Proof that Computer Games Aren't Evil!

Just the other night we were talking about knitting at the dinner table, and Snowy was surprised to find out that once upon a time, knitting was a man's job, done at nights and when weather was too bad to take the boats out fishing.

Fast forward to last night and Snowy was googling images of Yoshi, which he does at night and when the weather is too bad etc.

"Look, a knitted Yoshi!"

I replied using my all-things-Mario response. "Awesome!"

Quiet. "Mum ?"

"Mmm ?"

"Can you teach me to knit ?"

Yep, my gamer boy has taken up the noble craft of knitting. Six rows today. Who knows how long the desire to knit a whole roomful of Mario toys will last and how many rows he will actually knit ?
Who knows if I will ever be able to find a pattern for a knitted Yoshi ?

Still, this is proof positive in my own home that a obsessive interest in computer games is like a branch that is capable of suddenly putting out a new, green shoot in a completely different direction.

My boy's knitting truly is awesome!

Medieval History - 9th Grade Resources

Just thought I'd quickly post the resources Lucy is using.

I've mentioned before that she is reading Susan Wise Bauer's History of the Medieval World. Yes, it's somewhat heavy on church history but that's inescapable when dealing with the time period.

To balance out the dense reading, Lucy has also been using a lighter unit study from the Women in World History Curriculum. She's been reading about  women in the Early Middle Ages and doing some hands-on projects, like designing a brooch and some research projects. Right now she's writing a research paper on Hroswitha ( a less famous Hildegard of Bingen ).

Her research led her to this site which seems to offer a wealth of sources and has been bookmarked for future use.

We're still waiting on The Axe and the Oath, which will hopefully balance out Bauer's biases with a focus on social history (only 11 days until it ships...)

We'll also be using this Anthology of Middle English Literature.

I think that's plenty to be going on with!

What I've Been Reading

Home Education

The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer
The Well Educated Mind by the same
and
The History of the Medieval World - SWB again.

I'm finding some interesting areas of agreement with SWB when it comes to Grades 9-12. Less in terms of subject choice, more in terms of a philosophy of education for young people. 

Fiction

All Clear and Blackout by Connie Willis
A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
The Well of Lost Plots, Something Rotten and First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
Earthly Delights by Kerry Greenwood
The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst.
Good Evening, Mrs Craven:The War Time Stories of Molly Panter-Donnes
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
The Soldier's Wife by Joanna Trollope

OK, well, I didn't say it was literary fiction!

Non-Fiction

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Won't Stop Talking
Raising Free Thinkers by Dale McGowan
Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from Consumer Culture
Microbusiness Independence by Anna Hess
Housework Blues - A Survival Guide by Danielle Raine
lol...OMG! What Every Student Needs to Know by David Bohnett

Quiet is my non-fiction book of 2012! It's the first book I can say has literally changed the way I see myself and the choices I make. If you are an introvert, or you know and love an introvert, you need to read this...Radical Homemakers was intriguing, but I  disagree with so much that it needs its own post.

For Book Club

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Lucy and I listened to a BBC dramatisation of The Crucible. It was wonderful. It reminded me how much I've always loved this play.

Read Alouds

Lucy and I have almost made it through A Girl of the Limberlost. It's taken a while. So much melodrama to wade through!

Beowulf adapted by Michael Morpurgo - read along with SOTW

SOTW - Medieval Times - This is the third time I've used this book and I'm happy that Snowy is enjoying it.

The Wandering Wombles
Encyclopedia Brown
Moominsummer Madness
On the Banks Of Plum Creek
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Nanny Piggins and the Pursuit of Justice
A Dog on Barkham Street


They are all Snowy's books and the Moomins need their own post too.  I know we've read more but I can't remember what! I know on his own he's been reading a lot of Big Nate books. And a Pokemon book. Sigh. It's all reading, right ?

Coloured titles are courtesy of Arwen. I'd like to tell you what she's been reading at school, but it seems school doesn't 'do' books. Yes. That does make me mad.