USAF Museum Homeschool Days (Dayton, Ohio)

The National Museum of the USAF (Dayton, Ohio) offers two special Home School Days every year -- once in the spring and once in the fall. Programming changes each year, with the fall program being a repeat of the previous spring program.

Upcoming Home School Days:*
April 7, 2008
Sept. 29, 2008

HHMI Holiday lectures 2008

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Holiday lectures on Science continue.

Making Your Mind: Molecules, Motion & Memory. Two leading neuroscientists will help us puzzle out how the brain is organized, how it develops, how it controls behavior, and how it stores memory. Click here to view lecture summaries of the 2008 Holiday Lectures.

Watch the lectures via Live Webcast December 4 and 5th at 10:00 a.m. ET & PT.

1. Mapping Memory to the Brain Eric R. Kandel, M.D., 12/4, 10 - 11 am
2. Building Brains: The Molecular Logic of Neural Circuits, Thomas M. Jessell , Ph.D., Webcast 12/4, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. ET & PT
3. Making Your Mind: Molecules, Movement, and Memory, Thomas M. Jessell , Ph.D., Webcast 12/5 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. ET & PT
4. Memories are Made of This, Eric R. Kandel , M.D. Webcast 12/5, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. ET & PT

On-Demand Webcast: Available starting December 9, 2008
www.biointeractive.org/lectures

Free on DVD - Spring 2009

Past Lecture Topics include:
In 2007, the 15th show was on AIDS: Evolution of an Epidemic. Click here to view lecture summaries of the 2007 Holiday Lectures.
2006 Holiday Lectures: Potent Biology: Stem Cells, Cloning, and Regeneration
In 2005, the theme was Evolution, see more at The Panda's Thumb.
2004: Science of Fat

Nutcracker Study Guides

I don't have the stamina to track down and list every Nutcracker show around, but there are many study guides online that would be relevant no matter which production you see.

Besides the story summary every guide has, I especially like the photos of the basic hand and foot positions for ballet on page 29 of the San Francisco Ballet'sNutcraker Study Guide and page 7, page 8 of Balletbc's Dance CompanyB study guide .

Most people seem to enjoy theatre more when they know a bit about the show before they walk in. Sometimes I give my children special things to watch for, a mental scavenger hunt, to keep them interested. Having a study guide sure makes that job easier!. (For Chinese dance, I asked them to see how many ways the dancers make circles, for Shakespeare I asked them to listen for a couple of quotes, and if we go to see "The Nutcracker" this season, I might check out one or two of these for questions or ideas.) Some of these study guides have "after the show" activities and work sheets too - Mad Libs, word searches, and even some coloring pages.

Nutcracker Study Guides available online include:

• SF Ballet Nutcracker Study Guide (40 pages) - while you might not be interested in the page about their set designer and their opera house, the word search, number match and fun facts all work for any nutcracker, "what is dance", and the pictures of the basic hand and feet "positions" for hands and feet are useful to any one attending any Nutcracker. My suggestion is to look before you print it out & perhaps only print what you need/want. I would not print the answers, I'd just peek if I needed it so I would only print 1 - 14, 18 - 25, 29 - 32, and only print 26-28 if someone wants more information on the ballet of the show.
• Pages 4 - 9 of GBPAC Nutcracker Study Guide
• NYC Ballet Nutcracker Study Guide (1 page)
• National Ballet of Canada Nutcracker Study Guide(22 pages)
• LPAC Arts Nutcracker Study Guide (4 pages)
• Popejoy Schooltime Nutcracker Study Guide (8 pages)

or watch videos of some of the greatest ballerinas dancing the Nutcracker at We Show videos online.

Links current as of 2 December 2007.

Artist to Artist Contest - postmark by December 28, 2007

To enter Penguin's Artist to Artist Contest ("Contest"), submit a self portrait on an 8-1/2in. x 11in. sheet of paper, using any medium you choose. Winners may be displayed at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art! in Amherst, MA.

Not sure if they really mean to exclude homeschoolers - as they say "Entries may only be submitted through a school, library or bookstore that is located in the continental United States." To be eligible, all entries must be postmarked by December 28, 2007 and received by January 4, 2008. The art will not be returned.

Entries must be mailed to School & Library Marketing / Penguin Young Readers Group., 345 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014, ATTN: Artist to Artist. Limit one entry per person.

Click for all the details.

American History Reenactments

Reenactors can regularly be seen at Fosterfields Living Historical Farms, Morristown, NJ (check their monthly schedule). A better way would be to check each "regiment's" schedule. There are re-enactors at Historical Speedwell one of the last weekend every June for "Civil War" weekend. (June 19-20 in 2010.)

Washington Crossing, PA (especially in December, of course!)

15th New York Cavalry "Red Neck Ties" comes to NJ sometimes. 4th Battalion, NJ Volunteers is in NJ, but the events on their website are not up-to-date.

Further Afield:
Old Sturbridge Village, MA (year-round, 4 homeschool days a year)

Colonial Williamsburg, VA - year-round, also offers 2 Home Educators Events each year - each about 10 days long! The next ones are: 6-19 September 2008, Feb. 21 - March 8, and Sept. 12-27, 2009. Spring 2008 had rates as low as $5 per day!

Plimouth Pnatation (MA) has one or 2 homeschool days a year.

George Washington Crosses the Delaware

at Washington Crossing, PA

12/9/2007 - dress rehearsal, The event/village activities will occur from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, with the crossing time occurring around 1:00 pm. (2nd Sunday of December)

On Christmas day the crossing will occur around 1:00 pm. The Visitor Center opens around 11:00 am and will close at 3:00 pm. The village
houses are not open on this day as all activity will occur at the river. (Christmas Day)

Washington Crossing Historic Park is generally open Tuesday-Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm & Sunday 12:00 to 5:00 pm. (Hours and tour availability are subject to change without notice.)

Tickets: $5.00 per adult, $4.00 Seniors/AAA, $2.00 ages 6-17, under 6 is free. (Special event fees and school children group fees may vary.) Bring your valid adult ticket from another site within the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission and receive a $1.00 off your admission at Washington Crossing Historic Park.

Guided tours of the McKonkey Ferry Inn section and the Thompson-Neely section occur everyday but Monday and select holidays/special events. Tours begin on the hour at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00. During winter months, tours may conclude earlier in the day due to low light levels in the historic structures.

A tour of the McKonkey Ferry Inn section is approximately one hour in length. Allow 30 minutes to tour the Thompson-Neely House. The Thompson-Neely grist mill is open seasonally for tours. Allow additional time to tour the grist mill.

See, Washington Crossing, Annual Crossing Visit for more details or go here for directions.

Other 2007 Events at Washington Crossing included: -

Cooking for our First President - Sat., February 17, 2007, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and Sun., February 18, 2007, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

His Majesty's Troops - Sat. and Sun. March 10 and 11, 2007, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Musket firing & drilling; Posting of the guard; Preparing their kits for the march; Open-hearth cooking; and Period field music.

(Annual) Colonial Days for groups (esp. for 3-5th graders) - Colonial Days take place Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from late March through early November. The group must have an arrival time between 9:30 and 10:00 am and must be able to stay at least 2½ to 3½ hours.

National Mythology Exam

The deadline for the 2008 National Mythology Exam (designed for grades 3rd - 9th) is January 15, 2008, and one administers the exam between February 25 and March 7, 2008.

They also offer an annual Exploratory Latin Exam (designed for grades 3rd - 6th). For the 2007-2008 school year, the deadline is March 1, 2008. You can administer it at any point between October 1, 2007 and April 1, 2008. (Note: The National Latin Exam is not the same, and this test is not designed for students qualified to take that.)

NJ History - live

Looking for about 30 more area 6th graders to read NJ's favorite and most dynamic history teacher's latest book - Uncertain Revolution. The author, John Cunningham will be ready to speak to them about it on:

3 p.m. Sunday February 24, 2008
Church of the Redeemer, Morristown, NJ

(Yes, that's 2 extra weeks to read the book! the January 31st talk was postponed.) Volcanic eruptions! Smallpox plague! Gore, scheming, riots! Last month he kept 167 of us on the edge of our seats. By the end see if you agree that Morristown was the most important place to the Patriots' Revolutionary War's success. He'll also sign and sell books. Any 6th grader who listens to the talk (it lasts an hour) may enter his or her name in a drawing for a $50 Morristown Partnership gift certificate. The drawing is held right after the speech, and certificate handed over immediately...just in time for holiday shopping.

See also the NJ History Contest for 6th graders (just read the book!) The name of any 6th grader who reads John Cunningham's Uncertain Revolution will be entered in a Sunday, February 24th drawing for 100,000 Continental Frequent Flyer miles. One winner only. We just need names sooner - to make the contest come true. Names will not be used for anything else!

Homeschool Buyers Co-op

Homeschooling's #1 Way to Save

The Homeschool Buyers Co-op is the nation's largest purchasing cooperative for homeschooling families. If you homeschool your children, at any level, I recommend looking into joining this free coo-op. They do not use your email or rent it out to anyone else. With it, homeschoolers get group purchasing power. There have been some great deals arranged on products that I would not have otherwise been able to get for my children.

So far, the best group buy for my family was with CyberED, but something from LEGO or unitedstreaming or even the Pokemon Educational package might suit you better. You can also get curriculum ideas, and print an ID if you need one, but the biggest advantage to us has been saving money. And when I needed "customer support", they were there.

Click to join, or to learn more about the co-op.

NJ History Contest - 6th graders

Read a book and get a chance to earn 100,000 frequent flyer miles! As described in The Daily Record - but you heard it here first! NJ's favorite history teacher has a new book out & your 6th grader has a nice incentive to read it.

If we can get 100 names of 6th grader who reads John Cunningham's Uncertain Revolution, they will be entered in a 24th February drawing for 100,000 Continental frequent Flyer miles. One winner only. As long as we can get the names of at least 100 6th graders to award the 100,000 miles. If fewer 6th graders participate, the number of miles donated will depend on the number of participants, i.e. if 67 6th graders read the book and enter their names, 67,000 miles will be awarded. The book lists a $25 but it available at amazon.com for $17 - and at your library for far less, or contact Betsy to get a discounted copy!

Why are we doing this? One mom, knowing that her 6th grader would start their Revolutionary War unit in February, heard that Mr. Cuningham would speak on Morristown's role, and tagged along to a talk in December 2007. In a scant hour, he had 167 of us on the edge of our seats as he proved that Morristown was the most important place to the Patriots' Revolutionary War's success. Volcanic eruptions! Smallpox plague! Gore, scheming, riots! Perfect fodder for 6th graders to feel like history is cool, and so is Morristown. Even remarkable teens are in the tale: who knew Hamilton and Lafayette were teens when they went to work for Washington during the war? She wanted to kick herself for not taking her son to the talk. Instead of me telling him about it, he could have heard it with no expectations for himself.

Mr. Cunninham's new book on this topic-how Morristown is the most important place in America to the success of Revolution-is terrific. It's accessible and action packed. I smell one of those rare opportunities to get kids really vested in their communities...and history. In local history. The FMS social studies textbook notes only that Washington moved his headquarters to Morristown at some point, and spends a full page on the terrible winter at Valley Forge. Turns out the winter at Valley Forge was one of the mildest, and the 4 harshest winters of the war were spent in Joisey: 3 in Morristown. Not only is Cunningham a fabulous raconteur both in person and in print, but it will be sort of cool for the kids to challenge what they read in the textbook, and realize that a textbook is just a starting place. School learning can be fleshed out in so many ways.

Reading level: It's not written for middle schoolers, but strong readers in 6th grade can manage the book themselves. I think it's a great read-a-loud book for families or reading circles. Reading circles: next e-mail. This is a cool idea as well. Please, please pass this on to names you don't see on this list. We'd like to reach out to every 6th grader in the area.

