Monday, February 29, 2016

Medieval History Update!

Audria's back with another update on her family's journey through our Medieval History: A Literature Approach for Advanced Intermediate and Junior High. I have so enjoyed following her as she and her children explore this fascinating time period and seeing how she uses the flexibility of the guide to personalize it to her children. When I was writing it I had no idea that someone would draw inspiration from the assignments to create an authentic medieval village using Minecraft! I love hearing about the adaptations and creative applications. So, here's Audria:  
We’ve just wrapped up weeks nineteen through twenty-four of Beautiful Feet Books’ Intermediate Medieval History covering from the 1290’s to 1400 or so. The book selections for this session were some of our very favorite of the study so far. The books are so wonderful, in fact, that my younger crew abandoned their history studies and insisted on listening in with their older brother. I just modified a few of the assignments to suit the younger kids so they could participate with their older brother. This is what happens when you read quality books aloud! Everyone joins in the fun…
In the first book, Adam of the Road, we learned about minstrels, heraldry and even more about medieval society. I found a fun heraldry prompt on Pinterest for my crew to dive into. The kids enjoyed making their own symbolic shields and I was so pleased with the results that I put their projects in a safe place. So safe, that I cannot remember where…(please tell me that I am not the only one who does this!)
The European World resource book
The European World resource book.
At this time Oldest came up with his own history project for the rest of the study. He is using Minecraft to build a medieval city. For the past six weeks he has been building locations from the books. He even added one of the medieval Robin Hood ballads to the tavern he built to represent the Canterbury Tales. I wasn’t sold on this Minecraft build since the BFB guide includes several projects as well. It seemed more like an excuse to play video games to me at first. However, after watching how much research he put into each addition to his city I lost my skepticism. After the first week the middle two joined him on the project. The three of them are working together, checking out medieval history books from the library and learning so much on their own just so they can build their city. I’m pretty sure this is what is referred to as “delight-directed learning”…the sweet-spot of home education. I sincerely believe the quality literature and discussions prompted by the guide led to my children’s curiosity to learn more on their own.
illustration from Canterbury Tales
Illustration from The Canterbury Tales Adapted by Barbara Cohen
The next part of the study was on The Black Death and John Wycliffe through the book Morning Star of the Reformation. We found this book to be just a wee bit preachy in favor of Fundamentalism. For us it sparked a discussion on world views, respecting other’s beliefs and the importance of reading and understanding the Scriptures in our own language. The book does provide a rich portrait of a clergyman’s life and the description of The Plague and its aftermath on a culture is vivid. Oldest then gave us a presentation on The Plague aided by a nice map and website references in the guide.
they get cozy during read aloud time
Read aloud time is cozy time! 
In our next book, Crispin: The Cross of Leadwe learned just how difficult and harsh life could be for the common people. Thus far into the study this is probably my favorite book. It really captured the importance and hold the Catholic Church had on the medieval mind. We could feel the beginnings of political and religious unrest unfolding in society. The kids were just heart broken over the unjust cruelty shown toward Crispin and his mother.
the Minecraft tavern
The Minecraft tavern!
Our last two weeks for this section of the guide was on Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales. The book provided by BFB is beautiful! The illustrations are just gorgeous! We also read Chaucer: Celebrated Poet and Author, Life on a Medieval Pilgrimage and anotherCanterbury Tales adapted by Geraldine McCaughrean. All three books were recommended by BFB. The kids, to my surprise, really enjoyed the Canterbury Tales and the Chaucer biography. The guide gives several websites on pilgrimages and suggests the student write a report. Since we were reading a book together on the subject I did not give Oldest the assignment. After we read the book I told the kids about the two pilgrimages I went on many years ago. My first pilgrimage was to the Ava Maria Grotto in
horse from Adam of the Road
Horse from Adam of the Road
Cullman, Alabama. My second pilgrimage was to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows during my time with the Franciscan Order. I’m pretty sure that my kids think I’m weird…
We’ve been studying Shakespeare this term as well. We wrapped up our Shakespeare unit by reading and watching Hamlet since the story occurs during the late Middle Ages (1300-1499 or so). Hamlet is not a part of the BFB study at all but it does fit in nicely. We watched the Mel Gibson movie. It was pretty good and on Netflix.
20160225_161731
Hamlet
Right now Oldest is writing his own Canterbury Tale. For most of the written assignments in this study I have accepted first or second drafts with oral discussion. For this assignment we will be going through the entire revision and editing process which takes about a month for us. Once his story is completed and if he gives permission I will share it here in the blog.
We spent a great deal of time discussing religion, justice, the unfairness of the feudal system and the breakdown of society due to the plague and the Little Ice Age. These conversations led to the kids understanding the importance in literacy and the ability to think critically as a defense against tyranny. If only it were so simple as their sweet idealistic hearts believe. Oldest then made a comparison of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages to Sharia Law today. Now that, is a chilling thought…
We have about nine weeks remaining for this study. Our tradition with history studies is to have a feast. In the next few weeks we will be researching recipes and final projects to share.
Medieval market square
Medieval Market Square
At the end of March and first of April Oldest and I will be hanging out at the Beautiful Feet Books’ booth at the Great Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati. If you are going then please stop by and say “Howdy!” We’d love to meet you! Beautiful Feet Books will also be at the Great Homeschool Conventions in Texas and California as well this year.
Thank you Audria! 
We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

