Our fourth day centers around music and Shakespeare. Today we went to the library and on the way there and home we listed to The Story of Haydn in Words and Music. We've been reading the Opal Wheeler biography each week (we really look forward to these neat books with each composer), as well ... just a few pages at a sitting and the children narrate. I like to play the piece we are studying while we read. We follow the Composer schedule from Ambleside; therefore we are presently studying The Creation. Our purpose in music study is to light a fire of passion for music and its masters ... to enjoy music, really enjoy it and revel in it, and to be able to distinguish between pieces of a composer, and eventually various composers. Right now my kids are completely smitten with the baritone as we learned that Haydn composed many pieces for it, which today is a rather unusual instrument. Have you listened to a baritone? Oh it is rich and melancholy. Just so settling on a grey fall day. Ultimately, we strive for simply exposing our children to beautiful music that may someday blossom into something even more awesome. I will restrain this portion of my post, on Shakespeare. He is one of my true loves and I believe he must know it. Our two favorite books to bring the Bard alive: Even though I do find such worth to studying Shakespeare, I am a bit more conservative than some when it comes to reading the plays, even in story form, to my children. There are certain themes that I prefer to reserve for when they are more seasoned in the ways of life. This year, the plays we are reading from Nesbit and concurrently studying with Ludwig's fantastic book are: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night {possibly my most favorite}, and Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare permeates so many crevices of our culture and it is wise to teach his works to children. He is, in my estimation, the cornerstone of English literature. There is no greater. Literary greats, for centuries, have turned to Shakespeare for his mastery and majesty of words and I am of the belief that my children should be knit closely with his plays and his sonnets, first in exceptional retellings (ala Nesbit or Lamb) and then with Shakespeare himself, line-by-line, over much time and with great heart. What do we do then each week? Again, echoing Charlotte Mason's principles, we keep the lesson simple and fulfilling. I read aloud from the play and we tend to keep a chart on the board of characters and places, almost like a family tree, since Shakespeare can be convoluted with so many names and comings and goings. I stop and the children narrate periodically, and we continue. We marry the reading with recitation from How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare. Why do I choose to have my children memorize Shakespeare? I believe that his works are our lost vernacular and having a fluency in his passages will unlock understanding and vocabulary that will transcend much more than just the poetry and prose; it will serve them well academically and emotionally beyond their school years. For the girls, today is their natural history reading day ... Secrets of the Woods by William Long for Mae and A James Herriot Treasury for Children for Viola, who reads aloud to Zeb. I think that Mae has really found a love with this book. The detail of observation and the preciousness of the animals is a wonder, that and we live in a wooded area, which brings it all the more to life. Our day begins with our morning rituals of gratitude, poetry, and singing. Our principle lesson this morning comes from Visits to Europe, which is a really special resource that bridges map drill, worldview, culture, and picture books in one simple guide. My girls keep a decomposition book and I print out the week's lesson, which they complete, cut, and paste into their notebooks. They do love some time using their hands like this as opposed to only reading and narrating a geography book. We do both, at each child's respective level, but Visits is a very cool way to come together for a worthy purpose, which is ultimately to shepherd them to live the Great Commission, which requires knowledge of place and people.
We are continuing to work on Psalm 23 and Getting Started With Latin. This afternoon we read more from Narnia and delved into our Biblical guide ... just so much good in there to unpack. Chicken tacos are in the crock pot, pumpkin seeds are roasting in sea salt and berbere, and tonight we trick o' treat in our little town. |
erin.kate
Adorer of my Jesus. Home school mama to four ... three home grown and one from the far reaches of Africa. Ridiculously blessed wife of a man who loves with a servant's heart. Devotee of Charlotte Mason and clean, humble living. Archives
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