cd-rom reviews

I like having educational cd-roms around for a bit of light entertainment; much better than pure games. Here are some of the best I have for KS1 or KS2 - please let me know of any more good ones!

Jump Ahead French. Excellent product for 4-8s. Played enough, a child will learn their basic French numbers, colours, clothes, food, rooms of the house etc etc. Can't say enough good things.

History Explorer (DK). Gobbets of history in a game format. Played enough, the child will pick up quite a lot of useful info. Graphics good.

World Explorer (DK). One of my faves. It has a 'look-up' facility, but mostly it's a game. This game alone has made LL geographically literate. Played enough, the child will know all major continents, seas, countries, monuments and animals etc. Highly recommend.

British Isles Explorer (DK). Similar to World Explorer, but a stripped-down version. Not as interesting, but obviously the interest lies in it being about UK stuff.

Amazing Animals (DK). Lovely way of learning about animals; there are even video clips of some. Quizzes, games etc. Very good.

Children's Music Journey. This was a lot of money, and on the whole I think it's not brilliant VALUE. And yet it's an excellent product for the young child who just wouldn't have the patience for a more comprehensive program. It helped L an enormous amount to get into the whole music thing - composers, rhythm, notation etc. This would be perfect if your laptop is permanently plumbed in over your keyboard AND if you can buy all three cd-roms at a realy good price.

Play and learn science experiments. Just got into this one today. Simply virtual experiments. Fantastic - realistic, educational and... EXPERIMENTAL; L just fiddled around without reading the instructions, then went back to them when things didn't turn out as she expected. Great, particularly if you can get it cheap.

Become a science explorer. Great 'click around' type game. The bit I like is that science stems from pictures of a campsite or a collection of objects on a desk, with links to the 'science book' section, plus quizzes etc.

These are ones I'm neutral about:-

Human Body Explorer. Good educational content, but the option to just play games is there.

Brain Buster Quiz (DK). Too anarchic for me. Like a game show on TV and no context to the facts.

And here are the bottom of the pile:-

I love Spelling. Boring graphics IMO. Very limited games. Testing without understanding.

Castle Explorer (DK). Should be so good, but I couldn't get it to work.

Full Marks SATS (Idigicon) - facts in no context (ie SATs....) plus games that are impossible to navigate. Don't buy this - it was a freebie.

As I said, do let me know of any good resources!

Free mini Christmas lapbook

A week later and still the children are sick. So this morning we did a mini Christmas lapbook to get us back into the swing of things - fun and instructive.

Here are the links - all you need for a young one.

Nativity scene and mini books:-
http://www.scribd.com/doc/524998/Nativity-Lapbook

Christian minibooks with questions for writing in them:-
http://www.box.net/shared/65pega3pv6

Enjoy! Photos to follow...

Ten things for a tough homeschooling day

1. Prayer for patience. I go back to John Abbott's 'The Mother at Home': the godly, patient mother he depicts is often very far from where I'm at.

2. Telling myself: 'We are going to learn one thing today and that is...' It's amazing how much you can learn that way.

3. Getting the books out the night before; having the paperwork and marking up to date; pencils pre-sharpened. So obvious, and yet...

4. Something for the toddler at the table. Current faves are:
Playdough (but 10 minute limit until he eats it)
Cars/lego/happyland on the table.
Puzzles
Fuzzyfelt
Stuff he shouldn't have

5. Knowing what time in the day is set aside for the toddler. Otherwise: guilty mummy, screaming toddler.

6. Great books to refresh us all. I get quite fixated on our next/current history project, when there are so many wonderful stories out there. See my booklists. No wonder Sonlighters look happy!

7. Kitchen timer. On slow days, this is invaluable! Time is taken off fun stuff later if the task in hand isn't done by the bleeps.

8. Some mummy time to look forward to. When will my quiet time be? Even the evening online Tesco order is relaxing in comparison with the occasional 5pm-7pm 'arsenic hours'.

9. Some social contact for children and/or me.

10. Quality time with dh, not just talking school.

'Caddie Woodlawn' - the verdict is...

... a bit dull. It's hard to pin down why, but L and I have been manfully reading through it now for weeks, never quite finding the time for it, which certainly can't be said for the Little House books.

There are huge similarities with LHITBW; Caddie Woodlawn grows up in Wisconsin in the 1860s; Laura Ingalls Wilder in Wisconsin in the 1880s.

There are two things that really make this a 'won't bother again' book. Firstly, there's not the struggle against harsh conditions that makes LHITBW so riveting; the Woodlawns have done well for themselves, so the things that happen to them are somehow less exciting; maybe as well I didn't like Caddie as much as Laura. The book is also less spiritually uplifting. Although the Little House books I've read aren't particularly explicit about religion, the family acts in a 'Christian' way. This book just doesn't have that spiritual warmth, and it's therefore a less appealing book.

6/10 - OK

Cartoon Narnia - surprisingly good

My ill children watched this again this afternoon. It is pretty much their favourite 'special' DVD and I thought it deserved a mention.

This is a British animated production of 'the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', running to about 1hr 40m. It's much better IMO than the film - very true to the book and a lot punchier. Wonderful British actors (though the child actors vary in quality). Slightly poor quality sound and visual due to the age of the original, but well worth the £2.98 on Amazon.

British Museum - English thieves...

We did our first field trip for a while with L (and D) last week with our lovely local home-edder family. Showed L the Elgin Marbles and struggled to explain how we had them and Greece didn't.

Babylon exhibition: great if you're REALLY grown-up (much more grown-up than me) - not much for children. Best for us were the Rosetta Stone, the Standard of Ur (Mesopotamia, near Mummies) and the Mummy room, especially the animals. If you're going, take worksheets I think.

Wagamama's for lunch afterwards was excellent. It's right outside the Museum but hard to find unless you know it's there - fast service and the noise hid all our kid noise well.

Instant 'dumbed-down' test

For a while I've been using a fairly reliable test to vet books I've not got time to read - in charity shops, for example. It's hardly ever failed me.

Look at the illustrations. If they are classic, attractive and, above all, DETAILED, chances are that the content will be pretty good. If they are scribbly, cartoon-style, generally the content will be as vacant as the illustrations. I'd be interested to hear of some exceptions (perhaps Charlie and Lola - but even those pictures are quite detailed...) The cover test is also reliable. Sparkly - and especially holographic - is BAD!

Oh, yes, and look at the final page. If the author has a strong moral/amoral message, it will usually come out there.

Artistic Pursuits - stress free art

The price of this course put me off for a year or so - at £20, it's more than I'm used to paying. But I've not been disappointed. We are doing the first book, aimed at K-3. Each of the 30 units is a three page lesson; part one explores something about what artists do- eg 'Artists look', 'Artists communicate' etc; part two is what artists see - this is a brief art appreciation section; the final part is a practical (and quick) project for putting what the student has learnt into practice. Students can see work done by other children to give them ideas/courage!

This course is so incredibly easy to use, I can't think there is any parent out there who couldn't use it, given a little practice and the help of the local art shop.

Find pages to see at
http://www.artisticpursuits.com/ak-3.htm#k-3%20a

Buy from
http://www.conquestbooks.co.uk/search.php?search_text=art&Submit=Find+It%21

'Casting the gods adrift' - Akhenaten

Just finished reading this to L. Based in the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten, it is the story of a boy who becomes a potter in Akhetaten for the royal family, and how his father tries to hatch a plot to kill the Pharaoh - with unexpected consequences. Nice links to actual artefacts, inc the bust of Nefertiti.

This is a book that would benefit from some parental input, given that the boy has another religion and we may not agree with him, particularly his conclusions about religion in the final chapter.

It's a brilliant depiction of the choices people have to make when faced with two religions, one of which is imposed. Some Christian homeschool writers seem to take Akhenaten's decision to worship 'one god' as somehow a step towards worshipping the Lord. This book (without preaching) shows clearly that the Aten, just the sun disk itself, is as much an idol as any other and bears no resemblance to the Lord.

This is richly written, not too long (so great for a history project where there's not really time for a 300 page read-aloud), and probably best suited for 7 up.

10/10

Birthday party away from home - list

I say it every year - I'll keep a comprehensive list of everything I need for a party in a church hall... and every year I reinvent the wheel. So, fresh (weak) from L's birthday party this pm, here is my list so that, next year, I'm laughing.

