![[The River Houses]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/arms-icon-100x100.png "The River Houses"){kind=icon}
![[Vaughan Williams Stamp]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/vaughan-williams-stamp-1972-150x109.jpg)
“I be free to go abroad / Or take again my homeward road / To where for me the apple tree / Do lean down low in Linden Lea.” (An extra pomological homeschool poem-of-the-week, from William Barnes and Ralph Vaughan Williams, for apple season and Vaughan Williams’ birthday.)
🗓️ QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Families – Week of 12 October 2025
![[Weekly Homeschool Almanac]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/calendar-2-150x85.jpg)
Great homeschool teaching tips and wonderful little lessons for the week ahead, including: Prime meridians, cross-quarter days, pomological poems, great whales, extraordinary explorers, splendid surrenders, Bolivian rivers, a toast to peace, and more!
🌎 🇺🇸 SUNDAY STATES: Massachusetts, Bolivia, Brazil, and More
![[Massachusetts State Seal]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Seal_of_Massachusetts-150x150.png)
Take a homeschool tour of the U.S. states and the countries of the world with the River Houses. This week: Massachusetts, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, and Brazil. Open up your atlas and almanac and follow along with us!
🌟 STAR BRIGHT: Alpheratz and Andromeda for October
![[Andromeda Star Chart]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/andromeda-chart-150x141.png)
Make the acquaintance of the young double star Alpheratz in the constellation Andromeda this month — one of the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere sky — and make it your homeschool friend for life.
🕊️ FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Pigeons and Doves
![[Homeschool Science & Nature Study]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/birds-pigeons-150x97.png)
Come along on our homeschool tour of North American birds and pick up some great science and natural history lessons along the way. This week: the familiar Pigeons and Doves.
🐚 WONDERFUL WORDS: “The Frosts were her condition”
![[Gentian Stamp]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/gentian-stamp-1992-97x150.png)
“The Tyrian would not come / Until the North — invoke it.” (Our imperial homeschool poem-of-the-week, from Emily Dickinson, for all late bloomers.)
🇺🇸 WEEKLY AMERICAN HERITAGE: Audubon Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary
![[Homeschool American Heritage]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/america-250-150x120.jpg)
For America’s 250th anniversary, discover the history and landscape of the United States with your homeschool students. This week: the Audubon Society Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary in Connecticut, the oldest private bird sanctuary in the United States.
📚 LEARNING THE LIBRARY: The General 000s
![[Dewey Decimal Classes]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/dewey-decimal-classes-2-150x90.jpg)
Explore your local library and the whole universe of knowledge with our homeschool tour of the Dewey Decimal system. This month: the General 000s.
🌕 HOMESCHOOL CITIZEN-SCIENCE PROJECTS for October
![[Full Moon]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/full-moon-square-150x147.jpeg)
Our October full-moon report on the many “citizen-science” projects around the world that you and your students can participate in from the comfort of your little home academy. Pick one and get started today!
🚀 HOMESCHOOL SCIENCE: Remembering Space Pioneer Robert Goddard
![[Robert Goddard Stamp]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/goddard-stamp-1964-150x97.jpg)
Robert Hutchings Goddard, the inventor of the liquid-fueled rocket and the father of modern space flight, was born on this day in 1882 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Invite your young homeschool scientists to learn about him this week.
🗓️ QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Families – Week of 5 October 2025
Great homeschool teaching tips and wonderful little lessons for the week ahead, including: Rocket scientists, purple poems, perfect games, super novas, naval battles, plump birds, Belizean rivers, a toast to ships and sailors, and more!
🌎 🇺🇸 SUNDAY STATES: Connecticut, Belgium, Bhutan, and More
![[Connecticut State Seal]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Seal_of_Connecticut-117x150.png)
Take a homeschool tour of the U.S. states and the countries of the world with the River Houses. This week: Connecticut, Belgium, Belize, Benin, and Bhutan. Open up your atlas and almanac and follow along with us!
🔭 WATCHERS OF THE SKIES: Homeschool Astronomy for October
![[Homeschool Astronomy]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/emoji-telescope-large-150x150.png)
Our homeschool review of the educational wonders that you and your students can watch for in the northern hemisphere night sky during the month of October.
