Davy Crockett Part 1: Tall Tales and the War of 1812

 We followed our normal routine and after reviewing our brave Mountain Men we introduced Davy Crockett.  We used this powerpoint.

A few slides into the powerpoint we read Davy Crockett Saves the World. It's a great example of the many tall tales that have been told about Davy Crockett over the years.

Then we continued the powerpoint.  It includes a link to the  Ballad of Davy Crockett and to Johnny Horton's Battle of New Orleans.

We emphasized many of  Davy Crockett's actual heroic qualities: he was a hard worker, he had great hunting and survival skills, he was a good soldier and even a good politician.  One of my favorite stories about him, however, deals with his integrity.  

When members of the U.S. Congress introduced the inhumane, unconstitutional Indian Removal Act Crockett refused to vote for it.  Even though it was popular and his constituents refused to reelect him because he fought the act, Crockett followed his conscience and stood for what is right.

Afterward, we practiced our sharpshooting skills with nerf guns.  

Hugh Glass and John Colter: Mountain Men, Survival and the American Dream

Mountain Men: True Grit and Tall TalesThe boys will play for 30 minutes.

Then we will record their numbers for their exercises..

We'll then do the Pledge of Allegiance and go over the class rules and affirmations

• I am a warrior
  
• I play hard
  
• I work hard
  
• I respect others
  
• I never quit
  
• I defend those who can't defend themselves
  
• I fight for what is right
  
• I am a son of God
  

We then read from Mountain Men: True Grit and Tall Tales, by Andrew Glass.  This is such a fun book for kids!

First we read about John Colter, who had to run away from the Blackfoot Indians.  After reading and discussing his courage and will to survive, we ran and did 6 laps to get a feel for how he must have felt.  
Then we went back inside and read about Hugh Glass, who survived a bear attack against all odds and crawled back to civilization.  His story was recently depicted on the big screen in the film The Revenant. It’s definitely not appropriate for children!

Afterward we had the boys do their best to crawl around the house before their got a snack.

The two points I wanted to make were about survival and the American Dream.  

These men were survivors when all the odds were against them!  Also, Mountain Men are a great example of individual enterprise.  Many came from nothing and worked hard and took huge risks to make their fortune- the classic rags to riches story.  One great defining characteristic of America is that with hard work and determination, anyone can go far.

For the record, we studied this era again the follwing week.  This time we read about Jedediah Smith.

Lewis & Clark: Teamwork and Respect

We started by having the boys help me with a chore.  They worked as a team to lift some heavy objects and after they were done we talked about how working as a team made the job go faster and it was more fun. 

Then we ended up doing an obstacle course because it was Veterans’ Day and so we wanted to recreate a bit of basic training for the boys.

Then we did burpees and pull-ups since we were short on time for our workout.  All of the boys are improving so much!

We then did the Pledge of Allegiance and went over the class rules:

• I am a warrior
• I play hard
• I work hard
• I respect others
• I never quit
• I defend those who can't defend themselves
• I fight for what is right
• I am a son of God

We then reviewed the Constitution (we didn’t talk very much about last week's hero since we needed to lay the foundation- “What is a law?” “What is the Constitution?”).  We then went to a map to talk about the Louisiana Purchase in order to  introduce our new heroes: Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

We began by reading selections from How We Crossed the West by Rosalyn Shanzer. This book is awesome!  I highly recommend it.

I tried to emphasize how the Corps of Discovery (the name of their group) worked as a team- so much that they showed great respect for every team member (including Sacajawea and the slave York, both of whom were treated as equals and even given an equal vote when the group made a big decision.)

We were going to watch some of my favorite parts of Ken Burn's documentary, The Corps of Discovery but we ran out of time!  

Concepts that you can learn from these men include but are not limited to the following:

• The group's #1 goal was to find a Northwest Passage.  Though they didn’t find it, that doesn’t make their voyage a failure
• They established good relations with the many, many Native American tribes they encountered as they traveled (with only one violent exception)
• They showed the potential the United States had for equal opportunity and tolerance with the slave, York, and their guide, Sacagawea.

Other activities a group could do would involve climbing (walls or ladders), "portaging" or carrying boats (or other heavy objects- the Corps had to do this a few times), learn how to make a fire or work on other survival skills.

James Madison and the Constitutional Convention: Compromise and Limited Government

We started by playing sharks and minnows to remind the boys of Benedict Arnold “trading teams,” as one boy out it.  They loved it.  Then they played more on the trampoline until it was time for our workout.

