Remember my book collection? Well, I didn't truly start that collection until after my first born was reading. I never looked for primer readers, or bought them. Now that my daughter is reading, I've been going through my books and other than Dr. Seuss, which I believe should be read aloud and not too often, I don't have much she can pick up and read.
One day while I was playing around in Google Books, I found this wonderful reader by Maud Summers, published in 1908. What a gem! It didn't hurt that it was also available as a free download.
Up till now we've used an old set of McGuffey Readers that my Mama bought many years ago. I love them and we'll keep using them and daughter's skills increase. On a lark I checked Google and what do you know! They are available as a free download too! Who-hoo! Here's the link for the primer.
I've kept looking though. One book is never enough! :) One of the great benefits of free downloadable books is the fact that you only have to print off what you want. I was able to print out the first few chapters, hole punch them and put them in a folder. She doesn't discriminate against a "printer" book, though I confess, It's been a slow growing love appreciation for me.
I visited with my good friend EEEEMommy yesterday, and she showed me her Emma Serl Language books. Lo and behold! The Intermediate book is available (but not the primary!). But it got me looking around and I discovered the Elson (of the Fun With Dick and Jane series) Primer Reader (free) too.
I don't want to fail to mention our Early Reader's Bible. Daughter is just starting to read it herself. Son read it and though I don't like children's Bible's for Bibles' sake, I can't think of anything better to read content wise.
I have a great aversion to twaddle. Some readers will be twaddly because of they're very nature. This too shall pass. As I experienced with my son, the beginner reader is just for a season and there's no looking back! So, I prefer the older publications. They are very appealing to me in my Charlotte Mason-y, living book, way of thinking! All the wonderful picture books and such are waiting for the next step!
I've created my own Google Library which you can find here. I've posted a link to it in my sidebar in case you want to check back and see what other goodies I've found! You'll probably be hearing more about my "finds". Can't seem to keep my mouth shut!
Sidenote for conspiracy theorists: The whole CPSIA thing where they just banned all children's books printed before 1985, is really Google in cahoots with the Democrats to control the provision of books. You wait! Soon they'll be charging for them and they'll be the only ones you can get them from. Just kidding! Maybe! :)
Oh, roar a roar for Nora,
Nora Alice in the night.
For she has seen Aurora
Borealis burning bright.
A furore for our Nora!
And applaud Aurora seen!
Where, throughout the summer,
Our Borealis been?
by Walt Kelly(Pogo artist)
If you've never seen the Pogo comics from waaaay back, you're missing out. They were a favorite of my dad's, (50's) if that gives you any clue. They are creative, funny and family friendly! This little rhyme is one of our favorites. Another more popular short was this lyric sung to the tune of Deck the Halls.
Lullaby Lilla Boy, Louisville Lou?
Trolley Molly don't love Harold,
Boola boola Pensacoola hullabaloo!
Bark us all bow-wows of folly,
Polly wolly cracker 'n' too-da-loo!
Donkey Bonny brays a carol,
Antelope Cantaloupe, 'lope with you!
Hunky Dory's pop is lolly gaggin' on the wagon,
Willy, folly go through!
Chollie's collie barks at Barrow,
Harum scarum five alarm bung-a-loo!
Dunk us all in bowls of barley,
Hinky dinky dink an' polly voo!
Chilly Filly's name is Chollie,
Chollie Filly's jolly chilly view halloo!
The books are a little harder to come by these days, but well worth the fun in the reading! My kids are just now being introduced to them and I'm hoping they'll replace son's fascination with Charlie Brown (who I'm so tired of).
I've shared before about one of my favorite "book" resources, "Who Should We Then Read?" by Jan Bloom. Well, volume 2 is out now and promises more incredible insight into good living books and their authors. Volume 1 has been the most helpful book (to me) for learning who writes about what and how good are they! Just so you know. :)
There are a lot of really great resources available for learning about Charlotte Mason and her method of education, but some of my favorites come from Sonya at SimplyCharlotteMason. She put together my first and favorite CM resource, "Laying Down Rails", about the value of becoming people of good habit. She offers some wonderful helps for beginning CM users. One is "Education Is..." which is a free ebook download, and now she is offering her new ebook, "Masterly Inactivity" for free. If you haven't read much about CM, you'll be pleasantly surprised and delighted with this topic! Go for it. It's free!