To get a reduced price copy of the book: "Morristown area sixth-graders can get a reduced-cost copy of John Cunningham's local history book, The Uncertain Revolution, or can join a reading circle to hear the book read to them, by leaving a message for Betsy Harvin at (973) 451-1097 or at betsychina@aol.com"

John Cunningham also spoke on the book, Tuesday, November 27th at 4:30 pm at the Morris County Parks office on Mendham Road. The 6th graders attending entered their name in a drawing for a $50 Morristown Partnership gift certificate - it was handed that night ... just in time for holiday shopping.

Last updated: 1/7/2008

NY Phil Teens - Inside the Music/Hear & Now

Phil Teens

If you are between the ages of 12 and 17, you — and one friend of any age — can attend a New York Philharmonic Hear and Now or Inside the Music concert for just $12. (That's less than the cost of a movie ticket and popcorn.) The perfect way to introduce teens to classical music. Families and school groups are invited to attend.

To Order: download the order form* and print it and return it to the Customer Relations Department.

Inside the Music concerts

Friday, March 14, 2008
Alan Gilbert, conductor
Gerard McBurney, host

R. STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben

Hear and Now concerts

Thursday, January 31, 2008
Lorin Maazel, conductor
Synergy Vocals
Steven Stucky, host

BERIO Sinfonia (World Premiere, 1968: New York Philharmonic Commission)
BRAHMS Symphony No. 4

Thursday, March 13, 2008
Alan Gilbert, conductor
Steven Stucky, host

MARC NEIKRUG Quintessence: Symphony No. 2 (World Premiere: New York Philharmonic Commission)
R. STRAUSS Ein Heidenleben

Friday, April 11, 2008
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Lang Lang, piano
Steven Stucky, host

TAN DUN Piano Concerto (World Premiere: New York Philharmonic Commission)
STRAVINSKY The Firebird (complete)

* The order form is viewable in Adobe Acrobat®, which can be downloaded for free.

NY Philharmonic Musical Encounters

Musical Encounters

Students create their own percussion concerto during a Musical Encounters workshop

offers students in grades 4-12 an "up-close" glimpse of the New York Philharmonic and the exciting world of orchestral music. They have 2 or 3 a month, monthly through May 2008.

$6 per seat. Order Form*: Print it and return it to the Education Department as early as possible; this popular program books quickly.

Option #1: with an Introductory Workshop - students meet at 10:30 for a 45-minute workshop, followed by sitting in on the second half of a Philharmonic rehearsal. Most appropriate for students who may be new to the concert hall or to the orchestra.

Option #2: with a Post-Rehearsal Meeting - students attend an entire rehearsal (beginning at 9:45am) and then meet with a member of the orchestra for a brief question and answer session. Most appropriate for students with some concert-going or musical experience.

Latin Jazz Festival with Los Hombres Calientes

Monday, Oct. 29 at 10am & 12:30pm
Victoria Theater, NJPAC, Newark.
$8 per ticket
Grades 6 – 12.

Jazz, Cuban music, Brazilian rhythms, American funk – they all come into play with Los Hombres Calientes. Led by acclaimed trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, this Grammy-nominated, brass-powered jam-band brings together some of the best players from New Orleans, who will transport students through a sweeping panorama of Afro-Caribbean styles. “This is one of the smartest – and most fun – bands anywhere!” raves Newsweek. For more info, call their SchoolTime Ticket Hotline at (973) 642-2002

done - Make A Difference Day

Make a Difference Day is a national day for doing something good. It is a day for volunteering, and conducting a community project. This year the day is Saturday, October 27, 2007.

This is sponsored by USA WEEKEND Magazine so they have information and ideas for projects at http://usaweekend.com/diffday/index.html . 

Kean University (Union County) "on school time"

Kean University in Union County offers "on school time" shows for 2007 - February 2008, mostly at their Wilkins Theatre. Only some of their shows are listed on the Gryphon Academy Field Trip List. $8 per seat, discount for grouips of 10 or more. Contact their group sales office (908) 737-4351 for reservations. Click for directions to campus.

Their schedule includes:

The Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre, November 19, 2007 at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Wilkins Theatre, Grades 2--6

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia presents Leo Lionni's Swimmy, Frederick and Inch by Inch, November 26, 28-30, 2007 at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Wilkins Theatre, Grades Pre-K--3

New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble presents The Nutcracker, December 3 and 4, 2007 at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., Wilkins Theatre, New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble returns to Wilkins Theatre with its must-see holiday classic The Nutcracker . This exciting, vibrant and colorful production is based on the tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann and is performed by young dancers for a young audience. In-school master classes and arts and education residencies are available to complement the students' in-theatre experience. Contact NJDTE at 908-232-0114. Grades Pre-K--8

Show - Othello by William Shakespeare, November 16, 2007 at 10 a.m., $8 per seat. University Center Little Theatre, Kean University, Union, NJ, Grades 9-12. Group sales office (908) 737-4351

Show - The Adventures of Flat Stanley, December 7, 2007 at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Wilkins Theatre, Grades: Pre-K--5. $8 per seat. University Center Little Theatre, Kean University, Union, NJ, Group sales office (908) 737-4351

Show - Humbug, December 18 and 19, 2007 at 10 a.m. Wilkins Theatre, $8 per seat. University Center Little Theatre, Kean University, Union, NJ, Group sales office (908) 737-4351. Grades 7--12

Show - Moscow Cats Theatre, January 18, 22 and 23, 2008 at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Wilkins Theatre, $8 per seat. University Center Little Theatre, Kean University, Union, NJ, Group sales office (908) 737-4351. Grades Pre-K--6

Show - Kean Dance Theatre, February 1, 2008 at 11 a.m., Wilkins Theatre, $8 per seat. University Center Little Theatre, Kean University, Union, NJ, Group sales office (908) 737-4351. Grades 7--12

For further information and to make reservations, call Kean Stage at 908-737 4350 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Celebration: Sounds of Blackness

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration: Sounds of Blackness,
Jan. 10 at noon,
Prudential Hall, NJPAC, Newark,
$10 per ticket.
Grades 7 – 12.

