Posted in Bears of Blue River

Chapter 4 The One-Eared Bear

PREPARING THE LESSON:

Saint Hubert the Patron Saint of Hunters

VOCABULARY:

swagger – to strut around; to walk in an arrogant or proud way

shrewd – crafty, inclined to deal with others in a clever underhanded way

sullen – hostilely silent, slow-moving

morose - gloomy

ardently – passionate, enthusiastic

whetting – to sharpen a tool or weapon

impulse – sudden urge, instinctive drive, motive

uncanny –  eerie, too strange or unlikely to seem merely natural

prostrate – lie face downward

galls – sore caused by rubbing, cause of anger

fortnight – two weeks

COPYWORK:

Notwithstanding all these evil reports concerning the one-eared bear, Balser clung to his resolution to hunt the bear, to kill him if possible, and to give Liney the remaining ear as a keepsake.

He repeated over and over to himself his father’s advice:  “When you attack a bear, be slow and deliberate.  Do nothing in a hurry.  Don’t shoot until you’re sure of your aim.”

“I’ll never again say anything bad about your hatchet.  It saved my life to-day, and was worth all the guns in the world in such a fight as we have just gone through.”

NARRATION:

Balser talked Tom & Jerry into telling him where the one-eared bear was by saying he would give them more milk.  The cubs told him that one-ear was their evil uncle and that the had lost his ear in a fight with their father over their mother.  Mother said she couldn’t abide a one eared bear.  This made one-ear evil and mean.  Balser determined to set out and find one ear so he could cut off his good ear and give it to Liney as a present.  He took with him Tom, who always used a hatchet to hunt with.  Balser made fun of Tom’s hatchet but in the end it was Tom’s hatchet that chopped one-ears back in two, killing him but not before a great fight in which both boys were injured.  Balser lying in bed recovering, was able to present Liney with one-ears other ear telling her how much he liked her.  She accepted the ugly thing blushing that she liked him too.

FOR DISCUSSION:

Often there are times when we find somone elses ways different and sometimes view them as dumb.  Balser saw Tom's hatchet this way, but in the end his silly hatchet is what saved both their lives.  Can you discuss a time that your viewpoint about something changed for the better and what you learned about judging others? 

Posted in Bears of Blue River

Chapter 3 Lost in the Forest

PREPARING THE LESSON:

by Cicely Mary Barker

OLD FASHIONED BLACKBERRY PIE

Pastry for double crust pie 6 c. fresh or partially thawed frozen blackberries 2 tsp. lemon juice 1 to 1 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c. all purpose flour 2 tbsp. butter 1 egg yolk 1/2 tsp. water Line a 9 inch pie plate with pastry as directed for double crust pie. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In large bowl combine blackberries and lemon juice; toss. In small bowl combine sugar and flour; sprinkle over blackberries and toss until well coated. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with butter. Top with remaining pastry. In small bowl combine egg yolk and water. Brush evenly over top of pie. Bake about 1 hour or until juice bubbles through slits nearest the center. If edge gets too brown, cover with foil. Cool on wire rack. Makes 8 servings.                     Source: Cooks Recipe Search

Traditional Folk Children's Games:

Ring a Ring o' Roses
This is a very old game. Join hands to make a circle and walk round singing:

Ring a ring o' Roses,
A pocketful of posies,
Atishoo! Atishoo!
We all fall down.

As the word down is sung, everyone drops down to the floor.

The story behind this game is a sad one. It is thought to have started at the time of the plague. The plague was a terrible disease that killed many people in the middle of the 17th century. The first sign of the plague was sneezing. To try and stop the plague from infecting them, people carried posies (bunches) of flowers. So this game is reenacting the people getting the plague. 

Wolf
One person is chosen as Wolf, who walks along pretending not to care that everyone else is following as close as they dare.

The others ask "What's the time Mr Wolf?"
The wolf doesn't look back but answers in a gruff voice "5 o'clock"

The others ask again and again, getting different times in answer, until when asked the time at last the Wolf shouts "Dinner time!" and turns around and chases and tries to catch one of the others. If someone is caught they become Mr Wolf.

Squat Where ye Be

Dirty Dog

Hide & Seek

VOCABULARY

pippin - a roundish apple variety

retaliate - to return wrong for wrong

settee - a seat for two or more persons, having a back and usually arms, and often upholstered

dissenting - to differ in opinion or feeling; disagree

COPYWORK

Her recollection of everything that had happened was confused and indistinct, but one little fact she remembered with a clearness that was very curious:  the bear, she said, had but one ear.

