Court Jester

We had a fun day yesterday (and today--we went swimming for the first time this summer and I think even Oskar had a good time).  We read: The King's Fool: A Book about Medieval and Renaissance Fools by Dana Fradon.

It is a pretty fun book.  The kids love the topic and the author included lots of great info about real historical fools.  I had to explain some of the "wit" to them.  :)

Then we watched one of my favorite old-timey movies: The Court Jester starring Danny Kaye as the jester, a very young Angela Lansbury as the spoiled rotten princess, and Glynis Johns as the love interest.  Important part of that sentence--Danny Kaye as a jester.  The plot involves Danny Kaye being mixed up in plot to overthrow the ruler or break up an alliance or some such thing but he's not really aware of the part he's playing and he's under an enchantment of which he's also not aware.  That's not a good summary.  Suffice it to say it is old school "madcap"--over-acted and silly and a whole bunch of fun.  My kids thought the whole thing was riotously funny.

Here's some clips for your enjoyment, if you enjoy this sort of thing.

Trying to Get Back Into a Groove

We are trying to get back into the swing of school around here, but since there are still unpacked boxes and unexpected glitches (AC went on the blitz just as Utah hit 90 degree temps), there is still more "trying" than actual "groove."

Since we took so much time off for the move, we have a lot of material already planned and waiting to happen.  That is really, really, really nice for me.  I went to my library list and requested the books for life cycles and castles and knights.

The first thing we did was read some books about life cycles.

The kids were thrilled to read about sea turtles and kept referring to Diego and Wild Kratts when referencing information not in the book.  The kids also enjoyed reading about salmon since we all agree they are totally weird.  Everyone loves butterflies.

These books were good--about as good as any animal books.

Then we read our very favorite life cycle book.  It is a Gold Star book for sure.

The story follows Dahlia the dragonfly as she emerges from the water still a nymph, but sheds her exoskeleton on live insect TV.  My children love the end.  The author is Heather Lynn Miller and you should DEFINITELY check this book out if you are studying life cycles, and also if you are not.  It is just fun.

After reading about life cycles we created our own life cycle charts.

 Cowen's butterfly.

 Emeline's sea turtle.

 Emeline's salmon.

Miriam's salmon.


I was going to use an internet freebie to aid in organizing our charts but when I tried to print I learned that the printer wasn't connected.  Sigh.  I'm hoping my hubby has time to do that tonight.  If you want a free generic life cycle chart that will work for any animal, go here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Life-Cycle-Map-958122.

There are a bunch of life cycle freebies on Teachers Pay Teachers.  I think it is worth it to make an account.  I find it very helpful because you can search for a topic (ex: life cycle) and then click on "free" under "Prices" on the left side of your screen.  Then you can see all the freebies available for that topic.  I've found some great stuff.

But remember the true point of this post: read This is Your Life Cycle!

Awesome TED talk

I think this is the best TED talk I've ever heard.  This teacher, Joshua Katz, nailed the problems in education and how we got here.  Follow the money.  Amen, brother.  Professional teachers are by and large amazing and are working miracles despite the toxic education culture.  Preach it!  We need to innovate to create viable alternative options for our non-college track students.  Absolutely.

Although the video is 17 minutes long and most of us have an attention span (or our children give us) five minutes, I really think this is worth watching from beginning to end.

 

Guest Post on Chocolate on My Cranium

Hey everyone, I'm excited today because I am guest posting at Chocolate on My Cranium.  This is super awesome because who doesn't love Montserrat?  Nobody.  She's amazing.  If you want to jump over, the post is about keeping sensitive skin (specifically children's skin) healthy.  http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com/.  See you there!

House Rented

Our new tenants (wow--that sounds weird) signed a one-year lease on Saturday morning.  Everything is good to go.  We sign the papers on our new house Thursday and we move the following week.  Crazy!!  I'm so excited to get everything done and get back to life.  I'm especially excited that regular life will be taking place in our new home.  Yay!

From My Bookshelves

Reading The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate made me think of some of my favorite books that also have a slower, more relationship dense feel to them.  Thinking about some of my favorite books made me think about some of my other favorite books, and then I thought it was time for a "From My Bookshelves" post.  I love sharing my favorite books!!  All of these books are GOLD STAR BOOKS.  I love them!!

A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voigt.  I am a huge Voigt fan and this is my very favorite non-fantasy book by her.  It is very pensive; sad and yet triumphant--my favorite type of overcoming adversity story.  By that I mean the action is downplayed.  There are no dramatic charges into battle or sudden amputations or a descent into cannibalism as a whole group of sailors starve.  The whole story pretty much takes place in the protagonist's brain.  I love that about the book.  If you're not familiar with Voigt, or have only read her non-fantasy then you are missing out.  On Fortune's Wheel is, of course, her best book so if you haven't read that one than repent immediately and do so.

