Summer Fun--Visit the Military--Real things rather than TV

[queeg]

If you want to do something interesting this summer, go to your local military base and visit its museum. You paid for the stuff there, and you pay for the museum. Go use it.

Today I took my 9 year old daughter and showed her exactly what a HMMVW looked like, and what an RPG was, and let her oooh and aahh over the size of an M-1 tank. Her quote is "excellent"

The Texas museum actually has started a fairly good display of current Iraqi war stuff. I think its good for young-uns to see the real thing to understand the news a bit better since they certainly don't get any sort of social studies or current events in school.

History has a better chance of sinking in when you get to see something real rather than just crap on TV.



Texas Military Forces Museum

[paineinthearse]

1. Alternative suggestion

Take kids to the birthplace of liberty or visit historical places or repositories of historical records. Suggestions (in no particular order).

1. Constitution Hall, Philladelphia.
2. Lexington Green & the Concord North Bridge, Massachusetts.
3. Faneuil Hall, Boston.
4. The National Archives, DC.
5. The Holocost Museum, DC.
6. The homes of Henry David Thoreay, Louissa May Alcott and Ralph Waldo Emerson, Concord, Ma.
7. The Freedom Trail, Boston.

[queeg]

2. Closest thing like that here ---

is the state capitol, and since the Legislature is in session right now, the stench is really too powerful to visit.

You got to think quick too---I can take the kid anywhere after school, but if it lasts over an hour, the excitement is gone and the complaints---Are we going home now? ---start

Keep it quick, keep it focused at an appropriate age level, find something interesting and ask the kid questions to get them to think.

[paineinthearse]

3. Can you tell where I live?

Most of my suggestions are Revolution-related.