The Smiths: The Magna Carta

So the Magna Carta is in Houston right now. The Magna Carta. It has been in British archives since it was written 800 years ago and, in a few weeks, it will go back to England where it will remain for probably the next 800 years. So we snagged Nate from work for a couple hours and took our once-in-a-lifetime chance this week to see it. Because just as Indiana Jones says,
"Most people are simply passing through history. But this. . . this is history."

We learned some pretty interesting stuff about the Magna Carta but also about medieval life in general that we didn't know before. The boys loved the weapons and armor, of course.

I loved all the stained glass.

Here, the girls were told to pick their future occupation by choosing their favorite medieval shop sign. Of course Eliza picked "Wine Maker" - ha!

They also did stone rubbings. . .

and looked at "costumes".

There was a time that, unless it was the Children's Museum, going to a museum at all was more work and embarrassment than it was worth. But now my kids are old enough that I really love going to the museum with them. Clayton, Isaac, and Brigham read everything. (not always a good thing) And they tell me about it! It's like having my own personal museum guides! Three of them!

I swear, Isaac stared at this sword. . in awe. . . for 7 minutes straight.

The Magna Carta, written in 1215 and signed by King John of England, was pretty much the first ever official document that made the King subject to the law. It was the beginning of democracy and served as the basis of our own Constitution. Our current understanding of due process, trial by jury, unbiased trial, and the protection of rights can be traced back to the Magna Carta.

It's a pretty big deal.

Especially considering how long it's been around.

But besides learning several interesting things about the Magna Carta, we also discovered some pretty weird medieval stuff.

My boys were flipping through this touch screen quiz when my eyes caught sight of this. . . (????)

Yikes!

And the first display upon entering the exhibit was a giant medieval "urinal" made out of mud and sticks. The sign read: "To the poor, urine was a commodity that could be collected in sturdy urinals, like the one above and sold for extra income. The ammonia in the urine was used for a variety of purposes including tanning, leather, as a mordant to dye cloth, medicines, mouthwash, and a type of bleach." (seriously? mouthwash???) My boys got a real kick out of that one.

At the end, my kids got to add their own names with a quill pen to the official list (books) of people over the centuries that have seen the Magna Carta.