Happy November to all our homeschool readers and friends! Here are some educational ideas, events, and activities to look for in the homeschool month ahead.ย ๐
The month of November is so named because it was the ninth month (Latin novem, “nine”) of the ancient Roman calendar, which considered the spring equinox in March to be the beginning of the year. (That’s why the previous month was October, “Eighth,” and the next month is December, “Tenth.”) You can learn more about different kinds of modern and historical calendars on pages 347โ353 in your River Houses almanac.ย ๐
Have you heard the geese?
The wild gander leads his flock through the cool night,
Ya-honk he says, and sounds it down to me like an invitation.
The pert may suppose it meaningless, but I listening close,
Find its purpose and place up there toward the wintry sky.
Our Sunday states-of-the-week for November will be Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island, and our countries will run from Colombia to Egypt. Print your own River Houses States & Countries Calendar and tour the United States and the whole world with us from Delaware to Hawaii and Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.ย ๐บ๐ธย ๐
We’ll be visiting World Heritage Sites in China, Colombia, Cuba, Cyprus, and Egypt this monthย โ our River Houses World Heritage Calendar will point the way.ย ๐บ
We’ll have homeschool poems this month from Robert Frost (for autumn leaves), Laurence Binyon (for Veterans Day), A.E. Housman (for the Leonid meteor shower), and Rowena Bastin Bennett (for Thanksgiving dinner). Print your own River Houses Poetry Calendar and join us as we visit with fifty of our favorite friends over the course of the year.ย โ๏ธ
Our Friday Bird Families posts this month will feature Stilts, Avocets, and Oystercatchers; the Lapwings, Plovers, and Jacanas; and the Sandpipers (twice over). Print your own copy of our River Houses Calendar of American Birds, get out your copy of our recommended homeschool bird guide, and follow the flyways with us.ย ๐ฆ
Our monthly Great Star for November is Algol (beta Persei), which we’ll be writing about next week. Print your own River Houses Star Calendar and join us as we visit twelve high lights of the northern hemisphere night sky and make them friends for life.ย ๐
Our Dewey Decimal class for November is the Philosophical 100sย โ follow along with us (on the first Tuesday of each month) and help your students learn the whole library over the course of the year!ย ๐
And watch for our monthly Wikimedia Commons Photo Challenge post, coming up in the next few daysย โ it’s a great opportunity for homeschool photographers.ย ๐ธ
โโฌฉ 6 November (Su): Daylight Saving Time Endsย โ Fall Back!ย ๐
โโฌฉ 7 November (M): Marie Skลodowska Curieโs Birthday, 1867ย โ๏ธ
โโฌฉ 8 November (Tu): Election Dayย ๐ณ
โโฌฉ 8 November (Tu): Lunar Society Reportย ๐
โโฌฉ 11 November (F): Veterans Dayย ๐
โโฌฉ 16โ18 November (WโF): Leonid Meteor Showerย ๐
โโฌฉ 19 November (Sa): Gettysburg Address, 1863ย ๐บ๐ธ
โโฌฉ 24 November (Th): Thanksgiving Dayย ๐ฆ
And remember, if you don’t like the coming winter’s cold, just take a nap, and spring will soon be here for you again:
November comesย / And November goes,
With the last red berriesย / And the first white snows.With night coming early,ย / And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucketย / And frost by the gate.The fires burnย / And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to restย / Until next spring.
What calendrical events and annual apparitions will you be marking in your homeschool this November?ย ๐
โกโ Thirty days hath September: This is one of our regular Homeschool Termsย & Calendars posts. Print your own set of River Houses Calendars to follow along with us, and add your name to our weekly mailing list to get more great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the year.ย ๐
โกโ Become a Friend! If you enjoy the educational materials we distribute each week, please support our work and the noble cause of homeschooling by becoming a Friend of the River Houses! Your support keeps us going and growing!ย ๐
