Source: “Love thy neighbor as thy self.” Matthew 22:39
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The Expository Prose…FDR: His Library, His Life… Sandwich
Posted on November 9, 2013 by homeschoolhappymess
Teaching beginning expository prose is never fun. Not fun for the teacher and certainly not fun for the young student. So now is the time. This year Bounce and I will be exploring the wild shores of expository prose and I hope to arrive at the other side with a competent writer in tow.
So where do we start?
As part of Bounce’s Boy Scout (Webelo) Citizenship Badge, he is required to write a short paper on an American president. We chose FDR because his New Deal program has some obvious parallels to current politics. Why not see where it all began?
We began by reading short books on FDR and doing some quick Internet research. Bounce wrote a muddled 2-page paper on FDR. Not surprisingly, it was evident that Bounce didn’t really understand any of the Big Ideas: Great Depression, Dust Bowl, New Deal, WWII, etc.
We decided to take a field trip and visit the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library in Hyde Park, New York.
The Library does an amazing job of telling the story of crisis and intervention between 1929-1945. Each room has short videos that explain the “facts”, followed by artifacts from the era. The entire exhibition, gallery upon gallery, provides an excellent view of history. One has the sensation of riding a time-travel train through the lives of Americans, both wealthy and indigent.
Bounce finally understood each of the salient points of the time period. We were left with the impression of the monumental importance and success of Roosevelt. Where would we be without him?
Unfortunately, there are few counter arguments and questions about alternative paths or the ultimate effect of the rising scope and growth of government.
As Edward Rothstein noted in his June 27,2013 review in The New York Times,
The most intriguing displays are actually scanned documents on video screens that present the controversies and debates during the Roosevelt years: Did the New Deal really end the Depression, or did the coming of the war? Why didn’t Roosevelt support federal anti-lynching legislation? (He did not want to lose Southern Democratic support.) What were his attitudes toward race? What was behind the executive order that interned Japanese-Americans along the West Coast? Did Roosevelt do what was possible to help Jews fleeing Hitler’s executioners? (At one point Alaska was considered as a refuge.) And did he give away Eastern Europe to Stalin at Yalta?
Please see complete article here:
No matter one’s political view, the FDR Library is impressive and educational. Bounce learned more in one afternoon than would have been otherwise possible. We bought and read three new books about FDR. Bounce noticed that all three told different versions of the “truth,” a fact certainly worth noting when reading secondary sources.
For great online resources directly from the FDR Library check this out:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/education/students.html
Bounce struggled through creating an outline for a formal paper, with thesis statement and supporting evidence. We discussed that each paragraph should contain one topic only, and begin and end with bridge sentences that would lead to the next topic. Finally, his new 3-page paper is complete. We both heaved giant sighs of relief.
Bounce remains blissfully unaware that my real goal in this exercise is the teaching of expository prose. I am happy to “hide” expository prose in a history-Boy Scout sandwich. Am I a genius or a coward? You decide. But it is working. Word by word, Bounce is learning to write.
1932 Presidential Election map. Need we say more?
As FDR famously said, “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.”
But what if I fear government take over and the loss of liberty and individual freedom?
Next topic of government intervention (also prompted by the Citizenship Badge): The Great Swamp War.
Let Me Count the Days: Homeschooling is munching on expository sandwiches composed of real life experiences, while sailing the high seas of independence.
Filed under: Community Service, Current Events, Field Trips, Geography, History, Humanities, World Awareness, Writing | Tagged: boy scouts, Citizenship Badge, education, expository prose, FDR, FDR Library, field trips, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, history, homeschool, homeschooling, New Deal, writing | 6 Comments »
Up, Up, and Away! 1,500 books prepare to travel to Anglican Seminaries in Africa
Posted on October 17, 2013 by homeschoolhappymess
The Wonderland BookSavers are continuing with their mission to spread the joy of reading through the distribution of used texts to new readers. In this capacity, we were called upon to find a home for approximately 1,500 books from the personal library of the (deceased) prominent Episcopal minister, Rev. H. Boone Porter.
