Roots of Wisdom at the North Carolina Arboretum

In the spring of 2018 our home school group toured the Roots of Wisdom exhibit at the North Carolina Arboretum.  This interactive exhibit was very engaging and allowed the kids to learn more about native cultures and their ties to nature. 

Saving Streams and Wildlife - The Confederated Tribes of  Umatilla Indian Reservation

Restoring Fish Ponds - Native Hawaiians

Re-establishing a Native Plant - Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians

Rediscovering Native Foods - Tulalip Tribes

After we toured the exhibit we explored the grounds of the arboretum and hiked to the Wild Azaela beds.

Billy Graham Library Homeschool Day

The Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC hosted its first ever homeschool day in October.  We were thrilled to go.  The library has been on our list of places to visit and this was the perfect opportunity.

The library was amazed at how many homeschoolers registered for the event.  Someone said they had over 800 people attend the event.

We enjoyed the Journey of Faith tour at the library.  The kids liked watching the video footage and looking at the displays.  We learned much more about Billy Graham and his ministry.

We enjoyed our lunch at the Graham Brother's Dairy Bar.  The kids delighted in the free snow cones and popcorn.

After lunch, we toured the Graham family home.  It reminded me of my own great-grandparents' and grandparents' houses.  A sweet little old lady that was a friend of the Grahams sat in the house and asked each child their name.  She then prayed for each child using John 3:16 and added their name to the verse.  After she prayed, she gave them a little card with a salvation prayer for them to take home.

Finally, we walked to the Memorial Prayer Garden and paid our respects to the Grahams.  It was a nice peaceful area.

I am so happy we went to the event. We will definitely go back!

NC Renaissance Festival

We attended the NC Renaissance Festival back in October. It is always a fun trip with friends to enjoy medieval times.

Ballet Folklorico de Mexico

The kids and I went to the Peace Center in November to see Ballet Folklorico de Mexico.  It was about the history of Mexico presented in a ballet format.  The ballet troupe was from the Mexico National Ballet and they were absolutely wonderful!  Even though the troupe was based out of Mexico, many of the dancers were from the United States.  Of course, the dancers were of Mexican decent and enjoyed displaying their heritage.

We enjoyed the performance and the Q and A session at the end of the performance.  We learned how hard the group trains for their performances.  Ballet dancers are very gifted athletes.  They run, lift weights, practice several hours daily, and have to have a great memory.  They must know every intricate step of their dance and many other dances they may not be performing that evening.  The Deer Dance, required the primary dancer to practice the dance for years before taking over the role from his mentor. 

We loved the performance and enjoyed the ballet immensely.