Questions and Answers: Columbian Mammoths

This was a day with the idea that starts with "What do you want to do today?" I'm not sure what order it was decided, but we talked about hunting fossils, then Ben brought up dinosaurs, and we ended up thinking about going to the Mammoth Site. In the end, that's what we did.

As described by their website, "The Waco Mammoth Site sits on more than 100 acres of wooded parkland along the Bosque River. Surrounded by oak, mesquite and cedar trees, the site offers an escape from the modern world and provides a glimpse into the lives of Columbian mammoths.... it is 'The nation's first and only recorded discovery of a nursery herd of Pleistocene mammoths' -- National Park Service."

Our family arrived just as a tour was beginning. I think the group consisted of my parents, Allen and me, our four kids, a stoller-toddler, about seven or eight other adults, and the tour guide. As we walked, the guide explained about the history and prehistory of the area. She asked if anyone had questions, and Jon bravely raised his hand to ask, "How many people come here to litter?" The guide was kind enough to answer the best she knew, but it was definitely what I'd consider a kid-question. I figured a lot of the information would be beyond what the little ones could understand completely, but all the boys continued to surprise us.

As we reached the entrance to the building that protects the mammoth excavation, the guide stopped the group, told us where the first bones were found by some hiking teenagers. She told us a bit about the type of mammoths that were there (Columbian mammoths, not the well-known Woolly mammoths). When she asked if anyone had questions again, Jon raised his hand... again. This time, he asked a great question: "How old are these mammoths." What a great question! These were old -- probably over 10 thousand years old.

We went into the building and we could see several sets of mammoth bones that had been uncovered. We learned more about their diets and size. There was a painting as large as an adult Columbian mammoth so the kids (and adults) could understand the enormity. As we were on the path looking into another pile of bones, we could see what looked like stone shoe-treads that were teeth. The guide asked everyone to guess how many teeth the mammoths had in their mouths. Jon guessed hundreds, Will guessed twenty-something, there was a buzz as the adults thought about it, but Ben was the kid in the crowd who surprised the guide: "Who said four? I know I heard it!" Ben was proud to raise his hand to that correct answer.

Overlooking a strange skeleton, we learned from the guide that they were bones from a camel. Yes, an American camel. The guide got us thinking again, asking how many humps an American camel should have. Again, the question was meant for the crowd, but our kiddo showed his thinking. Will raised his hand to answer, "I don't think it would have any humps because it doesn't need to store any food with all the plants here." The guide shook her head amazed that a child would know the camel had zero humps. She started to ask, "Does anyone know WHY the camel had no humps?" when she mumbled the last part because she realized that Will had already answered that part -- there was plenty of food to be had.

After the tour some of the other adults were commenting to us that we had smart kids. They started joking with each other that they wouldn't get very far on "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" game show. They kind of included us in on the joking, but then kept commenting that our fifth grader knew way more than they did about mammoths. We politely smiled, and as we walked away, we realized the strangers expected Will to be a fifth grader. They were off by a couple of years, but I decided not to point that out.

Some of the things we learned today:
•Columbian Mammoths (Mammuthus columbi) lived during the Pleistocene Epoch (2.5 million years to 10,000 years ago).

•The Columbian mammoth was one of the largest mammals to have lived during the Pleistocene Epoch. Other animals that lived during this time included giant ground sloths, short-faced bears and giant beavers.
•The Columbian mammoth is a distant relative of the Woolly mammoth, but Woolly mammoths stayed farther north in much colder regions.
•Columbian mammoths grew to more than 14 feet in height and weighed up to 10 tons (20,000 lbs). They stood 2 to 4 feet taller and weighed up to 8,000 pounds more than Woolly mammoths.
•A mammoth’s tooth could be as large as a four-pound shoe box. Mammoths had six sets of teeth during their lifetime, which could span up to 75 years.
•The mammoth’s tusks were modified incisor teeth. The tusks grew as long as 16 feet and weighed up to 200 pounds each.
•Mammoths spent up to 20 hours a day eating between 300 to 700 pounds of grass and large fruits. As a result, mammoths produced around 400 pounds of dung a day.
•Columbian mammoths walked on their tiptoes. A sponge-like pad was behind the bones of their feet, which cushioned their immense weight.

Homestead Heritage

When I was younger -- after I had left home, but before I was married -- I was visiting Waco for Thanksgiving and my parents took my brother and me to Homestead Heritage. The weekend after Thanksgiving a community of homesteaders has a festival to share their life with the public. This isn't a living history-type place, but these people choose to live a simpler life and master some of the almost-lost arts of taking products from farm to craft. We took the kids two years ago when we were there for Thanksgiving, and this year we went again, but did a lot more than before. It really is fascinating to watch men start with an eight foot log, cut it down to the point they can make spindles for a chair. Had we stayed a bit longer, we could have watched them put the lumber on the lathe, make the spindles and legs, carve the seat, and build a chair. There are demonstrations all day -- sheepdogs rounding up sheep, sheep sheering, spinning wool, making yarn from the spun wool, weaving and other textile arts, kids making apple cider, building violins, hammering brass, and so much more!