We began our project in the catacomb-like basement of the parish rectory. With flashlights and extension cords for our computers, we created an initial bibliography of the books we discovered.
Each box was like a surprise Christmas gift. We discovered Bibles from the 1800’s, ancient prayer books in miniature (designed for portability) and texts in Latin, Greek and Hebrew.
After our initial assessment of the books we began looking for a recipient. After much research we contacted the Theological Book Network in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We were thrilled to finally locate an organization that could organize and distribute our large volume of theological texts.
The following is a letter the Theological Book Network received from South Sudan from a previous (not ours) book donation. We are so grateful that the human spirit will continue to rise even after decades of desperation.
The RECONCILE Peace Institute is so thankful for your (Theological Book Network) partnership!
Your affirming e-mails, phone conversations, and library resources are an absolute blessing! The Theological Book Network’s generous commitment to provide 1,500 books will help improve the vital ministries of trauma recovery and conflict transformation which we offer in South Sudan. Thank you. Without question, life in a nation scarred by decades of
civil war, lack of development, extensive trauma, and profound community wounds is quite difficult, but the Lord has called our organization to this service. God is using people of faith from around the globe and in the Church in South Sudan to accompany the world’s newest nation in her journey towards hope, healing and reconciliation. Thank you for
investing your resoures into God’s vision for South Sudan.
As I write this letter, the South Sudanese pastors, teachers, bishops, NGO peace workers, and community leaders pictured above are traveling into places of unrest and conflict to make a difference. They all studied and trained at the RECONCILE Peace Institute. Your partnership reminds them, Christians of all nations support their efforts to rebuild their
communities. Thank you. I am sincerely honored to call you partners and friends.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Shelvis Smith-Mather, M.Div., Th.M
Principal of the RECONCILE Peace Institute
RECONCILE International (Yei, South Sudan)
Theological Network builds “libraries” from donated books and ships them around the world. Rev. Bonne Porter’s books will be traveling to Anglican Seminaries throughout Africa.
This is particularly appropriate as Rev. Boone Porter is best know for his efforts to find common ground in the various denominations representing the Christian faith. His scholarly work led him to rewrite the 1979 edition of the Book of Common Prayer.
As noted in the New York Times on July 1, 1999:
“The vision of Reverend Dr. Cannon H. Boone Porter’s 44 years of ordained ministry aimed to revitalize the Episcopalian Church through education, liturgical reform and inclusion of its marginalized members. His work of raising up new membership, enriching Christian worship and creating a central place for women, Afro-and Native Americans and rural communities in the Church was often opposed but succeeded in redefining the Episcopal Church’s relationships within itself and with the world.”
We found that Boone’s personal library contains approximately 1,500 Christian texts, ranging from prayer books, books on Christian doctrine, books on the importance of architecture and discussions of faith-based questions such as personal responsibility and the ethics and ethos of free will.
As we handle these books we imagine the human beings who have come before us, hundreds of years of readers who have gained insight and inspiration from these very same pages.
“If God’s love is for anybody anywhere, it’s for everybody everywhere.” — Edward Lawlor, Nazarene General Superintendent
Let Me Count the Days: Homeschooling is connecting our lives with the lives of others, in a meaningful, tangible manner.
Filed under: Art, Community Service, History, Humanities, Literature, World Awareness | Tagged: community service, donating books, homeschool, homeschooling, inspiration, religion, Rev. H. Boone Porter, South Sudan, Theological Book Network, Wonderland BookSavers | Leave a comment »
Aftermath and Leisure: A poetic taste of Indian summer
Posted on October 9, 2013 by homeschoolhappymess
The end of summer and the beginning of autumn begins with blurred edges and ends with a sharp quick taste, like too-dark chocolate.
This year fall we have been graced with long Indian summer days paired with apple crisp evenings. Our too short summer is now extending into October.
Our local library hosts an evening pillow fight.
We daily wear bathing suits and T-shirts while frisking in the riotous spanking yellows and poignant orange pigments of the season.
