Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Round-about Rambles in Lands of Fact and Fancy


"There will be considerable variety in our rambles. We shall walk about familiar places, and we shall explore streets and houses that have been buried for centuries. We shall go down deep into the earth, and we shall float in a balloon, high up into the air. We shall see many beasts of the forest; some that are bloody and cruel, and others that are gentle and wise. We will meet with birds, fishes, grand old buildings, fleas, vast woods, bugs, mummies, snakes, tight-rope dancers, gorillas, will-o'-the-wisps, beautiful blossoms, boomerangs, oceans, birds' nests, and I cannot tell you what all besides. We will also have some adventures, hear some stories, and have a peep at a fairy or two before we are done."

Click here.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Sketches of Japanese Manners and Customs/Project Gutenberg


Click here. For older high school children, skim it first as there is some mild talk about execution and bathing customs which might need censoring by some families. Interesting study on old Japanese customs. Nice colorful illustrations.

Friday, August 10, 2007

R.M.Ballantyne's Adventure Classics

Some are listed twice on Project Gutenberg as plain text and HTML versions.

Away in the Wilderness
The Battery and the BoilerAdventures in Laying of Submarine Electric Cables
Battles with the Sea
The Big Otter
Black Ivory
Blown to Bitsor, The Lonely Man of Rakata
Blue LightsHot Work in the Soudan
The Butterfly's BallThe Grasshopper's Feast
The Butterfly's BallThe Grasshopper's Feast
Charlie to the Rescue
The Coral Island
The Coral IslandA Tale of the Pacific Ocean
The Coral Island A Tale of the Pacific Ocean
The Coxswain's Bridealso, Jack Frost and Sons; and, A Double Rescue
The Crew of the Water Wagtail
Deep Down, a Tale of the Cornish Mines
Digging for GoldAdventures in California
The Dog Crusoe and his Master
The Dog Crusoe and His MasterA Story of Adventure in the Western Prairies
Dusty Diamonds Cut and PolishedA Tale of City Arab Life and Adventure
Erling the Bold
Fighting the Whales
Fighting the Whales
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands
Fort DesolationRed Indians and Fur Traders of Rupert's Land
The Garret and the Garden
Gascoyne, The Sandal Wood TraderA Tale of the Pacific
The Giant of the NorthPokings Round the Pole
The Golden DreamAdventures in the Far West
The Gorilla Hunters
The Hot Swamp
Hudson Bay
Hunted and Harried
Hunting the Lions
In the Track of the Troops
The Iron Horse
The Island Queen
Jarwin and Cuffy
Jeff Benson, or the Young Coastguardsman
The Lifeboat
Life in the Red BrigadeLondon Fire Brigade
The Life of a Ship
The Lighthouse
The Lighthouse
The Lonely IslandThe Refuge of the Mutineers
The Madman and the Pirate
Man on the OceanA Book about Boats and Ships
Martin Rattler
Martin Rattler
The Middy and the MoorsAn Algerine Story
My Doggie and I
The Norsemen in the West
The Ocean and its Wonders
Personal Reminiscences in Book Makingand Some Short Stories
Philosopher Jack
The Pioneers
The Pirate CityAn Algerine Tale
Post Haste
The Prairie Chief
The Red Eric
The Red Man's RevengeA Tale of The Red River Flood
Red RooneyThe Last of the Crew
Rivers of Ice
The Rover of the AndesA Tale of Adventure on South America
The Settler and the Savage
Shifting WindsA Tough Yarn
Silver Lake
Six Months at the Cape
Twice Bought
Ungava
Up in the CloudsBalloon Voyages
The Walrus HuntersA Romance of the Realms of Ice
The World of Ice
The World of Ice
The Young Fur Traders
The Young Fur Traders
The Young Trawler

The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It/Project Gutenberg

These newspapers for children were published between 1897 and 1898, and are wonderful for studying this era. The articles make you feel as if you are there in the 19th century.

