Christianbook.com Homeschool Blog

Non-fiction kids’ books are great.

One of Charlesbridge Publishing’s newest books, The Great Molasses Flood is on a particularly unique topic [what, you weren’t planning an entire unit study around the Great Molasses Flood of 1919?] but would be great to integrate into broader studies.

The Great Molasses Flood is just interesting, period. On January 15, 1919, a tank of molasses exploded, sending shards of metal flying and releasing a 40-foot wave of dark, flowing molasses that collapsed buildings and coated the North End of Boston. Kops uses a number of personal stories in telling her story; find yourself in the shoes of poor Mrs. O’Brien, who opened a door to find her entire building moved down the street, among those helping with the sticky, long, clean-up, or telling your testimony along with other survivors.

Falling squarely in the intersection between the “weird disasters” category, the “this-is-an-example-of-how-historical-research-is-done” category, and the “early modern period of history” category, Deborah Kops uses primary documents, archival photos, and a narrative re-telling that will put you right in the midst of the action. Set into the broader early-modern context of 1919, students will find it interesting how the effects of broader events they’ve read about elsewhere—World War I, early waves of immigration, women’s suffrage, the struggle over improved regulation, prohibition, and the anarchist movement—played out in the face of one disaster. It’s one thing to read about how and why events happened, and their direct aftermath. It’s quite another to see the unique, localized ways in which they affected ordinary people. With the scent of molasses only fading from Boston in the mid-1990s, Kops’ Great Molasses Flood presents a contextual, localized history that is brought into the present day.

102 indexed pages, library-reinforced hardcover with dust jacket. Sepia-toned pages and archival photographs. Ages 9-12.

You hear of people homeschooling because, in part, their kids fidget.
Their kids like to move while they learn, problems ensue in the classroom, et cetera et cetera et cetera.
It’s a powerful thing.

Like many others, I often feel like I have to move to think. I pace, I walk, I study better on a treadmill than sitting on a couch.

Particularly for kinesthetic learners,  such movement actually can help with thinking. But while large-area activities work, Brain Food can make getting all that fidgetiness out easier. Brain Food is that link between energy and body, channeling movement, promoting the free flow of ideas…all while sitting. It’s amazing. I got it over two weeks ago now, and seriously cannot put this stuff down.

It’s non-sticky and taffy-like; a bit firm until you warm it up, and then it swirls and loops in SUCH a tactilely-pleasing manner. It’s feels 99% oil-free on my hands too…I still wash after I’ve put it away, but it’s not so much that I avoid touching things (all hand-cream moisturizers, I’m looking at you).

It’s moldable for a moment, but won’t stay, since it doesn’t harden—EVEN if you leave it out of its tin-home. So basically, don’t expect to make a dinosaur or a tree. I’ve tried. It just sort of slumps over and resumes its primordial globular state. But, making sculptures isn’t its intention, so when I’m sitting and thinking while smooshing and pulling at my lump of Brain Food…it’s doing exactly what it should. Helping me to think productively.

And having fun charging it up with light and watching it glow in the dark. Which…is just cool.

Brain Food comes in 7 different colors, 1 of which glows in the dark. Each tin is currently $8.99 at Christianbook.com. View “Product Close-Up” for a picture of each color.
Non-toxic. Keep from clothes.

I LOVE this.
LOVE it.

A visual treat that I would have adored as a homeschooling kid (and, as I still remain a rather font-obsessed person, am head over heels for even now), Monica Dengo’s Pick Up Your Pen is an inspiring guide to Italic Handwriting that’s beautiful, whimsical, and about as far from a boring handwriting book as you can possibly get.

Each cream-colored page has color on it—beautiful, rich, paint-and-marker color. The letters loop and flow, stand on top of each other, and are stacked up alongside the guidelines. These are pages that are just begging to be written in, doodled in—a real-life inspiration to tap into way we unconsciously scribble in the margins.

The two-page spreads focus on the same letter in either upper or lower-case. The left-hand page features colorful, whimsically drawn letters on a blank, unlined page that encourages experimentation; the right-hand page features italic instruction with model letters to copy and lines to practice on. Even the numbers at the bottom of the page are put to use, with directional arrows showing how to correctly form them. This isn’t a rigorous curriculum that provides instruction like a multi-volume, standard handwriting series would—there are no full words or sentences—but as a supplement, art book, “finished product,” or a different take on a subject, this is a fabulous workbook.