Despite the weather, school is open…and with it we have new lessons, sharpened pencils, more Shakespeare, biology experiments and new poems to memorize.
What better poem to capture the season than Aftermath by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow?
When the summer fields are mown,
When the birds are fledged and flown,
And the dry leaves strew the path;
With the falling of the snow,
With the cawing of the crow,
Once again the fields we mow,
And gather in the aftermath.
Not the sweet, new grass with flowers
Is this harvesting of ours;
Not the upland clover bloom;
But the rowan mixed with weeds,
Tangled tufts from marsh and meads,
Where the poppy drops its seeds
In the silence and the gloom.
Or perhaps we need to hold a nugget of summer in our hearts, as expressed in this poem, Leisure, by William Henry Davies.
What is this life, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
Let Me Count the Days: Homeschooling is spending just the right amount time studying this butterfly, and every other thing of beauty.
Filed under: Field Trips, Humanities, Literature, World Awareness | Tagged: Aftermath by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, classic children's literature, education, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, homeschool, homeschooling, Indian summer days, inspiration, Leisure by William Henry Davies, poetry, William Henry Davies | 2 Comments »
Save Pequot Library!
Posted on April 19, 2013 by homeschoolhappymess
My kids and their Destination Imagination Project Outreach teammates have been working hard all year to encourage global literacy. While they were redistributing books to children around the world, something terrible happened at home. Funding cuts threatened to close our local Pequot Library.
The kids interviewed people in their community about the library, donated their proceeds from a lemonade stand to the cause, and created this video and emailed it to to elected officials. They will be speaking at a rally on the Pequot Library Lawn at 1:30 pm tomorrow, and will were also invited to speak at the special RTM meeting to encourage the town to restore Pequot’s funding.
Filed under: Community Service, Current Events, Theater, World Awareness | Tagged: Destination, education, Imagination, reading | Leave a comment »
Happy Easter to All! The Lord is Risen Indeed!
Posted on March 31, 2013 by homeschoolhappymess
Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praises.
This Easter began beautifully on the beach, where nature was as elegant as scripture in defining the moment.
Christ the Lord is risen today—Al-le-lu-ia!
Earth and Heaven in chorus say—Al-le-lu-ia!
Bounce was delighted to build in the sand throughout the service. He proudly recreated Jesus’ tomb. Children everywhere dug their toes into the sand and built crosses, tombs and raised small toys from the dead.
As Scooter later said, “That was the best church service ever!”
But where was the Easter bunny?
Hiding eggs and spreading joy with the help of the Peep Patrol
And with the clang of the bell, they were off!
After singing, prayer and egg hunts, we all settled into our own pursuits.
Scooter counted Bunnies
And I counted my blessings.
Two quotes I particularly enjoyed today from this 14th century monastic work are,
If you consider what peace a good life will bring to yourself and what joy it will give to others, I think you will therefore be more concerned about your spiritual progress.
And, Keep an eye primarily upon yourself, and admonish yourself instead of your friends.
Let Me Count the Days: Homeschooling is, As it was in the beginning, is now, and forever shall be.. Amen.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Easter, homeschool, homeschooling, inspiration, spiritual progress | Leave a comment »
Destination Imagination State Champions!
Posted on March 26, 2013 by homeschoolhappymess
Last saturday, two teams competed in the Destination Imagination state competition. In case you haven’t read my previous posts on the subject, Destination Imagination is an international problem-solving and teamwork competition. Each year, thousands of teams (composed of seven members) can choose to solve one of six annual “challenges,” each one focusing on a different skill set: technical engineering, science, fine arts, improvisation, structural engineering, or community service. The teams work together to adress certain requirements and present their solutions in the form of eight-minute skits. They cannot have adult help developing ideas, writing scripts, or creating props. At a regional, state, or global tournament, teams present their skits (which count for 75% of their final score) and also compete in “Instant Challenges” which test their ability to think on their feet by requiring the completion of unexpected timed tasks (such as building a tower or writing a quick performance). Instant Challenges make up the remaining 25% of their score.
