The River Houses

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Archives for 6 May 2020

🐦 BIRD MIGRATION MONTH is Here!

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Click to: riverhouses.org/2020-migration

May is Bird Migration Month in the River Houses! Why May? This is why:

Peak spring migration dates across the United States. (Source: BirdCast.info.)

The above graphical summary of peak migration dates is from the wonderful BirdCast.info website, which all homeschool naturalists should explore during migration season. BirdCast offers a “weather” forecast every day — not of winds and rain, but of migrating birds:

Although some birds in the United States begin their spring migration as far back as February, and a few continue on into June, the greatest number of species and the greatest number of individuals head north during May. The timing of spring arrivals is quite predictable to the week every year, but not necessarily to the day. Overall, the migratory timing of each species is based on the photoperiod (day-length), but local weather conditions in any given year can move things forward and back by a few days. (Two years ago, for example, the first Warbling Vireos arrived at my local park on May 9th; this year they arrived on May 5th.)

If you’ve got junior naturalists in your homeschool, you can teach some great science lessons this month by reading the posts on the BirdCast blog with them. These posts cover migration predictions, unusual events, continent-wide weather patterns and their impact on migration, and much more.

What ornithological observations and naturalistical notes have you been making in your homeschool this Leo Term? 😊

❡ Books in the running brooks: Our recommended homeschool reference library (riverhouses.org/books) includes an excellent bird guide that would serve your homeschool well. Many other similar guides are also available — find one that’s a good fit for your family and take it with you on all your outings, whether far afield or just out to the backyard. 🦉

❡ Homeschool birds: We think bird study is one of the best subjects you can take up in a homeschool environment. It’s suitable for all ages, it can be made as elementary or as advanced as you wish, and birds can be found just about anywhere at any season of the year. Why not track your own homeschool bird observations on the free eBird website sponsored by Cornell University. It’s a great way to learn more about what’s in your local area and about how bird populations change from season to season. 🦆

❡ Nature notes: This is one of our regular Homeschool Natural History posts. Add your name to our weekly mailing list (riverhouses.org/newsletter) and get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the year. 🐦

🌍 🇵🇹 WEEKLY WORLD HERITAGE: The Historic Elvas Fortifications in Portugal

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Click to: riverhouses.org/2020-portugal

Portugal in western Europe is one of our homeschool countries-of-the-week, so why not spend a few minutes today learning about one of Portugal’s World Heritage Sites: the Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications.

Elvas, Portugal, and its surrounding fortifications. (Image: Wikimedia Commons.)

The town of Elvas near the Portuguese border with Spain is the site of one of the most extensive defensive fortification systems in western Europe:

“Guarding the key border crossing between Portugal’s capital Lisbon and Spain’s capital Madrid, in an undulating, riverine landscape, the Garrison Town of Elvas was fortified extensively from the 17th to the 19th centuries to become the largest bulwarked dry ditch system in the world, with outlying forts built on surrounding hills to accommodate the changing needs of defensive warfare.

“The town was supplied with water by the 7 km long Amoreira Aqueduct, built in the late 16th and early 17th centuries and a key feature enabling the stronghold to withstand a lengthy siege. Within the walls, the town contains extensive barracks and other military buildings, as well as churches and monasteries, some adapted to military functions. The property includes seven components: the Historic Centre, the Amoreira Aqueduct, the Fort of Santa Luzia and the covered way linking it to the Historic Centre, the Fort of Graça, and the Fortlets of São Mamede, São Pedro and São Domingos.

“The historic centre with its castle, remnant walls and civil and religious buildings demonstrate the development of Elvas as three successive walled towns from the 10th to the 14th century and its subsequent incorporation into the major fortification works of the Portuguese War of the Restoration period (1641–68), when a wide range of military buildings were built for its role as a garrison town.“ (UNESCO World Heritage Centre #1367)

The Amoreira Aqueduct, begun in the 1500s, carried water more that five miles from the countryside into the center of the town.

The Amoreira Aqueduct, one of the components of the Elvas World Heritage Site. (Image: Wikimedia Commons.)

World Heritage Sites are cultural or natural landmarks of international significance, selected for recognition by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. More than 1000 such sites have been recognized in over 160 countries, and we feature one every Wednesday, drawn from one of our homeschool countries-of-the-week. You can find a complete list online at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and in Wikipedia.

The World Heritage Centre also has a free and comprehensive World Heritage education kit for teachers, as well as a wonderful full-color wall map of World Heritage Sites (riverhouses.org/2019-wh-map), available for the cost of shipping. Why not add them both to your own homeschool library. 🗺

What world treasures have you been exploring in your homeschool this Leo Term? 😊

❡ Books in the running brooks: You can always turn to your River Houses almanac, atlas, and history encyclopedia (riverhouses.org/books) for more information about any of our countries-of-the-week. The almanac has profiles of all the nations of the world on pages 745–852; the endpapers of the atlas are indexes that will show you where all of the individual national and regional maps may be found; the history encyclopedia includes national histories on pages 489–599; and you can find additional illustrations, flags, and other mentions through the indexes in each of these volumes. For an ideal little lesson, just write the name of the Weekly World Heritage Site on your homeschool bulletin board, find its location in your atlas, read the WHC’s brief description aloud, look at a picture or two, and you’re done. Over the course of the year, without even realizing it, your students will absorb a wealth of new historical, geographical, and cultural information. 🇵🇹

❡ The great globe itself: This is one of our regular Homeschool States & Countries posts featuring historical and natural sites of international importance. Download a copy of our River Houses World Heritage Calendar (riverhouses.org/calendars) and follow along with us as we tour the planet, and add your name to our weekly mailing list (riverhouses.org/newsletter) to get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the year. 🌍