Medieval Living » Homeschooling

Chainmail Class and Upcoming Renaissance Fair

Scott — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:34:33 +0000

Today’s chainmail class at the Cherry Hills Library went very nicely. All of the students seemed to enjoy their project. I reduced the class from 2 hours to just one hour, as some of the younger students get frustrated rather easily – their dexterity and focus seem to wane after about 45 minutes. With the shorter class, they all seemed to hang in there! I have another class scheduled for next Tuesday, but I have yet to hear of anyone interested. I can’t seem to crack the Rio Rancho homeschool crowd . . . if anyone knows who I could contact, please send me an email or contact me on here.

In the public school scene, the World History classes are all beginning the topic of the Renaissance and Refomation. Just as a coincidence, the Santa Fe Renaissance Fair is just around the corner. So . . . I just mentioned that it would be a neat idea to offer “extra credit” for any student who visits my yurt at the fair. I will give each student a “token” of some sort that proves their attendance. Well, I thought maybe I would get about 5 or 6 students . . . but from what I’m hearing through the teacher grapevine, it might be closer to 50 or 60! I am thrilled and honored to have that many come to the fair!!! But now I need to come up with a “token” idea, as before I thought I would just offer some simple babble; me thinks I need something more significant. So, time to put on the creative thinking cap and come up with a good idea. The workshop is calling to me, so I assume I will find something on the workbench that will inspire me.

Bellerophon Coloring Books

Scott — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 00:23:26 +0000

At the beginning of school, one of the teaching assistants was showing me some coloring books she had acquired. Now, I don’t usually get all excited about coloring books, but . . . well, these were some nicely done books and several of them had a Medieval history theme. And the prices weren’t too bad either! So, I did the Google search thing and found them online at Bellerophonbooks.com – they have a nice selection of other topics as well, so for the homeschool family with little ones, this might be a good resource. And even the older kids might enjoy some of these books. In addition to coloring books, they also have books that have castles which can be cut out and assembled (colored first). Homeschoolers might also enjoy some of their other titles which have a variety of themes.

I placed an order and had it within 3 days – very pleasantly surprised, as I expected the usual week or two that I get when order things online. I paid around $40 for eight books, including shipping – not bad!

Homeschooling Site

Scott — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:42:31 +0000

I already have enough on my plate to keep my busy for several months; however, I feel a need to address some other projects that need worked on. In particular, I am wanting to assemble a sub-directory on the website that focuses solely on homeschool resources for New Mexicans. I have a draft of what I think the pages will look like, but need a little more time before actually writing code to put them on the site.

I am hoping that some of my readers will be able to assist me on this project. There are hundreds of websites out there that would be appropriate to include in the listings . . . and I know I don’t have enough time to do all of the research myself. If there is anyone out there who has a good “feel” for internet homeschool resources, please contact me at scott@medieval-living.com – I can’t pay anyone for their efforts, but would be glad to publicly recognize them for their contributions.

How-To-Build Series (In Development)

Scott — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:40:44 +0000

Most students enjoy putting puzzles together – so I figured it would create a few lessons which would appeal to the puzzle-builders. One of the building techniques used in Medieval Europe was timber-framing . . . a construction method that is still used today. Students will receive a pre-fabricated kit and instructions that will allow them to build a simple table-top structure. It will be a good lesson on geometry, physics, history and art – I will keep everyone posted when I have these designed and ready for the first class.

The second project will be a table-top model of a trebuchet. Don’t worry moms and dads, they won’t be able to launch boulders through your walls at home! Similar to the timber-frame project, the kit will be a pre-fabricated project that can be easily assembled in a single meeting.

The third project will be a multi-part model of a Medieval castle. I don’t have all of the particulars figured out yet, but I am confident that I can produce a fun and educational activity. I hope to have a some prototypes to photograph and will place them here and on the website shortly after the Santa Fe Renaissance Fair.
All of these will be available to students who attended our classes (probably beginning in November) free of charge. However, I will also offer them online, available to anyone but for a fee – all proceeds will be used to defray the costs of production. I will keep you informed on this – but I think it will be really exciting and popular.

September Classes Have Arrived!!!

Scott — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:20:28 +0000

Well now that summer is officially over and school has started here in Albuquerque, it’s time to get our classes back in session for the homeschool community. You can click on the Calendar page to see what’s up, but here is the basic rundown: Two introductory chainmail classes, September 7 and September 14, the first at Cherry Hills Public Library, the second at the “Gazebo” at Haynes Park in Rio Rancho. The meeting in Rio Rancho is outdoors, so weather will need to be considered. Then on September 21 and 28 there will be inkle loom weaving classes: again, one at the Cherry Hills Library and other at the Gazebo at Haynes Park.

I’ve been struggling to find a good meeting place in Rio Rancho. I don’t want to say anything negative about the city library, but I felt very “discouraged” from hoping to hold classes there. However, the park is free and the weather in September usually agreeable, so an out-of-doors class seemed like a good idea. The “Gazebo” is on a first-come, first-served basis . . . I’m hoping that a 3:00 pm meeting time will put us at an advantage for using the gazebo – if not, I do have an easy-up that I can set up.

