December rolls around, bringing the season of traditions and making memories. Traditions are steeped in childhood and family memories. Perhaps this year will be a year of adjusting traditions or making some new traditions for many of us. For our family, the close of Thanksgiving brings the Advent Season. We always selected an Advent story … Continue reading Advent Traditions
Here are the links to our suggestions for beautiful things for December, with a focus on beautiful words, sounds, and places that are distinctly American and focus on the late 1800s and early 1900s. Back to Simple Beauty Page
While Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote hundreds of poems, we’ve found a few of his holiday-related pieces for your family to enjoy. Each graphic below links to the poem on either Poets.org or PoetryFoundation.com. You can read Longfellow’s biography here. Resources: Photo Credit: By Julia Margaret Cameron – http://www.geh.org/ne/mismi3/cameron_sum00001.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=836438
We’ve chosen some common Christmas songs to share with you. Each picture links to a video on YouTube for your enjoyment! Photo Credits: Bing Crosby: By CBS Radio – eBayfrontback, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58423153 Andy Williams: By Sheldon Saltman, public relations – File: Andy Williams 1967.JPG, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71214271 Nat King Cole: By William P. Gottlieb – … Continue reading American Christmas Songs
Norman Rockwell was born just before the 20th century in New York City. Most of the kids in his neighborhood were tougher and more athletic. Norman Rockwell was not like them though. Norman Rockwell was an artist. When he was younger, he would listen as his father read stories at the dinner table and draw … Continue reading Norman Rockwell
We always get so much schoolwork done in the winter because, well, why go outside when the wind will bite your face off? The routines that we made during the fall keep us trudging through the bitter days. To keep life from getting dull, though, spice things up with some easy extracurricular activities. Family Time … Continue reading Fun Family Activities to Spice Up Your Winter
Birds are so familiar that you might not always notice them. In reality, they are amazing creatures! Keep an eye out for these birds in your yard, and watch them carefully. Pay close attention! Can you learn these things about each of the birds you see? What does the bird look like? What shape is … Continue reading Nature Study: Winter Backyard Birds
Biography Scott Joplin was born in Texas in 1867. His father (who was a slave) and his mother (who was not) were both musical people. His mother cleaned houses for a living, and one of the homeowners who hired her also allowed Joplin to play the piano in her home. That’s how Scott Joplin taught … Continue reading Scott Joplin
One of the advantages of homeschooling is flexibility in your school schedule. However, I always had a schedule that needed to be followed and did not always appreciate the flexibility that homeschooling offered, but rainy days always called to me to stop and just enjoy that we weren’t running from here to there. Rainy days … Continue reading Rainy Day Fun
Field trips can be a rich source for actual education; I mean REAL learning. My family visited a military history museum in Broken Arrow recently, and the guys who work there are all military veterans who want to tell you about the wars they were in and their personal experiences. It was enlightening! There’s no … Continue reading How to Plan a Field Trip
