So we’ve been stuyding a homeschool unit on Stewardship. We’ve covered stewardship of time and some aspects of the body/health, recently we have been focusing on money. The rich young ruler, the widows mite and the parable of the talents have all been sounding boards for good discussion.
But on a more historical/practical level we have touched on the Federal Reserve and US Treasury. So, when I discovered there was a US Mint in Philadelphia, well, a homeschool field trip was birthed!
Entering Philly was like entering Baltimore. Lot’s of gritty industrial factories sprawling before us. Though I have to say, Baltimore definately has less smog! You can see the discolored sky from blue above this sign to hazy brown below.
The US Mint was our first stop. Fortunately, Independence National Historical Park is about a 5 block radius in the same area. So we only had to park once. We did get to view the actual coin making process from high overhead through viewing windows. Our only disapointment was not recieving free samples. Bummer.
It wasn’t long before Samuel’s stomach began taking over as tour guide.
Here we are searching for an authentic Philly Cheesesteak place.
We found it. The official cheesesteak of the Philly Eagles, at the official price! Yikes. $7 got you the sandwich. No pickle, no chips, no drink. We licked our fingers clean. I think next time we’ll eat from the hot dog cart!
This is the alley where Ben Franklin would walk to and from his home daily.
The FIRST Post Office… thank you Ben Franklin!
Samuel giving his thoughts on our forefathers thoughts…… and the current state of affairs.
The Liberty Bell, the freedom bell….. over 200 years old… I remember seeing pictures in my high school history class. Pretty cool to be there.
It is also challenging to see it as the symbol for freedom, yet knowing how the ideal of freedom has shifted over the last200 years. The freedom of religion, freeing of the slaves, womens rights, the end of segregation… all amazing strides. I wonder though when “the ideal” of freedom will begin to show a more tainted face as mankind continues to re-define it, at times I think it already has.
Independence Hall. The first courthouse, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence happened here.
Just love that 18th century architecture.
My little smarty pants showcasing some Ben Franklin specs.
While we had the time to see more, the “little people” (Joey/Gabe) were pretty much done with history for the day. So, see ya’ next time Philly!
Fun fun fun!
Have you watched National Treasure with Nicholas Cage? Now the kids will recognize lots of things!