Frontier Days for Homeschoolers

The Historic Washington State Park interpretive staff will provide a special experience for homeschool groups on October 4. Students will experience Frontier Days as the 19th century pioneers would have experienced it. Programming will be designed to correlate with state curriculum requirements. Sign up early for this hands-on adventure! Contact the park for further details and reservations.

Date: October 4, 2013

Time: 9 am - 4 pm

Admission: $5.50 plus tax

Phone: (870) 983-2684

Email: HistoricWashington@arkansas.com

Website: www.HistoricWashingtonStatePark.com

Honeysuckle Lane Cheese

 

Springtime in Arkansas is beautiful. My children and I took advantage of a beautiful day and drove about an hour from Little Rock to Rose Bud to visit a raw milk cheese maker.  For about two years I've been telling Ray (Sr.) at the Argenta Farmer's Market I wanted to visit and see how the cheese is made.  

Raymond and Ray Daley - I asked them to say "cheese"

The farm, Honeysuckle Lane, got its name from the honeysuckles that grow on the lane that leads to their farm.  Sadly the flowers are not yet in bloom.

Ray Sr. lives about 20 minutes from the farm and drives to Rose Bud about one a week to help make cheese.  Raymond Jr. lives close by, is a police officer, and milks the cows twice a day - he's a busy man!  In peak cheese season they make cheese twice a week.  The milk not used to make cheese they sell to be pasteurized.

Once inside, we saw a huge vat of curds and whey...just like Little Miss Muffet's.  The paddle needed to stir a bit longer so we took a tour.

Inside a walk-in refrigerator we feasted our eyes on CHEESE!!  This below cheese has been cured and cut to half pound portions and is waiting to make it to your table.

This is a picture of the full "horns" that are curing for 60 days.

This is one of the Daley Dairy babies.  They raise Jersey cows, that provide the most milk fat - which makes yummy cheese.

I also saw the milking parlor but didn't take pictures.

Back inside it was time to drain the whey.

I asked how they knew when it was time to pull the plug and separate the whey, Raymond Jr. showed me.  "It's when you can squeeze it and it sticks together like this."

Once the whey was drained, they began sort of packing the curds.  I say sort of packing because like most foods worth eating, it takes time and is a bit of a process.  They weren't cramming the curds together but the process was methodical and obvious they had done it a few hundred times.

My 7.5 year old son got a real kick out of saying, "They're cutting the cheese, Mom!"

After 15 or 20 minutes they flipped over the big blocks of cheese to let more whey drain and gravity to do its thing and push the curds together.

At this point we said goodbye because my toddler wasn't nearly as interested in the process as I was.  I could have stayed a LOT longer.  As I understand it, the Daley men will stack the cheese cubes, then cut them into one-inch cubes using a press.  Then the cheese goes into molds to make the horns (shown refrigerated, above).

Before leaving we were sure to take home lots of cheese.

Honeysuckle Lane cheese can be purchased from the Local Food Club, Little Rock Athletic Club, or at the Argenta Farmer's Market (opening Day April 14).

See also GreerAR by the Day's blog post on her visit to the farm.
-Julie

Homeschool Convention in Searcy, AR

Just the messenger here.  I have not been to this convention, nor do I know anything about it other than what it says on the website.

Well, I take that back.  I know some about the convention.

I know that :
1. My friend, Lisa Lipe, will be speaking on Nutrition and Optimal Learning.
2. I will be representing the Weston A. Price Foundation and Real Food in Little Rock at a vendor's table.
3. I think a lot of people go to this homeschool convention.  A lot being more than 10 people.
4. It is in Searcy (about an hour northeast for the non-native Arkansans out there.)

Anyone else going?  Have more details that I should share?
-Julie

Arkansas State Fair discounted admission/rides tomorrow

Friday, October 21, children ages 6 and under can ride the Kiddie Rides free from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.. Free gate admission 9 a.m. to Noon for adults bringing kids.
All children through 12th grade get $3 gate admission.

Walton Family Builds Art Museum in Bentonville

A world class 200,000 square foot American Art Museum is set to open in November in Bentonville.  It will showcase art from the colonial period until today.  Read more information here.  See pictures here.

-Julie

Arkansas Strawberries!

'Tis the season! STRAWBERRIES are here!  Make sure to grab some this weekend at the farmers market.  Or make a quick run to Cabot to Holland Bottom Farm.





-Julie

Heifer Village Family Saturday

This Saturday is a "Family Saturday" at Heifer Village--free admission to their exhibit hall for some cool activities. Check it out here (scroll down).

Full-scale wilderness temple replica

I can't vouch for experiencing this personally, but I've seen an advertisement for an event at Hot Springs' Crossgate Church (Hwy 70) that offers a full-scale replica of the wilderness temple in the Bible. A $5 contribution is requested, and groups of 10 or more are asked to make reservations. You can check out a video and further information, including hours, here.

Field Trip Ideas

Being the nerd I am, I made a spreadsheet of all the field trips I'd like to take...one day.  You can download it here.

