Review--How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare

To read or not to read, that is the question.

The answer is yes. Read How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig.

Ken Ludwig is an award winning playwright who happens to love Shakespeare. This fun, informative book provides an easy way to teach passages from many of Shakespeare's plays which he used with his own children.

Ken Ludwig

In the book, Ludwig not only teaches how to memorize the passages but also what they mean! That is right.  It is note just rote memory but meaningful memory! As if that were not enough, he also explains the whole play.

He starts with shorter passages, breaks them down into large font and short phrases, and offers paraphrases and explanation about them which all adds in the memorization. He offers the quotation pages and audio clips on his website Howtoteachyourchildrenshakespeare.com

Ludwig discusses Shakespeare's life and what theater was like during that time. He also offers a list of additional passages to memorize, epigrams, and a detailed bibliography of books, movies and recordings for all ages.

It is easy to read and has great photos of Shakespeare productions on stage and screen. I recommend this book as a resource for teaching your children Shakespeare passages, but also has a good and informative book. 

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.
This post also contains an affiliate link to Amazon in case you want to purchase the book.

Pilgrim's Progress

I am getting ready to introduce mija to Pilgrim's Progress and found some FREE or cheap inexpensive editions on Kindle. Remember, you don't have to have a Kindle to access Kindle editions. You can use your phone, pad or PC to access the free program.


 This one is FREE.

FREE!


 This one only $0.99.

If you just cannot wait, you can watch a 30 minute cartoon video.

From Classical to Eclectic Classical--What we are doing this school year

 When started our home education journey, we were classical all the way. We had planned what curriculum and resources we were going to use. 

Woody Allen got one thing right when he said, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans."

After dealing with my husband's two years of unemployment and our continued financial challenges, we still see classical as our philosophy, but have learned to use whatever God provides to accomplish it.

Hence, we have become "eclectic classical".

Here is what we are using this year to accomplish this.


Math: Because of my blog, I was able to get a free year of this math program to review. Here's the link to the review. 

Language, Literature & Spelling: We are going to be using K12 curriculum we received for free. You can't beat free and on the whole I like what I see. Language will continue with grammar and writing book reports. Spelling breaks the lists up into those words which follow a spelling rule, words from a base word, and words with a specific prefix or suffix. Literature will be covering introducing classics like Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver's Travels. All it all, the basics I want covered will be covered, and I can still adjust as I deem necessary. 

History: The Story of the World: Volume 4 will be our 
world history. I had purchased the whole kit and caboodle of the four volumes and activity books, so we will finish using them. We have so enjoyed how history has been shown as an ongoing story through the series. I'll be looking for a more specific Christian worldview in the next history we use.

Science, Art, Music: I found a great free curriculum which I was going to use for almost everything but now only these subjects (and probably Bible). Easy Peasy---All in one Homeschool is just that. It's easy. It covers everything (although a little weak in spelling). It's online and IT'S TOTALLY FREE. There is even a Facebook support group. We are going to be following Year 4. 

Told you. We're eclectic! What are you going to be using this year?

 

Some more great Kindle Books for only $0.99 or less!!

Here are some great homeschool books and resources that are only $0.99 or less on Kindle. 

Remember you don't have to have Kindle to get these deals. You can download the Kindle app on your computer, tablet, or phone for free.

Teaching the Trivium--$0.99



Treasure Island-- FREE

Delight Directed Learning--$0.99

The Secret Garden--FREE

Grimm's Fairy Tales---$0.99

Oz: The Complete Collection...Only $0.99 on Kindle!!

 What a great deal!


Oz: The Complete Collection (All 14 Oz Books, with Illustrated Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Exclusive Bonus Features)

It includes:

• All fourteen Oz books written by L. Frank Baum.
• The first book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, is illustrated with the classic W.W. Denslow artwork.
• Links to free, full-length audio recordings of all the Oz books in this collection.
• An individual, active Table of Contents for each book accessible from the Kindle “go to” feature.
• Perfect formatting in rich text compatible with Kindle’s Text-to-Speech features.
• A low, can't-say-no price!

Fourteen Complete Works

All fourteen of L. Frank Baum's Oz books, in order and unabridged. Books included:

• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)* Includes Original Illustrations by W.W. Denslow!
• The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904)
• Ozma of Oz (1907)
• Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz (1908)
• The Road to Oz (1909)
• The Emerald City of Oz (1910)
• The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913)
• Tik-Tok of Oz (1914)
• The Scarecrow of Oz (1915)
• Rinkitink in Oz (1916)
• The Lost Princess of Oz (1917)
• The Tin Woodman of Oz (1918)
• The Magic of Oz (1919)
• Glinda of Oz (1920)

Beyond the Yellow Brick Road

Also included are special features for any Oz enthusiast, including:

• A complete list of all Oz books in the official canon by other authors.
• A list of Oz films and television series, both directly and indirectly inspired by L. Frank Baum’s masterpiece.
• Links to free, full-length audio recordings of all the Oz books in this collection.

