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Listen to Neil Gaiman read The Graveyard Book

by | Apr 25, 2015 | Gather 'Round, Literature

The Graveyard Book

 

I first learned about The Graveyard Book from a friend of mine who enjoyed sharing the book with his children.  I read it for myself and thought it was so interesting and captivating.  You can read the reviews and more info on it here to determine appropriateness for your children.  (amazon affiliate link)  Recommended for children in grades 5-8, though I know for a fact that older folks will enjoy it as well.

Now you can listen to the author himself, reading this book to you!  It’ll only take about 8 hours, but who’s counting?  🙂








This Amazing Spoken Word Poetry Wedding Vow Will Wow You!

by | Mar 29, 2015 | Gather 'Round, Poetry

 

I don’t know how many times I said WOW while watching this, but it was a lot.
I just love her style, the sincerity and force of her words, her hair, the way he obviously really appreciates the talents of his wife, the way she’s clearly comfortable to be fully in her element with him, and the jazz and social references, too.  (If you’ve been working through our Jazz Composers collection, you will notice many familiar jazz references!)

Good news: you can share this with your kids!  It’s a good introduction to spoken word poetry, and beautifully, powerfully done.

I’ve recently become a fan of spoken word poetry, and I think it’s really, really cool to see it used this way.  Tell me what you think in the comments.

[mashshare]

What Would You Do About This Cold, Shivering Child?

by | Mar 26, 2015 | Freewrite & Discussion Prompts, Gather 'Round, Give Them Wings Wednesday

I shared this video with my boys and then had them do a freewrite about it.  Maybe you would like to do the same, or simply discuss it.  Either way,  a good learning opportunity for the whole family.  Please share any gems that come up for you in the comments!

I also jotted down the quote at the end so we can use it for copywork. Here it is in case you’d like to copy/paste/print it for your own use:

“If you wait until you can do

everything for everybody,

instead of

doing something for somebody,

you’ll end up

doing nothing for nobody.”

[mashshare]

Musical Monday: Music from Ancient Mesopotamia

by | Mar 23, 2015 | Gather 'Round, History, Musical Monday

Earlier this month I shared with you a video I came across of ancient Sumerian music.  This time I’ve got some really beautiful ancient Mesopotamian music for you!

From what I’ve read, this is considered by some people, at least, to be the oldest song we know of!  It is called Hurrian Hymn No. 6 which was being enjoyed by folks way back in 1400 BC!  This is really well-done and sounds just beautiful. The instrument being played is a lyre, which I know a lot of you are seeing mentioned in your ancient history studies!  Now you and your kiddos can know what it sounds like. 🙂

Musical Monday: Music from Ancient Sumer

by | Mar 2, 2015 | Gather 'Round, History, Musical Monday

gather round

 

I came across this cool music!

Apparently clay tablets exist from the 14th century BC that not only have cuneiform, but also a version of sheet music!  While this certainly doesn’t apply music theory like we are accustomed to, we can get a glimpse into what this ancient hymn sounds like.  Of course the ancient Sumerians didn’t have a midi keyboard to play their tunes on, but this is pretty cool nonetheless.  Check it out:

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