Art Summer School: Drawing

When I planned to do an in-house art summer school using Art Lab for Kids, I had in mind that we would focus on one section of the book at a time and choose whichever activities we fancied.  The first section of the book is about drawing with different media.  Below is what we have done based on the ideas taken from the book.

(1) Lab 1: Contour Drawings

This exercise is mainly about getting the hang of contour drawing (i.e. only the outlines).  We set up a simple still life and Tiger did the exercise with a thick permanent marker (photos 1a and 1b), followed by charcoal (photo 2a).  As charcoal naturally smudges in the hands of a child, Tiger decided to introduce shading to his drawing, after completing the contours (photo 2b).

With the pencil, Tiger went back to contour drawing again.  The drawing shows that he has observed the placements of the still life objects but did not know how to draw the vase correctly.  Admittedly, the symmetry of the vase can be quite challenging.

Since this exercise was a straightforward set up with minimal mess, I sat myself beside Tiger and tried the exercise myself.  You can see from below that I had a slightly different view of the still life set up because of where I was sitting.

(2) Lab 2: Large-Scale Ink Drawings

Since this exercise asks for "large-scale", we used an A2-sized watercolour paper.  It is another still life so we changed the blue vase out and added a transparent vase and a jam jar in its place, just for variation.

The exercise started out with making contour drawings using Indian ink (photo 1).  Once that was completed, Tiger used diluted ink to mark out the tonal values (photo 3).  The final step was to add colour to the drawing using either pastels or watercolour.  He chose to use pastels (photo 4).  Here is his completed work:

I decided to use watercolour for mine:

(3) Lab 3: Scribble Drawings

As the title of this exercise suggests, Tiger started out with scribbling lines on an A2-sized paper.  The idea is to find interesting shapes or images from the scribbles.  Once he has located the shapes he liked, Tiger drew over them again with his pencil before cutting the shapes out.

 

The next part was the most interesting aspect of the exercise.  Having wet the watercolour paper all over with clean water, Tiger then dropped acrylic ink onto it to have the ink spread out due to the wetness.  When the colours did not flow to his satisfaction, Tiger listed the board and turned it this way and that to facilitate the ink flow.

When the ink had dried, Tiger used it as the background to stick his cut-out scribbly shapes on.

 

This is what the end product looks like.  I think it looks a little pale and unfinished, perhaps because the contrast between the background and the cut-outs are too great, and the background seems to have dominated the work.  However, Tiger likes it so I guess I have to respet the artist's views about his own creation.

(4) Lab 4: Soft Pastel Drawings

This exercise is very straightfoward: draw a flower still life using soft pastels.  I set up a bouquet of flowers for Tiger to draw, yet he chose to do it Georgia-O'Keeffe style by picking one small flower head and magnifying it to fill the entire paper.  Well, I guess you can say that it's one way to interpret the requirements of the exercise.

We will be covering exercises on drawing, painting, printmaking, paper, and mixed media.  The ideas for which all come from Art Lab for Kids.  You can read all about our in -house Art Summer School series here.


This post is linked up to:

1. Virtual Refrigerator: Phineas and Ferb
2. Hobbies and Handicrafts - August 9
3. Collage Friday - Braces and First Days of School
4. TGIF Linky Party #89
5. Weekly Wrap-Up: The One Where We Did Stuff
6. The Homeschool Mother's Journal {August 10, 2013}

Sketchbooks and quick drawings

We're back in business!

Since drawing and sketching are fundamental parts of visual art, we went to the Wallace Collection for a drawing workshop.

The workshop started with a brief introduction to the different themes to be covered that day:

1. sketching
2. details (tone, light, shadow, shade)
3. portraits
4. proportions

After being introduced to various drawing materials such as charcoal, conte crayons, pencils, and felt tip pens, the children were encouraged to try out different ways of mark making -- first making different marks with a single material, then comparing the marks made by different materials.

After this was a gallery session when we were shown how to note tonal differences using various sculptures in one of the galleries.

