Random Learning Notes & Thoughts About Aspergian Development

Marie and I are reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I am loving it even more the second time around. (Literature, History) She is still spending time on her movie reviews. (Writing, Film Studies) The other day, I suddenly became aware that this avocation is not just about writing and film studies. It is actually a [...]

Our Pinatas

Animal Farm

Monday, we wrapped up our reading and discussion of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. (Click the link for a summary of the book and discussion of the characters.) Here is a video on the historical symbolism in Animal Farm. I watched it with the kids after our discussion, because I wanted them to draw their own [...]

Tea Time and Poetry

Marie and I made Apple Scones and had tea time today.

We recently read Keesha’s House. It tells the story of a group of troubled teens in poetry. Each poem focuses on a particular character. They are in classic forms, such as English sonnets, Italian sonnets and sestinas.
This reminded me a bit of Edwin Arlington Robinson’s [...]

Marie and I Are Planning a Huge Unit on MOVIES — Suggestions Anyone?

It looks like we have enough fodder here to keep us busy until she’s in college.
Marie: Specific activities you can start on are in blue.
I. Choose five movies by the same director/filmmaker.

II. Using the library or online sources: learn about the fundamentals of filmmaking, i.e. angles, movement, space, sound. Take notes (I’ll buy [...]

Happy Birthday to Rene Magritte (November 21, 1898 – August 15, 1967)

“Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.” — Rene Magritte

Regular readers know that Marie and Martin are fans of surrealist art. They connect with the bizarre, dreamlike imagery. Of course, on the outer edge of normal … what would you expect?
Rene Magritte was a Belgian surrealist painter. He began to formally [...]

Reading the Classics

My friend Queen Bee wrote a thought-provoking post on the fact that kids (even homeschoolers) aren’t reading classic literature. She has noticed this with her writing students, and she feels this impoverishes their writing.
I am predisposed to agree with this; it’s one of the reasons I was attracted to Charlotte Mason when I first started [...]

Repost: Deconstructing Luna

Fall, 2008
Marie and I are reading a lot of young adult literature together. We did a simple literature
study on Luna by Julie Anne Peters using some of the methods described in Deconstructing Penguins by Nancy & Lawrence Goldstone. This novel deals with issues that are sensitive to some, including a teenaged boy who is transgendered.
I [...]

Repost: Because of Winn Dixie, with a Rabbit Trail into the Civil War and the Underground Railroad

Martin and I just finished reading Because of Winn Dixie by Kate Di Camillo. I really love this book. The author manages — with a very light hand — to offer a story that is realistic and profound, with a lot to say about human experience, yet gentle, fun, and — at times — fanciful.
I [...]

Repost: Great Art, Anyone?

Spring, 2008
We are big fans of art games here. Over the years, I’ve invested in two versions of Art Memo and in Where Art Thou?, which are variations on the game “Memory” or “Concentration.” I’ve also bought The Renaissance Art Game and An Impressionist Art Happy Families game; these are both variations of “Go Fish.” [...]