Little House in the Big Woods

Mom's Notes: We've been watching the Little House on the Prairie TV show for the past few years. I figure it's high time we pay homage to the source of the family and town we've grown to love! We have read this one together, but it was several years ago. I figured we'd start over in the Big Woods and make our way through the series over the next few years, reading two or three books a year. I'm actually really looking forward to reading Farmer Boy, as I've heard from many trusted sources that it's a favorite. I am amazed at how Laura Ingalls Wilder, decades later, describes the ins and outs of life in the woods in lovely and just enough detail for children. What a simple, challenging, dangerous, beautiful, fulfilling way of life knew. 

Mom's Notes: We read this to compliment our study of Ancient Rome. As usual, it was the highlight! We not only learned to play "Knuckle Bones," but were able to gain great insight into the culture and time period. (This was especially interesting as we are watching The Chosen series.) We drew lots of parallels to other books we've read dealing with the injustice of enslavement. (Slave Boy in Judea, The Viking Quest books. Soon we'll study the Civil War.) It was interesting to pull out maps, google terms, and relate scriptures to the story. 

Mom's Notes: This has been on my "To Read" list for years. We did it! It's a true adventure story, and we were shocked at the dirty deeds of the pirates and impressed by the bravery of Jim. Learning a little history of Stevenson's life and inspiration for the book was especially interesting, as was looking up some pirate phrases and slang. It wasn't until the last few chapters that I thought to print out a labeled diagram of a ship - that would've been extremely useful to study before reading! A list of pirate vocabulary and translation was fun and helpful too. 

Owls in the Family

Would you want an owl for a pet? 

Julia (14): "Sure, why not" 

Gabe (12): "Nah, because I'd rather have a dog." 

Evy (9): "No, because it's not my favorite animal!" 

Daniel (7): "Yes! That would be awesome! It's my favorite animal!" 

Michael (7): "No!"

Mom's Notes: Daniel grabbed this book off of our shelf last Spring. He and I started reading it together, but summertime crowded it out. So we were both excited to read it for our first book this school year - especially as we are learning about all things birds! I even stuck it in my purse before our visit to the aviary, where we read a chapter next door to the Owl Forrest. Not only did owl-loving Daniel enjoy this book, but we were all thoroughly entertained by the antics of the boys, owls, dogs, and company! I'd love to read more books by Farley Mowat. 

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Jonny read this to the buddies over the summer. They're very familiar with the movie, so they were excited to hear about their favorite parts. We all love Narnia! 

Lumber Camp Library

Mom's Notes: Evy read this book and completely adores it. She even hosted a book club with neighborhood friends to share this sweet, sad, and hopeful story. Naturally, she insisted we read it aloud. It was just what we needed to round out a school year of beautiful, inspiring literature. Now I love it too! 

Snow Treasure

This story was a dangerous adventure! Do you think you would have been willing to help sled the gold to safety? 

Julia (13): "Yes, because it would be the right thing to do." 

Gabe (11): "Mm-hmm." 

Evy (8): "Yes, but I'm not old enough. I would be really scared but I would want to help to bring all that gold so they can get it in a safe place so the Germans won't get it. It was 13 tons of gold, which is a lot now but it was really a lot back then!"

Daniel (6): "Yeah, it would be good to do." 

Michael (6): "Yes! It would be fun to sled down. I wouldn't be scared, because I would be with somebody."