We spent a fair bit of time in the Armour gallery where the children were briefed about the history of some of the armoury collection there

 Part of the exercise at the gallery was to take artistic notes in sketchbooks, which involved:

• making quick sketches of 5 minutes each
• taking notes about colour, textures, and tones

While Tiger was doing his exercises, I thought I would give it a try as well.  I enjoy making art but have not been doing it as much as I would like so this was a great opportunity for me to get a little bit of practice in.  At the same time, participating alongside Tiger in his assignments often gives me a good insight into the potential difficulties that Tiger might encounter in the process.  Hence, I took out the biro and notebook that I always carry in my bag and did two of the rapid-sketching exercises (5 minutes each) alongside the children.  By doing the exercises, I had a taste of the pressure of quick sketches and as a result developed a deeper understanding of the multitude of skills (such as a keen observation, some experience with using different marks to create textures on paper, understanding tonal values) that Tiger would need in order to produce sketches to a reasonably satisfactory level -- skills that he has not been exposed to and thus not expected to have at this point.

The rest of the workshop focused on the art of portraiture, using Rembrandt's portrait of his son, Titus, as our focal point.  The workshop leader went through the basics of portraiture such as the proportions of a human face, while highlighting how Rembrandt achieved three-dimensionality through his masterful use of colours and tones.

At this point, the children were encouraged to copy the master's work using a variety of materials: charcoal, pastels, or pencils.

I decided to try doing it using pastels.  It wasn't easy.

Attending this workshop has given me much insight into where Tiger is at in terms of his level of interest and observational skills.  I think he is not doing too badly considering that he has never been taught nor has he ever asked to be shown how to draw.  A broad exposure to various media and art forms via Art Lab for Kids will probably be sufficient for now.

Tomorrow I will be posting about how we use the book for our in-house art summer school, starting with drawing.


This post is linked up to:

1. Virtual Refrigerator: Phineas and Ferb
2. Hobbies and Handicrafts - August 9
3. Collage Friday - Braces and First Days of School
4. TGIF Linky Party #89
5. Weekly Wrap-Up: The One Where We Did Stuff
6. The Homeschool Mother's Journal {August 10, 2013}

Our Island Adventures: Sea, Sunshine, and Summer Food

Being a small island with an area of 384 km² , the Isle of Wight is surrounded by beaches on all sides.  We must have been to all of them, I think, because most of my photographs have something to do the seaside.  Not all of the beaches are to our liking -- some are pebbly, some are sandy, some are too crowded, some are rugged, some of outstanding -- but we all agree that we like the beaches on the southern end of the island the most.

My recollection of this holiday is mostly about water.  Not surprising at all, is it?  Besides, spending lots of time on beaches, we also spent a lovely evening in a town with a lovely pier.

We also went on a chain ferry to cross a small river on the Isle of Wight.  I had not been on one before so that was quite exciting.  There are not many of them left in the UK.  The ferry carries passengers and a few vehicles across the river each time.  The crossing took about 15 minutes.  While we were on board the ferry, some school children were just coming out from school and boarded the ferry with us.  They were very friendly, which is always a nice thing to see.  We get the sense that life on the Isle of Wight is about five years behind that of the mainland, which is not necessarily a bad thing at all.

The other things that I remember well is the food we had.  We usually eat home cooked food and I am not a big fan of serving up sandwiches, if I can help it, so our "holiday food" has been an interesting change from our usual diet.

The biggest joy for me on this trip has been to bear witness to the close father-and-son relationship between Tortoise and Tiger.  They spent most parts of the holiday doing things together -- horse riding, kayaking, playing on the beach, walking, rock pooling, and generally just being with each other.

This post concludes the series of our summer holiday on the Isle of Wight, which you can read about here.  After a very relaxing week of vacation, it's time we head home and start work again.

This post is linked up to:

1. Collage Friday - Planning, Reunions, and Deals
2. TGIF Linky Party #87
3. Weekly Wrap-Up: The One Where Life Went Back to Normal
4. The Homeschool Mother's Journal {August 3, 2013}
5. Hip Homeschool Hop - 8/6/13

Our Island Adventures: Queen Vic's Holiday House

While Queen Elizabeth II and her family spends much of their summer at Balmoral Castle these days, Queen Victoria and her family used to spend quite a bit of their summer at Osborne House.  The size of the house is quite grand but the interior is quite sparse (when compared to the grandeur to the likes of the Rothschilds' house, Waddesdon Manor).  As Queen Vic used to sometimes receive foreign guests at Osborne, you can still see evidence of some the royal receptions in the state rooms.  Being "The Empress of India" for a time during her reign, it is no wonder to see much evidence of India in the paintings and some of the decorations of the house.  The most impressive room is one that is modeled after a palace in Rajasthan.

