Tuesday, August 7, 2018

History, Geography, Economics, and Government Books for Sale - August

Below you will find our latest list of living history books for sale. The books are arranged chronologically and coded when related to a particular history program that I'm aware of. Some of the books are ex-library and some are from a private collection. Most are duplicate copies from our own personal library. Several are out of print and getting harder to find. Let me know if you need recommendations or have any questions.

We are a smoke and pet free home. The prices do not reflect shipping. I accept PayPal and ship media mail within the U.S. Please use the contact form on the right side bar to send inquires and desired list. There is also a list of misc. history resources toward the bottom as well as books used for geography, government, economics, and social studies.

Thanks so much for your consideration,
Melissa

My Father’s World

Adventures in U.S. History $135 set includes:
-       1st edition Teacher’s Manual w/clean student sheets and book basket list
-       NIrV Discoverer’s Bible for Young Readers w/dust jacket
-       Exploring American History
-       American Pioneers & Patriots
-       North American Indians
-       Red, White & Blue
-       The Thanksgiving Story
-       The Fourth of July Story
-       First Encyclopedia of Science
-       Birds, Nests, and Eggs
-       Celebrate America CD
-       Map of the U.S.


History – Arranged Chronologically

SL – Sonlight
TQ – TruthQuest
AO – Ambleside Online
SCM – Simply Charlotte Mason
BF – Beautiful Feet
WP – Winter Promise
VP – Veritas Press
MFW – My Father’s World
CoF – Cornerstones of Freedom
VT – A Visual American History Timeline of Books
HOD – Heart of Dakota

Ancient Civilizations/Cultures (blue tote #1)

Streams of Civilization Vol. 1 by Mary Stanton & Albert Hyma (hardcover) BF TQ $5

Adam and His Kin by Ruth Beechick TQ SCM $4

David and Goliath by Leonard Everett Fisher (hardcover w/Mylar jacket, ex-library) TQ $5

Evan – Moor History Pockets Ancient Civilizations $5

Ancient Civilizations Unit Study $10 set includes:
-       Discovering Ancient Mysteries by Michael Gibson (hardcover)
-       Greenleaf Guide to Ancient Egypt
-       The Greenleaf Guide to Famous Men of Rome
-       Scholastic 25 Mini-Plays World History by Erin Fry (grades 4-8)
-       Classical Kids, An Activity Guide to Life in Ancient Greece and Rome by Laurie Carlson
-       Selections from National Geographic Death on the Nile
-       National Geographic January 3003 (Inside Egypt’s Secret Vaults)
-       Kids Discover Mummies
-       Kids Discover Ancient Egypt
-       Life in Ancient Egypt Study Prints
-       Life in Ancient Greece Study Prints
-       Life in Ancient Rome Study Prints
-       Other Misc. Articles and Arts Newsletter

The Great Pyramid by Elizabeth Mann TQ SCM $4

The Greenleaf Guide to Ancient Egypt by Cyndy Shearer $5

See Inside An Ancient Egyptian Town by R. J. Unstead (hardcover, ex-library) $5 each (x3)

Mummies A Very Peculiar History by Nathaniel Harris $3

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (hardcover ex-library) $5

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (like new) $4

Make it Work! Ancient Egypt by Haslam & Parsons MFW $4 each (x2)

Landmark The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt by Elizabeth Payne TQ BF SCM $5 each (x2)

Look Inside A Greek Theater by Peter Chrisp (hardcover) $4

Usborne Tales of the Trojan War by Kamini Khanduri $3

The Trojan War by Bernard Evslin TQ $3

Tales from the Odyssey Book 4 The Gray-Eyed Goddess by Mary Pope Osborne (hardcover, ex-library) $3

The Secrets of Vesuvius by Sara C. Bisel TQ $3 each (x2)

The Master by John Pollock $4

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (hardcover, ex-library) SL BF TQ SCM HOD $5

See Inside An Ancient Chinese Town by R. J. Unstead (hardcover ex-library) $5

Adventures from History: The Travels of Marco Polo by Marion Koenig (hardcover, ex-library) $6

The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth SL 5/F $2

The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth (hardcover, ex-library) SL 5/F $3

Work and Play in the Philippines – New World Neighbors Series (1944 hardcover) $3

The Corn Grows Ripe by Dorothy Rhoads SL 3/C $3

Middle Ages/Renaissance/Reformation

Days of Knights and Damsels, An Activity Guide by Laurie Carlson $3

Viking Adventure by Clyde Robert Bulla (original hardcover) $25

The Vikings by Robert Nicholson & Claire Watts $3

History Explorers Viking Raiders by Fiona Macdonald $3

The Vikings by Hazel Martell (hardcover, ex-library) $5

The Vikings by Robin Place (hardcover, ex-library) $5

Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky by Barbara Schiller SL 1/B TQ $4 each (x2)

See Inside a Castle by R. J. Unstead (hardcover, ex-library) $5

Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman SL Core 6/G $3 each (x3)

Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer SL $3

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman SL 2/C TQ BF $3 each (x5)

Dove and Sword, A Novel of Joan of Arc by Nancy Garden $3

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli TQ SL VP $4

The Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla $3

Milliken History of Civilization The Middle Ages Grades 7-12 $3

Wings of an Eagle, The Story of Michelangelo by Anne Merriman Peck TQ $4

Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray BF TQ SL $4 each (x2)

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (hardcover, ex-library w/Mylar jacket BF $5

The Apple and the Arrow, The Legend of William Tell by Mary and Conrad Buff SL $4

The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey AO $4

Exploration/Native Americans

More Than Moccasins A Kid’s Activity Guide to Traditional North American Indian Life by Laurie Carlson $3

Pathki Nana, Kootenai Girl Solves a Mystery by Kenneth Thomasma $2

Om-kas-toe, Blackfeet Twin Captures an Elkdog by Kenneth Thomasma SL $2

North American Indians by Marie and Douglas Gorsline SL $3

Growing Up Indian by Evelyn Wolfson (hardcover w/Mylar, ex-library) $5

Landmark The Voyages of Christopher Columbus by Armstrong Sperry (hardcover) $5

Follow the Dream, The Story of Christopher Columbus by Peter Sis (hardcover ex-library) $4

Christopher Columbus by Ann McGovern $3

Columbus by Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire (small paperback black & white reprint) TQ BF $2

