“LexicΓ³grapher. n.s. [λΡξικὸν and Ξ³ΟΞ¬ΟΟ; lexicographe, French.] A writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words.”
Archives for February 2019
π΅ HEARTS ALL WHOLE: βSure On This Shining Nightβ
“Sure on this shining night / Of star made shadows round, / Kindness must watch for me / This side the ground.” (Happy birthday to American composer Morton Lauridsen, born on this day in 1943.)
π LIBRARY LESSONS: Black History at LC and the National Archives
It’s Homeschool Library Tuesday, and it’s also Black History Month β just the time to explore and bookmark a wealth of African American history materials from the Library of Congress and the National Archives.
π QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Families β Week of 24 February 2019
Great homeschool teaching ideas for the week ahead. This week: Levi Strauss, Hiram Rhodes Revels, Leo Term, Dord Day, the Namorona River, a toast to friends, and more.
π πΊπΈ SUNDAY STATES: Michigan, Lithuania, Madagascar, and More
Take a homeschool tour of the U.S. states and the countries of the world with the River Houses. This week: Michigan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, and Madagascar.
π π WONDERFUL WORDS: Watchers of the Skies
“Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes / He star’d at the Pacific β and all his men / Look’d at each other with a wild surmise β / Silent, upon a peak in Darien.” (Our homeschool poem-of-the-week, from Keats, for all homeschool astronomers.)
πΊπΈ PRESIDENTIAL ADVICE: βDrink not nor talk with your mouth fullβ
“Associate yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation; for ’tis better to be alone than in bad Company.”
π RESEARCH PROJECTS for Homeschool Students β February 2019
Our February 2019 full-moon report on the real scientific and scholarly projects, investigations, transcriptions, analyses, and computations that your students can work on in your little home academy.
π LIBRARY LESSONS: Copernicus and His Revolutions
On Copernicus’ birthday, introduce your students to one of the most important books ever published: “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres” (1543).
π QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Families β Week of 17 February 2019
Great homeschool teaching ideas for the week ahead. This week: George Washington, Nicolaus Copernicus, Marbury vs. Madison, the Malibamat’so River, a toast to friendship, and more.
π πΊπΈ SUNDAY STATES: Arkansas, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, and More
Take a homeschool tour of the U.S. states and the countries of the world with the River Houses. This week: Arkansas, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, and Liechtenstein.
π π WONDERFUL WORDS: The Truly Great
“Born of the sun, they travelled a short while toward the sun / And left the vivid air signed with their honour.” (Our homeschool poem-of-the-week, from Stephen Spender, for the great birthdays of February.)
π HOMESCHOOL SCIENCE AND HISTORY: The Starry Messenger
Remembering one of the great minds of history, Galileo Galilei (1564β1642), on the anniversary of his birth.
π BOOKS & LIBRARIES TUESDAY: Lincoln and Darwin and Horace
Our recommended homeschool history encyclopedia is just the thing you need on a notable anniversary like today, the birthday of both Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin.
π QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Families β Week of 10 February 2019
Great homeschool teaching ideas for the week ahead. This week: Galileo, Lincoln, Darwin, the Great Backyard Bird Count, the Litani River, a toast to Valentines, and more.
π πΊπΈ SUNDAY STATES: Missouri, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, and More
Take a homeschool tour of the U.S. states and the countries of the world with the River Houses. This week: Missouri, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, and Lebanon.
π β€οΈ WONDERFUL WORDS for Moms of Distracted Teens This Valentine Season
“Oh! my sweet mother, βtis in vain / I cannot weave as once I wove; / So wilderβd is my heart and brain, / With thinking of that youth I love.” (Our homeschool poem-of-the-week, from Sappho, for Valentine Season.)
π HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DMITRI! (Mendeleev, that is)
The father of the periodic table, the great Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, was born on this day in 1834. Here are two clever educational ways to remember him.
π° π AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL: Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts
Explore American history and geography with this ongoing series of quarters from the U.S. Mint. (With free lesson plans!) New this month: a quarter for the Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts.
π LEARNING THE LIBRARY: The Linguistic 400s
It’s Homeschool Library Tuesday! This week: exploring “The Linguistic 400s” in the Dewey Decimal Classification, part of our year-long survey of the whole of knowledge. (Really!)
π¨ ATTENTION HOMESCHOOL ARTISTS: It’s Color Our Collections Week 2019!
Download a whole year’s worth of free educational coloring pages and booklets from major libraries and museums all around the world.
π QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Families β Week of 3 February 2019
Great homeschool teaching ideas for the week ahead. This week: coloring books, integrated circuits, gold nuggets, Emperor Norton I, the Taedong River, a toast to liberty, and more.
π πΊπΈ SUNDAY STATES: Maine, North Korea, Kuwait, and More
Take a homeschool tour of the U.S. states and the countries of the world with the River Houses. This week: Maine, North Korea, South Korea, Kosovo, and Kuwait.
π NATURE NOTES: Groundhogs and the Halfway Point to Spring
Tales of marmots and badgers and the changing seasons β why not invent some weather folklore of your own in your little home academy?
π WATCHERS OF THE SKIES β February 2019
A homeschool review of the northern hemisphere night sky for the month of February 2019, and an invitation to make the acquaintance of the red giant Betelgeuse: