Saturday 29 November 2008

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





Friday 28 November 2008

'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

Friday 21 November 2008

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!!!!!!)

Thursday 13 November 2008

'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