deeper into the neighborhood.  Someone had pushed a huge pile of pine trees and debris into a wall across the pathway, and the only way to continue would have been to walk through someone’s yard, and I was not ready to do that.  I turned back and finished my walk on the neatly designed nature trail.  I stopped to reflect and enjoy the views at the crab dock, and I saw a bald eagle fly to a tree with a beak full of twigs.  I guess nature is to be found where it chooses to live, whether the area is controlled by covenants or rules.  That makes me even happier than getting to follow the hobo dream.

            On my next walk I plan to follow the power lines in the other direction, and see where they may lead me.  You never know.  I also plan to take my camera and binoculars to the crab dock, I want a photo of the bald eagle.  Hobo dreams live! 

Dove, Sailing around the world by Shelley Hopkins

Dove and Sailing around the world as a teen

I think it is time for another book study.  After running away with Sam in My Side of the Mountain, we should hop on a sailboat and really see the world.  Robin Lee Graham sailed around the world solo, starting at the age of 16.  Even though he had his parents’ permission he fits my idea of a runaway adventurer, dropping out of school and seeing the world.  He learned more from his travel than he could have learned from any brick and mortar school.

Dove, his book about this adventure, was the first sailing travel book I ever read.  Later I enjoyed many others such as Tinkerbelle by Robert Manry,  Sailing Alone Around the World by Captain Joshua Slocum, Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi, and John Steinback’s The Log from the Sea of Cortez.  Each journey is different, each person is different, but there are certainly similarities.  Readers get the opportunity to share a little of the adventure.  We can learn a little about what it is like to be completely alone at sea every day, day after day.  I am amazed at how much planning it would take to prepare for any of these adventures, and it takes a true level of personal discipline to stay alert and ready for trouble.

In Dove Robin was alone, all problems had to be solved by himself with his own ingenuity and abilities.  Being alone all the time could cause problems, loneliness and fatigue, low spirits and doubts.  So many people need human interactions to keep them on an even keel.  Robin enjoyed meeting people along the way, but he was frustrated by crowds and what he saw at times as herd like thinking from people.  Robin got to experience many cultures, at least on a superficial level and he was impressed with those people who loved and lived simple healthy lifestyles.

Recently I watched the movie Dove.  Several times I wondered if I had seen it before, but I had not, it was the memory of the book confusing me. I remember as a young teen enjoying the book, but not enjoying the story as much once he fell in love.  I wanted more of the adventure, solitude, and the sailing.  I felt like the girl got in the way of all that I was interested in.  Robin’s father felt the same way, and there was strife between the father wanting Robin to finish his goal of sailing alone, and Robins desire to be with the girl, Patti.  The movie emphasized the love story and strife even more than the book.  I suppose a movie of only solitude and sailing would not attract that many people.

 I think the movie highlighted that which is most difficult in these large adventures, overcoming the doubts and discouragement to actually finish and reach the goal.  A character in the movie, a writer and photographer from World Travel Magazine told Robin that it was not the sailing around the world that matters, it’s finishing that is the thing.  His readers needed encouragement to take up and finish goals, and people that climb mountains or hike across deserts, or sail around the world are excellent examples.  I agree that the success of any adventure or athletic event, or goal of any type depends more on the mental skills than physical.  There will always be those give up moments and tests to your endurance and your desire to achieve the goal.  Isn’t this true in our regular lives as well?  How many people fail to achieve their dreams because they give up when it becomes difficult? 

Robin did finish; he circumnavigated the world alone, in 5 years.  He married Patti.  They endured the difficulties and experienced the enjoyment of life together, raised two kids and are still a couple, living in Montana.  I feel certain he learned how to finish his tasks, his goals while sailing, and this gift helped in the difficulties of his regular life.  I may never sail around the world, but in reading his story, and others like it I can be reminded to keep on trying and pushing toward the goal, to not give up when storm clouds enter the horizon.

