Summer of the Monkeys

December's book is SUMMER of the MONKEYS.  Boy!  Are we enjoying this book!  I think this one is my favorite story so far.
The first week, we learned all about the author, Wilson Rawls and how he loved telling stories, and writing stories.  He grew up in a very rural home in the Ozark hills and since there wasn't a school nearby- he was home schooled by his mother.  She would read him books like Little Red Hen, and Little Red Riding Hood.  Wilson thought those were GIRL books, and had little to no interest in reading anything at all.  Until....his grandmother sent the book The Call of the Wild by Jack London.  That book became his most prized possession, and he carried it with him every where he went.  He decided at a young age that he was going to tell stories with DOGS in them.   Where the Red Fern Grows was his first published story.  Summer of the Monkeys came later, and we're so glad it did.

Last week, we used our creative minds to build some humane monkey traps.  We used things from my recycle bin, using apples as monkey bait - and I've got to say how impressed I am with the clever engineering they were able to come up with to catch monkeys of all sizes. 

This week- we will wrap up our discussion on the book while tasting a "huckleberry pie that could put muscles on a grapevine".
******** As an incentive - I'll award all readers who have read up to Chapter 15 ************
************with their own vintage Ozark Jay Berry pocket weapon. ***************
***Readers who finish the entire book will also be supplied ammunition to go with the weapon***

An Introduction to Yorkshire

This week, we opened up the discussion for November's book, All Creatures Great and Small.
We heard mixed reviews and feelings about the book itself.  Some found life as a country veterinarian to be "gross" and "boring" while others (including myself) found the stories to be humorous and interesting.
Our lesson was taught by Teacher Stephanie.  Since her own mother was from Yorkshire, she was able to share some interesting facts and foods with us.  We learned that when Dr. Herriot moved to Yorkshire, it was like moving to a whole new country with having to learn a new language/dialect, new foods, and new people.  Stephanie brought some English shortbread and some ginger beer for us to snack on while we ooh-ed and ahh-ed at photos of the lush, green country side and the animals that reside there.  We learned that they wear "wellies" on their feet,  "kegs" on their legs, and they work to "addle some brass".
We wrapped up our Yorkshire experience by watching a couple of videos demonstrating the distinct Yorkshire dialect.  It sounded so foreign to our ears, but it was fun to hear the different way of speaking English.  We then attempted to speak a sentence using the new phrases that we learned.  It's a lot more difficult than we thought it would be, but it was really fun and silly.

Next week,  come prepared to train as a Veterinary Apprentice!

Our next book...

Our next book on the calendar is All Creatures Great and Small.
I need to apologize to all of you about this one.
  I admit that most of the books on our list are ones that I personally have not read yet, but wanted to.
All Creatures Great and Small has some excellent reviews and some really fun activities for us to engage in.
...BUT...
I just discovered that this book is 500 pages long!!  Ack!   Obviously, I wasn't aware of this fact when it was selected.
I know that I will not be able to read all 500 pages, and I certainly will not expect the students to, either.
I will be listening to this one via free audio book.
Please accept my apologies, and know that I've learned an important lesson about book selection research.   Let's make the best out of the situation, and read/listen to some version of the story so we can still enjoy our hands-on activities, imagining what life is like for a Country Veterinarian.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

This is our second week enjoying the adventures of Tom Sawyer. 
Last week, we had a lively discussion about what our favorite part of the story is, which parts made us giggle, and which parts made us feel squeamish.    We all agreed that it was clever and hilarious when Tom tricked his friends in to trading a "treasure" in exchange for a chance to whitewash the fence.  We wondered if whitewashing a fence is really as much fun as Tom made it out to be... Outside we went with paintbrushes in hand, to a butcher paper "fence" taped to the wall.  We divided up into two teams, and had a little competition to see which side could whitewash their half of the fence (with water) first.  Turns out,  we DO like whitewashing, but there was no clear winner.
Then we traded our paintbrush for an apple- which we ate while learning more about the author and why he chose a pen name.  Did you know that the story of Tom Sawyer is based on all the adventures Mark Twain had when he was a youngster?  Characters in the story are based on real life characters in Twain's neighborhood.  There is even the cave in Missouri that is named "Tom Sawyer Cave" as it is the same cave that a young Twain went "pirating" in many times.

This week, we started off our class with a "Buffalo Gals" sing-off.  This song is mentioned briefly in the story, and it was fun to sing the non-sensical lyrics with a catchy tune.  We understood why Tom and Huck enjoyed whistling and singing this fun song.
   Next, we turned our discussion to they way that Tom entertains himself.  He has no video games or TV to amuse him.  He uses his imagination while playing outside and magical adventures are happening all around him.  His pockets are full of "treasures" that most of us would consider trash.  We pulled out a pair of Tom's cut-off pants, and took turns reaching into the pockets to see what they contained.  Then we would try to look at the item through Tom's eyes and find imaginative ways to use them and consider them treasures.  We had a really fun time looking through a glass decanter stopper as a prism- or maybe it's a spinning top?  Could the brass key be used to scratch inside an ear?  Or maybe could it be used to dig in the dirt?  A dead rat on a string is DEFINITELY a treasure!  You can swing it around above your head, or even use it to scare the girls.  The item that had us all wishing we had one in our own pocket was the Jews Harp.  We took a few minutes to watch a video about how to move your tongue around in your mouth to make the interesting-sounding music.