In a world dominated by keyboards and computers, inspire kids to see the creativity, line, and movement in the art of handwriting once again! 107 cream-colored, book-esque pages, softcover. 11.75” long, 8.25” high.

Currently $11.99 (20% off the retail price) at Christianbook.com.

The homeschooler’s never-abating love for books can lead to some problems. Stacks of books everywhere, lack of bookshelf space, those time-absorbing decisions of which books to keep downstairs and which to store away for now…we’ve all been there!

While there’s certainly still a warm place in all our hearts for real books, there are undeniable advantages to eBooks…and Christianbook.com has just launched our new eBook store (no reader required!) with 300+ homeschool titles to start! Pick up a favorite to read on the go or start buying much cheaper e-books to read on your computer—for you or your children. To start, check out our free eBooks, including The Pilgrim’s Progress!

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Getting ready to start the school-year up again, boxes of curriculum had their appeal—but I’m not sure anything could compare to the joy of That Year’s Planner. The scores of blank lines, the cover, any sort of illustration…

I loved that I could change it each year; watch it fill up with rainbow-hued lists only to blacken them out with thick pencil-strokes throughout the day. Even now, I love getting to pick out a new one to keep track of all my tasks here.

And so it was with much envy (and awe) that I looked through the new planners by Home Educating Family Magazine—how I wish I’d had these when I was at home…and I’m planning on using it once I finish up the planner I’m using now!

They’re simply, elegantly, gorgeous. The covers were promising enough, but the contents are even more incredible.

The Well Planned Day Family Planner features:

• Encouraging articles for every month & a weekly bible verse.
• Room to fill in Bible, Math, History, Science, English and two electives for multiple students, plus weekly priorities, dinner menu, catechism, and weekend activities for each week.
• Special pages for the family budget, greeting cards, weekly cleaning routine, special projects, contacts, a class plan, teacher schedule, student schedule, semester goals, progress reports and a monthly grid-calendar with room to write in books, field trips/enrichment, monthly expenses, and memorable moments. They’ve even included perforated shopping lists AND glossy report cards!

Different color combinations for each month provide added visual interest, as well as a way to keep track of what month you’re looking at—such a thoughtful little detail.

There are sample pages up to check out, and if you’ve tried them, come back to review and let other moms know what you think! This guide is the family planner; there’s also a 4-year comprehensive High School Planner/Record-Keeper and a Middle School Planner.

All those “sk” sounding words: sky, skid, skill…who brought those words to English? Why don’t our animal names match up with the names for our cuts of meat? Why do we call it both England and Britain?

Most of us cannot coherently explain either the country or the origin of the language we speak. Instead we often see British history in snapshots, integrated into the larger scale of world history, or perhaps noted as we come across it in books—both fantastic methods of getting a grasp of history in a more ‘alive’ context. However, there’s still something to be said for mastering the WHOLE timeline, stringing together years and kings and words and books in a continuous picture of a location.

Whirling through history, linguistics, English roots, and literature—as well as the story of the English Bible (so add in church history, theology, and translation)— Cyning Ælfred’s Englisc combines these disparate elements in a fantastic work that dodges boredom and packs in the facts within a narrative that (like the history it tells) doesn’t stop.

Structured by the major time periods of English—Pre-English Britain, Old English, Middle English, transition, and Modern English—history and language are presented in equal portions. Author (and homeschool mom) Laurie J. White is not afraid to go into grammar (delving into what happened to thy and thine, for example), inflected language, the Great Vowel Shift, and even changes in modern English—but with perfectly understandable explanations. This book also provides a fantastic introduction to Indo-European; older students will find this helpful should they go on to read more technical linguistic books such as the new Latin Alive or Lost Languages.

Within each era, the influence and actions of Christianity are noted, and there’s an entire chapter on the creation of the English Bible; the influx of Latin words via the church, the monastic manuscripts, Cædmon, Gutenberg, Wycliffe, Luther, the Protestant Reformation, King Henry’s break with Catholic Church, and The Geneva Bible are shown to have changed the political and linguistic landscape.

Tackling the basics of linguistics and history while incorporating all the little interesting details of Romans carting elephants over the English channel, Queen Boudicca, The Brothers Grimm, King Cnut, Shakespeare and the word “ain’t”—King Alfred’s English synthesizes its subject clearly and with catching enthusiasm.