There was no way to link to these other than a search because the authors are listed under "various". Click here.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Historic girls; stories of girls who have influenced the history of their times/University of Virginia Library

Contents:

ZENOBIA OF PALMYRA: THE GIRL OF THE SYRIAN DESERT 1

HELENA OF BRITAIN: THE GIRL OF THE ESSEX FELLS 22

PULCHERIA OF CONSTANTINOPLE: THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN HORN 45

CLOTILDA OF BURGUNDY: THE GIRL OF THE FRENCH VINEYARDS 61

WOO OF HWANG-HO: THE GIRL OF THE YELLOW RIVER 79

EDITH OF SCOTLAND: THE GIRL OF THE NORTHERN ABBEY 98

JACQUELINE OF HOLLAND THE GIRL OF THE LAND OF FOGS 114

CATARINA OF VENICE: THE GIRL OF THE GRAND CANAL 134

THERESA OF AVILA: THE GIRL OF THE SPANISH SIERRAS 151

ELIZABETH OF TUDOR: THE GIRL OF THE HERTFORD MANOR 174

CHRISTINA OF SWEDEN: THE GIRL OF THE NORTHERN FIORDS 192

MA-TA-OKA OF POW-HA-TAN: THE GIRL OF THE VIRGINIA FORESTS 208


Click here.

Monday, August 6, 2007

Arm Chair Traveller


Here are some fun old travel books.

This one for Corsica, Itinerary through Corsica by its Rail, Carriage & Forest Roads is from 1888. Step back in time and do the Grand Tour.


Familar Spanish Travels, 1911. Needs the zip file download to view pictures.

Europe—Whither Bound? Being Letters of Travel from the Capitals of Europe in the Year 1921


A Traveller in War-Time, Winston Churchill, very direct writer, easy to speed read. Interesting!

English Travellers of the Renaissance, a history of traveling for culture and education.

The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain

Sunny Memories of a Foreign Land, Volume I and II by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Normandy Picturesque, 1870, travels in France. Very Grand Tourish and interesting, and much is still the same.

How to Enjoy Paris in 1842
Intended to Serve as a Companion and Monitor, Containing
Historical, Political, Commercial, Artistical, Theatrical
And Statistical Information


John Locke, author of Concerning Humane Understanding(books 1 and 2), and (books three and four) popularized the idea of didactic travel for young people. The Grand Tour was a European travel itinerary that flourished from about 1660 until the arrival of mass rail transit in the 1820s. It was popular amongst young British upper-class men and served as an educational rite of passage for the wealthy. Similar trips were made by the wealthy of other Northern European nations. Its primary value lay in the exposure both to the cultural artifacts of antiquity and the Renaissance and to the aristocratic and fashionable society of the European continent. A grand tour could last from several months to several years.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Copy Work, Decorative List or Assignment Page


I made a lined page with the vintage picture to the left of a girl reading in an apple tree.

Printing tip: In order to get rid of the extra print on the top and on the bottom of the page which shows the document title and web page address, go to print preview and delete the header and footer before printing. Here are the directions for versions of IE and Fire Fox at Google Documents.

Far Off, Social Studies/Project Gutenberg


Interesting conservative Bible based Christian social studies for elementary or early middle school. Published in 1852, some countries do not have their modern names, like Thailand was known as Siam. The work of missionaries is frequently mentioned.

Early Britain--Roman Britain/Project Gutenberg


Click here.

Lord Dolphin/Project Gutenberg


Story about a dolphin with a happy ending.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Northland Heroes(Vikings)/Project Gutenberg


Click here.

The Pot of Gold and Other Stories/Project Gutenberg

Click here.

Animal Children The Friends of the Forest and the Plain/Project Gutenberg

Click here.

Copywork Pages for Poetry/Early Elementary

I've made a few free copy work pages with classic children's poetry in public domain. These are free for personal use, enjoy! I'll be adding to this list as I make new ones. Note: These forms print correctly, even though they appear differently online.

The Months

The Wind by Christina Rossetti

The Rainbow by Christina Rossetti

Words, about using them wisely.

Little Things

Printing tip: In order to get rid of the extra print on the top and on the bottom of the page which shows the document title and web page address, go to print preview and delete the header and footer before printing.

Here's the directions for other version of IE and Fire Fox at Google Documents.