YouTube Origami and Colonial Piracy

Julia went on YouTube and found a tutorial for making a small origami crane. She used paper she had previously doodled on. (Doodling is all the rage these days in some circles. There are whole websites on it.)

Isn't she cute? I feel as if she'll fly right off Julia's hand.

We went on a field trip yesterday to a nearby seaport. (More on that later.) At the end of the day, we pulled the van into a parking place, opened the back end, and Julia sat and sketched.

She'd chosen one, among the many colonial homes along the waterfront, to draw. This house dates to 1706.

Part of the day was spent studying Blackbeard the Pirate and his last flagship, Queen Anne's Revenge. Later I told Julia that this lovely home was standing on this very spot, overlooking the harbor, when Blackbeard's ship was grounded on a sandbar just a few miles out, and the pirates had to flee. Can you imagine the family, peering from the upper porch with a spy glass, watching the pirates scatter in little boats to hide? Wondering whether any might come into their little village? How exciting! Combining subjects like colonial history, art, architecture, and the science of the ship's excavation is one of the best parts of homeschooling.