Homeschooler Savvy

History ALIVE and in your ear....itune history IN!

Want your kids to hear historical battles as if it is a report from Afghanistan today?  Then go to this website and download this audio (podiobook)book to your ipod (or mp3 player).  I love the British accent in this, and the battle sounds in the background.  Your boys will get a real kick out of it!  Here is the text with this audio book.  You can also listen through your computer (assuming a good internet link!).  The website operates on donations, so contribute what you think it is worth!   Enjoy these podcasts!

Episode 1: Greek-Persian Wars

This recording allows you to charge with the Athenians at Marathon; die with the Spartan 300 at the tragedy of Thermopylae; and thrill to the final Greek victory at Plataea. Important insights are also to be learned about the quarrelsome nature of the Greeks.

 

Episode 2: Assassination of Caesar

Far from causing the fall of the Roman Republic as his enemies charged, it was Caesar's genius to attempt a solution to Rome's problems: poverty, unemployment, ignorance. It is all here, Caesar's program, his treacherous assassination, and the solemn speculation of shocked newsmen about the impact on Rome of Caesar's death.

Episode 3: Death of Socrates

More than anything else, we remember Socrates for insisting on his right to speak freely, even at the cost of his own life. Now, you can hear Socrates plead for the freedom to speak his mind and experience his wisdom and razor wit. Come to know that grand old man, and he will touch your mind across a thousand years.

Episode 4: Battle of Hastings

From the first heroic charge to the bizarre victory, you are at Hastings, reliving that most famous of all battles. King Harold of England and William the Conqueror highlight the succession dispute that can only be settled on the field of combat. Don't miss the battle that changed England forever!

Episode 5: Defeat of the Spanish Armada

King Phillip II, Sir Francis Drake, Queen Elizabeth -- again they meet in the climactic struggle. Return to 1588 as Spanish ships sail out upon the ebb of empire!

Episode 6: King Philip's War

Although you may never have heard of this event in history, it is an excellent vehicle for exposing the era of Puritan America in 1675. It was the most desperate and bloody Indian War ever fought in America. Here, the positions of both Indian and White are presented against a background of savagery on both sides.

Episode 7: The Salem Witch Trials

Always current, the witch trials at Salem remind us of how easily men can become a mob. The emotions of fear and hysteria have always branched forth the poisoned fruit of injustice.

 

Episode 8: Road to Revolution: 1775

Listen to a heated debate as Benjamin Franklin, a Tory, a British official, and a member of the Sons of Liberty discuss law and order, political violence, and representation for minorities. We also hear the Boston Massacre, and march with the British Army to Lexington and Concord.

Episode 9: Yorktown: Victor and Vanquished

The American Revolution is reviewed, culminating in the Battle of Yorktown. We hear Washington, Burgoyne, Von Steuben, Clinton, DeGrasse, and Cornwallis. There is nothing as dramatic as a tiny nation struggling for national independence.

Episode 10: 1812: Jackson at New Orleans

The War of 1812 is not one of the brighter spots in American history; our motives for declaring it were mixed at best, our capital was burned, our navy driven from the sea. While reviewing the war, this emotion-packed recording centers on the Battle of New Orleans --- less an American triumph than a British blunder.

History On Tape

 When is history irresistible?  When The Story of the World is on CD and the child is in control of the CD player.  Aussie Kim showed up with a CD for my Tiger a couple of weeks ago and he hasn't stopped listening to it since. I don't have to remind him to complete his history now. HE REMINDS ME! This CD has brought him hours of listening pleasure (and me, his mother, HOURS of blissful silence - which can not be underrated!).

Aussie Kim here - I have used this CD in our many drives to our afternoon activities, the downside is that the kids complain when we stop the CD (so we can keep up with map, timeline and biographies for the related chapters).  It is a major hit with both my 9 year old boy and 11 year old daughter.  It is much more fun than Radio Disney for me....

We both highly recommend these CDs as a history companion!  Below is a photo of the Ancient Times Volume. It is the first in a series of four that take the child from Ancient History to the Modern Era.

Reading My Kids' Books: Caesar's Gallic War by Olivia Coolidge

I loved it!  This book is one of those we are going to read for our study of the Ancients (for history, geography and literature) this year.  Apparently, when Caesar was leading his legions into battle with the Galls (58-51 BC), he wrote down what was going on (Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War).  This is new to me, but what an amazing historical document for historians to have!  This book takes Caesar's writings and retells the stories from the point of view of a young officer in his army and thus is a mix of fiction and facts. It really gives you an appreciation of what it was like to live in those days, from both the Roman and Gallic viewpoint.