I told you a bit about our wonderful trip to Florida, but there was so much more to tell. We are a "driving" family. We drive everywhere! Our kids have always traveled very well by car and it's somewhat of a family tradition to make car trips an adventure. We are known to stop spontaneously when seeing historic signposts and hours in the car have rarely distressed us. This trip was 18/hrs one way. So round trip, plus four days poolside/beachside gave me lots of reading time. Granted, not all of it went wholly un-interrupted, yet it was quality time to read! Time, I'm not likely to get again (in that quantity) anytime soon.
I've been carrying Karen Andreola's book, "A Charlotte Mason Companion" around with me for weeks. I'd read a paragraph here and there and underline a thought, yet I couldn't really sink my teeth into its content more than being totally enthralled with the "idea". We know from Charlotte Mason that "ideas" are pretty vital.
So now I finally had time to read. Amazingly, I almost didn't take the book with me, but I'm so glad I did! Inspiration and excitement came from every passage and even the chapters I'd initially skipped (while treating this book as a reference) touched me and gave me a fresh perspective.
The fact that we'd already begun applying many of the CM principles in recent weeks, just made the concepts more appealing. I no longer needed to be convinced of the truth of Charlotte's ideas. The fact that this would be the best educational concept for our family, added to the consistent teaching of Biblical Principles, can't be denied. My reading and processing of this information was further advantaged by discussions with my husband as I read. He'd seen the difference that just changing our schedule has accomplished, so he was easy to convert. His insights into our children always encourage me and help to refine my viewpoint.
I think one of the ideas that struck me most was regarding atmosphere in the home. Karen says,
"How much influence the world has over our children really depends on what standards we set at home--the standards by which the chidren are accustomed to measure things--and the strength of the family ties."Standards are not just about discipline and obedience, but about habit. In layman's terms, what we let our children get away with. Believe me! I've had my share of telling, retelling, and telling again to say with authority that it does not build character or relationships. It does cause consternation and grief for the Mama. Training our children in basic disciplines of diligence and listening will most assuredly change the atmosphere of any home!
I always tell my friends how strongly I believe that God gives us everything we need to homeschool. I know that He is making a way for us to better mold and train our children to glorify Him, not just now, but always. Like any journey into the seemingly unknown, we must keep our eyes on the light--the Light of the World--so that our narrow path can be more easily illuminated.I could tell you so much more about this book! I'm sure you'll hear it referred to often if you hang around here much. I highly recommend it and hope that you don't wait for a long car trip and vacation to read it.
We have really been enjoying Jim Arnosky's nature books. He was recommended to us by someone in blogland and though I'd never heard of him, I'm all about a good recommendation!
The illustrations are incredible and the information is just right for us want-to-be learners! We have particularly enjoyed the Crinkleroot books like "I Was Born in a Tree and Raised By Bees". (Daughter really liked how he taught us how to grow our own popcorn!) You can see a sample from one of his books here. (Be sure to click on the word "fish".) Even the so-called toddler level books are wonderfully informative. There are many, many titles available at the library. I know because I tried to check them all out at once and got a little overwhelmed! Here is a complete list of his books. Here are a few of the Crinkleroot books. AND he has coloring pages galore!
Apparently there was a tv show? Not having tv, this was new info for me, but maybe some of you have seen it. Regardless, these books are perfect for our newly discovered Charlotte Mason leanings.
Anyway, just wanted to pass on the recommendation for a great author. You won't be able to help liking these books as much as we do!
I just spent some time looking over the list of books I read this year and a few things struck me. I didn't read nearly as many books as I have in past years. Probably because of my growing family staying up a bit later and thus my personal reading time being shortened. I would like to find more time to read, but then...who wouldn't?!
My list truly serves as a memory of times and events. Books impact our lives! "The All-New Square Foot Gardener" lead to our first ever vegetable garden, which in turn supplied us with many fresh veggies over the summer.