There are many benefits to reading travel adventures beyond the obvious plain enjoyment.  Reading these books fueled my desire to see the world, to learn more about sailing, and to adopt the spirit of not giving up.  I have been on hiking trips and been so tired I wanted to stop, but in thinking about these books I remembered their low moments and the joy they felt in finishing, and I lifted my boots and took one more step. 

After reading this book I wanted to feel the power of a boat sailing across the ocean, sails full and only the wind and the boy, or girl at the rudder.  I wanted to enjoy the solitude of watching a sunset over the water, drinking hot tea and catching fish.  I wanted the experience of being alone in nature for days on end, the freedom, responsibility and even the domesticity of life on the boat.  Just as reading the book gave me some knowledge of sailing terms, I felt like I had a small window into that kind of life.  I felt like if I wanted to badly enough, I could learn how to sail and begin my own adventure.  Even though the closest I have come to sailing was a couple of classes in a lake in GA and a Boy Scout trip to the Bahamas, his life didn’t seem so foreign.  When I had the opportunity to be a chaperone for the Boy Scout Tall Ship adventure in the Bahamas, the first thing I did to prepare was reread Dove.

Here are my suggestions for studying Dove with your students: 

Read the book, then map out the journey.  Notice how Robin planned the trip watching the weather, including not sailing during hurricane season. Study the time of his trip, why could he not sail through the Suez Canal?  What was going on in South Africa during his visit?   Robin used a sextant to chart his course, he didn’t have GPS or computers to find his locations.  Learn how a sextant works, as well as the basics of sailing.  If possible end this book study with a sailing trip or class, I can’t think of a better way to reinforce what you have learned.  Robin was fascinated by simple healthy lifestyles, and at one point he observed a mother cooking pancakes with mashed bananas in the batter.  What are some of the nutritional challenges to eating and stocking a boat for a trip such as this?  Maybe end the study with a seafood meal, and banana pancakes! 

books on walking by Shelley Hopkins

Books on Walking

1.     I Went Walking, by Sue Williams. 

OK, this is a toddler’s book and not really about walking like the following titles, but at the same time this book is exactly about walking as I enjoy the activity.  I go walking, and have no idea what I’ll see or who I’ll meet.  A walk with a toddler is always an adventure; everything you see is new and interesting.  Toddlers walk slowly, without purpose, except perhaps for the adventure of discovery.  To walk with a toddler takes patience, but to stroll along a wooded pathway exploring together can be one of the best adventures of the day. 

2.     Granny D by Doris "Granny D" Haddock is the true account of an 90 year old woman that chose to walk across America, from California to Washington DC, in the hopes to draw attention to Campaign Reform.  She started at the age of 89 and finished the walk after she had turned 90.  She describes walking in the summer heat of the desert, and then through West Virginia in the middle of a snowstorm.  This walk was not chosen for pleasure but instead to draw attention to an issue that was very important to Mrs. Haddock.   It is wonderful to think that a person of her age could walk so far and in such different conditions, and I believe it is wonderful to read about a person so committed to her ideals that she would chose to walk as a method of spreading the word.  Granny D crossed the country on her own two legs at an age when most anyone else might be found living in a nursing home or using a walker.

3.     A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins.  Peter discovered and related his walk and discovery of his country and the people in two books about the journey.  He started the walk with his dog, but after an accident he had to finish on his own.  He would walk, camp, and find jobs as needed, and live with other families.  I especially remember his living with an African American family in the mountains of North Carolina while he worked and earned money to continue the journey.  Anyone reading this book will learn more about our country and how we live as well as what it might be like to attempt this adventure.

4.     The Lost Art of Walking by Geoff Nicholson is a kind of study on walking by exploring why, who and where.  Geoff writes about other walkers and he also shares his walks.  Reading one book often leads to other discoveries, and this is true for me.  Geoff writes about a nude walker that journeys in England, walking and often getting arrested for his manner of dress, or lack of dress.  I looked up a documentary on this person, and then remembered my own adventures walking through a camp of nudists.  I remembered my father telling me to keep my eyes on the path as we passed through, and of course I remember all that I saw that was not on the path.  I enjoyed this book and reading it reminded me of the joy of walking no matter where I might be, city, town, or country.

5.     Walking by Thoreau is an essay on the joy of walking.  This is the type of writing that causes the reader to want to hop out of his chair and start walking across the fields and streams, spending the entire day out of doors.  Sadly most of us can’t find places that fit his description of just walking without direction; there are highways, private property and fences in the way.  I plan to try walking for an entire day soon, without direction, but it will be different than the experiences he had.  That is OK, we each have to find our own adventures. 

Top ten reasons to walk! by Shelley Hopkins

Top Ten Reasons to Walk!

1.     It is great exercise.  Walking is an aerobic, low impact exercise that can be done without special equipment or training.  All you need is a place, time and your own two feet. 

2.     It is excellent for mental health.  Walking clears the head, and lifts the spirits. 

3.     Walking is good for creativity: when I am unable to write or think, a good walk always gives me fresh ideas.

4.     When I walk under the sun, I absorb vitamin D. 

5.     Family time; walking with loved ones allows down time away from distractions.  We have the best conversations walking.

6.     Enjoyment of nature:  I have walked on the beach, in the mountains, along riverbanks, and under every color of sky.

7.     Discovery of new places:  There is no better way to explore a new place than on foot.  Whether on vacation or exploring a new neighborhood, walking allows me to experience, smell and feel the new place.

8.     Walking lowers blood pressure and helps with weight loss.  This can allow you to take fewer drugs or medicines for the same problems.

9.     Time to reflect:  Who has time to simply think and imagine in this busy world.  While on a walk I have time to be alone with my thoughts, or to use my imagination.

10. Walking is Free!  Walking is a great hobby that costs nothing, can be done anywhere, and that needs no special equipment.  I really don’t know why people spend so much money on specialized hobbies when walking can bring so much pleasure.

memories, not trinkets by Shelley Hopkins

When I travel I don’t do much shopping.  I don’t enjoy shopping in my regular life, so I don’t understand the allure of this activity when I am away from home.  So many vacationers seem to plan their trips around shopping; trinkets and junk shops, buying T shirts that let others know  “I was here.”  Perhaps they feel like wandering the tourist trap trinket stalls give them an insight into the country or vacation spot.  Maybe it is a comforting activity, when away from home.  Maybe since I’m not a shopper I just don’t understand the concept.  It would seem that if I shopped I would have items to decorate my home with.  Maybe all the shoppers out there can say, “See, I brought home a little piece of my travels.”  I can understand that because I have my photographs, I have seashells and rocks, thanks to my children, and I do have a few purchased items because even though I don’t enjoy shopping I always seem to travel with people that do shop.

            I have a few favorite memories that involve me buying something.  Bookstores call me from every state and country I visit, and I love to collect local cookbooks.  I like to buy any book in Spanish; this aids and enriches my language learning.  The cookbooks are something I can enjoy and share with others as we try the meals.  I am putting together my own cookbook from recipes I have learned while in Costa Rica.  Food is an excellent way to learn about another country.

            Our family took a car camping trip from West Virginia north through Canada and back one summer.  I researched places to stay, and added Algonquin Provincial Park to the list.  We were travelling in late June and the website I used warned us that June was “Black Fly Season.”  I read this fact, but I did not understand the enormity, severity, and depth of meaning to the words “Black Fly Season.”  We pulled into the park and selected a campsite on a beautiful warm day.  We noticed we were the only campers in the park, and we chose a perfect site on the water.  We began to unload our van, preparing to set up the tent.  Immediately each one of us was covered, inundated with tiny biting flies, leaving quarter size red marks all over our exposed flesh.  It was a plague of pain and irritation.  Without one word, all 5 of us went from unpacking to immediately tossing everything into the van, slamming the doors shut, and fleeing from the campground.