Wonderland Booksavers, about to compete in Instant Challenge
Our middle school level team, the Wonderland Booksavers, chose to complete in the community service-based challenge: “Project Outreach: Real to Reel.” For this challenge, they had to work together to adress a community need. They also had to create a short documentary film about their project.
In their performance, they were required to showcase their film, review their project, and participate in a simulated press conference, where they answered questions about the experience. The team, which sprung out of an informal book club, chose to donate used books to those in need. They donated over 5000 books to places within the US (such as Bridgeport, Connecticut and Appalachia) and to places across the globe (including Haiti and South Africa.) They also donated teddy bears and new books to survivors of the Newtown shooting.
The team packs books to be donated
The team won first place in their challenge and age level.
Team I.C.E. in the launch area, prepared to set up their props.
Our high school-level team, Team I.C.E. (Imagine. Create. Empower.), competed in the science-based challenge, “Wind Visible.” They were required to research wind energy, and incorporate this knowledge into a skit about an invisible visitor, who, like the wind, cannot be seen but sets something in motion. They had to create kinetic art powered by the wind and designate two additional items that they did especially well on (“Team Choice Elements”) for score.
Team I.C.E. during their performance
The team’s skit was about the inhabitants of a coral reef (two jellyfish, a sea serpent, a mermaid, and a school of fish) who, with the help of the Great Wind Spirit, build a wind-powered lighthouse to ensure that sailors will no longer crash into the surrounding coastline. They are motivated by their invisible visitor, the ghost of a sailor who drowned there. The team worked especially hard to build creative props and costumes, including a haunted shipwreck, an ocean backdrop and coral reef, jellyfish made from umbrellas, and a mermaid tail covered in scales that were really foil cupcake liners and gold and silver candy wrappers.
Both teams qualified to compete in the Global Finals, held every year at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Over 1200 teams, who qualified at state, province, or national finals, are expected to participate in this week-long celebration of creativity this year. The Wonderland Booksavers and Team I.C.E. are very excited to be a part of the event. Meanwhile, they’ll continue to meet to practice Instant Challenges, repair props, tweak their performance, and rehearse.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: community service, Destination Imagination, science, Team ICE, theater, Wonderland BookSavers | Leave a comment »
Inspired by Angie: Solving a Homeschooler’s Dilemma
Posted on March 5, 2013 by homeschoolhappymess
Recently, Angie, a Homeschool HappyMess reader, sent me a series of questions that I thought might make an interesting post, and so with Angie’s permission, she and I will together tackle the intricacies of designing a homeschool curriculum..
Angie: Allia, I have been following your blog and am inspired beyond measure.
Believe me, I am grateful for your confidence in our humble homeschool. Homeschooling is a leap of faith. You have to believe in yourself and believe in your children. It is my hope, through this blog, that people can see themselves bringing inspiration and creativity to their own children’s education.
Mine is one step in an effort to right the wrong of boring, stultifying education whose tenants of secular equality for all has whitewashed history and distilled learning to nothing more than a series of meaningless platitudes, creating a generation of children with no interest in reading and little ability to write, let alone create. Break out the paint, glue and glitter, read original documents, apply literature to history, perform a science experiment…together we can explore the planet.
Angie: I have a few questions: Do you use the literature to guide the history lessons or do you teach history in a chronological order (like other classical homeschoolers) and choose literature that corresponds with that time in history?
I am a strong believer in the benefits of teaching history in chronological order, after all, that is the order in which it all happened. Like domino’s, each event was the catalyst for the next, each shift in beliefs, a result of the immediate past. That being said, I have found that if followed too literally, it is difficult to ever get out of the Middle Ages, let alone Ancient Mesopotamia. So, although I enjoy reading A Child’s History of the World, by Virgil M. Hillyer, and my children love The Story of the World (especially on tape), by Susan Wise Bauer, sometimes (often) I will jump around.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. Hall of Armor
HappyMess boys wearing “real” armor!