"Created To Be His Help-Meet" was such a fabulous (albeit controversial) book. I cannot even begin to tell you how this book has changed my perspective, my marriage, but mostly my relationship with my Heavenly Father.
But it was one special author that shared most of my year: Gene Stratton-Porter. Never have I come across a stack of books that has meant this much to me from a literary perspective. They are just the most amazing books written by a native of my own state. It's been pretty obvious that her eternal perspective was Biblical. Her characters stir me. I don't say that lightly. Whether we're talking about Little Sister in "Laddie"(I wrote about it here) or Mickey in "Michael O'Halloran"...so different, so sweet and honorable and honest and real!
Her books are about real life. They are about relationships that are awe inspiring. They are about nature and our life amongst it. They are also about God and His Providence in all things. She weaves love, loss, mystery and redemption in a way I've never read, and I've read quite a lot. She champions nature in a pure and Godly way. She tells of history and of science.
Stratton-Porter wrote about nature from a Creationist perspective, too, and her books educate. In "Keeper of the Bees" a small child, Scout, tells a veteran, Jamie, about bees...and about God. It's the most beautifully written pages describing bees, and the evidence of God, that you'll ever read. In the chapter entitled "Because of God" we read,
"First question I ever asked was, 'Why is the bee garden blue?' And I'll have to tell you the answer because you would never guess it in a thousand years. The answer is, 'Because of God.'"Scout goes on to teach the grown up about God's perfect design for all living things, and specifically bees. The skeptic is soon awed and the Scout concludes by telling him...
"Yes," said the little Scout. "That's what makes bees so interesting. About half the things you'll have to learn are because of God, and why the bee garden is blue is the very first thing. Now, you listen and I'll tell you the reason."
"One time I asked the Bee Master if I couldn't see God and if I couldn't touch Him, how I was going to know that He was here. And he said, 'Because of the hair on a bee.' So that's one of the ways you can know."At the end of the chapter, the Scout addresses books...and Darwin! Love this!:
"I don't know as I've told you so very well. In there in the library you can find the books like I showed you that tell what people used to think. The books that are the bunk. Then you'll find the books like Lubbock and Swammerdam, which have the wonderful pictures, that will tell you what really happens. Then there are the books like Fabre and Maeterlinck that the Bee Master says are three things at one time. First they are the truth, and next they are poetry, and third they are the evidence of a Master Mind that plans every least little tiny thing. He says the only name for that Master Mind is God. He doesn't see any use in trying to dodge God and side-step Him and call Him 'the Spirit of the Hive' and Instink and Nature and things like that. He says a great scientist, one of the best, almost went crazy trying to do that very thing. His name was Charles Darwin and the Bee Master sayd C.D. would have been a heap bigger Injun if he'd been willing to put God in where He belongs. He says when God does anything 'with such care, and puts so much thought in it, and deals out such splendid justice' as there is in a beehive, that a wise man will just take off his hat and lift his eyes to the sky and very politely he will say, 'Just God.'" (bold mine)And this book says it was published in 1925--a year after her death.
It's time to move on to our next poet and according to my "list", the next poet is Charles Dickens. I didn't even know that he wrote poems, (you can find them here) and haven't been able to find that many, however, he did write one of my very favorite books; and it's not "A Christmas Carol", but "Great Expectations"! Really, good book.
Interestingly enough, what started only as a new addition to our Poet-a-Day read, has grown. We've decided to read "A Christmas Carol" (even though I'm not a big fan of Christmas things that are not reflective of Christ alone). It's been a long time since I've read the book, but fully expect we'll get some pretty decent character studies from it. I'm sure son will also be thrilled that we will actually be reading something with ghosts in it! Let's face it. There's nothing like great literature. That said, after listening to my Chiropractor's painful telling of the story to my children, I realized it was time to get out my mother's treasured copy of old and have at it (as soon as we finish "Swiss Family Robinson!")
Of course, I also have the movie tucked away for "after", as well as the Focus on the Family Radio Drama (of which we've loved every one). Today I was happy to hear that Homeschool Radio Shows is having a "Dickens Christmas Festival" starting with a wonderful audio book, "Cricket on the Hearth". The accompanying ebook has beautiful black and white illustrations useful for coloring.
