If you scroll forward to 30:25 in this recent Proms performance by The King's Singers, you can hear the final piece in the concert I was so privileged to attend last night: "La Guerre" by French composer Clement Janequin (ca. 1485-1558). It was one of the finest concerts I've ever attended, and I hope this amazing group of singers comes back to Boston soon.
One of my favorite free homeschooling resources is Science in the News, which is published in pdf form by Science A-Z, and has recently been archived on that website, making different topics easy to find and print. My kids enjoy reading something new each month, and the articles have sparked many interesting conversations.
Big thanks to Kelly of Writing in the Margins, Bursting at the Seams for an award that not only makes me smile, but also gives me something to post about. According to "the rules," I need to tell seven things about myself and pass the award along to fifteen other blogs.
Here goes.
Seven things about me:
1. I'm an unabashed reader of YA and middle grade fiction. I just finished Maureen Johnsons' The Last Little Blue Envelope and Elizabeth Eulberg's Prom and Prejudice, and thoroughly enjoyed both of them.
2. Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite wine. New Zealand 2009 SBs had a lot going for them. 2010, not so much. Am converting back to CA and French wines for 2010.
3. When I was seven I was sure I was going to be an artist (pencil or pen & ink). I hope to get back to drawing one of these days.
4. I just bought a book of Scarlatti piano sonatas, since playing Bach is a little more work than I have time for just now.
5. I am close to being done planning out the 2011-2012 homeschooling year.
6. My age will equal the Answer on my birthday (next month already--how did that happen?).
7. David Tennant is my Doctor.
Hey, that was easy!
Fifteen other blogs (in random order) to which I am passing on the Irresistibly Sweet Award (some of you have probably already received this illustrious award, but hey, twice (or more) makes it even more special, right?):
shine through chinks in the barn, moving
up the bales as the sun moves down.
Let the cricket take up chafing
as a woman takes up her needles
and her yarn. Let evening come.
Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned
in long grass. Let the stars appear
and the moon disclose her silver horn.
Let the fox go back to its sandy den.
Let the wind die down. Let the shed
go black inside. Let evening come.
To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop
in the oats, to air in the lung
let evening come.
Let it come, as it will, and don't
be afraid. God does not leave us
comfortless, so let evening come.
Wildlife artist John James Audubon was born on this day in 1785. His paintings and descriptions of the birds of America are familiar to and appreciated by birders everywhere. While he is one of the most famous avian illustrators, he is not one of the founders of the Audubon Society. His name was chosen because his work inspired the organization's efforts to protect birds and their habitats.
Some links we'll be using today to learn about the man and his life's work:
Enchanted Learning's Audubon page and coloring pages of several of his paintings.
I had never heard of Patriots' Day until we moved to Massachusetts over a decade ago. Commemorating the battles of Lexington and Concord, the holiday is a huge deal in this area: parades and celebrations abound. Evidently the day is also celebrated in Maine, but it was completely off my radar during the four years I lived there.
While my crowd-shunning family rarely goes to parades, we do enjoy a patriotic read from time to time. Here, then, are a few books of American poetry for kids that we found last week at a local library.
The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems, edited by Donald Hall. This book contains poems from anonymous Native Americans to Sarah Josepha Hale to many well known 18th and 19th century poets all the way through to some lesser known 20th century writers. It seems to have something for everyone, and ranges from the solemn (Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes) to the poignant (Rachel Field) to the silly (Nash, Prelutsky, Seuss, and Silverstein).
A Revolutionary Field Trip: Poems of Colonial America, by Susan Katz with illustrations by R.W. Alley. This cartoonish book of amusing yet informative poetry for younger children ("Grace Dips a Candle," "Blacksmith Shop," and "Shearing Poor George" are three of the twenty titles in the book) would be a good accompaniment to a real field trip to a historical reenactment site such as Old Sturbridge Village or Plymouth Plantation or a similar colonial American site.
Especially appropriate for Massachusetts readers on Patriot's Day is the ever popular "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." Several illustrators have taken on the task of illustrating Longfellow's poem, and one we like especially is the one illustrated by Christopher Bing's engraved paintings.
I've saved the best for last. My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States, with poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins; illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. Each region of the country is represented by several poems and a map, and each state is given its own box with capital, nickname, etc. as well as a Great Fact or two. For instance, did you know that the first baseball World Series games were played in Boston in 1903? (I didn't.) The Boston Pilgrims were victorious over the Pittsburgh Pirates. ☺ Poets represented in the book include David McCord, Frank Asch, Carl Sandburg, X.J. Kennedy, Myra Cohn Livingston, Elizabeth Coatsworth, Douglas Florian, and many more. Highly recommended.
National Screen Free Week always coincides with spring vacation week here in New England. I think a conspiracy is afoot. While we, as homeschoolers, do not have to follow the school district's schedule, I find that we usually do, for one reason or another. It would be easier (I think) to be screen free during a week when our normal activities were still happening, but we're going to give it the old college try, anyway.
We've never participated in Turn Off Your TV Week (the phenomenon's former moniker) before, but at this point in our house our media viewing (TV, movies, computer games, Xbox, iPods, etc.) is at an all time high and I think we will all benefit from a break. I'll have at least one blog post scheduled to appear (Book Sharing Monday), but other than a few minutes each morning and evening to check and respond to emails, I don't expect to be around at all in an online capacity.
Since April is poetry month, I thought I'd share some of the poetry books we think are worth keeping on our shelves. I just realized that my fluorescent orange copy of Chief Modern Poets of Britain and America is missing from this photo, as is Leaves of Grass. Those are in with the classic literature in the study, but for some reason Antonia Fraser's Scottish Love Poems is on with a shelf of mostly kid-friendly titles!
No children's book collection is complete without at least some Shel Silverstein! That copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends is my own well-loved copy from thirty-some years ago. And another childhood favorite of mine that I bought just after Jazz was born is The World of Christopher Robin, which has both A.A. Milne volumes of poetry: When We Were Very Young, and Now We Are Six.
Children's book illustrator Susan Jeffers has illustrated at least a couple of books based on famous poems, including Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost, and Hiawatha, by Henry Longfellow. Her fairy tales are not to be missed, too!
For more picture books, try Jane Yolen's Ring of Earth (a gorgeous book of poetry about the seasons) and Caroline Kennedy's collection, A Family of Poems. Missing from the photo above are two of our very favorite poetry books, which are off the shelf because they've been in use quite a bit this month: Talking Like the Rain (short poems for young children illustrated by Jane Dyer), Poetry by Heart, edited by Liz Attenborough. We also like the Poetry for Young People series, which has over twenty titles which are still in print and widely available.
For the first time in a long time I had both of the older two kiddos do some memorization this week. Jazz headed straight for Where the Sidewalk Ends to find a poem that should have been appropriate for April:
RAIN
I opened my eyes
And looked up at the rain,
And it dripped in my head
And flowed into my brain,
And all that I hear as I lie in my bed
Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.
I step very softly,
I walk very slow,
I can't do a handstand--
I might overflow,
So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said--
I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.
But I think that, given the date and what our backyard currently looks like (see photos below), this one is more appropriate:
OH HAVE YOU HEARD
Oh have you head it's time for vaccinations?
I think someone put salt in your tea.
They're giving us eleven-month vacations.
And Florida has sunk into the sea.
Oh have you heard the President has measles?
The principal has just burned down the school.
Your hair is full of ants and purple weasels-- APRIL FOOL!
While we're desperately waiting for spring to arrive here in the Northeast, I have two spring-y books to share today: The Bunny Who Found Easterby Charlotte Zolotow and Helen Craig and Jan Brett's The Easter Egg.
There's something about Charlotte Zolotow's writing that is captivating to me. There's definitely a poetic quality to her words, and her books have a gentle feel to them. The Bunny Who Found Easter pairs the author's lovely story with illustrations by Helen Craig (Angelina Ballerina).