A party for 25

THE DAY BEFORE
am: make the cake
pm/evening: ice the cake
Wrap the 'pass the parcel' parcel
do the party bags
Charge the camera
Charge the camcorder; put in extra tape
Charge the mobile

ON THE DAY
camera
camcorder
mobile
bin bags, kitchen roll
tea towels, washing up liquid, J cloths
Cake
lidded box for cake
tray for carrying cake in
matches
candles
candle holders
cake knife
table covering
sellotape
scissors
plates
cups
napkins
juice for diluting (4/5 litres)
sandwiches (1 1/2 loaves worth)
2 big bags cheese puffs
4 packets biscuits (jammie dodgers, pink wafers)
mini cheddars, cheese twists etc (2 bags)
satsumas (2 bags)
some chopped veg to placate the mums present
milk, tea, coffee etc (for mums)
'Pass the parcel' parcel
game props, including egg and spoon x4; sacks x4; beanbags x4; jingly keys for grandmother's footsteps; dressing up clothes for dress up the scarecrow x4 of everything
costumes for each child and parents f nec
Filled party bags
Prizes if nec (did not do this year and it was GREAT!!!!!!)

'Arty Facts' - art inspired by science.

I bought a few of these books a few months ago after some research, having not seen them first. They are wonderful and unusual and we've done many projects from them.

Each book consists of double-spreads on different topics. The left hand page is full of information and really beautiful photos. The right hand side is an art project to reinforce the topic. For example, in the 'Light and Colour' book, the first few topics and activities are:- sunshine/golden sundial; silvery shades/flashing fish; reflections/mirror ball.

The beauty of these books is that the project always turns out individual and is still educational; when we were doing the brain in the 'body' book, dd drew a hugely detailed 'brain city'. It really made her think about the functions of the brain and how they relate to each other.

One of these books would work well as a term's change from a more formal science programme, at 1 to 2 hours a week. Multi age - no problem!

10/10 - give them a look!

'Crafty ideas from science' - the best of the bunch

One of those times when a charity shop book is actually brilliant, rather than pretty much the same as all the other charity shop books you've bought on making science fun...

The beauty of this book is the simplicity. Each page has a hugely simple activity with a clear list of ingredients; it then tells you what result you get. Then there is a little science nugget at the bottom explaining what happened. Yes, there are the usual magnet-powered boats and growing crystals, but also the technical side is streets ahead of other good books I've got. I'll be trying the butterfly garden, making starch and the dancing mothballs.

I'll definitely be using this. It would work well for holiday time. Author - Myrna Daitz. ISBN- 100863273866

'Tirzah' - Lucille Travis (Egypt, Israelites)

Read this while looking for Egypt or Israelites 'living books' so thought I might as well review it, since it doesn't seem to be on many booklists.

There may be a reason for that! Ok, it's not so bad, but it's not a page-turner. It follows the eponymous heroine through the Exodus and up to the return of the spies and God's judgment on the Israelites about who will see the Promised Land.

I like books with surprises. This had none. To be fair, that's partly because one knows the main story, but a better author could have made that work. It felt like the main characters were sitting watching 'The Ten Commandments', only live action, and commenting on what happens; God judges the Israelites - 'Oh how scared I am'; God blesses them - 'Isn't Yahweh good'. The author makes the poor mother have a pregnancy that lasts over a year, otherwise I didn't spot factual bloomers (but wasn't actively looking...)

The good thing about this book was a great family at its centre, which makes it a decent read, and there were some good scenes to enrich understanding of the Exodus account.

It struck me that, if you set comprehension questions on books, this might be a good one to use; there are lots of issues - obedience to family, God; relationships, justice and judgment, racism etc. Otherwise, watch 'The Ten Commandments' instead.

6/10

Ancient Egypt: 'A Place in the sun' by Jill Rubalcaba

Just finished pre-reading this. Some people might feel uncomfortable about the emphasis of this book, but I thought it was really useful.

The story is of the young son of a sculptor. His father is bitten by a cobra and, to try and get the god Sekhmet to heal him, he carves a statue. In the process, he accidentally kills a dove, a crime punishable by death. Though saved from death by 'the god', his punishment is severe, but another statue which he carves later in the story saves his life.

This is ideal for the younger crowd, a hard niche to fill. 75 pages of thrills and spills, really well-written. It's a cracking story that delivers the facts as well.

