We stopped by The Hat Store on our way to the Library. LaRosa is our local hat shop here in Donnelly.
We learned about time-honored traditions in craftsmanship and quality like many of the Kentucky Derby Hats.
Today we read A Horse Named Seabiscuit by Cathy East Dubowski and Mark Dubowski.
We also had a Kentucky Derby.
Snack was fried chicken.
The students also got to visit the Library Store today and spend their brag tags.
First published on May 3, 2020
- Reading List: EPIC Kentucky
- Math: Children are unique and that includes how they think about math. At the Kentucky Center for Mathematics, we encourage students to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. We invite you to explore the pages below for resources, games, and books that will engage your child in fun and educational ways.
Kentucky Mathematics has a number of online activities to keep you busy. You certainly will not run out of ideas.
3. Science:
Check out the activities at Kentucky Science Center.
4.Art: Craftsmanship is an art that touches each of us differently.
Slugger Museum shows the craftsmanship making a Louisville Slugger. After you take the virtual tour design your own piece of sporting equipment. Draw a sketch and write a short paragraph about how you would set your product above the rest.
5.Writing: When we studied Kentucky we learned about Bluegrass. Take some time to write your own song.
Bluegrass songs about bluegrass – song ideas to get you started. Tips from: Bluegrass Today
I don’t know how the summer will play out with the continued threat of COVID-19 but if given the opportunity check out the best bluegrass option for kids west of Kentucky.
McCall Kids Mountain Music Camp
6.History: Packhorse librarians. https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647329067/the-pack-horse-librarians-of-eastern-kentucky
Write Miss Sherry a letter telling her how packhorse librarians.
7. Book Pick:
My Book Pick is typically YA. It is designed to give some of the older kids an opportunity to try a new book. My favorite book I have read in 2020 is based in Kentucky and it is a true story. Please remember this is not a children’s book. Available on The Idaho Digital Consortium
The Giver of Stars
“Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically.
The leader, and soon Alice’s greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who’s never asked a man’s permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky.
What happens to them–and to the men they love–becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. These heroic women refuse to be cowed by men or by convention. And though they face all kinds of dangers in a landscape that is at times breathtakingly beautiful, at others brutal, they’re committed to their job: bringing books to people who have never had any, arming them with facts that will change their lives.
Based on a true story rooted in America’s past, The Giver of Stars is unparalleled in its scope and epic in its storytelling. Funny, heartbreaking, enthralling, it is destined to become a modern classic–a richly rewarding novel of women’s friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond. ”
Bonus: Happy Derby Week
Grab a fancy hat and head to the races! Derby Museum
Normally at this time of the year, the Museum in Louisville is teeming with students of all ages for field trips. They learn about one of Kentucky’s great cultural, sporting and economic events, a horse race that has been held every year since 1875. With this in mind, we’d like to offer our services as committed educators to reach out and offer free programming. Below you will find a video tour of our Museum exhibits, a Social Studies-based Powerpoint mini-lesson called “You Can’t Stop the Derby!” complete with my voiceover, and a 3-minute video excerpt of our signature movie “The Greatest Race.”
Play a Horse Racing Game
You can be a jockey in this game that simulates a horse race. To set up for the race, you will need to set up a track. Use tape to mark off a starting and finish line, as well as to create the lines for however many rows you will need. Once you have made your tracks, use more tape to mark off the same amount of “boxes” in each track. Give each jockey a number from one-to-12 to wear on his back. Have your mom and dad participate. If you invite the neighbors over make sure each track is 6 feet a part and that you are practicing social distancing.
Once the players are numbered, have them line up behind the starting line. Roll a set of dice and call out the number that comes up. Whomever is wearing that number, she gets to move forward one box in her track. If no one has the number, they can either all move forward or all remain in place. Keep rolling the dice and calling numbers until one jockey crosses the finish line. They are the winner. You can keep playing until everyone crosses the finish line. Another fun way to play jockey is to run relay races while riding on stick horses.
More Activities for a Kentucky Derby Party
- Play horseshoes.
- Bob for apples
- Make personalized horseshoes: cut them from cardstock and decorate them with stickers, glitter and foam letters with which to spell their names
- Make horse crafts