Jane Austen Resources

I've been researching and writing for the last year on my newest biography for young people. I'm excited to announce that the subject is Jane Austen.

Jane Austen Societies around the world are celebrating her 250th birthday this year. There is more to her story than most biographies highlight.  I wanted to share two resources that I have enjoyed as I research Jane Austen's story.

Terry Glaspey edited this collection of prayers written by Jane Austen.

Natasha Duquette has written this devotional based on Austen's writings.

By the way, the Jane Austen Society of North America is offering free Student Memberships this year. You can check it out at https://jasna.org/join/250th-bday-student-offer/.

With my newest biography of George MacDonald, I'm getting questions about more resources. For those who like to do their own research and reading:

George MacDonald’s son, Greville, published a biography of his father, which is the basis for my biography, along with letters and other accounts that have become available since that time. Thanks to the further research and work of Michael R. Phillips and other scholars, you can read a thoughtful analysis of his writing and life.

To learn more:

George MacDonald by C.S. Lewis. This book is a collection of excerpts from MacDonald’s writing and is devotional in nature.

George MacDonald and His Wife by Greville MacDonald with an introduction by G.K. Chesterton

George MacDonald: Scotland’s Beloved Storyteller by Michael R. Phillips

From a Northern Window: A Personal Reminiscence of George MacDonald by his Son by Ronald MacDonald.

Far Above Rubies: The Life of Louisa MacDonald by Jolyn Canty 

Children’s Stories and Short Stories by George MacDonald

The Princess and the Goblin

The Princess and Curdie

At the Back of the North Wind

The Wise Woman

The Light Princess

Uncle Peter (A Christmas Story)

The Golden Key

MacDonald’s fiction that young adults might enjoy:

Adela Cathcart: This novel contains many of his short stories and translated poetry within the larger story.

Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood and sequels: The Seaboard Parish and The Vicar’s Daughter

Ranald Bannerman’s Boyhood

Gutta Percha Willie

St. George and St. Michael

Mary Marston

Guild Court

MacDonald’s Books: The originals are still available as well as editions that were edited by Michael Phillips for modern readers. The edited titles are in parentheses.

Malcolm (The Fisherman’s Lady)

The Marquis of Lossie (The Marquis’ Secret)

Sir Gibbie (The Baronet’s Song)

Donal Grant (The Shepherd’s Castle)

David Elginbrod (The Tutor’s First Love)

Robert Falconer (The Musician’s Quest)

Alec Forbes of Howglen (The Maiden’s Bequest)

Thomas Wingfold, Curate (The Curate’s Awakening)

Paul Faber, Surgeon (The Lady’s Confession)

What’s Mine’s Mine (The Highlander’s Last Song)

There and Back (The Baron’s Apprenticeship)

Weighed and Wanting (The Gentlewoman’s Choice)

Warlock O’Glenwarlock (The Laird’s Inheritance)—Note that “Warlock” is just a family name.

Non-fiction for those who love literature:

England’s Antiphon

Essays: “The Imagination: Its Functions and Its Culture” (1867) and “The Fantastic Imagination” (1893) found in A Dish of Orts

For those who would like to understand how a scholar works with primary documents, see Dr. Kirstin Jeffrey Johnson’s work: www.kirstinjeffreyjohnson.com/

George MacDonald books can be found at…

George MacDonald Books at https://theroomtoroam.com/ Beautiful hardcover and paperback editions with translations of Scots dialogue by David Jack.

Wise Path Books at www.WisePathBooks.com: Wonderful resource for original editions and edited editions by Michael Phillips.

The Rabbit Room: https://store.rabbitroom.com/ Many fun resources including a graphic novel of The Golden Key!

Audible books are available now for these popular biographies!

Click here for Audible special for Durer's story.

Click here for Audible special for Lewis's story.

Click here for Audible special for Pascal's story.

Click here for Audible special for Newton's story.

Click here for Audible special for Tyndale's story.

Shakespeare Around the World!

Our Shakespeare Scriptorium plays are traveling around the world! Please share your stories with us at mpclan@epbfi.com.

Teacher Resources for Creative Writing

I've had a few teachers ask about school visits, and I would love to visit your class! I enjoy talking about books, and I've also developed some materials that I use for writing workshops with young people. If you would be interested in hosting an author visit, please contact me at joyce.b.mcpherson@gmail.com.

Support the Arts—

Buy a book!

Through December 31^st, all royalties from these books will support

Shakespeare Camp 2018!

Shakespeare Camp is completely run by volunteers, who make it possible for over 90 young people each year to experience Shakespeare’s work from the “inside” –as actors in the play. Every year the troupe performs two to three complete productions with free tickets for the community. In 2017, over 700 people enjoyed the art of Shakespeare at the Fine Arts Center at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. You can support our efforts through the purchase of these books for young people.

Amazon Link for the Pandora Device

Amazon Link for The Revere Factor

Amazon Link for The Dickens Connection

Amazon Link for Springs of Hope: The Story of Johann Sebastian Bach

Amazon Link for Beyond the Land of Narnia: The Story of C.S. Lewis

The First Clue to the Revere Factor!

Some of my readers have asked about the clue found in the attic of Longfellow House. It is based on an artifact found on the attic floor in the original Longfellow House.

What do you think?

The Camp Hawthorne series is released!

My new Camp Hawthorne series is released this month, and I thought some of my readers might enjoy pictures of the actual houses replicated for Camp Hawthorne:

Twain House

Longfellow House

Hawthorne House

Whittier House

Alcott House

(This house was called Hillside in 1845 and was the home of Louisa May Alcott's family and later Nathaniel Hawthorne's family.)

Some Open Education Resources for Homeschoolers

• Computer Science Education Resource Guide at http://www.smartscholar.com/computer-science-guide/)
• Duolingo: https://www.duolingo.com/ (Learn a language for free.)
• CodeAcademy: https://www.codecademy.com/ (Learn to code interactively for free)
• Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org (for math and SAT prep) 
• Homeschool Tools: https://sites.google.com/site/homeschoolingtoolbox/ (Resources: free worksheets, charts, flash cards, notebook materials, booklists & tips on getting started)
• Ambleside Online: https://www.amblesideonline.org/  (a free homeschool curriculum that uses Charlotte Mason's classically-based principles)
• Hillsdale free video courses: https://online.hillsdale.edu/ (Constitution 101, C.S. Lewis, Great Books and much more!)
• Shakespeare Tools: https://sites.google.com/site/shakespearetools/ (Everything you need to put on a Shakespeare play with young people)
• Donna Young: Donnayoung.org (free and subscription option available)
• IXL: https://www.ixl.com/ (limited number of free practice problems daily and a paid subscription as well.)
• Kuta Software: https://www.kutasoftware.com/ (offers free worksheets with answers for mathematics)
• All in one Homeschool: www.allinonehomeschool.com (A complete online, free Christian homeschool curriculum)
• Degreed: http://blog.degreed.com/42-sources-for-free-online-courses/?utm_content=20339432&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter (Free tracking of learning—this blog has 42 Sources for free online courses)
• Instructables: http://www.instructables.com/ (Great repository of inventive project ideas with step-by-step instructions for how to make it yourself. Good for hands on stuff.)
• Stack Exchange Mathematics: http://meta.stackexchange.com/search?q=mathematics (a general purpose place for posting educated questions and getting educated answers by intelligent people.)
• CrashCourse: http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/crash-course/ (a variety of courses in short segments—math, science, history etc. Note: some viewpoints may not match the views of homeschool families)
• Stack Overflow: http://stackoverflow.com/ (answers to computer science questions)
• OpenStax: https://openstaxcollege.org/ and http://openstax.org/ (a collection of free textbooks written by high quality authors—newest initiative is K-12 education)

Family Read-Alouds

    One of the great pleasures of life with children is reading books aloud. Over the years there are certain books that we read again and again. If we could only have 150 books on our shelves these are the books we would choose:

• Aiken, Joan: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Blackhearts in Battersea, Nightbirds on Nantucket, The Whispering Mountain, The Cuckoo Tree, Midnight is a Place
• Alexander, Lloyd: The Prydain Chronicles, Gypsy Rizka
• Barrie, James: Peter Pan
• Beatty, Patricia: The Nickel Plated Beauty, Something to Shout About, O the Red Rose Tree, By Crumbs, It’s Mine, Bonanza Girl, Hail Columbia, Eight Mules from Monterey, A Long Way to Whisky Creek, How Many Miles to Sundown, Master Rosalind
• Burnett, Frances Hodgeson: A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, The Lost Prince
• Carlson, Natlie Savage: The Happy Orphelines series
• Colum, Padraic: The Children’s Homer
• Cooper, Susan: Over Sea, Under Stone and rest of the Dark is Rising series
• Dahl, Roald: James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, The Fantastic Mr. Fox
• De Angeli, Marguerite: The Door in the Wall
• Dickens, Charles: Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol
• Doyle, Arthur Conan: The Complete Sherlock Holmes
• Eager, Edward: Half Magic, Knight’s Castle, Time Garden, Seven Day Magic, Magic by the Lake, Magic or Not, The Well Wishers
• Eliot, T.S.: Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats
• Estes, Eleanor: The One Hundred Dresses
• Fleishman, Sid: By the Great Horn Spoon, The Whipping Boy
• Foster, Genevieve: George Washington’s World, Abraham Lincoln’s World, The World of Christopher Columbus and Sons, Augustus Caesar’s World
• French, Allen: The Lost Baron
• Gilbreth, Frank B. and Carey, Ernestine Gilbreth :Cheaper by the Dozen, Belles on their Toes
• Henry, Marguerite: The White Stallion of Lipizza
• Jaques, Brian: Redwall series
• Kendall, Carol: The Gammage Cup, The Whisper of Glocken
• Konigsburg, E.L.: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
• Lawson, Robert: Ben and Me
• Lenski, Lois: Strawberry Girl
• Lewis, C.S.: The Narnia Chronicles
• MacDonald, Betty: Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books
• MacDonald, George: The Princess and the Goblin, The Princess and Curdie
• Marshall, H.E.: Our Island Story
• McSwigan, Marie: Snow Treasure
• Milne, A.A.: Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, Once Upon a Time
• Montgomery, L.M.: Anne of Green Gables
• Moody, D.L: Little Britches series
•  Mowat, Farley: Owls in the Family, The Dog who Wouldn’t Be
• Nesbit, E.: The Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, The Story of the Amulet, The Magic City, The Enchanted Castle
• Norton, Mary: The Borrowers books
• Parish, Peggy: Pirate Island Adventure
• Robinson, Barbara: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Best School Year Ever
• Rodgers, Mary: Freaky Friday
• Sharp, Margary: Miss Bianca series
• Snedeker, Caroline Dale: Theras and His Town
• Speare, Elizabeth George: The Bronze Bow
• Stevenson, Robert Louis: Treasure Island
• Streatfeild, Noel: Theater Shoes, Dancing Shoes, Ballet Shoes, Traveling Shoes, Tennis Shoes, Skating Shoes, Thursday’s Child, Gemma series
• Tolkein, J.R.R.:The Hobbit and the Lord of the Ring Trilogy
• Travers, P.L.: Mary Poppins and sequels
• Twain, Mark: The Prince and the Pauper, Tom Sawyer, Tom Sawyer Abroad, Tom Sawyer, Detective, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
• Washington, Booker T.: Up from Slavery
• White, E.B.: Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web
• White, T.H.: Mistress Masham’s Repose
• Wilder, Laura Ingalls: Little House series
• Williams, Ursula Moray: The Three Toymakers
• Winterfeld, Henry: Detectives in Togas and Mystery of the Roman Ransom

Our Family's History Poem

At our house we have a history poem that all our children have learned during elementary school. Some of them have fond memories of this experience. Others like to commiserate with each other on the crazy things their mother made them do. All of them agree, however, that it gave them pegs to hang history facts on as they went on to further studies in history and literature. So, here in all its glory is our family's history poem:

History Poem

About 3000 BC the Egyptians did

slave away on pyramids.

