Camo Journal - Homeschool Blogger

Shooting-Match

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 21:12:00 -0600

Robin Hood - Shooting-Match at Nottingham

The Sheriff is very upset that his plan to catch Robin didn't go as planned. He decides to go to the King to enlist help. He makes a great show with his armies and provisions when he goes to see the King.

The tables were turned on the Sheriff when the King is upset with him for not being able to get rid of one little outlaw by himself with all his resources.

On the way back to Nottingham, The Sheriff comes up with an idea to trap Robin. He decides to hold a shooting match. The prize was a golden arrow.

Robin tells all his men of the coming competition and wants everyone to go. But go in disguise. They will share the arrow, no matter who wins.

Robin's disguise is coloring his hair with walnuts, wearing ragged clothing and an eye patch. Of course he is the best yeoman around and easily wins the match.

Will Stutley

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 21:11:00 -0500

Robin Hood - Will Stutely Rescued by His Good Companions

The Sheriff really wants to catch Robin Hood and comes up with another plan to catch him. One of Robin's men, Will Stutely, decides to go to the inn to see what he can find out. He dresses himself in disguise.

A cat comes by, rubbing itself on Will's robes and revealing his Lincoln green colors underneath.

One of the Sheriff's men sees the Lincoln green and starts to question and then accuse Will.

They overtake him and arrest him.

Will is sentenced to death. Robin Hood and his men plan a daring rescue. They dress in disguise and show up at the hanging.

Little John makes the first press through the men. He jumps up in the cart and asks Will if he doesn't think its time to take leave of his friends because it might be the death of him. Then he cuts him loose.

Will Stutley and all of Robin's men get away from the Sheriff.

Prince Hal

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:30:00 -0600

Our Island Story

Chapter 52 - The Story of How Prince Hal was Sent to Prison

Prince Hal didn't want his servant to be put in jail. He was very angry with the judge. He was so angry he slapped the judge on the cheek. Everyone thought the Prince was going to kill the judge. But the judge just sat still. He said he was going to send Prince Hal to jail for his action. Prince Hal went without a fight. Someone told the King his son was in jail and he was glad for a judge that would do it and a son that would go.

The king was ill and dying and he thought someone stole his crown while he was sleeping. It was Prince Hal who thought he was dead. The king called the prince to him and the prince said, "I thought I would never hear you speak again." The king gave mercy to him before he died.

Traveling Towers

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:09:00 -0600

Cameron's picture narration from Pagoo. Pagoo found his first home in a button barnacle, which happened to be on another barnacle which was on the shell of another hermit crab.

Robin and the Tinker

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:02:00 -0600

We are having great fun with Robin Hood. Cameron looks forward to it each day and he looks forward to "setting up the scene." I'm allowing him to retell Robin Hood using his men.

The Sheriff of Nottingham wants Robin arrested, but no one will serve the warrant. The Sheriff is asking the men of Nottingham shire if they will do it.

No one wants "a cracked crown and broken bones" so the Sheriff sends a messenger to another town to see if someone will. The messenger meets with several men but it is the Tinker that takes on the task.

We had to look up exactly what a tinker was. I had no clue. But now we both know that a tinker traveled from town to town to fix metal. (Cameron has never been very good with names. I know he gets it from his father. He keeps referring to Robin and Red Robin Hood and the Tinker was Tinker Toy...just a funny side note)

The Tinker takes the warrant and goes off to find "this knave Robin Hood" and who does he meet but some nice youth on the way. (It is really Robin) They immediately hit it off.

Robin does not reveal who he is and finds out that the Tinker is after him. He invites him back to the inn for some drink and fellowship. The Tinker loves his drink and hardily accepts.

But Robin has the innkeeper put something into his drink to make him fall asleep.

Robin pays for their refreshments but then tells the innkeeper to charge the Tinker when he wakes up. Then he steals the warrant right out from the Tinker's bag. Which is very funny because the Tinker was bragging about it.

Robin is gone when the Tinker awakens and is angry to find that the one he was spending time with was the very one he was after, and that he had taken the warrant, AND that he had to pay the innkeeper.

The Tinker goes on his way. He is angry and who should he run into in the bend in the road but a whistling Robin.

They fight with cudgel and staff

Cudgel breaks staff and Robin calls for some of his merry men.

Little John and some yeomen (AKA Storm Troopers) come to his aid.

At this point in the reading (before this delightful re-enactment) Cameron interrupts with, "The Tinker is going to join the merry men. Just like Little John did in the last chapter."

The very next sentence had Robin's invitation to join. The Tinker gladly accepted.

Elizabeth Servant of the Poor

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:02:00 -0600

Trial and Triumph - Elizabeth Servant of the Poor (1207 - 1231)

She gave to the poor since there was a famine in the land. She started a hospital for the poor. Then, when word of the famine reached her husband, who was off fighting, he came back. He came back and helped her.

She went to the church and gave God her son right after he was born. After her husband died they kicked her out of the castle with nothing. They [Elizabeth, her four children and two servants] went to a town and asked people if they could stay in their home. Someone allowed them to stay with their pigs in a barn.

She left the pigs and went to a church. She stayed there begging for awhile. She was given some money but gave it to the poor. Then her father [an ambassador from her father] came and wanted to bring her back. She would not go.

She got a fever and died very young. She was only 24.

Further Adventures of Toad

Wed, 4 Feb 2009 21:44:00 -0600

We finished up chapter 10 and started in on 11 of Wind and the Willows.

Toad has now escaped from jail disguised as a washerwoman. He stole a horse from a woman on a barge and sold it to a gypsy for food and money. Then he meets up with the very car that he motorcar that landed him in prison. He faints in the road.

The men in the car feel bad for the poor "washerwoman" and take him into the car with them. Toad weedles his way into the front seat and even talks the men into letting him drive the car.

Toad gets carried away and reveals to the men that he is the Toad that stole their car and ends up in a pond with the car. He is catapolted out of the car and runs away. Only to be chased by the police again.

Toad falls into the river and ends up at Rat's house. Rat tells him that his house is over run with weasles, ferrets and stoats. Toad must see for himself and tries to head home only to be shot at by a stoat. Then he tries a back way, up the creek to the boat house only to be sabatoged by two weasles dropping a rock into his boat.

Cameron set up each scene and did a very good job of retelling what was going on.

We also spent time on dicussing Toad. He is not an admirable character. He is proud, arrogant, selfish and disobeidient. I was actually happy when he got sent to prison because he deserved to be punished from his actions. He is never sincerly repentatant and as soon as things start going his way again he is quick to puff up.

A Gallopin' Fishpole

Tue, 3 Feb 2009 21:39:00 -0600

Seabird chapter 7 "A Gallopin' Fishpole. Cameron got the draw a picture from the story narration card.

Right now, in Seabird by Holling, we are learning about whaling. This is a picture of a whaling boat. They have already harpooned the whale and now are hanging on for dear life. The man at the back with the stick is the Boat Steerer and the man beside him is pouring sea water over the pully system so that it won't catch fire. The pieces outside the boat are ice cakes that they were steering through.

The Retake of Toad Hall

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 18:54:00 -0600

Wind in the Willows. This is from chapter 12. In Toad's absence, weasels, ferrets and stoats have overtaken his home and grounds. His friends, Badger, Mole, and Rat are helping him get it back by sneaking in through a hidden passage.

Badger, Mole, Rat and Toad were going through a tunnel. Toad slips in the water. Then they went back to help him. But the Badger says, "If you make on more sound, we're leaving you behind." And it was dark.

Rat called to him because he was really scared and he was staying back in the dark. Rat said, "Come on." So he came on and bumped into Rat and Rat bumped into Mole and Mole into Badger. Badger thought they were being attacked from behind and almost put a bullet in Toad. Then he noticed that Toad had bumped into Rat and that made Mole bump into him. That made him mad.

They kept going. They could start to hear some people cheering and footsteps above their head. They started to go up the tunnel. Badger said when they could go out and everyone was got startled from them bursting out. They ran away. A few escaped out of the window. Some of them went up the chimney so they wouldn't get hit by the sticks.

They looked for food to eat and Badger asked Mole to do an errand for him. Mole went out to check on the animals that were watching the place. He brought back a lot of pistols. Mole told him that they got scared of the weasels coming out. They dropped their pistols and got scared. Most of them fell into the river. Badger wanted them [their prisoners] to go up and clean rooms for them to sleep in. So they did. Then Mole came back down and pulled out his seat and started to eat.

Battle of Sluys

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:28:00 -0600

The tall white robot is King Edward III and the yellow "workmen" are the English. The blue "police" are the French. Now he told me that he didn't have any ships because that is where the battle takes place but I was supposed to use my imagination.

The last part of the narration had the fool telling the French king that his men had lost the battle.