Learning About Australia with The Singing Snake

I am assisting in a co-op class this semester - Oceans and Continents. The lead teacher is a new friend of mine who does a fabulous job homeschooling her children. She was one of my first homeschooling friends in this area, and I'm grateful to her for her friendship. She helped me get involved in this co-op, and then I found out I was her assistant. God was really working over several months - very cool.

This week at co-op we are talking about Australia. I asked her if I could share one of my FAVORITE stories of all time with the class. If you have never read this book, you should get it from the library and share it with your children. If you're studying Australia - great! If you're not, then great! It's just a good story and teaches about animals of Australia and the digeridoo, a folk instrument. It also offers a great moral.

The Singing Snake has been a part of my library since I taught elementary school. Every group of children I've ever read it to has enjoyed the story.

This is what Good Reads says about the story:

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Old Man has become tired of the noisy animals that surround him day and night. So he holds a singing contest to force them to improve their voices. As a prize, Old Man will create a musical instrument in honor of the animal with the best singing voice. Snake realizes that his raspy voice will never win, but by swallowing Lark he fools everyone into thinking that he has ...more Old Man has become tired of the noisy animals that surround him day and night. So he holds a singing contest to force them to improve their voices. As a prize, Old Man will create a musical instrument in honor of the animal with the best singing voice. Snake realizes that his raspy voice will never win, but by swallowing Lark he fools everyone into thinking that he has her sweet voice. In the end though, it is clever Lark who outwits devious Snake. This retelling of an Australian folktale offers amusing explanations for the origin of the didgeridoo, why snakes hiss, and the phrase "a snake in the grass."

I hope you enjoy the book as much as we have!

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Great Library Find - Superhero ABC

"Learn Your ABCs with the heroes of the universe!"

During our last trip to the library GMan picked out what I initially thought was going to be a boring/cheesy book. Boy, was I WRONG! I can't tell you the number of times he read through the book, and the number of times I read the book to him. Even thought he already has solidified the sounds that each letter makes and reads quite well, he picked up so many great new words - just from the A's alone we had alien, alert and awesome. Each page was humorous, too - making the big words not seem quite so difficult.

If you have a little boy who loves superheros, this book is definitely for you - even my nine year old daughter enjoyed reading it because of the way the words tickled our tongues!

So, if you're reading this - add Superhero ABC by Bob McLeod to your library list - you will be glad!
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Starting The Chronicles of Narnia

I stayed up way too late last night reading "The Chronicles of Narnia"... Miss B checked out the full collection from the library last week and is ferociously making her way through all of the books. So, I downloaded "The Magician's Nephew" and "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" on the iPad. As I started reading lots of fond memories came back to me - of reading the book in middle school, and of discussing it in a literature class. I'll be on a hunt today for lapbook resources or other fun ideas to use our study of the books.

This is a departure from our curriculum, but I say who cares? If my child checks out a lofty book from the library and sits to read it, I think it merits a pause in our curriculum to seize the day. So, today after church I think I will read some more, research options for what's out there for us to do, and plan for the week.

Have I mentioned how much I love homeschooling?