May 28, 2010

11 Years

I have been married for 11 years. To the same man. To celebrate that date we are going on a date!!! Sometimes we get really busy raising a family and forget to go on dates together, but today we remembered and we're going.

Here are some fun numbers to go along with 11........

4 kids (all boys)
They are ages 10, 9, 6 and 3
1 car, actually a mini-van (Honda Odyssey)
Have owned 3 previous cars (an Escort, Geo Metro and Kia Sedona)
1 Toy Poodle named Tank
1 Red-bellied Frog (deceased)
1 turtle (released to the wild)
1 beta fish (deceased)
1 cat (attacked the baby and had to find a new home)
9 years in the military
8 moves
5 states
I'm 4 years older than him
5 years homeschooling
dated for 2 months
engaged for 2 months
Never gone 40 weeks in a pregnancy (38, 36 and 33)
2 deployments
He's the oldest of 5
I'm the oldest of 8
8 bookcases
3 broken bones (1 son broke the same arm twice, other kid broke a finger)
0 broken bones for the adults
3 cavities among the whole family
4 people with blue eyes
2 people with green eyes
2 1/2 years - the longest time we've ever lived somewhere (together)
4 languages spoken and/or read (English, Hebrew, Greek, Portuguese)
I'm 37
I got married at 26
I had my first baby at 27
My mom had had her 7th baby by the age of 27

One more fun fact: My favorite dessert is cheesecake, which my husband HATES with a passion. His favorite dessert is chocolate cake without frosting which I think is GROSS. We have a really hard time trying to figure out what to have for anniversary dessert.

May 26, 2010

Summer Menu

Here is my summer menu. And here is the link to the recipes for this menu.

Summer Menu

Week One
Monday –Lettuce Wraps, Sugar Snap Peas, fruit
Tuesday – Bulgogi, fruit
Wednesday – Tacos, fruit
Thursday – Peanut Butter Noodles, Veggies and Dip, fruit
Friday – BLTs, fruit
Saturday – Make Your Own Pizza, Baby Carrots, fruit
Sunday – 3 Side Dishes, fruit

Week Two
Monday – Philly Cheese Sandwiches, Coleslaw, fruit
Tuesday – Enchiladas Verdes, Salad, fruit
Wednesday – Nachos, fruit
Thursday – New Recipe
Friday – Chef Salad, Bread/Rolls, fruit
Saturday – Bratwurst/Hot Dogs, Broccoli Salad, fruit
Sunday – Make Your Own Rice Bowl, Asparagus, fruit

Week Three
Monday – Sloppy Joes, Mixed Veggies, fruit
Tuesday – Taco Salad, fruit
Wednesday – Make Your Own Subs, fruit
Thursday – Quesadillas w/Black Bean Salsa, Carrots or Sugar Snap Peas, fruit
Friday – Chicken Zucchini Stir-fry, fruit
Saturday – Chicken Poppy Seed Salad Bread/Rolls, fruit
Sunday – New Recipe

Week Four
Monday – Bean Tostadas, fruit
Tuesday – Waffles, Bacon or Sausage, Yogurt or Cottage Cheese, fruit
Wednesday – BBQ Beef Sandwiches, Coleslaw, Corn on the Cob, fruit
Thursday –
Friday – Chicken Cabbage Salad, fruit
Saturday – Navajo Tacos, fruit
Sunday – Thai Peanut Salad, fruit

May 24, 2010

Changing Me

As I was reading around on other blogs I can across this excellent post at the Misfit Cygnet. I was appreciative of her opinion and it lead me into examining and evaluating my own "educational philosophy". She mentioned the Hebraic model of education. The part which especially struck me was this: "In the Hebrew (scriptural) model of education (whether child-training or adult apprenticeship/mentoring) the goal is for the disciple to BECOME what his teacher IS."

I thought, "I don't want my children to be like me. I want them to be better." I mean, isn't that the goal of all parents? To give their children what they didn't have. To make it easier, better. Right? Right?????

As I was thinking how very much I didn't want them to turn out like me I had the thought, "YOU need to be better." It wasn't a destructive, painful, demeaning thought. It was a patient, quiet, gentle nudging to do better. Instead of instantly coming up with the 5 million things I do wrong (or don't do but should) I found one or two ideas that I knew I could work on right away. As I master those, I'll work on another few. And I know that as I work on those things my children will have that example in front of them so they will hopefully gain that skill/characteristic as well.

That same day, or maybe a day or two after, my 3-yr-old ran up to me and threw his arms around my neck and held on for dear life. My 'baby' put his cheek against mine and said, "I want to stay with mama forever."

For some reason that struck me to my core. Was I doing the things I needed to do so that we could stay together forever? Was I being righteous enough? Valiant enough? And the thought enlarged to include my physical being. Was I doing what I needed so that physically I could be around for a long time?

I generally go into self-destruct mode at this point and start thinking of how bad I am. How worthless and pathetic. How I fail at everything. Maybe I'm in a healthier place now. Maybe I'm actually ready to learn. But there is no failure or defeat. Only a desire to change, a little at a time. To trust that the Lord will show me where He wants to me change next. I know He will guide, support, encourage, direct, assist, comfort and empower.

So IF my kids turn out like me, it will be okay. And I will get to cling to my family forever.

Geography

Someone asked what resources I use for geography so I thought I'd post them.  I'm still trying to figure out how to make it all work.  We were doing it on Fridays instead of history and science, but the kids loved it so much they wanted to do it every day.  So we did.  The days seemed really long though and we weren't able to get everything done.  Maybe because I was moving slowly, maybe because we had too much planned, I don't know.  So I'm toying with moving it back to Fridays or doing history/science for a month then taking a week off to just hit geography.  Still debating, still planning, still clueless.
So, this is what I do, when I do it.... 


1. Check to see if Homeschool Creations or Knowledge Quest  has a unit study already done.  I typically don't use all the printables Jolanthe puts together, but she has great suggestions for books and internet videos.


2.  Use Galloping the Globe to get started (we own this book)


3.  See what books the local and base libraries have (usually none).  We try to study the country, the people, culture, religion, animals, etc.


4.  Look through the books we currently own:
a. Stories from Around the World
b. Material World
c. Around the World in 80 Tales
d. Children Just Like Me
e. Book of People of the World
f.  Hungry Planet
g. World of Animals
h.  We also have a few animal encyclopedias



5.  5.  Find movies on Netflix or by searching YouTube or the internet.

6.  6.  Try to find some crafts, recipes, games, etc.  Search the internet if the above resources don’t have any   suggestions (which they usually do).
   
7.  7. Start doing it!

8.  Have a party.  We try to have a party where we eat recipes from that country and show whatever crafts we did.  If they use different table manners we practice those as well.  

Once we’re done with a unit I try to:

1. Make a list of books we used and want to use again
2. Make a list of books we used and don’t want to use again
3. Make a list of books we wanted to use, but the library didn’t have (maybe we can use them next time)
4. List any activities we did.
5. Put the list in the Geography section of my Master Plan Book so I have it for the next time around.

I try to have 2 units planned at all times – the one we’re working on and the one we’ll do next.  That way we can order books from Amazon or the library in time. 

May 22, 2010

Honey Lime Enchiladas


Honey Lime Enchiladas

1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded
 Sauce:
1/3 c honey
1/4 c lime juice
1 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
equal parts mixed together of:
mozzarella cheese, shredded
cheddar cheese, shredded
flour tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.  Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. (I usually use one 9x13 and one 9x9 but it may vary with how thick you stuff your enchiladas - okay now it's me, Heather, not the original writer of the recipe; I used one 9x13 pan and ran out of chicken.) Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.  Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top - don't be stingy! Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy. 

