Friday, May 11, 2007

Long Skirts and Roller Coasters

It does seem an unlikely combination, but you see both on Homeschool Day at Six Flags! Our day today began at 6:30, an early morning for the kids, but they were so excited they couldn't help themselves! By 8:30, Dana and Papa were here to take over with Audrey for the day, and we were off. Always the efficient driver, Mark found a shortcut around all of the exit traffic and before we knew it, we were finding a parking spot (FREE on Homeschool Day!)

Homeschool Day at Six Flags is certainly very different from any ordinary day at the amusement park. Vulgar, obscenity-laced t-shirts are replaced with church logos, scripture verses, and inspirational messages; everyone is just a little kinder: "You go ahead." "No, you first." "No, really, I insist..."; and the park attendants feel it's their duty, even if they can't carry a tune in a bucket, to sing interactive songs like "If You're Happy and You Know It": this is what passes the time while you wait in shorter than usual lines.

This year, the three older ones all reach the 42" height requirement for a majority of the rides, so we immediately headed to the Mine Train, a favorite with the two tallest from last year. All three concurred that this was a great ride, and so the tone was set for the day. Favorite rides were voted in and ridden twice, and Mom and Dad even got to take turns riding one of the more daring roller coasters--for this ride, there was no line at all!

We headed back home to Dana and Papa and Audrey around 4:00, souvenir lunchboxes in hand and Six Flag maps unfolded and studied. And, yes, we even did a few map skills activities on the way home--now there's a school day!

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