I am an even bigger believer in grabbing opportunities as they present themselves, and building a quick mini-lesson around an exhibit, or a play or an article in the newspaper. History, and science are so much more interesting when a child can see the immediate application of the knowledge.
Joan of Arc, MET
HappyMess kids studying Joan of Arc at MET
History at the MET
Museums are a great place to learn about the past. Here we find that ancient peoples had similar aspirations as ourselves.
History books that we have enjoyed include: The American Story, by Jennifer Armstrong and A Young People’s History of the United States, by Howard Zinn. There are countless wonderful books about ancient Egypt and Greece and about every corner of the world. I like to choose books with engaging pictures as I usually begin every History lesson with shared reading. Initially, it is the parent, or teacher, who breathes life into the history lesson. A good history lesson is like a piece of theater, filled with anticipation, suspense, surprise and resolution.
We have found that many literature books dovetail nicely with our studies. When reading historical literature we concentrate on understanding the feelings of the characters, asking ourselves, Why did they make these choices? Respond in this manner? How is this different, or the same from our experiences, desires, actions? Frequently we will read a book that is so compelling, we will read the literature first and then research the time period afterwards.
Celadon pottery at the MET
This was the case with A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park. We read the book, chose a quote as our school motto, and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC to view original pieces of celadon pottery.
Oh..and built an entire book club, around that experience, and created an Outreach Program, Wonderland BookSavers, that has so far, since September, donated 4,000 books to needy children both in the US and abroad…
and created a 7 minute documentary film and a Destination Imagination theatrical presentation…see the importance of just one piece of quality literature…?
So, what was the answer? Usually I am running at least two concurrent history programs. One is plowing forward through time, looking at facts, geo-political factors, resulting changes, etc., the other is inspired by current events, great literature, museum exhibits or lectures on a topic.
Additionally, Homeschool HappyMess kids participate in National History Day each year. This leads to very in depth research into a specific topic. This year we are focusing on the TET offensive and the media misinformation that surrounded that event, causing the American people to further turn against the Vietnam War.
Our older children have created a theatrical piece in which the “war fought in the living rooms of America,” literally comes home through investigative journalism. They recently won First Place for their local presentation, and are off to the State competition next month. Working on projects and competitions allows the student to “own” a piece of history.
We are also engaged in learning the fine art of the “research paper,” through a project on the Economy of Ancient Ephesus, as an offshoot of the study of Latin and a subset of the history of the Roman Empire.
History is the wonderful and terrible story that envelopes us all. There are 1,000 ways to study, memorize, examine, and theorize about history. Choose any path, as they say, “All roads lead to Rome.”
Angie: How do you relate the sciences?
Well, we again take several different approaches to the study of science, for younger children I am content with doing fun experiments and visiting hands-on science museums and randomly choosing interesting science books or biographies from the library. My goal is simple: awaken curiosity and provide answers about our physical world. Science and history can often be studied in tandem, as is the case with Leonardo Da Vinci, Galileo and Copernicus. Science, like history, is not a series of facts but a series of people.
leaf classification
Our 3rd grader is also following the BJU curriculum. This provides many interesting facts and experiments in a more organized fashion. Again, we read books, biographies and enjoy the world. As our students get older we follow specific studies so they can learn the basics of chemistry, biology and physics.
Angie: How do you go about choosing your reading list for the year?
I love classic literature. Generally those books, which have been known and loved for decades, are well written, use correct English grammar, have interesting vocabulary choices, reflect clear values and tell a compassionate story that resonates with young readers. In other words, they are worth struggling with and will make your student a better reader and a more thoughtful person. My annual reading list is comprised of those pieces of quality children’s literature which are at the appropriate reading level. I mainly choose books the child can read himself, but also include a few that can be read aloud and discussed. For our book club we have focused on books that reflect a message of personal growth and responsibility. These books have included A Single Shard by Park, from which we took as our motto, “One hill, one valley, one day at a time…,” Old Yeller, by Gipson, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Carroll, Classic Poetry, Ancient Greek and Roman Myths and now, Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan. With each book, our book club performed a community service project…but that is a long story for another day…
Angie: Also, a fun one: is your schoolhouse an outbuilding or connected to the main house?
