LAPBOOKS: Michelangelo's Surprise ~ By: Tony Parillo

We are still putting the "finishing touches" on our Michelangelo lapbook.  It was inspired by "Michelangelo's Surprise", a colourful storybook written by Tony Parillo.  The book is now due, so I thought I would post about it, before putting it in the book return slot at the local library.

The book is based on an event that took place in 1494 in Florence, Italy when, "after an unusually heavy snowfall, Piero de' Medici, the ruler of Florence at that time" summoned "the young artist [Michelangelo] to his palazzo to make a snowman."  Michelangelo did not disappoint and sculpted a snowman with a human-likeness and not just the typical three balls of snow propped on top of one another!

I recently came across a New York Times interview with Tony Parillo, by Donna Greene.  It was published on January 17, 1999.  Here are some excerpts:

Q. What prompted you to do a book about Michelangelo?

A. I've been interested in him as an artist and in the time period he lived in my entire life, really. My dad, who was a commercial artist and obviously an Italian, taught me who Michelangelo and Da Vinci were when I was really a little kid. I knew who they were before I knew who Washington and Lincoln were. So I was always interested in them. In the course of reading about the time period, at one point or another years ago I came across this anecdote in biographies about Michelangelo.

What they say is, It snowed very heavily one night, which was not a common thing for Florence. Michelangelo was 19 years old, and he had been living in the palace when Lorenzo de' Medici was still alive. Lorenzo de' Medici had been his patron. But after Lorenzo died, Michelangelo moved back to his father's house. This snowfall happened a year or two afterward, and Lorenzo's son, Piero, wanted to have a snowman built in the courtyard as entertainment. So he remembered this kid from when his father was alive and had him brought to the town and had him make this snowman in the courtyard.

Q. By 19 he was famous enough to be summoned to do this?

A. Actually, at that point he wouldn't have been famous. At that point he would have probably been the one person the prince wouldn't have to pay because he was still an apprentice.

Q. Is the snowman you depict based on what Michelangelo actually sculptured?

A. No. In my initial draft of the book, I used as its basis a small, eight-inch clay statue of a project that he would have been working on at that time. But in editing the book we decided that statue wasn't right. It was a standing sculpture and it was too high off the ground and Michelangelo wouldn't have been able to reach it the way I drew it. So I changed it to a sitting statue, and I took the liberty of inserting the face of God the Creator from the Sistine Ceiling. It's a book about Michelangelo. It's a book to introduce children to his work, and that would be a way to slip a reference in.

Q. Through this book you are trying to acquaint American children with Michelangelo?

A. Right. But it's not just Michelangelo, it's that time period. It would be fun to think of kids looking at the pictures in the book and wondering: Why are people dressed this way? Why do the houses look like this? Why are those paintings there? Also, it's a way to introduce them to the idea of history in general, that when people lived at a different time period things were different.

Q. How did you determine the authenticity of the clothes and other aspects of the period?

A. It's not that I thought up the idea for the book and then did research. I have been interested in this time period really all of my adult life. So I've read a lot of general books, and I've read a lot of general art history books and a few scholarly books on this. I have bookcases filled with reproductions of paintings from this period. I've read about all aspects -- the political life, the economic life, the social life and how it relates to art. So I have a lot of this stuff around. And several years after I came across this anecdote, when it occurred to me that it was the kind of subject that might make an entertaining children's book, I kind of had everything on hand.

Q. Who do you think is a greater artist, Michelangelo or Leonardo?

A. That was a time period that was particularly rich for artists. I think it's really difficult to make a choice as to who is greater. I think Michelangelo's influence in the long run was probably greater because he completed a lot more work and what he did with a figure turned out to be a lot more innovative. His manner of treating the figure is something that influenced artists after him. But Da Vinci is probably just as great and, not being an art historian, I'm probably not qualified to judge who is better.

Q. Didn't Leonardo have more of a diversity of interests? He was also a scientist and did other things?

A. Well, the products of his diversity are a lot more well known. But Michelangelo was a military engineer for a while as well. There was a siege in Florence later on in his life, and it was after he painted the Sistine Chapel. They called on him to be a military engineer and help in the city's defense. All artists at that time did everything. They just didn't sculpt. They had to design pageants; they would design everything from costumes to toys. There is a story of Da Vinci designing a mechanical lion to entertain the court that would walk and would open its mouth. And instead of sound coming out there were a bunch of lilies that came out of the mouth of the lion. This whole thing with the snowman with Michelangelo's part and Da Vinci being more than just a painter, this is representative of the age.

Q. What do you think they would have done with the computer technology of today?

A. I think they would have used it quite a bit. Michelangelo burned all his drawings when he finished whatever project he was working on. Those were his working notes.