🦩 FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Grebes and Flamingos
![[Homeschool Science & Nature Study]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/birds-grebes-150x113.png)
Come along on our homeschool tour of North American birds and pick up some great science and natural history lessons along the way. This week: the short-legged Grebes and the long-legged Flamingos.
📸 PHOTO CHALLENGE for October: “Freight Cars” and “Dyeing”
![[Homeschool Photography]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/emoji-camera-flash-2-150x143.png)
Calling all homeschool photographers! The Wikimedia Commons Photo Challenge is a great way for enthusiastic homeschool photography students to develop their skills and gain some recognition for their work. This month’s themes are “Freight Cars” and “Dyeing.” Take a look!
🌰 🌽 🍎 WONDERFUL WORDS: “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”
![[Keats Stamp]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/keats-stamp-1971-150x114.png)
“Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find / Thee sitting careless on a granary floor, / Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind.” (Our bountiful homeschool poem-of-the-week, from John Keats, for fall.)
🇺🇸 WEEKLY AMERICAN HERITAGE: Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park
For America’s 250th anniversary, discover the history and landscape of the United States with your homeschool students. This week: Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park in Georgia.
🗓️ 🍁 🎃 HAPPY HOMESCHOOL OCTOBER from the River Houses!
![[Roman Calendar Mosaic]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/roman-calendar-october-150x145.png)
Happy homeschool October! Here are some little lessons, teaching traditions, and wonderful educational opportunities you and your students can watch for this month.
🗓️ QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Families – Week of 28 September 2025
Great homeschool teaching tips and wonderful little lessons for the week ahead, including: Calendrical changes, chance discoveries, learnèd linguists, leggy birds, Nobel laureates, beautiful bridges, Bangladeshi rivers, a toast to autumn, and more!
🌎 🇺🇸 SUNDAY STATES: Georgia, Bahrain, Belarus, and More
![[Georgia State Seal]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/seal-georgia-150x150.png)
Take a homeschool tour of the U.S. states and the countries of the world with the River Houses. This week: Georgia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, and Belarus. Open up your atlas and almanac and follow along with us!
🗓️ HOMESCHOOL CALENDARS: “Thirty days hath September . . .”
![[Calendar]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/calendar-emoji-150x150.png)
“. . . April, June, and November.” (There’s no better week than this to teach your students the ancient calendrical verse that every young homeschooler should know.)
🦃 🐓 FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: “Gallinaceous” Birds
![[Homeschool Science & Nature Study]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/birds-quail-150x96.png)
Come along on our homeschool tour of North American birds and pick up some great science and natural history lessons along the way. This week: the chicken-like “Gallinaceous” birds, including New World Quail, Curassows, Guans, Partridges, Grouse, Turkeys, and Old World Quail.
🌳 🗺️ LOCAL & FAMILY HISTORY PROJECTS for Homeschoolers
![[Tree]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/tree-emoji-150x150.png)
Local history and geography, and family history (genealogy), are ideal educational subjects to explore in every homeschool all throughout the year.
📚 HOMESCHOOL BOOKS: Dover Thrift Editions for Your Students
The Dover Thrift Editions are a great way to build up an inexpensive library of classic literature for your homeschool students.
🇺🇸 WEEKLY AMERICAN HERITAGE: Thomas Edison National Historical Park
For America’s 250th anniversary, discover the history and landscape of the United States with your homeschool students. This week: Thomas Edison National Historical Park in New Jersey.
📚 LIBRARY LESSONS: Getting to Know the Library of Congress
![[Library of Congress]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/library-of-congress-150x150.png)
As the new homeschool year gets going, why not get (re)acquainted with the Library of Congress, the world’s largest library. It’s a rich source of free educational materials for homeschoolers and a place every American should know.
🖊️ 🍃 WONDERFUL WORDS: “Our Summer made her light escape”
![[Emily Dickinson Homestead]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/dickinson-homestead-150x113.jpg)
“And thus, without a Wing / Or service of a Keel / Our Summer made her light escape / Into the Beautiful.” (Our wistful homeschool poem-of-the-week, from Emily Dickinson, for the end of summer.)