This morning I assigned the boys the task of reading a magazine article and then writing a summary or response in their writing journals. Ty found a fun article on the botany of Harry Potter and we wanted to share some of the things he learned.
1. Voldemort's wand is made of yew -- the tree of death.
2. Harry's wand is made of holly -- the bark of which is used for healing.
3. Lily's wand is made of willow -- the tree of sorrow and grief.
4. A mandrake is a real plant, which, according to lore, screams when you pull it from the ground. And look at the picture of the mandrake root - can't you totally see a person in there?
We are quite impressed with the research JK Rowling did and the meanings behind small details. I know Sirius is the dog constellation, and Lupus is a derivation of the Latin word for wolf. I know there are tons more - and I am betting at least two people will be able to share more that they know .... Carla & Shawn, we await your posts!!
2 comments:
do you really want me to go into all of it?? I mean, REALLY!!?? I am impressed that Ty went to all of that to get an assignment done! WOW
I'm failing you. I had my fingers poised over the keys...and then drew a blank. Guess I'm out of practice. Maybe I should start a reread...now, if only I could find all the pages...we've literally read them to pieces!
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