September 29

Here's what Jessie writes after reading "Growing Up in a Holler in the Mountains":

I am going to write about Coal Mining.
A lot of miners would get a disease called black lung from working in the coal mines for very long. They say that the disease was very very serious, making it hard for miners to breath, or work. but when miners got the disease, the coal companies would not give them a pension, leaving them with no work or income. To get coal companies to give better working conditions and better salaries, the miners organized into unions. The unions said they would go on strike. So the miners went on strike, which left the coal companies with no workers. So they brought in new workers from different states and countries to work for them. The union members called them Scabs, and had great contempt for them. Soon the strike ended with the union winning. Which left the coal companies giving better benefits and salaries.

On Saturday, September 25th, the kids did an art project using torn construction paper to create scenes and landscapes. TJ made a city scene and David made an ocean scene. The weather was cooler on Saturday as we are entering the autumn season, so Jessie made a picture of Appalachian Mountains in the fall.

September 23

We finished reading "Growing Up in a Holler in the Mountains". The kids are each going to blog about one subject of Appalachia that we read about in the book. TJ has chosen to write about Appalachian music. Here's what he learned, in his own words:

Appalachia has a long history of music. The main styles of music in Appalachia are Country, Bluegrass, and Southern Gospel. Some children of Appalachia like to listen to music thats more like Rock.

In lots of Appalachian Festivals, there is lots of music that is played on mostly Guitar, Banjo, Fiddle, Dobro, and Bass Fiddle. Some people that aren't big groups play under tents and people come to listen.

People in Appalachia still play Scotch-Irish music. The music that they play now doesn't have bagpipes. But, people still play the music that is now played in Ireland and Scotland.

September 17

Today we started to read a book called "Growing Up in a Holler in the Mountains: An Appalachian Childhood" by Karen Gravelle.



We like it because it is about a boy who is close in age to Jessie and TJ, and he lives near Martin, KY, where Tim grew up. Joseph Ratliff is a real boy and his family has lived in Stephen's Branch for over 200 years. Joseph tells how his ancestors came through the mountain gap from Virginia, just like Tim's family. I like this book because it explains the ethnic heritage of the people who live exactly where Tim's family lived, so the kids can really relate to it. They described why the Appalachian people are mostly Scotch-Irish, English, and some German, as well as a few who also have Cherokee blood. This is exactly the heritage of Tim's family. The kids asked a lot of questions about their heritage, so that was good.

In this book, the boy and his family live in a dogtrot cabin. So, I asked the kids to tell me what a dogtrot cabin was. Here is their answer in their own words:

Jessie writes:
A dogtrot cabin is like two cabins because there is a small corridor in the middle of the cabin. They call it a dogtrot cabin because dogs use the corridor to get to the front or back yard.

TJ writes:
Well, A Dogtrot cabin is basically 2 cabins that have the same roof on top. And in
the middle of the cabin is where most people put a fireplace to warm up both cabins.
But, in the book that we were reading, the people had a wood-burning stove. Also, where the space is between the 2 cabins is where the dogs go from the front yard to the back yard. That's why it is called a Dogtrot cabin.

September 10

Today we looked at the book, "The Appalachian Photographs of Earl Palmer" by Jean Haskel Speer. We really enjoyed this book because there were several photos from Kentucky, especially Pippa Passes, the Hindman Settlement School, and even one from Berea.
This photo is TJ's favorite:



This one above is called "Moonshiners Make Music" or something like that (!!!!). Tj just liked any photo that had an instrument in it.
I am still searching to find links for the ones that Jessie and David liked.

September 9

Today we read Appalachia: Voices of Sleeping Birds by Cynthia Rylant (illustrated by Barry Moser). The title is taken from James Agee's poem, "Knoxville, Summer 1915". This is one of the best picture books about Appalachia we have read so far. Cynthia Rylant was already a favorite of ours because we also like "When I Was Young in the Mountains." But, Barry Moser's illustrations in this one are icing on the cake.



Jessie said she learned that the Appalachian mountains actually stretch far north along the coast of the United States. She also liked the part about the "Good Dogs".

TJ liked the part about the "seasons" - men have their season, which is winter (for hunting), women have their season which is summer (for canning) and children like all seasons. I can't remember what David said but it was probably something crazy.

We are using this book to look up some more resources:

1. Cynthia Rylant's autobiography and other Appalachian stories.
2. Barry Moser's Appalachian re-telling of classic fairy tales
3. Ben Shahn's photographs, and others
4. James Agee's book, A Death in the Family, where the poem "Knoxville: Summer 1915" comes from - a book for Mom to read but probably not the kids!!

School Starts - September 2010

We are a homeschooling family in Kentucky. This year we will be researching the Appalachian mountain region and blogging about what we are learning as a way of keeping a record.

Our children are Jessie, 11, T.J., 9, and David, 5.
We have a rich family history from the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. We will be studying:

1. The Southern Mountain region of the Appalachian mountain chain.
2. Kentucky history in particular.
3. The culture of the Southern Appalachian region, including music, food, stories, coal mining, crafts, and the people.

Hope you enjoy reading and learning with us!