I was thrilled to find that Jan Brett has an Easter tale. This author's books never fail to delight me on a visual level, and this one has a particularly creative storyline, as well. Jan Brett has a website filled with excellent resources. I highly recommend taking a look.
Book Sharing Monday is hosted by Canadian Home Learning. Alex has a post about a spring book today, too!
and Elizabeth Eulberg's Prom and Prejudice
, and thoroughly enjoyed both of them. 
, by Jacqueline Davies with illustrations by Melissa Sweet
, by Peter Anderson
, by John J. Audubon
, edited by Nora Panzer. This book pairs prints or photos of artwork from the National Museum of American Art with poetry by American poets. Carl Sandburg's "Niagara" with George Innes's painting of the same name, for instance, and a selection from Maya Angelou's "On the Pulse of Morning" with a print by commercial illustrator George Giusti, as another example, make this book one to savor.
, edited by Donald Hall. This book contains poems from anonymous Native Americans to Sarah Josepha Hale to many well known 18th and 19th century poets all the way through to some lesser known 20th century writers. It seems to have something for everyone, and ranges from the solemn (Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes) to the poignant (Rachel Field) to the silly (Nash, Prelutsky, Seuss, and Silverstein).
, by Susan Katz with illustrations by R.W. Alley. This cartoonish book of amusing yet informative poetry for younger children ("Grace Dips a Candle," "Blacksmith Shop," and "Shearing Poor George" are three of the twenty titles in the book) would be a good accompaniment to a real field trip to a historical reenactment site such as Old Sturbridge Village or Plymouth Plantation or a similar colonial American site.
, with poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins; illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. Each region of the country is represented by several poems and a map, and each state is given its own box with capital, nickname, etc. as well as a Great Fact or two. For instance, did you know that the first baseball World Series games were played in Boston in 1903? (I didn't.) The Boston Pilgrims were victorious over the Pittsburgh Pirates. ☺ Poets represented in the book include David McCord, Frank Asch, Carl Sandburg, X.J. Kennedy, Myra Cohn Livingston, Elizabeth Coatsworth, Douglas Florian, and many more. Highly recommended.
, The Magician's Elephant
, and Risby
at the library yesterday, and I finally broke down and bought Story of the World
vol. 3 on audio CD in case we head out on a longer car trip or two)
egg decorating
is missing from this photo, as is Leaves of Grass
. Those are in with the classic literature in the study, but for some reason Antonia Fraser's Scottish Love Poems
is on with a shelf of mostly kid-friendly titles!
, by X.J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy. I also have a copy of Rose, Where Did You Get that Red?
by Kenneth Koch, which must be out on loan (or is in another stack or on another shelf somewhere in this house that is full of what I like to call décor des livres when I'm not complaining about a house stuck in the "late grad school" period). I give all four my highest recommendation for teaching kids from about grades 3-8. 
and A Journey through Time in Verse and Rhyme
, edited by Heather Thomas. We've begun many a fine day of learning at home with poems from these two books.
is my own well-loved copy from thirty-some years ago. And another childhood favorite of mine that I bought just after Jazz was born is The World of Christopher Robin
, which has both A.A. Milne volumes of poetry: When We Were Very Young, and Now We Are Six. 
, edited by Stephen Addiss. Highly recommended.
, by Robert Frost, and Hiawatha
, by Henry Longfellow. Her fairy tales are not to be missed, too!
(a gorgeous book of poetry about the seasons) and Caroline Kennedy's collection, A Family of Poems
. Missing from the photo above are two of our very favorite poetry books, which are off the shelf because they've been in use quite a bit this month: Talking Like the Rain
(short poems for young children illustrated by Jane Dyer), Poetry by Heart
, edited by Liz Attenborough. We also like the Poetry for Young People series, which has over twenty titles which are still in print and widely available.
by Charlotte Zolotow and Helen Craig and Jan Brett's The Easter Egg
.
