Big Book Summer is Here!

Back at the end of March, Sue from Book by Book commented to let me know about her Big Book Summer Challenge, and I've been looking forward to it ever since. It started on Saturday, the beginning of Memorial Day weekend, and runs through Labor Day. The goal is to read at least one book that is at least 400 pages long. 

My original plan was to read two big books, but it actually looks like, if all goes well, I may end up reading three. 

I have just started the audiobook of Fox's Earth by Anne Rivers Siddons, which is 480 pages in print. With a friend, I'm reading Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner, which is 569 pages. Later in the summer, hopefully on our beach trip, I also plan to read The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher, which is 592 pages. I also have Centennial by James Michener, but I'm not quite ready for another long book about the American West after reading Lonesome Dove this Spring so that one is on the back burner for now, especially since it's over 1000 pages. 

Are you reading any big books this summer? 

Fumbling Through Fantasy: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (1984)

The Hero and The Crown is a 1984 fantasy novel starring Aerin, the daughter (and only child) of the king of Damar, who is not allowed to inherit the throne due to the dubious magical roots of her late mother, who died during childbirth. Alienated from the royal family, Aerin discovers instead her capabilities as a dragon slayer, and she begins training to defeat a dragon that often torments the people of Damar. Through her unique approach to killing dragons, Aerin fulfills her true destiny. 

I put off reading this book for a long time because of how much I typically struggle to understand let alone enjoy the fantasy genre. I finally listened on audio, hoping that listening would help me get into the story better. At first it was successful. All the family connections and disconnections were intriguing to me, and I was invested in Aerin's desire to win over the people of Damar and to gain her father's pride and approval. 

Halfway through the book, though, the fantasy elements really ramped up, and I got lost. I was weirded out by the magical romance storyline with the semi-immortal Luthe (which shocked me by turning sexual), and I was completely confused by all the scenes involving him. I went from thinking my oldest  daughter might like this book in a couple of years to telling my husband no child of mine is reading it on my watch. 

I read The Hero and the Crown solely because it's a Newbery winner and I wanted to cross it off my list of unread Newbery books. It would have been nice to enjoy the story, too, but I'm okay with the fact that a book in a genre I already dislike didn't work for me. If you are a fantasy reader, your mileage may vary. 

Book Review: It's Like This, Cat by Emily Cheney Neville (1963)

Fourteen-year-old Dave Mitchell lives in 1960s New York City, and he has recently adopted a cat whom he has named Cat. As Dave cares for the cat, he also pals around with his best friend Nick, going to Coney Island and on double dates, and he becomes friendly with a college student named Tom who, while in the midst of robbing a building, helps Dave rescue Cat from a basement, and who is trying to work out what he will do with his life. 

I first read this slice-of-life story when I was in library school, and I remembered really liking it, but it had been so long that I didn't feel I could mark it as read on Goodreads without a re-read. This time around, I gave it a solid four stars. It has a lot of the things I like in middle grade books: a strong narrative voice, an interesting setting, and a coming of age plot line. 

I never read this book as a kid, but I can definitely imagine my younger self really liking it because it doesn't have a lot of heavy conflict or sad moments, and it's just about an ordinary kid doing ordinary things. In that sense, it's a lot like Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins, which I read not long after this one. It also reminds me a bit of Beverly Cleary's Strider, especially in its treatment of boy/girl interactions at this age, and its involvement of a pet. 

Interestingly, the copyright on It's Like This Cat was never renewed for some reason, and therefore, due to the way the copyright rules were structured prior to 1978, the book is in the public domain in the U.S. even though it was published in 1963. This makes it very easy to find, and it means there is even a free audiobook version on Librivox!  This is a great choice for readers who prefer character-driven stories and for those who love vintage stories about New York City. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 5/10/21

Morning Read-Alouds

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read: "Badgers" by Richard Edwards, "Ducks' Ditty" by Kenneth Grahame, "The Tickle Rhyme" by Ian Serraillier, "The Yellow Tulip" by George Swede, "The Caterpillar" by Christina Rossetti

We read all the articles from Vol. 8 No 5 of National Geographic Explorer (Pathfinder edition): "Madagascar: A World Apart" by Mireya Mayor, "Nature's Spirals" by Wendy Lichtman, "Tales from Timbuktu" by Marissa Moss, and "Body Works" by Terri L. Jones. 