We do see Senmut and others praying to their gods and thanking them for healing, etc. However, opportunities for talking about Christ are handed to you on a plate: for instance, Senmut asks the god (an idol) for mercy; even as he's doing it, he's marvelling at the sort of man who could have made a statue that became a god... In this book, we can see that the Egyptians are pious and believe in their gods, but they are clearly not gods who hold the answers.

10/10

Ancient Egypt Books and Unit

Ancient Egypt Unit and lapbook
I'm in the middle of teaching this at the moment, so it will be updated soon.

CORE BOOKS
Landmark - Landmark book of Ancient Egypt. This is a fabulous read and the spine for this unit. Read-aloud for 6 up.
RSM - The Real Story of Mankind (free ebook - http://www.puritans.net/curriculum/Real%20Story%20of%20Mankind.pdf
Usborne - Usborne Guide to Ancient Egypt. Fits in really well with illustrations for the Landmark.
HPAC ebook - Evan Moor history pockets Ancient Civilizations. I blow hot and cold over these - too simple, but provide lots of nice things to put in a lapbook, so use it a lot.

OTHER USEFUL BOOKS - not worth getting for this unit alone
How children lived (DK) - pp10-11 (Egypt)


FICTION/READ-ALOUDS
Temple Cat - Andrew Clements. Pre K/K. Thin on text; borrow, don't buy.
Casting the gods adrift - Geraldine McCaughrean. E/UE (Akhenaten) - excellent! - see review
A Place in the Sun - Jill Rubalcaba. E/UE (Ramses II) Excellent! - See review.
Tirzah - Lucille UE+ (Passover, exodus, desert); see review.
Cleopatra - Adele Geras E/UE. (Cleopatra) - visually interesting; diary ok and full of historical facts.

Books for older readers, or not managed to source:-
Egyptian Diary - Richard Platt. If it's like Castle Diary, probably very good.
Mara, Daughter of the Nile
The Golden Goblet - Mcgraw...
The Cat of Bubastes - G. A. Henty. I've started the unabridged version and it's a bit slow - maybe (gulp) get an abridged one! There's an audio one out there.
Cleopatra - Diane Stanley

ACTIVITY BOOKS AND OTHER THINGS:-
Punch out Egyptian masks (including Tutankhamen and Nefertiti)
DK Egypt sticker book (excellent)
Bellerophon Egypt colouring book (has Tutankhamen's mask etc)

CD-ROM
History Explorer - bit on Egypt
CD
Egyptian Treasures - Jim Weiss - good; mixture of history and myths. Especially good on discovery of the Valley of the Kings etc.
DVD
BBC Egypt series.
Joseph ('Bible' series - Ben Kingsley) - excellent! About 3 hours long.
The Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille). Again, about 3 hours long: split into sessions. Amazing Exodus crowd scenes. It's slow but satisfying and reverent.
Moses, Prince of Egypt.

Here are the bones of what we are doing. For each 'unit', I've included one historical figure etc and one more vague topic, as dd can't abide studying the latter unless they're slipped under the wire...

1. How do we know about Egypt? - the Rosetta Stone; education and writing

Landmark: 'The Rediscovery of Ancient Egypt'
Usborne for rosetta stone and education/ writing.
DVD - BBC: the mystery of the Rosetta Stone (good reinforcement).
- Key facts: Rosetta stone was in hieroglyphics, demotic and Greek; scholars understood Greek, so could begin to translate. Champollion used cartouches to crack the code
- Make Rosetta stone-shaped accordion book

2. Early history - unification of Egypt under Menes: geography, daily life (nuts and bolts of civilization)

MENES
Landmark - 'Menes' chapter
Usborne pp16-17: Early Egypt
- Key facts: Menes the Unifier united Upper and Lower Egypt in about 3200BC. The red and white crown of Egypt united the white crown of Upper Egypt and the red crown of Lower Egypt.
Childhood, toys, pets
How Children lived pp10-11
- Lapbook: make 'Menes the Unifier' card with the crown depicted.

DAILY LIFE
Geography facts
- use a globe and atlas.
- Lapbook: complete HPAC Eypt words to know; colour fertile areas on map

THE NILE
Usborne pp92-3 (travel)
- Lapbook: make the HPAC Nile booklet

HOUSES ETC
Usborne pp74-83
- build lego Eyptian home: compare with Greek one.

