From Longfellow to Lobster!

April is National Poetry Month! 

We studied the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for our Maine Unit.  He was born in Portland, ME and is best remembered for his poems "The Song of Hiawatha" and "Paul Revere's Ride".  I enjoyed this unit as much as the girls because this was the first time I'd studied Longfellow (Homeschooling is beneficial for us moms too:-).  Because today is the 1st of April, I wanted to share his poem ~  An April Day.  Those of us in the north can appreciate any poem that sets our mind on the season that soon awaits us...I hope!  

Here are my favorite lines from Longfellow's poem, "Christmas Bells" ~

God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; 

The Wrong shall fail, 

The Right prevail, 

With peace on earth, good-will to men.

These lines had me thinking about Revelation 19 when Wrong will ultimately fail and Right will triumphantly prevail! 

We really enjoyed reading Longfellow's poem about Kindness.

We then read Bible verses about kindness and made a list of "Ways to Be Kind". 

The girls finished the lesson by painting illustrations to go along with the poem.

C. wrote & illustrated her first poem. 

Now, for the "Maine" Event!

Maine catches more lobster than any other state! We decided to take a field trip to see some lobsters at none other than Red Lobster. 

Baby boy liked the lobster but enjoyed the cheddar biscuits better! :-) 

C. was all into it, but K. was a little nervous. 

Then she warmed up a bit. 

Lobster Fact #1 - The male is called a cock, the female a hen or chicken, and the baby a 

cricket or bug. 

Lobster Fact #2 - They don't turn bright red until they're cooked.

Lobster Fact #3 - They live at the bottom of the ocean so they like dark places.  That's why they were all piled up to one side of the water tank to create a dark environment. 

This must have been the king of the tank; he was the biggest one & looked as if he was on guard. 

C. drew this lobster picture while we waited for our delicious lunch. 

No, we didn't have lobster...that's for when mommy & daddy go out! :-)

Books Reads - Welcome to the USA: Maine, A Child's Garden of Verses, & The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems