October 4, 2024 Book Reviews: Books for Children, Media Reviews Post a Comment

Picture Book Review: The Witch’s Hat is laugh-out-loud spooky fun

Halloween picture book, The Witch's Hat

Picture Book Review: The Witch’s Hat

After inadvertently casting a spell on her hat, a witch must catch the tricky hat and return it to her head.

Title

 The Witch’s Hat
Author Tony Johnston
Illustrator Margo Tomes
Publication Date 1984
Age Range 3-5, 4-8
Overall Rating 4 stars
Literary Value 4 stars
Artistic Value 3 stars

Themes of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness

This one is mostly just plain fun. The witch demonstrates bravery and perseverance in the face of frustration. The language is rich with literary devices and simple but fun dialogue.

Discussion Questions

Have you ever created a problem for yourself that was way harder than it should have been to fix?

Academic Tie-ins

This one is just for fun!

Parents might want to know

If you’re not into witches and spells and potions, skip this one.

If you’re looking for a funny, light-hearted Halloween picture book to share with your children, The Witch’s Hat  tops my list of recommendations. The repeated rhyming aside (“It was a magic pot, in case you forgot”) and the witch’s exclamations of triumph and frustration combine to make this one of my favorite Halloween books to read aloud.

The story is simple. A witch inadvertently casts a spell on her hat which in turn tries to run from her, taking on a variety of disguises to avoid detection. She’s a clever witch though, and she devises simple tests (pinching the bats, poking the rats) to separate the hat from the bats/rats/cats. It’s a battle of wits and perseverance. Who wins? Make sure you turn to the very last illustration before you decide!

This one is out-of-print, but you can watch it read aloud here:

October 3, 2024 Book Reviews: Books for Children, Media Reviews Post a Comment

Book Review: The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin is just spooky enough

Book Review: The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin by Margaret Wise Brown

The tale of a special place where children create a grown-up world of their own.

Age: 3-5, 4-8

Overall rating: 3 ½ stars

Literary value: 4 stars

Artistic value: 3 ½ stars

Themes of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness

 Siblings having fun and celebrating together. Poetic language.

Discussion Questions

Why do you think the little pumpkin wanted to be fierce?

Who was the pumpkin’s role model? Do you think he was a good role model? Why or why not?

What are things that make you feel big and important?

Academic Tie-ins

Science (change, pumpkin life cycle, fall)

Parents might want to know

There is a scene where the children dance in a circle around the pumpkin “singing a song to the terrific, terrible pumpkin with the zigzag grin.” 

This is a peculiar little book. The language is delightful, as one might expect from the beloved author of Goodnight Moon. The repetition of “fat little, round little, orange little pumpkin” and phrases like “fierce, ferocious gobble-gooble face” make it a real joy to read out loud. The illustrations are captivating. The drawings of the children have an oddness to them, but the pictures of the mice and the pumpkin and the scenes of the fields with the scarecrow are all very engaging. 

 

What makes the book peculiar is the protagonist. Our fat little, round little, orange little pumpkin wants to be big. Fair enough. But he also wants to be mean. In the end, he gets his wish. He becomes a “terrific, terrible pumpkin with [a] zigzag grin.” And, as he wished, the mice run when they see him.

 

If you are looking for a “spooky season” book for your little ones that isn’t too dark or scary, this fits the bill. My sensitive little boy (now 19!) gasped when the pumpkin’s fierce face was revealed, which is particularly amusing given the drawing is pretty much the same as the one on the cover of the book. The prose and illustrations also perfectly capture the crisp yet dreary feeling of late October. The book more than delivers as an addition to the Halloween atmosphere.

 

You can read it for that alone – enjoy the illustrations and the lyrical language and then let it go on its merry way. Or, you can dig a little deeper and wonder together why this pumpkin wants to be mean and scary. It could be an interesting conversation starter, especially if you have a little pumpkin who likes to be scary.

October 2, 2024 Book Reviews: Books for Children, Media Reviews Post a Comment

Book Review: Happy childhood memories come to life in Roxaboxen

Book Review: Roxaboxen

The tale of a special place where children create a grown-up world of their own.

Age: 4-8

Overall Rating: 5 stars

Literary value: 5 stars

Artistic value: 5 stars

Publication date: 1991

Themes of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness

 A tale of friendship, family, growing up, warm memories, home and belonging, creativity and imagination.

Discussion Questions

Why do you think Marian was mayor “of course?”

Have you ever had a special place like Roxaboxen?

If you were a citizen of Roxaboxen, what kind of shop would you open or what job would you have?

Academic Tie-ins

Economics, government, social studies

Maria Montessori was known for saying that “play is the work of the child.” In this beautiful and lyrical book by Alice McLerran, lovingly illustrated by Barbara Cooney, we see children playing at being grown up. 

