It has been weeks since I have posted. Blame it on the start of school and my brain being on overload.  I think about it daily, but never get there.

Interestingly, I joined my husband for a documentary this evening and it happened to be on John Denver.  I have always loved John's songs with the stories he told and the melodies he carried on his guitar.  I also remember how he tragically died at an early age in an airplane crash.  As the documentary progressed, the date of his death came up and the anniversary happens to be today.  He died in 1997 at the age of 53.

Several years ago, I remember walking along the beautiful, foggy beaches of Monterey, California.  I can remember how shocked I was when my family and I came across a marker on a rock commemorating the sudden loss of John Denver.  I don't recall that I knew where he had died until our morning walk.

As a Colorado native, his songs are calling card to the beauty of our state.  He was a long time resident of Aspen, Colorado, long before it ever became the ski town it is today.  Each time I hear one of his songs, I remember how much I enjoy his music.  As I watched the documentary, I learned more about his interest in both space and NASA and the oceans with his time spent with Jacque Cousteau.

I am surprised that this commemorative rock is in my collection.  It is an obscure location, but one worth remembering.  My own personal travel lesson is to always be open to where the day might take you.  There are surprises around every corner and many are worth reflecting upon!

After years teaching about Owney, the National Railway Postal Dog, it was a treat to finally get to visit the National Postal Museum and finally see Owney in person!  The story of Owney is quite a delightful story for young children and a great way to integrate history and geography while analyzing primary sources.

The National Postal Museum has Owney on display and a fabulous railway exhibit demonstrating how mail was transported via train.  Online, take the time to explore the Smithsonian's online offerings on Owney, including the large digitized set of images of the tags he collected along the way.

The NPS is hosts a wealth of teacher resources.  I know that I take the time to look at individual parks for lesson plans and ideas.  Additionally, please take the time to look at Teaching with Historic Places sponsored by NPS.

For more fun for the kids, the NPS hosts Webrangers, a series of educational games and activities featuring the National parks.

On this day in 1963, the zip (zone improvement plan) code was introduced by the US Postal Service.  The purpose of the zip code was to improve the speed of delivery.  Mr. Zip, a friendly cartoon character, was introduced to encourage Americans to embrace the use of the extra 5 digits at the end of an address.  

Follow the link below to learn more about Mr. Zip from the National Postal Museum

Jack and his family just returned from an amazing two week adventure ALL over Alaska.  His parents love the great outdoors and both Jack and his brother, Simon, spend many hours in the exploring all that nature has to offer.   Maybe the National Park Service has a future ranger-in-training on their hands!  On their visit to Denali, the family was fortunate to have clear skies and the breathtaking view of Denali!

In honor of Father's Day, I thought I would share with you some of the research and work of my students while we studied George Washington and Mount Vernon.  

I either tie my studies to our geographic studies of the states or to our timeline studies when I am planning.  This extended study on George took place while we were studying VA (the week was                                              packed as there is SO much to look                                            at).

Moffat's friend, Zerah, gave him some royal treatment earlier in the winter and my kids truly enjoyed the photographs.  Mount Vernon continues to expand the visual choices for the virtual tour.  As it is impossible to actually take my students there, this offered a rather amazing substitute. They enjoyed having the ability to investigate rooms, rotate to see various angles and have more information available about the artifacts in the room.

Since I use an interdisciplinary approach in my classroom, drawing Mount Vernon using shapes seemed like such a natural crossover into math (we had been studying decomposing shapes in our math unit).  I am always amazed at what students can do if you have them follow you step by step.  All of the Mount Vernons had their own distinct look, but one could definitely tell which historic landmark had been drawn.  

I really enjoyed combining our books and research with Mount Vernon's online resources with our classroom art.  The students were completely engaged and my only regret was that I wanted more time!

If you have not seen the amazing Mount Vernon virtual tour, click the link below to see more!

Interestingly, in my own hometown of Colorado Springs, our city's founder's home, Glen Eyrie, literally means "Valley of the Eagle."  General William Jackson Palmer's "castle" still offers regular tours, tea, overnight stays and retreats while enjoying a glimpse into his history.  Below are images from a book that I wrote in partnership with the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum on General Palmer.  The book can be downloaded free of charge by clicking on the following link.

Summer is here and with that one simple fact means Moffat will be going more places than ever!  Oh, how I would love to say that I am the lucky host all summer, but I am not.  So many friends are gracious in my endeavors to keep teaching geography and history and the photo bank keeps growing!

Moffat's summer travels are starting off with a HUGE bang as he heads to Alaska with my friend Erica and her family (you will meet them later).  His summer travel itinerary also includes Colonial Williamsburg, Philadelphia, the Amish Country, Gettysburg, behind the scenes time at Ford's Theater, a huge road trip down and back to Florida and maybe even Bermuda!

Stay posted and enjoy your own summer adventures!  It is grand to travel!!

Moffat has been truly adopted by Lennox and his family.  He is very fortunate as his mom LOVES history and he and his family enjoy regular travel adventures to destinations of all kinds.  The photograph above is taken while exploring the Old Sheldon Church Ruins in South Carolina. When not traveling, Moffat enjoys hanging out with an Angry Bird, the Shelf Elf and Gonzo or playing with Legos. Thanks Lennox for all the fun!