Louisa May Alcott Collection--only $1.99 on Kindle

I saw this great deal over on Free Homeschool Deals. 
You can get Louisa May Alcott Collection 39 Works: Little Women Series (Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men, Jo's Boys), An Old Fasioned Girl, Eight Cousins, Rose in Bloom, Mysterious Key, Under the Lilacs, MORE for Kindle for only $1.99! What a great deal! Not as good a free, but definitely not bad. :-)

Anne of Green Gables--11 book set only $0.99!!

Right now, The Anne Stories: 11 Books, Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne's House of Dreams, Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside, Chronicles of Avonlea, Plus Audiobooks is available on Kindle for only $0.99!!

There are 8 Anne books and 3 other books by Lucy 
Maude Montgomery. You will also get links to download the unabridged audio books for all 11 titles, too!

For only $0.99!!

Well, worth the deal.

And remember, you don't have to have a Kindle device to get Kindle books. Just download the Kindle app to your computer, tablet, or smart phone!

Thanks to Kansas City Mamas for the heads up!

Lesson Pathways--African American History Month

A quick idea for African American History that I'm using from Lesson Pathways.

First of all, I started using Lesson Pathways for our language. I have it listed under curriculum on my Helpful Websites page. It's FREE. 

What I like is how it integrates literature with spelling, vocabulary, and more.

For third grade, one of the reading units is Dream Variations by Langston Hughes. It looks like a great unit to combine poetry, black history, and more. I'm thinking of adding some science be review the day and night cycle. 

Will you be integrating some things for Black History Month this February?

Literature Coming to Life in our Life

Lately, mija has been experimenting with literature in our normal life. Let me give a couple of examples.

Night Before Christmas Carol

She LOVES The Christmas Carol. We have read the book a few times, seen the play, and watch almost every version of it from Mr. Magoo to Captain Picard. It is fun because we compare and contrast movies to the book and movies to each other.

Well, last night I heard a scream coming from her room. I go check it out. She sits up in bed and exclaims, "The Ghost of Pancho (our chihuahua) Past, Present, and Future just walked from my bedroom door to the kitchen stove!" After assuring me that the dog was with her in bed and she heard him walk across the kitchen floor, I assured her that it was probably a mouse. With that explanation and some prayer, she calmed herself and went back to sleep.

The Ghost of Pancho Past, Present, and Future? Really?

Pancho praying for Christmas break to end!

Then there is The Princess and the Pea. A sweet story. We even allowed her to watch Once Upon a Mattress which I'm a little sorry about since there are some more "adult" themes in it. 

Now, I am frequently tested to see if I'm a princess. I found marbles under the mattress one time. Another time, this is what I found...

That's right. A baby doll. Obviously I found it!

And each time I find something, it's just one more proof that I am a princess! Like I needed proof!

All this has taught me two things:

1.  Be careful to what and how I expose her. I want her to learn about selfless giving from The Gift of the Magi not about cutting her hair. I most definitely do not want to live with seven men because of Snow White! Discussion about what we read or viewed is important.

2.  Expose her to even more! The story of Scrooge and his redemption belongs to her now. No one can take that away. Anne of Green Gables can teach her the benefit of having a "scope of imagination" which 
she can enjoy her whole life. (Mija already puts the back of her hand to forehead when she's acting like "dramatic" Anne!) Apart from living on a farm, where else could mija learn the usual outcome for the runt of the litter like she did safely through the pages of Charlotte's Web. 

So, I'll continue to look forward to more evidence of literature in our life. Do you have any examples of literature coming alive in your life?  Please share!

  

New websites added to my page

Do you check my Helpful Homeschool Websites page? I add things I find all the time. Here are some of my recent additions.

Latinata.com--Latin review games

Magnetic Poetry

World Myths and Legends in Art

American Girl Literature Guides

Easy Fun School--homeschool resources & units

Inquiry in Action--physical science & chemistry

Practice Spot--music review games

Latin Teach

Time4Writing

The Futures Channel--science videos

Dean Vaughn Learning Systems--Multiplication

Outdoor Biology

Brain Tour

8 Planets

Book Report Now!

The Virtual Body

The Sugar Creek Gang--Review and Freebie!!

When I was excited when I found out I could review The Sugar Creek Gang. It brought back memories of listening to the Moody radio version of it. I can't even say "Sugar Creek Gang" without thinking of the theme song!

You can hear it HERE.

If you listened to it, you got the whole list of characters and what they do. It's a gang of boys...from back when a gang wasn't a bad thing...who have adventures and learn about God.

