GivMusic: Bluetree - God of this City

I think I am just going to have to...

...buy these books, A Child's Introduction to Poetry by, Michael Driscoll and Favorite Poems Old and New by Helen Ferris.

I have always wanted my kids to have a love for poetry but didn't really know how to start.  A few years ago, I read that the book by Michael Driscoll  was a good overview.  I didn't want to buy it if we wouldn't use it, so I requested an interlibrary loan and got it.  I just started from the beginning and read it to my kids.  Some of it went over their heads, some they discovered that they did not like, but they did become familiar with different styles and different writers.  It is now in our library system and I have checked it out 3 more times.  I hate it when I have to return it. 

I have also heard from more than one person that Favorite Poems Old and New is a comprehensive collection of classic and quality poetry.  Again, I did not want to buy it if we would not use it, so I checked it out.  The introduction to the book was fabulous.  I had goose bumps as I read the author's description of  her family's love of poetry and how it enriched their lives.  That was what I envisioned for my kids.  

I started by calling Mandi, my poetry lover, over to look at this book.  I read her part of the introduction, showed her the table of contents then we both picked out a few interesting ones to check out.  She was hooked.  Especially when I read her "Casey at the Bat". 

The next night, as we skimmed the table of contents, Mandi said, "Look Mom, Emily Dickinson!  And there's Robert Louis Stevenson! "

Then, she earnestly searched for more familiar authors. I tried to get her to give me the book so we could start reading, but she wanted to keep searching.  I finally showed her how long the table of contents was, over 2000 poems, I think, and she said, " I'll finish looking next time."

So what I have been doing and plan on doing, is reading poems aloud to my kids  that have to do with something we have enjoyed that day or recently.  Then, when we find one that we particularly like, memorize it together.   My plan is to rea

d lots of poems and memorize a few.

I think the first poem we will memorize is "Geography"  by Eleanor Farjeon, because we are studying geography and Grace is studying countries.

Mandi will have a smile on her face if I do buy these books and I will, too!

Windy Day

It's a good thing...

I declared a T. V. free day.  I think  4 y/o Libby has been watching too much t.  v.   On the day that I said no to it, I overheard here asking her siblings if they remembered when John and Kate went to get their teeth cleaned.  When I questioned her, she went into detail about their trip to the dentist.

Happy 4th birthday!

We spent Libby's birthday in the snow!  We were on a ski trip in NC.  The kids played in the woods behind the hotel.  There was only about 3 inches in the shade, but it was fun for our Florida kids.Libby liked picking it up and putting it in a bucket.

At first, all she would do was walk around in it because it felt different and she liked her foot prints.

Fun faces

Mandi's drawing of a baseball field

I like the way she put 4 people in the infield and lots of people in the stands.

Fun with Rosie!

My kids have been having so much fun with our dog, Rosie, lately.  
Levi has been taking lots of pictures  and video of her.  I think he wants to make a card or a movie of her.



This one made us laugh!

Opening Day!

The last words Mandi said before she went to sleep were,  "I had so much fun today!"  It was opening day for her baseball league and they played their first game.  She waited quite a long time to get her face painted and it was her idea to get her team emblem and her number on her face.  She has moved up to machine pitch instead of coach pitch, so she struck out for the first time today, but she was okay with it.  She even had to play outfield for the first time and she would much rather play infield, but she's still lovin' it!  

Fruitless Fall, by Rowan Jacobsen

 I just finished reading Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis.  It tells the story of the mystery of colony collapse disorder and the bigger story of how necessary bees are to our lives.

It is written in the form of investigative journalism and is full of details and easy to read.  Of course, I was ready to start bee keeping as I was reading the book, until I really thought of all that it would entail.  I don't want to get stung by bees or have that many creatures to look after.  I am still fascinated by bees and am now much more aware of their place in nature.

I do recommend it, especially if you are a nature loving, homeschool mom like me.