Elvis Presley- Part One

Reading
-Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender (especially appropriate for younger students, as this is a picture book set to the words of Love Me Tender)
-Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down!: How Elvis Shook Up Music, Me & Mom ( a graphic novel about the author's introduction to rock music)

Writing
- Elvis appeared in 31 films during his career. Watch Follow That Dream
(currently available on Netflix's Instant Queue) and write a short report about it. Briefly tell what the movie was about and what you liked and disliked about the movie.
***A note about Netflix***
I LOVE Netflix and use it as a home schooling tool regularly. It is reasonably priced, especially compared to cable. We currently use the 1-out-at-a-time and unlimited streaming plan and pay about $10 a month. I know they are also currently offering a plan that does not allow for any physical discs, just unlimited streaming, which is less expensive than our plan and one we are considering switching to. You do need to have a way to stream the movies, such as a computer, a Wii, a Playstation 3, or an Xbox360 AND high speed internet. I will try to note when I suggest a movie, as to whether or not it is available through Netflix and if it is currently available for instant streaming or physical disc only. Any which way, most of the movies I will recommend will likely be available at your local video store and/or library as well.

Math
- Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi and later moved to Memphis, Tennessee. According to Mapquest, and today's maps, these two cities are about 110 miles apart from each other. One mile is made up of 5280 feet. How many feet apart is Tupelo, MS from Memphis, TN? A mile is equal to about 1.6 kilometers. How many kilometers apart are these two cities? For more practice, visit Mapquest and find out how far each of these cities are from your own home and convert that distance to both feet and kilometers.
- Elvis was born January 8, 1935 and died August 16, 1977. Some people believe that Elvis did not actually die in 1977 and that he is still alive somewhere. If that were true, how old would Elvis be on January 8, 2011?

Science
-Elvis was well known for his looks, especially his hair. To get his hair the way he liked, he needed to use hair gel to style it. Learn about absorption by making your own (with an adult's assistance) hair gel. To do this: dissolve 1/4 tsp unflavored gelatin into 1/2 cup warm water and stir until smooth. If you want to make this a scented gel, use sugar-free flavored gelatin or add a few drops of an essential oil to the water before stirring it. Extra gel should be stored in the fridge. The gel forms because the gelatin absorbs the water and swells up, creating a sticky goop that will hold your hair in place.

Service
- Elvis grew up in poverty. As an adult, he often gave money to people and organizations that helped those who were struggling financially. Find an organization in your area, such as a food cupboard or soup kitchen, that assists those who are struggling financially. Contact them and see if you can come in and provide a few hours of service. At a food cupboard, you may help fill orders or stock shelves. At a soup kitchen, you may be able to help serve food to the hungry or clean up after a meal is served. With your parent's permission (and hopefully with the whole family) follow through on providing the service.

Health
-As an adult, Elvis gained a large amount of weight, most likely due to his poor food choices and hectic lifestyle. According to Larry Geller, Elvis' hair stylist and friend, shortly before Elvis's death, he had decided that he wanted to embark on a healthier lifestyle. They (Elvis and Larry) planned to go to Hawaii, one of Elvis' favorite places, and begin a diet free of junk food and full of fresh fruits and veggies and fresh juices. They would exercise, play sports, and meditate as well. Unfortunately, Elvis passed away before they could make this dream come true. What are 5 changes you could make to improve your health? You could work on physical health through a healthy diet and exercise, emotional health through yoga and meditation or journal keeping, spiritual health through prayer and scripture reading, or any other thing you can think of that will help you live a healthier life. Choose one of these changes and actively work on it for 1 month. It may help to keep a journal specifically about the changes you make so you can see how much changes in that time. Continue working on the changes you chose until you achieve all of them.