Life On The Planet

Homeschooling Expands the Mind...

although not always in the direction that I would like it to!

You may recall that we are studying the First World War. Well, last night Salamander came to visit me whilst I enjoyed the peace and quiet of my room. Sometimes, on a very rare occasion, this will happen. I am usually required to be ill before this happens, but we'll let that pass.

Anyway, as Salamander and I were talking, we heard a blood curdling scream. Tiger pounced on his brother in continuation of his never ending quest to "take him down." (Close your eyes and visualize with me...Salamander is fourteen, Tiger is nine. Get the picture?) Salamander flipped him over in 0.1 second and, oh, the horror, kissed him. Well, I won't let him hit Tiger. You must admit, for a nine year old boy it is a hateful punishment.

Tiger was spittin' mad. The more Salamander laughed, the madder he got. He bunched up his fists and thought of the worst insult he could muster,

"You Nasty Hun!"

Who says he doesn't pay attention during History?

History At Homeschooler Savvy

I haven't posted much on our schooling adventures lately. Not that it isn't all related, but you know what I mean. I haven't posted much on the *school* stuff. If you're wondering what we've been doing in the homeschool realm, visit Homeschooler Savvy and take a peek at my running series of posts called History At My House. We're in the middle (well, the beginning) of a World War. It's not just all baking and animal soap operas and trips to Louisiana, you know. We do actually learn something every now and then!

This Day In History

Did you know that on January 15th, 1831 the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame was finished? Did you know that in 1974 the television show Happy Days premiered, or that in 1559 Queen Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England, or that in 1909 a hearse was used for the first time? Huh, huh, did ya? Life is in the details, people!

If you want to know more about what happened on a particular day in history, check out This Day in History (on the History Channel site). Personally, I'm just stocking up on useless information for the next time I play Trivial Pursuit with my Dad, but to each their own.

Remembrance: Literature of The First World War

It's almost time to start our World War I studies. The Christmas break slithered past me and I'm now scrambling to catch up.  I've got the historical angle of the thing covered (books, videos,etc.), but children's literature on the topic is another story. Here are some titles to look up at the library tomorrow:

The Silver Donkey by Sonya Hartnett

The Letter Home by Tim Decker

Lord of the Nutcracker Men by Iain Lawrence

If anyone has read any of these and has an opinion, either pro or con, please let me know.

As always, when it comes to historical events (wars in particular), there is plenty of good literature out there for adults, but when it comes to children's literature, the pickings are slim.

Google led me to quite a few sites on poetry and prose from the First World War. I liked the BBC one the best. Lesson plans for teaching poetry of WWI can be found at EDSITEment, a website of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Remembering the ladies, there is a site that explores poetry on WWI that was written by women.

Finally, if you aren't looking for poetic genius but would like an insight into the Australian psyche (and what girl with an Australian, tea drinking friend wouldn't need that tutorial?), read Leslie Rub's Christmas Day on the Somme.  It gets the point across.

Anything I missed? Help me out and leave a comment. Thanks.

Christmas Truces

On December 24th, 1914, German soldiers in their trenches on the Western Front started decorating for Christmas. They used what they could find for decorations and lit candles, as well. When they started singing carols, the British forces opposing them began to sing. Silent Night, it seems, is universal.

Soon, gift exchanges began amongst the combatants. Football matches were organized, along with burials for the dead that littered the no-mans-land between the trenches. Apparently, at least one of the burials was attended by soldiers from each side. The truce lasted 24 hours in some places, up to a week in others. There was another truce the following Christmas and again during Easter of 1916, despite the determination of ranking military officials that they would not take place.

If things get a little hectic for you during the holidays, just think about those soldiers, British and German. If they could figure out a way to celebrate Christmas peacefully in the middle of a war-zone, I imagine we can figure out a way to muddle through it in the suburbs.

I'll be taking a Christmas break of sorts over the next few days. We're traveling to visit family and friends in Louisiana (I need to thaw out). Stay safe and warm over the holidays. I'll be back before you know it.

Merry Christmas, everyone, and a very Happy New Year.

War Is Brewing - World War I That Is

After returning from our Christmas festivities in Louisiana, we will be diving head first into the trenches of the First World War. I have been looking for supplemental information online, and have found a few links that I thought I would share.

World War I - Trenches On The Web

First World War

The Great War

World War One

They all look interesting, and I can wait to get digging. Into the websites, that is. I"ll leave the trenches for the kids.

If anyone has any good resources, please let me know!