One of my children is an avowed enchilada hater and he ate a whole one.  The 3-yr-old who "hated it because it wasn't brownies" ate half a one.  Everyone said they really liked it even though it was a little too spicy (mainly because my husband bought 'medium' green enchilada sauce instead of 'mild'.)

May 21, 2010

The logic of a 3-yr-old

As we sat down to dinner last night my 3-yr-old pointed to the enchiladas on the table and said, "I don't like that. It tastes yucky and I hate it. What is it? I hate it."

I replied, "You don't even now what it is. How can you hate something if you don't even know what it is?"

"Because they aren't brownies," was the response.

He had me there.

I can never get a 'good' picture of him because he always has to make some sort of silly face.

May 20, 2010

Scripture Power

As a family we are trying to do better reading our scriptures daily. We now put it first in the day instead of shunting it to "whenever we have time", which is never.

To enlist the aid of my children we have instituted Scripture Power Hour. There is a children's song we sing in church, written by Clive Romney, that goes:

Because I want to be like the Savior, and I can,
I’m reading His instructions, I’m following His plan.
Because I want the power His word will give to me,
I’m changing how I live, I’m changing what I’ll be.

Scripture power keeps me safe from sin.
Scripture power is the power to win.
Scripture power! Ev’ryday I need
The power that I get each time I read.

I’ll find the sword of truth in each scripture that I learn.
I’ll take the shield of faith from these pages that I turn.
I’ll wear each vital part of the armor of the Lord,
And fight my daily battles, and win a great reward.

Scripture power keeps me safe from sin.
Scripture power is the power to win.
Scripture power! Ev’ryday I need
The power that I get each time I read.


My children love this song and are excited every day to get their very own Scripture Power. We start with a family prayer, then we read from one of the books which explains various topics of our religion (Gospel Essentials). Then we read from the scriptures together and discuss it. After that the two older boys read their own scriptures individually. I read some illustrated scriptures to my 6 and 3 year old. Then I dismiss the 3-yr-old and have my 6-yr-old read to me.

I've made a special program for him since he's not a fluent reader yet. I take the verses we are going to read that day and put them into a Word document. I enlarge the font to 16 or so and then color-code the words. If the words are BLUE he reads the words to me. They are words he knows, sight words or words that are easy to sound out. Words in RED are words that we will be learning together. For example, if the word "things" appears 5 or 6 times on a page I'll turn it red and tell him "This word is 'things'". After reading it a few times on that page he's got it. Words in BLACK are words that I read to him.

It's been amazing to see his confidence grow and to see how quickly he's learning new words. I only create a few pages ahead at a time, because he picks up new words all the time so what was once red or black, soon becomes blue.

You can view a sample here.

After I read with him, all the kids are dismissed to do whatever they want while I have my own study time. The rule is they can't interrupt me. I have explained that when I have Scripture Power I am a better mom and they are learning to respect the need for a parent to have time to themselves. I'm hoping that since it is a sacrifice for them to not bug me it will teach them the importance of feasting in the Word.

Thus far it's been a wonderful way to start our day.

May 17, 2010

On selecting books

I am reading in a lovely book entitled Mothering With Spiritual Power by Debra Sansing Woods. She had some excellent thoughts on establishing a house of learning. Some of these scriptures come from the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, books of scriptures we Mormons read along with the Bible. While some of you are not Mormon and may not necessarily view these books as Truth, I think they still have value for assisting in evaluating what books may be best for reading in your home.

I particularly like the questions she uses to discern whether something is worthwhile. (I've added bold or italics to emphasize those points I feel are particularly helpful.)

Will this help my children and me to grow closer to Heavenly Father and his Son?
Will we appreciate God’s creations better after reading this?
Will this help my children and me understand and love our brothers and sisters more?
Will we be better children of God because we’ve read or studied this?
Is the gospel of Jesus Christ at the center of our learning?

Matthew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

D&C 90:15
And set in order the churches, and study and learn, and become acquainted with all good books, and with languages, tongues, and people.

D&C 88:118
…seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.

D&C 88:119 (this is one of my all-time favorite scriptures)
Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;

2 Nephi 9:29
But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.

Thirteenth Article of Faith
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

“I should like to suggest that you follow that injunction given by the Son of God. With all of your learning, learn of him. With all your study, seek knowledge of the Master. That knowledge will complement in a wonderful way the secular training you receive and give a fullness to your life and character that can come in no other way.” President Gordon B. Hinckley

May 10, 2010

My New Life - A video you don't want to miss

A beautiful video that really helps you appreciate what you have and to enjoy your loved ones every day. This has helped me refocus on the blessings I have and privilege it is to be a mother.

My New Life

Mother's Day Mayhem

Two fun stories about Mother's Day. My 6-yr-old has his first loose tooth and is beyond excited about it. We had friends over for dinner and the boys were off playing when my son ran up to me, literally jumping up and down with joy. "My tooth came out! My tooth came out! I lost my first tooth! Josh pulled it out with the cape."

Yes, his friend had put a cape in my son's mouth and yanked really hard in an effort, conceived by both of them, to get the tooth out. It worked and the tooth went flying. We were crawling around on our hands and knees for 15 minutes trying to find the tiny thing.

His older brothers helped him decorate the envelope for the Tooth Fairy. It read, "Ten bucks please. Will pay you back with interest."

My mom told me the next story about one of my sisters. She is trying to potty train her 3-yr-old son with some success. He'll pee in the toilet, but prefers not to poop. Such is his aversion to pooping in the toilet that he hadn't done any since Thursday and was clenching his butt cheeks tightly to make sure nothing came out.

Well, a big part of the family was over at my mom's for dinner when my nephew decided he couldn't take it any more and yelled that he needed to go NOW. My sister ran him into the bathroom where he exploded all over. She had to change him then clean up the mess. He was so keyed up from all the excitement that he wet his pants so she changed him again, thus running out of clean clothes for him. She handwashed everything and threw it in the dryer while he sat naked on a chair. Then he pooped on that chair. She had to clean it up. Another 20 or so minutes later and he proudly announced that he wanted to poop in the toilet. And did. Mom estimated that my sister spent over an hour cleaning up poop.

Happy Mother's Day to you all, especially those moms who are potty training!

May 8, 2010

Doing it all

One of my good friends will start homeschooling this summer. She told me that she is starting to second guess herself and worry that she can't do it all. Namely, she said my lists are making her feel like she'll never be able to read all those books. My advice to her, and anyone else out there is, DON'T. Don't read them all. These are just lists with ideas. Yes, I've looked at reviews and researched them and decided these were the best ones (that I could find) for my family. But we WON'T be reading them all. We read what we can find at the library, or from our bookshelves. If we really, really want to study something and can't find any books locally we might buy a few. But we will NOT be reading them all. They are suggestions. (For example, we're studying American History right now. We just finished Paul Revere. Of the 34 books listed thus far, we've only read 24 of them. Some we'll read the next time around or fit into bedtime stories. Some we just dropped.)

The lists are my GENERAL PLAN, as in, it will probably change. We start reading and move on when we're ready. I don't worry about reading a set number of pages a day. I just make sure we read.

When we were first married my husband worked for a company cleaning carpets. His boss explained that the time they take driving to appointments, measuring the rooms, talking to the customers, etc., while important, did not pay. It was the actual cleaning of the carpet that earned money. He encouraged them to do everything as quickly and efficiently as possible and to work the hardest at cleaning the carpets. "Keep the wand moving!" Keep cleaning the carpet because that's what brings in the money.