HappyMess schoolhouse visitors
In this case, since homeschooling has taken over our lives and thus, every corner of our living space I think it might be more accurate to say that our home is a modified outbuilding connecting to our schoolhouse.
Angie, I hope this helps. Thanks for your faithful reading! Allia
Let Me Count the Days: Homeschooling is sharing the experience of growth with an unseen, but forever perspicacious community.
Filed under: Art, Contests, Current Events, Field Trips, History, Humanities, Literature, Theater, World Awareness | Tagged: Destination Imagination, field trips, History leassons, homeschool, homeschooling, inspiration, literature and history, metropolitan museum of art, national history day, Wonderland BookSavers | 7 Comments »
Brown Bag Surprise: For Whom the Bell Tolls
Posted on January 13, 2013 by homeschoolhappymess
Have you ever started something that brings you to such a different place at the end that you can almost not remember the beginning? Such was the case with our December Brown Bag Surprise. It began on an innocent day in December, near the beginning of Advent.
Bounce’s Destination Imagination team is committed to Community Service. This commitment has led them to view every opportunity in the light of service, asking, “How can we take this experience, gift, opportunity, and turn it into a gift for others?”
Upon finding an unused case of 9 dozen teddy bears, our church donated them to Bounce, saying,
“We know you will find something to do with these teddy bears. All we ask is that when you do, write an essay for the newsletter and let us know how you used these bears.”
It was just three weeks before Christmas; visions of sugarplums still danced in our heads.
Bounce decided to create teddy bear gift bags.
Bounce’s Destination Imagination team is also his Book Club, which is also the Wonderland BookSavers: Inspired by Literature team, a group which has, since September, donated 2,000 children’s books to multiple charities. Their gifts are inspired by the literature they read.
December is Homeschool Happymess Poetry Month. Bounce and the Wonderland BookSavers were studying poetry. They memorized the wonderful Lewis Carroll poem, Your Are Old Father William, from Alice-in-Wonderland. They selected favorite poems and practiced their recitation skills, proclaiming their love of rhythm, rhyme and alliteration from the tops of ladders, the schoolroom reading loft, and the tops of bookcases.
Bounce chose his favorite: The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe. We had no idea how apt would be that choice.
Hear the sledges with the bells,
Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!
While the stars, that oversprinkle
All the heavens, seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells-
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
What would a gift bag be without a book of poetry? Bounce found a wonderful, inexpensive, collection of poetry from Dover Thrift publishers.
We ordered 9 dozen books to go with the bears.
And the Bears ‘n Books package was born.
Bounce knew that wrapped gifts were not allowed, and so he and his friends and siblings set about making the most elaborate brown bag designs they could imagine.
Hear the mellow wedding bells,
Golden bells!
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
Through the balmy air of night
How they ring out their delight!
From the molten golden notes,
And all in time,
What a liquid ditty floats
To the turtle-dove that listens while she gloats
On the moon!
Oh, from out the sounding cells,
What a gush of euphony voluminously wells!
How it swells!
How it dwells
On the Future! How it tells
Of the rapture that impels
To the swinging and the ringing
Of the bells, bells, bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells-
To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!
After 10 days of hard work the bears were ready for Christmas delivery. We drove them down to the police station where Christmas gifts where being donated for local children.
Here the story took an unexpected turn.
Hear the loud alarm bells,
Brazen bells!
What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!
In the startled ear of night
How they scream out their affright!
Too much horrified to speak,
They can only shriek, shriek,
Out of tune,
In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire,
In a mad expostulation in a deaf and frantic fire,
Leaping higher, higher, higher,
With a desperate desire,
And a resolute endeavor
Now-now to sit or never,
By the side of the pale-faced moon,
Oh the bells, bells, bells!
What a tale their terror tells
Of Despair!