            We drove into town, killing flies that entered the van, chose a motel, killing flies that followed us, then wondered what to do with ourselves.  The outside of the family motel was decorated with iron sculptures and beautiful flowers.  We learned that the owner had an art studio back behind the guest rooms.  It was a tiny cottage surrounded by artfully planted wild flowers and more of the metal insects and other creative items.  The artist spent most of his free time in Algonquin Provincial Park, and he painted the wilderness of the park in all the seasons.  I chose a small print of a creek in the snow.  Even now when I look at that print, I see not just a snow covered log over a stream, I see a haven from those flies.  I see beauty and memory, and I smile.  The best moments from any trip are the memories, and the bonds formed.

            

decorating with travel by Shelley Hopkins

We gain so much from travel.  We learn about other cultures, about food and customs, and we learn history.  We create memories and build bonds with our travel companions.  Today I am using my love of travel to decorate.

My family has just moved from one state to another, leaving most of our furniture and extra items in a house, hoping the house will show better with our things on the walls. This means white walls and no personality.  My favorite method of decorating is to have a beautiful view out of as many windows as possible, and this apartment does pretty well, with large windows overlooking the woods.  I can see tall oaks, a cool blue autumn sky, and the roof tops of other apartments.  I have all my houseplants, and a few basic necessities like a bookshelf full of books and a piano.  We are using a card table with flimsy folding chairs for eating and sitting.  We have no pictures on our walls.  I have decided to print a few of our photographs from various travels.

I visited with a friend of mine, and she gave me a tour of her new home.  She had decorated her home entirely from her travel photographs, choosing for a guest bedroom fall scenes from the Tennessee Mountains while the guest bathroom highlighted English architecture and iron fences.  She had tall snow covered mountains in her living room, and colorful market photos in her kitchen.  Walking through the home I enjoyed the photographs, the sharing of travels, and the interesting pairing of style to each room.  We have just moved from the mountains to the coast.   I might print a winter scene from West Virginia, bare trees in the snow, for my bedroom.  White snow and dark trees make for a peaceful picture.  Maybe I’ll choose a beach scene, sea oats framing sand and sea for the living room.  Not only does the actual picture evoke a mood, but also the memory and location can help to decorate, a style that works more for the homeowner or renter than for visitors.

I have also started a globe and map collection from thrift shops, although the problem with this is that right now I have a collection of one.  Every collection has to start somewhere, so every true collection starts small.  My one globe has the added attraction of starting daydreams.  I may have a to do list in hand, but as I am straightening, I glance at the globe, and suddenly start thinking about travels, other places, and my useful day is threatened. 

I searched the Internet for decorating with a travel theme, and found room after room decorated with maps.  Children’s rooms had colorful maps, living rooms and dining rooms had vintage maps and in the family rooms maps were used to display locations the family may have had visited.  I have another friend that decorated her family room with paintings by her daughter.  The daughter was in an art class, and she had created about 15 different paintings taken from family vacation photos.  When it comes to decorating with the travel theme, ideas are endless.  

cooking acorn pancakes by Shelley Hopkins

Bang, bang, I swing the hammer down, scattering acorns all over my kitchen counter and my floor.  Apparently you don’t need to hit the acorns quite so hard.  Tap, tap, and I crack them open.  I can now pull the shells apart to reveal the nutty meat.  I try popping the meat out with no luck.  I try using a knife, and then my fingernails.  The nut’s meat crumbles a little, but stays in place.  My husband, watching me while working on his computer, suggests using our grapefruit spoon.  As I gain a little technique, the serrated spoon seems to work the best, and in just three long hours I have a small pie tin full of acorn meats.  I had to toss nearly half of the nuts due to worms or rot.  I tasted an acorn and nearly spit it out right onto my kitchen floor due to its bitter taste.