Celebrate the life of one of the twentieth’s century’s most inspiring leaders with Sounds of Blackness, a Grammy-winning ensemble that performs the vast array of African-American music – from jazz, blues and soul to reggae, hip-hop, and rock-and-roll. This celebration will also include a guest speaker to be announced. For more info, call their SchoolTime Ticket Hotline at (973) 642-2002

Italian Renaissance Food

{{You can go straight to the recipes or view other Renaissance Italy Resources.}}

caption: The Marriage at Cana, from the Spiegel menschlicher Behältnis, Basle 1476. From Gode Cookery

What one eats is always influenced by what is available and how much money you have. Renaissance Italy is no exception. I am sure there were significant regional differences – just as there are today, although I can not find any reference to the “olive oil/butter line”. I did find references to olive oil used “for flavor and as a cooking medium”.

The Renaissance was a time of “awakening” and changes and food was not exception. Although Marco Polo is unlikely to have gone to China, people did and their influence was seen in many places.[1] One site said that China was responsible for spices, certain stewing/cooking preparations and the custom of eating fruit before a meal. Italians started stewing foods in fruits, wine and spices during the Renaissance. Multi-colored gelatin was seen in Florence - at least at their exclusive cooking academy.

Before refrigeration everyone was much more aware of what was in season and ate fresh when they could, and dried items out of season according to what was available.

caption: Line illustration and A Last Supper picture from Gode Cookery

Most Europeans were still Catholic and feast/fast days were observed. At one point in the late Middle Ages about half of the days of the year were designated fast days when no meat could be eaten. Of course this was not much of an issue for the poor who could not afford to eat meat as often as every other day! Fish was popular, fresh, dried, and salted, especially in the Lenten season.[2]

Common Foods

Almonds and onions were both very common in general, but I can’t say much about them for Italy in particular. (Please check for food allergies if you are feeding a group!) Common in Italy:

• Vegetables
  
• Bread, pizza (no tomato sauce) & hard biscuits
• The middle class at this time was responsible for the popularity of pasta, lasagna, and ravioli (without tomatoes)[3]
• Soups and stews
• Rice/risotto
• Cheese: including brie, cheddar, gouda, buffalo mozzarella cheese
• Omlettes
• Meatballs, pork, small birds, pike (fish) and game
• Wine (Water was used for coking when it was known to be safe)

Search for Cooking Methods for Vegetables on Gode Cookery's How to cook Renaissance foods for details - but boiling when the water was safe, and eating raw salads were both common. That page also discusses use of water & wine & alcohol, elsewhere the site lists foods to never use for Renaissance cooking like corn, tomatoes, turkey (which had not yet reached them from the New World), rhubarb and bananas (probably know but not used), potatoes, and yams (which traders would bring from Africa). Check out the illustration of a spit from Historic Food.

At Home in Renaissance Italy says “During the Renaissance it was common for meals to have four courses, which could consist of one entrée, two meat courses and one course of fruit or cheese. Meat was expensive and eaten regularly only by the wealthy. Short pasta, which would be boiled, became increasingly popular during the sixteenth century and soon dominated the Italian diet.”

From The Food Timeline

Cuisine of Christopher Columbus
He was born in Genoa where a diet with lots of herbs and salads - but no or few spices and no coffee was common. Read more about cuisine of his Genoa days. Recipes - for his whole life - are here.

Recipes Online

• At home in Renaissance Italy recipes. Note: the recipes are by weight in grams, not cups of ingredients. Got a scale?
  
  
• From Gode Cookery: A Renaissance Cookery Book – with recipes ( but in the original…) and the recipes - in the original & “translated” to modern English
  

• Menu & Recipes from Alabama Renaissance Faire: The 2005 Feast
  

• French Renaissance Menu: http://saint-esprit.freeservers.com/food.htm

• Food of the Renaissance from the Virtual Renaissance Team includes "tidbits" and recipes for breads, cheese & eggs, soups, vegetables (did you know the beginning of autumn was the best season for celery?), staples and desserts. They even have the script of a veggie presentation!

• Editure's Renaiassance Food Worksheet includes a recipe for gingerbread and sample menus.

• Renaissance Peas, Sausage, or gingerbread (more like candy)
  
• Renaissance-style Pasta
• 16th century Italian Carrots in Vinagrette from De Honesta Voluptate et Valetudine by Platina and a Cariota
  
• 16th century Italian Peach Compote
• 16th century Italian Pear Pie
  
  
• Janis Herbert's Leonardo da Vinci for Kids has a recipe for Vegetarian Minestrone (p. 46) and Salai's Aniseed Sweets (p.49). da Vinci probably ate minestrone - but not this one with tomatoes! Spanish explorers brought kidney beans back from Peru in the 15th century so he may have eaten them. While we know that Salai liked anise seed; I am not sure we know if he ate this date sweet recipe. (For more on minestrone, see Richard Calhoun's piece).
  

I also enjoyed reading "What Foods are Period When?" by Marieke. Although I was confused by her referring to Protestants in Medieval Times - since they did not exist until the Renaissance in Italy (while it was still "High Middle Ages" elsewhere).

References for this page included:
Victoria & Albert's At Home in Renaissance Italy
Goode Cookery
Thinkquest's library

---

[1] Last week I was told that daVinci was responsible for the “modern” spinning wheel, and he was influenced to do this by information on pulleys – from China. I want to check that out.

[2] Salt was a major trade item, probably from at least the time of Viking invasions. I can’t remember when salt flats were created in Europe.

[3] Remember tomatoes were from the New World and originally thought to be poisonous. Extra credit: tell us when tomatoes arrived in Europe and when people started eating them. Make your own food timeline.

Did the Dig - Italian Rennaisance

We'll be happily busy in October doing another dig with professional archaeologist turned educator "Big Dog" Purcell. Visit his website (dothedig.net) to read more about Camp Activities. For my comments on a previous experience with him, see Do the Dig: Middle Kingdom China.