I Sailed with Columbus by Miriam Schlein $2

Around the World in a Hundred Years from Henry the Navigator to Magellan by Jean Fritz SCM $4

Magellan, Voyager with a Dream by William Jay Jacobs (hardcover, ex-library) $3

Ferdinand Magellan by Ruth Harley $3

Cartier Sails the St. Lawrence by Esther Averill (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $10

The Spanish Conquistadores by Walter Buehr (hardcover, ex-library $6

Champlain, Father of New France by Cecile Pepin Edwards (hardcover, ex-library) $20

Life in Tudor England by Penry Williams (hardcover ex-library) $4 (gray tote #2)

Sower Robert Boyle by John Hudson Tiner TQ HOD $4

The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes SL $4

Sword of the Wilderness by Elizabeth Coatsworth (hardcover) TQ $4

Colonization/American Revolution

Our Country’s Story by Frances Cavanah (hardcover, ex-library) $6 each (x2)

The Landmark History of the American People from Plymouth to the Moon by Daniel J. Boorstin (boxed set) SL $12

America in the Time of Pocahontas, The Story of Our Nation from Coast to Coast, from 1590 to 1754 by Sally Senzell Isaacs (hardcover) $3

Rewriting of America’s History by Catherine Millard VT $4

Life in America Series – unit study - $10 set
            Life Establishing a Nation 1790-1849
            Life in a New World 1000-1763

Blue Feather’s Vision, The Dawn of Colonial America by James E. Knight TQ $3 each (x3)

The Paradox of Jamestown 1585 – 1700 by Collier & Collier (hardcover, ex-library) VT $4

Blood on the River – James Town 1607 by Elisa Carbone HOD $4

Pocahontas and the Strangers by Clyde Robert Bulla SL TQ VT $4

The Double Life of Pocahontas by Jean Fritz TQ VT $3

The Double Life of Pocahontas by Jean Fritz (hardcover, ex-library) TQ VT $4

Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick (hardcover) $5 each (x2)

If you Sailed on the Mayflower by Ann McGovern TQ VT WP $3 each (x2)

Landmark The Landing of the Pilgrims by James Daugherty (hardcover) $5

The Pilgrims by R. Conrad Stein (hardcover, ex-library) TQ CoF $4

Down Ryton Water by E. R. Gaggin SL 7/H $4

The Pilgrims of Plimoth by Marcia Sewall BF TQ VT $4

N. C. Wyeth’s Pilgrims text by Robert San Souci TQ VT $3

Sarah Morton’s Day by Kate Waters VP TQ VT $4 each (x6)

Samuel Eaton’s Day by Kate Waters VP TQ VT $4 each (x7)

Eating the Plates, A Pilgrim Book of Food and Manners by Lucille Recht Penner VT TQ $5 each (x2)

Pilgrim Voices edited by Connie and Peter Roop (hardcover w/Mylar dust jacket ex-library) TQ VT $5 each (x2)

Thanksgiving Feast and Festival by Mildred Corell Luckhardt (hardcover ex-library) $5

Thanksgiving Unit Study by Amanda Bennett $3

The Story of Thanksgiving by Elaine Raphael and Don Bolognese $3

The First Thanksgiving by Jean Craighead George $3

Turkeys, Pilgrims, and Indian Corn, The Story of the Thanksgiving Symbols by Edna Barth (hardcover, ex-library) $4

Margaret Pumphrey’s Pilgrim Stories by Elvajean Hall TQ VT $3 each (x2)

The Courtship of Miles Standish: Elizabeth by Henry W. Longfellow TQ VT $4

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper TQ $3

Dear America Standing in the Light, The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan, 1763 (hardcover) $2

The Rhode Island Colony by Dennis B. Fradin (hardcover, ex-library) $3

Colonial Living by Edwin Tunis (hardcover ex-library) TQ $10

Colonial Craftsman, The Hatters by Leonard Everett Fisher (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $6

Boys and Girls of Colonial Days by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey BF $3

Emma’s Journal, The Story of a Colonial Girl by Marissa Moss (hardcover, ex-library) TQ WP $3

American Girl Felicity’s Craft Book $4 (blue tote #3)

Shaw’s Fortune, The Picture Story of a Colonial Plantation by Edwin Tunis (hardcover, ex-library) $6

The Silver Mace, A Story of Williamsburg by Maud & Miska Petersham (hardcover, ex-library) $12

African-Americans in the Thirteen Colonies by Deborah Kent (hardcover, ex-library) CoF TQ $4

The Farm, Life in Colonial Pennsylvania by James E. Knight $4

Salem Days, Life in a Colonial Seaport by James E. Knight $4

Seventh and Walnut, Life in Colonial Philadelphia by James E. Knight $4

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare TQ BF SL VT $4

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare SL $3

Our Great Heritage….from the Beginning – The Revolutionary Years 1763-1783 (hardcover) $4

Stowaway by Karen Hesse SL TQ $3

American Heritage Junior Library The Many Worlds of Benjamin Franklin (hardcover) $5

Benjamin Franklin, A Man with Many Jobs by Carol Greene (hardcover Rookie Biography) TQ $3

Benjamin Franklin, Man of Ideas by Charles Graves (hardcover Discovery Book, ex-library) TQ $5

Ben and Me by Robert Lawson SL TQ $4 each (x2)

A Voice of Her Own, The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet by Kathryn Lasky (hardcover) $4

The Boston Tea Party by R. Conrad Stein (hardcover, ex-library) CoF TQ $4

Boston Tea Party by James E. Knight TQ $3 each (x2)

Midnight Alarm, the Story of Paul Revere’s Ride by Mary Kay Phelan (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $5

And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? by Jean Fritz (hardcover) TQ SL $3 each (x3)

Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $7

A Picture Book of Paul Revere by David A. Adler (hardcover, ex-library) $4

Where was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? by Jean Fritz (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $3 each (x2)

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes SL 3/4/D/E TQ BF VP AO VT $4 (x2)

My Brother Sam is Dead by Collier & Collier TQ $3 each (x2)

George Washington’s Breakfast by Jean Fritz (hardcover) TQ BF $8

The Crossing, How George Washington Saved the American Revolution by Jim Murphy $5

Guns for General Washington by Seymour Reit TQ VT $3 each (x3)