Osborne House was mostly used as a family holiday home for Queen Victoria.  There is a room dedicated to the family tree of Queen Vic and I find it fascinating to learn that all the European monarchies, since then up until now, are in one way or another inter-related through marriages.

There is a Swiss Cottage, which is similar to a children's play house, in the grounds of the garden.  The difference is that this children's summer house is the size of a modern house these days.  When I read a sign board in the house that states that the cottage was built to be used 'for the children's education', I started to fantasise about how lovely it would be if I had an entire building dedicated to homeschooling Tiger...

What's more, the children even had a garden plot the size of a small orchard to grow their own fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

Further along in the grounds, not far from the cottage, we stumble upon a child-sized barracks fully equipped model fort, child-sized real guns (cannons), guardroom, drawbridge magazine, etc.  They were set up for the children to play battle games.  I think of how most children these days, if they are lucky enough to not be poor, have to contend with playing with plastic model soliders for a battle game.  The fort and guns I saw before me just seemed unreal.

There is a private beach at the end of a long coastal path from the garden, which can be seen from the house.

The most interesting item on the beach is Queen Victoria's bathing machine.

It looks like a modified carriage on rails that was winched into the sea so that the queen could enter the water after changing into her bathing costume.  There was obviously a different set of modesty standards back then with regards to how a lady should dress while swimming at sea so women in Victorian days used to swim in the sea fully clothed, much like strict Islamic women these days.

Queen Victoria spent her last days at Osborne House and passed away there.  After she died, her body was transported back to the mainland in the Alberta Deckhouse, which was also kept on the grounds.

This post is part of a series about our summer holiday on the Isle of Wight.  You can read the entire series here.


This post is linked up to:

1. History and Geography Meme #85 
2. Collage Friday - Planning, Reunions, and Deals
3. TGIF Linky Party #87
4. Weekly Wrap-Up: The One Where Life Went Back to Normal
5. The Homeschool Mother's Journal {August 3, 2013}
6. Hip Homeschool Hop - 8/6/13

Our Island Adventures: From Garden to Beach

We visited the only botanical garden on the Isle of Wight.  The garden has separate sections of plants that are grouped according to their regions of origin.  As it was the height of summer, all the plants and flowers were in full bloom so we had a really good wonder in the garden.  The most impressive section was the tropical greenhouse that was so hot and humid that my camera misted up immediately inside so I could not take any photo of the very exotic plants found there but I have a few photos of flowers to share:

The garden isn't very big (compared to the likes of Kew Garden) so we had time to walk down a path that starts at the bottom of the botanical garden that leads to a beach.

We were all really hungry by the time we reached the beach so we stopped at a beach-front cafe and ate a delicious, typically-beach-front meal of crab sandwich and crisps.  Yum!

Once we've filled our tummies, it's off to the beach for the rest of the day!  The boys hired a kayak and went paddling out at sea while my mother-in-law and I sat on the beach to relax and chat.  I am fortunate to enjoy a very good relationship with my mother-in-law so it has been a real joy to start a family tradition of holidaying together.

This post is part of a series about our summer holiday on the Isle of Wight.  You can read the entire series here.


This post is linked up to:

1. Hobbies and Handicrafts - August 2
2. Collage Friday - Planning, Reunions, & Deals
3. TGIF Linky Party #87
4. Country Kids - Missing Family Members
5. Weekly Wrap-Up: The One Where Life Went Back to Normal
6. The Homeschool Mother's Journal {August 3, 2013}
7. Hip Homeschool Hop - 8/6/13