 This woman has brought the Gallic wars alive for me. I think young good readers (from about 9 on?) would be able to handle this book.  However, it would probably be more completely understood if I read it to them and we marked a map of Europe where the action was going on. Warning: there are lots of long Roman names that contain -th or end in -us...

Meet Me In Mesopotamia

Another Classical Homeschooler I know, Hayley at mom and kids at home, found the the neatest websites for studying ancient history.

The British Museum has a super site all about Mesopotamia. Learn about early astronomers in Babylon. Explore the ancient palaces of Assyria. Don't know what a Sumerian Ziggurat is? Find out. This website is a fantastic supplemental source for the study of ancient history. Thanks, Hayley!

Oh, and if you're looking for a kid friendly version of the Epic of Gilgamesh (and really, who isn't?), read this post.

I'm off to tango on the Tigres!

Sue

What is a "Classical" Education?

We love reading…………….

All you homeschoolers know there is a plethora (I love that word) of curriculum and non curriculum choices out there.  The best you can do is keep looking until you find something that fits your goals and your children's learning styles.  Louisiana Sue and I both have a love of reading, this appears to be the case for our children now, and this is one of the reasons both of us have ended up with curriculums that are a Charlotte Mason - Classical education style for our geography/history/English. 

So what is this style?  In a nutshell, it rolls reading (great literature), history and geography into one experience.  You read stories to your kids, and they read stories themselves, about a specific time in history.  From this reading, you ask them reflective questions.  This improves their listening skills, their comprehension, their vocabulary, their geography and their understanding of history.  Indirectly it also gives a good grounding in grammar and composition. 

They mark these specific historical times on a time line. This puts the historical period in perspective and gives them an idea of the flow of events through time which saves them having to memorize dates.  You mark the location of specific events on a world map to give them a geographical knowledge that underpins the history.  The older you get the more original literature from those time periods that you study.  What better way to convey the urgent need for relief troops during the Civil War, than reading a letter from a General to his Commander in Chief?

The curriculum guide I used for teaching kindergarten and grade 1 (learning to read and beginning math) was mainly the Montessori Method. Along with this from grades 1 to 5, I used The Sonlight Curriculum.  I have thoroughly enjoyed using it.  I am now switching to The Well Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, which is what Susan has used up to grade 9 so far. 

The difference?  Not much!  Except that with Sonlight you get a box that contains ALL the books you and your kids will read, and you get a day by day guide for a 4 day week or 5 day week school schedule for the whole year. 

With the Well Trained Mind method, you need to be at one with your public library or with ebay to source the books needed.  Also, with the Well Trained Mind method, you specifically study logic and Latin - and if you can, (lucky us!) Greek.  And there is a slightly different reading list.  Sonlight Curriculum actually uses The Story of the World (by the Well Trained Mind authors) for its history text for grades 6 and 7.

The Charlotte Mason method has been interpreted by many.  She promoted a literature rich tapestry with reflective questioning as the best way of learning. 

Want more information on some of these curriculums?  Here are some useful website links on these methods, and a couple of other related sites:

The Well Trained Mind - they sell "The Story of the World" (child friendly recap of history) in 4 time periods (Ancients, Medieval, Renaissance, Modern), with matching student pages (maps, questions on readings).  Their website has a summary of the curriculum for each grade level grouping, and the reading lists.

The Sonlight Curriculum - they have a great catalog, with a brief synopsis of each book they use for each year.  They are the ideal option if you do NOT want to plan anything.  The literature includes original writings and all the related Newberry and Caldecott etc winners related to each time period.  It is a well rounded curriculum, which is particularly good for anyone just starting homeschooling.  They have a great option of a 4 day a week school year, a little less reading, but they go over the same material. 

The Robinson Curriculum - this curriculum recommends 5 hours a day, 6 days a week all year (about 10 months/year). Every day is the same: 30 minutes of math problems, 1 1/2 hours of (Saxon) math, the child then writes a one page essay, and the remainder of time (about 2 hours) is spent reading Science and History texts.  The emphasis here is on independent learning.  Dr Robinson runs a household with no television (or handheld electronics) and no sugar.  The schooling is done first thing in the morning (after chores).  He sells a computer CD which contains a great majority of the literature and some reference books and his curriculum for $195.  You can see his book list here.  He's just a little bit too rigid for me, but you can't beat the simplicity of the system!

The Charlotte Mason Method has been interpreted by many, a book by Karen Andreola is a quite good explanation of this method.  She promotes extensive reading and reflective questioning as the road to a good education.  The Bluedorns have created The Trivium also based on the Charlotte Mason approach.  They have some interesting articles on their site. Here are some more book links for this method: Charlotte Mason

If you know of any other curriculums along this line feel free to add them in the comments section with your views on if it works for you or not.