Music 

This week we listened to Slavonic Dance No. 7 by Antonin Dvorák, The Peer Gynt Suite: In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg, Water Music: Hornpipe by George Frideric Handel, Simple Symphony: Playful Pizzicato by Benjamin Britten,  and Polonaise in A Major: No. 1, "Military" by Frederic Chopin. We started learning to sing The Ash Grove. 

Art Appreciation 

We looked at The Virgin and Child with St. Anne by Leonardo da Vinci from The Louvre Art Deck: 100 Masterpieces from the World's Most Popular Museum by Anja Grebe and Erich Lessing. 

Catechism 

We reviewed Lesson 1 in The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism and moved on to Lesson 2, "God is Great." 

Memory Work

C. reviewed the planets, four directions, 50 states, continents, oceans, months of the year, days of the week, and marks of the church, worked on the countries of Europe and books of the Bible, and started learning "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear. 

M reviewed the countries of Europe and 13 colonies, the books of the Bible, and the 7 sacraments, worked on the monarchs of England, thirteen of the countries of Asia, and started learning "The Goat and I" by Robert Service. (She suggested the goat theme.)

E. started learning "First Fig" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. 

Science 

Since the cicadas are supposedly soon to emerge in our area, we took a week to study them. We read Cicadas! Strange and Wonderful by Lawrence Pringle. I had the girls label a cicada's body parts, draw a cicada, and fill out a diagram of the cicada's life cycle. 

History 

M. read "The Conquest of Peru" section in A Picturesque Tale of Progress, which included sections on "Explorations of Central and South America," and "Ancient Peru." She also read Macchu Picchu by Elizabeth Mann. 

Math 

M. continued working on time in Singapore 3B. C. started Singapore 2B, the beginning of which is review of numbers up to 1000. Both girls also worked on Khan Academy and were quizzed on their math facts using flashcards.

Reading and Writing 

We started a new lunchtime read-aloud, Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright. Daddy continued reading Tal: His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom by Paul Fenimore Cooper after dinner. 

E. also started a new read-aloud with me: Old Mother West Wind by Thornton Burgess. She learned the vowel rhyme for the letter U and practiced identifying letters with flashcards and magnet letters. 

M. finished Mattimeo. C. finished The Enchanted Wood and started Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. 

Special Activities 

M. and I took the babies for an hour-long walk. M. took a couple of bike rides with Daddy. We had a surprise late afternoon playdate with friends. We all took a ride in the car for my second vaccine and listened to audiobooks in the car while we waited for Daddy to get groceries. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 5/3/21

Morning Read-Alouds

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read: "New Day" by Ian McMillan, "The Cock Crows in the Morn" by Anonymous, "A Little Talk" by Anonymous, "Tall Nettles" by Edward Thomas, "The Farmyard" by A.A. Attwood

We read all the articles from Vol. 8 No. 6 of National Geographic Explorer (Pathfinder Edition): "Living Color" by Gary Miller, "Arctic Adventurer" by Dolores Johnson, "The Invaders" by Lana Costantini, "Back to the Future" by Terri L. Jones

Music

This week we listened to Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Rodeo: "Hoe Down" by Aaron Copland, Symphony No. 5: "First Movement" by Ludwig von Beethoven, and The Four Seasons: "Spring" by Antonio Vivaldi. We learned to sing "All Through the Night" using the arrangement in The Fireside Book of Children's Songs. (I sang the descant; the girls sang the melody.)

M. and C. both practiced piano and recorder daily. We had a Friday evening sing-along after dinner.

Art Appreciation 

We studied Fast Break by Red Grooms from Come Look with Me: World of Play by Gladys S. Blizzard. (This was the last painting in this book.) 

Catechism

We bought a copy of The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism in the interest of moving things along a bit, and we did Lesson 1, "God Made Us." All three of the big girls are picking it up really quickly. On his feast day (May 6), we read about St. Dominic Savio from Picture Book of Saints by Lawrence G. Lovasik. We attended the Latin Mass on Sunday. 

Memory Work

C. reviewed the planets, four directions, 50 states, continents, oceans, months of the year, days of the week, and marks of the church, the countries of Europe, and finished learning "The Tiger" by William Blake. She recorded her video of her recitation of "The Tiger." 

M: reviewed the countries of Europe and 13 colonies, the books of the Bible, the 7 sacraments, the monarchs of England, thirteen of the countries of Asia, and finished learning "Sea Fever" by John Masefield. She recorded her video of her recitation of "Sea Fever."

