Homeschooling: From McDonalds to Mountaintop

Looking up on Stone Mountain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We are camping at Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta, Georgia this week. It was raining this morning, and I knew my husband had to get some work done. Getting the kids outside wasn't much of an option with the rain, so I decided to remove them from the premises. After a couple shopping errands, we landed at a McDonalds for lunch. I brought coloring books and my homeschool materials with us. After eating, we had a homeschool session right there in the McDonald's. It went very well. We talked about the parts of a book and what an author and illustrator means. We also talked about the idea of personification and what it means to boast, which were in the story we read. I could tell Jonah was understanding and enjoying the lesson even as he drew an Octopus on a a piece of notebook paper. 

After reading another book or two, the sun started shining so we headed back to the RV..... except I decided to take the long way and find the other entrance to Stone Mountain Park. I enjoy taking unexplored detours. 

Upon entering the gate, I saw a sign for a historic trail. Not knowing exactly what that was I asked the kids if they wanted to take a "little" hike - thinking we would investigate a future excursion. Once out of the car, I realized the sign identified a trail going up Stone Mountain. After hiking a little ways, I was indeed convinced that the trail eventually took you to the summit. I decided we would go as far as the kids were willing and possibly come back with daddy one evening to complete the whole thing. I would periodically ask the kids if they were ready to head back to the car to which they they indicated a desire to keep going. We eventually came to a bare rocky spot that I thought may mark the halfway point. I asked them again if they wanted to head back. Perhaps thinking they were almost to the top, they again said that they wanted to keep going.  And so we kept on. Elisabeth was so cute hopping over rocks and seemed to enjoy finding the hardest route with the most rocks. They both would stop here and there to investigate a bug or some other interesting item, while I enjoyed reading the engravings along the rocky surface beneath our feet - some dating back to the 1800's.  

Taking a break

Finally, I knew we were getting close to actually reaching the top. Of course, this was the point where the kids started to complain of being tired. Keep in mind this was not a planned hike; I had nothing on me - no water, no snacks, no money - just my keys and my phone. So close to the summit, there was no way I would turn around now. So, I reminded Jonah about what he learned about boasting. As a means to motivate them to get to the top, I asked if they wouldn't like to boast to daddy that they made it all the way to the top all by themselves. They both said yeah and Elisabeth even stopped holding my hand so that she could take full credit for her own accomplishment. I had to use that ploy about three times, but it did the trick. We all successfully made it to the top of Stone Mountain, Georgia. Yeah! I was very proud of them as you can tell. I thought their accomplishment was pretty good considering that they are only 3 and 5 years old; it was certainly beyond my expectations. We called daddy from the top where thankfully there was a water fountain and bathroom (and a full-blown visitor center with concessions - here's where the money would been useful). We were able to see the campground and even make out our RV from our vantage point and my husband was able to see us through the binoculars.  

Looking down toward the campground

So we had a mountain top experience today....  It's good to know that some times it's easier getting to the top than it would seem looking up from the bottom. The hope of the end being just around the corner and being able to share the experience with others is a helpful motivation for continuing on until you reach the goal.  

Atop Stone Mountain Georgia with the Atlanta skyline in the background

Going down

Related articles

• Campsite Selection at Stone Mountain Park Campground (shannafern.com)
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Turkey Travelogue: May 25th

After the whirlwind sightseeing tour the day before, we really needed to slow things down for the kid's sakes as well as our own. So we did what any red-blooded American family would do with two small kids, we went to McDonalds. Two happy meals, and two quarter-pounders with cheese and two coca lights "buzlu" (that's Turkish for with ice or icy.)

Yes, the golden arches beckoned and we succumbed. Truth be told, we would have probably darkened the door of a McDonald's even had we not been traveling with kids. Let's face it, our track record proves it since we have visited a McDonald's in every foreign country we've ever been in - well almost - Tunisia didn't have one, and we didn't visit a Peruvian McDonald's (we found a Chili's instead), but the Columbian airport where we switched flights did. The McDonald's in Costa Rica served eggs with rice and beans for breakfast, the one in Ecuador had hot sauce on the condiment bar, and the one in London was just more expensive. When you're tired, a long way from home and longing for the familiar, there is nothing like a little Mickie D's comfort food.

So now that I've paid homage to the the wondrous marketing accomplishments of McDonald's, let's move on....

We walked the few blocks necessary toward the Hagia Sophia - noting the location of the Starbucks for future reference. I didn't exactly know much about the history of this grand edifice except that it had a lot of history - the details of which were quite vague in my mind and still are since it's been around for nearly 1,500 years!

It turns out that construction of the current building was initially completed in 537 AD by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian after previous buildings were destroyed in riots. The church itself was dedicated to the second person in the Holy Trinity - the word of God sent to earth in flesh as Jesus Christ. The Latin phonetic translation of the Greek word logos is Sophia and Hagia means holy - thus the meaning "Holy Word." And here I mistakenly thought it was named after a Saint Sophia, who I felt sorry for due to the phonetic similarity between the word Hagia and the English word hag. Alas, Saint Sophia is saved from such a negative connotation.

Constantinople (now Istanbul) was conquered in 1453 by the Ottomans and the Hagia Sophia was subsequently converted to a mosque. One of the most striking aspects of the Hagia Sophia besides its immensity and grandeur is the beautiful artwork that it has housed over the years including golden mosaics many of which have been plastered over throughout the centuries. Some have now been uncovered and restored.

The size is hard to capture on camera

Deësis mosaic

Comnenus mosaic

One of the grand columns with elaborate capitals

Here you can see layers of plaster

Arabic Calligraphy at the center of the dome

There has been some debate as to how much more restoration should take place. For the moment, there is a balance of art from both the church and mosque periods. Regardless, it is a grand site and I'm glad I had the opportunity to visit. 

What a treasure trove of history is Istanbul and in fact all of Turkey!  I hope to go back sometime - Insha Allah (God willing).  There is just so much more to see and explore.

More Pictures