Yesterday while collecting the acorns I was full of enthusiasm.  It was a pretty day in the woods and acorns were easy to find.  I had an aura of self-sufficiency; I knew that no matter what might happen some day I could feed my family.  I had never thought about acorns as a food supply before.  I fantasized about collecting a bagful every week, free and healthy food.  Then the work began, separating the acorns with obvious worm holes, learning how hard to hit the nuts, then dragging the meat out.  Tapping away I thought about some of our colloquial sayings such as “he’s a tough nut to crack,” used when it is difficult to really understand a person or to get that person to open up and talk about himself.  I cracked open several acorns to find brown dust instead of healthy yellow meat, and I thought about another phrase we use, “He’s a bad nut.”  My husband might watch me tapping away at these acorns and think of another use of the word nut, as in “she is nuts to spend her time this way.”  

The next step is to grind the meat into a watery powder with my food processor.  I end up with a brown gooey mess.  Next I pour this acorn paste on a kitchen towel over a strainer.  I rinse the paste with cold water and squeeze out the excess liquid, repeating to get rid of the tannins.  Tannic acid gives acorns a bitter taste, but after rinsing only a couple of times I try a bite and am pleased.  My acorn powder has a light nutty flavor. 

My next step was to dry the nut paste, so I spread the acorn powder out on a dish and put the dish into a warm oven.  Now I am excited again.  A single day of work yielded enough acorn flour to fill one pint jar, but the flour had a good taste.

I think back to when my children were babies.  I remember buying the little jars of premade baby food, until one day someone told me I could feed my baby other things.  We mashed a banana and fed it to him.  I was shocked, for some reason I had thought babies could only eat official “baby food.”  From that moment on I enjoyed creating my own healthy food, and I felt good feeding it to them.  This was a similar feeling, a revelation that not all food has to come from big box stores.  I gardened when we owned a house, I shop farmers markets, but eating edible wild foods seems even more natural, more sufficient.   Even so the work to gain ratio is high and it is hard for me to imagine living off of acorns and acorn flour like Sam from the book “My Side of the Mountain.”  As modern men and women we really take our healthy, tasty and plentiful food for granted.  Preparing the acorn flour really was a lot of work but we will all enjoy eating our pancakes tonight with supper.

Has anyone else tried this, or anything similar?  Do you have wild edible food recipes or stories about using gardens and canning to teach children where food comes from?  If so, please feel free to share.

The following link to PBS Foods will take you to the recipe I used.  If you fix these pancakes please let me know how they turned out.  I learned that I need to spend more time in the grinding stage, a few of my pancakes had acorn parts instead of acorn flour.  

http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/acorn-pancakes/?fb_action_ids=4794723386019&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366

I am not a homesteader by Shelley Hopkins

I am not a homesteader, but there are times I dream of living that frugal, self-sufficient life.  I am not a world traveler, but there are times I yearn to live simply, lightly, as I hop around the globe.  Just reading or saying the word “vagabond” stirs my soul.  I am not living on a farm raising chickens, but I can fulfill that need by baking bread or growing herbs in my window.  I may not be able to run off to the mountains and live in a tree, but I can go for long nature walks and come home with a bag full of acorns as I did today.  I may not be travelling the globe, but I can explore my local nature spots, walk for hours just to see where I end up, and observe and photograph unusual spots. 

Today the dog and I took a walk, leaving the apartment and crossing the grassy open space behind the dumpsters, passing two little ponds and following a busy road to the nearest new neighborhood.  We entered the planned community and peeked into privacy fence enclosed back yards, one after another.  Each large house has a tiny neatly cared for yard, but sometimes the backyards are truly inspired, with hammocks under shady trees and designed to give the feeling of a special and private retreat.  Once the neighborhood was fully explored we retreated to the grassy edge of the busy road.  We followed the road to a barely used dirt road that ends in the apartment’s property.  I then take my dog off the leash and enter the woods, the nature trail.

On the same day that we explore these not so wild places my parents are hiking on a snowy day in Montana.  They live in one of those wild places that allows every hike or walk to be spectacular.  Most of us do not live in those places, and therefore we have to make our own adventures, adventures based on our own attitudes as much as location.  One day on a stroll in this same neighborhood I saw a bald eagle flying overhead.  I was in a very suburban location, but I was watching one of the most beautiful raptors soaring in the sky.  The last time I saw a bald eagle was in Yellowstone, while visiting my parents.

