My kids each made a few yesterday and the day before and now my living room mantle is beautifully decorated for All Saints Day. As you can see in the picture, we have St. Nicholas, St. Francis (with blue bird perched onshoulder), St. Patrick, St. Jerome, St. James, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Joseph, St. Helen (with a cross), St. Cecelia (with a harp), St. Mary Magdalene, and St. Catherine of Alexandria. Under the Mercy, A.
My co-op students learned quite a bit more about the use of oil pastels yesterday. The results were excellent--I highlighted some of the ones that best captured the sunlight. 
We are following Mary Daly's Science course on Weather at co-op and today she suggested the students to work on a study of this photo Number Four took about a month ago. Watch for artistic results soon!
Who are the American history characters who came to visit our Tutoring Center yesterday? She wrote a bestseller... (I love the goatee, Laura!) One of the guys was a Confederate leader, and the one on the right was an African American leader.
They talked and talked... It had been a long time since we had last heard her voice. We promised Number Two we will get a webcam for next Sunday. She has one and we could see her! They played piano for her, and Number Two spoke French and took us on a "tour" of the room her host family provides for her. Her host mom came in the room for a minute and I was able to see and hear her!
Number Six put true Christian joy on the face of our beloved Cure of Ars... and Number Seven is proud of her Saint Damien of 
Molokai!
Update: she has added two accessories: a hammer and a Rosary! And in case you don't know where Molokai is... she is pointing to it!
I just finished reviewing a very nice course on American Lit. I think I may use it next year at Tutoring Center. Read it here.
We've had an unusually rainy October... and the students were very comfortable working on a rainy, fall window project!Hi Ana,
I have written to you once before about your wonderful blog. I just wanted to write to tell you that I was looking for a craft idea to doat our All Saints Party (that is coming up on the 31st at our parish) when Icame across your wonderful template. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
My four girls had a wonderful afternoon putting together some "examples" forthe party. I thought I would send you a few photos to show you how much joyyour template brought them.
The holy family (T., 5) Saint Therese, Saint Patrick and Saint Michael the Archangel (C., 11), Saint Cecilia and Saint Francis, with a cardinal on his stick (E., 9), Blessed Kateri and Mary (S. 3)
They are all asking to make more tomorrow afternoon. Emma commented excitedly that we could keep making them forever since there are so many wonderful saints.
Thank you so much for your generosity.
God's blessings, L. and family in Canada
I just requested this with our public library system, and it has also gone into my Christmas Shopping List!Review by Alicia Van Hecke, on Love2Learn:
This is a brief, engaging and heavily illustrated biography of the world's first historian. Herodotus lived in the Greek city of Halicarnassus in the Persian empire during the 5th century BC. His situation and personality put him an ideal place to tell the fascinating stories of the Persian Wars (think Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis) and to travel extensively and collect stories from all over. His original writings are a fascinating read for upper high school or college.
This is unique in that it shares the basic history of his own life, told in first person narrative. A gives a fascinating glimpse into the world he lived in as well as touching upon major events and characters that he wrote about.
It's the perfect companion to a children's edition of the stories of Herodotus. Our family read it immediately after finishing Stories from Herodotus by Glanville Downey (which is sadly out of print, but may be available from your local library), which made it even more relevant and interesting.
Suitable for independent reading ages 10 and up, or for a read aloud to younger children.
First time on the Mediterranean Sea!
Louisa, The Life of Louisa May Alcott by Yona Zeldis McDonough, illustrated by Bethanne Andersen. 2009 Henry Holt, 48 pages.
Number Five has four piano students now, but piano is not the only subject she is beginning to teach... her informal drawing class is also going well.
Just wondering how many times she's seen me washing clothes by a waterlily-covered lagoon as a... hippo lingers near.
Number Three is teaching Greek to Number Six and Seven and young friends before he goes off to college to study Greek a bit more in depth... ;-) Number Three has taken all of the Greek offered at the local Liberal Arts college--twice--and is just about to fulfill his dream of entering a college in a Classic-major trajectory. We pray daily for his college choice to be according to God's will for him.
We have loved this book and so glad to see it reprinted!
Number Seven's class at co-op has been "visited" by different saints every week... so we have been inspired by the stories she tells us at home. We made some new ones and got the old ones out in preparation for the feast day! Also, see here the original ones!
Galileo's Leaning Tower Experiment by Wendy McDonald, 2009 Charlesbridge Publishing, 32 pages.
Snow or not, it is October... and Number Five took an interesting angle in photographing our incoming harvest squash (Butternut and Blue Hubbarb)... along with our homemade October decorations which dangle from the chandelier.
Nicole and Katie were helpful friends!
...to Gombrich's A Little History of the World. Suzanne in a recent post gave me the idea to listen again. Amazing to think it has been three years since we listened to it, back when we took Number One to his sophomore year at ND. We still love it, although the older kids are amazed at at how much History they have learned since than, that wasn't told in a History book for children.
We had a very light frost last week, but this is the first official one. I am not complaining , because it brought the sun, who was not seen for 6 days around here!
Just posted this on the Pope Saint Nicholas V Yahoo list. To join this group (it's easy) and receive suggestions on good Catholic books you can request at your local library, go here.
We have started Father Damien and the Bells to prepare for the celebration of his canonization in one week! As usual, the girls do handwriting or art while the boys take turns reading aloud. Senior Number Three and Sophomore Number Four always volunteer, as they are both dramatic, clear, wonderful readers.
