With a Crunch

One of the blessings God has given us as we've progressed down the path of homeschooling is other families who are on the same path, and what a joy it is to spend time with them, watch our children play together, and be encouraged by their evident commitment to God and their families! 

Last month, we got together with some of them and splashed in the water at Riven Rock.  This month, we joined up for a fun and interesting--and crunchy!--outing, beginning at the Route 11 Potato Chip factory.  

 It's not a huge factory, but we were able to watch through the windows that separate the visitor area from the actual room where the chips are being made and see almost every aspect of the process of turning hundreds of pounds of potatoes into tastefully seasoned, attractively packaged potato chips.  Plus, one of the employees there was very friendly, informative, and helpful, giving us some facts about the factory and answering our questions...AND taking our money when we were ready to buy some chips, because really, can you go to a potato chip factory and not buy anything?  Didn't think so.  ;)

 I find it interesting to learn how things work, how they happen, how something goes through some machinery and comes out in a different form.  It's truly fascinating to me, and I want my children to have a sense of wonder, as well as a base of knowledge, about how stuff works.  Being country boys, they already know that milk doesn't really come from the grocery store and eggs are not made in a carton, but I want to expand their understanding of the origin of food--and of other things.  Based on how enjoyable today's field trip went, I'm thinking that I'd like to find some other factories around here that would be willing for us to tour them...just so we can learn more about how things work.

 Moriah was a very good scholar, of course.  She always remembered to raise her hand when she wanted to ask a question, and she never got out of her seat without permission.  ;)

 At the end, we started gathering the children to get a picture of all of them.

 We never did get quite all of them in a picture together, but we came pretty close.

 The picture-taking parents.  :)

 Outside the factory, the kids were fascinated by a grasshopper, and they kept trying to touch it before it hopped away from them.  One time, David got really close; but before he could touch it, the grasshopper jumped up and bounced right into his forehead.  :)  I think Houston was the only one who managed to catch it in his hands.  Isn't it wonderful how such a simple thing can delight a group of children?

After the potato chip factory, we went to a park that was fairly close to the factory.  Since we had not been there before, I didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by all that the park had to offer.

The only bad thing about it was the abundance of gnats; they seemed to be flying everywhere--except, fortunately, in the pavilion where the picnic tables were.  But when standing or sitting in the rest of the park, the swarm of gnats was thick and immediate, demanding constant arm-raising or hand-waving to keep them at bay.  The kids were running around so fast that I don't think the gnats could keep up with them though.  :)

Other than the gnats, it was all good.  :)

A beautiful day, friends to share it with, happy children running around...

...the privilege of having Grandma Fisher with us...

...it was wonderful.

No wonder when Josiah got in the van as we prepared to head home, he exclaimed, "This was the funnest day ever!"

I was so pleased when I heard the joy in his voice that I didn't even correct his grammar.  (But the next time he makes that mistake, I'm gonna get him...)  ;)