The dog and I walk under live oaks, and I keep my eyes on the trail looking for healthy fresh acorns.  I find them in bunches, and begin to fill my plastic bag.  Everywhere I look there are acorns.  Some are cracked, some have been partially eaten or have worm holes, but many of them are fresh and I collect nut after nut.  A jogger passes by, and I wonder what she thinks about my activity.  Soon I have plenty, but there is always two or three more, just beyond the last batch.  I find acorn collecting to be addictive, like gem mining.  I wonder if the squirrels are upset to see a well fed human snatching up their food supply.  Sympathetic mosquitoes finally come out and chase me home.  I drop a bag full of acorns onto my kitchen counter.  Tomorrow I will try my hand at acorn pancakes.  Sam Gribley, from the book “My Side of the Mountain” would be proud, I hope.

My side of the mountain study by Shelley Hopkins

There are so many creative ways to study geography.  When my three kids were elementary and middle school age we decided to do a “world tour” in our home school.  We made passports, travelled to various countries, read books and studied maps, looked at art and created crafts.  At the end of the two weeks we cooked a huge meal with recipes from the country we had just studied and the kids shared their knowledge with my husband, their father. We made displays with our art projects, maps and related discoveries.  We told folk tales from the country, and listened to music.  The highlight of the evening was the meal, although some meals were definitely better than others.  Looking online and talking with friends I realize I am not the only educator to try this, but perhaps by sharing my ideas I can encourage others to start out on their own world adventures.  Also for older students or for the interest of the adults, travel literature can increase the fun and learning potential.  I no longer home school but reading, learning and trying new foods never gets old.

One year I chose, unwittingly, all of our books that I read aloud to the kids with the same theme, running away.  I was not sending any subliminal messages to my kids, I wasn’t desiring to escape my life, I can not say why I ended up choosing these books.  It makes sense that if I want to share the joy of reading I should chose books I enjoy or have enjoyed in my childhood.  That has been one of the great joys of homeschooling; sharing favorite books and watching my children enjoy them as well.  Now they discover and share their favorite books with me, and I am learning about new genres with my three very different young adults.

The Journey

Before beginning our journey lets read a fun book about that same idea, hitting the road and running away.  There are many choices out there depending on age and interest, and of course time.  In my year of the runaway we started with “My Side of the Mountain,” by Jean Craighead George, followed by “The Flight of the Doves,” by Walter Macken,  “The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” by E L Konigsburg, and  “The Hobbit,” by J.R.R. Tolkein. 

In geography class we could discuss the reasons for escaping, all of which would be different depending on the book chosen.  In “My Side of the Mountain” Sam lives in a very crowded New York City apartment.  He wishes to try living on his own, homesteading on his grandfathers abandoned farm.  He receives permission from his father, learns wilderness skills from a book and later from a new friend, and really learns through trial and error.  Sam enjoys living alone but also discovers the value of companionship with animals and a few very interesting people.

The book won the Newberry Award and was chosen in 2007 by the National Education Association as one of the “teachers top 100 books for children.”   After reading the book younger children could study more about falcons and falconry, weasels and raccoons.  They could try fishing, carving their own fishing hooks and making traps.  There are many references in the book that could be researched, such as Thoreau and his Walden.  The book, “A Pocket Guide to the Outdoors: Based on My Side of the Mountain” by Mrs. George and her daughter Twig could enhance the study as well.

The students could plan their own adventures, comparing their choices with Sam’s choices.  You could ask questions such as, “Sam took only a few items with him when he left the city, what would you take on your adventure?”  All of the studies would include map work, locating real places, perhaps researching average temperatures and weather patterns.  Imagine living in a tree without electricity in the winter in the Catskills of New York. 

