Literature: Nancy Drew

A family friend recently gave my daughter a few (revised) Nancy Drew books. What a thrill! I remember reading these, and the Hardy Boys, as a child. While I have been reading to her from other classics, she is hearing the stories, but not understanding enough to get "lost in the book," so to speak. She can hear the words, but she doesn't feel connected to them or the story. I hope these Nancy Drew classics help my daughter gain more interest in reading (she dislikes both reading and writing) and expose her to well-written literature she can understand.

Most of the modern kid's "literature" I've been previewing is not well written even if popular. Many also describe innapropriate behavior, attitudes, and scenes. I thought, at first, that if she got interested in reading, she could progress to better literature. There is a fad she has gotten into, and I let her get the book... But when I ask her about the story, she only desecribes fashion, make-up, and worry about boys. The kids in the story do not have relationships with their parents, and they do not deal with real issues, but just various forms of giving into peer pressure and group acceptance. She also never asked me about new words while reading that modern book. But, in the first chapter of a Nancy Drew, she has already asked me about several words and what a sentence means.

I found an intersting article on the womanly example of Nancy Drew (Nancy Drew and True Womanhood) that confirmed my feelings on the difference between the young woman in this series compared to the young women portrayed in many of the popular modern children's books.

History: Ancient India & China

I use Story of the World for history, and we are nearing the end of the first book. This month, my daughter is learning a little more about Ancient India & China. Having spent my second decade of life living in Bangladesh, and travelling the Indian Subcontinent & Asia, I have found the chapters on India to bring back memories. I'm not quite that ancient, mind you, but I fondly remember the weather, cattle, crowds, colors, & food. I learned to cook some Indian food dishes since coming back stateside (though my daughter is only barely okay with mild curry, and my husband won't touch "exotic" at all.) I realize, as I talk to my daughter about my memories, and try to relate that to what she is learning, that my experiences there are very far removed from the life she knows.

I found and online translation of the Mahabharata and I penciled that in for some summer read-aloud time. I love the art work and I still remember reading both the Mahabharata and the Ramayana as a teenager. (This will go under "Language Arts: Literature" in my record-keeping.)

I love the British Museum website, and will be using their Ancient India and Ancient China pages. There are games, short readings, and quizzes, as well as maps and pictures. I can take a Science trip and discuss the Indian cattle breeds, commonly called Brahman and Miniature Zebu. (TNAU Animal Husbandry, Love4cows both have good photos.) She can explore the different cycle of seasons, including monsoon.We will also look at Hinduism and Buddhism, two religions origination from this area.