February and March Books

• A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness
• Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline
• How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff
• The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown
• This Time Together, by Carol Burnett
• Chalice, by Robin McKinley

I probably lost track of a couple of books from the last two months. Or maybe not.  It's been a bit crazy around here.

A Monster Calls is a beautiful heart breaking book, the kind I'm glad I read.  

Read Orphan Train a while back for a different book group, but didn't mind reading it again.  How I Live Now was one I just pulled off a shelf from the library, unexpectedly engrossing.  Robin McKinley is always worth reading, can't believe I haven't read everything she's done yet.  This Time Together was a light read, but I enjoyed the authors insight.

The Boys in the Boat was for book group, another I'm glad I read.  It also spurred me to find and watch "The Boys of 36" with HotDog.  Documentaries are some of our favorite ways to get our history.

Speaking of history, another favorite way to get it is audio books.  Hot Dog and I just finished listening to The Aviators.  He really enjoyed it!

What we did this Presidents Day

Having an exchange student has opened some doors for us. Today I mean that literally.

Upon meeting our exchange student, our local state senator offered to host us for a day during the regular legislative session. This, being a day off school, and the Colorado State legislature being in session, was the day.

Anyone can go to the public galleries and watch the legislative session. I can not recommend the experience highly enough. We got the special treat of being hosted by a senator. It felt like a huge honor to be allowed onto the Senate floor sitting just behind our senator. He and his aid were generously on hand to explain what was happening. Other guests lined the cavernous room as we listened to 3rd and 2nd readings of today's bills. We also sat in on a committee meeting, joining other citizens while 6 senators discussed SB11-079 and heard public testimony. Although I'm sure I missed a lot of what was happening, especially on the floor, what I saw was fascinating. You can read about the legislative process, and you can even watch it on T.V. But there is absolutely nothing like being there.

I know my husband and I learned a lot today, but I don't know how much the kids will understand and retain. Certainly our exchange student couldn't catch everything that was said, since even my Colorado-born-and-raised ears were challenged. This was such a positive experience that I want to repeat it as the kids get older. Maybe every year on Presidents Day? :-)

So, for those who want more practical details:

We drove for an hour to get to the Colorado State Capitol Building, listening to "The History of US" on the way. That certainly helped put us in the right state of mind. There was paid parking close by, so we had an easy walk to the building.

Upon entering we went through security, just like at an airport, except we got to keep our shoes on. After we found the public restrooms (did I mention that drive?), we went to the senate floor where a Sergeant at Arms had our names and took us in to our senator. We got there at 10am, and listened until 11:15am. At that point the 6yo was pretty much done, so we left for lunch. The senators usually go until ~12pm, break for lunch and then head to committee at 1:30.

We had enough time to walk to the 16th Street Mall and catch the free bus to take us close to the Wyncoop Brewery, and still make it back in time to get to the committee meetings.

Doing this made us want more. There are 3 different tours offered of the Capitol building. Hopefully we'll get to take a couple before our exchange student leaves. Maybe we could add a tour of the Denver Mint while we're there!

The History of US

Just this month I discovered Joy Hakim's "The History of US" on tape from our library. It's a children's history of the United States, but I'm enjoying it as much as the kids. :-)

I've mentioned before how well audio materials work for my RBers. We've listened to all sorts of great stuff, fiction and non-fiction. Listening in the car works for us. I have 3 RBed kids, 2 of which are very kinetic, and don't hold still for long. We also live outside of town, so have to drive a fair bit. Audio books help keep us occupied (although, for longer trips I still usually have to give them hand work as well, like modeling wax or crocheting).

Let me know of any good finds you know of. I wish I had found this one years ago!

Egypt, King Tut, and I LOVE THE WEB

Today we went to see the King Tut exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. It's a bit of drive from here to there, especially since, after an exceptionally mild winter, this morning we woke to a blowing snow storm. We had already bought our nonrefundable tickets, so off we went, despite the weather. It was a long trip, especially for my husband who drove (thanks honey!), but it went by fast for us.

On the way we listened to Peeps at Many Lands: Egypt, by R. Talbot Kelly. I found it at My Audio School, and down loaded it at LibriVox. When we got to the exhibit, my kids had already had a taste of what Ancient Egyptian life was like. The whole exhibit was so much more enjoyable because of this knowledge.

It's an older book (~1910, which is why it's in the public domain) and so it was written before King Tut's tomb was found. It was also written from an Anglican British perspective for British school children. This let us talk about bias in books, both because of cultural bias and the limits of existing knowledge. I was glad to have the chance to explain again why we should always examine our sources.

We finished the book on the drive today, and after we got home tonight I thought I'd see what else I could find. Just at LibriVox I found these that look like they might be good for kids studying Egypt:

The Cat of Bubastes
Cleopatra
Egyptian Tales, Translated from the Papyri

Sometimes people ask me "What curriculum should I use?" or "How much does it cost to homeschool?"

It doesn't cost more than a library card, internet access (free at the library!) and some foot work. I don't buy a boxed curriculum. I save my money for an audio player and tickets to the museum. :-)

Where do you turn to for good free homeschooling resources?