Next week, we will wrap up our Tom Sawyer workshop by talking about things that happened while in the cave with Becky. 

Theme Seekers and Acorn Pancakes

This was our last week experiencing life in the wilderness like Sam Gribley.

We started out our day by designing a travel poster, enticing tourists to come visit Sam's tree and meet his animal friends.  We have some very clever artists among us!
Then our discussion turned to the book's THEME.  We read a few passages from the book that gave us clues.  We all agreed that the theme of this story is that civilized life is dangerous and boring while life in the wilderness is safe and enjoyable.
Although my tease of possum stew was received with mixed feelings- we actually had something much sweeter to taste...acorn pancakes!  We were brave enough to try pancakes made with mock-acorn meal and coconut flour, topped with black currant jam.   We also were pleased with the way sassafrass tea tastes!  Wilderness food is surprisingly tasty!

Next week- come prepared to talk about the Adventures of Tom Sawyer!

My Side of the Mountain

What a great way to kick off the school year!  Our classroom is filled with eager readers who LOVE adventure stories as much as I do.
Our first book, My Side of the Mountain, has many interesting topics for us to discuss. Last week, we learned a bit about the author, Jean Craighead George.  Did you know that her dad was a naturalist and taught her all about foraging for edible plants?  And her two brothers were the first falconers in the country.  They taught her how to train her own falcon!

We looked at a map of the east coast, and located the Catskill Mountains, we used clues to determine that this story likely took place in the 1950's, then we tried our hand at drawing nature journal sketches on the under side of a piece of tree bark.

This week, our hands-on project was about riverside clay, and how patient you need to be to be able to mold it into a preserves jar.  While our hands were busy molding our jars and lids, we enjoyed viewing video clips of weasels, falconers, and listened to hoot owls and whipporwils.

We look forward to wrapping up our discussion of this book with our taste buds.  Teacher Nalani has found a fresh opossum carcass just perfect for brewing a possum stew for us to try.  ;)

On October 12, the discussion begins on our next book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
(due to a miscalculation, Stuart Little had to be deleted from our calendar - sorry)

Christaon Themes and Animal Classification- Magician's Nephew

Week 9!

We discussed the Christain themes in the Magician's Nephew in our last class.

There aren't too many Christain theme's in this chronicle, compared to the other books, but the theme of creation is pretty big.   Dignity needed to put Aslan first before his dear mother, just like we need to put God before everything in our lives.

We spent most of our time learning s little about animal classification and putting together a lap book, which we will finish this week.

We are almost done, can you believe it?!  Have The Last Battle ready to discuss by April 21st.  The planet for this book is Saturn.

Horseback riding!!

 We had a fabulous time horseback riding last week!
 Merry was awesome with her horses and we are grateful  to her for letting us ride them.
 Here are a few pictures from the day.

This week we are discussing The Magicians Nephew!  Have it read and be ready to talk about the themes Venus. 

Week 7- Hero Journey in The Horse and His Boy

This week in class, we discussed the hero journey of Shasta in The Horse and His Boy.  I had word searches, mazes and crosswords for them to work on while we talked about random things in the book that we hadn't covered yet.

In the spirit of the Calormans and their story telling art, we ended class by watching an animated video of some of the 1001 Arabian Nights and explained the story of Scheherazade.

I got my days mixed up- THIS THURSDAY IS THE HORSE BACK RIDING FIELD TRIP, not the 24th.  I will look for you at lunch and get your signature for the field trip form and collect $3 for toll and gas. We will be back at the church at 3:40.

IN CASE OF RAIN we will be discussing The Magicians Nephew.  Everyone in the class said that they could have it read by this week in case we needed to have this as a back up.  The planet Lewis used for this book is Venus.  Look for themes of creativity, fruitfulness and love.

Please email me with any questions.

Week 6 Christian Themes in A Horse and His Boy

I am really loving this Lit Wit group, I love how they participate and seriously think about the discussion we are having.  Tell your literature buffs that they are doing a great job in this class!

For week 6, we discussed Christian themes found in The Horse and His Boy. 

This chronicle has allusions to the story of Moses.  Though they begin and end life in opposite circumstances, there are several similarities.  Both are pulled from the water as babies, and both cross a desert.  Both turn their back on the country they were raised, and are saviors to their true people.  (I couldn't remember the last two points in the discussion.  Could you kindly mention it to your student for me?)

Another biblical allusion is Bree as Doubting Thomas.  The horse is explaining what he thinks the nature of Aslan is, denying that he is lion.  Aslan appears at that moment and lovingly teaches them all. 

We had a good discussion about pride.  Rabadash never became humble, Bree was humbled, but still struggled with it even after his meeting with Aslan.  Aravis was humbled, and Hwin never needed to be humbled.  Even Shasta struggled a little with pride.  One doesn't react with sulking and resentment if one is sufficiently humble.  According to CS Lewis, this story is about "the calling and conversion of a heathen,"  so we can also assume that Shasta continued to grow and humble himself even more. 