While making these bear packages, a terrible tragedy occurred: Newtown. We were so stunned and saddened by this that for days our homeschool ceased activities and we simply prayed for the children and families of Newtown. Like many in our community, our grief was too great to describe.
Now the police asked Bounce if he would be willing to donate his bear care packages to the children of Newtown. They wanted to have gifts to give to the children when they returned to school.
At 9:00 at night, when the town was quiet, except for a steady stream of mourners, Bounce was taken on a police escort tour of the many memorials of Newtown.
Bounce left a Children’s Illustrated Bible at the picket fence, in hopes that prayers would bring some peace to this misery.
How they clang, and clash, and roar!
What a horror they outpour
On the bosom of the palpitating air!
Yet the ear it fully knows,
By the twanging
And the clanging,
How the danger ebbs and flows;
Yet the ear distinctly tells,
In the jangling
And the wrangling,
How the danger sinks and swells.
By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells,
Of the bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells-
In the clamor and the clangor of the bells!
We know that it will be a long time before peace returns to the community of Newtown. We respect their efforts to put forth a message of peace and love throughout this terrible ordeal. As we travel on the highway we are most impressed by an enormous sign reading, “We Are Sandy Hook; We Choose Love.”
Hear the tolling of the bells.
Iron bells!
What a world of solemn thought their melody compels!
In the silence of the night
How we shiver with affright,
At the melancholy menace of their tone!
For every sound that floats
From the rust within their throats
Is a groan,
And the people-ah, the people,
They that dwell up in the steeple,
All alone,
And who tolling, tolling, tolling,
In that muffled monotone,
Feel a glory in so rolling
On the human heart a stone-
They are neither man nor woman,
They are Ghouls:
And their king it is who tolls;
And he rolls, rolls, rolls,
Rolls,
A paen from the bells;
And his merry bosom swells
With the paen of the bells,
And he dances and he yells:
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the throbbing of the bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells-
To the sobbing of the bells;
Keeping time, time, time,
As he knells, knells, knells,
In a happy Runic-rhyme,
To the rolling of the bells,
To the bells, bells, bells:
To the tolling of the bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells-
To the moaning and the groaning of the bells.
And so, yesterday, the police asked Bounce to donate his bears to a neighboring school in Newtown, one that has hosted many Newtown funerals, St. Rose of Lima.
The Wonderland BookSavers were asked to speak at the school’s Friday Mass.
They brought a message of love and solidarity, saying, “We want you to know that children all around the country are praying for you.”
They recited cheerful poems. Bounce read a poem about a squirrel.
Whisky, frisky,
Hippity hop;
Up he goes
To the tree top!
Whirly, twirly
Round and round,
Down he scampers
To the ground.
Furly, curly,
What a tail!
Tall as a feather
Broad as a sail!
Where’s his supper?
In the shell,
Snappity, crackity,
Out it fell
The girls did a dual recitation of You Are Old Father William.
“You are old, Father William,” the young man said.
“And your hair has become very white; and yet you incessantly stand on your head.
Do you think at your age it is right?”
“In my youth,” Father William replied to his son, “I feared it might injure the brain.
But now that I’m perfectly sure I have none,
Why I do it again, and again”
“You are old,” said the youth, “as I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door,
Pray, what is the reason for that?”
“In my youth,” said the man, as he shook his gray locks,
“I kept all my limbs very supple.
By the use of this ointment, One shilling the box.
Allow me to sell you a couple.”
“You are old,” said the youth, “and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose with the bones and the beak-
Pray, how did you manage to do it?”
“In my youth,” said his father, “I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life.”
“You are old,” said the youth, “one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose-
What made you so awfully clever?”
“I have answered three questions and that is enough,”
Said his father, “Don’t give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I’ll kick you downstairs!”
St. Rose students thanked the Wonderland BookSavers with a standing ovation.
Wonderland BookSavers asked the St Rose children to join them in their quest to gather children’s books to donate to a library in Appalachia. The St. Rose children were eager to help. This week Wonderland BookSavers will bring boxes and posters for a book-drive to St. Rose, and a new collaboration will be born.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee. John Donne
Let Me Count the Days: Homeschooling is living our commitment to the global community. Love thy neighbor as thy self.
