Columbus Week
It has come to my awareness that there are people on this continent, and in others, who do not appreciate Christopher Columbus nor do they acknowledge his holiday. I have read and heard a dozen arguments on this behalf, yet I cannot bend to remotely agree with them.
ANYway, in the United States of America, we observe Columbus Day on the second Monday in October. That was when I taught Ty the old poem that most of us know about the young lad Christopher.
“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” I added, “He used three ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.” Ty did not like the names of the ships and refused to repeat them. He said, “I don’t like spanish.”
“Well, Ty, in America, we celebrate Columbus Day, and Columbus wouldn’t have gone anywhere if it weren’t for the Spaniard king and queen. And the ships that were loaned to him had spanish names. So if you want to live in this country, you have to know the names of Columbus’ ships. If you don’t want to learn them in homeschool, you have to learn them in building school.”
We threaten sending him to school when he acts up.
“I don’t want to go to building school!”
“Then learn the names!”
He learned the names of the ships but with a big scowl.
We made a cake. This time we had time to put icing on it. I told the kids, while they were helping me read the recipe and put in the ingredients, that this was a cake to celebrate Columbus Day. And we baked it, waited for it to cool, and iced it.
We went outside to play on the tire swing that Dad had just put up.
Dad watches as Ty spins on the new tire swing.
Kyle wants to join the fun.
We came back inside and ate the Columbus cake together for lunch. That’s great about homeschooling: You get to have cake for lunch. And dinner. And celebrate a holiday with a new toy.
