Today a couple of the children were blurry-eyed with colds, and we quarantined ourselves from church. The children amused themselves with carved wooden animals their older cousin sent from a missionary trip to Kenya. Their play was realistic, and each time I looked the lion had some poor giraffe down for dinner, or the crocodile was attacking a water buffalo!

Here's sweet little Keianna, her eyes have been streaming non-stop from the cold, but she had a smile most the day and begged to go to church.

On Safari

Today we made a talking feather as part of our project week and Colonial wrap-up.  I read the children the Sioux legend about how the crow and the magpie were both squaking at once and not listening to each other, and how wise Eagle instructed both of them and gave a lesson to the two legged creatures at the same time. 

Kieran enjoyed the legend immensely--Especally in the parts where I imitated Crow and Magpie!   He joined in mimicking the, "Caaaw-caaaw" and "Kaaack-Kack"

Tonight at dinner we put the feather to use, passing it around the table, and allowing only the feather holder to talk. 

We've come to the end of our Colonial Era Unit, but are lingering one extra week for project fun!  There are many things on our list including, making hardtack, corn husk dolls, a talking feather, maple syrup candy and perhaps playing with Kaira's drop spindle.

Today we made Parkin, a traditional cake from the North of England that was popular in this era.

Parkin

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ginger

1 cup of oats

1 cup of milk (or 1 cup of kefir and 1/4 cup water--we used this option!)

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup molasses and 1/2 cup honey: mixed together  (treakle and golden syrup would be more English and authentic.)

Mix flour, baking powder and ginger.  Soak oats in milk or kefir) for 30 minutes.  Melt the butter, then  combine with molasses and honey.  After the 30 minute oat soaking, combine wet ingredients and add to dry. 

Pour into 9"x11" pan and bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes clean.  Serve warm. 

It turned out beautifully and was delicious!  It will certainly go into our PrairieFrog Recipe Binder as a keeper!  (I might tweak the honey to molasses ratio and have a bit more honey than molasses--keeping enough molasses for a rich flavor.)

Kaira: Measuring carefully:

Kendra: Stirring

I love Kendra’s anticipatory expression as we get it out of the oven for dessert:

Kaira asked whether Parkin is still popular in England.  I have a couple of English friends I hope to ask, but thought perhaps a reader here would know.  Anyone? 

Pirate play, inspired by reading Blackthorn Winter, has been a favorite pastime this week, and the children eagerly roped visiting grandparents into their play.

Here's the Dread Pirate Gramps and his first mate Keegan after a successful haul. (Grandma was a good sport and did a lot of ship raiding as well. )

As we read Douglas Wilson's Blackthorn Winter, the girls drew pirate ships. 

Kaira's:

Kendra's:

And Just For Fun, Keianna playing with Kieran:

What better Leap Day activity than leaping out of windows? 

My little froggies have been reading about the Defenestration in Prague which kicked off the Thirty Years War.  In this case regents were "defenestrated" or thrown out a window.   (A very literal one seventy feet high!)  They survived, landing in horse manure. 

( I should be glad the children haven't made any mention of gathering horse manure from the neighboring pasture to add realism to their reenactments.)  

Because "defenestrate" is such a cool word, the children have been using it at every available opportunity this week.  They've also been begging for a chance to throw something out the window.  Today, to their amazed delight, I removed the screen, grabbed a camera and let them defenestrate each other.

Which reminds me of a defenestration question that has long puzzled me: What is it about shoes along the highway?  Who defenestrates their shoes on the interstate and... why?

The Defenestration of (Prairie) Frogs:

The Defenestration at Prague:

The quote I found for the girls' copywork (handwriting) practice today seemed fitting:

"History is the memory of time, the life of the dead and the happiness of the living."

~ Captain John Smith 1630 ~

Today was our Geography Day.   After the girls completed maps for their History notebooks, we  took a jaunt to a fun website to explore the colonies further: http://www.rcs.k12.va.us/csjh/colonies.htm

As we begin a new unit (coffee table book post forthcoming) I filed pages in the girls' history notebook and found a fun addition to our explorers study that I'd intended to post.

The girls decided that along with other famous explorers (Magellan, Columbus and such) we needed to study Kieran, because he does indeed like to explore!  Kaira wrote the following:

 (Blurry because the scanner is attached to another computer and I'm lazy.  I made do with the digital camera.)

And our timeline through the Age of Exploration:

Today we looked at the art of illumination; popular in the Middle Ages. 

