A Fly On My Homeschool Wall

I'm forever looking for engaging, quality reading material for my 5-year-old Mister Man, who is an advanced reader for his age.  Though he can read beyond his years, his social/emotional self is still only 5, and he needs what he reads to nurture him at that level. Hooray for The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series from Worthy Kids/Ideals !   We received the first two books in the series:  The Beginning (Book #1) and Race to the Ark (Book #2) .  Each book is about 100 pages long (maybe just a hair over) with occasional black and white illustrations.  Mister Man read each book in just over an hour. He devoured them, coming out of his reading trance to give the rest of the family play-by-play updates about the action and adventure that fed his little-boy heart. I like that his heart and mind are filled with Bible stories and Bible characters as heroes, and the kids who star in the stories are nice kids. Mister Man says about The Secret of the Hidden...

It was fun to introduce Imagine . . . The Great Flood by Matt Koceich to my kids.  It's the first in a series of Biblical time-travel adventure books targeting kids ages 8-12 available from Barbour Publishing . It arrived in the mail the very day our annual Cousins' Camp ended.  It had been a wonderful 5 days, but with high adventure activities every day, long days, and the let down of saying goodbye to beloved cousins, everyone was both exhausted and sad. I handed it to Nature Angel (10 years old, average reader). "Here.  Climb in bed and see what you think of this.  You can nap if you prefer," I said to her. She took it, and I ran off to my dentist appointment. I got home hours later (ugh!), and the first words Nature Angel said to me were, "I read the whole thing just today!  It is great!  It is so good !!!!!!" Later that day Mister Man (5 years old, advanced reader) was sent to his room for teasing, and I, knowing he needed some alone ti...

  YWAM Publishing has an outstanding line of biographies in their Heroes of History series.  When presented with 28 different titles to to choose from, my Nature Angel was very happy to select Heroes of History--George Washington Carver . While there are a number of significant differences between the lives of George Washington Carver and my little daughter, there are enough similarities for my nature-loving girl to have found a hero/mentor. Born under appalling conditions, and into slavery, George Washington Carver was kidnapped, along with his mother and sister, from his home at the Moses Carver farm.  Carver sent out agents to find his missing property, and eventually baby George was returned . . . but not his mother or sister. Nature Angel's heart just about fell out of her chest as she read about these horrible events.  As she read, we talked . . . a lot. A book that evokes strong emotion and elicits thought-provoking conversation gets two enthusias...

We read Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer from Peggy Consolver - Author as a family read-aloud.  From Mister Man (age 5) to Rose Red (age 17), we gathered together several nights a week to listen to the story of young Keshub, a Gibeonite boy living when Jericho was a strong, walled city and the Israelites were at the end of their 40-year wandering in the desert. ( Note:   As a family, we haven't finished the book.  When I realized time was running short for our review period, I finished the book on my own to be able to complete this review.  The kids love this book, and I'm quite enjoying my second time through to the end,) We are lovers of the Bible and the stories therein.  Our older children have grown up singing, "Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho.  Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down."  They, in turn, have joyfully taught our younger children to march in circles while singing...

What a surprise for me to open my mailbox and find a treat in it-- Bessie's Pillow , published by Strong Learning, Inc. I'm a fan of treats. :) I decide to keep this one for myself--at least for a little while. Upon reading the introduction, I'm glad.  Pogroms and their accompanying violence are mentioned.  There are no graphic descriptions, nothing offensive at all, but I am relieved not to have to explain the word "rape" to my 5- and 7-year olds just now.   I'll savor this treat, and then I'll put it on my teens' book lists for individual reading and journaling. Within a matter of minutes I am emotionally drawn into the story.  It is written in the first person, and the tone is both matter-of-fact and authentic.  I feel that I am reading Bessie's thoughts.  The author seems to have captured the voice of one for whom English is a second language--direct yet rich. Photos found at Bessie's America When she speaks of leavin...

I'm finding it hard to believe that before this review privilege we hadn't discovered Andi Carter's adventures ! Susan K. Marlow , published by Kregel Publications , has written several series about Andi's life on a ranch in California in the late 1880s.  We were so blessed to receive the first two books-- Andi Saddles Up and Andi Under the Big Top --in the newest Circle C series: Circle C Stepping Stones.  There's something about a series that kids love.   Following a beloved character through several adventures is satisfying, and there are many, many series available for kids to read.  Unfortunately the quality of those series is often quite poor--in writing, in plot, in moral values, in everything. Susan K. Marlow 's series, however, are high quality--in writing, in plot, in moral values, in everything.  (I can say this because reading the two review books has led us to obtaining every Circle C book we could, and we've been reading them vorac...

Having been invited to write a review for Schoolhouse Review Crew , I was tickled to find Creative Nature Study available from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine .  The forecast for our area last week was perfect autumn weather--high 40s over night and reaching 70 or so each afternoon.  Knowing I'd feel compelled to get outside and make the most of these last autumn days, I requested a copy of the ebook and began reading immediately. photo credit: Pixie I am not a natural at taking my kids outside to study and learn.  I was a bookworm who, as a kid, only went outside to walk to school or the library.  I'd come home laden with books from either location and curl up in the overstuffed armchair in the living room and not come up for air until forced. I have a couple of kids like this, but a good number of my kids need to learn with their hands and bodies.  I also have kids with special emotional, physical, and cognitive needs, and research shows that kids le...