Because with a computer you can save what you were working on and then do a variation, they would certainly have used computers as a tool, which is what they were designed to be.

Q. Do you think there is anyone that has come along like them since?

A. That's a hard question to answer. There are certainly people with that kind of talent and ability, and there have certainly been things that have come along in art that have been as exciting. But there is something about that time period. Maybe it's that it was just so long ago and it's got this sort of patina of romanticism about it. But the time period itself contributed to them being a certain type of person.

Q. Also, the concept that artists could have a patron to take care of them must have made a difference.

A. The entire economic situation for artists and the whole way society worked was so entirely different.

Q. Do you think if we met someone like Michelangelo today we'd appreciate him?

A. You can't compare the eras. Today images are so cheaply produced. I don't think that kind of person is going to happen any more. It's too easy to alter an image. In those times there was a tradition of making things with the hands. And this had great status, and the job market was different and the mind set was different.

Q. Do you get the feeling that Michelangelo and Da Vinci could have been anything they wanted to be?

A. I think so. And Leonardo was known as a musician, too, and an engineer. And Michelangelo wrote poetry and was an architect. In those days to be an architect was to be a builder. People are more specialized today. Whatever talent you have you have to focus it on a single thing.

Q. Bill Gates is said to be a genius, and he put his ingenuity mainly into computers?

A. Right. But he recently bought Da Vinci's notebooks, so maybe he has plans we don't know about.

***

According to the back of the dust jacket, Parillo is a teacher, graphic designer, and illustrator with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Pratt Institute.  "Michelangelo's Surprise" is his first picture book, but I am sure it won't be his last!  He lives in Lincolndale, New York with his wife and son.

BOOK REVIEWS ~ "Titanic" ~ By: Jim Pipe

 

A novelty Book

Alisdair and I finished reading another book about the RMS Titanic. "Titanic," by Jim Pipe, was published by Firefly Books in 2007.  It gives a different twist on the topic as it is a novelty book with cut-outs and lift-a-flap items.  Of course these make for an exciting read for youngsters, but one must be careful the various cards do not fall out of the book itself.

As soon as you open the cover, there is a red envelope glued to the inside.  It contains a card inviting the reader to set sail on the RMS Titanic:

An Invitation to sail on the maiden voyage.

The book is written from the perspective of an imaginary journalist who travels on the tragic maiden voyage.  He is a "fictitious character, and any resemblance to real people is entirely coincidental," we are told in fine print at the bottom of the front cover, beneath the invitation.  Personally, we prefer the true-to-life accounts of actual survivors.

Each colourful two-page spread covers a new topic.  The first one is "Birth of the Titanic."  Interesting facts are included.  For example, it tells how "for two years, Harland and Wolff's shipyard workers worked nine hours a day, six days a week, to build the Titanic's massive hull."  It also shows a picture of an actual "Launch Ticket" as thousands of spectators paid a shilling each to watch the great ship put into the water on May 31, 1911. 

Other facts, we had not gleaned from other sources were "the ship cost 1.5 million pounds and 17,000 men worked for three years to build her.  The Titanic could carry up to 3,547 passengers and crew."  Or that "during the building of the ship, there were more than 250 accidents.  Eight men died.  One unfortunate worker was crushed under the ship as it launched."

"The Voyage Ahead" describes "The Blue Riband Prize" (for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic) which was held, at the time, by the Cunard liner, the "Mauritania."  It also has a pull-out with coloured pictures of three types of whales, the Northern Gannet and the Atlantic Puffin, that passengers might have seen from the Titanic's decks. The ticket prices "varied a great deal.  The third-class (steerage) fare was seven pounds and 15 shillings.  A second-class ticket cost 13 pounds, while a first-class ticket was 86 pounds.  A promenade suite on B deck cost 870 pounds.  This was the equivalent of four months' wages for the skilled workers who built the Titanic."

The section, "Boarding the Ship," has a colourful cross section through the hull, showing supplies being loaded and the trimmers' and the firemen's cabins.  This page also gives three passenger lists ~ for First, Second and Third classes.  It also points out the various "Odd Jobs" for the crew of more than 800.  Some of their jobs included "printer, surgeon, Turkish bath attendant, boot steward, confectioner, window cleaner, Hebrew cook, interpreter, and barber!"

Did You Know? facts include:

* The Titanic was as long as 22 buses end to end.

* Each funnel was big enough to fit two trains.

* The two masts were just flagpoles:  the Titanic had no sails!

* The ship had its own daily newspaper.

* On board there were:

   3,364 bags of mail,

   30 cases of golf clubs and tennis rackets,

   50 cases of toothpaste,

   3 crates of ancient models for the Denver Museum and

   300 cases of walnuts.



The "Cabins Fit For Kings," section has actual photographs of a first-class cabin and a third-class cabin.  There is also an artist's rendition of the accommodations in second-class. It talks of Mrs. Cardeza who was travelling with her son.  They brought "14 trunks, four suitcases, three crates, and a medicine chest" with them on the voyage!

A sample "First-Class Menu" is included in an envelope on the pages describing "The Height of Luxury."  "The highlight of the day was the seven-course evening meal.  Women wore gowns of satin and silk and men dressed in evening suits.  Diners were called to dinner by the sound of a bugle!  After dinner, passengers could dance to the ship's band or relax in the smoking or reading rooms.  Card games and gambling were popular."


First-Class Menu selections

"Exploring the Ship" is the next double spread.  It features a pocket with three playing cards with the White Star Line logo on the back.  We photocopied the cards and some of the rest of the novelty elements to glue into Alisdair's Titanic lapbook that we ordered online from "Hands of a Child."


Another "touch-and-feel" addition
 Playing cards with the White Star Line logo on the back.

This section describes the 32-foot heated swimming pool, the indoor squash court on F-deck, the gymnasium on the boat deck (complete with rowing machines, cycling equipment and two electric "horses"), and both Turkish and electric baths.  It also describes the barbershops that offered men a daily "lather and a shave," as well as haircuts.  "Amazingly, only 66 crew members sailed the ship while 475 looked after the passengers."

A diagram detailing why the Titanic was thought to be "Unsinkable" is included under the heading "Full Steam Ahead."  There is also a colourful artist's depiction of what it was like for the men stoking the boilers.  "It took 29 triple furnace boilers to power the engines.  Most of the boilers had two ends, so when all the ship's boilers were working, there were 162 fires burning." . . . "Firemen shovelled 825 tons of coal a day into the furnaces.  Stripped to the waist, they carried out this backbreaking work hour after hour.  A team of 35 engineers, led by Joseph Bell, made sure that everything ran smoothly.  If the boilers ran out of coal the ship would have soon come to a stop!  This team also looked after the four electrical generators and 75 fans.  These sucked dirty air out of the engine and boiler rooms and ventilated the cabins."

"The Wireless Room" is the next section of Pipe's book.  Again there is an envelope with a replica of Radio-Telegram inside.  It is a copy of one received by the S. S. Birma from the Titanic, containing the latitude and longitude and the words, "We have struck iceberg sinking fast come to our assistance."

A copy of an actual telegram

Harold Bride and Jack Phillips, the two wireless operators on board the Titanic, were kept busy sending and receiving messages, prior to the disaster.  "Sending a wireless message in the middle of the Atlantic was all the rage, but I was shocked at the expense - $3 for just ten words, as much as I earn in a day!  However, the first-class passengers seemed to be falling over themselves to send a 'Marconigram' from the Titanic.  In the first four days some 250 messages were sent! . . . All ships have three letter callsigns.  The Titanic's callsign was MGY."

"The Iceberg Hits" tells us "water was pouring in through twelve small slits cut in the hull by the iceberg."  It also suggests "the iceberg that hit the Titanic probably began life as part of a glacier in Greenland.  Passengers and crew who saw the iceberg said it was 50 to 100 feet high and 200 to 400 feet long."  This section also reminds readers that "(nine tenths of an iceberg is under water)."  "The Titanic had received nine ice warnings.  One was handed to Captain Smith four hours before the collision.  Instead of slowing down, he ordered 'Full speed ahead.' . . . When the ship struck the iceberg, Smith was asleep in his cabin."

The next section is titled, "Abandon Ship."  It details five survivor's stories and what "people took with them:

* Adolf Dyker handed his wife a satchel with two gold watches, two diamond rings, a sapphire necklace, and 200 Swedish crowns.
* Norman Chambert pocketed a revolver and a compass.
* Edith Russell carried her musical toy pig.
* Lawrence Beesley stuffed books into his pockets.
* Mrs. Dickson Bishop left behind $11,000 in jewelry then sent her husband back for her muff.

This section also gives two accounts of "Miraculous Escapes:

* Winnie Troutt did not want to save herself until a man handed her a baby and asked her to save it.  She made her way to a lifeboat and was helped onboard.
* Baker Charles Joughin stood on the stern as the ship went down then paddled to a lifeboat."

There are also photographs of the bandleader, Wallace Hartley, and the six musicians that played with him.  All were lost when the ship sank.