E. finally recorded her video for "Icicles" by Anonymous. 

Science 

We continued BFSU Lesson B-4: Life Cycles. We read How Heredity Works by Jeanne Bendick and watched a Dr. Binocs video about DNA. E. did the activities in her latest Koala Crate, Music. She made a xylophone and a tambourine and composed her own music to play on the xylophone. She also decorated a streamer to dance with. 

History 

M. read "The Indians of the Southwest" in book 8 of A Picturesque Tale of Progress, which included these sections:  "Spanish Exploration," "The Pueblo Indians and Their Dances,"  "The Poetry of the Indians," "Arts of the Indian," and "Acoma, the Sky City." She watched a video on YouTube of a Hopi snake dance. 

C. read the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece from D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, which finished out the book. 

Math 

C. and M. both did math facts flashcards. C. did timed two-digit addition with regrouping on the soroban, and she worked on 3rd grade math in Khan Academy. M. did Singapore Math 3B Exercise 38, which asked her to convert hours to minutes. She worked on 4th grade math in Khan Academy. M. also participated in World Math Day online and worked on extrapolation and interpolation in Life of Fred: Honey. 

Reading and Writing

Our lunchtime read-aloud was Away Goes Sally by Elizabeth Coatsworth. At dinner, Daddy read the Choose Your Own Adventure Book, The Mystery of Chimney Rock and then started reading Tal: His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom by Paul Fenimore Cooper. 

M. read and listened to Mattimeo by Brian Jacques. 

C. started The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton. She also started writing a story about her younger sister, E. 

E.'s read-aloud during her school time was the Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook (we finished the book). She also listened to All Falling Down by Margaret Bloy Graham and Gene Zion, Do You Know What I'll Do? by Charlotte Zolotow,  and The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey and Don Wood. She also played runaway letter and worked on learning the vowel rhymes from The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading. 

Special Activities 

On the weekend, M. and C. attended a friend's amazing Boxcar Children themed birthday party. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 4/26/21

Morning Time 

Poems

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read:  

• "Mare" by Judith Thurman
• "Swaybacks in the Springtime" by Kit Wright
• "Weather" by Yetta Schmier
• "Catch a Rainbow" by Brian Whittingham
• "The Rainbow" by Christina Rossetti

Read-Alouds 

We read all the articles from Vol. 8 No. 7 of National Geographic Explorer (Pathfinder Edition): 

• "Return to the Moon" by Dottie Raymer (This article is from 2009 and talks about a now-canceled plan to return to the moon. After reading the article, we read about its cancellation online and about what the space program is working on now.) 
• "A Glimpse of Gorillas" by Gary Miller
• "Pedal Power" by Susan Blackaby 
• "Dinosaurs in Motion" by Gary Miller 

Music

We are starting to go back and review the pieces we have been listening to for music appreciation this year. This week we listened to Andante from Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, Symphony No. 94, "Surprise": Second Movement by Franz Josef Haydn, "Jupiter: Bringer of Jollity" from The Planets by Gustav Holst, Orpheus in the Underworld: Can-Can by Jacques Offenbach, and the finale from the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini. 

We continued to practice singing "Down in the Valley."

Art Appreciation 

We studied Baseball Players by Elaine de Kooning from Come Look with Me: World of Play by Gladys S. Blizzard. 

Memory Work

C. reviewed the planets, four directions, 50 states, continents, oceans, months of the year, days of the week, and marks of the church  and worked on "The Tiger" by William Blake, the countries of Europe, and addition and subtraction flashcards.

M: reviewed the countries of Europe and 13 colonies, and worked on "Sea Fever" by John Masefield, the books of the Bible, the 7 sacraments, the monarchs of England, thirteen of the countries of Asia, and multiplication and division flashcards.

Science 

We started BFSU Lesson B-4: Life Cycles. I showed the girls a variety of videos about animal and plant life cycles:

• Butterfly: A Life 
• Trials of a Tadpole 
• How Does a Seed Become a Plant?
• Amazing Cicada Life Cycle
• Elephant Life Cycle

Preschool

E. practiced the alphabet with magnet letters and learned the second part of the Vowel Rhyme from The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading ("E is the next vowel, don't you see...").  

History 

M. read "The Conquest of Mexico" section in A Picturesque Tale of Progress, which included these subheadings: "Aztec Conquerors," "The Empire of the Aztecs," "The Spanish in America," "Hernando Cortez Leads the Spaniards to Tenochtitlan", and  "The Conquest of Mexico." She also read One Day in Aztec Mexico by G.B. Kirtland, illustrated by Jerome Snyder. 

