Latest from art lessons

Laura’s been taking art lessons for about a year and a half now, and Daniel since September. Since I’m playing with the digital camera, I thought I’d try my hand at their latest efforts, completed this month:

Cowboy and horse by DanielThis is his second or third project since September; heused a grid and acrylic paints, [...]

Poetry Friday: Burma-Shave

Not much time for Poetry Friday this week either but I’ve decided that if I choose something short and sweet, I can swing it. And so……
The Poetry of Burma-Shave:

Shaving brushesYou’ll soon see ‘emWay down eastIn someMuseumBurma-Shave
To kissA mugThat’s like a cactusTakes more nerveThan it does practiceBurma-Shave

AlthoWe’ve soldSix million othersWe still can’t sellThose coughdropBrothersBurma-Shave
Prickly pearsAre pickedFor [...]

From wisteria: "If your child could own only 25 picture books…

what would they be and why? I challenge!”
wisteria is thinking about buying, culling, and rereading books.
I decided to take her up on her challenge. Although wisteria asked about a single child, I decided instead to base the list on all three children’s favorite picture books, and a few of my own favorites [...]

More CDs, less radio

Yesterday was the first day of the Pickton murder trial in British Columbia, and if you don’t get Canadian radio, including CBC, and you’re really interested in the gory details (and I do mean gory) you’ll just have to Google it. But if you do and you click on any links, make sure your kids [...]

Joyful influences: More thoughts on poetry and literature for children

this time from Willa at everywakinghour in this post (I’m still catching up on my blog reading as you can tell). Some of the highlights, but go read the entire piece:
Children aren’t born knowing what we consider “accessible” to them. They find it out based on their experience of what’s around them, what we [...]

More bits and bobs: algebra, kidlit, Dickens, and Chaucer

This post, “Have algebra books changed?“, by Maria at the always worthwhile Homeschool Math Blog, caught my eye. Good to read read even if your kids aren’t quite ready for algebra.
Kelly at Big A little a is ready with the 10th Carnival of Children’s Literature. Lots of good stuff, or “toasty posts” as [...]

Poetry for Friday

Nothing from me today for Poetry Friday — too busy, so I’ll shoot for a Poetry Saturday, I hope — but I wanted to make sure to post the link to my fellow Cybils panelist Elaine’s fabulous Poetry Friday post today, complete with fabulous poems (including one by Farm School favorite Eleanor Farjeon) and links [...]

Raising hep cats: Reading about, and listening to, modern American music

Children’s author and home educating father Chris Barton at Bartography is mulling over choices for picture books about modern American music and musicians, mostly for his almost three-year-old son, and wrote the other week, “As for those books already on the shelves, there are far more worthy titles than one family can take on in [...]

The Growing with Grammar collection is growing

My friend Tamy Davis finished just before Christmas with the latest in her Growing with Grammar (GWG) series, the combined First & Second Grade volume, and we just received it in the mail.
I used First Language Lessons with Laura for first and second grade, and while she was quite enthusiastic about the book, there was [...]

Bits and bobs

Blogging will be intermittent and sporadic for the next, possibly long, while. We’re planning to visit my parents, and Tom and I have a ton each to do before we get on the planes (not to mention locating 100mL/100g/3oz. mini bottles of unguents, potions, and toothpaste for onboard use).
Here are some fun and useful things [...]

The siren call of pirates

Bruce at wordswimmer, one of my fellow Cybils panelists, has a terrific review of the terrific poetry book, Blackbeard, The Pirate King by J. Patrick Lewis, published in 2006 by National Geographic.
As Bruce writes,
“Even if you already know the story of Blackbeard, who returns to life in all his trembling and fearsome glory in Blackbeard [...]

BookCloseouts January sale

Just remembered to post about BookCloseout’s new January “coupons” (actually discount codes) that were announced on January 4th, good through the end of the month, where you can save $5 off a minimum order of $25, $10 off a minimum order of $50, and $20 off a minimum order of $100.
Some nice things at BookCloseouts [...]

More thoughts on The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems and classic poetry

Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,Or what’s a heaven for?
Or what’s a poem for?
– from Stephen Fry’s nifty Ode Less Traveled: Unlocking the Poet Within (original quote from Robert Browning)
On the heels of my guest review at Chicken Spaghetti of The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems, I’m still agitating and cogitating [...]

Putting in a guest appearance at Chicken Spaghetti

My review of The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems, compiled and illustrated by Jackie Morris, is up at Chicken Spaghetti today. Many thanks to Susan for asking me be a guest reviewer chez Chicken!
Stay tuned for some more thoughts here at Farm School on classic poems and children, probably later today…

Poetry Friday with Ian Serraillier

The Hen and the Carpby Ian Serraillier (1912-1994)
Once, in a roosterythere lived a speckled, and when-ever she laid an egg this henecstatically cried:‘O progeny miraculous, particular spectaculous,what a wonderful hen am I!’
Down in a pond nearbyperchance a fat and broody carpwas basking, but her ears where sharp –she heard Dame Cackle cary:‘O progeny miraculous, particular [...]

Snow snaps

Drifts(abandoned barn on neighbors’ adjacent property)

Tom clearing snow with the tractor so we can getin to the corrals to feed the animals (as of 6 Feb.2007, the snow in the ditches now forms a wallat least eight feet high on both sides. The kidshave taken to calling it the Great Wall of China.I call [...]

Rough day in the west

If it’s heading for you now, if you can’t stay in the house, at least dress warmly and stay in your vehicle. Please.

Musical accompaniments for Ben and Me (and Davy Crockett, too)

I was at Amazon looking for a CD version of the old LP Davy Crockett — Western Adventures with Fess Parker, Buddy Ebsen, and Gene Autry when I chanced upon Davy Crockett’s Fiddle, music from Crockett’s time performed on Crockett’s own fiddle by Dean Shostak, who began playing violin at Colonial Williamsburg at age [...]

Hang on to your hats

The wind began to switch, the house to pitchAnd suddenly the hinges started to unhitch
Now just add snow.
Not much sign of an impending blizzard in town just before heading home, 12 minutes away, but oh what a difference those 12 minutes can make. I removed the wind chimes and wreath and brought them in, [...]

Carnival of Children’s Literature and Edge of the Forest

Oops, I almost forgot to write about two important things, so I hope Kelly will forgive me. And Kelly, I did try to comment on your computer woes but Blogger won’t let me in for some reason; after my own laptop’s recent unauthorized encounter with a beverage, I can definitely sympathize.
The latest edition of The [...]