And if you want to make it a semester-long course? The publisher’s website also offers worksheets, tests, and research activities with PLENTY of links to related topics. 145 pages, softcover. Grades 7-12.

Never heard of him?

You’re certainly not alone! One of the ignored heroes of the Revolutionary War, his descendant 6-times-removed has decided to bring him back into the spotlight once more.  Hercules of the Revolution: A Novel Based on the Life of Peter Francisco will introduce you to the man who was born into wealth, kidnapped, raised as a slave, and who eventually would become known by Lafayette, George Washington, Patrick Henry, and others.

With monuments in three states, a stamp issued with his picture, and the officially designated Peter Francisco Day in VA, MA, and RI, invigorate your American history studies with this brand-new story of adventure, strength, and courage.

And, for today only, Hercules of the Revolution will ship free to US addresses! Just select Standard or UPS Ground shipping at checkout, and you’ll be receiving your book with no shipping costs.

Want to learn more? Watch the promo video!

A few weeks ago, I was up at 6 AM, and found myself driving into Boston at 7 muttering a mix of conjugated French verbs and snippets from a 7-minute testimony I had been asked to give at my college’s Open House.

I hate public speaking. I hated the public speaking element to the courses my mom “made” me take when I was homeschooled, figuring if I would never speak in public (who would make me?), what was the use of learning it? Well, apparently it’s very handy to have some idea of what to do in this situation, because even the most reclusive speakers might be called upon one day!

I had to give the same testimony to three different workshop-groups of incoming transfer students; I figured maybe 20 would show up for each. Heh. At the first, I counted 66 a few minutes before it started…by the time it ended, there were rows of people standing in the back. What a way to get some experience!

However, it definitely was not as bad as it could have been, since a couple of days beforehand I just happened (providentially!) to be writing some descriptions for The Communicators Advantage Proj., and had their advice fresh in my mind as I wrote down my outline!

I’m sure each time something didn’t come out exactly as I wanted it to, but I was greatly encouraged at the end–I had neither died, nor fainted, nor said anything (that I could remember!) that was horribly wrong or badly worded. In short, I survived. And now, now I know why I had to take all those public speaking co-op classes, read those books, fill in those workbooks…

So, if you’re looking for some public speaking curriculum:

Some FUN new things this week!

Did you enter the contest for the chance to win a copy of Vision Forum’s new “The Mysterious Islands” DVD yet? And while you’re over there, you might as well check out the other giveaways we have going on.

Now that you have that taken care of, settle down to read our new interview with Lamplighter President & Founder Mark Hamby! I had such a fun time reading his responses (that he kindly sent from London! I’m trying not to be jealous!) and you’ll get a sneak-peek at all the many new projects they’re currently working on as well as learning a lot about the company and their books.

Continuing on the reading theme, this week’s article is a short-but-sweet reminder from Todd Wilson on Intentional Parenting.

Lastly, for  Shurley English fans, check out the new Shurley English Vocabulary Madness series, as well as the younger-level Jingle Time Coloring Books, both now in our Shurley Store. And for musicians who’d like the option to play the jingles themselves, we also now have the Jingle Music for Levels 1 & 2 and for Levels 3-8!

Welcome to this early-winter edition of the Friday Review—it actually snowed when I came into work today. SNOWED! And that makes me think of one book, and one book only:

An all-time favorite children’s book, The Snowman is completely wordless, but captures that element of childhood wonder perfectly. Sigh.

But anyways, there are SO many new products coming out soon:

Vision Forum’s Mysterious Islands DVD is everywhere it seems—watch the trailer to catch a glimpse of what this documentary is all about.

We also have a brand-new release from Lamplighter Theatre: A Basket of Flowers. You’ll be able to listen to the first episode tomorrow or the day after.

Everyone will be having fun car-rides for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year—also coming out soon is Jonathan Park Goes to the Galapagos.

Vocabulary for Classical Roots has now come out with Book 4! On a side note, I credit this series for much of my vocabulary understanding as I progressed through school; I was one of the voracious Charles Dickens/Charlotte Bronte/Jane Austen reading students, and none of those “big” words ever really seemed imposing once I knew what the roots meant. Just a fantastic series I’d recommend to anyone.

And finally, The Fallacy Detective is now in a new edition with more cartoons, more fallacies, and new chapters on Slippery Slope and Special Pleading fallacies.