EDUCATION: BASKETBALL, MOVIES AND BOOKS

My girls started the YW basketball season this year.  Today was their first game....  And we won!  The score was 20 to 4.  And according to Scott Kotten Kandy is the "Jump Ball Queen" and Key Lime Pie made a basket!  YEAH, daughters!  I will try to take pictures next week....

A good education is important.  That's why we homeschool.  And for my faithful readers, I thought I would share a couple of things that have been neglected in my daughters' educations that I have tried to remedy.  Math and science are always necessary, but there are other aspects of education that are sometimes overlooked...

I realized that I had done my daughters a great disservice.  I had failed to introduce them to the musical "Singing in the Rain" with Gene Kelly.  Today we watched it.  I had forgotten how wonderful it is.  I laughed out loud (which is unusual for me) during the song "Make 'Em Laugh."  I desired to take tap dancing lessons during "Good Morning."  And I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face when Gene Kelly danced (and sang) in the rain.  I believe my daughters enjoyed the movie too.  This film is lighthearted and fun!  I bet that Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor had a blast making this movie about making movies....  I definitely recommend it.

And speaking of movies.  We also took all of our teen age homeschool group to see "Bridge of Spies" last week.  It was great!  Another wonderful educational opportunity.  This movie is a great character study of a lawyer during the Cold War... and it's a true story as well!  Donovan was a hero.  And I'm glad my daughters got to see a bit of history.  I especially liked how they showed the Berlin wall and compared it to the American chain link fence at the end.  The differences were unmistakable and made me long for a simpler time when the Cold War was our only global "problem."  This is another educational film I would recommend....
Thus:  Education can be fun and entertaining sometimes.

I loved reading "The Emperor's Soul" by Brandon Sanderson.  Admittedly I am a pretty big fan of Brandon Sanderson, so it's no surprise that I read this novella in one day - and was super excited when my dad bought it for me for Christmas.
"The Emperor's Soul" is set in Sel, the same planet as Elantris (though far apart from where Elantris takes place.)  The magic in this world takes the form of elaborate stamps.  These stamps can change the history of an object causing it to change it's present state.  This is called Forgery.  This book follows the captivity of a talented Forger who is faced with an impossible task: Forging the soul of the emperor who is brain-dead by an assassination attempt.
Shai, the Forger, is an interesting character, more admirable than heroic.  She's not a victim.  She is opportunistic.  She is smart.  She is honorable in accomplishing the thing she sets out to do.
Gaotona is also intriguing.  He is kind.  He is a friend and a truth seeker.  He's compassionate.  I would have liked to have learned more about him.  Maybe another book?
This is largely a story of ideas, but it kept me engaged throughout.  I loved it.  And I HIGHLY recommend it.

My girls also just finished reading "A Room With a View" by E.M. Forster.  I read this book about 5 years ago, and I loved it.  My daughters enjoyed it too!  This is one of those stories that touches on a wide range of the general overall human condition.  It deals with love, prejudices, betrayal, strong but understated humor, a snapshot of a previous era (pre WWI - not during the 'Victorian Era'), cultures and clashes of cultures, and social classes.  It also deals with the dilemma of "self" vs. the expectations of society and family.  All in all, if you look at it in a certain way, not much has changed over the years.  I loved this book, and I hope others will want to read it based on my recommendation (and the recommendation of my BBF and daughters as well.)  It's definitely worth the time.