Montgomery - Cradle of the Confederacy and Birthplace of Civil Rights

Montgomery, AL was the first stop on the adventure. This is where we were going to kick-off our studies on the Civil War, Segregation, and the Civil Rights Movement. As I turned on the computer so we could watch some videos on BrainPop and read articles on Time Magazine for Kids, my 9-year-old informed me he has already learned everything he needs to know about Civil Rights in third grade.

I do appreciate his confidence in the public school system but question his depth of knowledge. I don't even think there is a grade for social studies on report cards in elementary school.

Adair read us some stories on Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott before we took to the streets of downtown Montgomery. We started at the Rosa Parks Museum and Children's Annex. We boarded a time machine and traveled to Ohio, St. Louis, Philadelphia, the Civil War, and other significant historical events before we stopped at the very famous bus stop in 1955. This was a great overview of the movement and gave the kids a great understanding of how it all fits together.

The Rosa Parks Museum next door was just as informative. The guided tour kept the kids' attention and I even learned a few things. The kids had a really difficult time understanding how human beings could treat each other with such hate. I love that they live in a time of no color and truly accept each person for their differences. We spent some time discussing courage and bravery and the importance of peaceful protests. It was a great lesson on self control and making a purposeful decision on how you respond to people when they are not treating right.

Did they really listen and pay attention? I have no idea except they spent the majority of the afternoon bewildered that adults would throw balloons at other adults that were filled with water and urine. (spending way too much time trying to figure out how you would actually fill a balloon like that up?)

We have all decided that Southern Food rocks and particularity love the cheese grits and banana pudding! We didn't make it to the Edmund Pettus Bridge or the White House of the Confederacy but we had a good time at the Park in Old Town Alabama and driving by the State Capitol. We also enjoyed learning about the Tuskegee Airmen from WWII.

Day 2 Lesson: Two year olds have final veto power and you really are at the mercy of their bowel movements.