It Came from the Search Terms: September
What were people searching for on HSL in September?
I’ve seen other bloggers round this up, and I always enjoy it, so I thought we might do it, too. Here’s what people have searched for that brought them to HSL in September — with comments that may point them in the right direction!
Hero’s Journey movies
So maybe people are finding what they’re looking for in this post, but there are lots more movies that reflect the stages of the hero’s journey. The Hobbit (even though it didn’t need to be split into three movies!) is a good one; see also:
The Lion King (which manages to be a hero’s journey narrative even though Hamlet — on which it’s loosely based — ISN’T really a hero’s journey narrative, which would totally be a fun thing to discuss with a high schooler)
O Brother Where Art Thou (which may be cheating a little since it’s based on The Odyssey, arguably the original hero’s journey)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the 1992 movie)
Geography books for middle school
In fact, I’m not sure books are the best tools for middle school geography. Books can be a great way to introduce geography to younger students — the Sleeping Press state books are really delightful, for example — and for digging into the nuances of geography with older students (How to Lie with Maps and The Map the Changed the World are fascinating options), but for middle school, I think doing trumps reading for studying geography. Obviously mapping places is part of this, but I love hands-on projects like clothesline geography, landscape in a box, and role-playing geography adventures like planning a climbing trip to Mount Everest.
Nature study curriculum
I’ve been reading a lot of Emerson and Thoreau lately, and I feel like they’ve illuminated a problem for me of secular homeschooling: Really nature-y nature study curricula get all religious about nature. I feel like some of that comes from this Emersonian notion that spending time in Nature (with a capital N) is necessarily a spiritual experience. So it’s maybe not surprising that a 100% secular nature study curriculum is hard to find. So here’s what I’d do — unless you just want to grab a copy of The Nature Connection, which isn’t a curriculum, but which has served as one for us for many years: Pick a topic each year, and dig into it together. One year, you might study bugs — hit the library for books, sign up for any bug-related classes at your local nature center, curate a collection of bug photos from your neighborhood, watch documentaries about bugs, build an ant farm, go on a bug hunt in your nearest green space every day — basically make thinking about bugs part of your regular routine. The next year you could tackle trees (and make a big leaf book, take bark rubbings, etc) or weather (build a barometer, measure your backyard rainfall, keep a sky chart, etc.). Instead of a curriculum, work on making nature study part of your routine, and develop in the directions that follow your child’s interest.
What did Vikings give each other as gifts?
I’m guessing people end up here because of our Norse mythology gift guide, but the answer to this question (which I had to research a little) proves to be pretty interesting. We think of Vikings as pillagers and plunderers, but gift-giving and hospitality were an important part of Viking culture, too. In The Tale of Audun from the West Fjords (an Icelandic saga that dates back to the 1200s C.E. in written form), Audun is given generous gifts by King Svien of Denmark, including the gold bracelet from his own arm. In Njáls saga (c.1280), King Harald of Denmark gives the warrior Gunnar some of his own clothes, a pair of embroidered gloves, and a “Russian hat.” What’s interesting is that in both these cases, we see two ideas that recur in Viking gift-giving: First up, gifts definitely come with strings attached — gifts are repayments for favors given or down payments on future favors. And second, the most meaningful gifts aren’t things you go out and procure, but things you own and love, making giving them to someone else a little bit of a sacrifice. That’s why so many gifts involve clothing and ornaments. So there you go.
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 10.19.19
Lilith Fair flashbacks make me happy, British citizenship tests are stuck on the Tudors, the problem with “spiritual consumerism,” when books could kill you, and more stuff we liked this week.
Happy birthday to the fabulous Suzanne! I was looking for an appropriate occasion to celebrate the return of Friday Stuff, and I can’t think of a better one than the anniversary of the day my favorite book nerd, podcast cohort, school partner, and lunch date was born.
And yes, that means that this week marks the return of regular blogging at HSL. We have some great stuff coming up — including the fall issue, which should be up next week! — and we’re all energized and refreshed after a much-needed break.
what’s happening at home/school/life
Our homeschool feels seismic this year — it’s my daughter’s senior year, and after a decade of homeschooling, this stage of our life together is ending. We’re working through college essays and applying to colleges, and I say we because it’s been we for so long, but now it’s really her. I’m so proud of her and happy and excited for her — and also really prone to tearing up at ordinary moments. My son, who is in middle school, I don't even know what grade we are calling it, has discovered that he loves taking classes with his friends, so we still do homeschooling together, but I can already see that homeschooling high school with him will probably look a lot different from the way it has looked with my daughter. They’re both awesome, and their blooming is a joy — it's just a joy that also makes me feel a little sad sometimes, which I think is okay.
on the blog: Have you guys seen Sarah’s Kindle deals? She is finding some amazing stuff! (You can get an email with each day’s deals if you sign up here.)
in the magazine: Look for the fall issue next week! In January, we are moving over to a new subscription model on Patreon — if you’re a subscriber, nothing will change for you until it’s time to renew your subscription, but new subscribers will see different options starting next month. (And if you’re already a Patreon supporter, the magazine will become one of your perks!)
at the academy: I have been having a little too much fun teaching the Salem witch trials in high school. (Even though my students did vote to burn me at the stake, so …) I’m also really enjoying my first online APUSH class — probably because my students are the best.
on instagram: I definitely enjoy the fact that my kids still like to dress up for their presentations sometimes!
links I liked
This totally gives away my age, but I loved Lilith Fair. It’s hard to think of concert experiences that even compare to how those concerts felt.