A Picture Book of George Washington by David A. Adler TQ $3

Washington at Valley Forge by Russell Freedman TQ $5

The Story of Martha Washington by Jeanette Nolan (hardcover Signature Biography) TQ $5

The Battle of Lexington and Concord by Neil Johnson (hardcover ex-library) TQ VT $4

Phoebe the Spy by Judith Berry Griffin SL 3/4/D/E TQ $3 each (x4)

Childhood of Famous Americans Molly Pitcher by Augusta Stevenson (ex-library) TQ $3

Childhood of Famous Americans Tom Jefferson by Helen Albee Monsell (ex-library) TQ $3

Thomas Jefferson, Champion of the People by Clara Ingram Judson (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $8

Journey to Monticello, Traveling in Colonial Times by James E. Knight $3 each (x5)

Give me Liberty! – The Story of the Declaration of Independence by Russell Freedman TQ VT $5

The First Book of the Constitution by Richard B. Morris (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $5

Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz SL TQ $3

The Story of the Declaration of Independence by Norman Richards (hardcover, ex-library) CoF TQ $4

Will You Sign Here John Hancock? by Jean Fritz (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $3

The Signers by Dennis Brindell Fradin (hardcover, ex-library w/Mylar jacket) HOD $5

1776 by David McCullough TQ $5

Betsy Ross by Alexandra Wallner TQ $3

The Story of the Liberty Bell by Natalie Miller CoF TQ $4

Tree of Freedom by Rebecca Caudill TQ $3 each (x2)

And Long Remember Some Great Americans who have Helped Me by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (hardcover, ex-library) $6

The Fourth of July by Mary Kay Phelan (hardcover, ex-library) $4

Landmark Our Independence and the Constitution by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (hardcover) $5

1800’s/Westward Expansion

The Broken Blade by William Durbin SL 7/H $3

A Picture Book of Sacagawea by David A. Adler TQ $3

Sacajawea, Guide to Lewis and Clark by Della Rowland BF $4 each (x2)

The Story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition by R. Conrad Stein (hardcover ex-library) CoF TQ $4

The Incredible Journey of Lewis & Clark by Rhoda Blumberg TQ $4

How We Crossed the West the Adventures of Lewis & Clark by Rosalyn Schanzer (hardcover, ex-library) VT TQ $4

Abigail’s Drum by John A. Minahan TQ VT $3 each (x3)

Sower - Artist with a Message, Samuel F. B. Morse by John Hudson Tiner TQ VT $4

Johnny Appleseed – A Poem by Reeve Lindbergh (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $4

Johnny Appleseed by Carol Beach York (hardcover) $2

The Story of Johnny Appleseed by Aliki (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $3

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi SL $3

The Defenders by Ann McGovern $2 each (x2)

The Cherokee by Emilie U. Lepthien – A New True Book TQ $3

Childhood of Famous Americans Davy Crockett, Young Rifleman by Aileen Wells Parks TQ $3

American Heritage Junior Library The Erie Canal (hardcover) TQ $5 (pink tote #4)

American Heritage Junior Library Texas and the War with Mexico (hardcover) TQ $5

Make Way for Sam Houston by Jean Fritz (hardcover, ex-library) $6

American Girl Secrets in the Hills – A Josefina Mystery (ex-library) $2

The Little Indian Weaver by Madeline Brandeis (1928 hardcover) $5

Landmark The Santa Fe Trail by Samuel Hopkins Adams (hardcover) $5 (x2)

The Wild West by Mike Stotter $3

If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon by Ellen Levine TQ $3

The Oregon Trail by R. Conrad Stein CoF TQ VT $4

Wagons West: Off to Oregon by Catherine E. Chambers VT $2 each (x2)

Wagon Train by Sydelle Kramer TQ $2

Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner SL 2/C TQ $3 each (x4)

Next Spring an Oriole by Gloria Whelan (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $3 each (x2)

Pioneer Cat by William H. Hooks (hardcover, ex-library) HOD $3

Trails to the West, Beyond the Mississippi by Kathy Pelta (hardcover ex-library) $3

Meet the Wards on the Oregon Trail by John J. Loeper TQ VT $3 each (x3)

Rachel’s Journal, The Story of a Pioneer Girl by Marissa Moss TQ VT $3

A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos TQ SL $3

Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall TQ VT $4 each (x2)

The Story of the Women Who Shaped the West by Mary Virginia Fox CoF TQ $3

The Josefina Story Quilt by Eleanor Coerr TQ VT $3 each (x6)

The Pioneers by Marie and Douglas Gorsline $3 each (x2)

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell (3 hardcover, ex-library) SL 5/F BF TQ $3 each (x6)

Zia by Scott O’Dell BF TQ $3

Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi BF TQ $4

Ludwig Van Beethoven, Young Composer by Louis Sabin $3

Commodore Perry in the Land of Shogun by Rhoda Blumberg (hardcover ex-library) SL Core 5/F TQ $5

Snowshoe Thompson by Nancy Smiler Levinson TQ VT $3 each (x3)

Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field (hardcover ex-library) TQ $4

Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field TQ $3

Landmark The California Gold Rush by May McNeer (hardcover) $5

The Great American Gold Rush by Rhoda Blumberg TQ $4

By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman (hardcover) SL TQ BF $6

American Heritage Junior Library The California Gold Rush (hardcover) $5

American Heritage Junior Library Great Days of the Circus (hardcover) $5

The Ringling Brothers by Molly Cone (hardcover, ex-library) $3

American Heritage Junior Library Cowboys and Cattle Country (hardcover) $5

American Heritage Junior Library Steamboats on the Mississippi (hardcover) $5

Landmark The Pony Express by Samuel Hopkins Adams (hardcover) $5

Pony Express by Steven Kroll (hardcover ex-library) TQ VT $4 each (x3)

Louis Braille, The Boy Who Invented Books for the Blind by Margaret Davidson SL 5/F TQ $3

Underground RailRoad/Slavery/Civil War 1865

A Separate Battle: Women and the Civil War by Ina Chang $2 each (x2)

Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates SL BF TQ HOD $4 each (x3)

A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman by David Adler TQ $3 each (x2)

Runaway Slave: The Story of Harriet Tubman by Ann McGovern TQ VT $4 each (x6)

Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman by Dorothy Sterling SL TQ $3

