Lighthouse Lesson #3: Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse in Manteo, North Carolina

Before you begin your lighthouse tour, check out The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society website.  Besides hosting America's largest keepers' descendants' gathering, the society teaches children about lighthouse history.  Before getting in your car, print off their free 19 page coloring book.  If ambitious, tell your kids about the Lighthouse Explorer Patch Program.  If your child completes 7 out of 10 activities, noting 3 are required, he or she can earn a OBLHS embroidered patch.  

While in the Outer Banks, you should visit the relatively new Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse.  Built in 2004, the lighthouse stands as a replica to the 1877 lighthouse also known at the third Roanoke lighthouse.  Due to the lighthouse protecting river traffic versus ocean traffic, the light doesn't need to stand as tall.  Even at 37 feet tall, you will easily see the lighthouse.  It jets out 40 yards into the Roanoke Sound with white exterior, black shutters, and a red shingle roof.  

Several lighthouses have served to protect boats entering and leaving the Shallowbag Bay:

- First Roanoke lighthouse (1831) experienced floods and repairs that led to abandonment

- Second Roanoke lighthouse (1858) suffered wood rot

- Third Roanoke lighthouse (1877) sold to a private owner in 1955 who placed it on a barge; the lighthouse fell off the barge and sunk into the Albemarle Sound

Fortunately, the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum manages today's lighthouse and light still shines 19 miles offshore.  In the spring, summer, and early fall, you can visit the interior which also includes a fourth-order Fresnel lens and local Manteo exhibits.  Just walk down the wooden boardwalk and visit.

Lighthouse Lesson #2: Bodie Island Lighthouse

Bodie Island Light Station stands proud at 170 feet tall and noticeable with it's black and white stripes. It's iconic look likely helped it make the Frommers travel guide article list "7 All-American Lighthouses".

Did you know it's not the first Bodie Island lighthouse?  Marine safety is worth the continued effort for a structure to watch over the "Graveyard of the Atlantic."  A poor foundation caused the first Bodie Island lighthouse to be abandoned.  Confederate troops who feared the lighthouse would be used as a Union observation post during the Civil War destroyed the second lighthouse.  The third lighthouse was built in 1872 and became part of the National Park Service in 1937.  The third time's the charm!

1937 was also the creation of the first national seashore.  Bodie Island Light Station is part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the first national seashore.  If you visit, consider timing your visit between the third Friday in April to Columbus Day in October.  That's when the park service allows visitors to climb the 214 steps to the top 70-foot structure.

Today the Keepers Quarters brick house also serve as one of the three Cape Hatteras visitor centers.  You can expect a small exhibit area and a bookstore.

Bodie remains as one of only a dozen remaining tall brick tower lighthouses in the United States.  It's also special because it still has it's original Fresnel lens.

Stay on the trails as signs warn of snakes.  Take the boardwalk leading from the lighthouse to an observation platform near marshes for another view.

If you love the National Park Service like me, take your kids to the other National Seashores too.  Not only will you learn about history, but also shoreline conservation.  Here's the other nine national seashores:
1) Assateague Island National Seashore (MD)
2) Canaveral (FL)
3) Cape Cod  (MA)
4) Cape Lookout (NC)
5) Cumberland Island (GA)
6) Fire Island (NY)
7) Gulf Islands (MS)
8) Padre Island (TX)
9) Point Reyes (CA)

Lighthouse Lesson #1: Cape Hatteras and 6 Lighthouse Events

Perhaps it's because I grew up near the Great Lakes that I find maritime history fascinating and lighthouses as majestic, protecting our coasts with the values of safety and stories of heroism.  Celebrate lighthouses and their keepers.  August 7th is National Lighthouse Day. 

We saw many lighthouses at the Outer Banks and the iconic Cape Hatteras in Buxton, NC stood as the most memorable.  By climbing the lighthouse, we also heard stories about the lighthouse.  Our guide pointed out where this lighthouse stood prior to 1999.  Due to erosion, the lighthouse moved to higher ground.  Known as "The Move of the Millennium", the lighthouse became the tallest masonry structure ever moved.  Perhaps it was memorable because as we looked out over the beautiful sunny & blue sky view, we also knew a hurricane watch was coming and we could imagine the danger on water years ago; overlooking "The Graveyard of the Atlantic.

