June 5, 2012
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Learning with Columbus
We aren't real active in a homeschool group, but we do subscribe to one that provides us with many excellent field trip opportunities. Last week, we joined other homeschoolers for a tour of the Nina and the Pinta.
These boats are reproductions (of course) of two of Columbus' ships that he sailed in his quest to find a new route to India. They were built by Portuguese builders (in Brazil) using original construction techniques. We had talked about the ships being hand-crafted before we left and the boys wondered if the trees had been chopped or cut down. One of the crew assured us that they trees were felled as they would have been in the 1400's.
Jeremy and Justin were both fascinated by this little cannon which looks like a toy and were happy to hear that it has just been shot a couple of days before our visit. Our guide let us know that it was very loud even though they shot hamburger buns instead of cannon balls.
This flag which flew from the front of the Pinta is a reproduction of the first true flag to be seen in the new world. I waited some time for the flag to fly in the opposite direction so it wouldn't be backwards and finally gave up.
We spent about an hour on the ships and learned quite a bit of new information, making it a very worthwhile field trip.
Comments (2)
where are these ships docked at? Are there other attractions in the area that a person could spend the whole day? Sounds interesting!
@beingtriedasgold - The ships were in Richmond last week, but are sailing to Lewes, DE for this weekend. Check outhttp://www.thenina.com/ for more information. I wouldn't call Richmond a destination town, but we have enjoyed several nice outtings there. We live in a wonderful area with six presidental homes within a two-hour drive as well as numerous colonial and cival war sites. We have one boy who loves history and who eats up all the history of the area.
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