I’ve seen lots of U.S. citizenship tests, but this was my first look at a British one. (Apparently my copious knowledge of Henry VIII and the Tudors would serve me well here!)
I feel like "spiritual consumerism” is a phrase I have been trying to pin down for a while now: “It’s a little bit curious that as our political discourse is concerned with economic inequality — and the soaring costs of health care, education and homes — the cultural conversation is fixated on the healing powers of luxury items. What does it mean, that materialism is now so meaningful?”
Yes, thank you, I am very interested in knowing more about The Great Everywoman Outfit Contest of 1915.
Did you know about the great book scare of the late 19th/early 20th century?
Obviously a question right up my alley: What would the Golden Girls read?
As someone who had to navigate permissions for Emily Dickinson’s poems recently, I particularly enjoyed this. (The short version: Most of Dickinson’s poems were published in bowdlerized forms after her death, so her actual, un-bowdlerized poetry isn’t in the public domain yet, even though you’d think it would be.)
Semi-related: Dickinson’s herbarium is gorgeous and available online.
We were just talking about cancel culture and Harold Bloom in philosophy today.
I’m looking forward to seeing you again next Friday!
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 8.2.19
Rediscovered Langston Hughes, the Algonquin Round Table turns 100, feminist utopias, and more stuff we like.
Hello, end-of-summer! You could slow down a little if you want.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
I’ve been taking a little summer break from blogging — I’ve been doing my live series over on Patreon, working on the summer issue, and wrapping up the Year Two curriculum (true story: the second year is so much easier than the first!), but the HSL blog has been pretty quiet. I’m kind of in planning/evaluating mode, so if you have thoughts about things you like, stuff you’d like to read more of, or other ideas for the HSL blog, now is a great time to share them!
in the magazine: Thanks for all the feedback on the summer issue format! It has been really helpful — even though it seems to be about a 50/50 split for people who prefer each version.
on the blog: The awesome Sarah Smee is bringing back our Kindle Deals posts! (She’s the best!)
at the academy: We wrapped our summer chemistry class with an escape room challenge inspired by the periodic table.
from the archives: The bigger picture of multiple intelligences, tips for making your homeschool feel more home-y and less school-y, and some of our favorite homeschool school supplies
LINKS I LIKED
I identify with Dorothy Parker less as an adult than I did as a teenager (when she was my — possibly problematic — role model), but I’ll still read any story about the Algonquin Round Table.
This recently rediscovered Langston Hughes essay is going on my U.S. history required reading list.
This is one of the best essays I’ve read in recent years.
The complicated history of feminist utopian literature: “We didn’t slay the angel in the house just to replace her with a lady CIA officer in a flak jacket, cool shades, and a cattle prod.”
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
My inability to fall asleep unless I have one shoulder under a blanket is maybe not as weird as I have always thought it is.
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST
This Is How You Lose the Time War (I have heard so many good things about this!)
I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution (I love Emily Nussbaum, and not just because Buffy changed her life)
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
Octavia Butler love! (I remember when I was trying to convince people to read Kindred, and now she’s everywhere, and it’s so great. I wasn’t super-smart about discovering her or anything — I was just lucky to have a great teacher who recommended her to me.)
This. (*Please be good. Please be good.*)
WHAT’S CONFUSING ME
The Cats trailer. I mean — I don't even know what I mean. But it’s weird.
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 7.19.19
Preschool politics, battles on the YA shelves, Stone Age engineering projects, the subtleties of translation, and more stuff we like.
It’s been a while!
I don’t usually talk about my personal life (that’s not why you’re here!), but this has been a rough year for me, and I’ve been having a hard time keeping my depression — which has been pretty well controlled for the past several years — in check. I’m fine — I have a great therapist, tons of support, and I’m trying all kinds of different medications and techniques — but the whole Stuff We Like thing has felt a little hard to wrap my brain around some weeks. Which is long-winded way of saying, it’s not you, it’s me, and I hope I’ll be back in the rhythm of regularly liking stuff soon
what’s happening at home/school/life
The summer issue is out! We tried something new and published an all-digital edition (so no PDF to download) — we’ve had several people ask for that, so we wanted to give it a try. If you have an opinion, let us know!
on patreon: We’re wrapping up our homeschooling high school series next week. (Where did the summer go?) Support us on Patreon for as little as $1/month, and get access to all our Patreon-only content.
at the academy: Our fall online class schedule is up!
out and about: You can find Amy chatting about literature-based learning at the SEA Online Symposium in July.
from the archives: A great curriculum for right now: The Science of Climate Change; Suzanne says this steampunk alt-history series is the perfect summer binge; we bust some common myths about homeschooling high school
in the store: Last call for print curriculum orders this year! :)
links i liked
This story about politics and in-fighting at a fancy Brooklyn preschool should totally be turned into a television series.
I loved this piece about literary translations: “Translation, after all, is literary analysis mixed with sympathy, a matter for the brain as well as the heart.”
How horror movies kill off inquisitive women of color.
I found this really interesting: There’s a lot of anger and drama happening in the YA community around representation, and I appreciate this thoughtful unpacking.
things i didn’t know but now i do
George Washington was a (racist) amateur genealogist.
Ancient Scots built artificial islands during the Stone Age. (That’s around the same time Stonehenge was built.)
books added to my tbr list
Gin Austen (because I am there for Jane Austen cocktails!)
The Nickel Boys (because I’ll read everything he writes)
what’s making me happy
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 5.10.19
Burnout is not a professional goal, the myth of the frontier in U.S. history, what do we mean when we talk about “electability,” what we always suspected about cats is true, and more stuff we like.
I had a long lunch with my best friend, saw a movie with my family, and am looking forward to a sushi date with my husband tonight. Hello, my life, how I’ve missed you!
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
Year One and Year Two of our high school curriculum are on sale now! (If you want a print copy with all the books, order soon!)
on the blog: Suzanne’s (almost) winning at Library Chicken. Next week is her week!
at the academy: Graduation!
from the archives: Shelli’s family loved their My Side of the Mountain readaloud; 7 great resources for teaching critical thinking; rhythms and routines in unschooling
LINKS I LIKED
I am fascinated (and I think also a little terrified?) of the implications of this test-your-DNA craze.
Yes! Why have we embraced burnout as a professional value? I’m thinking a lot about this lately.
I’ve always been really interested in the construct of the frontier and the role it played (and still plays) in the development of the United States, and after this year of obsessing over U.S. history, I’m even more interested.
This was fascinating to me: The Mississippi Freedom Trail markers that mark sites connected to the murder of Emmett Till are more controversial than I’d realized: “As soon as the Bryants’ store was allowed to crumble, the forensic fascination of who-did-what-to-whom was reframed as an examination of how racism persists in the Delta. The onset of ruin has transformed the focus of commemorative inquiry: the inattention of the local community is now part of the meaning of Till’s murder.”
Why are we talking about electability (what does that mean??) and not about the best candidates?
I love real pictures of people’s lives on Instagram! (But it takes a lot of courage to put them out there.)
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
Anything about the amazing woman Redoshi, who survived a slave ship, the Civil War, and the Great Depression. (How did I not know this?)
Actually I probably did know this; I just didn’t want to admit it: Cats May Recognize Their Own Names — But It Doesn’t Mean They Care
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
(I feel like this list is totally dating me, you guys. I mean, I guess maybe the Cure poster I still have in my office does that, though?)
Tiffany is back at the mall, you guys!
The new Veronica Mars trailer
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 5.3.19
Highs and lows of Facebook groups, Teddy Roosevelt and the Iron Throne, my new favorite interview with a vampire, and more stuff we like.
School’s out for summer! Well, our homeschool is kicking into summer mode since we go year round, but the hybrid school Suzanne and I run has officially wrapped for summer. Graduation is Saturday, and I am looking forward to a glorious month of no teaching before I hop back into my summer chemistry class in June.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
in the store: Our Year One and Year Two curricula are on sale now, and you can get a nice deal if you preorder them! (I expect to keep the digital editions all year, but the print editions will have a limited run again.)
on the podcast: Suzanne and I are talking about why we decided to add “run a hybrid school” to our to-do lists.
on patreon: Weigh in on what you’d like us to cover in our series on academic homeschooling through high school.
on instagram: Project season!
at the academy: If you’re in Atlanta, you should come take chemistry with me this summer!
from the archives: Shelli reviewed IEW’s Student Writing Intensive; a peek back at Amy’s 3rd grade; homeschooling is messy, but maybe that’s okay.
LINKS I LIKED
This piece about neighborhood Facebook groups is funny because it’s true. (We literally have a guy in our neighborhood group who prefaces almost every post with “I don’t want to be that guy, but”— and it makes me laugh out loud every time.
Similarly: Private Facebook groups can be surprisingly wonderful spaces, in a totally non-ironic way.
Carmilla was one of my lit students’ favorite reads this year, so I found this kind of perfect. (Read it all the way to the end!)
This was just … wow: “I can endure about five minutes more of this. Nothing of any value has been said by either party on any subject.”
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
I am surprisingly good at guessing what Teddy Roosevelt would say.
The world of Los Angeles parking tickets is not simple.
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee (because it's so wild to think of what Harper Lee's In Cold Blood would read like)
Stony the Road (because I can’t stop reading about Reconstruction)
No Walls and the Recurring Dream: A Memoir (because I grew up on Ani!)
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
Sandal weather! (I’m still tromping around in my super-comfy, super-clunky Alegria sandals — I think breaking my ankles has permanently altered my shoe wardrobe, and I am okay with that!)
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 4.26.19
Our weekly roundup of links, books, and other homeschool inspiration.
It’s crunch time here at HSL HQ: Finals at the Academy are next week, our galleys are in for the new Year Two curriculum, and the spring issue just wrapped.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
in the magazine: The spring issue is out! Make sure to download your copy.
on instagram: The galleys for our Year Two curriculum make such a pretty stack.
at the academy: Lots of excitement at the high school and the junior high
on patreon: Suzanne and I are kicking off a summer series on academic homeschooling through high school — we’ll talk course rigor, transcripts, testing, AP classes, and college matchmaking.
from the archives: A close-up look at my homeschool planner, some of our favorite Shakespeare adaptations, and the first steps to starting a homeschool group in your neck of the woods.
LINKS I LIKED
I am pleased to report that I have read all of the 11 most challenged books of 2018.
I think by now you know that I will happily read anything about fonts. (My son was poking fun at my daughter yesterday because she’s been spending all week changing the fonts on the covers of her Wattpad books, but I think it’s probably genetic…)
Walt Whitman, for me, is a huge piece of American literature, which I’m teaching next year, so I found this particularly interesting. I feel like this may well be the work of 21st century academic literature: How to build a canon that is respectful and inclusive, that can separate excellence from personality without excusing racism, sexism, colonialism, etc.
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
I’m not the only compulsive notebook buyer out there. (It feels so good to start a new one, though!)
The internet is changing the way we preserve endangered languages.
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
The prospect of getting caught up on the parts of my life that get put on hold during editing binges!
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 3.29.19
Our weekly roundup of great links, books, and other stuff that’s inspiring our homeschool life.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
I’m wrapping up the spring issue and next year’s curriculum, in that order!
on the blog: Don’t let other people’s voices get in your way
at the academy: What’s happening at the high school and the junior high
on instagram: Suzanne makes the best book recommendations
from the archives: A Civil War reading list and 30 great ideas for celebrating National Poetry Month
LINKS I LIKED
I love this so much: Reimagining history, one whitewashed diorama at a time. We really can do better as we know better, just like this.
I love my job, but I don’t want my job to be the most important thing in my life.
Suzanne and I were just talking about what ever happened to Wite-Out. (Do you think the internet is spying on me?)
I thought this was great — I love getting to review books as part of my day job, but sometimes I just want to talk about books, and that’s not the same thing.
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
One of the most celebrated women authors of the 19th century got erased from literary history.
Fantasy birding is a thing, and it is GLORIOUS.
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
Murder by the Book: The Crime that Shocked Dickens’s London (obviously!)
Tokyo Stories: A Japanese Cookbook (I think my daughter will love this one)
The Old Drift (Salman Rushdie makes this sound like a can’t-miss)
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
These amazing illustrations for Howl’s Moving Castle.
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 3.22.19
The slow, important uncovering of history, snow plow parents, transcript-writing for people who aren’t transcript writers, cats in medieval manuscripts, and more stuff I like.
I’ve been working away on the spring issue of HSL and on the chemistry curriculum for next year’s high school, so I am not crazy about the pollen attack that happens every time I walk outside. I am loving the sunshine, though!
What’s happening at home/school/life
on the blog: Suzanne is obsessed with novellas right now, and these are some of her favorites
on patreon: We have a chat coming up this weekend!
at the academy: If you’re in the Atlanta area, you may want to check out our spring open house (and we have some openings in our online summer classes still!)
from the archives: How to write a high school transcript for an unschooler who suddenly needs a traditional transcript, a review of Your Business Math (spoiler: All math is more fun when it involves kittens), and helping children cope with fear
Links I liked
I got a little obsessed with the whole college admissions scandal when it broke last week. (See: Kids photoshopped as athletes.) But I think this was my favorite response to it: “The point is to prepare the kid for the road, instead of preparing the road for the kid.”
I really appreciate the slow, steady, painful work of historians and activities who are bringing the dark side of U.S. history to the forefront. It’s much happier to read about brave pioneers than about lynchings of Mexican people in Texas or about the heroes of D-Day than about Japanese internment camps, but history is never about what’s happy. It’s about what’s true. At least it should be.
How Gabriel Garcia Marquez began to write.
Things I didn’t know but now I do
The Black Death may have had a big impact on medieval Sub-Saharan Africa, too.
We can hear what music actually sounded like in ancient Greece
The abolitionists had a poster girl in the antebellum United States, and you may be surprised by what she looks like.
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez (I usually try to hide from books that everyone is recommending until the buzz is quiet, but I’m putting this one on my list)
Night of Fire by Colin Thubron (this looks right up my alley)
Mad Love and War by Joy Harjo (I’m trying to read more Native American literature)
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 3.8.19
Problems with children’s literature, thirty years of “Closer to Fine,” saying goodbye to Dylan McKay, weird ancient Greek obsessions, and more stuff we like.
I am so looking forward to a week of catching up on my reading! (And to reading Good Omens for my next book club seminar! Have you seen the trailer?)
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
on the blog: You are doing a lot of things right, so give yourself some credit
on instagram: I love Women’s History Month reading with my kids.
from the archives: Great epistolary novels and family game night upgrades
LINKS I LIKED
I find myself hit surprisingly hard by the death this week of Luke Perry. He wasn’t my childhood crush or anything — that was Willem Dafoe; I was a weird kid — but there was something kind of cool about the fact that the show’s heartthrob quoted Keats and talked Kerouac. RIP, Dylan McKay.
This makes me sad. What are we doing with college and kids right now? Because it just seems like it’s terrible.
I feel like this question keeps coming up for me: How do we deal with beloved children’s literature (and Little House on the Prairie was absolutely beloved by me as a child) that clearly has Big Problems once we start paying attention? I think it might be okay to acknowledge that we loved what we loved and even to pass it on to our children — knowing that if we’ve done our job right, they will probably pick up on those problems and not love it the way we did. And that’s right — that’s how the evolution of the canon should work. When we know better, we read better.
This is my pet peeve! I am really picky about editions of classics, and Amazon makes it SO FREAKING HARD to get the one I want. (I usually end up Googling instead of searching inside Amazon because that tends to work a little better for finding the edition I want.)
Relevant to my interests (which actually makes me sound kinda creepy): Episodes of Eating Children in Ancient Greece, Ranked in Order of Unreasonableness
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
It has been 30 years since “Closer to Fine” came out. Apparently this is the week of things making me feel old.
I do not actually know how to spell a surprising number of celebrity names. (Maybe you can do better!)
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
The Secret Commonwealth (Lyra Silvertongue all grown up? Sign me up!)
A People’s Future of the United States (Get on my bookcase!)
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
It’s spring break! (It’s funny because when I was in school I didn't love spring break, but now that I teach school, I’m in love with spring break!)
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 3.1.19
The magical union of science and art, objectivity in a post-truth world, Star Trek has seen the future, and more stuff we like.
The magical union of science and art, objectivity in a post-truth world, Star Trek has seen the future, and more.
I’m in the middle of the spring issue, and there’s a lot of good stuff there!
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
on the blog: Our beat-the-midwinter-slump series is up!
in the store: You can download our reading guide for The Hate U Give for free right now! (It has one of my favorite wrap-up writing projects in it.)
on patreon: There’s a new episode of the Podcast with Suzanne and Amy. (We’re talking about middle school.)
from the archives: Planning your day around readalouds and a little winter homeschool flashback
LINKS I LIKED
I am not sure there is anything that has made me happier recently than these videos of people dancing their PhDs.
How cool is this crocheted skeleton?
Is it weird that I really enjoyed this piece about the history and influence of navy blue?
Sometimes when I think about the future, I feel so much hope — because of kids like these.
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
Star Trek may be right about everything.
The Himalayan wolf may be distinct enough to be classified as a new species. (I’m totally sharing this with my evolution class.)
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
Early Riser (I’m excited to see what Jasper Fforde is up to beyond Thursday Next)
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century (no way could I resist that title)
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
rutabaga tacos! (I love rutabagas so much, and these are delicious.)
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 2.16.19
RIP, Mars Rover; renegade nuns; my new favorite tip for recognizing passive voice; my neighborhood 50 million years ago; and more stuff we like.
RIP, Mars Rover; renegade nuns; my new favorite tip for recognizing passive voice; my neighborhood 50 million years ago; and more.
I do love the feeling of satisfaction when you get the “Your AP class has been approved” email!
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
on the blog: Go all-in with a unit study to beat the midwinter homeschool slump and sometimes you just have to get started, whether you feel ready or not.
from the archives: Delightfully doleful books for dark and dreary days and some great STEM biographies for middle grades
LINKS I LIKED
I’ll always read an interview with a copy chief, but I’m totally stealing the zombie-passive-voice tip from this one for my students.
I think we all know that I am always going to read a story about a medieval nun who faked her own death to escape a convent.
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
There’s a map that lets me look at my neighborhood 150 million years ago.
There’s actually (kind of) a synonym for the word synonym.
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
Napoleon’s Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History (because I’ve got to find some good chemistry book recommendations for my students in Year 2)
H20: A Biography of Water (see above)
And crossed off: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Eleanor Hardcastle, which Suzanne tells me is a cool idea that doesn’t quite get there
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
Plotting middle school
Making our own textbooks
This amazing cross-stitch, which I got as a gift from a friend (rated PG-13)
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 2.8.19
Friends versus “friends,” the link between prairie dresses and colonization, slow cooking trumps quick hands, adventures in medieval poop, and more stuff we like.
The weather here is just crazy: At the beginning of the week, it was cold enough to snow; yesterday, it got up to 70; tonight, it’s getting down to 36.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
on the podcast: Suzanne and I are talking about the big homeschool questions on our minds right now (and hoping some of them sound like interesting future podcasts!)
on the blog: Revisiting HSL’s initial mission (it’s still our mission) and the soul-expanding power of quitting
on patreon: It’s our live chat weekend!
on instagram: You don’t have to know where you want to end up to choose where you want to go next
in the archives: A science of infection reading list and why homeschooling is always easier in hindsight
LINKS I LIKED
Those “quick hands” cooking videos have always felt a little off-putting to me, but I didn’t know why.
Oh my gosh, so much this! I cannot take seriously anyone who says utilize when she just means use.
I loved this — I definitely am not where I was at 27, but I totally identify with the idea that we change so much and so little at the same time. (Especially since I had a student ask me today if I missed being young!) (I don’t, though.)
I love Facebook for keeping up with people it might be hard to keep up with otherwise — but this is why I keep my circle of friends small enough that I never feel like I need to put the word “friends” in quotation marks.
This was fascinating: The racism and colonial entitlement in feminine frontier fashion.
This is delightful: A list of things that I actually would like men to explain to me, please.
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
The news has always been too much, especially in the 19th century.
The socks and sandals thing dates back way before the 1970s.
A day on Saturn is 10 hours, 33 minutes and 38 seconds
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
On the Come Up (we’re reading The Hate U Give for book club right now)
The City in the Middle of the Night (I loved All the Birds in the Sky)
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President (because I know almost nothing about Garfield, and I want to fill in some gaps)
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 2.1.19
The not-so-true Instagram reality, new words for cold days, find your Dewey Decimal personality, let’s stop hustling for a minute, and more stuff we like.
The not-so-true Instagram reality, new words for cold days, find your Dewey Decimal personality, let’s stop hustling for a minute, and more.
Happy February! We had an un-snow day this week — snow was predicted and the city shut down, but it ended up being kind of a lovely day.
what’s happening at home/school/life
in the magazine: Be sure to get your copy of the winter issue!
on the podcast: Suzanne and I are recording the new episode this morning, so look for it on Patreon sometime this weekend
on patreon: What to eat when you wish you had a little more weekend ahead of you
on instagram: Un-snow day adventures!
on the blog: Sometimes you need to take yourself out of the homeschool equation for a minute and the value of repeating science experiments — and of not repeating them, too
from the archives: 28 great readalouds for Black History Month and Suzanne’s official Hamilton reading list
links i liked
I do love getting glimpses of other homeschool lives on Instagram, but I hate the way we all feel pressured to present the best shiniest version of our lives all the time. This piece is about the pressure to make new motherhood look perfect, but I feel the same pressure around homeschooling sometimes, too.
What Dewey Decimal number are you? (I’m apparently 031.)
Don’t read this if swearing offends you! But if you enjoy inventing your own swear words, you might find this piece as funny as I did.
I’d love it if we could stop validating the whole nonstop work culture.
A good question: Does Duolingo even work?
things i didn’t know but now i do
This was a good week to learn some new cold weather words. (Aquabob!)
Frostquakes are a thing.
books added to my tbr list this week
An Unkindness of Ghosts (Sarah recommended it, but I’m saving it for a more emotionally stable reading time)
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee (I would like to read about the past century of Native American history very much)
In an Absent Dream (I loved the first book in this series — the second and third, not so much, but I am hoping this one brings back the magic)
my daughter’s new Warrior Cats fan fiction novel (obviously that one’s going straight to the top!)
what’s making me happy
unexpected days off (even if there’s no snow involved)
my sister-in-law and her lovely family are moving back to town
my new breadbox (because now I feel like I can play 20 Questions and mean it)
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 1.25.19
Celebrating Edward Gorey, how many books could you read in a year, a Golden Compass adaptation that I can’t wait for, trying the murderer of Edwin Drood, and more stuff we like.
Celebrating Edward Gorey, how many books could you read in a year, a Golden Compass adaptation that I can’t wait for, trying the murderer of Edwin Drood, and more.
It’s been a busy week here!
What’s happening at home/school/life
in the magazine: The winter issue is out!
on the podcast: I’m talking about how we get our homeschool groove back after a break.
on patreon: We’re scheduling our first chat if you have topics you want to add to list!
on the blog: What I’ve been reading lately.
from the archives: A resolution to bring back literature and how to make your winter homeschool movie days feel a little more active
Links I liked
I like this take on why the ending of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” the Netflix series is a little less open-ended than the books.
All the mentions of Edward Gorey in The New York Times!
This is one of those things that makes you happy to be a reader: Who killed Edwin Drood? Some Dickens fans decide to bring the case to trial.
A medieval scribe — who also happens to be a woman — gets a little long overdue credit.
Classic literature is complicated by racism, sexism, xenophobia, and all kinds of othering. And yet, many of these classics have stood the test of time for good reasons. I believe completely in building a new canon that incorporates meaningful diversity, but this piece about reading as time traveling captures a lot of my ambivalence about letting go of the classics completely.
Things I didn't know but now I do
I could read more books a year if I spent less time re-watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
There won’t be any Sweethearts candies this Valentine’s Day. (I’m honestly not sure how I feel about this.)
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
Relish: My Life in the Kitchen (How had I not heard of this?)
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever (I had no idea James Tiptree was a woman, and apparently I am missing out on some great short stories)
You Know You Want This (She had me at “Cat People”)
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
The third season of The Magicians (I’m always behind!)
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 1.18.19
Existential therapy, quitting email, fortune cookie literature, the best way to take notes, and more stuff we like.
Existential therapy, quitting email, fortune cookie literature, the best way to take notes, and more.
It’s our last lazy week before our routine picks back up, so we’ve been enjoying every minute of it.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
in the magazine: The winter issue is out next week! I am particularly excited about our Gigantic Homeschool Book List, which was incredibly fun to put together.
on the blog: How to start a family book club
on instagram: The hat I keep knitting over and over again (When I wrote this post, Mary Oliver was alive; when it actually posted, she was not. I feel a little weird about that, especially since the reference I made is such a casual one.)
on patreon: A new episode of the Podcast with Suzanne and Amy! (It will be up everywhere next week)
from the archives: Suzanne’s original instructions for playing Library Chicken and why we’re always second-guessing ourselves when it comes to homeschooling
LINKS I LIKED
I, too, started my publishing life in the days when magazines were arbiters of taste, so this mini memoir by a former newspaper film critic (who hated The English Patient) really resonated with me.
I am now obsessed with finding an existential therapist.
Even though I will probably never actually quit email, I love the idea of quitting email so much.
Sometimes the best dinners are the ones you don’t see on Instagram.
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
There is an official point where I will stop reading J.K. Rowling’s further notes on the wizarding world she created, and this is it.
City traffic was a little crazy even before there were cars.
Doodling is the best way to take notes.
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom (I’m so skeptical, but I have to)
A Tale for the Time Being (because Suzanne recommends it)
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
These hilarious Virgo pencils (My best friend jokes that my biography should be titled Meticulously Planned Spontaneity, which honestly seems fair.)
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 1.11.19
Let’s not magically tidy our books off the shelves, the problem (ahem) with women political candidates, W.E.B. Du Bois and the modern infographic, and more stuff we like.
Let’s not magically tidy our books off the shelves, the problem (ahem) with women political candidates, W.E.B. Du Bois and the modern infographic, and more.
We’re slowly easing back into our routine — my daughter’s dual enrollment class started this week, and one of Jason’s Spanish teaching gigs picked back up. We’re trying to get back on a semi-normal sleep and wake-up schedule, and I’m taking advantage of the extra time to stock the freezer with break-in-case-of-emergency meals for when the spring semester gets crazy (and also, to be totally honest, to take some naps because there is never enough time for naps once the new semester gets going). We don’t actually start back to school — homeschool or Jason’s school, where I teach — until after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and this is the time when I am so glad to have those extra two weeks off.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
on the blog: It’s OK not to do everything and my first reading roundup of 2019
on instagram: Podcast planning with Suzanne!
on patreon: My kindergarten-inspired plan for homeschooling middle school
from the archives: How to start homeschooling in the middle of the year and how do you know when it’s time to quit homeschooling?
LINKS I LIKED
This is a wall I can get behind.
Possibly a little too on-point: What your Myers-Briggs type says about whether you will take the Myers-Briggs test. (I actually took the Myers-Briggs test, but I now want all my friends to address me as “Nerd Emperor.”)
I’m so glad I am not alone in really hating the way Marie Kondo declutters books. (I actually think Marie Kondo is adorable, and I love some of her ideas, but the books thing is a hard no.)
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
Along with everything else he did, W.E.B. Du Bois helped invent the modern infographic.
There are, on average, three meals mentioned in every Sherlock Holmes story, and poor Watson almost never gets to finish them.
There’s a library extension for Chrome!
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is leaning a little less.
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
Kitchen Yarns (because I think we all know I can’t say no to a title like that)
Snobbery with Violence: An Edwardian Murder Mystery (recommended by Lindsey!)
Bellwether (I’m always hoping to recapture the magic of To Say Nothing of the Dog)
The Lumbee Indians: An American Struggle (This looks amazing)
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
Valentine Love Note Hats (How cute are these?)
Snuggling by the fireplace to read together (I do think it should snow if it’s going to be this cold, though!)
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 1.4.18
How to be a learning model in your homeschool, easing back into homeschooling after a long break, the joys of Scholastic book fairs, ants on medical leave, the rise of small bookstores, glitter, and more stuff we life.
How to be a learning model in your homeschool, easing back into homeschooling after a long break, the joys of Scholastic book fairs, ants on medical leave, the rise of small bookstores, glitter, and more.
Happy New Year! I love a break, but I also love that I have a life I enjoy coming back to after a break. (I will admit: I’m not loving the idea of going back to real pants after weeks of pajamas… but other than that!)
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
We’ve been revising our most-read posts of 2018 on Facebook these past couple of weeks, but in case you are interested in the full list, here’s what you guys read in 2018:
How I Use My Bullet Journal for Our Homeschool’s As-We-Go Schedule
Curriculum Review: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
A Fun Living Math Curriculum for Elementary to Middle School: Your Business Math
How We Created Our Homeschool's Studio Ghibli Literature Class (Without a Curriculum)
(Not all of these were published in 2018, but they were the most-read posts for last year.)
on the blog: Start your week off with our Monday meditations and how to model critical reading for your kids by thinking out loud to yourself (finally! talking to yourself counts as a legit educational strategy)
on Patreon: How I use commonplace books to chronicle our annual homeschool and create a family holiday tradition that we’ve come to love
from the archives: How to figure out what’s next for YOU when homeschooling is over and transitioning back to homeschooling after a long break
LINKS I LIKED
Apparently I am not the only person whose kids sometimes fail to appreciate my culinary creative because they want their favorite foods again and again. (I will happily make macaroni and cheese, which is my mom’s recipe for macaroni and cheese, just with more cheese, with them every other month for the rest of their lives just because we all know the recipe so well that we end up having the best conversations while we make it. But I am also excited to make coconut milk-braised chicken legs.)
Scholastic book fairs were the highlights of my childhood, and the one I went to as an adult was just as magical.
Something to celebrate: Small bookstores are thriving again. (I have such fond memories of the little bookstore in our small town that opened up when I was in middle school and was willing to order me all the weird books I wanted that the library didn’t keep on their shelves.)
If you, too, loved Firefly, I bet you will love this as much as I do.
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
Mark Twain was so famous, his editor tried to get President Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving to accommodate Twain’s birthday.
The world of glitter is incredibly complicated. (And who is this top secret glitter consumer that no one knows is actually using glitter? It’s all VERY MYSTERIOUS.)
If I move, it probably should be to this town that has more books than people.
This is so cool: Scientists were able to recreate this pre-Incan temple using 3-D printed models.
Ants take sick days, too!
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
Bellweather Rhapsody (Alex award winners are almost always hits with me!)
Crazy Salad (I’m trying to read more essays in general, and Nora Ephron feels like a good place to start)
Shiverton Hall (How did I miss this when it came out?)
Born to Be Posthumous (Who can resist an Edward Gorey biography? NOT ME.)
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
Watching School of Rock for movie night. (We couldn’t stop laughing. It was one of those right-movie-at-the-right-time moments. And we had the best tacos.)
My new $8 leopard print wool coat. (Thank you, thrift store.)
The first Agatha Raisin book — totally fluffy silliness, sometimes that’s just what you need
This gorgeous citrusy bubble bath that I would never buy for myself but was totally delighted to get as a gift
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 12.28.18
Feminist versions of space exploration, the best movie musicals, delightfully weird literary cookbooks, how world orders end, holiday reading, and more stuff we like.
Feminist versions of space exploration, the best movie musicals, delightfully weird literary cookbooks, how world orders end, holiday reading, and more.
Happy almost New Year!
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
We’re on vacation, and it’s awesome!
LINKS I LIKED
Funny: An update on the problem of Maria
I’ve loved Eliza Dushku since she rocketed her way into the third season of Buffy, and this op-ed piece makes me love her even more.
Just what the holidays need: The best movie musicals ranked
The Comedy Wildlife Photography awards never fail to make me happy.
Sci-fi space exploration has traditionally been a man’s world. What would it look like if women had a voice, too?
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
There is a reason stepping on Legos hurts more than walking on fire.
My secret fear of falling off a cruise ship is TOTALLY FOUNDED.
There’s a Barbara Pym cookbook!
Some people take gingerbread construction very seriously.
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
All the Names They Used for God (a gift from a friend!)
Cane (I’ve never read this, and I need to)
Save Me the Plums (It’s not out until April, but I can’t wait!)
Revenge of the Translator (This looks right up my alley)
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
Forbidden Island marathons
My new perfume
My new favorite mindless knitting project
Being on holiday!
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Stuff We Like :: 12.21.18
Links, books, and more stuff that’s inspiring our everyday homeschool life right now.
You guys, this holiday break is just what I needed. This is the second full year Jason’s school has been going, and I am still struggling to find the right balance for HSL stuff, school stuff, my other work, homeschooling, and life stuff, like laundry and feeding people every day. I am often humbled by how bad I can be at keeping it all together. A few weeks off always means tons of catch-up, but it’s also the breathing space I need to figure out what’s not working and how to fix — at least maybe — some of the bumpiest spots.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT HOME/SCHOOL/LIFE
Suzanne and I are launching a Patreon to help bring back The Podcast with Suzanne and Amy. We thought long and hard about doing this — but we really want to the Podcast to come back, and the truth is that we just can’t afford to keep it going unless we have a little money coming in. We’ve always been so vigilant about not allowing advertising from non-secular homeschool companies and about not trading editorial coverage for advertising dollars, and that’s never going to change because I feel pretty strongly about editorial integrity, but it does mean HSL doesn’t make a ton of money — which means sometimes we have to prioritize other work to pay the bills. We’d like to prioritize the podcast, though — and other great free content that we haven’t had as much time to work on these past two years, so we’ve decided to try Patreon. We have some great benefits for patrons (including special access to patrons-only content, monthly live chats, and early access to new podcast episodes), but don’t worry: We’ll still have all the same great free stuff here on the website.
on the blog: Sometimes, you’re late for co-op — but there’s always a good reason!
our most popular post last week: The HSL 2019 reading challenge is here — and there’s bingo.
from the archives: Some of our favorite books of 2017 and holiday treats inspired by classic holiday books
you may be interested in: 12 Great Book Series to Read Together (Binge reading season has arrived!)
LINKS I LIKED
I will never stop wanting to discuss all the reasons why Clueless is the best modern Jane Austen adaptation — and here’s why “totally” is the perfect foil for Austen’s excessive use of “very.”
I know I’m kind of snobby about the whole Instagram Influencer thing, but this is crazy, right?
Yes, thank you, I would be interested in reading about the history of authoritarian time changes. (I once refused to switch to daylight saving time for an entire year, but I’m not sure it counts since I just did the math when I needed the time. It felt so rebellious, though!)
Someone found the last menu from the December 2009 issue of Gourmet that was never published, and if you, too, loved Gourmet, it will make you kind of sad. (I’m definitely making the potato-leek gratin.)
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW BUT NOW I DO
The letters Q, X, and W were illegal in Turkey.
There’s an awesome Queen Anne exhibition coming to Kensington Palace, thanks to The Favorite. (This movie did not go where I expected it to go, but it was gorgeous to watch with the costumes and sets — and, of course, a must-see, since I had just spent a semester convincing people to appreciate the hilarity of the zeugma about Queen Anne taking sometimes counsel and sometimes tea in The Rape of the Lock.)
BOOKS ADDED TO MY TBR LIST THIS WEEK
Ottolenghi Simple (I’m hoping someone buys me this for the holidays)
Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Menus and Endless Ideas for Reinventing Leftovers (yes, please, give me something to do with all the leftover kale salad that we always seem to have)
The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge (because if Eugene Yelchin and M.T. Anderson are teaming up, I am there)
The Word Is Murder (because Magpie Murders was one of my favorite books of 2017)
WHAT’S MAKING ME HAPPY
Trader Joe’s peppermint Jo-Jos
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (I’m the last one to the party on this, I know, but it’s so charming!)
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Covid cases are spiking, and lots of secular homeschool families are still navigating social activities with extra caution. Having clear policies for homeschool co-ops and get-togethers can help all the folks in your community make the best choices for their families.