Kids can expand their vocabulary:
Pharologist - one who studies or is interested in lighthouse
Wickie - a name given to lighthouse keepers, derived from the task of trimming the wick of the lamps
Prism- a tansparent piece of glass that refracts or disperses light
Beacon - a lighted or unlighted fixed aid to navigation
Lantern - a glass enclosure at the top of the lighthouse tower which housed the lighthouse lens
See the United States Lighthouse Society site for more terms.

Light up their imagination.  There's more than one day a year to teach kids about maritime history, whether touring a museum or climbing a lighthouse.  Here's six special events:

1.  Maryland Lighthouse Challenge - Sept.
You must see all mandatory stops (10 lighthouses) to proclaim "I've seen the lights" and collect a specialty designed souvenir.  Scouts have an opportunity to earn "Keeping the Lights Shining" patch.

2.  Maine Open Lighthouses Day - Sept.
Sponsored by the United States Coast Guard; climb and learn about over two dozen historic Main lights including Bass Harbor Head, Burnt Coat Harbor, and Owls Head.  Plan ahead.  The event attracts 15,000 to 18,000 visitors per year.  Stop into the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland where you'll see the largest collection of Fresnel lenses display in the US

3.  Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival - Sept. - Washington
Free, 50 year festival, fireworks, art show, children's parade, fly-over, salmon bake, fishing derby

4.  Lighthouse Challenge of NJ - Oct.
Visit up to 11 lighthouses; $2 registration fee includes a special passport book
Climbing ranges from donation to $8 (Cape May)

5.  Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival - Oct. - Alpena, MI
20 year festival; Free four day event close to Mackinaw City
Lighthouse tours, entertainment and over 100 maritime related vendors
Alpena also has the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center - free admission and you'll see shipwreck exhibits and a full size replica wooden Great Lakes schooner

6.  Lakeside Marblehead Lighthouse Festival - Oct. - Ohio
Lakeside Chautauqua and Marblehead Peninsula, crafts, pumpkin decorating contest, hayrides ($2), lighthouse tours ($2), and sailboat rides
Marblehead, 2nd oldest lighthouse on the Great Lakes, had the first female lighthouse keeper in the US

State Park #3: Wailu River State Park - Kauai's Fern Grotto

My parents first took me to Hawaii and I fell for the tropical, natural beauty of the state...like every other tourist. I particularly fell for the island of Kauai.  Not many restaurants or stores, the waterfalls, parks, and beaches stood out as the main attraction.  The people didn't seem hurried.  They wanted to tell you their story.  On the Fern Grotto boat, a guide told us about the Wailua River, the only navigable river in Hawaii, and how we would pass the wettest place on earth.  Another guide told his personal story.  He explained with pride that he stared in the 1961 movie Blue Hawaii with Elvis.  We needed to watch the movie because he blows the conch shell near the hotel entrance.  Some stories draw you back to a place.  Someday I would return.

A little over a decade, we returned.  More people this time because we expanded our family.  We eagerly returned to the Wailua River State Park for another open-air boat ride by the Smith family.  This park has the only navigable river in Hawaii and contains two waterfalls (Opaeka'a Falls and Wailua Falls)  After the nature hike and songs played at the grotto, we boarded the boat back to the marina.  Dancers taught us the hula while moving on the river.  Then a guide took the microphone and explained that he stared in the 1961 movie Blue Hawaii with Elvis.  We needed to watch the movie because he blows the conch shell.  I watched the movie after returning home.

I'm not the only one impressed with the friendly local people.  Author Patricia Schultz lists "Kauai" in Hawaii as a must see site in her book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.  She notices the people, "Kauai's people are known as the friendliest in the fiftieth state, and tend to live a rural and unrushed old-time Hawaiian lifestyle, in which natural beauty and not overly plush Maui-style resort life is the focus."  

