Thursday, February 29

Exploring the Kindertransport with Max in the House of Spies

Kindertransport, a German term meaning children’s transport, was the informal name of a series of rescue efforts that brought thousands of refugee Jewish Children to Great Britain from Nazi-held lands between 1938 and 1940. After Kristallnacht, an organized massacre of German Jews, the British government eased immigration restrictions to allow children under the age of 17 to enter Great Britain from Germany and German-annexed territories (Austria and Czechoslovakia).  The Kindertransport program was only for children up to the age of 17 because the British government didn’t want lots of adults coming when there was already an unemployment problem in England.

Private citizens or organizations had to guarantee payment for each child's care, education, and eventual emigration from Britain. In return, the British government agreed to allow unaccompanied refugee children to enter the country on temporary travel visas. It was understood that parents or guardians could not accompany the children, but once the war ended, the children would return to their families.  The government didn’t cap the number of children who could come, but also didn’t give any money or support to the program, so the refugee aid charities were only able to bring over as many children as they could make arrangements and raise money for covering.

The last transport from Germany left on September 1, 1939, just as World War II began. The last transport from the Netherlands left for Britain on May 14, 1940, the same day that the Dutch army surrendered to German forces. In all, the rescue operation brought about 9,000–10,000 children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland to Great Britain. Some 7,500 of these children were Jewish. Many children from the Kindertransport program became citizens of Great Britain, or emigrated to Israel, the United States, Canada, and Australia. Most of them would never again see their parents, who had been murdered during the Holocaust. 

Similar to the experience of Jews living in Nazi-controlled areas before World War II, refugees today have no choice but to flee their homes when they are threatened by conflict and persecution. They often encounter immense challenges and adversity in their journeys, including exposure to extreme weather conditions, lack of access to proper food, shelter, education, and job opportunities. Because they are forced to confront difficult circumstances and trauma, studying the stories of refugees and genocide survivors can offer students valuable case studies on skills and character traits they can develop for overcoming adversity in their own lives.

You may also be interested in the World War II unit studies and World War II Booklist.

Read

  • Saving Hanno (picture book)
  • Max in the House of Spies (graphic novel)
    • Max Bretzfeld doesn’t want to move to London. Leaving home is hard and Max is alone for the first time in his life. But not for long. Max is surprised to discover that he’s been joined by two unexpected traveling companions, one on each shoulder, a kobold and a dybbuk named Berg and Stein. Germany is becoming more and more dangerous for Jewish families, but Max is determined to find a way back home, and back to his parents. He has a plan to return to Berlin. It merely involves accomplishing the impossible: becoming a British spy.

Watch

Make / Do

  • Using a map, follow the Kindertransport (there were several) from points of origin to destination.
  • Organize a fundraising activity or a donation drive in your community for unwanted clothing and blankets to send to a refugee camp.
  • Decide if the Kindertransport was a success...
  • Light a candle on Holocaust Memorial Day, and learn about the Yom Ha'shoah in this unit study.

Vocabulary

  • Nazis
  • Kindertransport
  • Kristalnacht
  • Anti-Semitism
  • Refugee
  • Persecution
  • Flee
  • Prejudice

Think

  • What do you think it is like for modern-day refugee children who come to our country?
  • How do you think modern experience are the same, or different, from the Kindertransport?






Wednesday, February 21

Roadschool Trip to England - Food, Tips, and Tricks

 



Food & Drink
  • Splurge on a traditional British tea. You'll be able to check it off your tourist bucket list, and it's quite a bit of fun! If you have money to burn, hit one of the more famous places, but be sure to make reservations. If you're on a budget, many locals hotels (including chains) offer an afternoon tea, too.
  • Visit the local grocery store to save on sandwich supplies and crisps (chips). Pack picnic lunches to take on your outings. This will free up a bit of food money later for an afternoon tea.

