The minions shook the hold of Nintendo DS and actually learned something this weekend

We had a stay-in -Lair day yesterday, thanks to heavy rains in the area. I looked out amongst my throng of Minions and noticed that their eyes were all glued to little tiny screens. I thought this would be a perfect time for a forced learning experience. I ordered all electronics turned off and then told them all that their would be a block of instruction on the a facet of the American West.  I started with a brief lecture on ranching, the cattle industry, and the logistics  of getting beef from the rural ranches to the cities in 19th century America. I then wrapped up the lecture with a showing of John Wayne's western classic: The Cowboys.  

For those of you bereft of a classical education, The Cowboys is the story of a rancher who is forced to use schoolboys to help move his cattle 400 miles from his ranch to the rail lines. The movie is a wonderful coming of age tale and one of "The Dukes" best performances. 


The Minions enjoyed the movie and at Sunday breakfast they regaled  "She who must be obeyed" with a review of the movie and how folk in the big cities got their beef.  So all in all, the lesson stuck.


Next week we'll be taking a look at the tensions between Norman and Saxon in Merrie Old England with a showing of Errol Flynn's - The Adventures of Robin Hood.