We've applied the same principle to our homeschool. Keep moving forward. Keep reading. Keep learning. Does it matter if you "fall behind" your plans? No. Will your children suffer terribly if they only make it through ancient history twice instead of three times? No. Everyone has gaps in their education. Everyone. Public schooled, private schooled or homeschooled. Everyone has gaps. So relax and understand that your homeschooled child will have gaps. Just focus on what is most important to you first and the rest will fall into place.

Here are my thoughts about "scheduling".

This is what my day looks like (normally, mostly, not always)

We wake up, eat breakfast and get dressed for the day.

We start school between 9 and 11.
This is what we do ------
Pray
Read the scriptures (right now it's the Old Testament)
Idiom of the day
History - we read whichever book we're on, whichever page, for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Picture book or song time geared towards the Littles. 10 minutes
Science - we read whichever book we're on, whichever page, for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Go upstairs for math.
The two Littles run off and play. I work with the two older boys for 15 to 20 minutes.
The Olders then work on handwriting/Explode the Code/Grammar or play or do chores.
I work with 6-yr-old. We do math (about 10 minutes), reading (10 minutes) and handwriting (5 minutes)
We break for lunch.

After lunch----
I read from our Read-aloud book. 10 to 15 minutes
We do our Elective (composer, artist, poetry, etc - 5 to 10 minutes)
I work with each older boy individually on reading/spelling (about 30 minutes each). Littles play with the older boy who is not working with me.
Then they play, I relax or clean or hide in the bathroom and cry. Depends.

It's taken me a while to get to this point of just going with the flow. I thought I had to fit so many things within terms or semesters or weeks or whatever. I felt like if I wasn't finishing something "on time" I'd failed. But those are false deadlines. They have no real meaning in life. Some states require a certain amount of days for school. They usually don't tell you how to structure each day though. You get to decide that. Relax. Just keep moving forward. Keep the wand moving.

Ancient Europe including Greece and Rome

A list for Ancient Europe, up through high school. We've read quite a few of these so the reviews are at Goodreads. Where a book is listed under 'we don't want to use again', that means I've read it and don't want to use it again! Some of the books for high school I want to read first to make sure we can discuss anything I may not agree with philosophically or religiously.

ANCIENT EUROPE

Baldwin’s Famous Stories available at www.mainlesson.com

Monument Builders
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 36-37
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 122-123

Minoans
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 38-39
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 124-127

Mycenaeans
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 38-39
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 128-131

Greece- 1100 BC to 146 BC
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 40-41
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 154-161
CHOTW (Child’s History of the World) 91-130

Elementary
Books to use again
First Marathon: The Story of Pheidippides - Susan Reynolds
Great Alexander The Great - Joe Lasker
Hour of the Olympics - Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House)
Theseus and the Minotaur - C.J. Naden (not the best though – try Spinner book first)
Trojan Horse - Emily Little

Books we don’t want to use again
Favorite Greek Myths - Mary Pope Osborne
Greek Myths - Geraldine McCaughrean
Growing up in Ancient Greece – Chelepi
Parthenon - Elizabeth Mann
Roman Twins - Roy Gerrard
Theseus and the Minotaur - Warwick Hutton
Trojan Horse - David Clement –Davies
Twelve Labors of Hercules – James Riordan

Books we want to try to find
Adventures in Ancient Greece - Linda Bailey
Alexander the Great: The Legend of a Warrior King - Peter Chrisp
An Ancient Greek Temple: The Story of the Building of the Temples in Ancient Greece - John Malam
Ancient Greece - Louise Schofield
Ancient Greeks (Elite) - Nicholas Sekunda (more for visual)
Army of Alexander the Great - Nicholas Sekunda (more for visual)
Asterix at the Olympic Games - Rene Giscinny (many more Asterix books if kids like them)
Brave Three Hundred - Baldwin 50 Famous Stories
Conqueror and Hero: The Search for Alexander - Stephen Krensky
Damon and Pythias; and A Laconic Answer (Greek)- Baldwin 50 Famous Stories
Discoveries, Inventions and Ideas: The Ancient Greeks - Jane Shuter
Eureka! - Baldwin's 30 More Famous Stories (287 BC - Archimedes)
Flying Horse: The Story of Pegasus - Jane Mason
Greek Hoplite - Martin Windrow (more for visual)
Greek Hoplite - Nicholas Sekunda (more for visual)
Greeks (Footsteps in Time) - Sally Hewitt (crafts and short descriptions)
In Search of Knossos: The Quest for the Minotaur's Labyrinth - Giovanni Caselli
Jason and the Argonauts - Felicity Brooks
Jason and the Golden Fleece - Claudia Zeff
Modern Rhymes...Greece By Susan Altman
Monster in the Maze: The Story of the Minotaur - Stephanie Spinner
Mr. Semolina-Semolinus: A Greek Folktale - Anthony Manna
Paper Through the Ages - Shaaron Cosner
Parthenon - Peter Chrisp
Run With Me, Nike - Cassandra Case
Spartan Army - Nicholas Sekunda (more for visual)
Sword of Damocles (Greek) - Baldwin 50 Famous Stories
World in the Time of Alexander the Great - Fiona MacDonald
Usborne Greeks
You Wouldn't Want to be in Alexander the Great's Army - Jaqueline Morley
You Wouldn't Want to be a Greek Athlete - Michael Ford

Middle School
Books to use:
Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad – Rosemary Sutcliff
Wanderings of Odysseus – Rosemary Sutcliff (sequel to Black Ships)
Alexander the Great - Gunther (336 BC)
Alexander the Great - Robert Green
Archimedes and the Door to Science - Jeanne Bendick
Children’s Homer -- Padriac Colum
Cupid and Psyche - M. Charlotte Craft
D'aulaire's Book of Greek Myths - Ingri D'aulaire
Exploits of Xenophon - Geoffrey Household (354 BC)
Famous Men of Greece – John Haaren (online, Baldwin Project - also Greenleafpress.com guide)
Gods and Goddesses of Olympus - Aliki
Golden Days of Greece - Olivia Coolidge (time of Pericles)
Golden Fleece: And the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles - Padraic Colum
Greek Gazette - Paul Dowswell (Newspaper series)
Greek Gods and Goddesses - Geraldine McCaughrean
Greek Gods and Heroes - Robert Graves
Greek Myths for Young Children – Heather Amery
Greek News - James Putman (528 to 326 BC)
Hittite Warrior – Joanne Williamson
How Would You Survive As an Ancient Greek? - Fiona MacDonald
I Wonder Why the Greeks Built Temples – Fiona MacDonald
In Search of a Homeland - Penelope Lively (story of the Aeneid)
In Search of Troy : One man's quest for Homer's fabled city - Giovanni Caselli
Librarian Who Measured the Earth - Kathryn Lasky
Plutarch's Lives - Clough (begin reading a little every day or once a week from here on out)
Robber Baby: Stories From the Greek Myths - Anne Rockwell
Spartan - Caroline Dale Snedeker
Tales of the Greek Heroes – Roger Green
Theras and His Town - Caroline Dale Snedeker (Greece)
Trojan War - Olivia Coolidge
Twelve Labors of Hercules – Georges Moroz