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Thursday, February 25, 2016

The Role of Beauty


I'm continuing in my reading through Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie and although this is a book that could be easily read in an afternoon or two, it's so rich, convicting, and inspiring, I've been taking my time with it. I highly recommend it to all parents, regardless of whether you're going to be homeschooling or not. I'll be delving more deeply into this wonderful book soon, but when I came across the line above, it definitely echoed something that has been central to our philosophy at BFB. We believe that artwork can be just as important as the words of a children's story in imparting both a valuing of beauty as well as a love of story. 

In the 1980s when were were just starting out we were dismayed to see that many many beautiful books were being dropped by the big publishing houses and thus was birthed our desire to preserve a fading literary legacy. 

We'd love to hear who are your favorite authors and illustrators? I've recently discovered The Seven Silly Eaters and adore the illustrations in that treasure. My two-year-old love the pictures in the Obadiah series by Brinton Turkle as well as the funky colorful pictures in Cynthia Rylant's The Relatives Came.  I can't wait until he's old enough to introduce him to the d'Aulaires' books. 

What about you? Which books do you remember from your childhood? Which ones do your children love?

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

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Monday, February 22, 2016

Celestial navigation makes a comeback!

Anyone who has read the classic Carry On, Mr. Bowditch knows a bit about celestial navigation. I remember being enthralled with the story of Nathaniel Bowditch and his breakthrough discovery in navigation. It was the culmination of learning about the heavenly spheres of Copernicus, Galileo, and the brave men who sailed the seven seas, guided only by the stars, moon, and sun.

Today most navigation is done via GPS, SATNAV systems, and other electronic means. But, the U.S. Navy is bringing back celestial navigation! In an era of increased security risks, it's important to have navigators who can steer ships without the help of global positioning systems. You can read or listen to an NPR report on this new, but ancient, trend in sailing. 

And if you haven't read Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, I highly recommend it. It's an engrossing story of a remarkable young man and his diligent work in navigation. 

Lookout GPS, the sextant is coming back! 

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

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Sunday, February 21, 2016

You asked! World Map now available!

Many of our studies incorporate map work and in recent years we've heard from many of you that you wished we offered a world map that could be used with our medieval, ancient, and modern studies. Well we now do! We worked with an artist to develop a beautiful world map printed on heavy-duty cardstock.

With outlines of the continents, this map allows your student to fill in political and geographic boundaries as required by each study. A generous 36" x 24" there is plenty of room for adding illustrations and personal touches.

Check it out here.




We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

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Thursday, February 18, 2016

BFB Discounts for Schools & Co-ops!

Do you run a school, a co-op, a charter or magnet school? At BFB we are here to help you! We're here to make book acquisition easy and less expensive. Just visit the dedicated section of our website here for an application and bid list. We offer great discounts on titles we publish as well as any other in-print book! We respond quickly, offer great discounts, and personalized service.


We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

And if you've enjoyed this, please feel free to share using the buttons below!

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

BFB is now on Instagram! There's a giveaway!


We're really excited to (finally!) be on Instagram. On our personal accounts we've loved following lots of creative homeschooling mamas and are looking forward to connecting with you. You can find us here and our username is @beautifulfeetbooks. We're hosting a giveaway to celebrate, so head on over. Follow us and feel free to tag us in photos! We can't wait to see how you're using our books and study guides. Be sure to enter the giveaway.

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

And if you've enjoyed this, please feel free to share using the buttons below!