The Drinking Gourd by F.N. Monjo TQ VT $6

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson (hardcover) TQ VT $7

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe VP BF TQ AO $5

A Picture Book of Sojourner Truth by David Adler TQ $3

Daily Life on a Southern Plantation by Paul Erickson VT TQ $4

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt SL 4/E TQ BF VT $4 each (x5)

True Stories about Abraham Lincoln by Ruth Belov Gross $2

The Death of Lincoln by Leroy Hayman TQ BF $3

Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance by Frances Cavanah TQ $3 each (x2)

Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance by Frances Cavanah (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $5

Childhood of Famous Americans Abraham Lincoln by Augusta Stevenson (ex-library) TQ $3

Me and Willie and Pa: The Story of Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad by F.N. Monjo (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $5 (blue tote #5)

Abe Lincoln’s Birthday by Wilma Pitchford Hays (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $5

The Story of the Lincoln Memorial by Natalie Miller (hardcover) CoF $4 each (x2)

Abraham Lincoln, The Prairie Years and The War Years by Carl Sandburg (hardcover) $10

The Story of Harriet Beecher Stowe by Maureen Ash CoF $3

Frederick Douglass Fights for Freedom by Margaret Davidson TQ $3

Frederick Douglass: Portrait of a Freedom Fighter by Sheila Keenan $2

Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco TQ $5

If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War by Kay Moore TQ $3

American Girl Meet Addy TQ $3

Charley Skedaddle by Patricia Beatty TQ $3

Bull Run by Paul Fleischman (1 hardcover, ex-library) TQ $3 each (x3)

Paper Soldiers of the Civil War by Alan Archambault $3

American Heritage Junior Library The Battle of Gettysburg (hardcover) $5

Robert E. Lee, Brave Leader by Rae Bains $3

Childhood of Famous Americans Robert E. Lee, Young Confederate by Helen Albee Monsell (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $3

The Day Fort Sumter was Fired On by Jim Haskins TQ $4

The Boys’ War by Jim Murphy VT TQ $5

Behind the Blue and Gray by Della Ray TQ $4

Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reeder SL TQ $3

A Picture Book of Florence Nightingale by David A. Adler (hardcover, ex-library) $4

Old Abe: The Eagle Hero by Patrick Young (hardcover, ex-library) VT $6

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara AO VP $4

1865 to 20th Century

Life in Victorian England by W. J. Reader (hardcover) $4

Plain Girl by Virginia Sorensen SL $3

Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen TQ $3

Turn Homeward Hannalee by Patricia Beatty TQ $3

Be Ever Hopeful Hannalee by Patricia Beatty TQ $3

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder TQ AO VT $3

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder TQ AO VT $3 each (x2)

By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder TQ AO $3

On The Way Home by Laura Ingalls Wilder $3

Little House on Rocky Ridge by Roger Lea MacBride VT $3

On the Other Side of the Hill by Roger Lea MacBride $3

Bachelor Girl by Roger Lea MacBride (ex-library) $3

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder TQ AO VT $3 each (x2)

Little Town at the Crossroads by Maria D. Wilkes $3

Laura Ingalls Wilder, Growing Up in the Little House by Patricia Reilly Giff (hardcover, ex-library) $2

West From Home: Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder Edited by Roger Lea MacBride $3

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink TQ SL AO $4 each (x2)

Sixteen and Away from Home by Arleta Richardson $3

Betsy’s Up-and-Down Year by Anne Pellowski $10

Willow Wind Farm: Betsy’s Story by Anne Pellowski (hardcover ex-library) $10

Prairie Visions by Pam Conrad TQ $3

A Pioneer Farm Girl, The Diary of Sarah Gillespie, 1877-1878 (hardcover ex-library) $3 each (x2)

A One-Room School by Bobbie Kalman (Historic Communities – (hardcover ex-library) $2

Writer of the Plains, A Story about Willa Cather by Tom Streissguth (hardcover ex-library) $3

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan TQ SL $3 each (x4)

Daniel’s Duck by John Sandin FIAR TQ $3

If you Lived with the Sioux Indians by Ann McGovern TQ $3 each (x2)

Cowboys by Marie and Douglas Gorsline TQ $3

The Life of Buffalo Bill by William F. Cody (hardcover w/jacket) $4

Buffalo Bill by Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire (small black & white reprint) TQ BF $2

Custer and Crazy Horse by Jim Razzi $3 each (x2)

Pecos Bill by James Cloyd Bowman (hardcover ex-library) $4

Mike Fink by Steven Kellogg $3

Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg $3

The Story of Paul Bunyan by Barbara Emberley (hardcover, ex-library) $4

Paul Bunyan by Esther Shephard (hardcover, ex-library) $3

American Tall Tales by Adrien Stoutenburg SL AO $4

My Antonia by Willa Cather SL Core 400 AO 10 $2

Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault TQ $2 each (x2)

Cowboys of the Wild West by Russell Freedman TQ VT $5 each (x2) (pink tote #6)

Children of the Wild West by Russell Freedman TQ VT $5 each (x4)

Indian Chiefs by Russell Freedman (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $5

Buffalo Hunt by Russell Freedman (hardcover w/jacket) TQ VT $5

An Indian Winter by Russell Freedman TQ $5 each (x3)

The Story of Susan B. Anthony by Susan Clinton CoF $4

Childhood of Famous Americans by Susan B. Anthony by Helen Albee Monsell (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $3

A History of US, An Age of Extremes by Joy Hakim (hardcover ex-library) SL $5

The Path Between the Seas – The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914 by David McCullough $5

The Great Fire by Jim Murphy (hardcover) TQ VT $5

The Chicago Fire, 1871 by Corinne J. Naden (hardcover) $5 each (x3)

The Terrible Wave by Marden Dahlstedt SL $4

Addie’s Dakota Winter by Laurie Lawlor TQ VT $3

Dakota Dugout by Ann Turner VT TQ $3

Blizzard by Jim Murphy (hardcover) TQ VT $5

American Girl Kirsten’s Cook Book $4

Kate Shelley Bound for Legend by Robert D San Souci TQ $2 each (x2)

The First Teddy Bear by Helen Kay (hardcover, ex-library) VT $5

Edith Cavell Nurse, Spy, Heroine by Adele De Leeuw (hardcover w/Mylar, ex-library) VT TQ $6

Landmark America’s First World War by Henry Castor (hardcover, ex-library, taped binding) TQ $4