"The Rescue" provides a map showing where the accident took place and the distance left to travel to New York City.  It tells of the arrival of the RMS Carpathia, noting "the crew looked desperately for survivors, until spotting a green flare shot from Lifeboat No. 2.  It took another four hours to rescue all the survivors, by now scattered over an area 4 miles wide.  For people in the boats, things were hard.  They had no food, no lights and very few blankets.  Life jackets helped survivors keep warm, but the night was bitterly cold.  Many survivors took turns at rowing or sang to keep their spirits up and their bodies warm.  Survivors in one lifeboat were too weak to shout as the Carpathia came near.  Luckily, a black dog named Rigel, who had been swimming in the icy water for three hours, alerted the ship's captain by barking loudly."   This page also features a copy of the front page of the New York City newspaper "The World" from Tuesday, April 16th, 1912.

Reproduction of a newspaper from 1912

The "Aftermath" includes information on Molly Brown, who became "head of the Titanic Survivors' Committee, which helped poor passengers who had lost everything in the disaster."  It also features a photograph of a Mr. and Mrs. Harder, one of eight couples who were enjoying their honeymoon on the luxury liner.  Only two of these eight couples were among the survivors.  There is also a colourful booklet outlining the five stages of the sinking.  There is a brief paragraph about Dr. Robert Ballard's successful expedition in 1985, to search for the wreckage and a photograph of some of the items retrieved from the ocean floor.  It also mentions James Cameron's 1997 movie, Titanic.

A "Timeline" is provided that begins in 1904 when "the White Star Line is bought by J. Pierpont Morgan.  J. Bruce Ismay becomes the chairman.  William J. Pirrie becomes a director."  The final entry is in 1997, which states, "The movie Titanic opens in the US.  It wins 11 Academy Awards, including the award for best picture."

There is also a statistical tally of those who survived (and those who died) from the Crew and First, Second and Third Class:

Crew - Total 891.  Deaths 679.  Survivors - 212.
First Class - Total 324.  Deaths 123.  Survivors - 201.
Second Class - Total 284.  Deaths 166.  Survivors - 118.
Third Class - Total 709. Deaths 528.  Survivors - 181.

A "Glossary" containing 30 words is included on the next to last page.  it also provides titles for further reading and websites to surf.  It also suggests readers visit:

The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Belfast, Ireland;
Southampton Maritime Museum, Britain
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax, Canada
The Titanic Museum, Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, USA.

The inside back cover of the book features a photograph of a memorial, in Belfast, Ireland, which was erected in memory of the  22 men from that city who died as a result of the disaster.

A poster is included in the back of the book. 
 We made a colour photocopy and it now
hangs on Alisdair's bedroom wall.

Alisdair and I wholeheartedly agree with the review on Amazon, as it declares, Jim Pipe's book, "Titanic is a richly detailed and dramatic interactive experience for readers of all ages."

POEM ~ Martin Luther King ~ By: Myra Cohn Livingston



Image from timmilburn.com

 Reorganizing the "library box" today, I took a moment to leaf through "The Random House Book of Poetry for Children:  A Treasury of 572 Poems for Today's Child."   A poem titled "Martin Luther King" caught my eye:

Martin Luther King

Got me a special place

For Martin Luther King,

His picture on the wall

Makes me sing.

I look at it for a long time

And think of some

Real good ways

We will overcome.

   ~ Myra Colin Livingston

For many thought provoking quotes by Dr. King, check out Tim Milburn's website and his post titled "Martin Luther King Jr. Said...."  It was originally posted for Martin Luther King Day in 2010.

VIDEOS ~ Martin Luther King Gives "I Have A Dream" Speech

Alisdair and I read some more of Amy Pastan's biography, "Martin Luther King, Jr.:  A Photographic Story of a Life," this afternoon.  Part of the material in Chapter 7 - "Daring to Dream" was detailing the events of the "March on Washington" on August 28, 1963, where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, with more than 250,000 people (both white and black) in attendance.

After we finished reading, I got out the folder with the little printouts that we need to put together for the lapbook we are making on the topic.  There was a little pocket, with a picture of MLK on the front at the podium.  The instructions suggested the student could print out some of the text of the speech itself as copywork.

I sent Alisdair to the computer to find some text so he could complete the assignment.  However, instead of finding a portion of the text, he found the entire document.  Why put a few sentences into our lapbook, when we can have the whole thing?  So, we shrunk the font down so it would fit on two pages, printed it off and I folded it up to fit in the envelope.

I was going to read the entire speech to Alisdair and then I got a better idea.  "Check You Tube for the speech," I told him.  Almost instantly Alisdair found the actual footage from the event.

It was like we had suddenly come upon a time machine and, thanks to our computer, were transported from our living room ~ back to 1963 and the crowded Mall in Washington.  Back to a time when men wore suits and hats.  And back to a time when film footage was still in black and white instead of technicolour!