We started off the morning at the animal farm, and this may have been one of the kids' favorite parts. Will and Ben were cuddling with some silky baby bunnies, but the day was blustery enough that Ben's little buddy preferred being in the warmth of his hood. Ben just kept the huge grin on his face while he rubbed his cheek on the soft rabbit.

 Rather than just being spectators as we have in the past, we decided to try our hands at something new. Since the younger kids dipped candles last weekend, we encouraged them to pick something they haven't done before. Right away, Jon knew he wanted to do the leather crafting. He chose a picture of a horse and bull to stamp into a key fob. A teen from the community showed him how to hammer the tool, and then the nice young man held the stamp while Jon hammered -- the kid didn't not even flinch those many times Jon hammered his hand instead of the metal end. Jon was quite proud of his key chain; though none of the photos showed his work, they all showed his joy at completing his project!

Ben, Maddie, and Will all chose to make a woven coaster. Even after the ladies explained they would need to mail us the finished product (after they cut the weavings from the loom after the festival), all three still insisted that was what they wanted to try. I sat with Ben as one of the teen girls explained how the foot pedals move the strings. Gramma stayed near Maddie in case she needed help, and Allen and Granddad were near Will. All three of their projects turned out great! I had a good time watching Ben concentrate on his task: push the shuttle through, pull the comb-thing down, step on the other pedal, repeat. Will's loom was more complicated since he had to use his hands to switch the string positions, but he got the hang of it, too. Ben's coaster is the one that is mostly orange, Maddie's seems pinkish, and Will's is red, blue, yellow, and white. 

While we waited with the weaving kids, Mom and I were eyeing the sorghum taffy pulling. After the kids finished, Mom and I washed and buttered our hands, then started pulling at the sweet treats.

Sometime along the way, we had lunch, visited the working gristmill, tasted more of the homegrown grains, learned about making essential oils, and played with a few more animals. We left as the day was warming up, but we had a full day of fun and learning. I'm certain this trend will continue and we

will be back again to learn something new when we are back in Waco for Thanksgiving in two years. 

Indian Summer

Here it is the end of November and it is nice that the kids can choose to wear what they want and still be comfortable. Most of the time, they are running around outside without shoes and socks because the weather is so pretty. The colorful leaves float through the bright sky everytime the breeze even whispers, but a looming cold front occassionally fills the air with leaves. Yesterday the boys wrestled with Dad in the backyard. Both generations have plenty of ornery in their blood (I think it must skip a generation ;) and it wasn't long before they were stuffing each others' clothes with the crumbly leaves. After a while, they decided to rake leaves into a pile worthy of jumping.

Jon, Maddie, and Ben took a rest after their hard work. They patiently waited like birds in a nest for Granddad to come add to the fun.

Later in the day, Will was anxious to show Allen how hard he worked to make a tunnel for the canoe. Will and my dad trimmed the branches so they could pass underneath easily. Allen took all four kids out in the canoe, and it seemed the younger crew relaxed quickly as if they had been busy all day long.

Thanksgiving Day was just as pretty of a day. I spent the morning watching the Macy's parade on television and all four kids watched for a while, went outside for a bit, returned to see more of the parade, and went back to playing. We had a traditional turkey feast with all the fixings, and the kids went back out to play. Will carved sticks, Jon and Ben watched and helped him find more. My dad saw the boys attempting to make a bow with a stick and some string, so he helped them make one that would work. Next, he worked with each of the kids to make sure they understood how to hold it and shoot an "arrow" (pointy stick) correctly. Jon and Will stayed busy with the bow and arrows for quite awhile.

Some of us played or sat outside, some watched football on TV. I was glad to have an opportunity to take some pictures as the sun was setting. With the golden orange light, the deep blue sky, and red leafed trees all around, it was quite beautiful! It was a relaxing day, but we missed my brother's family who didn't come as planned because they all were sick.

Adventures All Around

Since Will and the other three are at different charter schools, there are rare times when they don't have school on the same days. Will has the entire week of Thanksgiving off, so he got to go see Gramma and Granddad a few days earlier than the rest of us. Since he didn't get as much time with them in the summer as he usually does, this was a thumbs-up event for all three of them. He spent time with Granddad in the canoe, he helped trim some trees (to make a tunnel for the canoe), he helped move rocks to the dam, he learned a bit about current events and trading stocks. He was frustrated for just a minute when he heard what was going on with the rest of us at the same time, but overall, he was really happy every time he talked to me on the phone.

