On Friday, we visited the William G. Mather Steamship Museum in Cleveland. We had a fairly large group attend and were split into smaller groups of around 10 to tour the ship. The ship is a wonderful example of Cleveland history.
Through every doorway, you are carried back to the days when the ship was in its heyday, and so was Cleveland. There is the bridge, where the children learned about how the ship was controlled and were given a chance to turn the wheel. We walked through the Captain's quarters, which were decorated in a 1920s style as were the guest's quarters. The number of antiques is intriguing. A visiting/living room has a 1970s feel, but with a few older pieces thrown in. The guest's dining room is especially elegant, a true surprise on such a rough and rugged vessel. It suggests a different time, a time when the dichotomy between the classes was accepted and expected. Next door, we went in the officer's dining room, which had been rebuilt after a fire in the mid-80s.
We seemed to have an all-access pass, although I know that with 618 feet of ship, we couldn't have seen everything. There were a lot of very steep staircases. My 2 year old climbed up them well, but required help going down. She is a bit adventurous, so I had to keep an eye on her around the railings. The other children seemed to enjoy the ship also. They were especially intrigued by a photo album explained to us by George Yaworsky, a steward who served on the Fitzgerald, other merchant ships, and possibly the Mather as well. (sorry, I missed that info) The views from the deck were amazing. We were blessed by beautiful weather.
The end of our tour came with a small demonstration of knot-tying. Many of the children watched and attempted to learn a new skill. Also, their website contains a good amount of educational material to accompany the visit.
The cost was $4.00 per person, which was quite economical, especially considering the care and personal attention I felt we were given. There is parking right on the dock in front of the ship. It costs $8.00, which is comparable to other lots in the area, and you can walk to other nearby attractions if you stay there.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Friday, September 02, 2005
100 Members and Still Growing!
Today, our email list gained its 100th family! Yay!!
The new mom's name is Heather Wallace. She lives near Warren and has 4 children, from 3 months old to 3rd grade. I plan to give her some fun prizes for her good timing. If you can imagine confetti falling from the ceiling, this is it!
Now might be time for a little history of this group. Take Off! Home Schooling Field Trips began a couple of years ago because I wanted my older daughter to have more opportunities to be with other children. Field trips seemed to be the perfect way to do that. I called a few of my friends who were home schoolers to join me, set up the first trip (which I believe was to Dussel Farm in Brimfield), and away we went! I did it all by snail mail and phone calls, because I didn't have internet access. The next year, our "membership" decreased a bit due to fees. In December 2004, I moved down to Holmes County and gained a computer (a Mac) with internet access. It wasn't until April 2005 that I decided to move Take Off! to the internet and email where there would be no copy or postal or long-distance costs and I could open the group up to anyone in NE Ohio. At that time, I had 6 active families in the group. So from 6 to 100 has taken only 5 months. At this rate, we're beginning to look like that old Coke commercial..."I'd like to give the world a Coke..." Everybody hold hands! "I'd like to take the world on a trip!"
We are growing all the time by leaps and bounds. I am extremely excited! While I want to include anyone who is willing to join, I will still try to keep the small group feeling as much as I can. I am planning to have two dates available for most upcoming tours, so that no one gets left out. For some tours, a large group can easily be split up to tour separately, and for others, arriving on different days will be best. There may still be times when attendance will be limited to a certain number, but I will strive to avoid this when possible.
You are all important to me and to this group. I don't want anyone to feel left out. Thank you so much for being a part of Take Off! Home Schooling Field Trips!
I can't wait to get to know you all. (Just be patient while I learn all of your names.)
This is me and my girls, and yes, these are Chuck E. Cheese pictures. When you find a good photographer, you have to go with it. *smiles*
Thanks,
Jen
The new mom's name is Heather Wallace. She lives near Warren and has 4 children, from 3 months old to 3rd grade. I plan to give her some fun prizes for her good timing. If you can imagine confetti falling from the ceiling, this is it!
Now might be time for a little history of this group. Take Off! Home Schooling Field Trips began a couple of years ago because I wanted my older daughter to have more opportunities to be with other children. Field trips seemed to be the perfect way to do that. I called a few of my friends who were home schoolers to join me, set up the first trip (which I believe was to Dussel Farm in Brimfield), and away we went! I did it all by snail mail and phone calls, because I didn't have internet access. The next year, our "membership" decreased a bit due to fees. In December 2004, I moved down to Holmes County and gained a computer (a Mac) with internet access. It wasn't until April 2005 that I decided to move Take Off! to the internet and email where there would be no copy or postal or long-distance costs and I could open the group up to anyone in NE Ohio. At that time, I had 6 active families in the group. So from 6 to 100 has taken only 5 months. At this rate, we're beginning to look like that old Coke commercial..."I'd like to give the world a Coke..." Everybody hold hands! "I'd like to take the world on a trip!"
We are growing all the time by leaps and bounds. I am extremely excited! While I want to include anyone who is willing to join, I will still try to keep the small group feeling as much as I can. I am planning to have two dates available for most upcoming tours, so that no one gets left out. For some tours, a large group can easily be split up to tour separately, and for others, arriving on different days will be best. There may still be times when attendance will be limited to a certain number, but I will strive to avoid this when possible.
You are all important to me and to this group. I don't want anyone to feel left out. Thank you so much for being a part of Take Off! Home Schooling Field Trips!
I can't wait to get to know you all. (Just be patient while I learn all of your names.)
This is me and my girls, and yes, these are Chuck E. Cheese pictures. When you find a good photographer, you have to go with it. *smiles*
Thanks,
Jen
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