NARRATION

Balser's bear bite wound healed.  His brother had named the two bear cubs "Tom" & "Jerry" and they were soon becoming quite tame and full of mischief.  It was blackberry picking time and the boys along with the neighbor children went off to the forest to find berries.  They had a lunch of squirrel, berries and  Turkey eggs that Tom Fox found and had fried on a rock.  They had a wonderful afternoon picking berries and playing games until Liney (Tom's sister) was attacked by a bear and chased through the woods.  Balser tried very hard to defend her but in his struggle to get his gun he lost her and searched through the night for her.  By this time it was dark, so the other children went back to the house to get help.  They signaled for a search party to look for the two with a fire signal because they were concerned not only about bears and wild animals but Indians stealing the lost children.  Balser wandered through the night until he happened to see a shadow of an Indian carrying what he thought was his beloved Liney into a canoe at the rivers edge.  Balser shot at the Indian not knowing if he wounded him but heard a splash and he ran to the canoe to find that indeed Liney was unconcious in the boat.  He paddle her in the boat until they reached the banks of home and Balser could hear his dogs barking and looking for them.  Liney came to and survived to tell that the bear who attacked her had but only one ear and Balser swore to avenge this bear to one and all.      

FOR DISCUSSION

~ Balser had to make some quick decisions and never gave up in his search for Liney.  How do you think you would react in a similar situation?  Is "giving up" ever an option when it comes to people?  Aren't you glad God never gives up searching for His lost?  We should never stop trying either.

Posted in Bears of Blue River

Chapter 2 How Balser Got a Gun

PREPARING THE LESSON:

ABBREVIATIONS	LATIN PHRASE	MEANING
BC * (Christian calendar concepts) BCE		before Christ Before Common Era Years are designated as before the Christ's birth.
AD ** (Christian calendar concepts)	Anno Domino	Year of the Lord in the year of the Lord Years are designated as after the Christ's birth.
BP ***		"Before Present" means before 1950. The most commonly used convention in radiocarbon dating. "Present" referring to the year 1950 AD. 1950 is the date that the calibration curves were established. It also predates atmospheric testing of the atom bomb, which significantly upset C12/C14 ratios in the following years.

• In the Gregorian Calendar, which we use, there is no year zero and the sequence of years near the start runs as follows: ..., 4BC, 3BC, 2BC, 1BC, 1AD, 2AD, 3AD, 4AD ...
• Since 2000 AD is the 2000th year of the Christian calendar, it was the last year of the 2nd millennium. So the 3rd millennium and the 21st century began at the same moment - on January 01, 2001.
• If a radiocarbon lab reports an age of 13000 years BP, they are implying that the fossil would have died 13000 years before 1950 AD.

Source: http://www.worldtimezone.com/wtz-names/wtz-bc-ad.html

SMOOTH BORE CARBINE

DEERHOUNDS

VOCABULARY

depredations - damage or loss

ford - a place where a river or other body of water is shallow enough to be crossed by wading

primings - the explosive used to ignite a charge

foemen - a foe in battle; an enemy

frowzy - dirty and untidy; ill-smelling; musty

COPYWORK

But the unexpected usually happens, at an unexpected time, and in an unexpected manner.

OR

To attempt to outrun a bear, even on level ground, would be almost a hopeless undertaking; for the bear though an awkward looking creature, is capable of great speed when it comes to a foot-race.

NARRATION:

For a time, Balser enjoyed being the "hero" amongst his friends and family.  Everything in his life revolved around the event of killing the big bear.  The one thing that would bring him sorrow was the fact that he did not own his own smooth-bore carbine gun and that seemed like a near impossible dream because that was a rich gift.  Even his own father hadn't received his first gun until he was 21 years old and that seemed like an eternity to wait.  The opportunity came sooner than anyone imagined when Balser aided a couple who was fleeing from her father because the couple wanted to get married.  Balser assisted them in crossing the river and then finding a preacher for them to be married.  The couple went on to Indianapolis but not before first thanking Balser with a smooth-bore carbine gun!  Balser couldn't believe it and immediately wanted to test his new gun on a hunt with his father.  They didn't have much luck at first and attempted many shots at deer with the aid of his trusty dogs "Tigre" and "Prince".  Getting hungry, they stopped and roasted a freshly caught squirrel for lunch.  The dogs howling, informed them that an animal was nearby and the two men quickly reloaded their guns.  Balser went one way, while his dad went they other in attempt to entrap the animal but Balser found himself in a thicket face to face with not one bear but two.  He tried to out run the he-bear who was charging after him but it attacked him, badly hurting his shoulder.  With the help of his trusty dogs he was able to finally shoot this bear and get help from his father and the two them shot the she-bear.  The dogs then warning of another animal inside the nearby cave gave appearance of two baby bear cubs which Balser quickly claimed as his own to raise and take care of. 

