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On the Move...

I think we are going ahead with our big move over to a new blog host.

Please join us there at Chartwell Academy and Pook's Hill Nursery.

And excuse our virtual dust and we clean up and unpack the last few boxes.

Would You Like A Bit Of Fun With Your Learning?

Despite being MIA for a few months we are still here and still plugging away. Once again the weather is turning cold and I am grateful for my cozy chair in our "library." The perfect spot when the trees are bare.

Recently I decided that we have been very neglectful in using time lines to organize all the events we learn in history. Then I discovered the game "Perspective: The Time Line Game". The game was created by a family to supplement the history education their kids were receiving in school and to help bring all those different pieces into perspective. The game consists of the board, 200 event cards, and a die. The board is divided into 4 time periods that roughly correspond to the 4 time periods used in classical education models. The cards are color coded to match the time periods. On one side of a card is an even with brief description, on the reverse is the date. The goal of the game is to get the sequence of historical events correct as you play all your cards. Players may challenge each other or the board if they feel a card was placed incorrectly. It must be noted that the event cards are divided into two sets, easier and harder if you will.

On the up side we had a great time playing this game, the kids enjoyed themselves as much as the adults. They were challenged to put events from multiple fields and multiple areas of the world into one sequence. The game has much leeway for creating your own rules as needed. For example at the end should a player be penalized for having an out of sequence card if no one challenged him?

The downside is that the game is produced by a home business. I think this has led to my one criticism. The cards are produced on paper that would wear out quickly with much play. If your family enjoys the game you may wish to dash out and have your cards laminated. You may also wish to make some cards of your own if there are events you have studied that are not represented. It should also be noted that there are cards that follow an evolutionary history of the world ie Big Bang, Dinosaurs, Neanderthal Man. Or on the other side, Moses, Jesus and other biblical figures are represented historically. The game would in no way be damaged if these cards were to be removed from play. Due to the reduction in number of cards you may wish to add cards of your own but even that may not be necessary.

While we purchase our copy through Rainbow Resource you can purchase direct as well. They will even send a free copy to your "favorite classroom teacher".

Booking Through Thursday

Recently Funny from Booking Through Thursday

What’s the funniest book you’ve read recently?

The answer to this is easy: The Importance of Being Kennedy by Laurie Graham

They had me at the title. If their lives weren't filled with such tragedy it would be really funny. This is a great tongue in cheek piece of historical fiction.

Booking Through Thursday

From Booking Through Thursday: Preferences

Which do you prefer? (Quick answers–we’ll do more detail at some later date)

• Reading something frivolous? Or something serious? Serious books and frivolous magazines.
• Paperbacks? Or hardcovers? Hardcovers (unless I'm on a beach...)
• Fiction? Or Nonfiction? Nonfiction
  
• Poetry? Or Prose? Prose
  
• Biographies? Or Autobiographies? Biographies
  
• History? Or Historical Fiction? History
  
• Series? Or Stand-alones? Both
  
• Classics? Or best-sellers? Both
  
• Lurid, fruity prose? Or straight-forward, basic prose? Lurid? Well written prose is best.
  
• Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness? Plots
  
• Long books? Or Short? Both
  
• Illustrated? Or Non-illustrated? Both (although in fiction illustrations have the potential to be really awful or change the entire story).
  
• Borrowed? Or Owned? Owned (I love books, I love to revisit books, but I also love libraries...)
  
• New? Or Used? Both
  

(Yes, I know, some of these we’ve touched on before, and some of these we might address in-depth in the future, but for today–just quick answers!)

In keeping with the spirit of quick answers I'll end here. Drop by Booking Through Thursday for more entries.

Booking Through Thursday

From Booking Through Thursday:

An idea I got from The Toddled Dredge (via K for Kat). Here’s what she said: “So here today I present to you an Unread Books Challenge. Give me the list or take a picture of all the books you have stacked on your bedside table, hidden under the bed or standing in your shelf – the books you have not read, but keep meaning to. The books that begin to weigh on your mind. The books that make you cover your ears in conversation and say, ‘No! Don’t give me another book to read! I can’t finish the ones I have!’ “

Oh all the books I have left to read, and do they pile up! This is a strange and eclectic list I think. I seem to pick up titles that interest me but also challenge me. I suppose all night stands should come with the caveat that the views of the authors represented are not necessarily those of the person sound asleep with their glasses and light still on.