I was also excited because mija loves listening to stories. Oh, sure there's Odyssey and Gilead Lane, but I think she's probably the only 7 1/2 year old who looks forward to listening to Unshackled from Pacific Garden Mission! We also listen to audio books in the van as we travel. Currently, we are listening to Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.

So, we sat down to listen to The Sugar Creek Gang. I played on Pinterest and mija working a puzzle with my hubby. It is not dramatized with different actors, but instead read like an audio book. I will say he did a great job with all the characterizations. We all enjoyed listening although mija was a little disappointed there were no girls! ;-)

Very wholesome stories. No "attitudes" that you can even find in some of today's Christian radio dramas and cartoons. Great integration of spiritual and Biblical principles and practices. 

This series is being read directly from the original books, so you could even read the book as you listen. It might be a fun way to integrate some literature. Make sure to get the originals by Paul Hutchens.

Here's the great news, you can actually download the MP3 version of the "Swamp Robber," which is the one we listened to, for FREE!!  Yup, you can download both parts of the story HERE for FREE. 

I also have a deal for you! Thanks to Lorrie Flem of Eternal Encouragement, you can get $12 off each set you purchase with the code Lorrie12. 

Enjoy some time with Bill, Poetry, Big Jim and the others down at the Sugar Creek!

High School Literature

From Homeschool.com Some good ideas about literature even for the younger grades.

High School Literature - An Important And Enjoyable Subject To Share With Your Teenager
Why is the study of high school literature so important? Of course, we want our children to be well read, and hopefully to enjoy reading in general. But at the high school level, perhaps reading is secondary to the resulting thought processes. When a student reads, a student also thinks. The critical and creative thought processes, discussions, and debates that result when a student and teacher analyze and interpret a piece of literature are boundless. Doing this within the family unit allows the parents the ability to interject their feeling, beliefs, values and ideas, making the entire process a learning and bonding experience. Following, are suggestions that will make this process an enjoyable one for you and your family:

Initiate Family Reading Time
Remember how much your children loved being read to when they were small? Kids don’t grow out of this—even teenagers enjoy being read to. Initiate a family reading time where everyone gets involved, or depending on the difficulty of the book and the maturity of the topic, one where you and your teenager read together.
Use this opportunity to introduce books your student might not choose on his/her own, and to introduce topics that you think are important and necessary for your child to learn.

Include Literature In Your Dinner Discussions
Dinner time is a wonderful time to discuss what your high school student is reading. Discuss plots and characters and the differences in life then vs. now.
This is a superb opportunity to get the little ones involved too. What are they reading? My favorite books when I was young were Charlotte’s Web and The Light in the Forest. To this day, I still appreciate these stories. They taught about friendship and loyalty. These are wonderful and important books.
Everyone can have input at the family table.

Have Your Student Be Involved In Reading Groups
Encourage your teenagers to join reading groups. Better yet, encourage them to form reading groups with their peers. This will be educational on many levels, and will provide socialization opportunities.

Listen To Books On Tape
Books on tape—what a great idea! Books on tape are an educational life-saver for students with learning disabilities. Plus, they are so convenient. Play them in the car instead of listening to the radio. How many times do you want to hear the same song played over and over again? Listen to a book instead!

Use Cheats Where Appropriate
See the movie. This isn’t cheating if you see the movie AND read the book. Then you and your student can compare the two. In fact, this is an important and valid learning experience, as your student might very well realize he likes the book better!
Read the Cliff's notes/similar summaries. Even as an adult reading a classic, I may not catch the importance or symbolism in a piece of literature. In fact, I might argue that the symbolism isn’t even valid. This is an educational discussion waiting to happen.

Determine What You’re Going To Read
There are plenty of internet resources that will give you reading lists appropriate for your high school student. Ablaze Academy, suggests the following readings for students in the 9th-12th grade:

English Literature IX

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

The Odyssey by Homer

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

English Literature X

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

English Literature XI

The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

English Literature XII

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Handwriting, Literature, and Art...Oh, My!

As a teacher, I have always loved combining subjects. It give more meaning to what is done and therefore, makes it more memorable.


Micki memorized a poem entitled "The Caterpillar." Obviously, we used the poem as a springboard for an art project.

What you don't see is that she also copied the poem and we glued it to the back of her artwork. I only had her do two lines of the poem at a time, so it wouldn't be overwhelming. It was really interesting because you could see her handwriting improve from the beginning to the end.

While I do use a penmanship curriculum to continue her skills, now that she knows how to write, I integrated copywork more and more. Eventually, I want it to be all copywork until I get ready to teach her cursive. Copywork is a very "classical" way of handwriting. Part of the concept is that you have them copy things not only to practice handwriting, but also to expose them to literature, principles, and English grammar. You gotta' love multi-tasking.