Victorian help

[Marylou]

Charles Dickens? He had an interesting life and dealt compassionately with issues that are still very relevant today. I love seeing modern-day adaptations of his classics, e.g. A Christmas Carol with Ross Kemp as loan shark Eddie Scrooge (brilliant) and Nicholas Nickleby, which aired just a few weeks ago. It's been said that if he lived now he'd write scripts for soap operas!

[ginx]

Gosh, thanks for all the ideas.

Dd is just choosing, I think we need to google.

Scary Mum, with four children between 15 and 6 I have done a few projects in my life ... for ds1, the oldest, I can remember FORGING his handwriting. How sad is that. I don't think anyone ever read it, it was boring (we kept it for the rest). We've made Victorian rooms (notice "we", do I mean dh/myself). Tudor food. Made some marzipan. Such fun. Taken photos of memorials for World War II. Or was it I. I don't remember. Rainforests. Ecosystems. Mountains. My heart sinks when I hear the word project.

And it's obvious dp's do the projects. Which is why I'm not doing any more. But I am quite happy to help think of an idea and discuss it. That's all.

I have now decided that my dc can do their own projects. dd2 will do her own Victorian project because she is incredibly lazy. It's not the work, it is the making her spend even three hours on it.

My 6 year old has to write something every week. Teachers are obviously cottoning on to the fact that parents do homework. He screamed at me, after I'd typed some wonderful facts about wild animals, that he would be in trouble if I did his homework and not to help.

Did Charles Dickens deal with some social issues? I need to go and look. Belinda, I'm off to your web site. Thank you. From my dd2, of course!

[Belinda]

It's a (Britain wide) famous website - useful for many things other than Victorian projects.

If DD is lazy (we've all been there done it ) then I would encourage her to do a painting, or at least pick a topic of interest to her.

Maybe a painting of Livingstone in the jungle would appeal to a lazy student?
Good luck. Projects will soon be over and... just a fond memory?

[ginx]

Belinda,

Good way to describe projects. Fond memories.

Not. Haven't you ever been up very late sticking/cutting/typing/writing/printing - or worse, trying to use a friend's computer to manage to print - fond memory is a good word. Actually, it would be a good quote. I'm sick of my irritating one but alas do not know how to remove it.

Think of a school project as a fond memory.

Wish it was!

[Belinda]

It's only when they have (all) finished and there is some distance between then and 'now' that you might consider them 'fond'. You still have some way to go it seems. My youngest is soon to be sixteen. Projects are a similar memory to many 'young' child things that at the time were an utter pain!

[Marylou]

Did Charles Dickens deal with some social issues? I need to go and look.

He certainly did! Poverty, homelessness, debt (his own father had spent time in a debtors' prison so he knew what he was talking about), burocracy, corruption, etc.

This article is quite good http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dic ... iejko.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - in fact the whole site has links to information about many famous Victorians so you might find a subject from one of the many categories listed.

Best of luck. I know what you mean about projects. I know only too well that sinking feeling at those six little words "I've got to do a project."

[Okanagan]

ds did Charles Darwin when they were set this one.

[Sally-Anne]

You might like to look at Sir Richard Burton. He was the British Ambassador to several locations, including Damascus, a polyglot who became the first white man to undertake the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca (disguised as an Arab, a very risky undertaking), and he led the expedition during which Speke - to Burton's fury - discovered Lake Victoria as the source of the Nile.

He also translated the Kama Sutra into English, which might deter the school from ever setting a project on the topic again.

[ginx]

Sally-Anne

My dh (who last night said he'd quite like a onesie) is curious; what is the kama sutra: It's his 48th birthday tomorrow so he'd love one!!!!

He's really shocked you suggest our 10 year old dd does it at school - she is quite a knowing girl and would think it funny - but embarrassing ...

Sir Richard Burton, however, sounds quite interesting. Our 6 year old would be fascinated.

A question for you all; my dd is interested in art and fashion. Was there any eminent person involved with fashion in Victorian times?

My poor dh. Not only has he had to cope with onesies and kama sutras, he is stuck on mymaths ... I'm off to start another thread ....

[Sally-Anne]

My dh (who last night said he'd quite like a onesie) is curious; what is the kama sutra: It's his 48th birthday tomorrow so he'd love one!!!!

He's led a sheltered life, I take it? Once he discovers the Kama Sutra, onesies will be history. Actually, that is such an extreme juxtaposition of items that I am struggling to think of anything more unlikely! Happy birthday to him for tomorrow anyway, and may all his onesies be cosy.

He's really shocked you suggest our 10 year old dd does it at school - she is quite a knowing girl and would think it funny - but embarrassing ...

Sir Richard Burton, however, sounds quite interesting. Our 6 year old would be fascinated.

Definitely not reading material for a 6 year old, but Mary Lovell's biography of him and his wife Isabel is simply wonderful. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rage-Live-Biogr ... 787&sr=1-1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I am a huge fan of her books, and I have just noticed that I can buy a Kindle edition of that to replace my dog-eared paperback. Thank you, ginx's DD's teacher!

A question for you all; my dd is interested in art and fashion. Was there any eminent person involved with fashion in Victorian times?

The House of Worth was founded during the Victorian era. Not sure when, though.