From 1949, the HMHS Podcast Network presents the first part of this excellent film: Your Fire Department.

This is a wonderfully detailed treatment of the Los Angeles Fire Department, its equipment, personnel and activities. Filmed in beautiful Kodachrome, this video will certainly appeal to boys of any age!

SUBSCRIBE | DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE IN iTUNES

We have just finished our  most recent read aloud series:  The Chronicles of Narnia.  Although I have read some of them in the past and the kids have studied some of the early books within the last few years, I was very struck with their reactions to them this time.  I was especially interested in their reactions to the Last Battle.  It is a very interesting book, with many themes to address as you read.  It turns apocalyptic near the end which made me brace for sad or otherwise upset children.  I mean, Narnia is destroyed!!  The stars fall from the sky!! The sun is destroyed!!  I thought they would be devastated.  Instead, they instantly understood that the stable door had led the characters to heaven.

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there was no longer any sea.”  Rev 21:1

They were somewhat surprised to realize that the Pevensies were now dead, but not saddened by the fact.  Their faith is so strong and unquestionable, that they knew the children would be forever happy now.  In fact, my eldest daughter remarked, “Ohh!  I wish Jesus would come right now, so we could be in heaven also!”  If only my faith was so pure that I could overlook that fear of death!

“He who testifies these things says , “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”  Rev 22:20

All in all the Chronicles were fun to read.  I loved the Horse and His Boy, but it vies for my favorite with Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  There is so much to explore while reading this series.  You could incorporate an entire unit study of Arabian culture during the Horse and His Boy!  Or horses.  How about a unit study on WW2 for the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, or ships for Voyage of the Dawn Treader?  There are themes of trust, bravery, faith, temptation, friendship, loyalty, and more throughout the books.  These are easy to understand even for the youngest ones in your household, but I loved the guide I used this time to help recap and explore themes after each chapter.  I recommend it highly.  Roar! : A Chritstian Family Guide to the Chronicles of Narnia is amazingly available for only $1.99 at Christian Book Distributors right now!

If you haven’t yet read this series to your kids, start today!!  If you have read them, which is your favorite book?  My 11 year old daughter says the Silver Chair “because it has action, giants, and I like the green witch”, my 9 year old son says the Last Battle “because I like that they all go to heaven and see their old friends”, and my 6 year old daughter says the Silver Chair “because it has Puddleglum in it.”  Take our poll below to rank your favorite!  Feel free to tell us why in the comments section!

 Loading ...

From 1950, the HMHS Podcast Network presents this episode of the Mark Trail radio show: Polluted Waters.

Mark Trail began as a newspaper comic strip created by Ed Dodd who worked as a national parks guide. Tom Hill, an artist and naturalist, joined Mr. Dodd as an illustrator in 1946; and a quote by his son sums up Mark Trail nicely:

“Mark reflects a reverence for God’s creatures, nature, and the conservation of woods, water, and wildlife.”

Although “Environmentalism” has become politicized, it does not negate the fact that the universe and all that it contains is the property of God; we have been made stewards of it. As good stewards we choose to honor the Creator by caring for His creation. After all, he didn’t proclaim that his work was “good” for no good reason! And that is about as political as we care to get in this post. Enjoy the adventures of Mark Trail, and discuss the traits of a good steward with your children!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

SUBSCRIBE | DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE IN iTUNES

It is amazing that this ten minute little film is over 70 years old!

From 1938, the HMHS Podcast Network presents: Three Little Kittens - the story of three little kittens from shortly after the time they are born until they are old enough to “work”.

This video fits in nicely with the recent events at our house: a few weeks ago an obviously recent mother-cat decided that our back deck was her new home! It was plain that she was  a momma, but no kittens were in tow. Perhaps she had just weened them. A few days later a white kitten showed up, followed by two more… and their mother. Our children (being the animal lovers that they are) lavished them with love and convinced their own momma that the beautiful cats were in desperate need of food. Of course everyone knows what happens when you feed a cat! In fact, this is a repeat of what happened last Autumn with our cat “Frodo”. Long story short: the 1st momma cat is walking about the house as I type – sporting stitches on a freshly shorn belly – and one of the kittens (from the other mother-cat) is sleeping on my chair. His name is Steve. The two other kittens have a new home with some friends, and momma cat #2 is earning a living as a barn cat on a nearby farm.

SUBSCRIBE | DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE IN iTUNES

Our kids absolutely adore the I Spy book series from Scholastic. They will literally spend hours pouring over the books to find the items listed. A while ago, they moved up from just reading the books to making books of their own. They would draw pictures embedded within pictures and lists of what to find. They compiled these into books to challenge the family. The other day, they surprised me by setting up a 3-D “real life” I Spy puzzle using toys and household items arranged inside a Barbie castle in my daughters’ room. I was very impressed by their creativity, not only with setting up the puzzle scene, but with the rhymes they wrote as well (all on their own, mind you). They wrote things such as:

“I spy a horse, a tack, a miniature bed,
And two golden crowns of kings long dead.”

If you and your children do not know these books, I encourage you to take a look at them. Your local library surely should have some in stock. Ours is a very small-town library and even they have a large selection, including first readers for the littlest ones. If you do not find them in your library, or would just like to own some yourself (we have quite a sampling ourselves), you will find an enormous selection HERE on Amazon.