English food gets a bad rap, but can actually be really delicious. Here are some must-tries:
  • Full English Breakfast
  • Sunday Roast / Roast Dinner
  • Fish and Chips (preferably by the sea)
  • (Savoury) Pie
  • Sausage Rolls
  • Bangers and Mash
  • Pasty
  • Sticky Toffee Pudding
  • Shepherd's Pie/Cottage pie

Tips & Tricks
  • Deter pickpockets by carrying a crossbody bag. Keep your wallet and phone in the inner pockets.
  • Ask the hotel staff about which areas to avoid after dark, and try not to walk or travel alone. Always listen to your gut instincts!
  • Using public wifi is a great way to save data. Major cities have wifi available everywhere, while more remote destinations may have limited coverage.
  • Talk to the locals about which tours are fantastic and which are overrated.
  • Many of the museums are free, including the Natural History Museum, British Museum, Victoria & Albert, Wallace Collection, and more.
  • For some things, the English use metric measurements, and for other things, they use the imperial system. For example, roads are still measured in the imperial unit of miles, and height is often discussed in feet and inches.
  • Pack as lightly as possible. Condense your clothing and toiletries, bringing multi-purpose items.
  • Roll with it. Expect the unexpected (such as our Wild West / American week experience), and move forward with a "yes, and..." attitude.
  • Have fun!! Ride the hippo. Find the painting that looks exactly like your niece...and text it to her. Walk with the sheep (but not with the bulls). Get off the beaten path. Explore the hidden gems, like an indoor rock garden. Take time to smell the roses.

Must-have items to pack:
  • Rolling Backpack — If you get one thing from this list, make it the suitcase that will change your travel life. It's a rolling suitcase. It's a backpack. It holds much more than you'd expect, and is small enough to be considered a carry-on. Don't check your bags —take them with you. If you end up walking any length with your luggage, you'll thank me.
  • Crossbody bag — Make it more difficult to be targeted by using a crossbody bag as your daily carryall. This one converts into a teeny-tiny pouch that easily fits into your suitcase.
  • Convertible Backpack — Another bag that rolls up into a tiny pouch, this is a lightweight carryon that holds a lot of stuff, with several inner pouches and two water bottle pockets.
  • Plug Adaptor — If you want to charge...anything...you're going to need a plug adaptor. The outlets in the UK are different from the ones in the US, so this is a must.
  • Oregano Oil —These little herbals pack a big punch. Take them at the onset of sniffles, headache, or whatever your first signs of illness happen to be.
  • Headphones — These noise-cancelling headphones take up a bit of space in your carryon, but serve the dual purposes of providing some peace and being more comfortable for inflight entertainment than the airline-provided ones

Basic UK English:
  • the loo or the toilet = bathroom
  • lift = elevator
  • boot (of a car) = trunk
  • queue = line-up
  • pavement = sidewalk
  • petrol = gas
  • football = soccer
  • quid = pound/unit of currency (e.g. 5 quid = 5 pounds)

Pick up activities and worksheets to augment your real or virtual trip in the unit study bundle below!

Explore the art, history, geography, food, and culture of England in this cross-curricular unit study….perfect for families getting ready to travel abroad or folks who want to travel via unit studies!  Each stop along the roadschooling trip covers a different facet of history and culture with unit information, resources, worksheets, activities, and more...  

YES!  I want 122 pages of FUN STUDIES!

Table of Contents:

  • o Introduction & Geography of England
  • o Portsmouth
    • o The Mary Rose & naval archaeology
  • o London
    • o The British Museum & archaeology
    • o The Wallace Collection & medieval history
    • o The Tower of London / London Bridge & the Tudors
    • o Buckingham Palace & royalty
    • o Victoria and Albert Museum & medieval art
    • o Thames / Globe Theater & Shakespeare
    • o Sherlock Holmes Museum & British Literature
    • o Abbey Road & British Invasion
  • o Leeds
    • o Royal Armouries & middle ages
  • o York
    • o Jorvik & Vikings
    • o York Castle & archaeology
  • o Haltwhistle
    • o Hadrian’s Wall & ancient Celts
    • o Vindolanda & archaeology
  • o Alnwick
    • o Alnwick Castle & architecture
    • o Poison Garden & herbs
    • o Barter Books & WW2 history
  • o Alnmouth
    • o North Sea & train history
  • o Newcastle o Segedunum & ancient Romans
  • o Tips & Tricks for Travelling in England

Tuesday, February 20

Read with Peers in these LIVE Book Clubs!