Landmark Lawrence of Arabia by Alistair MacLean (hardcover) $8

American Girl Meet Samantha TQ $3

If You Lived at the Time of the Great San Francisco Earthquake by Ellen Levine SL 4/E TQ $3 each (x6)

The Mayo Brothers by Helen Clapesattle (hardcover) TQ $5 each (x2)

Childhood of Famous Americans Will and Charlie Mayo, Doctor’s Boys by Marie Hammontree (1954 hardcover, ex-library, loose binding) TQ $5

We’ll Race You, Henry, A Story About Henry Ford by Barbara Mitchell TQ VT $3

Sky Pioneer: A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart by Corinne Szabo $4

Amelia and Eleanor go for a Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan VT TQ $4

Eleanor Roosevelt, A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman $4

Franklin Delano Roosevelt by William Wise (hardcover, ex-library) $5

The Spirit of the St. Louis by R. Conrad Stein CoF TQ $4 each (x2)

The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk by Donald J. Sobol TQ $3

First Flight, The Story of Tom Tate and the Wright Brothers by George Shea TQ VT $3

Sky Pioneers by Jeanne LeMommier Gardner(hardcover) $3

Up in the Air: Bessie Coleman by Philip S. Hart TQ $4

Sower Billy Sunday, Home Run to Heaven by Robert Allen $4

The Story of Thomas Alva Edison by Margaret Davidson SL TQ $3

Thomas Alva Edison, Young Inventor by Louis Sabin TQ $3

Profiles in Science for Young People Thomas Edison, The Great American Inventor by Louise Egan TQ $4

Finding the Titanic by Robert D. Ballard $3

The Statue of Liberty by Lucille Recht Penner $2

The Story of the Statue of Liberty by Natalie Miller (hardcover) CoF TQ $4

The Long Way to a New Land by Joan Sandin TQ VT $3 each (x6)

When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest TQ $4

Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman TQ $5

Ellis Island Doorway to Freedom by Steven Kroll (hardcover, ex-library) $4

Immigrants, A Library of Congress Book by Martin W. Sandler (hardcover, ex-library) $5

Jane Addams Pioneer of the Hull House (hardcover, Discovery Book, ex-library) TQ $5

Landmark Andrew Carnegie and the Age of Steel by Katherine Shippen (hardcover w/Mylar) TQ VT $8

Milliken History of Civilization The Industrial Revolution Grades 7-12 $3

The Great Depression by R. Conrad Stein CoF TQ $4

Dust for Dinner by Ann Turner TQ VT $3 each (x2)

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse SL Core 100 TQ $3 each (x2)

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor SL 4/E BF TQ VT $3 each (x6)

Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor $3

Blue Willow by Doris Gates SL Core 100 AO BF TQ $4

Orphan Train Rider, One Boy’s True Story by Andrea Warren TQ $4 each (x2)

Across America on an Emigrant Train by Jim Murphy (hardcover, ex-library w/Mylar jacket) $5

Winston Churchill, Soldier, Statesman, Artist by John B. Severance (hardcover w/jacket) SL $8

In Grandma’s day by Paul Humphrey VT $2 each (x3)

American Girl Meet Kit TQ $2

Holocaust/ WWII

Truman by David McCullough $5 (blue tote #7)

Anne Frank, the Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank TQ BF VP $4

Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan (ex-library) SL AO TQ $3

American Girl Molly’s Craft Book (hardcover, ex-library) $4

I Am A Star, Child of the Holocaust by Inge Auerbacher $3 each (x2)

Landmark Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Captain Ted W. Lawson (hardcover) $5

D-Day by R. Conrad Stein (hardcover, ex-library) CoF $4

The Battle for Iwo Jima by Tom McGowen (hardcover, ex-library) CoF $4

Landmark The French Foreign Legion by Wyatt Johnson (hardcover) $15

Modern Times

Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry SL 5/F BF $2

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls TQ VP AO 6 $3

Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Myul Choi SL 5/F BF $3

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White SL 1/B VP $3 each (x2)

Swift Rivers by Cornelia Meigs SL 3/D TQ $3

Lumber Camp Library by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock (hardcover, ex-library w/Mylar jacket) SL $4

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson SL Core 400 $2 each (x2)

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord SL 3/4 D/E BF $3

A Pictorial Life Story of Misty by Marguerite Henry (hardcover, ex-library) $20

Album of Horses by Marguerite Henry SL TQ BF $5

White Stallion of Lipizza by Marguerite Henry SL TQ BF $5

Our First Pony by Marguerite Henry $1

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry SL 2/C TQ BF VP $3 each (x5)

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry (hardcover) SL 2/C TQ BF VP $5

Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry (hardcover, ex-library) $3

Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry $5 (x2)

King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry BF AO 3 TQ SL 5/F $3 (x2)

King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry BF AO 3 TQ SL 5/F $5

Justin Morgan had a Horse by Marguerite Henry BF TQ SL $3

Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry BF TQ SL $3(x2)

Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry BF TQ SL $5 each (x2)

Born to Trot by Marguerite Henry (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $5 (x2)

Mustang Wild Spirit of the West by Marguerite Henry (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $5 (x2)

Stormy by Marguerite Henry (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $5

Five O’Clock Charlie by Marguerite Henry (hardcover)$4

Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery AO TQ VP $4

Anne of Windy Poplars by L M Montgomery AO TQ $3

Anne of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery TQ AO $3 each (x3)

Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery (hardcover, ex-library) TQ AO $3

Kilmeny of the Orchard by by L. M. Montgomery $3

Sounder by William H. Armstrong SL Core 100 TQ $3 each (x3)

Rascal by Sterling North TQ SL BF $3 each (x3)

Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Miegs (hardcover ex-library) TQ $3 (x2)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott AO VP VT $4 each (x2)

Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott AO $3

 Alexander Graham Bell by Elizabeth MacLeod $3

A Picture Book of Helen Keller by David A. Adler TQ $3

Helen Keller – The Story of My Life by Helen Keller - Illustrated Classics comic format $4

Helen Keller’s Teacher by Mickie Davidson TQ VT $3

The Helen Keller Story by Catherine Owens Peare (hardcover w/Mylar, ex-library, loose binding) VT $4

Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska SL 6/G $3 each (x3)

Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson by Barry Denenberg BF $3 each (x2)

20th Century – The Fifties – Teacher Created Materials $2 (wooden crate)

Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy (hardcover ex-library) $3

Childhood of Famous Americans John F. Kennedy (hardcover, ex-library) TQ $3

The Story of the Vietnam Memorial by David K. Wright (hardcover ex-library) CoF $4

If you Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King by Ellen Levine TQ VT $3

Young Rosa Parks, Civil Rights Heroine by Anne Benjamin (Troll First Start Biography) TQ $3

Childhood of Famous Americans Thurgood Marshall by Montrew Dunham (ex-library) $3

The Day We Walked on the Moon, A Photo History of Space Exploration by George Sullivan VT $4 each (x3)

The Story of the White House by Kate Waters $4

The Story of White House by Natalie Miller (hardcover) CoF TQ $4

Getting to Know the U.S. Presidents - Gerald R. Ford by Mike Venezia TQ $3

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis SL $3 each (x3)

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini BF $4

Basher Five-Two by Captain Scott O’Grady Notgrass $4 each (x2)

Misc. History Resources

A Child’s Story of America by McHugh and Morris VP $4 (x2)

The Handy History Answer Book by Rebecca Nelson $4

Digging and Discovery – Wisconsin Archaeology – The New Badger History Series $3 each (x3)

The Buck Stops Here, The Presidents of the United States by Alice Provensen $4

Geography, Government, Economics, & Social Studies  

Homeschool Ponies Volume 1: Patriotic Patches by Brenda Krames new w/iron on patches $10

Anno’s U.S.A. by Mitsumasa Anno (hardcover, ex-library) $5

Anno’s Journey by Mitsumasa Anno (hardcover, ex-library) $5

Count Your Way Through Africa by Jim Haskins $2

Steck-Vaughn Portraits of America series (new) $10 set of 13 includes:

- Wisconsin
- Pacific Islands
- Alabama
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Indiana
- New York
- North Dakota
- Utah
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- California

Basic American Government by Clarence Carson (hardcover) SL Core 300 $15

What Does A Congressman Do? by John Lindsay and Henry B. Gonzalez (hardcover, ex-library w/Mylar jacket) $5

Mitz and Fritz of Germany by Madeline Brandeis (1933 hardcover with jacket) $8

The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide by Maggie Hogan & Cindy Wiggers grades K-12 $8

Friday, August 3, 2018

How I Started a High School Community


When I think back on the social life and times of my two high school graduates, one through public school and one through homeschool, I see pros and cons of each. As I look ahead to high school again, I want to attempt to remedy one major con we experienced. The con of public school affording too loose of structure with peers and not enough constructive adult interaction. And, on the other hand, homeschool affording too much parent only structure and not enough constructive peer interaction. It is my experience that both situations can lead to unbalanced adults. With my rising high schoolers, I endeavored to find a happy medium.

There are many opportunities in my area for home educated high school socialization from co-op courses to sports. There are also a few clubs and organizations one could get involved with. However, everything has a price and because we live rural, it usually involves quite a bit of travel, which makes those opportunities cost prohibitive. After much thought, I realized that I personally have always loved book clubs and got a great deal of socialization from them. Having a book to discuss gives the group something in common right from the start and usually opens up a whole gamut of other conversations. Some of which, have developed into great friendships and relationships. And, usually book clubs are of little or no cost once you obtain the book. Hence, I decided to put together a free high school community for home educated students to come together to discuss great books and ideas, which to my knowledge, is not something that exists in my community.

It's a project I've been working on since last spring. Initially, I put a post out on our local homeschool forum gauging interest in a high school community. I immediately received over a dozen responses. From there, parents gathered to brainstorm what the community might look like. I did research ahead of time and presented a couple models to draw ideas from. I also shared some of my potential concerns and expectations of what a community of this nature should and should not be.

I wanted the community to be parent led, meaning each family with a student participant must have an adult participant. I like this idea for a few reasons. Namely, to keep cost down and save time. As home educators, we are all busy and often living on one income. If one person has to coordinate and teach all subjects, it gets to be a lot of time and energy for that one person and they should be compensated. However, if each family has an adult willing to organize one subject of study, we will all be working together for the greater good of the community. It's a divide and conquer mentality. We split up the tasks to lighten everyone's load. 

I also love the idea of parents reading and learning with their children, even and especially at the high school level. Often times, busy moms will hand over the books to their high schoolers so they have more time to work with younger children or do other things. I'm all for students gaining independence in their upper level studies. However, completely handing off everything withholds a great opportunity from parents to connect with their teens. If you've ever had a cranky child, there's nothing like putting distractions aside and snuggling up together with a good book. It is no different at the high school level. Reading together quite often builds relationships. It gives you a different focus rather than stewing over bad attitudes. Then once you have your child's heart, it's much easier to develop positive character that offsets the negative. Reading alongside your kids helps you stay connected while fostering independence. 

Another bonus of parents participating in the high school community is "schole" and "mother culture". Mystie Winckler defines schole in this post and links to some wonderful video lectures of Dr. Christopher Perrin explaining schole. Mother culture, a phrase linked to Charlotte Mason, is the habit of reading for mothers. LindaFay has an excellent post here explaining the origin of mother culture and why it's so important

We must value education enough to pursue it ourselves. If we want our kids to be life long learners than we must model this attitude. In time, the attitude we portray in the atmosphere of our home and the knowledge we acquire in this pursuit will greatly benefit our children and others around us in their aspirations of truth, beauty, and goodness. I liken the aim for schole and mother culture reading to filling a cup. One cannot pour from that which is empty. We must refill in order to pour out. It is important for us to value education enough to desire to continue striving for it ourselves. Not only will we personally reap the benefits, but so will all those around us.

We do not plan to grade high school community work within the community. However, since we are doing academic related work, parents are free to grade individually and use time spent toward high school credit. I did not want this group to be added on to what people were already doing at home, but rather a compliment to it. It shouldn't be a dreadful burden, but an aid to their existing high school plan.  

After our initial meeting, I created a survey of the ideas presented there and sent it to all interested parties. The survey included questions regarding subjects to be taught, volunteers to teach those subjects, frequency of meeting, and dates/times/locations of meeting. It also included questions about younger siblings and who was willing to entertain them while the high school community met. There were ten families that took the survey. I then sorted the survey responses and shared results with all interested parties, highlighting majority responses and offering suggestions on how to proceed. We hashed out a few details by e-mail and I asked for a more formal commitment. Unfortunately, a few families were not able to make it work due to scheduling conflicts and a few were not ready to make a regular bi-weekly commitment. However, there were a handful of families still interested. 

