Black Friday

I don't normally go shopping on Black Friday.  The crowds, the stress, and the celebration of the materialism for which Americans are now well-known do not appeal to me.

However, this morning, I discovered that National Geographic offers Black Friday specials.  In addition to getting 50% off a very cool birthday present for my sister the professional photographer, I found  the "In the Womb" collection for 58% off and "March of the Penguins" for $1.59!  

Okay, so I had to see what else was out there.  At Hayneedle.com, I found a telescope and microscope kit for 46% off.  And at Amazon.com, I found a sale on National Geographic's "Inside the Living Body" and "Journey to the Edge of the Universe" with Super Saver Shipping.  

While I still don't adhere to the spirit of Black Friday, I suppose I can appreciate it.

Music Lessons

We have designated Monday as our weekly Music Appreciation Day.  We learn very basic music theory like distinguishing pitches, identifying intervals, and reading music notation.  

However, we postponed our music lesson this week.  On Tuesday night, Black Hills State University hosted the 19th Annual Northern Hills Honor Bands Festival.  We discussed proper "concert etiquette" and went to watch.

My 6-year-old Maggie loved the music.  During the car ride home, she requested "band music like the one we just heard." (Four-year-old Elena was less interested in the concert, but proved to be an enthusiastic audience member, applauding everything.)

Of course, the best part of the show was the finale -- an arrangement called "Highlights from Harry Potter."  Even Elena could appreciate that piece.

Autumn

Too many children are disconnected from the revolution of the seasons.  I want my girls to know that autumn is more than just "the time of year all the T.V. shows come back."

This Fall, we...

• attended the Harvest Festival on Main Street;
• made gluten-free pumpkin muffins;
• picked apples from our neighbors' tree;
• put the vegetable garden to bed;
• planted tulip bulbs for Spring;
• raked leaves to jump in, but saved the most beautiful leaves to make  Mod Podge lanterns, pressed-leaf art, and bookmarks for Christmas

"10,000 BC"

For history, we followed the advice in The Well-Trained Mind and started at the beginning.  We are studying the earliest people: hunters and gatherers, cavemen, and, apparently, Paleo-Indians in North America known as the Clovis people. 

My mother, knowing that we were studying this era and also that we don't have cable, was thoughtful enough to DVR a History Channel Special called "10,000 BC" for Maggie.  This weekend, we spent a drizzly afternoon at Grandma's house and watched the 2-hour special. 

Maggie LOVED it.  Every few minutes, she turned to me with an exclamation of something like "Mommy, those kids were so strong -- they carried the dead animals all the way back to their camp!"  or "Mommy, can you believe that God made diamonds [nano-diamonds] that small!  They came in a meteor from outer space!"  or "Mommy, mammoths became extinct.  That means there are no more of them anywhere."

And, thanks to the History Channel, Maggie has changed her dream job from "Princess" to "Archaeologist."

"Maggie's Cave Paintings" 

(inspired by the Lascaux Cave Paintings)