I got a surprising amount of knitting done this week. My evenings were clear for the most part after the kids went to bed, and I force myself to sit a bit. The kids are old enough to shell peas during the day, so my fussy garden things that used to consume my evenings in years past are now being handed down. I’m working on the right sleeve for my Cozy Morning Sweater. I’m pinching myself a bit on how well this sweater is coming together. All my charts are now complete, and it’s a only a matter of finishing up the knitting, and then finishing the grading the pattern for various sizes. That’s always the tricky part.
I’m still working on my homeschooling preparation for this fall. I’ve been completely enraptured with How to Teach your Children Shakespeare. This is not directed towards homeschoolers, but parents in general. I studied Shakespeare in college, but have no idea how to make it interesting for the kids at their ages. This author started having his children memorize passages of Shakespeare starting around age 6.
In this book, he outlines 25 passages of Shakespeare’s plays that are perfect for children’s memorization, and outlines how various things in each passage to teach kids about Shakespeare from the stories in his plays to what various words mean. I’ve always studied Shakespeare from a literary perspective, but this author sees Shakespeare from a theater perspective. I’m learning a lot just from this change of perspective. Things like how Shakespeare outlines the speed and tempo of the lines through syllable placement makes these readings seem almost musical.
I’m now at that place in planning for the year when I realize I cannot do all the things, and I must decide which things we will do this year. The good news is, we don’t have to learn everything this year. It’s okay if we learn things next year too.
Linking up with Ginny’s Yarn Along,
Reinventing Mother says
July 16, 2014 at 1:36 pmLooking forward to a new pattern!!!!
Melissa Marie says
July 16, 2014 at 3:12 pmCan’t wait to see the finished knitted project! 🙂
Sarah says
July 16, 2014 at 3:42 pmI’m so glad the sweater is ticking along smoothly. On one hand I can’t wait until sime of the busy summer work can be passed down and on the other that would mean wanting to rush through these little years that I’m trying so hard to love… can’t wait to see your sweater all finished and wish I was skilled enough at colorwork to attempt it one day but I have reluctantly thrown up my hands with fair isle at this point with no one around to help me understand what I’m doing wrong to end up with such gaps in my work… maybe someday and in the meantime I just drool over your patterns…
Brenda says
July 16, 2014 at 4:25 pmWe do Ambleside Online and started reading Shakespeare as short stories last year, my boys were 7 and 5 years old. Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb was the book we used. We are reading 39 Clues and they are referencing his theatre and abilities in book 10 and there is a book about his life we got for this year called Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare. Thanks for posting about your read, I need to look into it:)
Lisa @ HappyinDoleValley says
July 17, 2014 at 2:35 pmCongrats on the pattern progress…so satisfying, I’m sure! I’m knee-deep into fall lesson planning and need to diver further in within the next couple weeks and order September’s curriculum and books. Some is already on it’s way, some is still only in consideration. So thankful there are always more years in which to study! 🙂
Mom says
July 17, 2014 at 2:49 pmI would love to hear the kids recite some Shakespeare. 🙂 The sweater looks wonderful and is in one of my favorite colors!
Estela says
July 17, 2014 at 10:40 pmI may have to read it for myself. Last year I had a goal to start reading Shakespeare (alphabetically) and I never got past Antony and Cleopatra. Can’t wait to see your finished sweater!
CathieJ says
July 18, 2014 at 12:49 amThat is going to be a very pretty sweater. The pattern is very interesting.
Ranee @ Arabian Knits says
July 24, 2014 at 12:33 amI like the sweater so far, and I am really glad for the book recommendation. A lot of the thoughts you had were ones I share, and we have been talking about Shakespeare lately, anyway.
Mostly, I’m still in denial that school starts up for us again in just over a month.