Filed under: Contests, Current Events, Field Trips, Humanities, Literature, World Awareness, Writing | Tagged: community service, CT massacre, Destination Imagination, homeschooling, Newtown, poetry in education, Sandy Hook shootings, The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe, Wonderland BookSavers, You Are Old Father William by Lewis Carroll | 2 Comments »
Adventures in Bookland: Destination Imagination (again!)
Posted on December 5, 2012 by homeschoolhappymess
Homeschool Happymess is counting down to Christmas and the vacation that surrounds this wonderful time of year.
We are crazily trying to complete all our fall projects, blasting through those half-discarded spelling books, competing with one another,
“How many chapters have YOU completed in Wordly Wise?”
Our older students have final exams in Latin, Witty Wordsmith, Chemistry, Algebra, and History of Science, to name just a few. They can be found up at all hours, musing over flashcards, strewn across couches, reciting archaic languages and studying arcane scientific facts. They are dedicated. They are restless. They anticipate the conclusion and yet, 15 page term papers still loom in their immediate futures
Our younger students are delighting in the wreaths that are newly hung on all the doors and windows. They eagerly search every magazine for clues as to what Santa may bring. They are crafting and wrapping small games and puzzles for their favorite stuffed animals. Adventure Bear will receive a lovely pot of marmalade, purloined from a breakfast buffet. Gifts are wrapped and hidden. Bounce has an elaborate pirate treasure map detailing all the locations. I encounter these odd items as I search the back of cupboards and behind doors looking for missing Christmas china and wrapping paper.
And throughout the mayhem emerges our newest project: The Wonderland BookSavers: Inspired by Literature
This year Bounce and his friends formed a new book club dedicated to reading and discussing Classic Children’s Literature. The book group members are young enthusiasts who are committed to making the world a better place. Following their reading of Old Yeller, (previous post), the group read, and became entranced by, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll.
They decided to name their Destination Imagination Project Outreach team after Alice in Wonderland and after great thought they have created the already amazing, Wonderland BookSavers.
Their mission is to redistribute gently used children’s books to children, libraries and schools who have need of these books.
Thus far they have donated 685 books to a local charter school library.
They are currently preparing another 1,000 books to be sent to a community in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia.
Wonderland BookSavers has already had a strikingly positive influence on this initially simple homeschool book club. The children are able to see the tremendous impact that literature can have upon the imagination and the spirit of the reader. They understand that reading is a form of communication, both with the author and with other readers. They value the time that they spend reading and discussing literature and thus they see the value that books have for all children and communities.
Wonderland BookSavers are committed to enlarging the community of children that have access to books. The children love handling all the “used” books. They pore over the pictures, read aloud sections to one another, and generally have the opportunity to enjoy hundreds of books that they might otherwise never have seen.
Occasionally they will hold a book up in disgust,
“This is TOTALLY inappropriate,”
as a modern and heavily pregnant Mary goes lurching along on a donkey in a parody of Mary and Joseph, and out the book goes in the trash.
But mostly, these discarded and unloved books are wonderful classics and our children fall in love with them before carefully placing them in the box with the other treasures.
Wonderland BookSavers are wondering, “Who are these other unknown children?” and, “Will they like these books as much as we like them?”
And so, as the Christmas Season is upon us, we find once again that, “Giving is better than receiving.”
What we didn’t realize is that we would be watching 4 young children locating and donating literally thousands of books to communities across the country and even across the oceans, with their motto, “Inspired by Literature.”
Let Me Count the Days: Homeschooling is watching a small book club reach out and touch the world.
Filed under: Community Service, Contests, World Awareness | Tagged: book donations, classic children's literature, community service, Destination Imagination, homeschool, homeschooling, inspiration, literature, reading, Wonderland BookSavers | 1 Comment »
Homeschool Happymess: A Naturally Inspiring Approach to Education 