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It’s Memorial Day weekend, and many of you will have plans to travel, go camping, head to the beach, or bbq with friends and family. Enjoy some rest and a break from the regular routine, being sure to spend some electronics-free time with loved ones. 

Monday and Tuesday there is no school on campus, so use those days to catch up and for E&E. If you need an idea, there is an interesting documentary by Nova about the Wright Brothers, called Wright Brothers' Flying Machine. We will be learning a bit about the Wright Brothers as we wrap up this school year, so your kids might enjoy a film like this. It’s available on Netflix - here’s a description:

Truly, Orville and Wilbur Wright were magnificent men in their flying machine. On December 17, 1903, the brothers' long-held dream of man soaring with the birds became reality and changed the world forever. PBS television's popular "Nova" series traces the brothers' journey (from their bicycle shop in Ohio) and attempts to re-create the historic first flight using a modern-day team of pilots, historians, builders and aviation experts. 

There are, of course, several local events and festivals happening this weekend, and you can find out about them on SLO County’s calendar of events website. One you might be looking forward to is the annual Strawberry Festival in Arroyo Grande on May 25-26. 

Enjoy the long weekend!

HE FOUND THAT HIS ARMS AND LEGS WERE TIGHTLY FASTENED TO THE GROUND

The version of Gulliver that we are reading as a school has fantastic, imaginative illustrations by Chris Riddell that add their own level of entertainment to the story. Today we have gathered a few illustrations that have accompanied this classic book in other editions, to share just for fun:

Gulliver’s Travels illustrations {source}

by Arthur Rackham 

Gulliver inspecting the Lilliputian army {source}

and Gulliver at Lilliput {source}

by Jacques Onfray de Breville 

Lilliputians Attacking {source}

by Honor Appelton

The King of Brobdingnag and Gulliver {source, source}

by James Gillray

and then ...maybe not such a classic (ha!):

If you and your kids have enjoyed Gulliver's Travels, here's another book you may be interested in: Mistress Masham's Repose, by T.H. White (author of The Sword in the Stone). This is a delightful story about a ten-year-old girl, Maria, who discovers a group of Lilliputians (from Gulliver's Travels) living on her estate, where they have been hiding in exile for centuries. It would make a great summer read-aloud or independent read. And the illustrations by Fritz Eichenberg are wonderful! 

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{photo by Jenny Bischoff}

Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

Cooking Light, July 2006

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 tacos and about 1 cup cabbage mixture)

This fast, easy recipe for fish tacos is delicious and a favorite in the Bischoff home (the kids don’t always go for the cabbage slaw, but we’re working on it…). You can use corn or flour tortillas here - we happen to love the uncooked flour tortillas from Costco that you cook fresh. Substitute another white fish if desired. This actually makes more slaw than you need for the tacos, so you can serve the extra on the side. And although it’s not mentioned in the recipe, we like to add avocado to these tacos, and serve them with black beans. Yum!

Ingredients

4 cups very thinly pre-sliced green cabbage

1 cup chopped plum tomatoes

1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

5 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1 pound tilapia fillets

1 teaspoon chili powder

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add juice, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss well to combine.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with chili powder and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat, and cut fish into bite-sized pieces.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/4 cup cabbage mixture down the center of each tortilla. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; fold in half. Serve tacos with remaining cabbage mixture.

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Earlier this year I (Jenny) read an inspiring blog article that I’d like to share with you before the year is over. It’s called “On raising Little Women (or men): What we can learn from Marmee.” Have you or your kids read Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott, recently? The story is set during and after the Civil War, so it seems a timely example of how we as parents (not just our kids) can learn from great literature. 

The author of the blog post, Jamie Martin, recounts her experience re-reading Little Women as an adult (and a mom), and what she gleaned from the character of Marmee. She was inspired by the love, friendship, and respect each of Marmee’s girls had for their mother, and articulates the qualities she found in Marmee that allowed her to have such a strong influence and close relationship with each child.

I encourage you to read the full article here. It’s a delightful and quick read, full of simple wisdom that celebrates mothers and children.

What valuable lessons have you, as a parent, learned from reading great children’s literature? Share by leaving a comment.

{all photos by Lisa Ann Dillon unless otherwise noted}

Today’s Magical Moment comes from Lisa Ann Dillon, our Track A Primary teacher. She offered one of the silent auction prizes at our Wild West Extravaganza, which was a hike at Reservoir Canyon. The recipients of this experience were Violet Talley, Haaken Theule, Morgan Stowell and John Raj. (Lisa Ann’s son Grant came along too!) She writes today to share some special moments and photos from this memorable hike with her students:

We began by listening quietly for about five minutes and students responded with art work in their nature journals. 

The kids were so engaged as we hiked along, searching for specific plants of the area – horsetail, toyon, stinging nettle, yucca.  We learned a little bit about each plant.  We also read two Native American stories, one about the coming of Spring, the other about the flowing waters of the earth.  The latter was read while we sat at a gentle waterfall finding fish and good bugs in the stream.  

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We finished up our time together with lunch and dessert at Splash  Cafe, donated by the manager Heather Berkowitz. (Thank you Heather and Splash Cafe!)

The kids were amazing and it was a delightful day for me!

Thank you Lisa Ann! What a beautiful way to spend the day. We know the kids will treasure these magical moments spent with their teacher.

We would LOVE to hear about your magical moment - it’s not too late in the year! Please email downhome@sloclassical.org and tell us about a special time of learning, a connection made, or a memorable moment with your kids.