Kid History

Just wanted to pass on some videos that my children LOVE. This is the first one, but there are 6 in total so make sure you watch them all (each of us thinks a different one is the best). Before you watch you need to know this....some brothers in their 30s asked their kids/nieces/nephews to retell some stories about their dads/uncles lives and then the adults acted out the stories. FACT - it's hilarious. And as an aside, my husband and I have been laughing our heads off about #6 where the mom cooks healthy foods and says to her poor kids, "Here are your perfectly normal pancakes....You'll never taste it!" Oh, the times I've said that to my dear children...

Frogs by Nic Bishop

Frogs by Nic Bishop

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As strange as it may sound, we're reading this for Circle Time! My little guys are LOVING the book. The pictures are amazing. If I didn't know it's impossible to do, I'd say that Bishop was staging the photos and asking the frogs to pose. There is just enough information to keep it interesting without feeling like you're reading a textbook. We've read many, many books about frogs and this still has new stuff to learn. My 5-year-old has been walking around for days spouting frog facts. The older boys have read it 3 or 4 times themselves.  And I'll just say it right now....see-through frogs are gross.  My 7-year-old has commented many, many times, "I didn't even know they existed!"

We own several Nic Bishop books and I will continue to buy them whenever I can. (I could check them out from the library but they are so well done I want them in my home library as I KNOW they'll be read over and over again.) At the end of the book he spends a page or two discussing what it was like to shoot the pictures and travel around. It makes you feel like a real person made the book and that that person is your cool friend.

Highly recommended.

Here is a list of his other books (done in the style of Frogs)....I hope he makes many more!
Lizards
Spiders
Butterflies and Moths
Marsupials

There are two "field guide" type books, but I've never seen them in person.
Backyard Detective: Critters Up Close
Forest Explorer: A Life-Sized Field Guide

And a Scientist in the Field series...but I think he's only the photographer in these.  I'm not sure if it's the same great style as the others.

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Somewhere Over the Rainbow... I love this version

In an attempt to cheer up a sulky 11-year-old my husband was playing all sorts of "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and other uber happy songs.  He came along this version which neither of us had ever heard.  I instantly fell in love.  I love the music, his voice, his smile.  And I cried to watch the end of the video, the celebration of his life instead of the sorrow from his death. 

Help! I'm Married to a Homeschooling Mom

Help! I'm Married to a Homeschooling Mom: Showing Dads How to Meet the Needs of Their Homeschooling Wives by Todd Wilson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book helped me realize that I'm not crazy or weird. I'm just like most other homeschool moms - stressed out!

Seriously, I laughed a lot while reading this book. And nodded my head over and over in agreement. The author completely understands the heart and mind of homeschooling moms and offers valuable insight to the husbands. And great ways in which to support them as well.

Highly recommended for moms and dads.  It is another part of my permanent homeschool shelf and I pull it down to read when things are getting hard.  And for the record, I do NOT own a demin jumper.

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George Washington (one of many!)

George Washington by Ingri D'Aulaire

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My kids were enthralled with this. At one point someone commented, "George Washington moved around a lot just like us!" Being military kids they were able to identify with some of his earlier life.

The illustrations were lovely and the text easy to understand. It was a great introduction for the younger kids. My older boys will need more but this was a fantastic start.

Highly recommended.

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Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe

Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe by Todd Wilson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great book by Todd Wilson. I really love his humor and his honesty.

In this book he looks at the common 'lies' we homeschoolers all seem to believe like "everyone has a clean house except me" and "everyone else's kids are really obedient, talented, smart, etc". He points out the lies and then shows WHY they are lies and how to feel differently about them.

I so identified with many of the points made here and it helped calm my fears and doubts. If you are at all worried you're not doing a good job homeschooling your kids or that you're the only one who doesn't have it together, this will help.  This book will stay on my shelf forever, and I try to re-read it every year to not only remind myself that everything will be okay, but that I need to set an example of transparency for those around me, to show that I am human and not Super Homeschool Mom, because I'm not!

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Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?

Can't You Make Them Behave, King George? by Jean Fritz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My boys really enjoyed this and told me that 'lots of other kids should read it because it's so funny'. We read it in two days and I've found them looking through it over and over again.

The book treated King George very well and we learned a lot about him we hadn't already known. I liked that it mainly focused on him and not so much on the battles. I liked this better than George vs. George for actually learning about the King.  George vs. George, however, discussed the battles more in-depth.

A nice addition to our study of the American Revolution. Highly recommended.  This would be best for elementary or early middle school.

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