... Meanwhile...

Allen, the little kids, and I went to see Allen's family for some special events (with limited number of tickets.) On Saturday, we went to Fort Worth with Nana, Papa, Uncle Jason, and cousin Beckham. We went to the Stockyard Museum and had lunch before heading to a living history village. Ben, Maddie, and Jon enjoyed tossing dried leaves in the air, they learned to dip candles, and we all walked around the different types of buildings and learned a bit of history.

Sunday was the "big" day. Allen had four tickets to a Dallas Cowboy's game. Will went last year, so we wanted to give the little boys a change to attend this time. Allen, Randy, Ben, and Jon headed out for a pretty day at the stadium. The game started out not-so-great, but ended with Cowboys winning in overtime, so the guys came back happy. The little boys were elated to have gotten to eat hot dogs, drink Sprite, and finish up with cookies and cotton candy.

Shelly and I took Maddie on her own fun adventure... to the American Girl Store. Okay, I'll admit it was actually MY dream come true :) I've been looking forward to this chance for many years. We started with lunch at the Bistro -- a tasty appetizer and entree for each of us. Maddie enjoyed yogurt, minimuffins, and fruit, with a spaghetti and meatball dinner. Shelley and I had soup and spinach-artichoke dip, respectively, then we each had salads that were way too big, but still quite tasty. The service was great, and the little touches -- a high chair for Marie-Grace and a cup of water for her lunch -- went a long way toward charming Maddie. Allen and I decided to let Maddie choose a Christmas present for herself, but as she wandered around, she seemed to be getting sadder and sadder. I finally pulled her to the side and asked why she was getting upset and she whined that she really wanted to find something for just two dollars, but everything cost so much more. Part of me was a bit sad for her, but I quickly explained I would be paying for her gift. The other part of me was excited that our lessons about money, spending, and allowance are sinking into her six-year old mind. She chose doll glasses (which I let her have in the car since she's been asking for them for so long,) and for Christmas she will be getting a doll watch and skating outfit from Mama and Daddy. We three ladies went across the street to the Galleria to wander around seeing the beautiful Christmas decorations and the biggest Christmas tree Maddie has ever seen. We all had our own sweet treats before heading back toward the house.

All the way around, -- Will with Granddad and Gramma, Ben and Jon out with the guys, Maddie out with the gals -- we all had a great day and made many happy memories!

Local Tourism: West Tyler

Since Will's latest school project is based on local tourist spots, we have taken a few days here and there to tour our own town. Last Saturday, our family headed to the McClendon House. We had a tour guide show us through the historic home, and we asked her for the kid-friendly version. I think that meant she left out some of the details to keep it at their attention level. It was a neat home full of antiques that most recently belonged to White House reporter Sarah McClendon.

That same day, we went to the Rose Gardens. Though we have visited the gardens many times, we have not ever been while all the roses were blooming. It was beautiful!! (... and that word just doesn't say enough.) All the kids took turns snapping photos of the vibrant flora, and I was pleasantly surprised that some of the shots they got were great (Jon's photo is of the red roses, Will's is the yellow one with a bee)! We toured the Rose Museum for the first time; Maddie enjoyed all the gorgeous bejeweled gowns, the boys had fun with all the halls and rooms the museum had.

At the end of the week, Will and I took a Tour of Tyler field trip with others from his school. The walking tour was similar to so many I've taken in other cities, but I hadn't taken a tour of Tyler yet. We stopped and read many of the historic markers around the downtown square, went inside the Smith County History Museum, stopped in an interesting antique store, heard about a shoot out, peeked into the windows of the underground tunnels between the jail and courthouse, and listened to many other tales of history. We ended the tour at the Cotton Belt Depot Museum that we visited a couple weeks before.

It has been interesting to be acting like a tourist in the town we visit almost daily. I've learned a bit more about local history -- both real and legendary. I've enjoyed seeing the sites through the eyes of children.

Will wrapped up the project today, and Allen and I were able to attend the Community Fair that his school presented. The students looked sharp and they were so proud of their projects! Will's station was at the front of his class's room about West Tyler. He stood near the door passing out brochures and answering questions about about community attractions such as those we visited. Several of his group projects were throughout the room. The brochures were part of the English and Language Arts class. The science aspect included collages of different types of erosion in West Tyler and salt-dough land form models of the area. In math, the kids created maps of the area with coordinates, calculate the area and perimeters of the region and areas within it, and give directions for how to get from one place to another. For art, each student had a sketch book with some art history, but also sketches of the area -- Will's class had drawn scenes from the zoo and rose gardens. Also, around the room were different posters that had been hanging for the several weeks the kids worked on this set of projects.