The River Houses

A National Network of Local Homeschool Societies

“From this day to the ending of the world”

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October 25th is the anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. The defeat of the French army by the soldiers of King Henry V of England would probably be little remembered today, had not Shakespeare immortalized it in one of the most famous speeches in all of English literature. October 25th happens to be, on the church calendar, the feast day of two saints, the brothers Crispin and Crispinian, and in 1415, King Henry rallied his men against great odds by declaring that the feast day of Crispin and Crispinian would never again pass, “from this day to the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remembered.”

Here at Headwaters House we fulfill the king’s prophecy every year — and you and your students can too, joining a tradition six centuries long. Here’s a fine young man demonstrating one way to do it:

And for reference, here’s another famous version:

So on this St. Crispin’s Day 2017, break out your homeschool copy of Henry V, turn to Act IV, Scene iii, and read along aloud:

WESTMORLAND. O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!

KING. What’s he that wishes so?
My cousin, Westmorland? No, my fair cousin;
If we are mark’d to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmorland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call’d the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say “To-morrow is Saint Crispian.”
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say “These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.”
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words —
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester —
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be rememberèd —
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

What literary discoveries have you made in your homeschool this week? 😊

“This story shall the good man teach his son”

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Raise a glass around your homeschool dinner table this evening and offer this toast: “Tomorrow is Saint Crispin’s.”

“Then shall our names, familiar in their mouths as household words — Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester — be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.”

Sunday States: South Carolina, Cabo Verde, Canada, and More

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Tour the United States and travel the countries of the world with the River Houses.

Many homeschoolers review the U.S. states and the nations of the world each year, and the recommended River Houses reference library includes a current world almanac, a world atlas, and a history encyclopedia that make these reviews fun and easy. We are going through the states in the traditional order of admission to the Union (almanac page 453), so this week’s state is:

  • [Seal of South Carolina]
    Seal of South Carolina
    South Carolina (23 May 1788, the 8th state) — The Palmetto State. Capital: Columbia. South Carolina appears on page 586 in your almanac, and on plate 42 in your atlas. Name origin: “In 1619, Charles I gave patent to Sir Robert Heath for Province of Carolana, from Carolus, Latin name for Charles. Charles II granted a new patent to Earl of Clarendon and others. Divided into North and South Carolina in 1710″ (almanac page 455, in telegraphic style).

❡ What can you do with the state of the week? A thousand things, with your reference library as a starting point. Find the state bird with your almanac and look it up in your bird guide. Trace the state’s outline with your atlas. Read the almanac’s one-paragraph history aloud each week. Using each state’s official website (above), find and copy the preamble to that state’s constitution into a commonplace book over the course of the year. Practice math skills by graphing each state’s population and area. Look up the famous state residents listed in your almanac either online or at the library — the possibilities are endless and they can be easily adjusted according to a student’s age and interests.

This week’s countries, with links to their official websites, are:

  • Cabo Verde (Portuguese only), in the eastern Atlantic off the coast of West Africa.
  • Cambodia (English and several other languages), in Southeast Asia.
  • Cameroon (English and French), in west-central Africa.
  • Canada (English and French), in North America.

These all appear in your current almanac, atlas, and history encyclopedia as well. For example, you’ll find the main entries for Cambodia on almanac pages 758–759, atlas plate 87, and history encyclopedia pages 592–593, with illustrations, flags, and other mentions available through the indexes in each volume.

What geographical discoveries have you made in your homeschool this week? 😊

❡ Read and think critically: The country links above go to official websites, which are not always in English and which may well be propagandistic in one form or another, thus offering older students a good opportunity to practice their skills in critical reading and analysis.

Sunday States: Maryland, Brunei, Burundi, and More

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Tour the United States and travel the countries of the world with the River Houses.

Many homeschoolers review the U.S. states and the nations of the world each year, and the recommended River Houses reference library includes a current world almanac, a world atlas, and a history encyclopedia that make these reviews fun and easy. We are going through the states in the traditional order of admission to the Union (almanac page 453), so this week’s state is:

  • [Seal of Maryland]
    Seal of Maryland
    Maryland (28 April 1788, the 7th state) — The Old Line State, the Free State. Maryland appears on pages 574–575 in your almanac, and on plate 43 in your atlas. Name origin: “For Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I of England” (almanac page 455).