Two thousand years before Christ's birth,

Abraham walked the earth.

In 1400 BC,

Moses led God's people across the Red Sea.

In 1000 BC or thereabout,

David drove the Philistines out.

But in 586 BC,

the Israelites went into Babylonian captivity.

In BC 334 (three hundred and thirty four)

Alexander the Great fought a Greek war.

Though some dates remain a mystery,

at Jesus' birth we divide history.

In AD 476 (four hundred and seventy six)

old Rome fell and could not be fixed.

In AD 622 in the Arabic region,

Mohammed began the Islamic religion.

AD 800, on Christmas day

Charlemagne was crowned emperor they say.

In 1066 with lots of boats,

William the Conqueror invaded the English coast.

In 1215 (twelve hundred and fifteen),

the Magna Carta gave rights to men.

In 1492 (fourteen hundred and ninety-two),

Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

In 1517 (fifteen hundred and seventeen),

Martin Luther said, "Grace is the means."

In 1535 (fifteen hundred and thirty-five),

John Calvin brought the Bible alive.

In 1620 (sixteen hundred and twenty),

the pilgrims landed in a land that was wintry.

On July fourth, 1776,

Americans declared their independence.

In 1861,

the Civil War was begun.

William Tyndale's story is coming soon!

“There are certain facts in history which the world tried hard to forget and ignore. These facts get in the way of some of the world’s favorite theories, and are highly inconvenient.... It is fashionable in some quarters to deny that there is any such thing as certainty about religious truth, or any opinions for which it is worth while to be burned. Yet, 300 years ago, there were men who were certain they had found out truth, and were content to die for their opinions.” ~ J.C. Ryle, 1890

Another Experiment from Archimedes

"Archimedes Principle" explains buoyancy, which is the subject of this second experiment. The student will find that different liquids have different buoyancy. See the last post for an experiment that lays the ground work for this one.

Name of the Experiment: The Buoyancy Experiment

Performed by:________________________________________

Date:_________________________________________

The Problem: Objects seem lighter in liquids. Some objects even float. This apparent loss of weight is called buoyancy. How does the buoyancy of different liquids compare?

The Hypothesis:

The Experiment: You will need: two large bowls, a glass custard cup or small bowl, pennies, salt, and 1 gallon of water. Fill one large bowl with about 2 quarts of water. Float the glass custard cup in the large bowl and add pennies until the cup sinks. The pennies must be added one at a time in such a way that the cup does not tilt to one side. Record the number of pennies on the chart below. Next, remove the cup and dry the cup and pennies. In the second large bowl, add 1 cup of salt to about 2 quarts of water. Stir until dissolved. Float the cup and add pennies until the cup sinks. Record the number of pennies for the salt water. Repeat the experiment two more times to check your results.

Observations:

--------------------------------------------Trial A------Trial B-----Trial C

Number of Pennies to Sink in the Water: ________ ________ ________

Number of Pennies to Sink in Salt Water: ________ ________ ________

Interpretation:

Conclusion:

An Experiment from Archimedes

One of the famous stories of Archimedes is the basis for this experiment. Archimedes was a Greek scientist and mathematician. He worked for the king of Syracuse in Sicily. The king suspected that a goldsmith had cheated him by mixing silver with the gold for his new crown. He asked Archimedes to test the crown. Archimedes decided to compare the volume of the crown to a piece of pure gold that was the same weight as the crown. He knew that gold is heavier than silver, so if the goldsmith cheated, the identical weights would not have the same volume. The problem was how could he determine the volume of gold in the crown? One day he filled his tub with water to take a bath. When he entered the tub, water spilled over the sides. Archimedes realized that the water that spilled over was the same volume as his body! He was so excited that he jumped out of the bath and ran through the streets yelling "Eureka!" which means "I found it!" He measured the volume of the crown and an equal weight of pure gold and found that the goldsmith had cheated. His research led to more experiments, which in turn led to "Archimedes Principle." You can find the full story of Archimedes in your encyclopedia or through research at your library. This is an excellent research opportunity for students!