FOOD

3. Cheops (Khufu) and the Great Pyramid at Giza; Mummies

CHEOPS
Landmark p40f
Usborne pp18-19 (pyramids, Cheops, Sphinx) and pp66-67 (Giza)
- Make up 'shanty' about what hard work it was to build the Great Pyramid.
- make the little HPAC pyramid.
- Lapbook: make Cheops and Great Pyramid fact card

MUMMIES
Usborne pp60-64

4. Invasion and deliverance; Egyptian religion



5. Queen Hatshepsut, 'His Majesty, Herself'; the role of Pharaoh.

6. Akhnaten; temples and everyday religion; art in Egypt.
Read Landmark; 'The Criminal of Akhetaten'

- Key facts. Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhnaten to reflect is belief in one god rather than the traditional group of gods - the Aten, or the physical disk of the Sun. He moved the court away from Thebes (and the temple of Amun) to the new 'City of the Horizons' he had built in the desert - Akhetaten. The art produced during his reign was very different from the highly stylized forms which had dominated Eghptian art for a thousand years; for example, Akhenaten commissioned pictures of his family in situations from daily life.

7. Tutankhamen
Read Tut's Mummy: Lost and Found
Read Landmark; Tutankhamen half of Akhenaten chapter.
Watch BBC Egypt: Tutankhamen episodes.

- Key facts. Pharaoh Tutankhamen (perhaps the half-brother of Akhenaten) died at 18. His tomb was discovered in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter, supported financially by Lord Carnarvon. The importance of the discovery was immense, as every other royal tomb had been robbed. Tutankhamen's tomb was covered by some old huts, which had helped it avoid detection.

8. Ramses II; court life.

- Key Facts. The most famous event of Ramses II's reign was his 'victory' of Kadesh against the Hittites. As the Pharaoh told it, he single-handedly fought off 250 Hittite warriors. More wall-space on Egyptian temples is taken up with this battle than anything else. The battle was not in fact decisive and hostilities against the Hittites only ended with a treaty and Ramses II marrying a daughter of the Hittite king.
By the end of Ramses II's reign, Egypt was on the decline. The Sea Peoples eventually overwhelmed Egypt, then Alexander the Great. The Ptolemies were the last dynasty; the last Pharaoh was Cleopatra.

9. Moses, the Passover, the Exodus.

10. The last Pharaoh - Cleopatra; the fall of Egypt; A Christian perspective.

Read Cleopatra (Geras).
Read The Real Story of Mankind; Egypt section.

LAYOUT OF THE LAPBOOK

Cover - nice colouring page

Centre left page:-
Nile pull-down
Rich and poor minibook

Centre page:- FAMOUS PEOPLE
History fact card pockets
Great Pyramid booklet
Hatshepsut booklet
Akhenaten booklet

Centre left page:- WRITING AND ART
Words to know (ACHP)
Rosetta Stone concertina
Names in hieroglyphics - L, Cleopatra
Akhenaten's art booklet (comparing traditional and Akhenaten's art)

Back of left page:- ARCHAEOLOGY
Mummies
Myth of Isis and Osiris
Discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb booklet

Back pocket for other work

'school food' - lazy chicken and rice

This is tonight's offering. It's a standard in our house and so easy when at 4pm the last thing you feel like doing is cooking. I've slightly altered the recipe; the original is at iVillage, I think.

Lazy chicken and rice for 2 adults and 2 small children, plus 1/2 chicken soups later.

large roasting dish
Large pack chicken thighs (about 7/8)
250g long grain white rice
red pepper, chopped (really need this for colour)
onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
small pack mushrooms, sliced
small tin sweetcorn
1/2 types of seasonal veg, chopped into small pieces. Best are: carrots, butternut squash, courgettes, leeks; worst - broccoli (burns)
1 lime, zest and juice
800ml chicken stock made with 3 stock cubes
dried herbs of your choice
pepper

Preheat oven to Gas 6/200oC

Pour the rice into the bottom of the roasting dish. Arrange the mushrooms and seasonal veg and sweetcorn on this, then top with the red pepper, chopped onion and garlic.

Pour the lime juice over the contents of the roasting dish. Put the lime zest and herbs in the stock and stir well. Pour the stock over all.