Technology is, indeed, amazing!  What better way to learn than to hear Martin Luther King, Jr. HIMSELF uttering such powerful and emotional words?  Maybe, like myself, you were too young to remember the events of that hot August day (or, like Alisdair, maybe you weren't even born yet!)  Regardless, we can still witness this part of our collective history just by watching the vintage footage taken of Martin Luther King, Jr. at the podium that afternoon.

VIDEOS: We Shall Overcome ~ A SONG THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

Alisdair and I are about halfway through reading a biography called "Martin Luther King, Jr.:  A photographic story of a life" by Amy Pastan.  We also have another colourfully illustrated book, by Ellen Levine, for young readers. This second book is titled ". . . If You Lived At the Time of Martin Luther King."

In Chapter 4 of Pastan's book, she describes the events of October 1960, when Martin Luther King was released from the Reidsville State Prison after Senator John F. Kennedy had intervened on his behalf.  Pastan writes:  "Back in Atlanta, Martin was greeted by crowds singing the hymn, We Shall Overcome, which had become the theme of the civil rights movement.  He stood in front of Ebenezer Baptist Church and thanked the senator who helped him, noting that he was a man of principle and courage.  King never said he would vote for Kennedy, but Negroes who heard him speak assumed he would" (Page 44).

Alisdair had never heard the song "We Shall Overcome" so I suggested we should look it up on You Tube.  We found many different versions and renditions of the song, and it was hard to decide which one we should feature here.  And so we decided to post three!

The first one is about the song itself and has a bit of a documentary feel.  It is also an advertisement for a book called, "We Shall Overcome:  A Song that Changed the World" by Stuart Stotts.



We chose the second selection because this choir is from Morehouse College.  Martin Luther King, Jr. entered Morehouse as a 15-year old and graduated from that institution in 1948.  He later went on to additional studies at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania and also to Boston University, but Morehouse College played a major role in his educational journey.



Finally, we chose the last video clip because it shows Martin Luther King, Jr. ~ as the man, as a preacher and as a leader.  I wondered aloud to Alisdair what might have transpired on the political stage if MLK had not been assassinated.  We shall never know.

We shall overcome,

We shall overcome,

We shall overcome some day,

Oh, deep in my heart I do believe

We shall overcome some day.

We'll walk hand in hand,

We'll walk hand in hand,

We'll walk hand in hand some day,

Oh, deep in my heart I do believe

We shall overcome some day.

We are not afraid,

We are not afraid,

We are not afraid today,

Oh, deep in my heart I do believe

We shall overcome some day.

We shall live in peace,

We shall live in peace,

We shall live in peace some day,

Oh, deep in my heart I do believe

We shall overcome some day.

~ Adapted from:  WE SHALL OVERCOME by Zilphia Horton, Frank Hamilton, Guy Carawan and Pete Seeger

LETTERS: Honourable Governor Sean Parnell of the Great State of Alaska

Honourable Governor Sean Parnell

On January 28th Alisdair wrote the following letter to the Honourable Governor Sean Parnell of the Great State of Alaska at his office at the Alaska State Capitol Building in Juneau:

"I am an 11 year old boy from Canada and I am in Grade 6.  I am learning about your "Great State of Alaska" in my homeschooling.  I would like to know more.  Do you have any brochures, (my favourite term for them is leaflets), that may be of interest?

I have heard that your moose can weigh up to 1,600 pounds.  That would make a lot of burgers!  I think that Alaska and Saskatchewan have a lot in common.  In winter we have lots of snow and we also have a good oil industry.

I think it is cool that Alaska is part of the United States of America but it isn't located under Canada with the other 49 states but it is attached to the North West Territories.

May God bless Alaska for years to come."

You can learn more about Governor Sean Parnell by clicking this link.  He is the Tenth Governor of the State.  He was originally elected as the Lieutenant Governor, but became the official Governor in July 2009 when the previous Governor, Sarah Palin, resigned from office with more than a year and a half left in her term.

LAPBOOK ~ The State of ALASKA

In addition to the "Remember Me Pockets" for each month, "Fortunately For You Books", also offers many other products for homeschoolers.  Their company website featured this free mini lapbook on the State of Alaska.  The instructions appeared to indicate that the mini books would fit inside a folded sheet of cardstock.  When we had everything printed and cut out, however, it didn't fit!  So we made some modifications and used a regular file folder lapbook and put our mini books inside this.

FRONT COVER

BACK COVER

LEFT FLAP - Accordian mini books open

MIDDLE SECTION

MIDDLE SECTION - State Symbols showing. 
This information is enclosed in the pink cone-shaped pocket. 

