Plimouth Plantation

We had great weather for a visit to the Plimouth Plantation. It was really nice there today. I am always a bit uncomfortable talking to the people in costume, but we were able to have a nice chat with a young woman today about kids games, and a gentleman in his house who was talking about his neighbors (the Wamanoag emissaries sent by the tribe sachem to communicate with the newcomers). It was actually a family of ten that lived there in the Hockamock settlement.

In was an interesting stream of events that led us here today.

Yesterday, we were inspired by the Curious George show to make some instruments of our own and I thought of this paperbag book I had seen at our library with instructions to make Native peoples' instruments. The book had some information about different tribes, and we talked about the Wampanoag Nation that was involved with the Pilgrims in 1627. Our little library was gifted by patrons with some passes this year, so we were able to reserve a pass for the Plimouth Plantation for today.

These beautiful woven mats on the inside of the We-Tu (whee-two? spelling unknown to me!) provide a path for cool and hot air to flow through the dome-like structure. There was a man in Native dress today who was making a new structure. He asked for Declan's help. I love hearing about how the children were raised alongside the adults learning by observing and playing.

In this particular structure we met a great collection of fellow homeschoolers. They were snapping pictures of all the differently shaped We-Tus because they were going to make one of their own when they got home.

Note the chamber pot! That is the green pot under the bed, which has its curtains drawn. The kids were very interested in this, along with the conversation they overheard about "snot" being fluid from the brain. Yuck.

Declan *loved* this treasure chest and the thought of it sailing over the ocean. There were only blankets in it, tho.