Thursday, December 18, 2008

Visiting "our guy" Lincoln


Yesterday we visited the Abraham Lincoln Museum (http://alplm.org//home.html) in Springfield. It was totally interesting to all of us. Some of you know that Mikayla has a "thing" for Lincoln and this was evident in our trip. We spent four hours going through exhibits, watching video, and playing in "Mrs. Lincoln's Attic", a hands-on 1860's playroom for children. All of it was extremely moving. When asked what she learned about Lincoln, Mikayla said that "he was sad". One display showed his son, Willie, on his deathbed in the White House and then another nearby showed his mother, Mary Todd Lincoln, sitting alone in a rocking chair, dressed in black and holding a handkerchief. She commented on the handkerchief noting that it was for her tears. While watching the video on "Lincoln's Eyes", she exclaimed "I wanna kick his butt!" when a segment on John (Wilkes) Booth was shown, complete with the vibration of gun fire. She did well with all the graphic artwork on the Civil War and enjoyed finding photos (not graphic) on a computer touchscreen.

The final leg of our visit was spent (of course) in the gift shop, where we purchased what we call a "Lincoln Barbie Doll". Don't you think she needs an inspiring doll to play with and not just "da Prince" or good old Kenn (or "Kem" as she calls him)? I'm not so sure how we'll deal with it when she takes off all of Lincoln's clothes like she does all her other dolls!

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