❡ What can you do with the state of the week? A thousand things, with your reference library as a starting point. Find the state bird with your almanac and look it up in your bird guide. Trace the state’s outline with your atlas. Read the almanac’s one-paragraph history aloud each week. Using each state’s official website (above), find and copy the preamble to that state’s constitution into a commonplace book over the course of the year. Practice math skills by graphing each state’s population and area. Look up the famous state residents listed in your almanac either online or at the library — the possibilities are endless and they can be easily adjusted according to a student’s age and interests.

This week’s countries, with links to their official websites, are:

  • Brunei (English and Bahasa Melayu), on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia.
  • Bulgaria (English and Bulgarian), in Eastern Europe.
  • Burkina Faso (French only), in West Africa.
  • Burundi (French only), in Central Africa.

These all appear in your current almanac, atlas, and history encyclopedia as well. For example, you’ll find the main entries for Bulgaria on almanac page 757, atlas plate 71, and history encyclopedia page 545, with illustrations, flags, and other mentions available through the indexes in each volume.

What geographical discoveries have you made in your homeschool this week? 😊

❡ Read and think critically: The country links above go to official websites, which are not always in English and which may well be propagandistic in one form or another, thus offering older students a good opportunity to practice their critical reading and thinking skills.

Sunday States: Massachusetts, Bolivia, Brazil, and More

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Tour the United States and travel the countries of the world with the River Houses.

Many homeschoolers review the U.S. states and the nations of the world each year, and the recommended River Houses reference library includes a current world almanac, a world atlas, and a history encyclopedia that make these reviews fun and easy. We are going through the states in the traditional order of admission to the Union (almanac page 453), so this week’s state is:

  • [Seal of Massachusetts]
    Seal of Massachusetts
    Massachusetts (6 February 1788, the 6th state) — The Bay State. Massachusetts appears on page 575 in your almanac, and on plate 44 in your atlas. Name origin: “From Indian tribe whose name meant ‘at or about the Great Hill’ in Blue Hills region south of Boston” (almanac page 455, in telegraphic style).

❡ What can you do with the state of the week? A thousand things, with your reference library as a starting point. Find the state bird with your almanac and look it up in your bird guide. Trace the state’s outline with your atlas. Read the almanac’s one-paragraph history aloud each week. Using each state’s official website (above), find and copy the preamble to that state’s constitution into a commonplace book over the course of the year. Practice math skills by graphing each state’s population and area. Look up the famous state residents listed in your almanac either online or at the library — the possibilities are endless and they can be easily adjusted according to a student’s age and interests.

This week’s countries, with links to their official websites, are:

  • Bolivia (Spanish only), in west-central South America.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina (English and several other languages), in southeastern Europe.
  • Botswana (English and Setswana), in southern Africa.
  • Brazil (Portuguese only), in eastern South America.

These all appear in your current almanac, atlas, and history encyclopedia as well. For example, you’ll find the main entries for Botswana on almanac pages 755–756, atlas plates 100 and 101, and history encyclopedia page 568, with illustrations, flags, and other mentions available through the indexes in each volume.

What geographical discoveries have you made in your homeschool this week? 😊

❡ Read and think critically: Note that the country links above go to official websites, which are not always in English and which may well be propagandistic in one form or another, thus offering older students a good opportunity to practice their critical reading and thinking skills.

Sunday States: Connecticut, Belgium, Bhutan, and More

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Tour the United States and travel the countries of the world each week with the River Houses.

Many homeschoolers like to review the U.S. states and the nations of the world each year, and the recommended River Houses reference library includes a world almanac, a world atlas, and a history encyclopedia that make these reviews fun and easy. We review the states in the traditional order of admission to the Union (almanac page 453), so this week’s state is:

  • [Seal of Connecticut]
    Seal of Connecticut
    Connecticut (9 January 1788) — The Constitution State, the Nutmeg State. Connecticut appears on pages 567–568 in your almanac, and on plate 44 in your atlas. The name comes from “Mohican and other Algonquin words meaning ‘long river place’” (almanac page 455).

❡ What can you do with the state of the week? A thousand things, with your reference library as a starting point. Find the state bird with your almanac and look it up in your bird guide. Trace the state’s outline with your atlas. Read the almanac’s one-paragraph history aloud each week. Using each state’s official website (above), find and copy the preamble to that state’s constitution into a commonplace book over the course of the year. Practice math skills by graphing each state’s population and area. Look up famous state residents online or at the library — the possibilities are endless and they can be easily adjusted according to a student’s age and interests.