I always enjoy learning about the authors of my favorite books, and Mrs. George was unconventional.  Her father was an entomologist for the US Forest Service, and her two brothers became famous naturalists who studied grizzlies in the Yellowstone area. Her website is http://www.jeancraigheadgeorge.com/

I believe the perfect ending to this quick study could be a camping trip to a local state park, or even in your backyard.  We grew up camping and I have wonderful memories, more than I could ever relate.  But Sam’s adventure was special because he was on his own.  Maybe the kids could camp alone, in the back yard or at a campsite separate from yours.  Of course that would be a decision each family would have to make on your own family values and abilities.  For the family meal you could cook venison and fish, preferably your own.  Try to use natural wild ingredients such as local berries and dandelion greens.  A little research could help to discover what is available in your area.  In my family we ended each study with a family meal and the children shared what they had learned with their dad.  You could share a video on falconry; the kids could present information on the different animals or about wilderness survival.  Everyone could eat acorn pancakes, dandelion salad and venison steaks or pan fried trout.

I googled acorn pancakes and discovered a variety of recipes and interesting blogs.  According to food.com, two acorn pancakes have 431 calories, 258 of them from fat.  This was an excellent meal for those wilderness survivors, Native Americans and pioneers, but the calorie count may be a little high for modern man. It was interesting to see how many people this book has influenced, and how many people have tried cooking acorn pancakes.  Have any of you ever cooked wild foods like this?  How did it turn out?  If I have luck with acorns I will post about that next week.

Enjoy the adventure. 

            

general teaching with travel literature by Shelley Hopkins

Teaching with Travel Literature

General Idea

            Travel books are a great way to learn about specific parts of the world.  It isn’t possible for most of us to travel all over the world, studying Spanish in Madrid, or cooking in Italy, but we can certainly follow others in their journeys.  These books entertain, they teach and they show us the culture of the places visited through the eyes of the writers.

            When I was young I read My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George.  In this book a young boy named Sam runs away from his crowded family apartment in the city to live in the wilderness.  He burns out a hollow tree for his home, catches fish and produces bread from acorns.  I daydreamed of the same kind of life.  The greatest idea that the book gave me was a feeling of self-sufficiency, in this case where one could live with nature, survive and be happy.  I don’t know how realistic the book is, but I suppose the different creative ways Sam finds food could be done, if the person were talented and lucky, and patient.  I dreamed of living alone, on the side of a mountain, in a hollow tree sheltered from snow and rain, until I discovered another book, Dove, by Robin Lee Graham.  Dove is the true account of a 16-year-old boy who pilots a small sailboat around the world.  Robin puts aside high school with the permission of his parents and alone, partially funded by articles he wrote for National Geographic Magazine, he sails from California around the globe to return to California 3 years later.  Now my dreams changed, I dreamed of living alone on a sailboat, watching the dolphins and enjoying beautiful sunsets on the sea.  In the first book I learned how to carve a fishhook and tame a hawk.  I learned that many useful items could be created from a deer carcass.  Dove taught me about general geography and about the various islands and countries he visited.  After reading the book I knew more about sailing and life at sea.  From both books I developed a feeling of independence, that people could live without all the modern conveniences and that they could live in different and interesting lifestyles.  And my desire to travel and discover the world was born.  I have read many great, and not so great travel stories and through these books I have experienced many cultures and different countries.  I have crossed the United States with John Steinbeck, hiked the Appalachian Trail a couple of times, walked across America and canoed the Mississippi, all through books.  I believe a great and interesting geography/cultures curriculum could be designed around these books, supplemented with maps and atlases.  In the next couple of posts I will share some ideas, starting with My Side of the Mountain.

travel quotes found and compiled by Shelley Hopkins

Here are a few quotes about travel.  I hope to add to this over time, as a quote inspires me.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

“Not all those who wander are lost.” – J. R. R. Tolkien

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

 “Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination.” – Roy M. Goodman

 “Too often. . .I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen.” – Louis L’Amour

“The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” – G. K. Chesterton

“It is solved by walking.” – Algerian proverb

“He who would travel happily must travel light.” – Antoine de Saint Exupéry

What are your favorite quotes?