Geography: Discovery of Muscovy

In this term of AOy8, my boys are reading the Discovery of Muscovy. I know next to nothing about it (the book or the history contained therein), except that Muscovy is related to Moscow and that in searching I turned up a bunch possible resources. One thing is certain, we're making the most of the opportunity to study Russia in our map drills for this term.

Without having pre-read the book, I'm putting together a list of potentially helpful links, albeit slightly ignorantly. Maybe if you've used/read the book, you can be of some help in indicating which of these might be the most helpful. This post will hopefully change as we go along. I'll toss the unhelpful things and perhaps add more along the way :)



So, without further ado...

Helpful links:
The actual map we will hopefully be able to use the most alongside the reading. Links to other maps to print and use for drill (including blank) here.
Wiki entry on the Grand Duchy of Moscow (1340-1547) and Tsardom of Russia (1547-1721).
A cool looking map here.
Maps showing progression/expansion of the Grand Duchy of Muscovy. Click the years on the left sidebar to see changes.


Cool old looking illustrated map (pictured above).
Online bio of Ivan the Terrible.


Site for general info about Russia (including historical and modern facts).
Some helpful wikis: Tsardom of Russia and Anthony Jenkinson (Muscovy Trading Co., 1529-1610)

Shakespeare: King Lear

This play is one of the few of Shakespeare´s that can be pinpointed exactly as to when it was written. Isn't it cool to know that this play was performed for King James and his Court in the Christmas holidays of 1606?! And here we are nearing the same time of year ourselves! Interestingly, written into the play, there is a probable reference made by Gloucester to several eclipses that took place in 1605! A story familiar to many of the time, it is taken from a well known fable that was commonly inserted into an undocumented period of English history (which we read about last year in Birth of Britain), is actually referred to in Spenser´s Fairie Queen (which we are reading this year!! ...connections galore!), and had already been made into a play prior to Shakespeare´s version.

Despite the fact that the commentary I read said this play is a particularly difficult one, I still think this is going to be one of my favorite plays so far. It may even come to be a close rival to Cymbeline. The consequences of unchecked pride and unbridled anger are brought to our attention by means of a captivating story. I can´t wait to get further!

I´ve worked out three options for scheduling the play over a 12-week term. See/print the alternate schedules here. We'll read the play in 9wks. We'll include an intro, informal play & movie, if I can find a good version. Here's the schedule we'll follow:

Week 1: Intro: (read Lamb's? draw character map)
Week 2: Act 1, Scene 1
Week 3: Act 1, Scene 2 - 4
Week 4: Act 1, Scene 5 – Act 2, Scene 2
Week 5: Act 2, Scene 3 – 4
Week 6: Act 3, Scene 1 – 6
Week 7: Act 3, Scene 7 – Act 4, Scene 3
Week 8: Act 4, Scene 4 – 6
Week 9: Act 4, Scene 7 – Act 5, Scene 2
Week 10: Act 5, Scene 3
Week 11: Informal play
Week 12: Perform recitations chosen from selected excerpts OR watch movie of play (if applicable).



helpful links:
King Lear on Librivox.org
King Lear on youtube.com (1971 version) - Parents should preview, I have not.
AO Shakespeare Rotation
Site that highlights monologues from Shakespeare's plays - men's parts, women's parts - (thanks, Nancy!)
Shakespeare: Cymbeline
Shakespeare: for all ages
What's so great about Shakespeare?
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Bard? (...seeing local performances adds immensely to the Shakespearean experience)

Now, here's a beaut!

This guy was seriously huge. and SUPER interesting. really awesome color, too! We haven't figured out what he is yet, though, so if anyone has an idea, do share ;)
 

:: UPDATED! ::

i'm SO glad you all inspired me to look him up! he wasn't super easy to find, even though y'all were right in identifying him as a click beetle. i wasn't totally sure based on my field guide's description, but the online pictures helped to narrow it down a LOT. there are a ton of click beetles. i never would've known it. he's not overly photographed though, as the only "green click beetles" i found initially were here and here. but after all is said and done, i even found a book written about them! woot! i did not however feel inspired by the title to read it: Larvae of Alaus myops, A. oculatus, Chalcolepidius porcatus, Hemirhipus apicalis and generic larval characterization... but you can download it here. :) you're welcome. ;)

in the end i was able to narrow it down by googling "elateridae green" (the slightly less scientific terminology of green click beetle was not successful), and later narrowed it down to Chalcolepidius porcatus, though he might be a Chalcolepidius virens, wiki info:

Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class: Insecta (Insects)
Order: Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family: Elateridae (Click, Firefly and Soldier Beetles)
Genus: Chalcolepidius
Species: C. porcatus OR C. virens

::

Linking up again here for November...


Click on the butterfly to link up your own November nature study posts to share!
To join in the fun, just leave your link in the comments & snag the button too if you wish. :)



Oh! and don't forget...
CM Blog Carnival coming up soon!



Coming soon! *oops!* edit: carnival will be hosted @ SeeJamieBlog :)

• Submit your posts by clicking on the carnival button above :)
• Deadline for submissions is Monday, November 26
• As always all posts on any CM-related topic are welcome and will gladly be included.
• Completely optional topic for discussion: Principle #20, concisely rendered thus:  We allow no separation to grow up between the intellectual and 'spiritual' life of children, but teach them that the Divine Spirit has constant access to their spirits, and is their Continual Helper in all the interests, duties and joys of life.

It's a jungle in here!

That's right. It's a jungle IN here... meaning, in my house.
We live in the jungle, and sometimes we've found it's difficult to keep the jungle outside the house.

We've found tarantulas, centipedes, lizards, rats, and get this... the latest find was a snake, INSIDE our house. So, you can imagine my dismay at people's terrified state when having been called upon to kill a spider that's like a whole inch in diameter!
No really, I understand.
I used to be that way.

:)

So, wanna see the snake? He was just a little guy (40ish cm).


Oh, and they say he's blind... which might even make you feel a little sorry for him. But he isn't really. I was happy to discover he was nonvenomous and that he is helpful. He eats stinging ants and their larvae. So, he's one of the good guys. Now that you know a little more about him, would you like to keep him as a pet? 

I thought about it.

But my husband forbade me. Yes, that man who brought home a baby alligator. Yep, he's the one. That, and our pets don't tend to fare well for some reason (except the parrot, he's good now that he's in a cage). So, after we got a real good look, we let the not-really-blind snake go.

Oh, and here's who I found last night near the bathroom...


He's pictured slightly bigger than life size, at 9cm-ish.
He's missing some legs, but don't let him fool you or make you sorry for him.
He's full grown, he bites and he's poisonous.
I smashed him flatter than a pancake!

  It's FUN to share and encourage each other with nature study!
That's why I'm linking up again this month, with Nature Study Monday: November.
Please feel free to share your nature study posts this month on your blog,
and then link them up by clicking the button below:   


Helpful Links:
The low-down on the Blind Snake, aka Typhlopidae. More here.
Interesting facts on the Blue Legged Centipede, aka Scolopendra polymorpha
Nature Study Monday: November Link-up

Psst! ...don't forget!

Coming soon @ SimplyCharlotteMason!

• Submit your posts by clicking on the carnival button above :)
• Deadline for submissions is Monday, November 12
• As always all posts on any CM-related topic are welcome and will gladly be included.
• Completely optional topic for discussion: Principle #19, concisely rendered thus:

"Therefore, children should be taught... that the chief responsibility which rests on them as persons is the acceptance or rejection of ideas..."

Nature Study Monday: November

Last year in my nature journal, I started listing the changes we saw taking place every month. A book of firsts, if you will. In doing this, we have finally seen that we DO in fact have some seasonal changes in this land of perpetual summer, so very near to the equator, so consistently warm and moist.

Here's the list for September - October as currently seen in my journal...

in tarapoto, san martin:

september

• orange, yellow, pink blooms on trees throughout the area. first spotted on the way to yurimaguas.
• red star shaped lilies in bloom in the city and out in the campo.

october

• pomarosa trees bloom and carpet the ground beneath in a stunning fluorescent pink.

in trujillo, la libertad:

october

• cacti were 'blooming' with bunches of little reddish yellow 'apple' looking blooms covering the topmost points and edges.

It will be fun to keep compiling observations and later to compare years!       :)




This is the place for you to link up to your own November nature study posts to share!
To join in the fun, just leave your link in the comments & snag the button too if you wish. :)

32+ hours of Peru.

It took 32 hours(+) to cross Peru from east to west and then back again.
I've got the pictures to prove it.
:)



There's one picture per hour, plus some, but unfortunately they're not pictured here by order taken.