Year 3 Reading Log

   
Books read from August 2012 - July 2013

1. The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm by Norman Hunter 
2. Life of Fred Elementary Series (10 books) byStanley F. Schmidt
3. The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter
4. Avoid Flying on the Hindenburg! by Ian Graham
5. Warfare in the Middle Ages by Fiona Macdonald
6. Beliefs and Myths of Anglo-Saxon England by Martyn Whittock
7. Axe-Age, Wolf-Age by Kevin Crossley-Holland
8. Smashing Saxons by Terry Deary
9. Alfred the Great by Andrew Matthews
10. The Knight of Stick and Straw by Terry Deary
11. Off with their Heads!  All the Cool Bits in British History by Martin Oliver
12. Avoid Entering the Ancient Greek Olympics! by Michael Ford
13. The Gruesome Truth about the Middle Ages by Jillian Powell
14. Dirty Beasts by Roald Dahl
15. Odious Oceans by Anita Ganeri
16. Vile Volcanoes by Anita Ganeri
17. The Fearsome Fight for Flight by Nick Arnold
18. Rotten Rulers by Terry Deary
19. Tutankhamun and His Tombful of Treasure by Michael Cox
20. Stephen Biesty's Cross Sections: Castles
21. Stephen Biesty's Incredible Explosions
22. Men of Iron by Howard Pyle
23. The Family Collection by Enid Blyton
24. The O'Clock Stories Collection by Enid Blyton
25. Big John's Secret by Eleanore M. Jewett
26. Woodland Tales by Enid Blyton
27. Country Tales by Enid Blyton
28. Horrible Geography of the World by Anita Ganeri
29. Planet in Peril by Anita Ganeri
30. Perilous Poles by Anita Ganeri
31. Wild Islands by Anita Ganeri
32. Earth Shattering Earthquakes by Anita Ganeri
33. Raging Rivers by Anita Ganeri
34. Cracking Coasts by Anita Ganeri
35. Freaky Peaks by Anita Ganeri
36. Wicked Weather by Anita Ganeri
37. Wild Animals by Anita Ganeri
38. Wild Islands by Anita Ganeri
39. Fatal Forces by Nick Arnold
40. Frightening Light by Nick Arnold
41. Famously Foul Experiments by Nick Arnold
42. Stormy Weather by Anita Ganeri
43. Going Solo by Roald Dahl
44. Edinburgh by Terry Deary
45. Savage Stone Age by Terry Deary
46. Mouldy Mummies by Mary Dobson
47. Vile Vikings by Mary Dobson
48. Intrepid Explorers by Anita Ganeri
49. Monster Lakes by Anita Ganeri
50. Bloomin' Rainforests by Anita Ganeri
51. Spartacus and his Glorious Gladiators by Toby Brown
52. Ireland by Terry Deary
53. England by Terry Deary
54. Vicious Veg by Nick Arnold
55. Shocking Electricity by Nick Arnold
56. Suffering Scientists by Nick Arnold
57. Guaranteed to Bend Your Brain by Kjartan Poskitt
58. Algebra: The Phantom X by Kjartan Poskitt
59. The Essential Arithmetricks by Kjartan Poskitt
60. Really Rotten Experiments by Nick Arnold
61. Explosive Experiments by Nick Arnold
62. Deadly Diseases by Nick Arnold
63. Measly Medicine by Nick Arnold
64. Sounds Dreadful by Nick Arnold
65. Killer Energy by Nick Arnold
66. Sharks by Nick Arnold
67. The Terrible Truth about Time by Nick Arnold
68. Fifteen Rabbits by Felix Salten
69. Freaky Food Experiments by Nick Arnold
70. Evil Inventions by Nick Arnold
71. Painful Poison by Nick Arnold
72. Nasty Nature by Nick Arnold
73. Wales by Terry Deary
74. Rotten Rulers by Terry Deary
75. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales retold by Marcia Williams
76. Medieval Muck by Mary Dobson
77. Desperate Measures by Kjartan Poskitt
78. Numbers: The Key to the Universe by Kjartan Poskitt
79. Bambi's Children by Felix Salten
80. Bedknobs and Broomsticks by Mary Norton
81. Dublin by Terry Deary
82. Cruel Kings and Mean Queens by Terry Deary
83. Dark Knights and Dingy Castles by Terry Deary
84. Bloody Scotland by Terry Deary
85. Wicked Words by Terry Deary
86. The Groovy Greeks by Terry Deary
87. Alexander the Great and His Claim to Fame by Phil Robins
88. Blood, Bones and Body Bits by Nick Arnold
89. Space Stars and Slimy Aliens by Nick Arnold
90. Chemical Chaos by Nick Arnold
91. Easy Questions Evil Answers by Kjartan Poskitt
92. Do You Feel Lucky? by Kjartan Poskitt
93. Rebels and Royal by Geraldine McCaughrean
94. A Right Royal History by Terrance Dicks
95. Trigonometry: The Fiendish Angletron by Kjartan Poskitt
96. The Perfect Sausage and Other Fundamental Formulas by Kjartan Poskitt
97. More Murderous Maths by Kjartan Poskitt
98. Murderous Maths: The Mean Vulgar Bits by Kjartan Poskitt
99. Cruel Crime and Painful Punishment by Terry Deary
100. Vile Villains by Terry Deary
101. Horrible Histories: Horribly Hilarious Joke Book (2 books)
102. Loathsome London by Terry Deary
103. Dreadful Diary by Terry Deary
104. Awful Egyptians by Terry Deary
105. Rowdy Revolutions by Terry Deary
106. The Horrible Science of Everything by Nick Arnold
107. Disgusting Digestion by Nick Arnold
108. Ugly Bugs by Nick Arnold
109. Microscopic Monsters by Nick Arnold
110. Egypt: A High-Speed History by Terry Deary
111. The Odyssey adapted by Geraldine McCaughrean
