Inkandescent Kids Story of the Day

Inkandescent Kids Take Us Inside George Washington’s 16-Sided Barn at Mount Vernon

Did you know that George Washington invented and designed a 16-sided treading barn for processing wheat on his plantation at Dogue Run Farm? It was in the fall of 1792, and the barn was desperately needed on Dogue Run—one of five working farms on Washington’s 8,000-acre estate.

“The new barn was to perform the same function as the English-style barns Washington had been studying for many years—for grain processing and storage—but
in a radically different manner and with several novel features,” explains Deborah Colburn, Interpretive Programs Supervisor of the Historic Trades at George Washington‘s Mount Vernon.

Be sure to watch our video featuring Colburn, who takes three of our Inkandescent Kids — AJ, Avery, and Callie — inside the barn for a history lesson. Thanks to these students from Longfellow Middle School in Fairfax County VA, for being our reporters for the day.

“Change is Normal: Part 2” by Timothy Trainer, IP attorney and author

“A simple question that is often asked is one of the most difficult and puzzling for me,” says IP attorney, author, and proud Army Brat Timothy Trainer. “What’s your hometown (a different version of this is: where did you grow up)? Hmm, that’s a good question. How should I answer that? I used to hesitate before answering. It took many, many years, meaning decades, before I settled on a pat answer that never explained very much. I would answer by saying that my father was in the military, so we moved a lot.” Read more about it!

Change is Normal: Part 1, by Timothy Trainer

IP attorney, author, and proud Army Brat Timothy Trainer says of his time growing up in the military: “Every place we live is temporary. Every school we attend is temporary, which means we have friends for short periods of time. In our environment, our friends drop into the neighborhood and school from different places. It’s possible that the new kid arriving mid-semester on a Wednesday might have just come from Germany, Japan, or Italy. It’s also possible that they just moved from Texas, California, Missouri, Kentucky, or one of the Carolinas.” Read more about it, and don’t miss Part 2!

Get Ready to “Scanimate!”

Making kids giggle, grown-ups grin — then say “how’d he do that?” — is the goal for Rufus Butler Seder. He credits his parents for helping him become a filmmaker, inventor, toymaker, and author of several moving picture books including Gallop! (2007), Swing! (2008), and his 2009 release, Waddle!