This week’s countries, with links to their official websites, are:

  • Belgium (English, French, Dutch, and German) in Europe.
  • Belize (English) in Central America.
  • Benin (French only) in West Africa.
  • Bhutan (English), in South Asia.

These all appear in your almanac, atlas, and history encyclopedia as well. For example, you’ll find the main entries for Benin on almanac page 754, atlas plate 97, and history encyclopedia page 562, with illustrations, flags, and other mentions available through the indexes in each volume.

What geographical discoveries have you made in your homeschool lately? 😊

❡ Read and think critically: Note that the country links above go to official websites, which are not always in English and which may well be propagandistic in one form or another, thus offering older students a good opportunity to practice their critical reading and thinking skills.

The Great Swan of the Heavens

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If you check your North American bird guide (pages 22–23) you’ll see that there are three species of swans in North America: the native Tundra Swan and Trumpeter Swan, mostly in the West, and the introduced Mute Swan, mostly in the East. (A fourth species, the Eurasian Whooper Swan, is an occasional visitor to western Alaska.) That’s a fun fact to know.

But there’s an even bigger swan that you can see “migrating” every night at this time of year — the constellation Cygnus, the great swan of the heavens that appears directly overhead on fall evenings, passing to the west overnight and disappearing over the horizon.

[Cygnus the heavenly swan]
The heavenly swan — the constellation Cygnus, with neck and wings outstretched (and with lines added, of course) — flying toward the western horizon. (Image: Bob King.)

Cygnus is one of my favorite constellations. It’s simple and easy to recognize, and you can clearly see it as a flying swan, with long outstretched neck, short tail, and spread wings. If you’re in a dark sky location you’ll see that the Milky Way passes right along the swan’s length and does indeed give it a whitish appearance.

The River Houses reference library includes a handy set of sky maps and a planisphere that will show you the location of Cygnus and its most prominent stars. The description of Cygnus appears on page 12:

Cygnus is a beautiful, easily recognized constellation in the form of a giant cross; it is sometimes called the Northern Cross. Deneb, a brilliant white star of magnitude 1.3 (18th of the 20 brightest stars), marks the top of the cross. There are many bright stars in Cygnus; it lies directly in the Galactic Plane and [therefore to the eye appears] embedded in the Milky Way. Sweep this entire area with binoculars and note the many stars and clusters.

Spend a little time out after dark this week with your students and locate the great swan as it makes its nightly migratory flight. Once you learn to spot it, you’ll have a new autumnal friend for life.

What astronomical observations have you made in your homeschool this week? 😊

Sunday States: Georgia, Bahrain, Belarus, and More

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Tour the United States and travel the countries of the world each week with the River Houses.

Many homeschoolers like to review the U.S. states and the nations of the world each year, and the River Houses reference library includes a world almanac, a world atlas, and a history encyclopedia that make these reviews fun and easy. We are going through the states in the traditional order of admission to the Union (almanac page 453), so this week’s state is:

  • [Seal of Georgia]
    Seal of Georgia
    Georgia (2 January 1788) — The Peach State. Georgia appears on pages 569 in your almanac, and on plate 42 in your atlas. “Named by colonial administrator James Oglethorpe for King George II of England in 1732” (almanac page 455).

❡ What can you do with the state of the week? A thousand things, with your reference library as a starting point. Find the state bird with your almanac and look it up in your bird guide. Trace the state’s outline with your atlas. Read the almanac’s one-paragraph history aloud each week. Using each state’s official website (above), find and copy the preamble to that state’s constitution into a commonplace book over the course of the year. Practice math skills by graphing each state’s population and area. Look up famous state residents online or at the library — the possibilities are endless and they can be easily adjusted according to a student’s age and interests.

This week’s countries, with links to their official websites, are:

  • Bahrain (Arabic and English), in the Middle East.
  • Bangladesh (Bangla and English), in South Asia.
  • Barbados (English), in the West Indies.
  • Belarus (English, Russian, and Belarusian), in Eastern Europe.

These all appear in your almanac, atlas, and history encyclopedia as well. For example, you’ll find the main entries for Bangladesh on almanac page 752, atlas plate 85, and history encyclopedia pages 584–585, with illustrations, flags, and other mentions available through the indexes in each volume.

