A Celebration of Lewis and Clark

We spent our first week of school learning about the Lewis and Clark expedition.  The kids really enjoyed our study and we decided to celebrate the close of our study with an expedition of our own.  We went on a four mile hike in a local national park.  We picked this hike because it had two waterfalls and several different environments (wetlands, waterfalls, mountain trails, and large fields of wild blueberries).  It gave us a feeling of walking much farther than 4 miles.  It also was someplace we had never been before, so it was a brand new experience for all of us.

Several of us decided to be different characters. Daddy was Clark, Tim was Lewis, Little Red Ridinghood was Sacajawea, and our dog Boomer was Seaman (Lewis Newfoundland).  The rest of us were just explorers.

We had a picnic of lunch meat, dried fruit, fresh blueberries and nuts.  We drank lots of water, since it was still pretty warm even at the higher elevations.  The girls also picked blueberries for a little while.  I am glad we took several pieces of clothing for Tom Sawyer.  He used everything that I packed.  Sensory issues, mud and waterfalls do not always mix.  It was important to him to change quickly.  As you can see from the pictures, he changed clothes often.

I think my children are part mountain goat.  They launched themselves from one boulder to another.

They also went swimming in a cool mountain pool at the base of one of the waterfalls.  There was also lots of sun bathing to be had.  At the second waterfall, they found a natural water slide and had a blast sliding down it. 

It was a wonderful day.  The kids were brave explorers and managed to carry their own packs most of the time.  We really got the feeling of being out on a real expedition.

Let's Hit the Road field trip blog hop!
Blessings,
Dawn