Rest the chicken pieces on top (Don't push them in); add pepper. Roast for about 1 hour; chicken should be coming away from the bone and the liquid below should have been absorbed into the rice.

Debone and skin, and freeze the rest as soup base - really lovely on a Sunday evening with a bit of stock and the leftover veg from lunch!

Ancient Mesopotamia lapbook unit

We're just finishing the first of this academic year's history lapbooks. It always takes me a while to sift through materials, so I'm hoping that putting the basics up here will save somebody some time. We used other books and did other activities, but these were the main ones. The unit seemed rather 'thin', and I'm sure that had something to do with the complete lack of story books for young ones set in Sumeria or Assyria or Babylon. Please let me have details of any you have found and I'll add them.

Ancient Mesopotamia lapbook
See the post on making a lapbook for practical tips.

CORE TEXTBOOKS
RSM = The Real Story of Mankind - free Christian ebook:-
http://www.puritans.net/curriculum/Real%20Story%20of%20Mankind%20TM.pdf

EL = Everyday life in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia - Philip Steele

HP = Evan Moor History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations - Mesopotamia is one of these. The point is to compare the different civilizations covered. I used some parts of this; some were too easy.

Also:-
Book of Jonah - Peter Spier. See below.
Step into the world of Ancient Babylon (borrow)
Step into the world of Ancient Persia (borrow)

KEY WEBSITES
Mr Donn's Ancient history pages - invaluable, and great for clipart for the lapbook:-
http://ancienthistory.mrdonn.org/

British Museum site - full of interest, clipart and games:-
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/

Throughout unit, read 'Gilgamesh'; version by Geraldine McCaughrean.
Watch DVD 'Abraham' (Richard Harris as Abraham) - takes about 6 half-hour slots. Watch out for content (childbirth; Sarah with Pharaoh; destruction of Sodom; Lot's wife)
Watch DVD 'Jacob' in same series.

1. Prelude: What is history
Your own history book overview
Complete HP Words to know minibook
Complete HP timeline

2. What, when was Mesopotamia? The Fertile Crescent
EL p.66
Mr Donn's site

Complete Mesopotamia words to know minibook
Using an outline map, colour the fertile, desert and water areas on the map of Mesopotamia. Mark the Tigris and the Euphrates.

3. City states - the city of Ur (Sumeria)
HP booklet on Mesopotamia
City States - EL pp.68-9
Ziggurats - EL pp.78-81
British Museum site - The Great Ziggurat and the Standard of Ur

Colour the HP illustration of a city state
Make the HP pop-up ziggurat

4. Abraham and Ur
Genesis 11-12

Illustrate a little book of what Abraham's life in Ur was like before his family left and the Lord called him to go to Canaan. Eg; may have lived in a reed house, eaten barley bread, worn wool or linen clothing, seen the people worshipping at the great ziggurat etc.

5. Cradle of Civilization - inventions
Mr Donn's site and links - include wheel, plough, seed drill, boats, potters' wheels, maths, writing, first epic.

Make a wheel with brad to choose you favourite invention - pin near map

6. Writing, cylinder seals
EL pp.74-77
Mr Donn and British Museum sites.

Make a cuneiform writing tablet - photo for lapbook

7. Gilgamesh
Write and illustrate a minibook of one of your favourite episodes

8. Babylon - and Nineveh - and the Persians
EL pp.118-121
Book of Daniel
Step into the world of Ancient Babylon
Book of Jonah - Peter Spier. Faithful retelling, plus astonishing pictures based on Babylon remains. He shows landscapes with ziggurats, and even norias (water-wheels) which you can still see in Hama, Syria today.

Look at sites on the Ishtar Gate; its dragons and the lions from the Processional Way made from glazed bricks.
Build gate of Ishtar from Lego (if it grabs you) - photo for lapbook
poem about the Hanging Gardens - simple minibook
Choose 3 interesting laws from the Code of Hammurabi - Code shaped minibook

Read Step into the World of Ancient Persia
Disucss how the Babylonians had taken off the Israelites, while the Persians allowed them to go back.

9. Christian perspective
Read Ch 2 and 3 RSM

Make a person shaped accordion book for the 3 sons of Noah and the prophecies Noah makes about them in Genesis 9. Where do the Mesopotamians fit in?