What geographical discoveries have you made in your homeschool this week? 😊

❡ Read and think critically: Note that the country links above go to official websites, which are not always in English and which may well be propagandistic in one form or another, thus offering older students a good opportunity to practice their critical reading and thinking skills.

“Our summer made her light escape”

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On this day of the autumnal equinox, as summer departs, Emily Dickinson provides us with a read-aloud poem of the week.

As imperceptibly as Grief
The Summer lapsed away —
Too imperceptible at last
To seem like Perfidy —

A Quietness distilled
As Twilight long begun,
Or Nature spending with herself
Sequestered Afternoon —

The Dusk drew earlier in —
The Morning foreign shone —
A courteous, yet harrowing Grace,
As Guest, that would be gone —

And thus, without a Wing
Or service of a Keel
Our Summer made her light escape
Into the Beautiful.

If your students are learning how to read poetry — and poetry requires a special kind of reading, different from prose reading — tell them not to read too quickly or expect everything to be clear on the first pass through. Think of getting to know a poem as being like getting to know a person: some things are apparent on the surface, but there are new things to discover over time with repeated engagement.

[Emily Dickinson Homestead]
Emily Dickinson Homestead, Amherst, Massachusetts. (Image: Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.)

For traditionally styled poems like this one, the first and simplest thing to do as you make the poem’s acquaintance is to forget about meaning and just count syllables. As imperceptibly as Grief — eight. The Summer lapsed away — six. Too imperceptible at last — eight. To seem like Perfidy — six. 8-6-8-6. The other three stanzas are a shortened version of this: 6-6-8-6.

“Eights-and-sixes” are among the most common hymn meters in the Protestant tradition, and Emily Dickinson learned her very precise prosody from the church hymns she grew up with. Compare the first stanza above with this familiar verse:

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

A perfect match. Whenever you encounter Emily Dickinson in your reading — and I hope that will be often — start by counting syllables, and you’ll gain a new appreciation for the details of her craft.

What literary discoveries have you made in your homeschool this week? 😊

❡ Is today really the autumnal equinox? That depends on your hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere, yes, it’s the autumnal (fall) equinox. But in the southern hemisphere, today is the vernal (spring) equinox. To avoid confusion, astronomers often just call it the September equinox, which it is in both hemispheres.

Sunday States: New Jersey, Australia, the Bahamas, and More

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Tour the United States and travel the countries of the world each week with the River Houses.

Many homeschoolers like to review the U.S. states and the nations of the world each year, and the recommended River Houses reference library includes a world almanac, a world atlas, and a history encyclopedia that make these reviews fun and easy. We review the states in the traditional order of admission to the Union (almanac page 453), so this week’s state is:

  • [Seal of New Jersey]
    Seal of New Jersey
    New Jersey (18 December 1787) — The Garden State. New Jersey appears on page 580 in your almanac, and on plate 43 in your atlas. “The Duke of York, in 1664, gave a patent to Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret for Nova Caesaria, or New Jersey, after England’s Isle of Jersey” (almanac page 455).

❡ What can you do with the state of the week? A thousand things, with your reference library as a starting point. Look up the state bird in your bird guide or trace the state’s outline with your atlas. Read the almanac’s one-paragraph history aloud each week. Using each state’s official website (above), find and copy the preamble to that state’s constitution into a commonplace book over the course of the year. Practice math skills by graphing each state’s population and area. Look up famous state residents online or at your local library — the possibilities are endless and they can be easily adjusted according to a student’s age and interests.

This week’s countries, with links to their official websites, are:

  • Australia (English), in the southwest Pacific.
  • Austria (English and German), in Europe.
  • Azerbaijan (English, Russian, and Azerbaijani), in southwest Asia.
  • The Bahamas (English), in the western Atlantic Ocean between Florida and Cuba.

These all appear in your almanac, atlas, and history encyclopedia as well. For example, you’ll find the main entries for the tiny island nation of the Bahamas on almanac page 751, atlas plates 42 and 49, and history encyclopedia page 504, with illustrations, flags, and other mentions available through the indexes in each volume.

What geographical discoveries have you made in your homeschool this week? 😊

❡ Read and think critically: Note that the country links above go to official websites, which are not always in English, and which may well be propagandistic in one form or another (thus offering older students a good opportunity to practice their critical reading and thinking skills).