I set the stage by letting the girls read  this informative booklet  online about the history and art of illuminated manuscripts.   (Link is a pdf file that opens with Adobe.). 

Then as they colored their own illuminated letters, I read to them from Marguerite Makes A Book.  I'd forgotten I had this treasure on my bookshelves, so it never made it to the coffee table with the other Middle Ages selections.  It turned out well though, because by forgetting it, I was able to bring it out as a surprise! 

Kendra's Coloring (Colored Pencil) of an Illuminated Letter:

Kaira's Colored Pencil Coloring from the Template:

Kaira's own freehand illuminated Initial:

Copywork to fit the theme (writing a definition of Illumination):

 (Hmmm... I think it is time for me to give Kaira a refresher lesson in how to hold the pen...)

A tip of the hat to Barbara, of A Bit of Bubbly.  Her blog post reminded me that I had a copy of the Story Of the World Vol. 2 Activity guide with the template for the illuminated letter! 

Question and Answer:

Q: Hi Dell, I have been wondering about your tour of world history: are you using just the timeline figures to guide you, supplemented with your coffee table books, or do you have another world history or curriculum type book you're using? We are not doing much world history this year, but I am eagerly anticipating starting it next year! Thanks, Veronica

A: I'm using Hillyer's Child's History of the World as a light-weight spine.  (I substituted Mystery of History for the first few chapters because Hillyer is too caveman/evolutionary minded for our tastes in the first part of the book.)  When we go back through the ages at a slower pace in later years, I'm thinking I'll use Mystery of History to dig in greater depth. 

Child's History of the World doesn't suggest other books or give activities, so it isn't really a "curriculum" as much as a text, written in a very accessible narrative style that walks us through history chronologically.  The pace is just right for us for our quick blitz through the ages, as it gives a sense of the flow of time and events.  (And it gives ME that little bit of structure so that I don't feel we are drifting.)

I see on the web that there are workbooks and lesson manuals to accompany the Child's History of the World book.  I only use the main text though.

Yesterday we read about Julius Caesar; Today featured Caesar Augustus.  The girls were quite excited to hear his name, and quoted to me the passage in Luke leading up to Christ's birth,  "And it came to pass, in those days, that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed..."

They are delighted, because they've been anticipating putting a nativity figure on the timeline since we began our history blitz. 

And, pregnacy cravings are still in force.  My main thoughts on our recent history studies have been of Orange Julius and Caesar Salad.  Both sound good.  (Not necessarily together.)

School is zipping right along this week. 

Kaira is really enjoying the Calvert Math, and begs, "Can't I just do ONE MORE lesson?"  The novelty may wear off.  But then... knowing Kaira, it may not!  She's passed her geography requirements and is now focusing a bit more on catching up in music theory.  History, Language Arts and things are moving right along.

Kendra is doing well with her school stuff.  She's particularily enjoyed our last few history lessons on the Persian Kings Darius and Xerxes (Ahasuerus).  They enjoyed hearing about how Darius through a kingly temper tantrum and had the water whipped and beaten by soldiers when it destroyed (via a storm) the ship bridge they'd constructed to cross to the other side.  And, of course, Darius' son  Xerxes is a great favorite with the girls, due to their familiarity with the book of Esther. 

We will be heading into ancient Rome after the next libray visit!  Do any of you out there have favorite "living books" for Rome? 

Keegan and Keianna are having fun with baby math and letters.  Keegan's rendition of the ABC song is amusing, as the letters are random.  (He also mixes it up with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which his sisters play on the piano frequently.) 

My apologies for being behind on answering a few questions left in the comments!  I'll try to get to those soon!  My brain has been even more scattered than usual lately.

Kaira’s Narration recalling what she knows about Babylon:

Babylon was a big city and was wicked.

It had walls around it and a river running through.

There were hanging gardens because the queen was from Media and she wanted to have mountains and so he built her a mountain with hanging gardens on it.

They were having a feast when it fell. Cyrus captured Babylon.

Kendra’s Narration recalling what she knows about Babylon:

Babylon was a big city with buildings. Nebuchadnezzar lived there.

Daniel got thrown in the lion’s den. There were big beautiful gardens.

It fell down.

We are concluding our brief time in Babylon by watching a Nest Entertainment Video about Daniel.  (We read the Biblical account straight from the Bible first--most of it was quite familiar to the girls.  It is fun to see them put history together with their Bible knowledge.)