Photos of the lapbook soon...

read aloud booklist: stage 4

What reading stage?:-
Stage 1: Evocative text with pictures that enable a parent to talk to the child about what is happening.
Stage 2: Stories of children and their worlds. Appeal to toddlers and very young children. Simple stories but rich text.
Stage 3: Simple chapter books and other books with lots to think about.
Stage 4: Books that are technically for any age but where we found the themes and emotional level suitable for younger children.

I'm aiming to keep this list updated. The books are listed roughly in order of difficulty.

Narnia books - C. S. Lewis
Charlotte's Web - E. B. White
Stig of the Dump - Clive King (but watch the last chapter - looks like child sacrifice for those old enough to understand - it just means missing out a sentence). Otherwise excellent.
Little House series - Laura Ingalls Wilder
101 Dalmatians - Dodie Smith (but NOT The Starlight Barking, which is drivel)
Mr Popper's Penguins - Richard Attwater
Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl. I know it's hard to get away from them, but I don't like the others very much...
Mrs Frisbe and the rats of NIMH - Robert O'Brien
The Borrowers - Mary Norton
The Dolls House - Rumer Godden. Captures tension well, but could be unsettling for a soft-hearted child (though I haven't met many of those...)
The Secret Garden, A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett
Ballet Shoes - Noel Streatfeild
The Sign of the Beaver - Elizabeth George Speare

And here are the ones that didn't work for us (sorry if they're your favourites...)

My Father's Dragon - R. S. Gannett. A sort of modern fairy tale that was just too knowing for me - but L loves it.
Because of Winn-Dixie - Kate DiCamillo. Don't get me started. If you want a book reflecting the sense of victory that we have in Christ, don't read this. The small world is made a little better by some self help.
Pinocchio - I stopped reading at the point where Pinocchio was being hung from a tree and was half dead, while a witch with blue hair watched from a nearby house. It's also badly written.

Bible resources from birth up

These have been the most useful Bible resources for us:-

BIBLES
Adam, Adam, what do you see? - Bill Martin
Beginners' Bible
One Year Bible for Kids, Challenge edition - Tyndale

CATECHISM
Right Choices - Kenneth Taylor
Everything a child should know about God - Kenneth Taylor
A faith to grow on - John MacArthur

HOLY LIVING
Storytime with the Millers, Wisdom and the Millers, Prudence and the Millers, Schooldays and the Millers - Mildred Martin
Little Pilgrim's Progress - Helen Talyor

MUSIC
Hide 'em in your heart - Steve Green

Booklist: stage 3

What reading stage?:-
Stage 1: Evocative text with pictures that enable a parent to talk to the child about what is happening.
Stage 2: Stories of children and their worlds. Appeal to toddlers and very young children. Simple stories but rich text.
Stage 3: Simple chapter books and other books with lots to think about.
Stage 4: Books that are technically for any age but where we found the themes and emotional level suitable for younger children.

I'm aiming to keep this list updated. These are some of our favourite books, listed roughly in order of difficulty.

The Julian Stories and others by Ann Cameron
Henry Huggins, Henry and Ribsy and others - Beverly Cleary
Ramona series - Beverly Cleary
Flat Stanley - Jeff Brown
Milly Molly Mandy series - Joyce Lankester Brisley
Church Mouse series - Graham Oakley
Boxcar Children and as many of the series as you can take - Gertrude Warner
Famous children series - artists and musicians
Paddle to the Sea, The Tree in the Trail and others by Holling C Holling

Booklist: Stage 2

What reading stage?:-
Stage 1: Evocative text with pictures that enable a parent to talk to the child about what is happening.
Stage 2: Stories of children and their worlds. Appeal to toddlers and very young children. Simple stories but rich text.
Stage 3: Simple chapter books and other books with lots to think about.
Stage 4: Books that are technically for any age but where we found the themes and emotional level suitable for younger children.

I'm aiming to keep this list updated. These are some of our favourite books, listed roughly in order of difficulty.