We ended class with some "iced sherbets," like Shasta experienced for his first time in Tashbaan.  I simply put water, frozen fruit and sugar in a blender.  I used a three berry mix from Costco, but any fruit combination would work.  It was yummy! 

Next week we are discussing the hero journey, general discussion questions and then an activity. 

In two weeks we are going on a field trip!  When one is studying The Horse and His Boy, one just has to go ride horses!!  On March 24, we will drive to the Dial's house in Port Orchard at the normal time that we start class.  We will return 2 hrs later, an hour after school ends.   I'll have permission slips next week and there will be a cost of $2.00 for bridge tolls.

Week 5- Discussing A Horse and His Boy

We had a great discussion of a Horse and his boy.  Lewis used Mercury as the theme for this chronicle.  This theme is worked into the story with references to swiftness, messages, directions, communication, language, adjectives, twins, and even a reference to a hat with wings on the side.  Everyone did a great job picking out the references. 

We realized a connection with the references to Turkey - Alsan is Turkish for lion, Turkish delight, and Tashbaan in Calorman being a fictional representation of Constantinople, Turkey.  

I asked if they knew anything about the Ottoman Empire and everyone burst out laughing before I could say, "not counting Studio C."  I explained that the empire was a real thing and that it lasted for about 800 yrs and ended with WWI.  England and France divided up the Middle East in what is called the Skyes-Picot agreement.  It is this agreement that has ISIS/ISIL up in arms because they want a united empire again.  I briefly mentioned how the whole contest for land started with Arbrahm's sons, Isaac and Ishmael.

Next week we will discuss the Christian themes in the story. 
 

Week 4 The Rocks, Minerals and Gems of Narnia's Underworld

 We studied rocks, minerals, and gems in the spirit of the land of Bism in the deep underworld of Narnia.

I gave a basic lesson on how rocks are formed and categorized. We pulled out the magnifying glasses, flashlights, and rock specimens and had some fun looking at rocks, minerals and semi precious jewelry.

We are discussing The Horse and His Boy next week!  The planet associated with it is Mercury.  Look for references to messages, "swift of foot", language, and directions.  This is my favorite book of the series, so I am really excited to discuss it.  :D

Week 2 and 3

For week 2 we discussed the Christian themes in the Silver Chair and had a great discussion.  We then did a blind obstacle course in the spirit of when the children and Puddleglum fell down into the Underworld and couldn't see. 

Week 3 we reviewed what Joseph Campbell's hero journey is and mapped out the journey for Jill.  We had a little more discussion and then played cock-shies.  We took turns using people as targets for balls of various sizes and stacked cups up to hit them with marbles. Good fun. 

We will discuss The Horse and His Boy in 2 weeks!  It is my favorite chronicle, so I am pretty excited to discuss it.  :D

2nd Semester, Week 1 Silver Chair

We had such a great discussion this week!  CS Lewis used the moon and water as majors themes in the Silver Chair.  I was extremely pleased with how well the kids participated and picked out all the instances of water and luna-cy.

Lunacy was thought to be caused by the moon in the middle ages. Because the moon never stood still, as it moved across the sky and was constantly changing shape, it was associated with unstableness and madness. The "lunatics" in Silver Chair are Prince Rilian and the Head Mistress of Experiment House.  There are references to forgetfulness, and trances caused by enchantments.  Other moon references are sadness, owls, and coming back into the overland during the night.

Water can also be described as unstable because as a liquid, it doesn't hold a shape.  The moon has influence over the water on earth.  There are a ton of references to water in Sliver Chair.  Rain, damp, wet, tears, a river, mist, fog, baths, fountain, waterfall, marsh, marshwiggle, "a wet blanket," snow, lake, and puddles, to name a few of them.

We lookied at pictures of the lions in Trafalgar square, as there is a reference to them in the book.  Holy cow!  Those suckers are huge!!  We ended by drawing characters from the book.  

Next week we are going to discuss the Christian symbolism in the Silver Chair.  The students were encouraged to be thinking of one word that describes what the Silver Chair is about.  To give you an idea, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is about redemption, Prince Caspian is about restoration, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is about transformation. 

Just for a heads up, The Horse and His Boy will be discussed on Feb 25th. 

 

Week 12 and Week 13

Week 12

I thought I posted before Christmas break.  Guess I was soooo ready for the break, I mentally checkout out before I posted.  haha. 

For the last class before the break, we discussed more of Voyage of the Dawn Treader and learned a little about life at sea. Class ended with tying common knots used on board ships. 

Week 13

We spent the entire class time learning about the British Empire.

We watched a bunch of cool videos and discussed each of  them a little. 

A Great British Timeline

Rise and Fall of the British Empire

Understanding the difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England 

Brief History of the Royal Family

History of the Union Jack ( I now understand those old movies of Robin Hood that had the Kings guards dressed in white tunics with a red cross.  I always thought it had to do with the crusades.  Nope, that was the English flag then.) 

How Scotland joined Great Britain

And this last one because it was fascinating.
How many countries are there?