Dance can tell you stories too.  In ancient Hawaii, hula was used to keep history.  Watch the hand gestures.  The missionaries suppressed the hula, but King David Kalakaua restored hula.  The biggest hula festival and competition is the Merrie Monarch Festival held in Hilo, Hawaii.  If you want to get see hula and learn more about the Hawaiian culture without the long flight, consider taking the family to the following festivals:

1) Heritage of Aloha; Heritage Park in Santa Fe Springs, CA; May
Hawaiian and Polynesian music and dance with free admission

2) 3 Days of Aloha in the Pacific Northwest; Vancouver, WA; July
Hula competition and workshops on language, chant, and outrigger canoe paddling

3) Hawaiian Hula Days; Itasca, IL; Oct.
Held by the Hula Association of the Midwest; registration and workshop fees

NPS #3: Elk & Bison at Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park Entrance, Photo by Krenda

The year after visiting Yellowstone & Grand Teton, I asked my son where he'd like to visit on vacation.   He exclaimed "where there's bison!".  You can show your kids bison and elk at both Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.  The Jackson elk herd takes claim as the largest herd in North America.  The park objective given states having a herd of approximately 11,000 elk migrating between Grand Teton National Park and the National Elk Refuge.  In Yellowstone, we found the most elk in the Mammoth area (North Side) where they wandered among the campground lawns.  In the Grand Teton National Park, we saw them grazing in the fields.

Mountains, boats, and lake at Grand Teton

Grand Teton National Park offers more than viewing animals in nature.  The park offers educational talks, mountain scenery perfect for photography, plenty of hiking trails, and even a boat ride on the lake.

Author Patricia Schultz lists Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming as a must see site in her book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.  While she notes the overall photographic beauty, she points out a particular place, "At the foot of the range, glacial advance gouged a string of deep, cold, sapphire-blue lakes, of which Jenny Lake is one of the most beautiful and therefore most popular and visited."  For a reasonable rate, you can rent a kayak or take a ferry.  

If you want to show your kids elk, you can also find them in the eastern part of the United States. Consider a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Bison at Teton National Park; Photo by Krenda

1.  Cataloochee Valley, Great Smoky Mountains National Park:  Park released elk in 2001 and now nearly 140 elk live in the area.  Besides elk, visit the 9 historic buildings.  If you need to rent a nearby cabin, contact me or check out Lightning Bug Lodge or Indigo Moon Lodge. 

2.  Ponca Elk Center in Ponca, AR:  Drive into the Boxley Valley near the Buffalo National River, elk wer re-introduced and now there's nearly 450 elk along the river.  Visit the center for education open 5 days a week (closed Tue./Wed.); free admission.

3.  Elk Country Visitor Center in Benezette, PA:  Learn at the center which opened in 2010.  Most people drive to Winslow Hill with viewing areas and off road parking.  If you want to camp near elk, try Sinnemahoning State Park which has a small herd.

Exhausted kids after hiking and searching for animals.

Science Lesson #2: Geology and Two Caves in KY

Photo by Krenda

I find when I combine reading a book or watching a movie and then visiting the site, I learn even more.  You can set up trips to make this experience happen for your kids. 

This article covers two caves in Kentucky and their connection to literature.

1.  Mammoth Cave National Park
The National Seleogoical Society lists cave books, including one focused on Mammoth Cave, Mammoth Cave National Park by Ruth Radlauer.  They also list Amazing Bats by Frank Greenaway and Cave Life (Look Closer) by Christiane Gunzi. 

Mammoth Cave fits it's name; it's mammoth with over 365 miles mapped. Took the tour as a child and as an adult and enjoyed it.
Tips
There's multiple tour options.  Read online to select the right one for you and book early.  Tours fill up!

2.  Cave Springs Cavern
If you want to combine nature and literature with your kids, consider staying 6 miles away at Oak Hill Farm and Cabins in Smith Grove, KY.  While the Mammoth Cave is impressive, I found the Cave Springs Cavern on Oak Hills Farm to be even more interesting and mysterious.  Formerly used as a rare Native American ceremonial site, "the family" radio carbon dated 30 BC.  The owner and protector, Bill J Marohonic, gave us a personal tour included in our stay.

If you plan ahead, have your children read one of his books:  Dream Catcher How We Saved A Kentucky Time Capsule or My Conversion from a Humanist to a Believer.  You can also look up the PBS 9 minute video - that's how I learned about the unique site.

Bill will also tell you about his love for nature and animals.  He rescues horses and you can visit them.  His 17 acre estate includes a nature preserve.  At night, stay up to watch the bats circle under the moon light.

Tips
Book the bed & breakfast stay, tour no charge. If you have children and have a choice, choose the older log cabin, nicer than the new cabin.  Bill also rents out rooms in his 1857 antebellum home.