C. read about Theseus in D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. 

Math 

C. and M. both did math facts flashcards. C. did timed two-digit addition with regrouping on the soroban, and she worked on 3rd grade math in Khan Academy. M. did some more exercises about time in Singapore math and worked on 4th grade math in Khan Academy.

Reading and Writing 

We started a new read-aloud, Away Goes Sally by Elizabeth Coatsworth, and M. started reading and listening to Mattimeo by Brian Jacques. C is still reading Ramona the Pest. She also read Elisa Michaels, Bigger and Better by Johanna Hurwitz. After dinner each night, my husband read from Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore. 

On the weekend, the three big girls wrote Mother's Day messages for both grandmothers. 

Physical Education

We had one outdoor playdate at the playground in our neighborhood, during which E. and C. enjoyed using their friend's stomp rocket. C. is also working on learning to cross the monkey bars. 

Instrumental Music

M. and C. both practiced piano and recorder daily. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 4/19/21

Morning Time

Poems 

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read: 

• "The Trout," a Southern Paiute song translated by John Wesley Powell
• "The Wind" by James Reeves
• "The Storm" by Sara Coleridge
• "What is Green?" by Mary O'Neill
• "The Woodpecker" by Elizabeth Madox Roberts

Read-Alouds 

We read all the articles in Vol.9 No. 2 of National Geographic Explorer (Pathfinder Edition): 

• "Eye in the Sky" by Jonathan McDowell (this one inspired M. to build a satellite from Legos)
• "Frightful Animals Hall of Fame" by Shirleyann Costigan
• "America the Beautiful" by Dana Jensen and Dolores Johnson

Music

We listened to the Triumphal March from Aida by Giuseppe Verdi. We practiced singing "Down in the Valley." 

Art Appreciation

This week we studied "La Piñata" by Diego Rivera from Come Look with Me: World of Play by Gladys S. Blizzard. 

Memory Work

C. reviewed the planets, four directions, 50 states, continents, oceans, months of the year, days of the week, and marks of the church  and worked on : "The Tiger" by William Blake and the countries of Europe. 

M: reviewed the countries of Europe and 13 colonies, and worked on "Sea Fever" by John Masefield , the books of the Bible, the 7 sacraments, the monarchs of England, and six countries of Asia.   

Science 

We finished up Lesson C-2 in BFSU, Sound, Vibration and Energy. We focused on how the eardrum works, and on sound waves. We also watched a lot of videos: 

• Operation Ouch - The Eardrum
• Operation Ouch - How Do Our Ears Work?
• Science for Kids - What is Sound Energy?
• Dr. Binocs - Invention of Morse Code
• The Coolest Things Sound Waves Do
• The Science of Hearing

*The information about hearing also qualifies as health.

Preschool

E. practiced her letters, and she learned the first part of the Vowel Rhyme from The Ordinary Parent's  Guide to Teaching Reading ("A is the first vowel we will say...). She also listened to some chapters in  The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook.  

History 

M. read "The Brilliant Civilization of the Mayas"  from A Picturesque Tale of Progress, which included sections called "Migrating Mayas," "Coast Dwellers," "The Old Empire in the South," "The Story of Creation," "Ceremonies and Customs," "The New Empire in Yucatan," "A Tale of Canek the Chieftain," "Kukulcan, Hero and God," "The League of Mayapan," "Chichen Under Toltec Rule," and "Last Days in Yucatan." This was review, as we covered the Maya last year. 

C. read about Hercules (Heracles) in D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths and then I printed out a Hercules coloring book for her to work on. 

Math

C. and M. both did math facts flashcards. C. did timed two-digit addition with regrouping on the soroban, and she worked on 3rd grade math in Khan Academy. M. did some exercises about time in Singapore math and worked on 4th grade math in Khan Academy. 

Reading and Writing 

We finished reading aloud Peppermints in the Parlor. C. finished Betsy-Tacy and Tib and moved on to Ramona the Pest. M. read Prince Caspian. M. also composed the message in her friend's birthday card all by herself and wrote it out without any assistance. 

Physical Education 

M. and C. have been struggling with seasonal allergies, but we still had a playdate here in our neighborhood, which included C.'s first-ever attempt at hopscotch. M. and C. and I also attended an outdoor birthday party for a friend who has a huge backyard and swingset and they did lots of running around there as well. I also took them to the playground near us a handful of times.

Instrumental Music

M. and C. both practiced piano and recorder daily.