We went to our first official homeschool event today, the fall homeschool days at the Biltmore in my beloved city of Asheville. It wasn’t nearly as crowded and I feared andthe demographics weren’t as heavy on the, ehem, modest crowd as I had feared. Not that there’s anything wrong with modesty, mind you, but I didn’t want to be the odd (wo)man out at yet another event. Truth be told, in my long flowy hippie skirt, I probably looked more “modest” than most of the moms there.
Like I always say: there’s a fine line between fundie and crunchy. That’s why I don’t wear headscarves. Trufax.
The Tank may have found a new career after watched the master blacksmith make a leaf keychain out of steel. He asked a lot of questions about how hot the fire got, how old the blacksmith was when he started learning, what color the steel turned, why the blacksmith added water, how “a little boy who didn’t know how to do it could learn how to do that,” and a few more. Captain Science had some good questions, too, about the types of metal the blacksmith used. Tank thought he might like to learn to hammer on metal. He was also impressed by the glassblower and said he’d like to do that, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up in a trade that also had a strong artistic element. Metalwork, woodwork, and glassblowing could all be up his alley.
Captain Science’s favorite part was the live animals on the farm. He especially loved the chicks and thinks that having our own chickens might be a point in favor of moving to Asheville in the next two years or so (our current plan, Officer Daddyman’s work allowing). He also seemed to greatly enjoy touring the Biltmore, and actually put in some effort in reading through the homeschool packet, which discussed design elements, ahead of time. The boys liked the indoor pool best. I liked the library and the picture of the Cecil children (1599!) best. I don’t know what Nana liked best — probably NOT having to carry 24 lb. Babypie on her back the whole time, like I did.
We were at Biltmore from 8:30am until around 4pm and saw a good bit of it. The boys made candles, paper quilts, symmetry drawings, and popcorn. Nana and I bought some of the leaf-shaped keychains the master blacksmith made, because they were so beautiful. We ate at the Stable Cafe, had some ice cream, and strolled around the gardens. We had a few friendly exchanges with other homeschooling families. All in all, I call this trip a success!
