“It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.” Alice…in Wonderland
This month, I like neither the hymn nor the folk song suggested by Ambleside Online. They hymn, which is actually quite lovely, isn’t really singable for our untrained voices. And frankly, that’s the number one quality (after truth, beauty, and goodness) when it comes to picking a song. If we don’t end up adding it […]
Edgar Degas (1834-1917) is the artist for the third term on the Ambleside rotation. Most people are familiar with Degas’s paintings and sculptures, especially of dancers. His sculpture “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen” has an interesting story. From the National Gallery of Art website: The sculpture was not so warmly received when she first appeared. The […]
A month ago, we were cold and miserable and wondering if spring would ever arrive. But spring is finally here, and we shall sing! (Okay, we sang in March, too, huddled under our blankets.) I didn’t like the folk song on the Ambleside rotation, so I picked “Mairzy Doats,” a song that my mom and […]
Today is the 179th anniversary of the Fall of the Alamo, which we remember as we are commanded. This month, Ambleside has “The Yellow Rose of Texas” as the folksong. Just so you know, the back story on this song is … interesting and possibly inaccurate. And of course, you get to have fun conversations […]
February’s folk song is the fun and lively “The Keeper Did A-Hunting Go.” Ambleside Online* suggests several options, but this is by far my favorite. Try not to sing along, I dare you. It reminds me very strongly of Tom Bombadil’s song, Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo! Ring a dong! hop […]
*This post contains affiliated links. Moreso than usual. For most of us, our first introduction to any type of art was in children’s books. From Beatrix Potter’s English countryside to Tomie DePaola’s legends, illustrations help print stories on our hearts. They may not be the work of masters hanging in the Louvre, but the impact […]
Have you ever gone to the grocery store for milk and eggs and come home with a dozen bags, none of which contain milk and your eggs are crushed? Maybe those bags are full of good, useful, needed things, but you still have no milk and cracked eggs. This year we have added a great […]
My mother keeps sending me pictures of her beautiful snowfall–from the desert.* Meanwhile, we have just had twenty-four hours of cold rain, and no snow for the entire winter. In fact, we’ve had very few days cold enough to snow should precipitation occur. I want a snow day! But where reality fails, art prevails. I’ll […]
This term, Ambleside has a really fun collection of music for children this term. You should check out their site for all the selections. But it made me think of a very fun CD and book my sister got for Little Miss for Christmas, The Composer is Dead by Lemony Snicket. We listened to it […]
“Again, we know that the human hand is a wonderful and exquisite instrument to be used in a hundred movements exacting delicacy, direction and force; every such movement is a cause of joy as it leads to the pleasure of execution and the triumph of success. We begin to understand this and make some efforts […]