Ok so it's December...

Hmm, it's December and already our bold blogging school experiment is on the skids.  I blame life in general and my mother's hospitalization/rehab specifically.  On the upside, I personally have learned a lot about hospitalization, nursing homes, and how to search for assisted living.  Thanks to the ever-fabulous Library, we are still reading great books and working on math....products of primes, woo-hoo!  And, as a side point, if you know anyone who is a caregiver, please give them a hug and cut them a huge chunk o' slack.

It's Revolutionary....

Having been inspired by walking the cobbled streets of Boston, we headed to the library and picked up a few books on Paul Revere's life as well as books on the American Revolution.  Here's our reading list:

The Boston Tea Party, Laurie A. O'Neill - A detailed book that tells the story of this pivotal event in American History.

Yankee Doodle and the Redcoats, Susan Provost Beller - An excellent book, highly detailed, with beautiful original illustrations by Larry Day.

The Many Rides of Paul Revere, James Cross Giblin - A very thorough yet easy to read biography of Paul Revere.  It includes Lonfellow's famous poem, many historical engravings and paintings, and a list and map of historic sites in and around Boston.

And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?, Jean Fritz - A good book for younger children.  It tells about Paul's accomplishments after his famous ride in an easy reading yet informative format.

American Voices From the Revolutionary War, Susan Provost Beller - Another excellent book with excerpts from personal letters, questions to consider, and ample photographs of historical items and depictions of historical paintings.

We're still reading....will have Griffin post his thoughts soon.

First field trip of the year

Well, we already took our first informal field trip of the year; we met our friends Brie and Spencer in Boston and did a portion of the Freedom Trail.  We saw the site of the Boston Massacre, toured the 330 year old home of Paul Revere (http://www.paulreverehouse.org/), and also got to visit the Old North Church.  I think this will be the perfect jumping off point for a unit study on Paul Revere and the Revolution - we are fortunate to live in a part of the country where we are so connected to history!  Next time I will remember the camera....