Thinking Global in the USA #2: 7 US Cities to Celebrate Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year has been celebrated for more than four thousand years.  It's a two week festival marking the end of winter and beginning of spring.  Over a billion people around the world celebrate Chinese New Year.  For a fun geography lesson, mix holidays and locations;  challenge your kids to find 7 countries/territories in Asia that celebrate the Chinese New Year:  1) China, 2) Hong Kong, 3) Philippines, 4) Malaysia, 5) Indonesia, 6) Thailand, 7) Singapore.

Festivities at Chinese New Year; Evansville, IN

Before the event, practice a few of the traditions: 
1) Clean the house, sweeping out the ill fortune, making space for good luck
2) Decorate the house, place tangerines and oranges on display as a sign of luck and wealth
3) Give kids money in a red envelope, symbolizing happiness, good luck, and wealth

Ribbons and Beautiful Costumes; Evansville, IN

You don't need to travel to China for your family to enjoy the Chinese New Year celebration.  Chinese make up the 3rd largest immigration group in the US and they welcome you to celebrate Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year. 
It occurs on the last day of the month of the Chinese calendar (Feb. this year).

Dragon in Evansville, IN; Photo by Krenda

A friend of mine at work asked if my family would like to attend Chinese New Year at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Evansville, IN.  My friend and his wife planned to perform a duet.  Of course I replied "Yes!"  We enjoyed the traditional dragon dance (photo above), violin and yo-yo performances, dances, costume show, and delicious dinner.  Dragons are a powerful symbol in China and believed to bring good luck.

Chinatown in Chicago

Dragon at parade

 When we moved to Chicago, of course I wanted to visit Chinatown.  I coordinated the timing to occur on the New Year's parade.  If you go, go early.  Parking proved more difficult than we anticipated.  After a brisk walk in the cool weather, we arrived and listened to government officials introduce the events.  The streets were crowded, making it difficult for the kids to see everything.  Glad the dragon bobs and weaves above and floats had scale and height.  The restaurants also had crowds and waiting lines.  Just another excuse for us to return on another day.


Look for parades and events in your town.  Here's 7 US cities offering festival events:

Float in Chicago parade

1.  Kansas City - $20 tickets include speech competition, cultural fair, piano and violin recital
2.  Chicago, IL - 2 parade - Argyle and Chinatown, concert at Symphony Center
3.  Philadelphia, PA - midnight lion dance at 11PM and parade at 11AM

Chinatown in Chicago

4.  New York, NY - parade in Chinatown and martial arts demonstrations
5.  Butte, Montana - parade and 10,000 fireworks
6.  San Francisco, CA - Lunar New Year parade and Miss Chinatown USA crowning
7.  Seattle, Washington - parade, costume content, Hawaiian dances, Japanese taiko drumming

Art Lesson #6: 7 Glass Factory Tours

Fire and glass always catch kids attention (and mine too).  Immerse your child in the art production to appreciate art.  You never know when the production (vs. the final product) sparks a fire in one's interest.

Glass is beautiful to me, especially in an art form like a vase or stained glass window.  William J. Benko is also inspirational to me since he took a risk, moving from Europe to the United States to begin the first US glasshouse that could supply mouth blown (Antique) sheet glass for stained glass windows.  He began his company in 1893 in Kokomo, IN. 

 I became interested in the Blenko Glass company after watching a PBS show about it and then took a road trip to tour the production in West Virginia.  You can watch the glassblowing in action and purchase vases and bowls onsite.


Lesson Idea
Two suggestions based upon my story, 1) tune into your public tv station, it's full of local travel stories that will inspire you and your family to explore, 2) take your child to a glass factory or museum

Here's 7 glass factories/museums to consider:
1.  Blenko - Milton, WV (pictured above), check out website www.blenko.com for store coupon and demonstration times (usually open 9AM-4PM)
2.  Boyd's Crystal Art Glass Inc. - Cambridge, Ohio (OH)
3.  Corning Museum of Glass - NY (everyday, adult $15, free under 19 yrs)
4.  Fenton Art Glass Co. - Williamstown, WV (select Saturdays)
5.  Kokomo Opalescent Glass - Kokomo, IN (Tue. - Fri.)
6.  Mosser Glass Inc. - Cambridge, Ohio (OH)
7.  Glassworks - Louisville, Kentucky (KY)

If you've been to any of the glass factory tours above, please write a comment on whether you recommend it to other Moms.