Fourth of July reading

There's a neat post I came across over at SheiaOMalley.com.  Did y'all know that both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on the fourth of July 4th 1826?  Well, you say, what's significant about that date?  It was the 50th anniversary of the first Independance day.....Ooooohhh.  

For more reading on this topic here are a couple of books by the same author which I loved, and which will give you amazing insight into how tenuous the beginning of this nation really was.  Happy 4th of July!

"How High's the Water Mama?"

"Two Feet High and Rising"...........I learnt the words of this song by heart, while working as a jillaroo (farm hand) on my cousin's sheep and cattle property in rural Australia.  Every sunday morning we were woken up by one of his Johnny Cash records played at full volume - so all the livestock of the farm could hear.  I grew to love Cash's music (it was either that or go insane).  One of the songs I learnt was Johnny Cash's song about a flood.

Five Feet High and Rising by John R. Cash
Recorded 3/12/59
Number 14 - Country Chart; Number 76 - Pop Chart

My mama always taught me that good things come from adversity if we put our faith in the Lord.
We couldn't see much good in the flood waters when they
were causing us to have to leave home,
But when the water went down, we found that it had washed a load of rich black bottom dirt across our land. The following year we had the best cotton crop we'd ever had.

I remember hearing:

How high's the water, mama?
Two feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa?
Two feet high and risin'

We can make it to the road in a homemade boat
That's the only thing we got left that'll float
It's already over all the wheat and the oats,
Two feet high and risin'

How high's the water, mama?
Three feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa?
Three feet high and risin'

Well, the hives are gone,
I've lost my bees
The chickens are sleepin'
In the willow trees
Cow's in water up past her knees,
Three feet high and risin'

How high's the water, mama?
Four feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa?
Four feet high and risin'

Hey, come look through the window pane,
The bus is comin', gonna take us to the train
Looks like we'll be blessed with a little more rain,
4 feet high and risin'

How high's the water, mama?
Five feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa?
Five feet high and risin'

Well, the rails are washed out north of town
We gotta head for higher ground
We can't come back till the water comes down,
Five feet high and risin'

Well, it's five feet high and risin'

What's this got to do with homeschooling?  Well, why not show your kids some pictures of America's largest watershed at the moment, get them up to date with current affairs (what's happening in the US now?), give them some geography (Where is the Mississippi?)  and weather lessons about La Nina = more rain; drainage = collection of water down one very large ditch. Science lessons - Why would the cotton grow better the next year?  Give them some historical information (levee was finished when? How was the levee built (wheelbarrows and shovels). How did the levee break in 1927? (it was suggested that someone used dynamite on the Arkansas side of the River, to relieve the pressure on the levee on the Mississippi side).  How can hard times inspire literature and art?  Did the 1927 flood inspire this song? (Johnny Cash was raised on a cotton farm in Arkansas which was flooded several times).  How about taking the lyrics of this song and getting your kids to write a short story based on it?  Art - well, imagine the scenes from the song lyrics!! 

Here is a photo of 6 wild turkeys we saw while driving along the levee on Friday, their normal territory was flooded out (as can be seen), when we came past they could only fly back and sit in the trees.  There are huge numbers of wildlife (especially deer) that will be forced out of their stamping grounds onto farmers lush wheat crops until the water goes back down.  We are hoping the waters go back down quickly!

Aussie Kim

The rise and fall of the Mighty Mississippi

The Mississippi River is 5 feet up the Levee!  At Memphis and Helena, this means it is about 5 miles wide from Levee to Levee!  Over at life on the planet Susan posted some of the photos from our trip yesterday to the Mighty Mississippi.  (Remember: "Took my chevy to the levee...."). The levee is a bank 30 feet high and about 50 feet wide at it's base.  It runs either side of the river...1607 miles along the Mississippi River and 596 along the south banks of the Arkansas and Red rivers in the Achafalaya (bless you) Basin.

The first levee of any sort was set up in 1819.  By 1879 the farmers at various points down the Mississippi River concluded that they should "take into consideration and mature such a plan or plans and estimates as will correct, permanently locate, and deepen the channel and protect the banks of the Mississippi River, improve and give safety and ease to navigation thereof, prevent destructive floods, promote and facilitate commerce, trade, and the postal service."

In other words, the most fertile soil in the US was in the flood plain of the Mississippi Delta, but those farming it now didn't want it flooding anymore.  Shortly after this decision in 1882 one of the most disastrous floods for the new farmers occured, some levees that had been set up in an adhock fashion were smoothed flat again. 