RIGHT FLAP - Information about State flag
 in pocket and "Places to See" tab book

Some facts that Alisdair learned are:

The industries of the State of Alaska include:  fishing, natural gas and oil.
Alaska is the largest state in the United States.  It is more than two times bigger than Texas!
The capital of Alaska is Juneau.
Alaska comes from the Eskimo word 'Alakshak' meaning 'Great Lands.'
Most of the United States supply of crab, salmon, halibut and herring come from Alaska.
Nearly on third of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle.
Alaska became the 49th state in the United States on January 3, 1959.
Seventeen out of the 20 highest peaks in the United States are in Alaska.

The Sitka Spruce is the official state tree.  The Alaska state flower is the Alpine Forget-Me-Not. The Willow Ptarmigan is the official state bird and the state land mammal is the Moose.  Alaskan moose are the largest in the world and can weigh up to 1,600 pounds!  Now wouldn't that make a tasty burger?!

For all intents and purposes, this lapbook is complete, but I am going to get Alisdair to write a letter to the Governor of Alaska, Sean Parnell to ask for leaflets which might offer additional information about the State.  If we receive an interesting response, we will write another blog post about it.

HISTORY - Nostradamus and a Modern Prediction...

 


NOSTRADAMUS


As part of today's lesson about Mary, Queen of Scots, we did a little research into the life of Nostradamus.   Alisdair was completing one of the components for his lapbook and had to answer three questions:

1) When and where did he live?
     Born 1503 and died 1566.  Lived in France.

2) What was he famous for?
     He was an astrologer and a physician.
     He also wrote rhymed prophecies.

3) What do you think of him?
     He sounds like a strange man and his prophecies might be a hoax!

The notes that accompany the Homeschool Share templates tell us, "There was some amount of tension between Mary [Queen of Scots] and Francis’s mother, Catherine de Medici. Queen Catherine had her own personal alchemist, who was a master of poisons as well. Mary was often wondering who might be poisoned next. She also hired the astrologer Nostradamus who was supposed to have amazing powers of prediction. The two queens did eventually learn to tolerate, if not respect, each other."

According to  The Discover France website  "Nostradamus was consulted by Catherine de Medici — who shared his penchant for astrology — regarding the fate of her husband, King Henry II, as well as that of her three sons. His predictions that her husband would be killed in a joust, and that she would outlive each of her sons through their consecutive successions on the throne, were proved true. It was largely as a result of his protection by Catherine de Medici that Nostradamus was allowed to remain free to pursue his scientific studies and to publish his dire but accurate prophecies."

After our discussion and Alisdair's completion of the questions, I put on my coat and said, "I have a prediction to make."

"What is it Mum?," Alisdair asked.

"I predict your papers will soon be done," I replied.

"That sounds like it might be true, Mum," he said, laughingly, as I went outside to start the car in the -23 degree weather, and then went on to deliver the news to the 20 subscribers.

So, tell me -- who really needs Nostradamus, anyway?

LAPBOOKS - Mary, Queen of Scots ~ Queen Without a Country

As a half-Scottish lad, Alisdair said he wanted to study about Scotland and its people.  After a brief search at the Homeschool Share website, I found a Unit Study on Mary Queen of Scots.  It is based on the book, "Mary, Queen of Scots ~ Queen Without a Country" by Kathryn Lasky (which centers around her childhood) and "Mary, Queen of Scots" by Jacob Abbott (which is available online here), that tells more about her adulthood.  The latter is a very old text, having been "prepared by volunteers associated with Heritage-History, using as a copytext, the book by Mr. Abbott, which was printed by New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1860. (Originally published in 1848)."

The Homeschool Share Unit is broken down into 13 lessons which cover the major events in Mary's life.  There are lapbook components for each lesson and also questions for each of the sections.  Today I read all the information from the Homeschool Share website (templates here) to Alisdair, so he now has some overall idea about what transpired and what questions he will be asked to answer.

I was especially pleased to see how everything we have studied thus far, "dovetails" perfectly with this work.  In Lesson One, the notes state that "Mary saw a renewed interest in fine arts and viewed the works of artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael" (all artists we have been working on). In Lesson Two they speak of "Michelangelo's Surprise" (the lapbook we have partially completed) as Mary married Francis, the son of King Henry II and Queen Catherine de Medici.  The Medici family of Italy featured prominently in the Michelangelo book, so this gives more context.  Then, back in November, when we studied about Guy Fawkes, Alisdair had a colouring picture of James VI of Scotland and James I of England.  Of course he was Mary, Queen of Scots son!  It is nice to see all the loose ends tying themselves together to present the bigger picture.  I'd like to claim this was all due to my methodical planning - but it is delightful happenstance!