The places aren't in any particular order.  I started with a visitor's brochure I picked up and added some places of my own (like cheese making and a worm farm) along the way.

Note: some of the places are open on Sundays, though not marked as such in the "hours" column.  We might see some of these as a family but most of them we'll probably see during the week.

-Julie

Historic Washington State Park:: Civil War Weekend, Nov. 5-7

November 6 and 7 is the Civil War Weekend at Historic Washington State Park.  The school program is Friday, November 5.

The website doesn't give many details, so I recommend calling if you're thinking of going.

However, all the moms were raving about how wonderful it is. I'm sad that my family will be out of town or we'd be there.

Below is a portion of an email (excuse the format, I'm lazy and just cut/paste).

Historic Washington State Park

CIVIL WAR WEEKEND 2010

SCHOOL PROGRAMS FRIDAY, November 5

1.   1874 court house visitor center:
The 1874 Court House visitor center contains orientation information about historic Washington and exhibits thematically linked to the civil war during this special weekend.  There will be special civil war music programs in the upstairs courtroom you will not want to miss.  Also take a look in the gift shop for unique gift items to commemorate your visit!

1.   Civil war period music:
Music was a much needed pastime during the dark days of the civil war.  There was the comical, patriotic and spiritual aspects of music that motivated and sustained the masses.  You might even get to sing along!

1.  cooking in the field:
while visiting with civilian refugees students will see how people cooked on campfires to survive.

1.   artillery demonstration:
see and “hear” why artillery was known as the “king of battle”!
artillerymen will demonstrate the proper firing of actual full scale Civil war artillery.

1.   civil war medicine:
A look at how sicknesses and wounds were treated by doctors and surgeons of the military.

1.   Religion in war:
Explore the power and influence of religion during the days of the civil war.  You will be in one of the oldest churches in Arkansas!

1.    Soldier for the cause:
See soldier dressed in the Hempstead Rifles uniform. This was the first unit mustered from Hempstead county.

1.    the lady in mourning:
Death and its aftermath were stark realities for most families during the war years.  Visit with a typical lady who has lost a loved one during the conflict and see how she copes during these sad times.

1.     meet the sutler:
sutlers followed the armies and provided the soldier the means to make private purchases.  See the goods they carried and find out why.

1.     meet a town doctor:
when there weren’t enough military doctors to go around the local doctors were called upon to render much needed aid to not only their usual patients but to countless refugees and soldiers far from home.  See what tools and techniques he used to practice his noble profession.

1.      a slave’s work is never done:
while a war raged on around them those people still enslaved labored to take care of daily chores and responsibilities so that households and farms could get by with some semblance of normalcy.  Visit the sanders farmstead kitchen and grounds and learn why “a slave’s work is never done”.

1.      civil war guns and weapons:
see a special program on the more interesting and innovative firearms developed during the civil war.  Some of these were the types used in southwest Arkansas!

1.      newspapers at war:
watch a printer at work as he discusses the importance of “getting the news out” during the war.

1.      the candle shop:
visit the candle shop and learn more about early lighting.  There is also a small gift shop located here.

1.       children’s games:
young people have to play!  Join in the fun of some of nineteenth century’s more popular games.

1.       ladies and men’s fashions:
this program covers some of the more obvious differences between clothing of the nineteenth century and clothing of today.  Social customs and beliefs associated with fashion will be explored as well.

1.       period photography:
ever wondered why people photographed in the nineteenth century looked so serious? You might get a clue after your visit to a nineteenth century tintype artist.  See how he made “likenesses” of people and the tools required.

1.       politics and war:
Arkansas has seceded from the Union and has joined the Confederate States of America. Witness a rousing speech by a local political leader elected to represent the state in the Confederate legislature in the 1836 court house.

1.        infantry drill:
so you want to be a civil war soldier?  Well, you’ve got some shaping up to do!  Learn the basics of infantry drill with our courteous and mild mannered drill instructors!  Bring your marching shoes!

1.         cavalry equipment:
meet a typical civil war cavalryman and examine the saddles

and equipment required to carry out mounted service in war.

1.       infantry camp on campaign:
explore the camp of a typical group of soldiers on campaign in the countryside.  See the ways they attempted to make life a little better amid the boredom of life in camp.  But be warned!  When soldiers are around civilians anything can happen!  You might even see a typical situation unfold at the Royston log house campsite!

1.        life at home:
visit with an average farmer at his humble home and learn how he survives during wartime.  He will show you some much needed skills in woodcraft and self sufficiency that any person would need during such a crisis.

1.         woodcraft:
learn how rails were split, shingles rived, and beams hewed to make a home from the wilds of the forest.

1.          home gardens:
food is a necessity and especially in wartime with shortages of all types of foodstuffs.  Visit with a gentleman and learn how he tends his important garden!

1.          swords and plowshares:
experience firsthand the sights and sounds of a working blacksmith shop.  Smiths were called upon to help in any way possible toward the equipping of the armies during the war.