Happy October 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 October is so named because it was the eighth month (Latin octo, “eight”) 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 September, “Seventh,” and the next month is November, “Ninth,” and so on.) You can learn more about different kinds of modern and historical calendars on pages 347โ353 in your River Houses almanac.ย ๐
In October dung your field
And your land its wealth shall yield.
Our Sunday states-of-the-week for October will be Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, and New Hampshire, and our countries will run from Belgium to China. 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 Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, and Canada this monthย โ our River Houses World Heritage Calendar will point the way.ย ๐บ
We’ll have homeschool poems this month from John Keats (for autumn), Emily Dickinson (for late bloomers), Robert Frost (for apple season), and Gordon Bok (for late October). 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 the Pigeons and Doves; the Cuckoos, Roadrunners, Anis, and Goatsuckers; the Swifts and Hummingbirds; and the Limpkins, Rails, Gallinules, Coots, and Cranes. (So many wonderful names, yes?) 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 October is Alpheratz (alpha Andromedae), 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 October is the General 000sย 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 9 October (Su): Lunar Society Reportย ๐
โโฌฉ 10 October (M): Columbus Dayย ๐บ๐ธ
โโฌฉ 12 October (W): National Fossil Dayย โ
โโฌฉ 25 October (Tu): St. Crispinโs Day, 1415ย ๐น
โโฌฉ 31 October (M): Halloweenย ๐
And finally, dietary advice for October, courtesy of Richard Saunders’ Apollo Anglicanus almanac (1665):
In this Moneth doth the Body wax dry, and the Brain moist; therefore it behoveth to eat roasted meats often in this Moneth, and drink pleasant Wine, also drink new Wine, and eat pleasant meat often; Goats milk is held to be excellent good for this Moneth, because it purifieth the blood, and cleanseth the Lungs; its good to eat often Appletarts prepared with comfortable Spices and Sugar, for they comfort greatly the stomack.ย ๐ท
What calendrical events and annual apparitions will you be marking in your homeschool this October?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