Today they did burpees for one minute and pull-ups.  We recorded their numbers. They are getting so much stronger!

We then did the Pledge of Allegiance and went over the class rules and affirmations

• I am a warrior
• I play hard
• I work hard
• I respect others
• I never quit
• I defend those who can't defend themselves
• I fight for what is right
• I am a son of God

We then reviewed last week's hero, Benedict Arnold, before introducing our new hero: James Madison.

We were going to read excerpts from A Picture Book of Dolley Madison and James Madison but it was just too dry for a group with their energy level.  

Instead, I printed off a copy of the constitution and talked about what it was- we started with rules and then laws and then told them it is the Supreme Law of the land.  I’m hopi nvm they can remember what it is and that we need to protect it.

Then we watched Schoolhouse Rock’s song about the Preamble.  The boys didn’t love it but it’s catchy and more engaging than the video I originally intended- Liberty's Kids Episode 140, "We the People."  It’s a great episode but not for a group of boys.  I think parents would have life success with one boy at a time.

These are very difficult concepts for children at this age but they are SO important to hear again and again.   It would be wonderful if the boys learned any of the following ideas:

• James Madison is known as the "Father of the Constitution" because he came up with a plan (the Virginia Plan) on which our Constitution is largely founded.
• It was HARD to get the states to agree and get the Constitution written.  It took a great deal of compromise.
• The Constitution is the "Supreme Law of the Land." It trumps all other laws, was inspired of God, and we should be VERY careful about ignoring it or tampering with it.
• The Constitution was intended to be "chains" on the government- to limit its power and NOT to limit its citizens. (This idea was articulated by Thomas Jefferson.)
• Separation of Powers and Checks and balances
• Federalism- the separation of powers between the state and federal governments.

I intended to use a hot beverage to demonstrate Separation of Powers.  I might do this next week.  We’ll feel how hot it is, then we pour it into three separate cups to demonstrate how power was divided by three branches of government to prevent any one entity from having too much power.

We then played Rock, Paper, Scissors to demonstrate checks and balances.  Without going into specifics, we shared how each branch of government could check or beat the other two branches.  I’m not sure this idea clicked at all but the boys loved it and so we’ll be playing this again as a tournament. 

Benedict Arnold: A Fallen Hero

The boys will play for 30 minutes.

Then we will do some fun relay races.

We'll then do the Pledge of Allegiance.

We'll then go over the class rules and affirmations

• I am a warrior
• I play hard
• I work hard
• I respect others
• I never quit
• I defend those who can't defend themselves
• I fight for what is right
• I am a son of God

We started by reading an amazing story about Sam Whittemore, an elderly patriot during the Revolutionary War who defended his home in an incredibly heroic way.  Here it is from Ron Carter's Unlikely Heroes.  

We discussed what he did that was heroic. 

We'll then review last week's hero, John Paul Jones, before introducing this week's new, fallen hero: Benedict Arnold.  His story is a sad one but a really great cautionary tale.

We'll begin by explaining that Benedict Arnold was a great hero and we'll watch Liberty's Kids Episode 123, "The Hessians are Coming."  This shows his courage and leadership that helped win the Battle of Saratoga, considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War.  It also shows his poor treatment at the hands of Horatio Gates (who took credit for the victory) and Arnold's angry response.

Then we'll discuss the factors that led, ultimately, to his treachery: a shattered leg that took months and months to heal, his inclination to taking offense, his wounded pride from Saratoga, being accused of treachery for petty reasons with little or no evidence, a large debt he was unable to pay, his wife's love of luxuries, and the length of time he went underpaid and unpaid for his service.

Then we will watch Liberty's Kids Episode 132, which shows what happened from this point (his treachery was discovered and he escaped to England.)

After letting the kids know that his name has now become synonymous with "traitor," we will make sure they understand the dangers of pride (being easily offended), grudges, and debt.

The Liberty's Kids Episode also talks about spies during the war, in general, and some of the ways they sent secret messages.  We will show an example of a message and use a decoder to decipher the message.

We were going to play sharks and minnows (a game in which you change sides) but we will end up playing hide and seek, instead.  

Afterward we plan to play a game that demonstrates the difference between muskets (what British soldiers and most men had during the Revolutionary War) and Pennsylvania and Kentucky long rifles, a newer technology that the British soldiers didn't have.  It leveled the playing field for the Americans in many battles.

We'll have the boys throw loose paper balls at each other and then show the difference of rifling- with balls they can throw with greater accuracy.