Our first "poem" is actually this prayer, which son is using for copywork (more on that soon) and memory work. Son asked me if he was a believer...not sure we have an answer to that one, though his writings do seem to purport some knowledge of God &/or scripture. Of course, back then, most had more knowledge than they do today, regardless of whether they chose to follow Christ. The biographies I've read have been somewhat sketchy in details about his spiritual life and tend to focus on the break up of his marriage, an affair, and then there's the "mesmerizing"?? I left those details out of the lesson! Regardless, God once again used the talents of one uniquely created to tell a story.
A CHILD'S HYMN
by: Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
Ere I lay me down to sleep;
Bid Thy angels, pure and holy,
Round my bed their vigil keep.
My sins are heavy, but Thy mercy
Far outweighs them, every one;
Down before Thy cross I cast them,
Trusting in Thy help alone.
Keep me through this night of peril
Underneath its boundless shade;
Take me to Thy rest, I pray Thee,
When my pilgrimage is made.
None shall measure out Thy patience
By the span of human thought;
None shall bound the tender mercies
Which Thy Holy Son has bought.
Pardon all my past transgressions,
Give me strength for days to come;
Guide and guard me with Thy blessing
Till Thy angels bid me home.
I admit it. I intentionally bought a poster of the presidents before the election. Yes I did! This in no way means that I think Obama will win. It just means that if he does, I don't want his face looking at us all day. Shameful, I know. But there you have it.
If you would like your very own pre-election presidents poster, it's not too late.
We are enjoying the use of free recorded audios while I enjoy my looong recovery from bad Laryngitis which tires my voice.
For history, our first Henty: "With Lee in Virginia"
For literature, our first classic audio from LibriVox: "Swiss Family Robinson"
If you are interested in adding a little classical music to your day, you need to check out this great resource! It is brief radio broadcasts about composers and their music especially done for kids. There are usually 4-5, 8-10 min. programs per composer. You can sign up for the weekly podcast, or go online and download past programs by searching by composer. Neat, neat! Here is the teacher page, which includes an opportunity to register for a printable activity book, lesson plans and more. Here is the composer search link. Oh. And did I mention there are games?
You must check out "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" (part 1, part 2). There is also a great book, w/CD, for basic orchestra study called "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra," by Anita Ganeri (narrated by Ben Kingsley). Lastly, Carnegie Hall presents "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" online game. Very cool!
I have to add our favorite, favorite resource--Classical Kids CD's (remember, son's an audio learner!). These are fun and informative and guaranteed to make you interested in classical composers and their music!
There are many, many fabulous resources. Among them, Story of the Orchestra-- great book and CD. Ambleside Online has a great deal of info available, and we can highly recommend the Opal Wheeler series, which Zeezok (Book Peddler) Publishers is making available again.
Hope you enjoy these resources as much as we do. I grew up with music, but rarely classical. I can't stress to you strongly enough, the effect that this music has had in our home. We LOVE it! The kids thoroughly enjoy it, though they PROMISED they would NOT! :) Just the listening is enough to inspire. That just takes the gathering of resources. Except for the "online" resources mentioned, most everything else should be available at your public library. Go for it!
Here is a great resource that I heard about over at My Home Sweet Home.
There have been so many times, in our history studies, that we have seen the hand of God and His Providences through weather! Whether it was a "mysterious" fog that appeared at the crossing of the Delaware, or a "sudden clearing" of weather to allow for an escape, God is sovereign. These history shows by the Weather Channel called "When Weather Changed History", are pretty neat. Of course, they don't acknowledge God, but WE know! Be sure to scroll through the list for Full Episodes that are available.
Being non-TV watchers, I appreciate that the Weather Channel would make this available online. See what you think.
I had absolutely no idea what "Hitty: Her First Hundred Years" was about when I took it off my shelf to read. I had purchased it by author, Rachel Field, per the recommendation of Jan Bloom's book, "Who Should We Then Read". By author, is how I buy most of my "old" books.