High School:
Aeneid - Virgil, translated by Robert Fitzgerald
Aeschylus - translated by Richmond Lattimore
Greek Way - Edith Hamilton
Histories - Herodotus, translated by Selincourt
Iliad - translated by Richmond Lattimore
Last Days of Socrates - Plato, translated by Tredennick
Odyssey - translated by Richmond Lattimore
Republic - Plato, translated by Waterfield
Sophocles - Grene and Lattimore
Till We Have Faces - C.S. Lewis
Trial and Death of Socrates – translated by Benjamin Jowett

Scythians - 700 BC to 106 BC
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History162-163

Macedonians
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 42-43

Etruscans
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 44-45

Romans - 750 BC to 250 AD
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 46-47
Time Traveler 66-96
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 184-195
Child’s History of the World 131-179

Elementary
Books to use again
Detectives in Togas – Henry Winterfeld
Mystery of the Roman Ransom - Henry Winterfeld (sequel to Detectives in Togas)
Hannibal and His 37 Elephants - Marilyn Hirsh (Carthage to Rome)
Pompeii: Buried Alive – Kunhardt (79 AD)
Vacation Under the Volcano - Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House)

Books we don’t want to use again
Roman Twins - Roy Gerrard
Rome Antics - David Macauley

Books we want to try to find
City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction - David Macaulay
Roman Colosseum - Elizabeth Mann
Roman Colosseum - Fiona MacDonald
Romulus and Remus - Anne Rockwell, also try by Geraldine McCaughrean
See You Later, Gladiator - Jon Scieszka
So You Want to Be a Roman Soldier - Fiona Macdonald
Story of Regulus - Baldwin 50 Famous Stories
Usborne Romans
Who Were the Romans? (Usborne Starting Point History) - Phil Roxbee Cox
You Wouldn't Want to be a Roman Gladiator - John Malam
You Wouldn't Want to be a Roman Soldier - David Stewart

Middle School:
Alexander and Bucephelas; and Diogenes (Greek) - Baldwin 50 Famous Stories
Ancient Rome!: Exploring the Culture, People & Ideas of This Powerful Empire - Avery Hart
Ancient Rome: The Nature Company Discoveries Library - Paul Roberts (Time Life Books) (for visual)
Androcles and the Lion - Dennis Nolan
Androclus and the Lion (Roman) - Baldwin 50 Famous Stories
Asterix the Gaul - Rene Goscinny
Asterix the Gladiator - Rene de Goscinny
Augustus Caeser’s World – Genevieve Foster (44 BC to 12 AD)
Beric the Briton: Roman Invasion - G. A. Henty
Bronze Bow – Elizabeth George Speare (time of Jesus)
Buried City of Pompeii: Picturebook (I Was There) - Shelley Tanaka
Caesar's Gallic Wars - Kate Gilliver (58-50 BC)
Calvaryman – Peter Conolly (prequel is The Legionary)
Cincinnatus - Baldwin 50 Famous Stories
Cornelia's Jewels - Baldwin 50 Famous Stories
Early Roman Armies - Nicholas Sekunda (visual)
Famous Men of Rome – John Haaren, edited by Cynthia Shearer
For the Temple – G.A. Henty
Galen and the Gateway to Medicine – Jeanne Bendick
Gladiator - Richard Watkins
Going to War in Ancient Times - Moira Butterfield
Growing Up in Ancient Rome - Mike Corbishley
Hannibal - Robert Green
Hannibal and His 37 Elephants - Marilyn Hirsh (Carthage to Rome)
Horatius at the Bridge - Baldwin 50 Famous Stories
How Would You Survive as an Ancient Roman? Anita Ganeri
Legionary – Peter Conolly (sequel is The Calvaryman)
Modern Rhymes...Rome By Susan Altman
Outcast - Rosemary Sutcliff (Roman Britain)
Roman Army - John Wilkes (visual)
Roman Colosseum - Don Nardo
Roman Fort – Fiona MacDonald
Roman News - Andrew Langley
Roman Record - Paul Dowswell (Newspaper series)
Science in Ancient Rome
Triumph for Flavius - Caroline Dale Snedeker
We Were There With Caeser's Legions - Robert Webb
Young Carthaginian-The Times of Hannibal - G. A. Henty

High School:
Ben Hur – Lew Wallace (read first)
Beyond the Desert Gate - Mary Ray (sequel to the Ides of March)
Building History: Roman Roads and Aqueducts - Don Nardo
Discovery of New Worlds - M.B. Synge
Eagle of the Ninth – Rosemary Sutcliff (117 – Roman Britian)
For the Temple: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem - G. A. Henty (70AD)
I, Claudius - Robert Graves (10 BC to 54 AD - Rome, also a movie)
Ides of April - Mary Ray (Roman w/Chrisitanity - sequel is Beyond the Gate)
Lantern Bearers – Rosemary Sutcliff (450 – after Silver Branch - Roman Britain)
Last Days of Pompeii - Edward Lytton
Lives Of Famous Romans - Olivia Coolidge
Julius Caesar and Ancient Rome in World History - James Barter
On the Shores of the Great Sea - M.B. Synge
Plutarch Roman Lives – translated by Robin Waterfield
Quo Vadis? - Henryk Sienkieicz, W. S. Kuniczak (read first)
Silver Branch – Rosemary Sutcliff (sequel to Eagle of the Ninth)
Sword at Sunset – Rosemary Sutcliff (sequel to Lantern Bearers – Roman Britain, start of King Arthur)

Celts - 800 BC to 50 AD
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 48-49
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 182-183

Barbarians
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 50-51
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 194-195,

Activities

1. Watch Ancient Aegean by Schlessinger Media

Greece
1. Use activities from Ancient Greece!: 40 Hands-On Activities to Experience This Wondrous Age - Avery Hart

2. Make a scroll. Glue length of paper to 2 dowels. (Paint to look old first if desired and glue decorative knobs on end). Decorate with Greek alphabet.

3. Make a pot out of clay or playdoh.

4. Make a mask (from the theater) using poster board, yarn, dyed pasta, etc.

5. Olympic games including wrestling.

6. Run a marathon.

7. Reenact a battle or Horiatus at the bridge.

8. Greek feast - pita bread, caesar salad, barley, grape juice, baklava, hummus,

9. Watch Ancient Greece by Schlessinger Media.

10. Write on a wax tablet or use shortening hardened in fridge (on a margarine lid).

11. Carve a stone sculpture out of Ivory soap.

Rome
1. Make bracelets and armor like the Romans wore.

2. Design an aqueduct.

3. Make 'Hannibal's Elephant Ears' to eat.

4. Build a catapult. http://www.knightforhire.com/catapult.htm or buy from Love to Learn

5. Roman feast. Eat with fingers the use wet towel to clean. Lower class ate bread. Upper bread, meats, fruits, olives.

6. Build model of Pompeii and blow up Mount Vesuvius.

7. Watch Ancient Rome from Schlessinger Media.

8. Write on a wax tablet or use shortening hardened in fridge (on a margarine lid). Would be especially good for Rome since Detectives in Togas talks about this a lot.

Middle Ages Middle East and Africa

This list is geared towards elementary/middle school. Reviews will be posted at Goodreads.

MIDDLE AGES MIDDLE EAST and AFRICA

North Africa - 400 to 1500
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 260
History of North Africa – Diagram Group (also History of South, West and East Africa)
Peoples and Cultures of North Africa – Peter Mitchell

Arabs - 600 to 1260
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 206-209
Arabs: In the Golden Age (People's of the Past) - Mokhtar Moktefi

West Africa - 800 to 1500
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 262-263
Adventures of Spider – Joyce Cooper Arkhurst
Ancient West African Kingdoms (History Opens Windows) – Jane Shuter
Ancient West African Kingdoms – Mary Quigley
Fire Children – Eric Maddern
History of West Africa – Diagram Group
Zomo the Rabbit – Gerald McDermott

Turks - 950 to 1450
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 252-253

East Africa - 1000 to 1500
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 261
History of East Africa – Diagram Group
Safari – Caren Stelson
This Place is Wild – Vicki Cobb

May 7, 2010

Middle Ages Far East

Another day...another list....

This one is for the Far East, middle ages (about 500 AD to 1500 AD). I know I'm fairly light on some of the countries so any suggestions are greatly appreciated. There just doesn't seem to be a whole lot for this time period in the Far East. And this list is for mostly elementary/middle school ages.

MIDDLE AGES FAR EAST

Mongols - 1200 to 1400
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 74-75
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 250-251
Empire of the Mongols – Michael Burgan
Genghis Khan – Demi
Genghis Khan: Invincible Ruler of the Mongol Empire – Zachary Kent
Life During the Great Civilizatons – The Mongol Empire – Don Nardo
Lost Civilizations: Genghis Khan’s Mongol Empire – Thomas Streissguth
Mongols – Robert Nicholson

India - 550 to 1500
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 264-265

Southeast Asia - 500 to 1500
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 266-267

China - 580 to 1500
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 72-73
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 268-269
Adventures of Marco Polo – Russell Freedman
Animals Marco Polo Saw – Sandra Markle
Looking for Marco Polo – Alan Armstrong
Marco Polo – Demi
Marco Polo: A Journey Through China – Fiona MacDonals
Marco Polo for Kids – Janis Herbert
Marco Polo’s Journey Through China – Diana Childress
Marco? Polo! (Time Warp Trio) – Jon Scieska

JAPAN - 500 to 1500
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 76-77
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 270-271

KOREA
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 76-77

Middle Ages America

Here is the list for books we'll use when studying the middle ages and what is happening in the Americas. It's mostly geared towards the elementary and middle school ages. We will most likely do this right before we go into American history (as in the Pilgrims and such).

MIDDLE AGES AMERICAS

North America - 700 to 1500
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 276-277
Between Earth and Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places - Joseph Bruchac
Clamshell Boy (Makah) - Terri Cohlene
Dancing Drum (Cherokee)- Terri Cohlene
The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet - Joseph Bruchac
Geronimo - Joseph Bruchac
Indian Book – Holling C. Holling
Is My Friend At Home? Pueblo Fireside Tales - John Bierhorst
Ka-Ha-Si and the Loon (Eskimo) - Terri Cohlene
Little Firefly (Algonquian) - Terri Cohlene
Many Nations – Joseph Bruchac
More Than Moccasins (Activity Guide) – Laurie Carlson
Native Americans (First Discovery Books) - Gallimard Jeunesse
North American Indians – Douglas Gorsline
Quillworker (Cheyenne) - Terri Cohlene
Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back - Joseph Bruchac
Turquoise Boy (Navajo) - Terri Cohlene
Very First Americans – Cara Ashrose
Wabi - Joseph Bruchac
Who Were the First North Americans? - Philippa Wingate

Aztecs - 1300 to 1500
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 82-83
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 278-279
Aztec News - Philip Steele
Growing Up in Aztec Times - Marion Wood
Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss - Sally Schofer Matthews
Two Mountains: An Aztec Legend - Eric Kimmel
You Wouldn't Want to be an Aztec Sacrifice - Fiona MacDonald

Incas
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 84-85
Usborne 282-283
Incas (See Through History) - Tim Wood
Macchu Picchu: The Story of the Amazing Incas and Their City in the Clouds - Elizabeth Mann
Secret of the Andes

Central America - 500 to 1500
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 280-281
Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest - Gerald McDermott
Jabuti the Tortoise - Gerald McDermott
Papagayo: The Mischief Maker - Gerald McDermott
Stories from the Amazon - Saviour Pirotta
Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest - Gerald McDermott

Anasazi - 550 AD to 1300 AD
Anasazi - Leonard Everett Fisher
The Ancient Cliff Dwellers of the Mesa Verde - Caroline Arnold

May 6, 2010

Middle Ages Europe

Here is the list of books we'll use for our study of the Middle Ages, with an emphasis on Europe. I have other lists for other geographic regions. We've already read some of these, but the rest will be studied in another year or two.

We'll start at the top and read our way through. If I feel like we've covered an area well enough, we'll move on without reading all of them. We won't use all those spines either! I need to get my hands on some of them to figure out which ones I want for sure. Also, I won't be able to find some of these at the library. I have a lot of books listed in order to give me options!

As we read them and decide which ones are best I'll edit the list and post my reviews at Goodreads.

MIDDLE AGES EUROPE
About 500 to 1600 AD

Spines (read a little bit every day in addition to the books listed below)
Famous Men of the Middle Ages - Poland and Haaren, edited by Cynthia Shearer (394 to 1471)
Famous Men of the Renaissance and Reformation - Poland and Haaren, edited by Cynthia Shearer (1304 to 1572 )
Famous Men of the 16th and 17th Century – Robert Shearer (1519 -1715)
Heroes of the Middle Ages – Eva March Tappan
Story of the Middle Ages – Micheal McHug and John Southwort
Story of Liberty – Charles Coffin (start with Magna Charta and read a little each week)
Middle Ages – Dorothy Mills
Middle Ages: A Cultural Atlas – Mike Corbishley
Hamster History of England – Janis Mitchell
Looking at History – R. J. Unstead
Rats, Bulls and Flying Machines – Deborah Mazzotta Prum (1350 -1642 – begin reading around time we start da Vinci)

Elementary/Middle School Read-alouds
Door in the Wall – Maguerite De Angeli
Apple and the Arrow – Conrad Buff (William Tell, 1291)
King Arthur and His Knights
Try these:
Classic Starts: The Story of King Arthur – Howard Pyle, edited by Tania Zamorsky
King Arthur (Usborne) – Felicity Brooks
Tales of King Arthur – Hudson Talbott (if we like check others in series)
King Arthur (Troll Illustrated Classics) – Don Hinckle and Howard Pyle
King Arthur and His Knights – Maude Radford Warren

Between the Forest and the Hills – Ann Lawrence
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - J.R.R. Tolkein
Otto of the Silver Hand - Howard Pyle
Don Quixote and the Windmills - Erick Kimmel
Stories of Don Quixote Written Anew for Children - James Baldwin

Elementary/Middle School (listed chronologically)
Byzantine
Byzantines – Thomas Chubb
Arabs – Harry Ellis
Silk Route – John Major

Europe
Usborne Time Traveler 2-31
Across a Dark and Wild Sea – Don Brown (521, Ireland)
Augustine Came to Kent - Barbara Willard (597)
Son of Charlemagne - Barbara Willard (781)
Two Travelers – Chris Manson
Marvelous Blue Mouse – Chris Manson
Dragon and the Raven - G.A. Henty (870 - Danish invasions of England)
Wulf the Saxon – G. A. Henty (1066)
Tower of London – Leanard Everett Fisher
White Isle - Caroline Dale Snedeker (Roman Britian)
Red Keep: A Story of Burgundy in 1165 - Allen French
If All the Swords in England: A Story of Thomas Becket - Barbara Willard (1170, Henry II)
Hidden Treasure of Glaston – Eleanore Jewett (1171)

Crusades
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 240-243
Crusaders – Walter Buehr
Winning His Spurs (aka Boy Knight) - G.A. Henty (Crusades, 1190, King Richard)
Big John’s Secret – Eleanore Jewett (1218)
Lost Baron: A Story of England in the Year 1200 - Allen French (under King John/Robin Hood)
Tales of Robin Hood – Tony Allan
Robin Hood – Howard Pyle
Star & Sword – Pam Melnikoff
Ivanhoe - Marianna Mayer (Richard Lion Heart and Robin Hood)
Red Falcons of Tremoine – Hendry Peart
Stories from the Crusades - Janet Harvey Kelman

Genghis Khan and Mongol Invasion (1213-1227)
Genghis Khan – Demi

Empire in the East – Earle Rice OR
Genghis Khan and the Mongol Horde – Harold Lamb
Time Warp Trio: You Can’t, But Genghis Khan

Magna Charta
King John and the Magna Carta – L. DuGarde Peach (Ladybird books)
Magna Charta - James Daugherty (1217)

Knights and Castles
Castle Diary – Richard Platt (1285)
Making of a Knight – Patrick O’Brien
Medieval Feast – Aliki
Knights in Shining Armor - Gail Gibbons
Page, Esquire and Knight - Marion Florence Lansing
Knights, Castles and the Feudal Life – Walter Buehr
Castle - David Macaulay
When Knights were Bold - Eva March Tappan
Archers, Alchemists and 98 Other Medieval Jobs – Priscilla Galloway (1000-1500)
Medieval World series – various authors – Manners and Customs, Law and Punishment, Medicine and the Plague, Trade and Travel, etc. – Lynne Elliott, Marc Cels, Kay Eastwood, Marsha Groves, Joanne Findon, etc.

Saint Brendan and the Voyage Before Columbus – Michael McGrew
Canterbury Tales - Barbara Cohen (1340ish)
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales - Marcia Williams
Pied Piper of Hamelin – Robert Browning (1300)
In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce - G.A. Henty (1314)
Fine Print: A Story About Johann Gutenberg - Joann Johansen Burch (late 1400s, Germany)
Pippo the Fool – Tracey Fern (1377-1446)
Prince Henry the Navigator – Leanard Everett Fisher (1394-1460)
Joan of Arc - Diane Stanley (1412-1431)
At Agincourt – G. A. Henty (1415)
Marguerite Makes a Book – Bruce Robertson (1400-1425)
Illuminations – Jonathan Hunt
Trumpeter of Krakow - Eric Kelly (1461)
Year of Columbus – Genevieve Foster (1492)
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists, Leonardo da Vinci - Mike Venezia
Leonardo da Vinci - Diane Stanley (1452-1519)
Leonardo, the Beautiful Dreamer - Robert Byrd (Leonardo da Vinci)
Leonardo’s Horse – Jean Fritz
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists, Michelangelo - Mike Venezia
Michelangelo - Diane Stanley (1494)
Michelangelo’s Surprise – Tony Parillo
World of Columbus and Sons – Genevieve Foster (1451 to 1537)
Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day - Scott O'Dell (William Tyndale - 1525)
Good Queen Bess - Diane Stanley (1533 to 1603)
World of Captain John Smith – Genevieve Foster (1580-1631)
Renaissance: Understanding People of the Past - Mary Quigley
Renaissance - Jane Shuter
Apprentice – Pilar Molina Llorente
Matilda Bone - Karen Cushman

Shakespeare
William Shakespeare & the Globe – Aliki
Bard of Avon - Diane Stanley (1561 to 1661)
World of Shakespeare - Claybourne and Trayes
Shakespeare Stealer trilogy – Gary Blackwood (free time reading if wanted)
Begin reading Shakespeare once a week. We own most of the following resources:
Beautiful Stores from Shakespeare – E. Nesbit
The Tempest - Marianna Mayer
William Shakespeare's Winter Tales - Bruce Coville
Hamlet - Bruce Coville
Twelfth Night - Bruce Coville
Romeo and Juliet - Bruce Coville
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Bruce Coville
Stories from Shakespeare – Anna Claybourne
Tales from Shakespeare – Marcia Williams
Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare – Charles Lamb

Cathedral - David Macaulay
By Pike and Dyke – G.A. Henty (1579)
By England's Aid - G.A. Henty (1588 – sequel to By Pike and Dyke)
The Siege – Stephen Shapiro (1585 – Holland)
Ship – David Macaulay
A 16th Century Galleon – Richard Humble
Westward Ho! - Charles Kingsley (Elizabeth and Drake – 1575 - 1588)
Red Hugh: Prince of Donegal (1587)
Peter the Great - Diane Stanley (1672-1725)

Vikings
Children's Atlas of Civilizations 56-57
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History 210-213
Time Traveler 34-63
Viking Tales –Jennie Hall (Norway, 850-933, online)
The Vikings – Elizabeth Janeway (900-1000)
Leif the Lucky - Ingri D'aulaire and Edgar P. D'aulaire
Viking Adventure – Clyde Robert Bulla
Everyday Life of a Viking Settler – Giovanni Caselli
Leif’s Saga – Jonathan Hunt
Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow - Allen French (maybe elementary age)
Sword Song - Rosemary Sutcliff
Beorn the Proud - Madeleine Polland
Beowulf - Michael Morpurgo
Beowulf the Warrior - Ian Serraillier
Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children - H.E. Marshall
Book of Norse Myths - Ingri and Edgar d'Aulaire
Viking Quest series - Lois Walrid Johnson

Books we don’t want to use again
The Hero Beowulf - Eric Kimmel

Explorers
America Begins – Alice Dagliesh
Explorers Who Got Lost – Diane Sansevere-Dreher
Exploration and Conquest – Betsy Maestro
Picture History of Great Explorers – Gillian Clements
They Put Out to Sea – Roger Duvoisin
By Right of Conquest - G.A. Henty (1595)

High School (mostly in order)
May want to repeat some of the books from earlier
Life in Medieval Times - Marjorie Rowling
Mystery of History Volume 3 – Linda Hobar (use student text only)
Renaissance - Paul Johnson
A History of the English Speaking People – Winston Churchill
Renaissance and Reformation Times - Dorothy Mills
History of the Kings of Britain - Geoffery of Monmouth
The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Medieval World
Lantern Bearers – Rosemary Sutcliff (450)
Shining Company – Rosemary Sutcliff (600)
More King Arthur (maybe Howard Pyle)
Song of Roland - Dorothy Sayers (778)
Saga of the Volsungs - translated by Jesse Byock
1066 The Year of Conquest - David Howarth
Magna Charta – James Daugherty (1167-1216)
1215 The Year of Magna Carta - Danny Danziger and John Gillingham
The Scottish Chiefs - Jane Porter (1296-1305 Scots against English)
Canterbury Tales (1340s)
Divine Comedy – Sayers translation (just read bits of it to get a feel for it)
St. George for England –G.A. Henty (1340)
White Company – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
March on London – G. A. Henty (1381)
Men of Iron – Howard Pyle (1400s)
Joan of Arc - Mark Twain 1412-1431)
The Black Arrow - Robert Louis Stevenson (War of the Roses, 15th century)
Prince and the Pauper – Mark Twain (1530)
The Prince - Machiavelli (1531 - translated by Bull?)
Queen Eleanor - Polly Brooks (mother of Richard the Lion-Hearted)
Ivanhoe - Sir Walter Scott (Richard and Robin Hood)
Warriors of God, Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade – James Reston
Behind the Mask: The Life of Queen Elizabeth – Jane Resh Thomas (1558)
Under Drake's Flag - G.A. Henty (Sir Francis Drake, 1560s)
The Lion Of The North – G. A. Henty (1618 -1648 – ‘30 Years War’)
A Messenger for Parliament - Erik Christian Haugaard (1641-1651)
Cromwell’s Boy – Erik Christian Haugaard (sequel to A Messenger for Parliament – 1643)
Governor of England: A Novel on Oliver Cromwell - Marjorie Bowen
Don Quixote - Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra, translated by Samuel Putnam
Shakespeare – read some of his works
Paradise Lost – translated by Elledge (1667)
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (1789-1799)
Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
Scarlet Pimpernel – Baroness Emmuska Orczy
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew – Daniel Pool

Preschool Read Alouds aka Picture Books

Here is my list of books to read to my two youngest (currently 6 and 3). The two older boys have heard many of these before, but that doesn't stop them from listening to them again! (They still come sit by me when I'm reading Goodnight Moon out loud!!!) Some are new to us so we'll see how it goes. I probably will only go through this once, but read each book several times. Reviews will be posted at Goodreads.

This list is alphabetical because I was double listing too many books. I may or may not use it alphabetically though. I'll probably just grab whichever ones I can find at the library and keep track of what we read so I can make sure to hit them all.

The books in bold are ones we have read and for which I have reviews at Goodreads.

1,2,3 to the Zoo - Eric Carle
A House for Hermit Crab - Eric Carle
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - Judith Viorst
Alexander Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday - Judith Viorst
Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear me….) - Judith Viorst
Angus and the Ducks – Marjorie Flack (several other Angus books too)
Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing - Judi Barrett
Are You My Mother? P.D. Eastman
Bearymore – Don Freeman
Berlioz the Bear - Jan Brett
Best Nest - P.D. Eastman
Big Dog, Little Dog – P.D. Eastman
Big Sneeze - Ruth Brown
Biggest Bear – Lynd Ward
Billy’s Picture – H.A. Rey
Blueberries for Sal – Robert McCloskey
Brown Bear, Brown Bear... – Bill Martin Jr.
Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man – Robert McCloskey
Caps for Sale - Esphyr Slobodkina
Cat in the Hat - Dr. Seuss
Cat in the Hat Comes Back - Dr. Seuss
Chester, the Worldly Pig – Bill Peet
Chewy Louie – Howi Schneider
Chicka Chicka 123 - Bill Martin Jr.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - Bill Martin Jr.
Chicken Little
Corduroy - Don Freeman
Crictor - Tomi Ungerer
Curious George – H.A. Rey
Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? - Eric Carle
Dr. Seuss's ABC
Dragons, Dragons - Eric Carle
Empty Pot - Demi
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed – Eileen Christelow
Flap Your Wings - P.D. Eastman
Foolish Tortoise - Eric Carle
Foot Book - Dr. Seuss
Fox in Socks - Dr. Seuss
Fred and Ted Like to Fly - P.D. Eastman
Frederick - Leo Lionni
Gingerbread Baby - Jan Brett
Go, Dog. Go! - P.D. Eastman
Goldilocks and the Three Bears - Jan Brett
Good Dog, Carl – Alexandra Day (read others in series if we like)
Good Night, Gorilla - Peggy Rathmann
Goodnight Moon - Margaret Wise Brown
Greedy Python - Eric Carle
Green Eggs and Ham - Dr. Seuss
Gregory’s Shadow – Don Freeman
Grouchy Ladybug - Eric Carle
Guess How Much I Love You – Sam McBratney
Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb – Al Perkins
Harold and the Purple Crayon - Crockett Johnson
Harry the Dirty Dog – Gene Zion (read others in series)
Hello, Red Fox - Eric Carle
Henny Penny – Litle Golden Book
Home for a Bunny – Margaret Wise Brown
Honey, Honey, Lion - Jan Brett
Honeybee and the Robber - Eric Carle
Hop on Pop - Dr. Seuss
Horton Hatches the Egg - Dr. Suess
Horton Hears a Who - Dr. Suess
Hug - Jez Alborough
I Love You Forever – Robert Munsch
If I Were in Charge of the World - Judith Viorst
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Laura Joffe Numeroff- read others from this series
Imogene’s Antlers – David Small
Inch by Inch - Leo Lionni
Inside Outside Upside Down - Stan Berenstain
Katy No-Pocket – Emmy Payne
Lentil - Robert McCloskey
Leo the Late Bloomer - Robert Kraus
Little Blue and Little Yellow - Leo Lionni
Little Engine that Could - Watty Piper
Little Golden Books
Little House - Virginia Lee Burton
Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear - Don and Audrey Wood
Little Red Caboose – Marian Potter
Little Red Hen - Little Golden Book
Little Toot – Little Golden Book
Lost in the Woods – Carl R. Sams
Magic Hill – A.A. Milne
Make Way for Ducklings - Robert McCloskey
May We Sleep Here Tonight – Tan Koide
McDuff Moves In – Rosemary Wells (read others in McDuff series if we like)
Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear - Don and Audrey Wood
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel - Virginia Lee Burton
Milk and Cookies – Frank Asch
Millions of Cats – Wanda Gag
Miss Rumphius – Barbara Cooney
Mister Seahorse - Eric Carle
Mitten - Jan Brett
Mixed Up Chameleon - Eric Carle
Mother Goose – pick any version
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? – Dr. Seuss
Nana Upstairs and Downstairs - Tomi de Paola
Napping House - Don and Audrey Wood
No Jumping on the Bed - Tedd Arnold
Norman the Doorman – Don Freeman
Now One Foot, Now the Other - Tomie de Paola
Old Hat New Hat - Stan Berenstain
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish - Dr. Seuss
One Morning in Maine – Robert McCloskey
Opposites - Eric Carle
Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm - Alice Provensen
Panda Bear, Panda Bear...- Bill Martin Jr.
Pet of the Met – Lydia Freeman
Pete's a Pizza - William Steig
Please Say Please! Penguin's Guide To Manners - Margery Cuyler
Poky Little Puppy – Little Golden Book
Polar Bear, Polar Bear... - Bill Martin Jr.
Polite Elephant – Richard Scarry
Pretzel – H.A. Rey
Quick as a Cricket - Don and Audrey Wood
Rooster's Off to See the World - Eric Carle
Runaway Bunny - Margaret Wise Brown
Saggy, Baggy Elephant – Little Golden Book
Sam and the Firefly – P.D. Eastman
Shy Little Kitten – Little Golden Book
Slowly, Slowly Said the Sloth - Eric Carle
Stone Soup - Marcia Brown
Story About Ping -Marjorie Flack
Story of Ferdinand - Munro Leaf
Stranger in the Woods – Carl R. Sams
Strega Nona - Tomie de Paola
Tale of Peter Rabbit (and other Beatrix Potter books) – Beatrix Potter
Tawny Scrawny Lion - Kathryn Jackson
Taxi That Hurried – Irma Simonton Black
Ten Apples Up On Top! - Theo LeSieg
That's Good! That's Bad! in the Grand Canyon - Margery Cuyler
That’s Good! That’s Bad! - Margery Cuyler
Things People Do - Anne Civardi
Thy Friend, Obadiah – Brinton Turkle (others in series if we like it)
Tikki Tikki Tembo -Arlene Mosel
Time of Wonder – Robert McCloskey
Tiny Seed - Eric Carle
Tootle – Gertrude Crampton
Ugly Duckling (there are lots of versions, pick one!)
Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams Bianco
Very Best Home for Me – Jane Werner Watson
Very Busy Spider - Eric Carle
Very Clumsy Click Beetle - Eric Carle
Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle
Very Lonely Firefly - Eric Carle
Very Quiet Cricket - Eric Carle
We're Going on a Bear Hunt – Michael Rosen
What Do People Do All Day? - Richard Scarry
What Spot? - Crosby Bonsall
Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
Whistle for Willie – Ezra Jack Keats
Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne (read them all)

May 5, 2010

Read Alouds

I love reading aloud to my kids. And they love it too. Even if I'm reading Cat in the Hat to the youngest, which they've all heard a bazillion times, I find them coming from around the house to sit around me while I read. Reading aloud draws them to me and keeps them there. So, we read aloud a lot. And their dad reads to them at bedtime. We choose mostly fun books, but will occasionally read a history or science book "for fun".

Here is a list of books I plan on reading to the boys. Some we have already read, some we have not. Some only the older boys have heard, others they have not. I plan on starting at the beginning and working my way through. When we're done, we'll start over again so the littler ones will get a chance to hear it again, and hopefully understand it better. I'm sure we'll hate some and take them off the list. And we'll find new favorites to add. As we read them I'll be posting my reviews at Goodreads.  If a title is in bold, we have read the book.

Children’s Book of Virtues – William Bennett
Classic Tales of Brer Rabbit – Joel Chandler Harris
Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter
Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book – Bob Hartman
Stories from Around the World – Heather Amery
Uncle Wiggle’s Story Book – Howard Garis
Mike Mulligan Treasury and More – Virginia Lee Burton
Living Long Ago – Felicity Brooks
Eric Carle’s Animals Animals – Eric Carle
Mother Goose
Boxcar Children – Gertrude Chandler Warner
Dolphin Adventure – Wayne Grover
Dolphin Treasure – Wayne Grover
20th-Century Children’s Book Treasury – Janet Schulman
Five True Dog Stories – Margaret Davidson
A Grain of Rice – Helena Clare Pittman
House at Pooh Corner (read the others too) – A. A. Milne
Hundred Dresses – Eleanor Estes
James Harriet’s Treasury for Children – James Harriet
Encyclopedia Brown books – Donald J. Sobol
Aesop’s Fables – Milo Winter
My Father’s Dragon – Ruth Stiles Gannett (Elmer and the Dragon is the sequel)
Richard Scarry’s Please and Thank You – Richard Scarry
Riki Tiki Tavi – Rudyard Kipling
A Treasury of Children’s Literature – Armand Eisen
Story of Dr. Dolittle – Hugh Lofting
Capyboppy – Bill Peet
Thomas the Tank Engine stories
Great Brain books – John D. Fitzgerald (read first one)
Wonderful World of Oz – Frank Baum
Andersen’s Fairy Tales – Hans Christian Anderson
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle – Betty MacDonald
Hidden Tales from Eastern Europe – Antonia Barber
Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
A _______ Fairy Book – Andrew Lang (choose a color)
Follow My Leader – James Garfield
Henry Huggins – Beverly Cleary
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
Homer Price – Roald Dahl
Little Britches – Ralph Moody (read others in series too)
Little Pear – Eleanor Frances Lattimore
Mountain Born – Elizabeth Yates
Mr. Popper’s Penguins – Richard Atwater
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle’s Farm – Betty MacDonald
Understood Betsy – Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Year of Miss Agnes – Kirkpatrick Hill
Gooney Bird Green – Lois Lowry (there are others in the series if we like)
Narnia – C. S. Lewis (have read them 3x now)
Wheel on the School – Meindert De Jong
A Big Ball of String – Marion Holland
Bravest Dog Ever – Natalie Standiford
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle’s Magic – Betty MacDonald
Cricket in Times Square – George Selden
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh – Robert C. O’Brien
A _______ Fairy Book – Andrew Lang (choose a color)
Books by Sam Campbell (http://www.samcampbell.com/ to read online)
Red Sails to Capri – Ann Weil
Twenty-One Balloons – William Pene DuBois
White Stallion of Lipizza – Marguerite Henry
Amelia Bedelia – Peggy Parish
Big Balloon Race – Eleanor Coerr
Daniel’s Duck – Clyde Robert Bulla
Greg’s Microscope – Millicent E. Selsam
Tales from the Arabian Nights (find a suitable version)
Hill of Fire – Thomas P. Lewis
Nate the Great – Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie – Peter Roop
Last Little Cat – Meindert De Jong
The Littles – John Peterson
Tippy Lemmey – Patricia McKissack
Black Stallion – Walter Farley
A _______ Fairy Book – Andrew Lang (choose a color)
Along Came a Dog – Meindert De Jong
The Indian in the Cupboard – Lynne Reid Banks
Children of Noisy Village – Astrid Lindgren
Trumpet of the Swan – E. B. White
Frindle – Andrew Clements
Grimm’s Fairy Tales – Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm
Tell Me a Story – Deseret Book collection
Henry and Ribsy – Beverly Cleary
Laddie – Gene Stratton-Porter
King’s Equal – Katherine Paterson
Heidi – Johanna Spry
Llama in the Family – Johanna Hurwitz
Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin – Marguerite Henry
McBroom’s Wonderful One-Acre Farm – Sid Fleischman
Toothpaste Millionaire – Jean Merrill
James and the Giant Peach – Roald Dahl
Whipping Boy- Sid Fleischman
A _______ Fairy Book – Andrew Lang (choose a color)
Cheaper by the Dozen – Frank Gilbreth (probably won't read this)
By the Great Horn Spoon – Sid Fleischman
Little Lord Faulteroy – Frances Hodgeson Burnett
Half Magic – Edward Eager (if we like read Knight’s Castle, Magic by the Lake, Time Garden)
Great Turkey Walk – Kathleen Karr
Pinnochio (use abridged version) – Carlo Collodi
Castle in the Attic – Elizabeth Winthrop (sequel is Battle for the Castle)
Old Yeller – Fred Gipson
Journey to the Center of the Earth – Jules Verne
All Sail Set – Armstrong Sperry
The Great Wheel – Robert Lawson
My Side of the Mountain series – Jean Craighead George
Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun – Rhoda Blumberg
Exploring Planet Earth – John Hudson Tiner
Around the World in 80 Days – Jules Verne
A _______ Fairy Book – Andrew Lang (choose a color)
King of the Trees series – William Burt (won't be reading)
Ali and the Golden Eagle – Wayne Grover
Redwall – Brian Jacques
Incredible Journey – Sheila Burnford
Terrestria Chronicles and Tales from Terrestria – Ed Dunlop
Just So Stories – Rudyard Kipling
King of the Wind – Marguerite Henry
Swiss Family Robinson – Johann Wyss
A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle
Westing Game – Ellen Raskin
Secret Garden – Frances Hodgeson Burnett
Phantom Tollbooth – Norton Juster
Samurai’s Tale – Erik Christian Haugaard
Marvellous Land of Snergs - E.A. Wyke-Smith
The Wonderful O - James Thurber
Viking Quest series – Lois Walfrid Johnson
Best Christmas Pageant Ever – Barbara Robinson
Robinson Crusoe – Daniel DeFoe
It’s a Jungle Out There – Ron Snell
A _______ Fairy Book – Andrew Lang (choose a color)
Who Was That Masked Man, Anyway? - Avi
Tarzan – Edgar Rice Burroghs
Peter Pan (probably an abridged version) – J. M. Barrie
Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
Tanglewood Tales – Nathaniel Hawthorne
Ranger’s Apprentice – John Flanagan
Fable Haven series – Brandon Mull
Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites - Chris Heimerdinger
Septimus Heap series – Angie Sage
John Carter of Mars – Edgar Rice Burroughs
Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
Lord of the Rings triology – J.R.R. Tolkien