Day 84 / 105 - May Learning With My Kids

Welcome to Daily Learning With My Kids.  Monthly, I'm highlighting when my children (or myself) have learned something new or noteworthy.  Oftentimes, my children will have these discoveries independently and without curriculum.  That's the best kind of learning.  I plan to remember these a-ha moments to keep the joy in the journey.

Even amidst quite a bit of traveling and scheduling conflicts, we still added new wisdom this month:

We're still reading Shakespeare (me more than the children, but they usually get at least one abridged version of the play I've recently read).  In May, I read Twelfth Night, The Taming of the Shrew, and Julius Caesar.  Julius Caesar took me about twice as long as the comedies.  

If Americans are going to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (which I think we should because no American holiday includes tequila) then my children should know that the 5th of May has nothing to do with Mexico's Independence or with the Mexican Revolution.  It is a celebration of a Mexican victory during the French-Mexican war.  

We've been introduced to quite a bit of new vocabulary while reading Shakespeare.  By Jove! was the Middle English way of saying Oh, Jupiter (the Roman name for Zeus).  In other words, a way to swear without taking the Lord's name in vain.  (I've also learned a few Middle English dirty jokes from Shakespeare, too!)  

My daughter came across Halley's Comet in a movie she was watching, so she spent some time researching the short-period comet.  She discovered its next appearance will be in July of 2061 when she is 57.  

We stepped up our 24 Game by playing the version that includes decimals and fractions.  This takes a little more brain power, but still loads of fun.  

Naturally Charlotte's gastropubs include beer history in their bathroom decor.  Being a Middle Ages fan, this one was my favorite.

Day 83 / 105 - Hilton Head Island

Last week, my children and I took a very last minute trip to Hilton Head Island for a few days compliments of some dear friends.  There is definitely something therapeutic about sunshine, salt water, and the seashore.  Fun times!

Day 82 / 105 - Wordless Wednesday

[My daughter is teaching herself how to use a camera.]

Day 81 / 105 - April Learning With My Kids

My daughter is outfitting my blog with all kinds of new pictures.  ;)  

Welcome to Daily Learning With My Kids.  Monthly, I'm highlighting when my children (or myself) have learned something new or noteworthy.  Oftentimes, my children will have these discoveries independently and without curriculum.  That's the best kind of learning.  I plan to remember these a-ha moments to keep the joy in the journey.

New wisdom we added this month:

C.S. Lewis spent many of his childhood days mapping an imaginary world called Animal-Land.  He states: In mapping and chronicling Animal-Land, I was training myself to be a novelist.  We became aware of some of Lewis' early maps while creating our own fantasy lands.  

I referenced a story out of this book in February.  It was new to me.  While spring-cleaning our bookshelves, imagine my surprise when I learned we owned all of Kipling's Just So Stories.  In April, we read through nearly every story in one sitting.  They're delightful.  We added a few new words to our vocabularies also!

We're still embracing all things Shakespeare.  I'm looking forward to posting about the next play we're tackling.

I need to share that I spent a good part of April learning about Prince Rogers Nelson, along with many, many others.  We had always been fans, (doesn't every child from the '80s have at least one memory with his songs?), but as we aged, we begun to truly appreciate his talent.  I believe he really was a modern day Mozart with a motorcycle.

I learned that Prince recorded his first album when he was 19, and that he wrote, produced, arranged, composed, and played all 27 instruments on the album.  He was 19!  The vault in his home where he stored his work, was nearly full of unreleased music way back in 1987, yet he was still regularly adding music to it.  I also learned that when he changed his name to the unpronounceable symbol in the '90s, it was because of a legal battle he was having with Warner Bros.  Warner Bros. would not release Prince's music as often as Prince desired.  As a result of the name change, Warner Bros. had to organize a new computer font that included the symbol.  This cost the company a fortune.  Brilliant move on Prince's part.

My husband and I always loved this video back when it had one million views.  Now that it's truly gone viral, I would invite you to watch it if you haven't already.  During the 2004 Rock Hall Induction Ceremony, Prince joins Tom Petty and crew on stage for a tribute to George Harrison.  No one is even aware of his presence until 3 minutes and 25 seconds into the performance.  Harrison's son gives Prince the nod to take center stage, and Prince does make the guitar gently weep.  It's simply unbelievable.  Prince was a world-class performance artist, but he was also a world-class musician.  I've enjoyed watching this video many times over the past two weeks as well as playing it often for my children. 

 

Day 80 / 105 - Brick Shakespeare: The Comedies

Since we dove headfirst into a little Shakespeare learning this spring, it was only natural that we added this gem to our book collection.  Brick Shakespeare: The Comedies presents four of the Bard's most clever and comic works in Lego form, each of which has been carefully abridged.  Included are narratives to help tell the story of the plays.  The book has been a pleasure.  It is not a Lego book, but a Shakespeare book creatively illustrated with Legos.

A Brick Shakespeare: The Tragedies also exists.

Day 79 / 105 - April Happens At The Table

April has been somewhat chaotic for us.  Since March, my husband has been traveling regularly throughout the week.  When he travels for work, I always feel like time moves really quickly, yet everyday feels like an eternity.  (We used to say that about time when our children were infants!) His travel schedule eases up in the next three weeks, and I'm looking forward to a little more structure, especially in the evening.

Until then, my children and I have  been in survival mode while living and learning around our table. 

Since our Classical Conversations year has ended, one afternoon I became highly motivated and completed a little cleaning and reorganizing.  The outcome has been a breath of fresh air in our somewhat cluttered dining room.

For memory's sake, I tossed the dance and track bags onto the table one evening and snapped a picture.  I feel that my evenings have been quite full as I've shuttled my children to and from their activities this spring.