Here's the experiment:

The goal of using the lab sheets is to introduce the student to the scientific method. Do not be discouraged if the hypothesis or even the interpretation is incorrect. The hypothesis should simply be an educated guess, and it is fun to see how one's guess was incorrect.

If the interpretation is incorrect, this is a good opportunity to explain how even the best scientists have some error in their methods which can lead to incorrect interpretations. For example, the interpretation from this experiment should be that the amount of water displaced weighs the same amount as the object that floats. If the cup was not filled with water, or if the displaced water was not poured carefully into the cup to be measured, there will be error. The conclusion should be his famous principle:

"When a body is placed in a liquid, the weight it appears to lose is equal to the weight of the liquid it displaces."

Name of the Experiment: Archimedes' Experiment

Performed by:________________________________________

Date:_________________________________________

The Problem: How does the weight of an object compare to the weight of the water it displaces when it floats?

The Hypothesis:

The Experiment: You will need a postage scale (or other scale that measures ounces), a cake pan, a plastic bowl, a plastic cup, aluminum foil, 25 pennies, and water. Set a plastic bowl full of water in the cake pan. Dribble extra water into the bowl until it is so full that the water heaps up. Mop up any water that spilled into the cake pan. Make a "wide-bottom boat" with high sides from aluminum. Carefully float the boat in the bowl and add about 20 pennies. If the boat sinks, begin again and add only the number of pennies that will allow the boat to remain floating. Remove the boat from the bowl, then remove the bowl from the cake pan without spilling any water. Pour the water from the cake pan into the plastic cup, and record the weight of the cup and water on the chart below. Empty the cup, dry it, and weigh it again with the boat and pennies inside. Record this weight on the chart below. Repeat the experiment several times until you get consistent results. (Three spaces are given for repeating the experiment.) You may change the number of pennies as well.

Observations:

Weight of the Cup that is filled with Water: ________ ________ ________

Weight of the Cup, Pennies, and the Boat: ________ ________ ________

Interpretation:

Conclusion:

A Word from Calvin on Hymns

SINGING WITH UNDERSTANDING REQUIRED

As for the rest, it is necessary to remember that which St. Paul hath said, the spiritual songs cannot be well sung save from the heart. But the heart requires the intelligence. And in that (says St. Augustine) lies the difference between the singing of men and that of the birds. For a linnet, a nightingale, a parrot may sing well; but it will be without understanding. But the unique gift of man is to sing knowing that which he sings. After the intelligence must follow the heart and the affection, a thing which is unable to be except if we have the hymn imprinted on our memory, in order never to cease from singing.

From John Calvin's Preface to the Psalter, 1543

Durer and the Bible

“For he has repented of and made atonement for the sins of the whole world, and has obtained of the Father Everlasting Life. Therefore Christ Jesus is the Son of God, the highest power, who can do all things, and He is the Eternal Life.”

~Albrecht Durer

Albrecht Durer helped to bring the Bible to a wide audience through his brilliant illustrations of the book of Revelation and other themes. His woodcuts were meant to be affordable for ordinary people. Durer wanted to show the supremacy of the Bible while using his art to preach sermons to those who could not read. For an interesting foray into art, search "images" on the internet for artwork by Durer.

Blaise Pascal and the Torricelli Experiment

This experiment is based on actual experiments performed by Blaise Pascal, one of the foremost scientists and Christian apologists of the 1600's. Pascal once wrote: "According to the doctrine of chance, you ought to put yourself to the trouble of searching for the truth; for if you die without worshipping the True Cause, you are lost." He also wrote: "Not only do we know God by Jesus Christ alone, but we know ourselves only by Jesus Christ."
You can copy the lab sheet below into a word processing program and use for your own experiment.