Alisdair completed the first lapbook component for Lesson One today - a map of Europe.  He coloured Scotland in blue, England in red and France in pink.  He also answered questions about the origins of Mary's parents and Francis' parents; where the Reformation took place; and noted where Mary was born; where she moved when she was five; and where she died.

Outside Cover of mini book

Map and initial questions

A good start, indeed!

LAPBOOKS - Michelangelo's Surprise - PART II

Cover of the actual book reproduced for the lapbook cover

Yesterday Alisdair made three more little mini books for his Michelangelo's Surprise lapbook (to add to the pile we had already completed.)  Then we began gluing the components into the folder itself.  We still have more books to complete, but it is nice to get some of them attached so they are all together and not getting misplaced!  The red square at the bottom with the gold tie contains little mini pictures of some of Michelangelo's artwork.  Alisdair also completed a Michelangelo themed crossword puzzle today.  It contained some interesting facts.

Completed crossword

I didn't know, for example, that the Sistine Chapel ceiling covered one thousand square yards!  That's a lot of area.  Michelangelo was apprenticed to a famous painter when he was twelve years old, so Alisdair and I joked that he would be sent to paint ceilings in September, of this year, when he turns twelve.  He was willing to "give it a go" and thought he could probably draw "naked stick men!"  Michelangelo spent twenty years designing tombs and a chapel for the Medicis, an influential Italian family.  This puzzle (and many others) are available at this website.  I have also printed off several activities for Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and other people we hope to study this year.

Here are some photos of the first section of our lapbook.  I'll post some additional photos when we have completed this project in its entirety.

First flap and first folder
(We put two folders together to allow for additional worksheets)

Inside of the "Speaking Italian" mini book
(Italian flag with talking head on it)

Close-up of artwork samples

BOOKS - Leonardo's Horse - By: Jean Fritz

An interesting children's book

The Leonardo da Vinci lapbook, that we downloaded the templates for from the Homeschool Share website, is based on a lovely book written by Jean Fritz.  The book is titled, "Leonardo's Horse" and is illustrated by Hudson Talbot.  This is an interesting book because it is not square or rectangular -- but it is cut out in an oval shape at the top and both the front and back pages are a coppery gold colour.  Both the text and illustrations are copyright 2001.  The book was published by G. P. Putnam's Sons in New York.

The illustrations are very detailed and beautifully done.  The story of Leonardo's horse is told in brief. (For an detailed explanation of the story of the horse, see our post from December 15th titled "More Photos of our Leonardo da Vinci Lapbook).  Then, Fritz tells the story of an American, Charles Dent, who is inspired to recreate the clay model that was never cast in bronze.  The funds were raised and a model was made, however it was found not to be acceptable when it came time to take it to the foundry for casting.  And so the process began again until a pefect horse could be made as a gift for the people of Milan.  Dent died, during the process, but his family promised to see his dream through to its conclusion.

On September 19, 1999 the bronze statue was unveiled in a small park in front of Milan's famous racetrack and within whinnying distance of the racing stables.  The sculptor, Nina Akamu, had written on the pupil of one eye of the horse "Leonardo da Vinci" and on the other "Charles Dent."  She also wrote her own name in the curly mane of the horse.

In an "Author's Note" on the back flyleaf of the book, it says, "Charlie had planned to paint the finished horse gold, just as Leonardo had expected to do.  But the people of Milan said they already had one gold statue in the city.  That was enough.  So gold was ruled out."

"When the twenty-four foot horse was completed it was possible to make others, but the Board of Trustees decided to allow only one more to be made.  This would be an American horse. Frederik Meijer, one of the most enthusiastic and generous of the original donors, bought the American horse and placed it in the public gardens he had already donated to the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he lives."

An address is given for more information on the activities of Leonardo da Vinci's Horse, Inc:

P. O. Box 396
Fogelsville, PA  18051-0396, USA

The website is:  http://www.leonardoshorse.org/

Photos of some of the wonderful illustrations:


Leonardo releasing caged birds



A depiction of one of the special occasions at the Duke's palace

Leonardo presenting the clay model - November 1493

The finished statue in Milan, Italy

LAPBOOK - More Photos of Our Leonardo Da Vinci Lapbook

We still aren't finished the Leonardo da Vinci lapbook, but we've added several more mini books to the project.

We have also received a book from the library - Leonardo's Horse by Jean Fritz.  This book is what much of the Homeschool Share templates are based upon.

