Stuff We Like :: 3.11.16

We’re whistling while we work on the spring issue, which promises to be pretty fantastic. (Shakespeare! Inspiring self-directed learners! So many awesome books!) Here’s what else is making our happy radar sing lately:

around the web

I want to drape my house in Carson Ellis wallpaper the way George Costanza wanted to be draped in velvet.

This Got Milk? parody commercial for Hamilton fans is hilarious.

This post about how homeschooling is like living in a fraternity house is still [1] true and [2] the most popular blog post I’ve ever written.

at home/school/life

in the magazine: So excited that the fabulous Blair Lee will be joining us as a regular columnist starting with the summer issue. (She’s got a great piece on setting up a homeschool science fair in the spring issue.)

on the blog: We’re really enjoying spotlighting so many cool women’s biographies during Women’s History Month.

in the archives: It’s the perfect time to try one of Shelli’s bright ideas for welcoming spring in your homeschool.

reading list

I feel like I don’t always love Kazuo Ishiguro’s books, but I do usually love the experience of reading them, if that makes sense. His worlds are so deliberate, so nuanced—and The Buried Giant is no exception. I didn’t love it, but it gave me so many interesting things to think about. Worth reading, for sure.

I am almost done with my extreme Diana Wynne Jones-ing, which puts me right at The Power of Three.

Did you read Echo yet? I think it’s one of my favorite middle grades books of 2015—just gorgeous.

at home

I volunteered to knit another Brickless as an incentive for a friend’s Kickstarter campaign, so I had a legitimate excuse to order a pretty skein of Miss Babs yarn. Isn’t yarn delivery the best part of the day?

The Norman Centuries podcast is currently enlivening my physical therapy sessions.

My kids have got me trying to track down an Undertale-inspired cinnamon-butterscotch pie for Pi Day next week.

homeschooling highlights

I’ve been looking for a post-Miquon math option for next year, and I’m feeling optimistic that Beast Academy might be just the ticket. (Rebecca always finds the best stuff!)

My son has developed a passion for soap-carving, which has become his go-to project for read-aloud time. (My daughter continues to favor the time-honored tradition of doodling.) We just use plain Ivory soap bars and a small butter knife.

This has been a great week for nature journaling. We’ve been using the Know Your Bird Sounds CD to help us recognize all the different birds singing it up in the backyard.

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