FOR DISSCUSSION:

~ What do you think is meant by "Anno Domini"?  Explain.

~ In your life so far, can you name an event that is your "A.D."?  Something that changed things for you?  Even something that might seem insignificant.

~ What would you do if you found baby bear cubs? 

Posted in Bears of Blue River

Chapter 1 The Big Bear

PREPARING THE LESSON:

Indiana admited to statehood:  December 11, 1816 (the book takes place 1820's)

Big Blue River is in the Southeast part of the state:

VOCABULARY:

palisade - a fence of pales or stakes set firmly in the ground, as for enclosure or defense.

corruption - debasement or alteration, as of language or a text

parlour - a room for the reception and entertainment of visitors to one's home; living room

sumptuous - luxuriously fine or large; lavish; splendid: a sumptuous feast

COPYWORK:

He was cetainly entitled to feel "big"; for he had got himself out of an ugly scrape in a brave, manly, and cool-headed manner, and had achieved a victory of which a man might have been proud.

NARRATION:

Little Balser is a 14 yo pioneer boy growing up in early Indiana.  His family acquired the land from a public sale and purchased their "eighty" from a deed signed by James Monroe.  Little Balser lives in a log cabin with his brother and sister.  His family lives off the land, clearing trees, hunting, and growing wheat and corn that his Father trades for neccessities.  One day his Mother asked Little Balser to go fishing for the family dinner as she thought their Father was tired of eating deer meat.  Little Balser set off, not forgetting his fishing pole and rifle and thought about what he would do if ever he encountered a bear.  That day came sooner than he thought because after he had caught a "mess of redeyes" off the edge of a log in the river, a big hungry bear came walking up to Little Balser.  There wasn't much he could do because his rifle was on the shore.  The big bear slowly walked the log Little Balser was on and Little Balser whacked the bear with the fish he had caught but in doing so he fell in the river.  While the bear ate the fish, Balser ran as fast as he could to the shore and to his rifle.  He knew he would only have one shot and he hit the bear smack in the middle of his heart.  The bear floated a little ways, dead and Little Balser who was now scared out of his wits went screaming home.  Everyone said Little Balser had shot a 600 pound bear, the biggest one around and Little Balser was a hero.  The family now had lots of bear meat to eat and bear oil, and Little Balser had a very warm and cozy coverlit to sleep under.

FOR DISCUSSION:

~ Has there ever been a time that you got yourself out of a situation that made you feel "big" or like a hero?

~ What modern day items do you think you need for survival and why?

~ What would you do if you ever encountered a bear?

Killing animals for protection or out of necessity is sometimes a difficult decision.  Early pioneers had to often make these choices out of survival.  Bear fat and oil have many uses. Besides culinary and soap making, it is used in crafts, medicine, conditioning leather and hair, oil lamps, as a lubricant.  Important considerations when living in pioneer America.

Safety with Bear Encounters:

KEEP CALM!

• Do not run. Most bears can run as fast as a racehorse. A scream or sudden movement can trigger an attack.
• Don't throw anything at a bear; it may provoke an attack.
• Watch the bear for aggressive behavior--snapping its jaws together, making a "whoofing" sound, or keeping its head down with ears laid back. Consider any bear that moves toward you aggressive. If the bear does not seem to be displaying aggressive behavior, talk softly in monotones and slowly back up. If a bear rears on its hind legs and waves its nose in the air, it is trying to identify you. Keep still and speak in low tones.
• If a climbable tree is nearby and the bear shows aggressive behavior, speak softly and back slowly toward the tree. At the same time, slowly remove your pack and set it down to distract the bear.  Climb a tree as high as you can. Adult grizzlies don't usually climb trees, but large ones can easily reach well over 4 m. Stay in the tree until you are sure the bear has left the area
• NOTE:  You are more likely to get struck by lightning or killed by a bee sting then being attacked by a bear.

Source: http://www.usscouts.org/safety/safe_bea.html

Posted in Bears of Blue River

AO3 The Bears of Blue River by Charles Major

I debated whether to put these notes in my Bookshelf category or under our homeschool but I think I wll put these notes in thier own Ambleside category because I am reading this ahead of my dks and trying to prepare the lesson (the way Charlotte Mason would want).  Hopefully I will be ready before we read the book together or individually so we can talk about it.  In these "lessons" I will include copywork, vocabulary, facts we need to know about, pictures if they are needed, thoughts to ponder, discuss or use for writing, comprehension or end of term exams and my own turn at narrating because frankly, I need to remember what I've read and it helps me to understand the problems my dks have when they narrate.  My hope is to be able to click my blog when the time comes and not get sidetracked looking all over the internet for the information we need (Can you tell how our school days sometimes go? ) 

HTHY2 (hope this helps you too)