A House of Many Rooms by Rodello Hunter is a relatively unknown and under-appreciated book.  It is the story of a family and how it grows and shrinks and changes over time.  There is a classic part where two of the children (girls) break one of their brother's arms (it was mostly an accident).  They threaten to break his other arm if he tells on them.  Classic sibling stuff.  Love it.

One Time, I Saw Morning Come Home by Clair Huffaker is one of my favorite romances ever.  By romance I don't mean bodice-ripper.  I mean that the story starts when the two main characters meet, follows them through their courtship and on through their entire marriage.  What is even better is the story is based on real people--the author's parents.  Since the couple married right before the Great Depression you can expect some sadness, but since they loved each other deeply you can expect a lot of a happiness as well.  It is just a beautiful and beautifully told story.

Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman.  The best love story of all time.  Enough said.  I think I've posted about this book on here a few times already because it is that good.  It is also based on a true story.

Big Doc's Girl by Mary Medearis is the "slowest" of the "slow" books in this post.  I adore this book.  The story is set in Arkansas during the depression.  The main character, Mary, wants to become a pianist but her life takes a series of unexpected turns until she winds up where she never expected to be, but realizes it is where she is supposed to be.  Was that vague enough while still sounding enticing?  Just take my word for it.  I love it so much.

I know some of these books are out of print, but that is why Abebooks.com exists.  You can find them for a reasonable price even if you can't get them at the local library.  (Although if you'd rather just pay a dollar or two, you could get them through interlibrary loan.)

Read them immediately.  Then return and tell me what you thought.

In other news, our house still hasn't sold.  We decided to move anyway and just trust that something good will happen with our current home soon.  We are listing it tonight as a rental and we dropped the sale price today.  We sign papers for the new house on April 30 and will move the following week.  On the one hand, my hubby and I are stressed to the max because of the risk we are taking by buying a house before selling our current home.  On the other hand, I am super excited to move!!  By getting into the new house, we alleviate all the pressure on me to keep the house ready for showings.  Plus, the kids and I can get back into a routine and enjoy living on the mountain all summer.

If you want to buy or rent a house in Clearfield, Utah--by all means let me know!!

Some Library Finds

I recently went to the library with my children and, while there, did something I almost never do anymore: I grabbed a bunch of books off the shelf without knowing anything about them, merely because I liked the covers and thought they looked interesting.  I still have a good, if rusty, nose for books and I found some winners.  I provide the links to amazon in case you want to read more about the books, not because I receive a kickback.

Breathing Room by Marsha Hayles is a historical fiction novel about a girl with TB who goes to a sanatorium to be treated.  The story is poignant and well told.  I especially liked this book because the topic isn't addressed much, especially for the upper elementary crowd.  Miriam (age 10) also really enjoyed it.  We'll be adding this one to our personal shelves.

Twelve Minutes to Midnight by Christopher Edge I'm including because Miriam loved it so much.  The premise is awesome--a 13 year girl who writes thrilling mystery stories under a different name who is called upon to solve a terribly strange mystery in an insane asylum.  It is supposed to read like something published in a penny dreadful of yesteryears and I liked the first half and then got tired of it.  Please keep in mind, however, that I almost never like mysteries that much (Victoria Holt's The Night of the Seventh Moon excepted).  Miriam, on the other hand, loved it.  Mystery is her favorite genre.  If you have an upper elementary aged child who loves mysteries or paranormal thrillers--this might be for you.

Moonkind by Sarah Prineas I didn't read.  Miriam did and loved it (I didn't realize it was the third in a series so I'll be checking out the other ones) and it is highly rated by amazon reviewers, so I thought I'd give a heads up that this author/series might be worth reading.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly is a GOLD STAR BOOK and the best find at the library that day.  The story is about a young girl at the turn of the century who wants to be a naturalist/scientist. At least, that is the basic premise.  Really this book is about the evolving relationship between Calpurnia and her grandfather, and also how her family is evolving as her oldest and favorite brother starts dating seriously.  Her family is changing and Calpurnia has to learn to adapt.

Amazon reviewers revile the book for two main reasons: one, the reviewer doesn't believe in evolution and doesn't think children should read about Darwin or grandfathers who give their granddaughters whiskey; or, he or she thought the book was too slow with no real plot.

I just plain disagree with the first complaint.  The validity of the second complaint is debatable.  This is not a plot-driven book, it is a character/relationship/coming-of-age focused book and it does read a little slow.  In fact, Miriam didn't even finish it she was so bored. (I don't think she read far enough in to get hooked.)

I am freely admitting that this book is not for everyone.  I, however, loved it.  I disagree with all the reviewers that claimed the book was too feminist or not enough feminist.  I don't think it was feminist at all.  I think it was an accurate representation of the time period, and her mother and the cook were both relatable, charming, well fleshed out female characters.  I also thought Calpurnia's six brothers were delightful.  I would have liked to know more about her dad, but by the end of the book I wanted to move in with the whole family and get to know all of them better.  Definitely my kind of novel.