If you want to send us best wishes for the weather that would be great, since we are digging regardless. I expect we'll be wearing layers and no one will know whether we are wearing Leonardo shirts from Cartesian Bear Designs Scientists' Birthdate collection!

I'd love to attend "Big Dog's" Palestine or Africa (except Egypt: The Middle Kingdom where we have already done) themed digs - nearby. Any one else have a piece of yard we could dig near a bathroom and afternoon workspace for a group?

Italian Renaissance Resources

These resources may be of interest to you and your family as you prepare to attend the Italian Renaissance Homeschool Archaeology Camp. Although your child will still learn if they just attend the Dig, many families have found that some preparation helps their child learn more and make connections. Resources are organized into: Books, Videos, online Video clips, Web Quests, Web Sites and Picture Books. There is a separate page on Italian Renaissance Food and Recipes. This is the background our dig director suggested:

"The Renaissance as it unfolded in Italy was the culmination of developments in art, politics and demography that occurred during the high Middle Ages (13th century AD). Children should be aware that the artistic and political products of the High Renaissance in Italy (1470-1530 AD) rested on events knowable from history, still- existing architecture and copious museum exhibits. The dig focuses on a site from outside the gates of Milan, Italy, which dates to around 1500. The stories they will hear center on the people, events, artifacts and buildings of that period in Lombardy (the region of which Milan was and is the capital) as well as those of Northern Italy and the rest of Europe. In passing, such geniuses as Machiavelli and Vico will be mentioned, as well as scientists like Galilleo, artists like Giotto, Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo, and architects like Bramante and Brunelleschi. Lavishly illustrated slide stories will accompany the verbiage, as well as very detailed and serious maps of the region of concern. The object of the dig is to give the children a grasp of the importance of the period and the region as it can be obtained through correctly-applied archaeological technique and reasoning."

- Geof Purcell, The Archaeological Perspective
(excerpt from private email, September 2006)

Outline of Topics

To me, Big Dog's quote suggests the following discussion items for your children. Of course, every family has their own curriculum plan and interests, and not everyone will be studying this period of history past the dig.

1. Introduction and Culture (time line, geography, culture)

• A bit of Geography
  Maps? world – Europe – Italy – Lombardy – Milan
  perhaps importance of city walls and city gates
  
• history?
  A bit of timeline – the Renaissance is after the Vikings & Middle Ages, Christianity is well established in Europe. Well before Columbus and electricity.
• The Venetian Empire was the seat of economic power in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

(note for parents – The Medicis were a prominent family in the Renaissance – a wealthy family, involved in politics, patrons of the arts, but perhaps not a dynasty that you would want your children to study in detail at this time. I think Machiavelli worked for the Medici. The Renaissance was also known as the “Golden Age of Poison”. This deadly practice helped shape European history and the Catholic Church.)

2. Daily Life (dress, home life, occupations) impacts artifacts that might be found.
By the Renaissance, St. Nicholas was the most popular saint in Europe. One "digger" suggests this virtual Renaissance Village that a school created online. It seems to span countries and many years but has a school, a wedding, complete with photos, the Sistine Chapel and the Globe Theatre. (The Renaissance started in Italy and reached England later.)

3. Religion/Mythology (gods, burial rites, Christianity)

4. Arts and Recreation - Games, Music, Sports, etc.) Games/sports included: Rounders, chess and card games. (lots of pop-ups from this Renaissance Games site)

5. Government, Armies, Class System

6. Language/Writing

Libraries?, Gutenberg, printing press,

7. People (or what do those turtles have to do with this…?)
Genius: Machiavelli, Italian philosopher Giovanni Battista Vico

Scientists:
Galileo Galileo - astronomer and physicist who supported the Copernican theory. (Copernicus was an early scientist who wrote Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres.)

Johann Gutenburg invented the printing press. He printed the first printed version of the bible.

Artists: Giotto, Leonardo Da Vinci, (Raphael, Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli (painted the Birth of Venus), Fra Angelico, …)

Architects:
Donato Bramante (1444 – March 11, 1514),
Filippo Brunelleschi (1377 – April 15, 1446) This Florentine architect and engineer was the first to carry out a series of experiments leading to a mathematical theory of perspective.

8. Zooming out for a bigger picture -

• How was this different in different parts of Europe
• Why did the Renaissance start in Flanders and Italy?
  
• What was happening in the rest of the world?
  
• How long was the Renaissance? Why did it start in Italy?
• (what period follows – Age of Reason, Enlightenment.
• Where would Shakespeare fall? (this is a question for the oldest children who have or are studying Shakespeare)

For pre-dig days:
Please be ready to give a very brief overview of your craft/presentation's importance to the Renaissance Italians (not a thesis, just a brief history). Pretend Big Dog will be there, ready to say, “What is the context?"

A couple of alerts - In the Renaissance people began to question the church; the church was a bit slow in reacting to scientific discoveries, and some priests were very corrupt. Michelangelo did not lay on his back to paint the Sistine Chapel even though some books and sites still say that. Please use appropriate adult supervision if your family builds things or conducting experiments - even if it is from a source listed here. I accept no responsibility for supervising your children!

Actual Resources

We've listed lots of video clips and web resources this go-around. There has been a lot published on the Renaissance so it's much easier to find things than it was for the Vikings! (Special thanks to Miranda.)

Books

1. Eyewitness: Renaissance (Eyewitness Books)


2. Journey Through History: Renaissance by Garme Peris, Gloria & Oriol Verges (1988). I would call it a read-to-them picture book, lots of words. I think it makes a good introduction to the period, and give you lots of chance to talk about things. (only caveat: I'm not sure the mention of an "attack by Moslem" is representative.)
   


3. Art for Children: Leonardo DaVinci by Ernst Rabott (ISBN 0-06-446076-2). I especially like that the art work is large enough to see. The series also has books on Michelangelo and Raphael although I have not seen them, all of the others in the series have also been good.


4. Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself (Build It Yourself series) by Maxine Anderson (grades 4 - 8 ) how to & history. Please remember appropriate adult supervision when building. (You can get an ebook copy for FREE after registering at wowio.com. Here's their description of the book.)
   


5. Galileo for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 25 Activities (For Kids series) by Richard Panchyk.


6. Leonardo da Vinci for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities (For Kids series) by Janis Herbert (biography with background on Italy and art) and then 21 activities (grades 4- 8)


7. Leonardo, The Beautiful Dreamer by Robert Byrd (grades 3 - 8)
   

Videos

1. PBS – video and related book on Renaissance Lives
   
   
2. Video: Engineering an Empire - Engineering An Empire: Da Vinci's World
   After the fall of Rome, Italy fell into a dark sleep, and wasn't reawakened until the 11th century. Autonomous city-states emerged and these tiny republics began to revitalize their cities and build on a massive level not witnessed since the rise of Rome. In the late 15th and 16th centuries, alliances among various city-states continually shifted as foreign superpowers tried to sink their claws into Italy. The masters who are best known for creating the works of art and architecture of the Renaissance, were also the greatest military and civil engineers of the time. Peter Weller hosts. (See clips online.)
   
   
3. The History Channel's Da Vinci and the code he lived by: The Unique Vision and Determination of the Renaissance Master. This video seems to have more than was shown on TV.
   
   
4. The Teaching Company videos can be found at many libraries or purchased. (each title goes on sale at least once a year.) These are courses for high school and college level but usually with entertaining instructors. You may find they are good background for you to watch sharing selected lectures with your family, or you may find this is "too much" now. Relevant videos include: Italian Renaissance, Great Artists of the Italian Renaissance, Art of the Northern Renaissance, Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations, and (New in 2007 & probably not in the libraries - yet) Italians Before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean.
   

Online Video Clips

Click on the link below for the clips from HISTORY.com.

1. Michelangelo Buonarroti, the greatest of the Italian Renaissance artists, is born in the small village of Caprese on March 6, 1475. The son of a government administrator, he grew up in Flore ...

3/06/1475 - Michelangelo Born

[play video 51 sec

2. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, one of Italian artist Michelangelo's finest works, is exhibited to the public for the first time. Michelangelo Buonarroti, the greatest of the Ital ...

11/01/1512: Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel opens

[play video 1 min 3 secs]

3. A look at the Palazzo Vecchio and other great palaces in Florence, Italy ...

The Grand Tour: The Renaissance Art of Florence

[play video 3 min 46 secs]

4. Peter Weller (host) rants about the Renaissance and the birth of Humanism ...

Engineering an Empire: Peter on Humanism and the Renaissance

[play video 2 min 40 secs]

5. Peter Weller (host) visits the Pazzi Chapel, Filippo Brunelleschi's architectural triumph in Florence. ...

Engineering an Empire: Age of Architects - Pazzi Chapel

[play video 3 min 15 secs]

Web Quests

1. Renaissance background
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/%7Edee/REN/BACK.HTM

2. Renaissance WebQuest by Ms. Bjornstad
   http://www.mhrd.k12.nj.us/mk/library/webquests.htm#bjornstad

3. Leonardo da Vinci Web Quest
http://media.nasaexplores.com/lessons/04-065/5-8_2.pdf

4. The art of the Italian Renaissance WebQuest
   http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/HodgesSpring2005/JackieHirschi/

5. Ren. Artists & Inventions Web Quest
   http://teacherweb.com/WI/TMS/MrsFry/h0.stm
   
   
6. Web Quest – Learning about Leonardo
   http://library.thinkquest.org/13681/data/davin2.shtml

Web sites

1. The Renaissance Connection, from Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA
   A middle-school level exploration of Renaissance visual arts and innovations and their role in the making of the modern world. As described by their technology partner eduweb on their Adventures Page: " "Explore a timeline of Renaissance art and innovation, commission an artwork as a patron of the arts, design your own innovation, and much more, all enhanced with quirky visuals, irreverent humor, and engaging interactivity that reveal the ways that Renaissance life and culture resemble our own. " (Best if you have Flash installed - but there is a HTML/text version as well.)

2. (Victoria & Albert Museum's) At home in Renaissance Italy - listen to music, furnish your own sala, play bingo, …

3. Discover the Renaissance - Your Mission is to leap into the life of a character listed below. Find out as much as possible about your character including social status, daily life, talents and occupation.
4. Journey Through the Renaissance (although I was not impressed by their projects)
5. PBS has a lot from their special Medicis: Godfathers of the Renaissance including a gallery of art , an interactive time line for 1360 - 1743, and pages on artists and Galileo.
   
   
6. Renaissance Timeline
   


7. Renaissance Theme Page
   
8. The Italian Renaissance (1420-1600)
   
9. Renaissance: Focus on Florence
10. Renaissance Influence on Art & Architecture
    


11. Math in Italy
    http://www.montana.edu/webquest/math/gradeskto5/howell/italy.html
    By using the suggested resources, you will have the opportunity to acquire a better understanding of mathematics through the viewpoint of the Italian culture. Please visit the internet sites and read the accounts of the people and events you will find there. You can pretend to travel back in time and imagine yourself as being there and try to experience Italy and the math they used.

12. http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/renaissance/GeneralFiles/Introduction.html

13. http://www.craftsforkids.com/projects/600/608.htm

14. http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1063.html

15. Italian Renaissance Art Project - You are part of a group of artists dedicated to understanding Italian Renaissance Art. You will analyze the painting techniques used by Italian painters throughout the Renaissance. Each artist in your group of four will examine the art work.

16. Art of the Renaissance - Links to support lessons in Renaissance Art, including examples of Renaissance music, art, mapping etc., Scholastic's Internet Field Trip, Annenberg Media's Annenberg Media's Renaissance: Out of the Middle Ages and Renaissance: What inspired this age of balance and order?