• Bringing Up Geeks by Marybeth Hicks (I just finished this but it is still on the night stand waiting to be put on my list of completed books. If you have ever wondered about being the sort of parent who says no to pop culture or whether video games are a priveledge not a right this is the book for you. An excellent defense of family, parental standards, education, and why being cool doesn't have to be the be-all and end-all of childhood. I suppose I should add that this is not strictly speaking a homeschooling book, the author's children attend public school.)
• Noah's Flood by William Ryan and Walter Pitman (I have started this book at least 3 times but keep getting distracted and then have to start all over. The scientific discoveries build in such a fashion that if I have forgotten something then I miss the point of the next discovery. A fascinating history of the Black and Mediterranean seas as well as of oceanography and mythology.)
• The Flight of the Romanovs by John Curtis Perry and Constantine Pleshakov (Every time I start this I tuck the flap in to mark my place but Winston must love the cover because he keeps pulling it out. An interesting account of the lives of the rest of the extended Romanov family, often forgotten when people focus strictly on the Tsar and Tsarina.)
• The Battle for Christmas by Stephen Nissenbaum (How the celebration of Christmas has evolved as a both a religious and secular celebration in the United States. I can't decide if I should finish it now or save it for some cold winter nights.)
• How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren (A classic that I hope will give me some insight into how to get the kids to read critically.)
• The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease (Another classic but a bit more up Winston's alley than the previous title.)
• The Western Cannon by Harold Bloom (The third title in my triad of books about books. By shuffling it around the pile it is beginning to appear as if it has been read but perhaps I should actually crack the spine.)
• Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin (An attempt to link ichtheo-paleontology with human development. I can't help but find books like this fascinating, I read the blurbs and start to wonder how??? I suspect that it is not for die-hard creationists.)
• The Complete Father Brown Stories by G.K. Chesterton (A few months ago I noticed that everything I read was peppered with quotes from Chesterton but I had never read any of his works. Father Brown seemed the place to start, short stories that fit nicely into the little time I have before falling asleep and give the sense of accomplishment associated with finishing a story.)
• Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke (This is the other entry in the fiction catagory; a fascinating combination of fantasy and historical fiction. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and still have that waiting for the other shoe to drop feeling.)
  
• Cooking Light (The back issues are backing up, I need to do more meal planning so that I can fix some of that greating looking food!
  
• Rainbow Resource Catalog (Yes, its the size of the Yellow Pages but it's brand new and I will still read 75% of it, I just can't help myself. )
  

And yes, I know its Saturday but sometimes the week gets a bit busy! Today I feel a bit like a credit card ad.."What on your night stand (or reading table) (or piled on the floor)?"

A Jan Brett Calendar

Do you love to create your own planners or teacher notebooks? Perhaps you want a colorful calendar for the school room?

Check out the website of one of my favorite illustrators Jan Brett. You can print any number of calendars that are complete with her lovely drawings. There is even a coloring book version for the little ones. Advent and Birthday calendars are included.

Jan Brett Calendars

Her website also has lots of information, activities, how to videos, and coloring pages based on her book illustrations. Rainy summer day? Maybe the kids would like to color the "Hedgie Blasts Off" mural. There is much to see, if you are a fan don't miss this!!

Drop by Jan Brett's Homepage today!

Geography or Cartography?

Are you looking for a geography or cartography program? I have great news for you!

I first looked at National Geographic's Map Essentials program the year I began homeschooling. Back in those days to buy NG's student publications you had to contact one of their representatives and place an order. I sent an email out and eventually corresponded with a very nice man who agreed that the program would be great for homeschoolers but that you couldn't buy single copies of the student books. He was sorry that he couldn't help me. Eventually I found that Great Books Academy had them for sale. Due to the price I hesitated and looked for other geography programs. I found the Trail Guide series, which we are using and enjoying. But I still wanted a bit more cartography.

This year I bit the bullet and ordered the Map Essentials program. Unfortunately one of the books appears to be on indefinite backorder. I started trolling the internet and what did I discover? National Geographic is now selling their books individually. To regular people not just institutions. And at a cost significantly lower than GBA. It is a bit tricky to navigate their website to find these items. Here are my tips:

• Register with the site-be sure to choose the "Not in District" and "Not in School" options
• You will be asked for an institution name-I used Chartwell Academy with no problems
• Find the Map Essentials page HERE
• When you scroll to the bottom of the page look for the Materials section and click the plus sign for the grade you are interested in
• The teacher book is listed at the bottom for single copy purchase
• To purchase Student Books and Student Response Books click on the plus sign next to the set of 5 and you will find single copy options in the new menu (you can later adjust your cart to reflect the number of copies you would like

I chose to purchase a single copy of the student text (I only have 2 students sharing the books) but purchased multiple copies of the response book. My printer would cost more than $2.08 to copy for each child. For the program you only need atlases to complete the work.

I decided to go back and start with Grade 1 work (even though the kids are a bit older) since the knowledge seems to be cumulative. I suspect that we will zip through some of the early grade and be back on course in no time.

National Geographic appears to (finally) be offing its school texts to everyone these days so dig into the website and have fun!

Seated on Pook's Hill

Today Winston decided that, in his never ending quest to not let the older kids get too far ahead, he needed to give up the floor. All serious readers clearly sit in chairs. He climbed into the wingback chair across from me and has settled in with DK Castles and Death In the Middle Ages. He is most proud of himself. Note to self: he will soon be asking for a book light over his crib and a set of Levenger Page Points to mark his favorite illustrations.