Feeling confident I had all our curricula in place for the next school year, I decided at the last minute to attend our local homeschool bookfair, sponsored by FEAST.
Knowing the type of interesting people they could meet, I took my kids with me.
I counted it as a science and history field trip!
Richard “Little Bear” Wheeler as Sgt. York
Although I’ve heard of Little Bear for years, this was my first time to see him in action as a historical interpreter in authentic costume, telling stories with a Scriptural lesson.
On this morning, we saw him as Sgt. York, wearing an authentic WWI uniform, complete with a collection of period accurate rifles and guns.
Geeked out, my son stayed behind after the talk with several other kids to ask a million and one questions as they looked close up at the weapons.
Institute for Excellence in Writing
After meeting Little Bear, we journeyed into the Great Hall of Curricula.
The first display we visited was our favorite: IEW!
Remembering me from last year, she asked about our progress with IEW.
After chatting about all kinds of things I bought some more exciting IEW products: The Blue Book of Grammar, The Elegant Essay, and Linguistic Development through Poetry.
Teaching Textbooks
New to us this year will be Teaching Textbooks, which my daughter will use for Algebra I and my son will use for 7th grade.
Because the 7th grade math series is done with discs, my son got to try them at on their demo computer.
Home School Legal Defense Association
And then we went to the HSLDA table to renew our membership for the year. I’m so happy to help others, while this grows our homeschool freedoms around the country. As a bonus, it’s also my insurance of trouble comes knocking.
While there I perused their various books for purchase, one of which I bought by their founder, Michael Farris.
Discovery Toys
Then we shopped at the Discovery Toy table.
Since my kids played with these toys a lot in toddlerhood, I bought something for my nephew.
Alpha-Omega Institute
Then we attended a session with Dave and Mary Nutting from Alpha-Omega Institute in Colorado.
When I met them a couple of years ago at my first bookfair, I purchased some great Creationist books from then which my kids enjoyed.
Having attended all 5 of their seminars that year, I knew my kids would enjoy meeting them.
During this session Dave Nutting showed slides of National Parks of the West, while refuting evolution theory with what we know of Creationist theory.
Although the Nuttings used to be evolutionists, themselves, in time they became Christians and Creationists.
They stressed how they’ve seen lots of kids who went to church all their lives go on to college only to learn evolution, which caused them to lose their faith.
Thus, the Nuttings stressed the importance of teaching Apologetics to our kids now, while they are young.
Teach them how Creationism supports the Bible and is even supported by many current geologic processes, like Mount St. Helens and major floods.
Richard “Little Bear” Wheeler as William Wallace aka Braveheart
The next morning, we saw Little Bear again, this time dressed as William Wallace.
Little Bear told us that the movie, Braveheart, wasn’t historically accurate. I’ve not seen it, but I guess Mel Gibson wore a kilt…except they didn’t yet exist.
As Little Bear explained the 18th century history of the short kilt, he got a helper from the audience to wrap an older-style long kilt around a 5’9” boy.
Taking about 14 feet of plaid wool: he pleated it, wrapped it around the boy’s waist, wrapped a belt around it, tucked it in, and overlapped to secure it.
Little Bear explained how practical it was to carry things while wearing it, and how it could afford protection from the cold.
Then he showed us real chain mail which we later lifted: it was 45 pounds heavy!
Because Braveheart’s sword is so large, it’s thought he was 7’2” tall.
Shopping in the Great Hall of Curricula
Returning to the Great Hall, my kids spent their allowance on neat stuff they liked the day before.
My son purchased some items from Little Bear, whereas my daughter bought some books.
Meeting Davy Crocket who asked us to reenact for the Alamo
Then my son noticed the Texas Living History Association, whose Alamo reenactment we once attended.
Drawn to the guns on the display table, my son talked to them nearly an hour.
In the meantime, one of the other reenactors who looked a lot like Davy Crockett might, noticed me nearby, so he started asking me questions, then my kids joined in.
Learning that I taught I had written a San Antonio and a Texas history curriculum to teach my kids, I told him we dress in costume for the eras of history that we study.
Handing me some paperwork to join their group, he said that my kids and I knew more about Texas history than some of their own reenactors.
Wow, that was something to seriously consider.
Although I’d love to live in Virginia and reenact the 18th century, this is more realistic. It would be a great extension to our Becoming History presentations. Hmmm…
Alpha-Omega Institute
Although we had missed an earlier Creationist session, we did arrive in time to see a slide show of dinosaurs and people of the past who would have seen them.
We also saw lots of slides of cave drawings, ancient pottery and figurines, etc.
While Dave Nutting asked lots of questions, my son knew all the answers. Dave said homeschoolers who read the books he sells are stealing all his thunder!
Institute for Excellence in Writing
One more walk around all the tables in the exhibit hall yielded one more visit to our favorite curriculum, IEW.
As we looked over the materials, the lady who works the table was so delighted to see me again that she gave me a hug!
Alpha-Omega Institute Table
Then we visited the Nuttings from Colorado one last time.
After my kids told them how we’ve enjoyed summer vacations in Colorado, they said they have family camps in the Western part of Colorado.
Then my son told Dave Nutting about fossils and rocks he’s discovered in our yard that he’s had trouble identifying. Presuming they might be coming in from imported topsoil, Mr. Nutting told him to send pictures via email for help identifying them.
As we left my son told Mr. Nutting that for a topic some might consider dry, he did an excellent job making it entertaining.
The Nuttings were delightfully incredulous a 12yo boy told them that!
