A smallish and ullagistic crowd showed up on a rainy afternoon for “Through the Blackboard,” our third public outing.  We started late (there were screens and projectors to wrangle), but after that, all unfolded smoothly. After a few introductory remarks, Doug opened up the ullage: this time, a Belgian Trappist ale, which was presented to […]

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In observance of those solemn back-to-school days, the Ullage Group is pleased to invite you to its third fiesta-fiasco of oddities.  Come step “Through the Blackboard” for a Sunday afternoon of unadulterated educational pleasure. Lisa Hirschfield, Anthony Matt, and Doug Skinner will show and tell about oral traditions of the classroom and schoolyard, antique stereoscopic […]

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is an Abolitionist— A man who wants to free The wretched slave—and give to all An equal liberty. THE ANTI-SLAVERY ALPHABET Alphabets usually have a not-so-hidden agenda, aiming to do more than reinforce rather arbitrary connections between the names of letters and the words that demonstrate their forms and sounds. Some alphabets teach the names […]

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The idea is a simple one: if you have trouble learning the notes on your ukulele, simply paste this chart onto the fingerboard. As someone who has played and taught uke for many years, however, I’d like to point out that this is not a good idea.  First of all, you don’t really want to play while […]

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Spelling Book Poetry The Sadlier’s Dominion Catholic Speller (by a Catholic teacher, 1883), is much more than a spelling book. It encompasses spelling “oral and written,” including detailed explanations of phonetics, pronunciation, syllabics, grammar and syntax, Latin and Greek etymology, and common abbreviations and titles. I’ve never seen a modern speller this comprehensive – then […]

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Facts Can Be Fun! Interactive gadgets and gizmos to aid learning have been popular for decades, perhaps longer. Often used for the basics – ABCs, vocabulary, numbers, math, music, spelling, verb conjugation, and foreign languages, for example – they have been packaged as calculators and electronic devices, paper wheel charts, games, puzzles, wooden blocks, and […]

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