17. Renaissance Ideas from a Parsippany Middle school– geared to 6^th grade level
    
    
18. Italy in Shakespeare’s Times (was this late Renaissance or a next period?) http://ryecityschools.lhric.org/webquest/High/Shakespeare/Life%20In%20Italy.htm

19. Italophiles has 24 depictions of woodcuts from Cesare Vecellio's Renaissance costume book - first printed in 1590.

20. Tour: Italian Renaissance Ceramics
    http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/itacer/itacer-main1.html


21. Italian Ren Elementary Lesson Plans – mostly art
    (note: Michelangelo built neat scaffolding and did not lie on his back – although Heston did in the movie)
    http://members.aol.com/TWard64340/Renaissance.htm


22. Raphael
    http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael


23. Leonardo daVinci
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci
    
    Transforming Mona Lisa – and downloadable Mona Lisahttp://www.wyckoffschools.org/eisenhower/teachers/olejarz/digitalimaging/mona/
    


24. Mona Lisa
    http://gardenofpraise.com/art17.htm


25. Wikipedia on Renaissance Music
    (This artist performs Renaissance music on recorder.)
    Another site about Renaissance musical instruments.
    
    
26. Reasonable intro/overviews of Renaissance Personalities
    These pages were made by 8^th graders in 1997. (I did not read them all!) http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/

1. Brunelleschi (architect)
   http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/main/brunelleschi.html
2. Galileo (scientist)
   http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/main/galileo.html
3. Donatello (Sculptor)
   http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/main/donatello.html
4. Shakespeare (scholar, writer)
   http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/main/shakespeare.html
5. Machiavelli
   http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/main/machiavelli.html
6. Mercator
   http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/main/mercator.html
7. Descartes
   http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/main/descartes.html
   

Picture Books

1. Katie And The Mona Lisa by James Mayhew - She falls through a painting to visit the Renaissance.
   
   
2. Leonardo and the Flying Boy by Laurence Anholt - "slight" picture book but does have some of Leonardo's drawings.
   
   
3. Leonardo, The Beautiful Dreamer by Robert Byrd (grades 3 - 8)
   
   
4. Michelangelo's Surprise by Tony Parillo
   
   
5. Galileo's Treasure Box by Catherine Brighton
   
   
6. Not sure if the art work in this book reflects Renaissance art or not: I have not seen this one. Mary, The Mother of Jesus by Tomie dePaola “is lovely and quite different from the author’s typical children’s storybook or his saints’ stories. Mary’s life is depicted in fifteen beautifully illustrated segments. In his forward, Tomie de Paola writes, “When I was an art student in 1956, I saw the Giotto frescoes of the life of Mary in the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy. I knew that some day, I would attempt my own visual version of Mary’s life. I have drawn on scripture, legend and tradition for the praise of Mary, the mother of Jesus.” – Description from http://charlottemason.tripod.com/4realpaola.htm
   

last updated: 25 September 2007
links valid at the time they were added

American History: Morristown

Morristown National Historical Park exhibit seeks to answer Why was Morristown a Revolutionary Stronghold?

Morristown National Historical Park offers a curriculum-based educational program entitled: From Farming Village to Log Hut City: Morristown During the American Revolution 1770-1780 for 4th and 5th graders, but it looks like teachers must go through a one-day program before their class can attend. (Send them request in September for the same school year.)

Their primer says:
"During two critical winters of the Revolutionary War, 1777 and 1779–80, the countryside in and around Morristown, New Jersey, sheltered the main encampments of the American Continental Army and served as the headquarters of its commander-in-chief, General George Washington. The National Park Service at Morristown National Historical Park preserves sites in the Morristown area occupied by the Continental Army and interprets the history and subsequent commemoration of these encampments and the extraordinary fortitude of the officers and enlisted men under Washington’s leadership."

"General Washington twice chose Morristown due to its strategic location, including proximity to New York City, defensible terrain, important communication routes, access to critical resources, and a supportive community. The park encompasses ground occupied by the army during the vast 1779-80 encampment, and the site of the fortification from the 1777 encampment. The Ford Mansion, where Washington made his headquarters, is an important feature of the park and recalls civilian contributions to the winning of independence."

"The national park consists of four non-contiguous units: Washington’s Headquarters with the Ford Mansion and Headquarters Museum, the Fort Nonsense Unit, the Jockey Hollow Unit, and the New Jersey Brigade Area. The Jockey Hollow Unit includes the Wick house (headquarters of General Arthur St. Clair), five reconstructed soldier huts, and approximately 27 miles of walking trails.
"

Pre-dig Days: Italian Renaissance

Pre-dig Days: Italian Renaissance (for 5 – 12 year olds)

This year we decided to focus on the artists and scientists of the period before the dig. We have found that the more we know, the more we get out of a Dig, although there is lots of be learned if one just walks in too! Here is a possible schedule, of course it would vary with the ages and interests of the people involved.

Day 1 – 10 – 2pm – Art & Artists

Bring your own ‘bag’ lunch. Tentative schedule!

1. Brief introduction to the period – perhaps with a time line and black line maps

2. (?) intro to art & artists – by ?

3. daVinci presentation – by child

create a Mona Lisa off your own with a present day person. For ideas:

1. Lesson Plan: http://members.aol.com/TWard64340/Renaissance.htm#Leonardo
2. Mostly questions for you to use: Mona Lisa Images for a Modern World: A Teacher's Guide by Robert A. Baron
   
3. Ideas for Mona Lisa Parodies
   
4. Upside down Modern Mona (more art/drawing, less really Mona Lisa)
   

Maybe discuss Davinci’s Mona Lisa – monochromatic, review shading & tinting? How it is the most copies art piece in the world? Mona Art and Mona kids versions to show after.

Mona Lisa painting info (& timeline), landscape/background, more landscape, and about the dress. Or, for more background and what scientists have found on the Mona Lisa, see:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa (Look at the detail of the background, left side to see a tiny bit of column in the picture)
• Austen, Ian, “New Look at ‘Mona Lisa’ Yields Some New Secrets”, New York Times, Published: September 27, 2006, http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/09/27/arts/design/27mona.html
• The Louvre’s “A Closer Look” web site http://www.louvre.fr/llv/dossiers/detail_oal.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673229908&CURRENT_LLV_OAL%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673229908&bmLocale=en

4. Michelangelo presentation – requested

Check out the sonnet Michelangelo wrote about how painful standing on scaffolding and painting the ceiling of the Sistine chapel was

5. Donatello representation – requested

Share additive style sculpture done at home following Tabitha Wards’ Elementary Lesson Plans (distributed in advance) from: http://members.aol.com/TWard64340/Renaissance.htm#Donatello

(Warning – while we like her page, it does repeat a myth about Michelangelo as fact. Despite what C. Heston did in the film, we know that Michelangelo stood to paint the Sistine Chapel, using scaffolding he designed himself. We avoided her “ceiling painting” exercise for didactic reasons.)

6. Other (other artists?, perspective, architecture) Victoria & Alberts has some nice resources on Raphael and his painted designs for tapestries that might help.)

7. Renaissance game (if time permits, but we won't be gambling!)

Day 2 (10 – 2 with lunch break) – Scientists

(with a themed potluck of Italian Renaissance food – sign up in advance.) So, where does one learn about Renaissance Italy food and recipes?

Tentative!

1. Galileo’s work – by ?

Scientific method intro – by child

Display Telescopes made at home and discuss seeing the moon. For ideas, see:
http://amasci.com/amateur/teles.html

I'm disappointed by Home Training Tools' "make a simple telescope" directions, unless you happen to have the right lenses around the house! They sell a kit for $13 with what you need, and individual lenses for a more do-it-yourself approach. I really liked their astrolabe directions - this tool has been around for 1000 years reaching its heyday in 1400-1500.

Activity 1. Re-create Galileo experiments (perhaps acceleration? his experiments with motion?). The group leader may want to consider these links – as well as the space they have and the abilities of their group. Please point out that we don’t really know whether Galileo actually ever dropped cannon balls from the Tower of Pisa!

1. http://galileo.rice.edu/lib/student_work/experiment95/inclined_plane.html
2. http://galileo.rice.edu/lib/student_work/experiment96/trajectorybackground.html
3. Falling Balls – experiment 1
   http://www.materialworlds.com/sims/Galileo/worksheet1.html
4. Period of a Pendulum – Large Angle
   http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspExpGuide&ResourceID=454
5. Registration is required to access experiments from teachers’ domain – but they have about a dozen based on Galileo:
   http://www.teachersdomain.org/app/search/run_search?terms=galileo

Discussion 2. “other Renaissance discoveries”

"war, armor an& weapons" - by child
"Occupations in the Renaissance" - by child

compass – new to Europe
printing press – new to Europe

presentation on libraries & books of the time – by child
(may include impact of printing press in general, or on religion and authors)

3. Renaissance game (if time)

More Renaissance Resources

More videos
Discovery Education streaming or unitedstreaming must have some relevant videos. The best way I know for homeschoolers to join is through the free Homeschool Buyers Co-op. Since we are a group, special deals are periodically available for us.

Clipart
Clipart ETC is an online service of Florida's Educational Technology Clearinghouse and has a 5 images under the category "Renaissance Sculpture". However, to find more, use the search option and look for individual artists, for example: "Donatello" (7 images), "Michelangelo" (3 images).

Educational Use. A maximum of fifty (50) clipart items may be used in any non-commercial, educational project (report, presentation, display, website, etc.) without special permission. The use of more than fifty clipart items in a single project requires written permission from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) at USF.

Credit. Please credit FCIT whenever a resource is used. If resources from this site are incorporated into a website, a link to http://etc.usf.edu/clipart must be included on your site. If you would like to help others find the Clipart ETC site, you may choose to link to us with one of these banners or buttons instead of a text link. (Here's a man mounted upon a horse from
S. Reinach, Apollo (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1922) via FCIT)

Another

The Renaissance Connection, Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, Pennsylvania

A middle-school level exploration of Renaissance visual arts and innovations and their role in the making of the modern world. Explore a timeline of Renaissance art and innovation, commission an artwork as a patron of the arts, design your own innovation, and much more, all enhanced with quirky visuals, irreverent humor, and engaging interactivity that reveal the ways that Renaissance life and culture resemble our own. (It works best if you have Flash installed - but there is a HTML/text version as well.)

Suggestions from surfaquarium

Journey through the Renaissance - http://library.thinkquest.org/C005356/
This Flash-based website will allow your students to take an animated tour of the Renaissance beginning in Italy and traveling through time across Europe. You can take advantage of the Flash technology or use the Market Place alternative to sift through the content without having to make use of the plugin. Assuming you do want the full effect, you can opt for either a spoken guided tour or a smaller-sized silent tour. Running like an interactive multimedia movie, this is sure to get students' attention. Great as an introduction to the Renaissance!

Virtual Renaissance - http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/Renaissance/VirtualRen.html
OK so the index page is a bit much with the intense background. But once you get past it your students are in for quite a treat. Enter through Portal Five and receive a complete lesson plan for using this site with your students, who are required to apprentice for an artisan during Renaissance times. There is an emphasis on the study of the Guilds of the time and an opportunity for each of your students to become a master craftsperson in his or her own right. This site is set in Renaissance Italy, so it gives a nice contrast to other pages recommended on this topic which favor the later northern Renaissance.

RENAISSANCE - an Annenberg/CPB project on the cultural rebirth of the Middle Ages - excellent production and activities

RENAISSANCE TOME OF ADVENTURE AND KNOWLEDGE - "Sir Clisto Seversword" takes you on a journey through the Middle Ages using sight and sound to simulate a right medieval experience - very different!

LEONARDO HOME PAGE
From the Boston Museum of Science; includes an Inventor's Workshop and a look at Leonardo's Perspective

LEONARDO: WEBMUSEUM SITE
An art criticism of his life's work with eight of his works viewable online as part of the presentation; links to a timeline of the High Renaissance, Raphael, Titian and Rembrandt