Those interested parents met last night to finalize the details. We currently have a group of four families with five students, 3 boys, 2 girls committed to joining, and the possibility of three additional students from three more families (2 boys, 1 girl) still considering it. I did create a deadline for them to decide so we can advance with ordering our materials. Subjects, leaders, and meeting dates have been set!

We will meet bi-weekly on Fridays for twelve weeks from September to November. We will take a break in December and resume in January, meeting bi-weekly over the course of twelve more weeks through the end of March. We are anticipating approx. 2 to 2 1/2 hours of time will be needed for each meeting, with possibly up to 3 hours the first meeting so we can include introductions. Together we will study Literature and Composition, Shakespeare, Recitation, and Current Events. 

Literature with a Composition component 


I will facilitate student learning through the five titles pictured above using the Teaching the Classics/Socratic method of discussion. The students will be expected to read on their own and also research assigned online sources. With each book, we will look at an author bio and historical context, as well as related music, art, and poetry from the time period. I will also assign writing projects to be worked on independently at home based on the Excellence in Literature - American Literature modules by Janice Campbell. In addition, each student will keep a commonplace book to copy passages that interest them as they read.


The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Rip Van Winkle & The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Shakespeare


Another mom will lead the students through the study of Oxford School Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream. They will read/discuss a retelling such as Lamb's Tales in order to understand the play/plot for the first class. After which, they will read the original work together, breaking up parts and reading subsequently one act per class. We will pick a second play at a later date for the second term. 

Recitation 



Each student will pick a passage/poem of at least six stanzas to memorize throughout the first 12 weeks of class. The lead mom is drawing from The Harp and Laurel Wreath by Laura Berquist, but the students are free to use poetry resources they have at home or can find online. The goal is to memorize and recite at least one new stanza at each class so by the end of the term, each student can recite a full poem at least six stanzas in length. The students are welcome to recite longer poems if they'd like, but they can be no shorter than six stanzas.

Current Events



We are basing this subject off the Ambleside Online suggestion for current events. Each student will keep a journal/notebook of current events that interest them, listing 1-2 per week or 2-4 per class. For example, they would write, "This Week in History, September 7, 2018" and then give a short synopsis/summary (narration) in their own words in the notebook of the event to share in class. They should also cite their source. Maybe they want to track a major development over the course of several weeks or maybe they want to choose different events each week. It is at the family's discretion. AO has provided a list of possible current event sources that students can draw from or they are welcome to use personal family favorite sources if they have them.

Originally, the survey indicated the subject of Debate as a favorite, but as time went on no one stepped up to lead it, so it has since been dropped. That's not to say we can't add it in the future, but for now it feels like we have a solid start on this community with the four planned subjects.

My dream of a low or no cost high school community with parent participation is now becoming a reality. I am very excited! I think this high school community will be an excellent opportunity for our students to socialize in a constructive and fun atmosphere while learning alongside parent mentors. It will also be a great occasion for parents home educating through high school to connect and support one another. I pray that it's a win/win for everyone involved. 

Saturday, July 28, 2018

High School Science Planning....


Once again, I'm back studying high school science...or maybe I should say still studying, since I never really stopped. Last summer I wrote a post on Rethinking Science: Aiming Toward Scientific Literacy. You can consider the present post part two as I continue to think about high school science while planning Riley's Year 9.
"What exactly do you mean by science?" 
This is a question posed by Kevin Clark and Ravi Scott Jain in The Liberal Arts Tradition. The modern word "science" stems from the Latin word "scientia", which in the ancient world, meant "knowledge" or to know. In Understanding Physics, Isaac Asimov begins by explaining the history of modern day science...
The scholars of ancient Greece were the first we know of to attempt a thoroughgoing investigation of the universe - a systematic gathering of knowledge through the activity of human reason alone. Those who attempted this rationalistic search for understanding, without calling in the aid of intuition, inspiration, revelation, or other nonrational sources of information, were the philosophers (from Greek words meaning "lovers of wisdom").
Philosophy could turn within, seeking an understanding of human behavior, of ethics and morality, of motivations and responses. Or it might turn outside to an investigation of the universe beyond the intangible wall of the mind - an investigation, in short, of "nature."
Those philosophers who turned toward the second alternative were the natural philosophers, and for many centuries after the palmy days of Greece the study of the phenomena of nature continued to be called natural philosophy. The modern word that is used in its place - science, from a Latin word meaning "to know" - did not come into popular use until well into the nineteenth century. Even today, the highest university degree given for achievement in the sciences is generally that of "Doctor of Philosophy."
The word "natural" is of Latin derivation, so the term "natural philosophy" stems half from Latin and half from Greek, a combination usually frowned upon by purists. The Greek word for "natural" is physikos, so one might more precisely speak of physical philosophy to describe what we now call science.
The term physics, therefore, is a brief form of physical philosophy or natural philosophy and, in it is original meaning, included all of science.
However, as the field of science broadened and deepened, and as the information gathered grew more voluminous, natural philosophers had to specialize, taking one segment or another of scientific endeavor as their chosen field of work. The specialties received names of their own and were often subtracted from the once universal domain of physics.  
Here we see how modern science has come to be known by it's name. According to online Oxford Dictionaries, science is:
the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment
Science can be split into two main categories, biological and physical, but often both are related. Biological meaning the study of living things and physical being the study of non-living things. There are various branches of science within each of these categories.

Biological studies would include:

Biology - the study of life and living things
Ecology - the study of ecosystems
Botany - the study of plants
Physiology/Anatomy - the study of the human body and how it functions
Zoology - the study of the animal kingdom

Physical studies would include:

Physics - the study of matter and energy in space and time
Chemistry - the study of chemical elements and compounds
Astronomy - the study of outer space and everything in it
Meteorology - the study of atmosphere, or more specifically, weather phenomonea
Geology - the study of the earth's physical structure and substance
Oceanography - the study of physical and biological properties of the sea

This is not an exhaustive list by any means and you may have noticed that some of these sciences overlap. For example, oceanography not only includes studying the physical properties of the sea, but also the living/biological plants and creatures as well. In addition, there are social sciences, including anthropology, sociology, and psychology. There are also fields related to the sciences, such as medicine, mathematics, computer science, statistics, engineering, and alchemy.