I had purchased this book at a library book sale. It is a hard back and like brand new. From the markings, I can tell the library bought it in January of 2001. I know I bought it last year, so it sat on their shelf for seven years. It truly looks as if it were never touched. The amazing, and yet sad, thing about that is that it is a really, good book! One that I wish I'd known of when I was a young girl.
Hitty is a very, real doll, discovered by author Rachel Field, in an antique shop in New York City (1927). The story (a Newbery winner) is Hitty writing her memoirs of her hundred years. She is now on display in a library museum! You can see more pictures, like those above, of her here. At only 6 1/2 inches tall, she saw much! It is amazing to see history unfold around her as she experiences everything from riding the high seas on a whaling ship, to being lost in a hay loft for many years! She rides the Mississippi on a steamboat and witnesses the effects of the Civil War.
There are a few elements of faith in the book as Hitty once belongs to a God fearing little girl, and even the daughter of missionaries. The children, and adults, she encounters are far from perfect, which lends this book to great discussion and character lessons. Hitty has great, even exciting, adventures, that will keep children interested. It is really well-written. Obviously not watered down language of the current era.
I'm always thrilled to find a children's book of such high caliber. I even enjoy reading them just for myself. After all, so much written for adults is garbage! If you are looking for a great book to share with your kids, try "Hitty". There is no reason a boy wouldn't also enjoy it!
When I had children, I swore I'd keep track of all the milestones and special moments. I became an avid scrapbooker and was dedicated to my calendar where I recorded all the info.
When we began homeschooling, I didn't think about those "parenting" moments as much as I thought about the "learning" moments. I gave up the time-consuming scrapbook hobby and even quit buying my annual Mary Engelbreit wall calendar. I was counting on their notebooking for school being enough.
There were problems with this plan, however. First of all, daughter was too young for notebooking, and son wasn't likely to have the most valuable information in his math or history notebook. Something has been missing.
At the convention this year, I picked up the "Record of the Learning Lifestyle of..." Journal by the Notgrass family. This is a great spiral book which, like a calendar, allows you to daily record what your children are doing. But more importantly than that, it allows you to chart what they do in categories that visibly show areas of strength and weakness. For example, if your child has not done anything creative in a week, that space will be blank and if you are being mindful (which is the point of the book) you will realize there is an area of deficit that may need more attention.
I really love the way the categories are divided because they show each as foundationally important. They include such things as "Learning About the Thoughts of Others: Reading & Literature" and "Relating to Others: Character and Relationships". All academic subjects are covered as well as Biblical principles for growth, such as character and individuality (ie: creativity). This is also a year-long book, as opposed to a school-year record. You must also keep one for each child. How much or how little you write is up to you.
I thought that this might be too daunting of a task, but after just two weeks, I already see huge benefits. My Mommy brain is not what it used to be, and just the aspect of remembering when things happen is helpful. It's also nice to think about milestones again, such as riding a bike with no hands, or even recording special outings with Daddy. I've noticed right off how little Bible time daughter gets, compared with son.
I'm trying to take a few minutes each night to fill these in, it's hard to remember details back even a day or two. I think this will be a great resource and a good habit to keep.
"Literature.": The second thing that son wrote down on his "positive reinforcement" list his first day of lessons (after proclaiming his loathing of school).
Son loves literature! It's no surprise, really. My children just love good books. The fact that he thinks he knows this story so well, since he's listened to the dramatization a hundred times! (It's really good, too!) This has not dampened his enthusiasm to hear it read aloud. He's only sad that I'm keeping to a slower pace so that we can notebook. Daughter is truly enthralled as well. Me too! It's been years since I read the story and I have my old copy with beautiful pictures to inspire.
I found a neat resource at CurrClick to go along with the book. There are some errors in the e-book, but it's still a great resource. Son has actually enjoyed recording his thoughts on our reading, as well as being introduced to ideas like compare and contrast, and we're only in the second week!
I look forward to our time with this treasured book.
Truly a classic, Pilgrim's Progress comes at us in many forms. Our favorites include the book, Dangerous Journey, with the audio/video series presented here (scroll down). We also love the children's version that's called, The Progress of Pilgrim Mouse.
Then there's this fabulous dramatized audio version from AIG.
