SEABURY NAVIGATORSArchives: February 2016

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Westward HO! Decisions, Decisions!

The Westward Ho fever has struck!

Although the risk is great, we've decided we need some "elbow room" and we're going to go for it. We spent a week getting ready and making a lot more decisions.

(Note: the following journal excerpts in italics

are written by the Navigators

as they set out on the Oregon Trail)

We are going west because my garden isn’t working. I’ve heard the western land is better for gardening. Plus I could get away from the hot summers of Tennessee. ~ Oregon Trail Pioneer

My name is Alice Argeti. I am 20 years old. I am traveling west with my family: my sister and my brother and my son. We are going west because of the gold. I hope nothing bad will happen. I hope we get there before winter. ~ Oregon Trail Pioneer

How much room do we have?

In math, we figured out the perimeter, area and volume of the two types of wagons. Keeping the cost in mind, we had a decision to make:

Conestoga or Emigrant Wagon.

Conestoga Wagon--18 feet long, 11 feet high and 4 feet wide--$250

Emigrant Wagon--15 feet long, 9 feet high and 3 feet wide--$150

Yesterday my family decided to get the Conestoga wagon. We’re going to travel west because we want to find our fortune. When we are going west I hope good things will happen and I’m worried about people getting sick when we’re on our adventure. ~ Oregon Trail Pioneer

My family bought a Conestoga Wagon. I am so excited I ran out of words. Today is the best day ever! Yea!!! ~ Oregon Trail Pioneer

What should we bring?

We are relying on what we hear from others and what we can find out in books.

It's a good thing our school library and our wagon masters have lots of information!

My name is Marigold Cristina Argeti. I am twelve years old. I am traveling with my brother Nick, my father Christopher, my mother Alice, my sister Miranda and Mr. Dickenson, our handy man. We are traveling west for gold and the good farming land in Oregon and California. I am hoping we will find gold in California because we need a proper home. I am worried that Ma will get sick and die and Pa will drown trying to save the horses in a river. ~ Oregon Trail Pioneer

Do we have enough money?

We are traveling in groups of 4 to 5 people per wagon. Our "family" is each allotted $600. Should we get oxen, mules or horses? Do we need spare parts for our wagon? How much food? What about clothing, tools and furniture? Will we be able to get things along the way? How much money should we save for later? So much to think about and to collaborate about.

It was hard, but we finally chose what we wanted on the trip. It was kinda hard to get everything we wanted with $600. We decided to buy the Conestoga Wagon. We got 24 items including the Conestoga Wagon. Right now we have $129.60 remaining. We are saving some money for the trip going west. It was also hard to figure out which animal to use. Seflagate said we should get 2 prime horses for $200. But Gabriel-Eljin and Judah Target-Gunshot didn’t want to spend so much money, so they wanted to get 1 prime horse and 1 fair horse. We got in a little argument but after the fight, Seflagate went to do some research. Then Judah Target-Gunshot noticed that you could buy 4 oxen for $50 so we decided to do it. ~ Oregon Trail Pioneer

Will it all fit?

We must pack a lot in order to last us 6 months on the trail. And what about when we get there. It sure would be nice to have a piano. Maybe we'll just bring a fiddle instead.

The wagons are packed.

We've said our goodbyes.

We've begun recording our adventures in our journals.

It's time to line up the wagons and head west!

Westward Ho!

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Transitions in Transportation: a Visit to the LeMay - America's Car Museum

Our overarching concept this year is transition.

As we experience the history and transitions of America,

we see that modes of transportation also have gone through some major transitions.

And right down the highway from us

is an incredible museum that showcases one such transition:

LeMay - America's Car Museum.

"It looks like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!"

"I wish it could fly!"

"My turn to drive!"

The boy with wings was wearing a green shirt that day and matched the green screen behind us.

There's his green shirt!

And there's the barracuda that is just like my older brother's favorite Matchbox car growing up.

A walk down memory lane...

...and the gas pump read 18¢ per gallon!

This 1905 Kiblinger looked like a horseless carriage, hence the name.

We learned how the crank on a Model T worked.

It would've made us cranky on a cold, rainy morning!

Cool hood ornaments, headlights and grills

Fast race cars

A solar powered car of the future

And then it was our turn to make our own cars

and race them!

The docents said our designs were unique and amazing.

Go Seabury!

Watch out world, here come the future car designers and drivers!

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Monkeyshining Around Tacoma

Seabury School joined in on the city-wide fun of Monkeyshines,

an annual scavenger hunt that celebrates the Chinese New Year. The week before we created our own clay "Monkeyshines" and joined our fellow Tacoma-ites in the big day of hide and seek. We discovered that the giving made us feel just as good as the finding. Here are a few pictures from my group that went out and about on a brisk but sunny winter day.