Friday, February 12, 2016

Friday Encouragement


As homeschooling parents we have such a unique opportunity to use nearly every lesson to motivate our children toward character development; emphasizing empathy when we read history, diligence in those difficult math lessons, faithfulness in subjects that do not always spark joy. I find that in the ideal world of my imagination, these things all work together and my home becomes that much sough-after "atmosphere" discussed in Charlotte Mason circles. But what I'm learning is that it isn't always so straightforward. Many times I get in my own way as I seek to check off items on a list and I put productivity above kindness. Reading through Sarah Mackenzie's wonderful Teaching From Rest has really helped remind me that the most important lessons I teach my sons are the ones that I live in front of them, and that is where "doing good" along with kindness, patience, self-control, and love can really sink in. There is something truly restful about that, right? By putting into practice this discipline of rest, we don't excuse ourselves from faithfully providing an education to our children, but we can step away from the to-do lists, respond to the needs of our children before the demands of a curriculum, and model a life of joy instead of frenzy.

I'm excited to be reading through Teaching from Rest as well as a few other books about restful homeschool and will be blogging about it over the next months. Join the conversation! Are you a "restful" homeschooler? How has the approach changed your home? Do you, like me, struggle with prioritizing productivity?

For your weekend, I thought I'd share a discussion on teen reading from Tom Ashbrook. What do you think of his and David Denby's advice for getting your teens to read? What about the book list? Here's the link.

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

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Tuesday, February 09, 2016

Come and see us at GHC!


This email from a parent just arrived last week and we wanted to share it with you:


Hi,

I just wanted to send you a message and tell you that we love your books!! I am doing the Early American History with my first grade daughter and she loves it. My three-year-old even listens and enjoys coloring sheets for her own notebook!! I ordered the Primary Character books today and look forward to receiving them! I have shared how much we love your books with several friends!! I plan to use your books with my girls every year for history!! 
Thanks,
Brittany

These are the emails that show us that using great literature to teach history works! It instills a love of learning, encourages curiosity and even brings families together as they explore and learn with one another. Whether you're new to home schooling or a veteran, we would love to talk to you more about our Charlotte Mason inspired approach and we're putting together our 2016 convention schedule, so if you're nearby, please come and see us! Right now, we're confirmed at three Great Homeschooling Conventions: Fort Worth, TX (this is our very first TX convention and we're excited!), Cincinnati, OH, and Ontario, CA. More information is available through the hyperlinks for each convention, but here's the basics:

Where: Fort Worth, TX
When: March 17-19, 2016
Register here.


Where: Cincinnati, OH
When: March 31-April 2, 2016
Register here.

Where: Ontario, CA
When: June 16-18, 2016
Register here.

Registration discounts are available for all the GHCs right now, but prices do go up soon. GHC offers some of the most reasonable attendance fees in the homeschooling convention world, so if you're near one, take advantage as it's a great opportunity to be encouraged and inspired!

We'll keep you updated on other conventions as we confirm them!

Looking forward to seeing you.

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

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Tuesday, February 02, 2016

Helpful Resources



At BFB we want to make your home schooling experience rewarding and as straightforward as possible. To that end we have several online (free!) resources you may not know about. In order to help you find them, we're featuring them on our blog today. They range from parental support groups to printables, educational articles, and much more. We hope you find them helpful, and if you have ideas for other ways we can help you, please let us know!

Online Support:
There are two places where you can access the expertise of other home schooling parents who use Yahoo Beautiful Feet Homeschoolers group. This is an entirely independent group of home schooling parents who have come together to help one another, provide support, and source materials. It's a wonderful, friendly, supportive group! Samantha is the moderator and she does a lovely job and is a wealth of information. There is another fake BFBUsers Yahoo group that you're going to want to steer clear of as it's just a spam group. If you use the link above, you'll get to the right place.
BFB.

The other place to connect with other BFB users is the "Beautiful Feet" Curriculum ~ Parent to Parent Support group on Facebook. This group had been quiet for a while but has seen a huge uptick in activity in the past few months. It's a great place to post questions!

Articles: With topics ranging from education approaches, why we believe in teaching American history first, how our educational system is letting down boys, curiosity, and much more, this archive is a wealth of information for everyone who cares about education.

Online Resources:


FAQ: We have a whole page of answers to FAQs on our website. Check it out here.

Company History: Don't know much about BFB? Start here 

Getting Started: A quick-start guide to using BFB is available here.

Free Downloads: Many of our study guides reference printable activities such as maps, illustrations, etc. Those are all available here.

Study Guide Sample Pages: Samples from all our study guides are available here. This page only provides one sample page from each guide, but if you're interested in seeing more, you can see multiple sample pages on each individual study guide website page, found here.


Discounts

School and Co-op Discounts: Run a school or a co-op? You can purchase all your books through BFB at a great discount! Information here

We hope this little guide helps you find answers and guidance. If you ever have any question, please call us at 800.889.1978 or email us at letters (@) bfbooks (.) com. We love talking with you and are happy to help you walk through a plan for choosing your home school curriculum.

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

And if you've enjoyed this, please feel free to share using the buttons below!