Valentine’s Day Reading!

Valentine’s Day is around the corner.  I’m not here to encourage you to buy cards, flowers and chocolates, although I’m sure they’d be appreciated! Rather here’s a short post to recommend this book that we read last year and intend to do again on 14th February. Beautifully illustrated short picture book telling the life of Saint Valentine from the 3rd-century – the man behind our celebrations.

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

The Bayeux Tapestry

If you’ve been watching the news recently you will have noticed that The Bayeux Tapestry is coming to Britain in 2020.  There has been great excitement in our house since we heard, as we are right in the middle of studying the Norman Conquest of 1066. Continue reading

Classical Music

Each term we enjoy learning about a different composer – this term we are getting to know Camille Saint-Saens and his Carnival of the Animals.  Our youngest was given this beautiful book for Christmas so it was a natural fit.

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Museums and Galleries with little ones

Happy New Year!

Many of us are making resolutions and hoping to try new things as we plan for 2018. One thing I was reflecting on as I looked back on last term was that museum trips and art exhibitions were real highlights in our homeschooling life. Continue reading

Classics for Young Independent Readers

Lists.

You may have worked out by now that I love lists, so here is another one for you:

Some stories that have stood the test of time and that have been enjoyed in this house.

I would recommend them for independent young readers somewhere in the 6-9 year old bracket.  Obviously all children are unique so you’ll need to work out whether they are appropriate for your child – some might be for younger children, some might be for older.

Book Photo

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Learning to love poetry

‘The Blessing of my later years
Was with me when a boy:
She gave me eyes, she gave me ears;
And humble cares, and delicate fears;
A heart, the fountain of sweet tears;
And love, and thought, and joy.’

— William Wordsworth

Today we visited Wordsworth’s childhood home. We are on holiday in the beautiful Lake District and so a visit to Wordsworth House and Garden was a must. Over the last few days, we got ourselves excited by memorising the first couple of verses of the poem ‘Daffodils’.

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