The point here being, what used to be known simply as natural philosophy has now become numerous branches of science, but in many cases, they are still inter related. Therefore, it's a shame to compartmentalize them academically as so many modern schools do. As a matter of fact, Clark and Jain tell us that not only should the sciences be studied together along with a mathematical point of view, but also with a linguistic point of view, also known as the seven liberal arts.
A foundation in the seven liberal arts provides the common reason which is required to adjudicate the truth of arguments and justify or demonstrate the claims of reason. Natural philosophy offers students today a critical opportunity to hone their arts of reason in discussions of the natural world. When all the arts are employed, natural philosophy teaches students to think properly and promotes true wisdom. (The Liberal Arts Tradition)
This is very much in line with Charlotte Mason's holistic approach to education, which includes viewing the child as a born person, spreading a feast, and allowing for the science of relations through the use of living books and nature study.  
The only sound method of teaching science is to afford a due combination of field and laboratory work, with such literary comments and amplifications as the subject affords. (Vol. 6, p. 223)
It is for these reasons that I am choosing a multitude of books and resources for high school science, rather than one single text. The list for 9th grade includes:

Signs and Seasons by Jay Ryan
Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel
Great Astronomers by Robert Stawell Ball
Conceptual Physics by Paul G.Hewitt
A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Napoleon's Buttons Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson
A Chemical History of the Candle by Michael Faraday
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story of Brain Science by John Fleischman
First Studies in Plant Life by George Francis Atkinson
Adventures with a Microscope by Richard Headstrom
Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif


In looking at the stack, you will notice books on Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Botany. Several of these books are continued from last year and a few will be continued next year. Riley will also complete a combination of field and lab work through nature study and experimentation. In addition, she will continue the method of notebooking through her readings. Our aim is to provide a feast of ideas presented in a variety of books and activities so our children can see the relationships within the order that God created. Overall, we are excited about the year to come!

Friday, July 27, 2018

Notebooking, Our Preferred Method - Last Day of Sale...


We have used the notebooking page approach to homeschooling since the beginning of time and absolutely love it! So when I saw that today was the last day of the Notebooking Pages Lifetime Membership sale forever, I had to share. I believe notebooking is superior to traditional workbooks in that it's a more developmentally appropriate way of learning. A child can work at their level rather than someone else's ideal scope and sequence. Notebooking pages are also open ended. The student is open to think in creative, out of the box ways. It allows for the Science of Relations

Notebooking has worked wonderfully for my advanced learners as well as my struggling learners. Each student is able to interact with the material read and tell back what they know at their aptitude. For some, it may be as simple as a coloring page. For others, it could be drawing an illustration or a diagram. It could also be in writing a newspaper article, a letter, a biography, or a report. In addition, there are printable maps available through the Notebooking Pages membership that can be used for geography. 

I am not an affiliate and do not receive compensation for your purchase. I'm simply sharing a tool that has worked really well for our family. You can see some samples of our work over the years here.

At the beginning of the year, I print a variety of pages including: blank pages with borders, different lined pages, biography pages, themed pages, coloring pages, etc. Some of these I've created myself, some I found free online, and others are from Notebooking Pages. I keep the pages in a file folder at the end of my desk, where the kids can access them when needed. I usually print 2-6 copies of each style and my older kids know when they take the last of that style to make more copies or notify me so I can make more. Some pages are more popular than others. 

I have used this method with my little people all the way through high school and my kids have all preferred it. I find that learning really has lasted longer or stuck with my kids when they've created a notebooking page to accompany their reading. At the end of the year, I bind the pages with my ProClick Binder and they LOVE to look back at their work!

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott....


A couple months ago, I wrote about how I read along with my middle and high school students, as well as reading aloud. Ivanhoe is one such book that I read along with RileyAnn. Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott is part of the Waverley Novels. It was originally published in 1819 and is an Ambleside Online Year 7 Literature pick. I have heard it said that Charlotte Mason had a Waverley Novel going at all times. This intrigued me. Ivanhoe was my first Waverley Novel.

Ivanhoe is a historic novel set in Northern England near the end of Richard I's reign. It takes place in Sheffield and Doncaster on the border of the Sherwood Forest sometime after 1066 AD and the Battle of Hastings, in which the Normans conquered the Saxons. Ivanhoe is the son of Cedric the Saxon and has left his roots to follow King Richard in the Crusades, causing him to become disinherited. Throughout the story, there are tensions between Cedric and his son, between the Normans and Saxons, and between the English people and the Jews. There is love and war, as well as good conquering evil. Robin Hood even makes an appearance.

As you might imagine based on the description above, Ivanhoe is entertaining with its high adventure. Though it is situated historically in the Middle Ages, many scholars have criticized its historical accuracy. Ivanhoe is considered more of a romance novel strictly for entertainment and not historic value. However, there were enough historical mentions to prompt me to do a bit more research into that time period. I think it's the perfect book to read when studying the Middle Ages! Riley and I both greatly enjoyed Ivanhoe so much more than expected and highly recommend it. It's a book I would consider reading again and would definitely encourage you to read along with your student.

Monday, July 16, 2018

Today is Prime Day...


I have been blogging here since 2011. When I began using this space to document our day to day, I had no idea what would happen. I couldn't have imagined nearly half a million hits and the overwhelmingly positive responses I would receive from you. I love the online fellowship that blogging has afforded me. I have even been blessed enough to meet some of you in person. 

When creating this space, I knew from the beginning I didn't want ads to plague my readers. Instead, I hoped it would be a quiet space of respite from this harried life we live. Over the years, I have learned a great deal about home educating and parenting. My heart desires to continue to give freely. Your comments and private messages have given me incentive to continue. 

With that said, after much thought and gnashing of teeth, I have decided to become an Amazon affiliate. I will still give freely as I can, but my links will be attached to a referral code so if you click and make a purchase, my family will receive bounties. 

Today is Amazon Prime Day! I humbly request that you please consider clicking through the linked image above when shopping through Amazon. Any purchases you make, even a free trial, could benefit our family. Any revenue generated from the affiliate links will help to continue content. There is no additional cost to you for using the affiliate links. It simply gives us a little stipend from Amazon. I still vow not to pepper this site with ads in the hope that you will find a quiet place here, in which to grow. 

Thanks so much for your consideration, 
Melissa