Recieved a comment from David Andrews, local author . . . as soon as I finish “Catching the Stone”, I will publish a full review. Let me say that so far, I have enjoyed the book – the story line is well thought out and is an easy read. One comment for the homeschool families . . . there is some mature (not graphic) situations in the story which may not be quite appropriate for younger readers. Otherwise . . . it’s a nice story.

And in an unrelated bit of news . . . today is my birthday (ugh getting old is really annoying sometimes) – I will be at the Toro Bar and Grill sometime after 5:00 for dinner with family – if you find yourself in the neighborhood, please stop and say “hello”!

Girl Scout Camp

Scott — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 22:23:27 +0000

James and I spent part of today in Bosque Farms – the local Girl Scout group was having a summer day camp activity. The vast majority of the girls are from homeschool families, so it seemed reasonable for Medieval Living to support their activities. They were looking at several different countries as part of their week-long program, with one of the countries being England. Our part was to make a connection between “civility” and respect for authority, which is also an aspect of Girl Scout law. So James donned his knightly gear and I “garbed up” in some Medievalish costume and we spent several hours there, James teaching about chivalry and me teaching the girls how to play Nine Men Morris . . . some of the girls had already attended my class on Nine Men and were excellent assistants throughout the lesson. I think every one had a good time and all the girls learned some history. Thanks for inviting us!!!

Nine Men Is Coming!

Scott — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:29:34 +0000

Of course, anyone who reads that title will think that I don’t know much about grammar . . . the title should probably read “Nine Men Morris Is Coming” but . . . meh! On June 8th at 10:30 am, Medieval Living is holding a class for homeschoolers on Nine Men Morris – that Medievalish game that was right up there with chess and draughts (checkers). Every homeschool family who attends will go home with a nine men morris gameboard and pieces. I think the game is easy to learn and alot of fun – and similar to checkers, it can be played by any age level. So far, there are two families signed up for the class (four kids total) – plenty of room for more to sign up!

Just a quick note: there were eight students at the Los Lunas Library for the pennywhistle class! Nice turn out and some very good pennywhistle players!!! Considering that most of them had never played an instrument before, they did very well. Some of the smaller hands had some trouble with getting the fingerholes covered, but with some practice, they will get better at it. I had worked up some music with both traditional music score and also whistle fingering diagrams. That seemed to work well, considering most did not know how to read music. I will work up a few more tunes and post them here on the blog or website.

All for now . . . just remember . . . Nine Men Is Coming!!!

Summer Is Upon Us

Scott — Sat, 29 May 2010 02:55:01 +0000

Yesterday was the last day of classes for my public school stint – today I turned in grades and the keys for my classroom – another school year has drawn to a close. While school has ended, our summer homeschool activities are just beginning. Pennywhistle classes, chess matches, nine men morris sessions and much more. It’s been a busy last couple of weeks, so I haven’t had much time to post articles here in my blog. Hopefully, that will change now that school has ended. We have many more plans for the summer, but I need a few days to sort through everything so that I can present an accurate schedule. After Memorial Day, I should have a little time to lay things outs and publish the new schedule on the calendar page. All I can say is, “more to come!”

Pennywhistle Classes and Gorget Pattern

Scott — Sun, 02 May 2010 01:24:25 +0000

Just a reminder – the pennywhistle classes are coming up soon. I don’t have a very accurate headcount, so if you are intending on coming to the May 5 class, please contact me. Apple Mountain Music here in Albuquerque gave us a discounted price on some nice pennywhistles for the class . . . so if you happen to stop by their store sometime, please tell them “Thank you”!

Someone was looking for a pattern to make a leather gorget for fencing/rapier . . . here is the link! I have made this gorget myself using this pattern, and it works very nicely! Here is a different gorget pattern (which I have not tried) that looks like it would be a nice project to work on.

So . . . Why A Writing Contest?

Scott — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:54:52 +0000

In case you missed yesterday’s post, Medieval Living is sponsoring a writing contest for New Mexico homeschoolers in the high school-age group. There are several reasons that we’re offering this contest. First, the most obvious, is that we are trying to promote the study of life in the Medieval era. We have held several classes now (with several more planned in the upcoming months) that teach some hands-on lessons about Medieval history; however, we also want to address the more scholarly aspects of studying the subject. Secondly, the majority of the students we have seen so far are in the elementary and middle school ages, with only a few high school-age students attending. We want to make sure we are addressing the needs and interests of everyone. Therefore, we are offering this writing contest to provide an outlet for the older, academically motivated homeschool students.

The third reason is closely connected to the second . . . we are interested in the writing abilities of our high school-aged students, especially those who are considering attending college. The essay serves two purposes aside from the actual competition: to offer an opportunity for students to produce an academically oriented research paper, and to allow students and parents alike a chance to evaluate the student’s writing abilities and preparedness for college.

In addition to the contest evaluation, we would also like to offer a critique of each student’s writing if agreed to by the student and parent. This also serves several functions: to provide an evaluation from an outside observer, and to provide us (Medieval Living) with a glimpse of the ability levels of our students. In turn, this will help us develop literacy strategies for all homeschool children. Although we enjoy the hands-on activities, we also want to help students develop their academic skill sets.

So . . . we look forward to reading your essays!!! If you have any questions, please contact scott@medieval-living.com. Oh, and we hope to offer more essay competitions throughout the year, involving the early age groups as well.