Time to get out of town Out of the city Out of the neighborhood Away from the concerts, the theme parks, and the sports arenas Away from the job, the school, and the people we know Away from the politics, the neighbors, and the traffic Away from social media, cable news, and gossip Out - into nature Out into the world Out into our beautiful state Here's a little series of posts about the great state of Missouri. It's time to get off the beaten path and do some exploring! |
During summer school, my son's class took a series of field trips. I was able to meet them at the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri, for one of them, and what a great day it was! I especially enjoyed attending a field trip in which I was not the teacher. In fact, I kept my distance for the most part and let the teachers and students interact with each other. It was interesting to see how a different teacher, in a different school in a different district, does things...you know...differently. | |
I did not focus on taking pictures during our visit, though I could have spent hours getting just the right angles and focus. The visitor's center has been significantly upgraded in recent years, and it's truly a jewel of our area. On display are some of the items with which George and the Carver family actually interacted. There are several hands-on nature items in there, as well, but I was especially drawn to Carver's Eight Cardinal Virtues. Things like this let me know that our emphasis on good citizenry is something that has been around since the beginning of humanity. For years, people have striven to teach children the ins and outs of having proper relationships with other people.
Outside, however is the place where visitors really get to interact with George. Imagine what it must have been like for his mother to give birth to George in the small cabin that was here. Imagine exploring the forest and creek with the young boy as he "put down his roots" in learning about plants. Imagine meditating as you walked the banks of the old pond.
The Carver house is here, as well, but not in its original location on the property. On my walk to the house, while traipsing around the pond, I like to find these markers with quotes from George Washington Carver. Most people probably walk right by, not "wasting their time" reading things like this, but I love the tranquility the area lends to the pondering of such thoughts.