The Torricelli Experiment:

Performed by:_____________________________

Date:________________

The Problem: What happens to the water in a water-filled tube that is turned upside-down and submerged in water?

The Hypothesis:

The Experiment: You will need a test tube or a medicine spoon that is shaped like a test tube, and a glass. Completely fill the test tube or medicine spoon with water. Fill the glass half full of water. Put your finger over the top of the test tube and quickly turn it upside down and submerge it in the water in the glass. Remove your finger. Does the column of water in the test tube run out? Now lift the test tube up above the water in the glass. Does the water run out now? Try the experiment several times until you get consistent results. Record your results under "Observations" below. You may not be sure what to write as the "conclusion", but you can find more information in the encyclopedia under "Torricelli" or read A Piece of the Mountain: the Story of Blaise Pascal to learn about the experiment that he performed. Can you guess why the Torricelli tube acted as it did?

Observations:

Interpretation:

Conclusion:

An Experiment to Use with "The Ocean of Truth: The Story of Isaac Newton"

What is light? This question has interested scientists for hundreds of years. Isaac Newton discovered that light is made up of a spectrum of colored light. He used a prism in his research, but you can use a pan of water to "refract" or bend light. The lab sheet is provided so that you can record what you discover!

There is a story about Isaac Newton that he chanced upon a prism at a book fair during his college years. Despite his thrifty nature, he purchased the curiosity and proceeded to invent dozens of experiments with the light and prism. When he observed how the prism cast a "rainbow" on the wall, he hypothesized that the prism was splitting the light into bands of many different colors of light. To test his hypothesis, however, he had to wait for another fair so that he could purchase a second prism to put all the colors back together!

Isaac Newton went on to make many important discoveries in the fields of physics and mathematics. He wrote: "This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being." Few people know that the man who discovered the "Laws of Motion" also wrote about God: "We must believe that he is the father of whom are all things, & that he loves his people as his children that they may mutually love him & obey him as their father."

You can copy the lab sheet below into a word processing program and use for your own experiment.

An Experiment on Light

Performed by:________________________________________

Date:_________________________________________

The Problem: What happens to light that is reflected from a mirror which is submerged in water?

The Hypothesis:

The Experiment: You will need a pan of water, a hand mirror and a piece of white paper. Place a mirror in a bowl of water so that the handle of the mirror rests on the edge of the pan and the other end rests on the bottom of the bowl. Find a pool of light on the floor of a room in your house, and place the pan in the sunlight. If you catch the light of the sun on the mirror just right, there should be a reflection on the wall. You may have to move the pan several times to get it just right. Wait for the water to become still. Place the piece of white paper in the place where the spectrum reflects and mark the results on the paper. What do you see?

Observations:

Interpretation:

Conclusion:

An Experiment to use with Blaise Pascal's Biography: "A Piece of the Mountain"

The Experimental Method:

Pascal's father taught him to think for himself using the "Experimental Method." This meant that to investigate an idea one should first state the idea as a "problem". Blaise might have stated the problem as, "Is there a connection between sound and vibration?" Next, his father taught him to make an "hypothesis". An hypothesis is the scientist's guess of what the answer is. Blaise guessed that sound is vibration. Then Blaise was required to design an experiment to test his hypothesis. What do you think Blaise did? After he tried the experiment he had to record his "observations". Only after many experiments was Blaise allowed to "interpret the data" and make a "conclusion".

An experiment on Sound:

Complete the lab sheet (you may copy it into a word processing program to print). The "Problem", "Hypothesis", and "Experiment" sections are already filled in for you.

An Experiment on Sound Performed by:___________________________________ Date:_________________________________________ The Problem: Is there a connection between vibration and sound? The Hypothesis: Sound is vibration. The Experiment: Fill several glasses with different amounts of water. Strike each glass gently with a spoon. Observations: Do the glasses sound the same? What happens when you place your hand on the glass right after you strike it? What happens when your hand is holding the glass at the same time that you strike it? Interpretation: What have you discovered? Conclusion: Is there a connection between vibration and sound? Can you think of other ways to experiment with sound?