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Tuesday is our regular Books & Libraries Day in the River Houses, and what better opportunity could present itself on such a day than a free course on one of the most famous books in the world: the Book of Kells. (It’s just the thing for your students to look into ahead of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday on March 17th.)
The Book of Kells is a medieval Irish manuscript of the New Testament Gospels, created around the year 800 and kept for centuries in the Abbey of Kells, north of Dublin. Now housed and exhibited at the Trinity College Library in Dublin, it is one of the great artistic treasures of the European Middle Ages.
For the next few weeks, Trinity College is offering a free online course on the Book of Kells, and I know there are some talented homeschool history and art students out there who would be delighted by this opportunity. (And maybe some moms and dads, too.) You can read more about the course here:
And here’s a short video introduction to the course from the Trinity College instructors:
Access to the online lessons is free until April 9th; for a fee, you can also get a printed certificate of completion and access at other times of year as well.
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, the entire Book of Kells has been digitized at high resolution and made available online by the Trinity College Library. Why not spend some time with your students this week at a large screen and explore its intricate designs:
Fantastical beasts, glowing letters, woven knots, pious saints, and so much more.
What educational discoveries will you and your students be making in your favorite library this Leo Term? 😊
❡ For kids and grownups too: “The Secret of Kells” is an Oscar-nominated full-length animated film that imagines an apprentice illuminator who helped to make the Book of Kells and save it from destruction. Look for it online or at your local library. 📜
❡ Explore more: For a quick review of medieval European history, turn to page 188 in your River Houses history encyclopedia. It’s just the background you need for a wonderful homeschool history lesson. 🔍
❡ Dukedoms large enough: Have you found all the local libraries in your area? There may be more than you realize, and there’s no better homeschool field trip than a field trip to a new library! The WorldCat Library Finder will help you find all the library collections near you — public and private, large and small — and the WorldCat catalog itself will help you locate the closest copy of almost any book in the world. 📖
❡ Books in the running brooks: The sidebar on the River Houses website has links to several wonderful online library collections that we like to explore. Why not sit yourself down at a large screen for a while (rather than a phone) and give them a browse. 🖥
❡ When in doubt, go to the library: This is one of our regular Homeschool Books & Libraries posts. Add your name to our weekly mailing list and get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the year. 📫
❡ Homeschool calendars: We have a whole collection of free, printable, educational homeschool calendars and planners available on our main River Houses calendar page. They will help you create a light and easy structure for your homeschool year. Give them a try today! 🗓
❡ Support our work: If you enjoy our educational materials, please support us by starting your regular Amazon shopping from our very own homeschool teaching supplies page. When you click through from our page, any purchase you make earns us a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping us to keep going and growing! 🛒
❡ Join us! The aim of the River Houses project is to create a network of friendly local homeschool support groups — local chapters that we call “Houses.” Our first at-large chapter, Headwaters House, is now forming and is open to homeschoolers everywhere. Find out how to become one of our founding members on the Headwaters House membership page. 🏡