Once you are familiar with the series and are ready to try building a puzzle of your own, I suggest you visit Homemade I Spy on the Scholastic website. They give you ideas, suggestions, and instructions on making your own puzzles and writing the rhymes to go along with them. The entire I Spy website is wonderful for free downloads, printables, and online games for the avid I Spy connoisseur. I believe our next project will be taking digital pictures of the kids’ puzzles, printing them out, adding the rhymes for finding items, and combine them all into a more “professional” looking I Spy book. So many things you could do! Have Fun!

From 1948, The Homemade Homeschoolers Podcast Network presents this episode of The Lassie Show: A Dog Named Tramp.

The Lassie radio show was broadcast from 1947-1950. It first aired on ABC, then on NBC. Lassie played a different dog each week in different kinds of situations. The shows were 15 minutes.

Tommy risks his life for a “mutt dog”, and Tramp returns the favor.

“A righteous man regards the life of
his animal,
But the tender mercies of the
wicked are cruel”

Prov. 12:10

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

SUBSCRIBE | DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE IN iTUNES

From 1954, HMHS Vintage Video Presents Professor Merrell Gage describing the life and career of Abraham Lincoln as he sculpts a lifelike bust of the 16th President, making physical changes in the subject’s hair, beard and expression to correspond to events in Lincoln’s life.

Professor Merrell Gage was at time of filming, the retired head of the Department of Sculpture at the University of Southern California.

What an amazing video! Our kids were fascinated by Professor Merrell’s skill in both sculpting and story telling.  They also have a love for President Lincoln as well as Art in general, so we found a few resources that may be of interest your family too. Christianbooks.com has two highly rated books about President Lincoln, his faith and character:  The Inspired Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln, and Abraham Lincoln: A Man of Faith, Courage, and Integrity. For your aspiring sculptor – who is eager to create his or her own bust of President Lincoln – there is a very interesting book available on Amazon called Modeling the Head in Clay.

Please use the “Share” option at the bottom of the post to share this wonderful video with others. We think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t enjoy this one!

SUBSCRIBE | DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE IN iTUNES

Summer time is a great time for your kids to play “Treasure Hunt.”  They may want to dress up like pirates and read some stories of pirate lore to make it more fun.  This will also give them some summertime practice in writing simple poems.

1.       Choose who will be burying the treasure.  The parent may want to do this first to show the kids how it could be done.

2.       Choose the treasure and bury it – while no one is looking, of course!  It can truly be buried, or just hidden in an unsuspecting place.  It’s fun if you have a chest, either real or one the kids help make from a shoe box and decorated with “jewels.”  The treasure can be something simple – an apple, a candy bar, a small toy, or coins.  Make sure there is one for each hunter.

3.       Choose the path to follow to the treasure, keeping in mind landmarks the hunter will need to find.

4.       For each landmark, write a simple rhyming poem telling the hunter where to find the next clue.  For instance, “By the next tree, you will find me.”  Or, “Take 15 steps to the right.  There you will find the site.”

5.       Hide each clue at the appropriate landmark.  The last clue tells where the treasure is hidden.

6.       Give the first clue to the hunters and see if they can find the treasure.

After the hunt, what could be better than a cool, refreshing glass of homemade lemonade!  Try this simple recipe.

Lemonade

2 lemons

¾ cup sugar (can also use Splenda if you are watching sugar consumption)

Water

1.       Wash the lemons.  Squeeze the juice from the 2 lemons.  If you want a tarter flavor, you can grate some of the rind to add to the lemonade or just add slices of lemon.

2.       Pour the juice into a 2 quart pitcher.  Add the sugar (or Splenda) and stir well until sugar is dissolved.

3.       Add cold water and some ice cubes, stirring to combine the flavors.  Pour into iced glasses and enjoy!

For some extra information, here’s a paper treasure chest that you can print out (cardstock would be best), color, and put together.  And here’s a great site on how to write a limerick, taking you step by step.  You can even make a whole day of it ending with a family movie night watching The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie!  Have fun!

We’re conducting a quick poll about Homeschooling families and Television. Please select the answer that best describes your family’s TV usage, and feel free to expound in the comments section.

 Loading ...

The HMHS Podcast Network’s Remembering Radio brings you the very first episode of The Wild Bill Hickok Radio Show from April, 1951. Produced by the Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS).

The Wild Bill Hickok Radio Show ran from 1951-1954, and included 271 episodes. The show made the transition to television while keeping the same cast; which is quite unusual.

Of course this show is a fictionalized telling of James Butler (Wild Bill) Hickok, and is intended purely as entertainment and adventure; yet could be used as an opportunity to delve into a study of the “Wild West”. Here are a couple of inexpensive books that may add to your child’s learning experience:

Christianbooks.com has a couple copies left (they are also on back-order) of
Wild Bill Hickok, and Wild Bill Hickok: Legend of The Wild West available through Amazon.

Some of you parents may recognize the voice of Jingles; grandparents definitely should – it was that of Andy Devine, a famous character actor.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

SUBSCRIBE | DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE IN iTUNES