We LOVE using the combination of a Charlotte Mason / Unit Studies approach to homeschooling. It’s the base of our curriculum, our school days, and all of the novel studies we love to share with you!

The Society of Literary Adventurers provides you with the tools to engage your teen in the classics and give them all they need to earn a high school level literature credit.  While many teens might balk about having to read "old fashioned books," adding just the right amounts of technology and adventure are the keys to engaging in the classics while still checking off the boxes for a high school literature credit!
Membership includes thirty-eight book units (and more coming), courses on how to write a research paper and a month-long, family-style Christmas unit, printable nature journal and unit study planner, plus several video workshops for parents about homeschooling teens.

 Each book unit includes:

  • Rabbit Trails – Diving off of themes from the novel, meander down paths about pop-culture, history, biographies, poetry, music, and more.
  • Magic Dust - These hands-on projects will take you into the book through science, art, games, and more.
  • Vocabulary & Grammar – Copywork and dictation to help with spelling and grammar, plus literary elements, are included here.
  • Writing Assignments - Covering various literary themes, each book club features a different topic and element for the essay.
  • Party Time! (one per club) – This is the last lesson of each club, and includes ideas for food, decorations, and activities to celebrate the novel.
There are also resources for parents, such as the Book Club Planner, which offers you a simple way to add the joy of reading to your homeschool while also giving your kids the added fun of socializing with their friends. There are 46 pages to help you create and plan a monthly or weekly book club.

Learn more about the Society of Literary Adventurers, and take a video walk-through of a course, here.



Monthly Interactive Book Club

As part of the society, each month Literary Adventures for Kids hosts an interactive book club.  Participation is not required, but students really enjoy this live, interactive component where they delve deeper into the novel, discuss various aspects (symbolism, foreshadowing, and even just how the weather is looking that day around the country), and make peer connections with other homeschooling teens.

The photo to the right shows The Hobbit book club from last summer, where the participants dressed up like elves and enjoyed a discussion of all things Tolkien in addition to delving into the nuances of the book.  Each month students are invited to embody the book through dressing up for the live meeting!

In addition to the monthly book clubs, there are also Tea Times, which include the same interactive peer components, but instead of focusing on a classic book, each month features a different classic poet and their works.  In these Zoom meetings, everyone gathers to share poems, have some snacks, and write some poetry inspired by the poems read in class.

For the month of February, we've been doing all things Tolkien (did you know it's actually pronounced Tol-KEEN?), focusing on his works for both the Tea Times and the featured Live Book Club - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

If you're interested in checking out the program, but not necessarily ready to commit to a full year, the Summer Live Book Club is always a great place to start!  This is where we did The Hobbit last summer, and this summer's feature is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  This is a weekly meet-up for students to read, learn, and chat together over the summer....and there might be an early bird registration special.  But you'll need to follow our Facebook page to find out!  😉


Different Strokes for Different Folks

One thing I'm often asked about is why I promote Literary Adventures for Kids while also hosting my own classes at Sparks Academy.  To that I say, everyone has a different style that works best for their family.  At Sparks, we take a more traditional approach, using the Good & the Beautiful as the spine curriculum and working with peers in a structured, teacher-graded, online classroom.  (There is a self-paced option as well, for folks who want more flexibility.)  

Like Literary Adventures for Kids, we host live book club meetings, but we also discuss the coursework during those live classes, and the students have a thread-based community chat for each class.  Literary Adventures for Kids uses more "popular" literature and lends more flexibility and parent-graded coursework, which appeals to a different set of families than the courses at Sparks.  All of that to say -- both are fantastic options, and only you can decide which groove fits your families needs best!
Want to try out an online book club?  You can access a completely FREE course from both the Nature Club and the Literature Club for a limited time!

