Co-op in Review: August 23, 2012

It was the greatest real estate bargain in the history of the United States.  A cash-strapped and desperate-to-keep-fighting Napoleon sold all of his North American territory to the United States for only $15 million dollars.  With this purchase, called Louisiana, the United States doubled it's size.  And, President Thomas Jefferson wanted to know what this unexplored new territory was like.  He asked his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis to head up the expedition, and Lewis asked his friend William Clark to join him in directing the trip.  A fifteen year old Shoshone Indian, Sacagawea (who was married to a French fur trader and knew both English and native languages), eventually joined the 33 explorers who set out from Camp Dubois, near present day St. Louis.  The goal of the expedition was to first and foremost find a land route to the great Pacific ocean.  They were also to make maps, report on the geography and landscape of the territory and make note of the types of animals and people inhabiting the land.  The 16 month-long treacherous journey from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean and back accomplished all of the goals, although a viable, commercial passage to the Pacific was not found.    All three history classes discussed the Lewis and Clark expedition and the presidency of Thomas Jefferson this week.  The Dialectic and Upper Grammar classes both made Keel boats.  This was the style of boat that the Lewis and Clark expedition used in the wider Missouri River.  Later on, they would use canoes in the smaller and rockier rivers.  The Lower Grammar class made explorer pouches and journals.  They they went on an expedition of their own around the Arizona Community Church campus.  The Five in a Row class read the story, "Prayer for a Child."  This book tells the prayer written for one little girl, but which is really a prayer for boys and girls all over the world.  It tells of the love of friends and family, but most of all the kindly protection of God.  The kids talked about praying for children all over the world and made adorable prayer pockets.