Interesting fact alert: A raindrop falling into Lake Itasca would arrive at the Gulf of Mexico in about 90 days.

Major floods happened again in 1912 and 1913.  But the one that was the last straw occured in 1927.  An area of about 26,000 square miles was inundated. Levees were breached, and cities, towns, and farms were laid waste. Crops were destroyed, and industries and transportation paralyzed. Property damage amounted to about $1.5 billion at today's prices. Over 200 lives were lost and over 600,000 people displaced.

Because of this the Flood Control Act of 1928 was authorized by the Federal Government and the levee was subsequently built.  This photo was taken yesterday, with the water about 5 feet up the levee bank on the Mississippi River side.  As you can see on the right side, all is nice and dry.  However, some farmers experience "seep water" in their fields along the levee when the water is this high.  It can look dry ontop, but if you put a tractor in, you'll get "stuck" (that is "bogged" for us Aussies). 

This site will give you travel information for any trips down the Mississippi River, if you are thinking of making that the focus of a road trip.

Click here if you want a detailed map of the Mighty Mississippi.

If you think this levee means the end of flooding, you only need to look at what happend in New Orleans when the levee broke.  Further into the US heartlands, in 1993 the levee was breeched in several places as well.

And now, just for Susan, some photos of the mules on the levee...

Interesting fact alert: The Mississippi River is 2552 miles long.  It is the third largest river in the world and has the third largest watershed (basin) in the world, just behind the Congo and the Amazon.

This is a photo of some of the barge traffic, given the amount of diesel needed to push this baby up the flood waters flowing to the gulf, whatever they are shipping will cost more in the end! 

And finally, another floodwater photo.  Under this water is a beach, about 20-30 feet under this water (out past the trees and down a slope to it). See how far away the other side of the Mississippi is!!!  If you look closely there is a note pinned to the tree banning public fishing, this is nailed about 5 feet up on the tree.

Aussie Kim

Cultural Education - AUSTRALIA DAY

Australians all let us rejoice
For we are young and free
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea:
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare,
In history's page let every stage
Advance Australia fair,
In joyful strains then let us sing
Advance Australia fair.

This photo is courtesy Flicker gadgetgirl - Australia Day 2005, Sydney Harbour.

What's going on here? I burst into song, the Australian National Anthem that is.  OK, the truth, I know the first verse and the first two lines of the second verse and the last two lines.  But I can sure hum the inbetween bits well...Haven't heard it before? Here are some fellows who CAN sing it right..

Saturday (January 26th) was Australia Day, the day we Australians' celebrate the claiming of Australia for Great Britian back in 1788 by Captain James Cook.  Two days later the French sailed into Botany Bay, who knows, but for a couple of storms at sea we could be speaking French!  The Aboriginies were convieniently overlooked when the claim on the land was made, their reference to Australia Day as Invasion Day has meant that the celebrations are now more focused on celebrating Australia as we are now, rather than what happened on this date 220 years ago).

In Australia, this day is a public holiday, except if it falls on a weekend, then we make it a long weekend.  What is the choice activity for Australia Day?  Well, the Prime Minister (equivalent to President) gives a short address and announces the Australian of the Year etc.  Remember we are talking Southern Hemisphere, so for the vast majority of the population think sunshine. That is: beach, pool, barbie (BBQ), and in the Australian tradition, one or many beers.  I was on the banks of Sydney Harbor with a bunch of friends the whole day for the bicentennial celebration - it was an amazing sight I will never forget. There was a fleet of tall ships, some of which had sailed all the way from England.  Anyone who had a boat was on the harbor.  The fireworks seemed to go on forever that evening. That was, OH MY GOSH....20 years ago in 1988.  OK, moving right along, the unofficial Australian Anthem: Waltzing Matilda....with explanations of Australian terms and sung by Rolf Harris (famous Aussie singer/songwriter)....

Here is another of the unofficial anthems of Australia, from a car ad from the 70's.

Football, meatpies, kangaroos and holden cars..............

Happy Australia Day.

History At My House: World War I (African Americans At War)

Much to my children's dismay, we do not take the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday off from school. Instead, we spend the day learning. Today we are learning about the Americans of African descent who fought for our country during the First World War, the 369th Infantry. The National Archives and Records Administration (which is where I found this photo) has an excellent site designed for this purpose. It includes documents, photos and many other teaching resources.(Why reinvent the wheel, right?)

That's where we'll be hanging out today. Maybe we'll see you there!

LA Sue