Wednesday, February 7

Roadschool Trip to London: Wallace Collection & Petrie Museum

 

London — Wallace Collection & Petrie Museum


The Wallace Collection is a museum in Manchester Square, London. It is located inside the beautiful Hertford House, home of the Marquesses of Hertford, but named after Sir Richard Wallace, who curated the collection in the 18th and 19th centuries. The collection features art ranging from the 15th to 19th centuries, including furniture, arms and armor, paintings, and decorative arts. Visitors to the area will appreciate that it is a free museum.

Among the Collection's treasures are an outstanding array of 18th-century French art, many important 17th and 19th-century paintings, medieval and Renaissance works of art, and one of the finest collections of princely arms and armor in all of Britain!


Petrie Museum

Tucked away on the campus of University College London is one of the most amazing hidden collections of Egyptology and Egyptian Archaeology — the Petrie Museum. If your teen is into Egyptian mythology, hieroglyphs, or even Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles, they're going to love this curated set of antiquities.

The initial collection was donated by the an author, who sponsored college professors on excavations. The first Edwards Professor, William Flinders Petrie, conducted many such excavations, and in 1913 he sold his collections of Egyptian antiquities to University College, creating the Flinders Petrie Collection of Egyptian Antiquities. This transformed the small museum into one of the leading collections outside Egypt, and it maintains that status today.


Medieval Art

Medieval art was produced in many media, including sculpture, stained glass, mosaics, metalwork, and illuminated manuscripts, all of which survive in many forms today. Frescoes and tapestries were also prevalent, but there aren't as many surviving pieces. While a common misconception is that most medieval art was religious, this is far from true. The church did spend quite a bit on art, but there was also much secular art, though it did not fare as well due to not being preserved in the same methods as the larger church collections.

It was expensive to make many of these pieces. As an example, when the Jarrow Abbey began to make three (3) copies of the Bible, they had to begin with breeding 1600 calves so they would have the skins needed for the required vellum! Paper did not become available until the end of the medieval age, and it was still incredibly expensive.

Churches were adorned in frescoes with scenes from the life of Christ, Old Testament scenes, and those of the Last Judgement. Secular works often featured knightly heroism or courtly love. The vast majority of narrative medieval art, however, depicted religious events. Even today, the elements of medieval art have still proved an inspiration for many modern artists.


Make Your Own Jumping Jack - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fDLVVnQvy8



Pick up activities and worksheets to augment your real or virtual trip in the unit study bundle below!


Explore the art, history, geography, food, and culture of England in this cross-curricular unit study….perfect for families getting ready to travel abroad or folks who want to travel via unit studies!  Each stop along the roadschooling trip covers a different facet of history and culture with unit information, resources, worksheets, activities, and more...  

YES!  I want 122 pages of FUN STUDIES!

Table of Contents:

  • o Introduction & Geography of England
  • o Portsmouth
    • o The Mary Rose & naval archaeology
  • o London
    • o The British Museum & archaeology
    • o The Wallace Collection & medieval history
    • o The Tower of London / London Bridge & the Tudors
    • o Buckingham Palace & royalty
    • o Victoria and Albert Museum & medieval art
    • o Thames / Globe Theater & Shakespeare
    • o Sherlock Holmes Museum & British Literature
    • o Abbey Road & British Invasion
  • o Leeds
    • o Royal Armouries & middle ages
  • o York
    • o Jorvik & Vikings
    • o York Castle & archaeology
  • o Haltwhistle
    • o Hadrian’s Wall & ancient Celts
    • o Vindolanda & archaeology
  • o Alnwick
    • o Alnwick Castle & architecture
    • o Poison Garden & herbs
    • o Barter Books & WW2 history
  • o Alnmouth
    • o North Sea & train history
  • o Newcastle o Segedunum & ancient Romans
  • o Tips & Tricks for Travelling in England