Goodnight, Moon - Margaret Wise Brown (also Stage 1)
Floss, First Snow and other Kim Lewis books.
Whistle for Willie and The Snowy Day - Ezra Jack Keats
The Tiger who came to tea - Judith Kerr
Farmer Duck - Martin Waddell
The Alfie series - Shirley Hughes (the odd Bible reference)
Lucy and Tom series - Shirley Hughes
The Mog series - Judith Kerr (but not 'Goodbye, Mog') - cats
No Roses for Harry - Gene Zion
Dogger - Shirley Hughes
A Squash and a Squeeze, The Smartest Giant in Town, the Gruffalo and others by Julia Donaldson
The Little House and others by Virginia Lee Burton
Hairy Maclary series - Lynley Dodd
Tim series - Edward Ardizzone
Angelina Ballerina series - Katherine Holabird

'Jotham's Journey'

Having waited so long to get hold of 'Jotham's Journey' (Arnold Ytreeide), in a fit of zeal I have pre-read it to be set for Advent.

Let me just say - what a cracking book this is! It is the story of a little boy in Israel just before Jesus' birth who becomes separated from his family. His search to find them leads him into danger but he ends up finding his family and the Nativity at the same time. The idea is that you light advent candles (though I suppose you could skip this if candles really isn't your thing) and read a chapter as a family each night. After the story, there is a Bible verse or thought about Christmas, and often a prayer.

The only bad points are the strange yellow background to the text and the inconsistent spelling. Spiritually, I just loved it and can't wait to read the book as a family for the first time this year.

WARNING: some scenes are too graphic for young children, though they are easily adapted. For example, the baddie cuts a young boy's fingers off; and the hero and friend fight the baddie in an underground tomb wielding a human leg-bone. I think we will read this book in the morning rather than in the evening, as suggested.

how to make a lapbook - fun and free!

We have made lapbooks, mainly on history topics, for the last year and they are great for the following reasons. You don't have to store worksheets that nobody wants to look at once they're done. You have something to show the grandparents (and the inspector!). You have something your child is proud of.

I've found that there is a method to it; once you've got yourself sorted, you don't need to spend on bought-in products, certainly if your child is young. It really hardly takes longer to do than preparing any history topic you don't know that well.

1. Decide what to teach! If a lapbook takes 3 weeks, choose 15 topics. You'll probably not do them all in detail, or every day. We seem to miss some completely! For instance, an Egypt lapbook might include:-
Geography of Egypt
The Nile
The Great Pyramid at Giza
Mummification
Daily life
Famous Pharaohs...etc
Use the headings of your textbook as a quick guide.

2. Plan the lapbook. I use two simple UK foolscap folders and interleave them for a triptych effect, plus a pocket at the back (you'll need to stick the sides and bottom of the back pocket down). This means there are 5 pages to fill (including the cover).

Sketch out on a piece of paper what type of mini-book etc will deliver what information. The web is full of info on this, but this site is really useful:-

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.php

Choose by number/type of facts. If there are four seasons, choose a four section book. Then decide where these go on the lapbook. This sounds complex, but it's very quick and simple. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE ARTY. This is mind-mapping - information delivery at its best.

3. Pre-print your images. I've learnt this by bitter experience. For less stress, and with a young child, print images/clip-art etc for the whole lapbook and put it in a ziploc bag for the child to cut out later.

4. Type up a task list. I find this keeps us on target. Eg 'Session 1. Geography of Egypt. Find Egypt on a globe, a map. Read pages... of '....'. Colour the fertile areas of the outline map green and the desert yellow.'

Once you've completed a snippet of work, put it in the ziploc bag for later. That map has its place in the lapbook, but only assemble the book right at the end (and I do it myself for my 5yo). Our lapbooks never end up how they were meant to - but that's fun!

And that's it. Give it a go! Photos to follow, when I can work the technology...

welcome to my world!; curriculum

As the name would suggest, this blog is just trying to say it how it is - what we're doing in homeschool; what helps me/us along the path to godliness - and what doesn't. I'll try to post mainly on materials we have found useful, to try and save you some of the countless hours I've spent surfing...

We homeschool Lucy (nearly 6). I would love to say that Dan (2) joins in, but management is the word at the moment. We're probably Classical, but essentially if I'm feeling lazy, I get out 'The Well-Trained Mind' to make me do more; and if we're burned out, it's Charlotte Mason that perks us up again. We use:-
Jesus, My Shepherd - Explorers Bible Study;
Math-U-See - Beta;
Rod & Staff Phonics and Reading Workbooks and 'Our Father's World' Geography;
Artistic Pursuits;
Recorder books;
and we cobble together history and science.
We do quite a few lapbooks and I'll post on that in due course.