And now there's this movie that looks like it'll be interesting (watch the trailer): Journey to Heaven.
I'm sure there are more, beyond the original, but I thought we'd share these few gems!
If you've never read a book by Indiana author Gene Stratton-Porter, you are missing out. If you've never read "Laddie", and want a real treat, be prepared to absolutely love this book and have it take a prominent place on your favorite book lists.
This book was such a delight, I'm not even sure I can tell you all the things I loved about it. It's semi-autobiographical and is about the youngest of twelve children whom they call Little Sister. Her older brother is Laddie and they have a tremendous bond, though there is quite an age difference. The character of their family is central to the story and is fascinating. I loved learning about this particular time period (late 1800s) and how people lived and treated one another.
The story is rich with nature, farm life, circumstance, faith, education and duty. One of my favorite passages happened when the father and mother tell Little Sister she will not be going back to school that year. Here is what she thinks."Think of being allowed to learn your lessons on the top of the granary, where you could look out of a window above the treetops, lie in the cool wind, and watch swallows and martins. Think of studying in the pulpit when the creek ran high, and the wild birds sang so sweetly you seemed to hear them for the first time in all your life, and hens, guineas, and turkeys made prime music in the orchard. You could see the buds swell, and the little blue flags push through the grass, where Mrs. Mayer had her flowerbed, and the cowslips greening under the water of the swale at the foot of the hill, while there might be a Fairy under any leaf. I was so full, so swelled up and excited, that when I got ready to pick up a book, I could learn a lesson in a few minutes, tell all about it, spell every word, and read it back, front, and sideways. I never learned lessons so quick and so easy in all my life; father, Laddie, and every one of them had to say so. One night, father said to Laddie: "This child is furnishing evidence that our school system is wrong, and our methods of teaching far from right.""
This book is so heart-warming! I found myself wishing I was in their family. The descriptions of everything from the nature of things to the desires of their hearts, is incredibly enduring. If they ever truly made this book a movie (the way it's written), it would be the best movie of faith ever!
I thoroughly enjoyed all the quotes from various McGuffy readers, as well as scripture. From a literary stand point, though I'm no expert, it is rich, rich, rich! I could go on and on. I've also read her books, "The Girl of the Limberlost" and "Freckles". They, too, are among my favorites. "Laddie" will be a life-long favorite and I can't wait to read it to my children. I look forward to my next Gene Stratton-Porter book, "The Keeper of the Bees".
I'm reading a book that I not only expected to not like, I expected to loathe it and confirm pre-conceived, negative ideas that I had gained from the rumor mill.
The book is "Created to Be His Help Meet" by Debi Pearl. I'm pleased to tell you that I really love this book! I'm very excited about the material presented--the Biblical role of women--and seeing myself in light of all scripture; better understanding how and why God made me.
It shouldn't surprise me at this place in my life, that much of what I've been taught has been scripturally depleat or out of context. It shouldn't surprise me that I've never heard much of this before, though it is very familiar. If you've read this book, you'll know exactly what I mean. If you haven't yet picked it up, I hope that you will. Upon examination, you will be challenged and find yourself in a very new place.
As in Chronicles of Narnia, second installment: Prince Caspian.
Son dutifully completed his reading of the book just in time for the mid-afternoon matinée on opening day. The moment we'd awaited had finally arrived!
We loved the movie because it's Narnia and C.S. Lewis. We (I, I, I!!!) did not like the typical, ever-present...why do they have to do that?...nasty "Disney" kiss. They had to ruin a perfectly good movie.
I said--out loud (because that's what I do!), "Well, C.S. Lewis just turned over in his grave!" I got a couple of nods of agreement with that one.
Truly though, the movie was very good. I don't think the people making it have any idea, really, what they are dealing with in the area of spiritual and Biblical allegory. If they did, I'm sure it wouldn't be there at all. But, we so enjoyed the struggle of the "children" as they sought to fight a battle "on their own". "In their own power" and "in their own way." And, of course, the consequences. C.S. Lewis was a brilliant man and I have no doubt, God used and will continue to greatly use his offerings.
You'll enjoy the movie! Oh, and the music was wonderful! Looking forward to getting my hands on more of that!
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