Homer Price, chapters 3 and 4.

Still happily working through our literary study of Homer Price.  We are now up to chapters 3 and 4, The Donuts and Mystery Yarn respectively.

In chapter 3, The Donuts, Homer's Uncle Ulysses has left Homer to make donuts with his new "labor-saving device" donut maker.  Homer begins the task of getting the machine ready to make the donuts when a traveling advertising man (Mr. Gabby) comes in for donuts and coffee.  While Homer explains to the man that the donuts are not ready, a rich lady shows up for some donuts also.  When the rich lady discovers that Homer is about to mix his recipe, she insists that she has the best recipe for donuts, and she simply must help him make them.  Homer agrees and the lady begins to add the ingredients.  She takes off her very expensive diamond bracelet (you can imagine what will happen to it) and the donut making is in progress.

The nice rich lady thanks Homer and takes some donuts with her as she leaves.  The traveling advertising man sits and has his donuts with coffee there.   The donut machine is making so many donuts that there is no where to put them.  Homer tries to turn the machine off but it will not turn off.  Homer calls for Uncle Ulysses to come back, and when he arrives, he cannot believe what he sees.  DONUTS EVERYWHERE!!!

They are not quite sure what to do with all of the donuts when suddenly, the nice rich lady who had helped make the donuts came rushing in because she has lost her diamond bracelet.  Homer realizes that it must be in the donuts.  She is offering a $100 reward to anyone who finds her diamond bracelet.  Homer has an idea to have a donut sale.  Two donuts for 5 cents and the $100 reward for anyone who finds the diamond bracelet.  Mr. Gabby quickly makes a sandwich board advertising the sale on donuts and the reward for the bracelet. 

As you can image, everyone in town wanted that reward.  People started buying donuts left and right.  In the end, the diamond bracelet was found by Rubert Black, almost all of the donuts were sold or eaten, and the donut machine had finally run out of batter. 

What we covered in this chapter:
*Telephones and operators in the past
*Labor saving devices
*Supply and demand
*Make your own donuts
You can watch this funny donut adventure here, here,  and here.

This was a fun chapter.  My kids liked making and eating the donuts.

Chapter 4, Mystery Yarn.

A contest to see who has saved the biggest ball of string and Miss Terwilliger needs a husband.

This chapter was about the annual country fair and the fact that 2 men would like to marry Miss Terwilliger.  How will she decide?

Lessons we covered in this chapter:
*the history of county fairs
*Birds' eggs (Miss Terwilliger has a special occasions dress and the color is robin's egg blue) A resource for bird eggs.
*the largest ball of string

Later, the next week, Miss Terwilliger decides to marry Homer's Uncle Telemachus.

Some more lessons for Homer Price.