Columbus and the Boat

We celebrated Columbus Day in true, home school fashion - by going on a field trip! The Steam boat Arabia Museum reads like the "National Treasure" movie. One family's dream (father and 2 sons) of finding a sunken cargo boat in a Kansas cornfield actually proved to be successful. The barrels of boots, hats, and Wedgwood china are all displayed alongside pickles, pie fruit, and ketchup (who knew they had ketchup in pre-Civil War days?)

We also studied a bit about Columbus and colored a picture of his 3 ships. "I trust in that high God in whose hands are all victories, we very soon shall sight land," he wrote on Sept. 17, 1492. The admiral was a Third Order Franciscan who encouraged his crew regularly with chants of the Salve Regina.

Five Hundred Magazine, Volume 1/No. 2; Oct/Nov 1989 states: "Columbus was particularly devoted to the Virgin Mary and to Saint Francis. He knew by heart all of the New Testament and long passages from the Old."