Second Cover

Fritz tells the story of Charles Dent, an American man who caught the vision to create a bronze statue of a horse like the one Leonardo began to make for Lorenzo de' Medici as a gift for the Duke of Milan.  Leonardo constructed a clay model of the horse that was twenty-four feet high.  It was shown off at a special occasion in November 1493 and was a sensation.  Da Vinci collected metal to be used in the casting of the horse but in 1498, with rumors of a French invasion of Milan, this was used to make a cannon.  The French did come in 1499.  The French archers thought Leonardo's clay model was perfect for target practice with their bows and arrows.  The arrows, coupled with a lot of rain, reduced Leonardo's clay model to a lump of mud.   

Dent was first inspired to build a horse like Leonardo in 1977.  Many trials and tribulations followed.  Then Dent learned he was dying - but his family promised him they would complete the project after his death.  The statue was finally unveiled on September 10, 1999 - exactly 500 years (to the day) since the French had invaded Milan and destroyed the model horse.  The bronze horse now stands as a testament to Leonardo da Vinci and Charles Dent - on a pedestal in a small park in front of Milan's famous racetrack.

Detailed information on Italy

Alisdair tried writing backwards as an experiment!

A English translation of the words to the Italian National Anthem

Worksheets about Leonardo da Vinci - a crossword puzzle, a word search, multiple choice, ABC order, dotty letters, etc.

Will post the final photos of our book as soon as we complete the lapbook - we'll try to finish before Christmas so we can start some new activities in January.

EXPERIMENT - Michelangelo's Surprise

Based on this book

Alisdair has been busy working on some lapbook projects.  We were pleased to find a website that links various books with free lapbook templates/activities.  One we have been working on is called Michelangelo's Surprise. It is based on a true story that took place in 1494, "after an unusual snowfall" when "Piero de' Medici, the ruler of Florence at that time, summoned Michelangelo to his palazzo to make a snowman."  Instead of the usual snowman (constructed from three large snowballs), Michelangelo made lifelike sculptures.  The colourful book, written by Tony Parillo, and published by Farrar Straus Giroux, is based on this event.

We ordered the book through inter-library loans.  We then downloaded all the templates from the Homeschoolshare website.  (See link above).  There are vocabulary words taken from the book, an experiment and other activities.  Once the mini-books are completed, they are added to a lapbook which is a record of the pupil's work and also a great keepsake and can help the student recall what they have learned.

Alisdair enjoyed completing the snow experiment.  He filled a jar with packed snow and then brought it inside and put it on his desk.  We measured how much snow was in the jar (about 6 inches) and recorded the information on a graph.

Packed snow

Then he guessed how much water there would be in the jar once the snow melted.  That was recorded on the graph in another colour of crayon.  Then the boring part began.  Alisdair wanted to put the jar on top of the hot-air register to try to get it to melt faster!  He also attempted to get it to melt more quickly by putting the snow under his desk lamp!  He even tried melting the snow with the help of a hair dryer.  However, none of these "rapid methods" were very satisfactory, and he just had to wait until the snow liquified in its own time!

Resulting Water

  The final results:


Final Results

Alisdair guessed there would be about three inches of water in the bottom of the jar when the approximately six inches worth of snow melted.  In actuality, only about two and a half inches of water was created by the melting the snow.  As we were doing the experiment, Alisdair laughed and wondered aloud what a child would do if they lived in Florida (or somewhere else) where snow was not common!  But thanks to our Canadian winters, this was an easy experiment for us to try -- and something I'd never done despite being exposed to snow throughout my life. 

When our "Michelangelo's Surprise" lapbook is eventually completed, we will post more photos of the project.

LAPBOOK - A "Sneak Peek" at our Renaissance/Leonardo da Vinci Study

COVER - Leonardo da Vinci Lapbook

The Lloydminster Homeschool Assocation is holding a Christmas Concert/Open House on Sunday, December 5.  Each child is supposed to perform an item on the program and display something they have been working on.  Alisdair has chosen to make some lapbooks for viewing.  He has one on "Thanksgiving" that he needs to complete with a couple of finishing touches.  He has also been working on a large (three folder) lapbook about the "Renaissance and Leonardo da Vinci."  Another one, in progress, is about the tragedy of the  "R. M. S. Titanic."

Here is a sneak peek at the Leonardo da Vinci project and some of the little minibooks we have included, thus far:

Overview - First of Three Folders

Close-Up - Renaissance Information

Close-Up "Renaissance Art Characteristics Minibook"



Inside - Art Terminology



Third Flap - How Renaissance art differed from the works painted prior to the period.  For example, "People now had expressions and personalities."



Alisdair has been writing information in many of the little books.  This is one on Renaissance Architecture.

An imaginative Renaissance Building Alisdair designed 

Watch for other posts to follow, detailing what will be included in the other two folders devoted to this topic!