{Keeping} :: My Commonplace

Think of a place you have traveled to that was the most amazing, enthralling, wondrous, breath-taking sight you have witnessed. 

Perhaps someplace unexpected, or even not-so-far from home...maybe a destination you had excitedly planned to visit, 

but experiencing it first-hand was even more awesome than you could have imagined.

Do you have it in your mind? 

Do you remember those feelings?

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Although there was no enemy or other danger to be perceived, 

they felt the apprehension and doubt of those who have come unawares upon some awe-inspiring place where they themselves are paltry fellows of no account. 

When Marco Polo came at last to Cathay, seven hundred years ago, 

did he not feel

--and did his heart not falter as he realized--

that this great and splendid capital of an empire had had its being all the years of his life and far longer, 

and that he had been ignorant of it? 

That it was in need of nothing from him, from Venice, from Europe? 

That it was full of wonders beyond his understanding? 

That his arrival was a matter of no importance whatever? 

We know that he felt these things, and so has many a traveler in foreign parts who did not know what he was going to find. 

There is nothing that cuts you down to size like coming to some strange and marvelous place where no one even stops to notice that you stare about you.

Watership Down

Richard Adams

p303

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I can just imagine what Hiram Bingham felt as he came upon this forgotten Incan city in the clouds.
And after clearing away all the over-growth, what a spectacular fortress for all to see and wonder about.

Marco Polo :: Reading & Mapping

"...let him follow the adventures of a traveller..."

-CM, Vol 1: Home Education, p 275 

Komroff's Marco Polo is such a great read. And it's one of those that my Year 3 budding-reader can begin to read parts for himself. I am striving this year to wean Royal into more independent reading. The free reading time I allot for him on a daily basis is sure-fire training ground for becoming a more confident reader! (See the Royal's Reads tab above for his running log). He is also not complaining as much anymore about getting tired when he reads for more than 10 minutes.




Royal is able to narrate quite well whether I read to him or he reads by himself. And I find it satisfying that while he reads independently, sometimes from the other room he yells out something interesting he has just come across. (self-directed narration maybe?) Sometimes he narrates orally. Other times, he incorporates a drawing. He loves drawing.

As this selection is in the Geography coursework, we also use it for studying the route of legendary Marco Polo's travels from Italy to Cathay (ancient China). As we read through the text, I underline in pencil new places mentioned. Afterwards, or another day, we get out a blank map I have printed from the Internet, and we search for these locations. Sometimes we use a giant picture atlas book; however, more often than not we end up having to research online, as many of the place names from Marco Polo's time are old names, which now have updated titles. (i.e. Persia is Iran; Kashgar is Kashi; Peking is Beijing)



























Since we have now entered into reading Polo's travels across China, I printed a map of China only. For this portion of mapping, I had him trace the outline of the country himself. He really enjoyed this and decided to go ahead and add the surrounding countries as well!

"...a sketch-map following the traveller's progress..."

-CM, Vol 1: Home Education, p 275

(Oh, and he was inspired to sketch a compass below to make it more official.)

"...geography should be learned chiefly from maps..."

-CM, Vol 1: Home Education, p 278