112. Jason and the Golden Fleece by Geraldine McCaughrean
113. Rotten Romans by Terry Deary
114. Avoid Being in a Medieval Dungeon! by Fiona Macdonald
115. Vile Victorians by Terry Deary
116. Horrible Christmas by Terry Deary
117. The Angry Aztecs by Terry Deary
118. Killer Energy and Shocking Electricity by Nick Arnold
119. Crashing Computers by Michael Coleman
120. Savage Shapes by Kjartan Poskitt
121. Men of Iron by Howard Pyle
122. The Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
123. Shapeshifters retold by Adrian Mitchell
124. The Horrible History of Britain and Ireland by Terry Deary
125. The Horribly Huge Quiz Book by Terry Deary
126. Cleopatra and Her Asp by Margaret Simpson
127. The Horrible Science of You by Nick Arnold
128. The Awfully Big Quiz Book by Nick Arnold
129. Avoid Being on Apollo 13! by Ian Graham
130. Albert Einstein and His Inflatable Universe by Mike Goldsmith
131. Wild Islands by Anita Ganeri
132. Avoid Being a Convict Sent to Australia! by Meredith Costain
133. Avoid Climbing Mount Everest! by Ian Graham
134. 20th Century by Terry Deary
135. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
136. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
137. Bambi by Felix Salten
138. Spectacular Special Effects by Diana Kimpton
139. Groovy Movies by Martin Oliver
140. Teriffic Chocolate by Alan Macdonald
141. Avoid Working on the Statue of Liberty! by John Malam
142. Avoid Being a Suffragette! by Fiona Macdonald
143. Avoid Being a Skyscraper Builder! by John Malam
144. Avoid Being in the First Submarine! by Ian Graham
145. Flaming Olympics by Michael Coleman
146. Wicked World Cup by Michael Coleman
147. Mystical Magic by Ivor Baddiel
148. Dreadful Drama by Rachel Wright
149. Crafty Crime-busting by Rachel Wright
150. Avoid Sailing on an Irish Famine Ship! by Jim Pipe
151. Avoid Joining Shackleton's Polar Expedition! by Jen Green
152. Riotous Robots by Mike Goldsmith
153. Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit
154. The Phoenix and the Carpet by Edith Nesbit
155. The Story of the Amulet by Edith Nesbit
156. The Story of the Treasure Seekers by Edith Nesbit
157. The Adventure series (8 books) by Enid Blyton
158. The Mystery series (15 books) by Enid Blyton
159. The Incredible Internet by Michael Cox
160. New Treasure Seekers by Edith Nesbit
161. The Wouldbegoods by Edith Nesbit
162. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
163. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney
164. The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman
165. The Nutcracker (DK Eyewitness Classics)
166. Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
167. Beastly Body Experiments by Nick Arnold
168. The Christmas Story by Anita Ganeri
169. The Advent Storybook by Antonie Schneider
170. Stephen Biesty's Cross-Section: Man-of-War
171. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
172. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
173. Facts or Fiction: Witches
174. The Best Tales Ever Told: Warriors and Witches
175. Witches by Terry Deary
176. Witch and Wizard by Douglas Hill
177. Terrifying Tudors by Terry Deary
178. Even More Terrible Tudors by Terry Deary
179. Gorgeous Georgians by Terry Deary
180. Slimy Stuarts by Terry Deary
181. The USA by Terry Deary
182. Avoid being a Second War World Evacuee! by Simon Smith
183. Avoid being a Secret Agent in the Second War World! by John Malam
184. Cracking Codes by Diana Kimpton
185. Spies by Terry Deary
186. Avoid being in the Great Fire of London! by Jim Pipe
187. The Gobsmacking Galaxy by Kjartan Poskitt
188. Avoid being a Salem Witch! by Jim Pipe
189. Avoid being a Body Snatcher! by Fiona Macdonald
190. Avoid working on a Medieval Cathedral! by Fiona Macdonald
191. Avoid being Joan of Arc! by Fiona Macdonald
192. Avoid being a Tudor actor in Shakespeare's Theatre! by Jacqueline Morley
193. Avoid exploring with Marco Polo! by Jacqueline Morley
194. Avoid being a Mayan Soothsayer! by Rupert Matthews
195. Avoid becoming an Incan Mummy! by Colin Hynson
196. Avoid becoming an Aztec Sacrifice! by Fiona Macdonald
197. Rome: A High Speed History by Terry Deary
198. Ruthless Romans by Terry Deary
199. Greek Grime by Mary Dobson
200. Mulan by Michael Morgan
201. Battle at Sea (DK)
202. Battle: A Visual Journey through 5000 Years of Combat by R.G. Grant
203. The Famous Five's Survival Guide by Enid Blyton
204. The Witches by Roald Dahl
205. 2x2=Boo! by Loreen Leedy
206. Encyclopedia of War Machines edited by Daniel Bowen
207. Spinning Spiders by Melvin Berger
208. Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats by Ann Earle
209. Where are the Night Animals? by Mary Ann Fraser
210. White Owl, Barn Owl by Nicola Davies
211. Worlds of Gods and Goddesses by Jacqueline Morley
212. Greek Myths and Legends by Anna Claybourne
213. Greek Myths by James Ford
     
214. An Illustrated Guide to Mythical Creatures by Anita Ganeri
     
215. Giants by John Malam
216. A Selection from The Canterbury Tales retold by Selina Hastings
217. Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl
218. Villianous Victorians by Terry Deary
219. The World Atlas of Warfare by Richard Holmes
220. Drake's Comphensive Compendium of Dragonology edited by Dugald A. Steer
221. The Island of the Nine Whirlpools by Edith Nesbit
222. The Frightful First World War by Terry Deary
223. A Treasury of Christmas Stories chosen by Sian Hardy
224. The Puffin Book of Christmas Poems compiled by Wes Magee
225. Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
226. Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield
227. The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
228. Santa Claus: The Magical World of Father Christmas by Rod Green
229. The Magic World by Edith Nesbit
230. The House of Arden by E. Nesbit
231. The Magic City by E. Nesbit
232. Sir Francis Drake and His Daring Deeds by Andrew Donkin
233. The aMAZEing journey of Marco Polo by Anna Nilsen
234. Stories from the Silk Road retold by Cherry Gilchrist
235. The Stone of Destiny: Tales from Turkey by Elspeth Tavaci
236. The Travels of Marco Polo adapted by Gian Paolo Ceserani
237. The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo
238. Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney
239. Sir Cumference and the Viking's Map by Cindy Neuschwander
240. Wood Magic by Richard Jefferies
241. The Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green
242. The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley
243. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
244. Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett
245. Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
246. Along Came a Dog by Meindert DeJong
247. Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
248. The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit
249. The Famous Five series (21 books) by Enid Blyton
250. The Brown Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
251. The Man Who Counted by Malba Tahan
252. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
253. Tales of the Greek Heroes by Roger Lancelyn Green
254. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl
255. The Pilgrim's Progress retold by Geraldine McCaughrean
256. Beast Quest: Vedra and Krimon by Adam Blade
257. Beast Quest: Vipero by Adam Blade
258. The Barney 'R' Mysteries series (6 books) by Enid Blyton
259. The Five Find-Outers Mystery series (15 books) by Enid Blyton
260. Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft
261. I Wonder Why Vultures are Bald and Other Questions about Birds by Amanda O'Neill
262. Falcons Nest on Skyscrapers by Priscilla Belz Jenkins
263. How do Birds Find Their Way? by Ronia Gans
264. Ducks Don't Get Wet by Augusta Goldin
265. Marco Polo's Travels on Asia's Silk Road by Cath Senker
266. Spoilt Royals by Alan MacDonald
267. Dinosaurs by Nick Arnold
268. The Art of War: Great Commanders of the Ancient and Medieval World edited by Andrew Roberts
269. What Makes Day and Night by Franklin M. Branley
270. Me Counting Time by Joan Sweeney
271. The Pictorial History of Sea Battles
272. Famous Land Battles by Richard Humble
273. Italy by Claire Throp
274. My Holiday in... Italy by Susie Brooks
275. Olivia Goes to Venice by Ian Flaconer
276. 50 Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin
277. Thirty More Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin
278. Sunshine Makes the Seasons by Franklin M. Branley
279. The Moon Seems to Change by Franklin M. Branley
280. Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail by Laurence Anholt
281. Picasso by Mike Venezia
282. Worlds of Myths and Legends by Jacqueline Morley
283. South & North, East & West collected by Michael Rosen
284. A Forest of Stories by Rina Singh
285. Angel Pavement by Quentin Blake
286. Angelica Sprocket's Pockets by Quentin Blake
287. Mister Magnolia by Quentin Blake
288. Mrs Armitage and the Big Wave by Quentin Blake
289. Mrs Armitage on Wheels by Quentin Blake
290. Mrs Armitage: Queen of the Road by Quentin Blake
291. Jack and Nancy by Quentin Blake
292. A Sailing Boat in the Sky by Quentin Blake
293. Clown by Quentin Blake
294. The Green Ship by Quentin Blake
295. ABC by Quentin Blake
296. Zagazoo by Quentin Blake
297. Simpkin by Quentin Blake
298. A Journey Through Life in Judaism by Jane A.C. West
299. Around the World in 80 Tales by Saviour Pirotta
300. Realms of Gold Myths and Legends From Around the World by Ann Pilling
301. Mythical Creatures retold by Fiona Waters
302. Up, Up and Away by Scot Ritchie
303. The Orchard Book of Magical Tales by Margaret Mayo
304. Beatrix Potter: A Journal by Beatrix Potter
305. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
306. Creation Stories from Around the World retold by Ann Pilling
307. Papa Piccolo by Carol Talley
308. Creation Stories retold by Fiona Waters
309. World of Gods and Goddesses by Janqueline Morley
310. All the Colours of the Earth selected by Wendy Cooling
311. Around the World in Eighty Poems selected by James Berry
312. A Twist in the Tail by Mary Hoffman
313. Skip Across the Ocean collected by Floella Benjamin
314. The Kingfisher Book of Mythology
315. The Great Big Book of Monsters, Goblins, Dragons and Giants by John Malam
316. A Treasury of Stories from Around the World chosen by Linda Jennings
317. Italy by Annabel Savery
318. Religions Around the World (Britannica Learning Library)
319. The Iliad retold by Nick McCarty
320. Volcano by Lisa Magloff
321. Volcano and Earthquake Maze by Roger Moreau
322. Volcano by Anne Rooney
323. Volcanoes by Franklin M. Branley
324. Volcano Disasters by John Hawkins
325. Look Inside Volcano by Fleur Star
326. I Wonder Why Volcanoes Blow their Tops by Rosie Greenwood
327. Pompeii by Melanie Rice
328. Ancient Rome by Peter Chrisp
329. D is for Dahl compiled by Wendy Cooling
330. Pompeii and Herculaneum by Peter Hicks
331. Pompeii & Herculaneum by John and Elizabeth Seely
332. Avoid being a Slave in Pompeii by John Malam
333. Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
334. Songs and Verse by Roald Dahl
335. Pumpkin Grumpkin collected by John Agard and Grace Nichols
336. From Mouth to Mouth selected by John Agard and Grace Nichols
337. Professor Fiendish's Book of Diabolical Brain-Benders by Kjartan Poskitt
338. Looking for Enid by Duncan McLaren
339. Volcano! by Anita Ganeri
340. Volcano (DK Eyewonder)
341. Escape from Pompeii by Christina Balit
342. Al Capone and His Gang by Alan MacDonald
343. Tales from Around the World published by Zero to Ten (2008)
344. The World Atlas of Warfare by Richard Holmes
345. World War I by Susanne Everett
346. The Great War by Correlli Barnett
347. The World's Greatest Intercept Aircraft
348. Gulf War by Dr Frederick Stanwood
349. Warships by Norman Polmar and Norman Friedman
350. Great Battles of War War II
351. Encyclopedia of War Machines edited by Daniel Bowen
352. Italy by Jen Green
353. Public Enemy Number Two by Anthony Horowitz
354. Volcano (DK Experience)
355. Volcano! by Judy & Dennis Fradin
356. Pompeii by Peter Connolly
357. Pompeii and Other Lost Cities by John Malam
358. Escape from Pompeii by Terry Collins
359. The Greek Who Stole Christmas by Anthony Horowitz
360. Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
361. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
362. A Life Like Mine foreward by Jemima Khan
363. Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby retold by Janet Johnson
364. Brer Rabbit and the Well by Malachy Doyle
365. Three of Diamonds by Anthony Horowitz
366. South by South East by Anthony Horowitz
367. Life in a Rock Pool by Clare Oliver
368. Rock Pool by Christiane Gunzi
369. A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
370. Starfish by Edith Hurd
371. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
372. Brer Rabbit and the Blackberry Bush retold by Louise Stowell
373. Brer Rabbit: The Great Tug-O-War by John Agard & Korky Paul
374. Stories from Around the World for Little Children (Usborne)
375. The Lion of St Mark by G.A. Henty
376. Brer Rabbit and the Peanut Patch by Susan Dickinson
377. The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
378. The Diamond Brothers in... The Falcon's Malteser by Anthony Horowitz
379. Detectives Handbook (Usborne)
380. The BFG by Roald Dahl
381. Mapping Rivers by Louise Spilsbury
382. Rivers and Streams by Cassie Mayer
383. What are... Rivers?
384. Albert Einstein and His Inflatable Universe by Dr Mike Goldsmith
385. Dover Castle: A Frontline Fortress and its Wartime Tunnels published by English Heritage
386. The Hundred and One Dalmations by Dodie Smith 
387. Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers 
388. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
389. The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden
390. The Boys' Book: How to be Best at Everything by Guy MacDonald
391. Oceanology (Ology series) 
392. Jump the World by Sarah Pooley

Our Island Adventures: Of Bygone Times

Dotted around the Isle of Wight are many historic places.  We visited a few while we were there.

(1) Bembridge Windmill

This is a very well preserved windmill with all its machinery and interior intact.  We were able to have a very good look at everything inside on its four floors and learned quite a bit about how the mill worked.

Even JMW Turner had visited it and was inspired to paint what he saw then.

(2) St. Catherine's Oratory
This unassuming-looking oratory has quite an interesting history.  Situated on a prehistoric burial mound, it was once used as chapel with an adjoining lighthouse.

Only the one tower is left so there isn't really much else to see at this site.  However, since it is situated on top of a huge mound, it took us quite a while to make the steep climb.  The surrounding scenery, as we saw on our way up, was breathtaking.

(3) Hanover Point
This is one of a few places on the island where we were told we could find fossilised dinosaur footprints.  I was slightly skeptical as to whether we were going to see any by ourselves, since you really have to know what you're looking at to identify a genuine dino footprint from a clump of mud and stones.

We were there towards the end of the day and were able to catch a very beautiful sunset on the beach.  The sign boards on the beach have very clear instructions and examples of how we can look out for fossils and dino footprints.  The place is certainly rugged enough to have existed in prehistoric times.  While Tiger spent his time digging on the beach, I spent my time looking for fossils.  I managed to find a few fossiled seaweeds on rocks, and a few fossilised dino footprints.  Wow, that was really amazing.  What is really good about the experience is that people have followed the instructions on the sign boards and left the fossils on the beach, instead of taking them away, so that other people (like us) can enjoy the discovery for ourselves.

This post is part of a series about our summer holiday on the Isle of Wight.  You can read the entire series here.


This post is linked up to:

1. Hobbies and Handicrafts - August 2
2. Collage Friday - Planning, Reunions, & Deals
3. TGIF Linky Party #87
4. Country Kids - Missing Family Members
5. Weekly Wrap-Up: The One Where Life Went Back to Normal
6. The Homeschool Mother's Journal {August 3, 2013}
7. Hip Homeschool Hop - 8/6/13