Out in the desert, with very few resources, Marian and her friends create the town of Roxaboxen. Complete with houses, shops, a Mayor, money, and laws, Roxaboxen provides a place for its citizens to do the important work of childhood. 

We learn in the back matter of the book that this is a true story belonging to the author’s mother. Roxaboxen was such an important part of her childhood, that she had written her own manuscript about it as a child. Combining that manuscript with memories of relatives as well as maps and letters from other former residents of Roxaboxen, Alice McLerran lovingly recreates the special place of her mother’s childhood. 

Barbara Cooney’s beautifully detailed illustrations bring McLerran’s loving descriptions to life. Cooney made two trips to the desert home of Roxaboxen to capture the magic of the place.

This is the kind of book that soothes and inspires children. Read it with your kids, and don’t be surprised when they create their own magical world in your backyard. 

December 26, 2018 Uncategorized Post a Comment

Homeschooling in November is Hard

It’s November. Traditionally a month of homeschool burnout. Because it looks sad outside. Because it’s dark. Because we are being bombarded with images of Christmas cheer and screaming deals and so many things we want but can’t afford. Because we feel like we have to create an awesome Advent and Christmas and that is just around the corner and we’re losing focus on homeschooling because our heads and hearts are being pulled in 1,000 different directions and we must absolutely be failing our kids because they’re surly and unfocused and, quite frankly, so are we.

Yuck. 

If you want to quit right now, just know you’re not alone. 

It’s time to take a deep breath, refocus, recenter, and remember why you’re doing this in the first place.

There’s only one reason to homeschool. There are infinite benefits of homeschooling, but there is only one reason to do it. The only reason to homeschool is because God is asking you to homeschool. And if God is asking you to homeschool, He will equip you to homeschool according to His will. 

St. Francis de Sales, a Saint of unbounding good sense and practicality frequently discusses the rough patches that come in faithfully living our vocations. He has this to say about the temptation to quit (emphasis mine):

Stay strong, sisters. We are not alone in this walk. We have each other. We have the Saints. And as one of my favorite priests likes to say, we have three divine persons and the mother of one of them on our side.

“… having implored the light of the Holy Spirit, applied our consideration to the seeking of his good-pleasure, taken the counsel of our director, and if appropriate, of two or three other spiritual persons, we must resolve and determine in the name of God, and not afterwards revoke or doubt our choice, but devoutly, peacefully, and firmly pursue and keep to it. And although the difficulties, temptations and the various circumstances which occur in the course of executing our design, might cause us some doubt as to whether we had made a good choice, we must remain firm, and not regard such things, but consider that if we had made another choice we might have been a hundred times worse; to say nothing of our not knowing whether it be God’s will that we should be exercised in consolation or desolation, in peace or war. Once the resolution has been holily taken, we must never doubt of the holiness of carrying it out; for unless we fail it cannot fail. To act in another manner is a mark of great self-love, or of childishness, weakness and silliness of spirit.”

There’s more of St. Francis’s teaching on discerning God’s Will here.  And I highly recommend this little book for a small daily dose of St. Francis’s spiritual direction. (That’s not an affiliate link.)

November 5, 2016 Encouragement Post a Comment

Control Your Curriculum (Don’t let it control you!)

The holidays are upon us.

How did that happen? It’s still 75 degrees here in Denver, but Thanksgiving is just 3 weeks away.

Historically, I have taken two different approaches to homeschooling in November and December:

  1. Completely give up on any homeshooling and “let the season be the teacher.” OR
  2. Try desperately stick to the plan while cramming in as many fun things as possible. Which often ends with me screaming “Get your math done or we can’t go the party!!!!” Which everyone knows is really just an idle threat.

The problem with the first approach is that, at least around here, “letting the season be the teacher” quickly devolves into hour after hour and day after day of Netflix. And not good Netflix either – stuff like Garfield and Littlest Pet Shop. <shudder>

The problem with the second approach is that it’s NO FUN. It just stresses everyone out and makes me feel like I’m always behind because I’m trying to cram too much into the limited hours of the week.

Knowing when it’s time to learn at home with our curriculum and when it’s time to learn from living life isn’t just a holiday problem. There was the year I had to decide whether to stick to the plan or head to the farm. After a tearful conversation with my husband I chose the farm, and I am so glad I did.

Since then, I’ve learned how to balance things a little better. How to make reasoned choices about what we do and what we don’t. How to plan our weeks so that we use the best of our curriculum and don’t sweat what isn’t critical for us. How to use a pre-planned curriculum as a guide rather than making it the boss of my homeschool.

I’d love to help you find that balance too.

Come to the workshop. Bring your planning guides and your calendars and we’ll work together to create a plan that will get you through the holidays. You’ll find that there’s room for carols and eggnog and math.

Click here to get signed up. And please, do forward this to a friend so they can bring some sanity to their holidays as well.

I can’t wait to see you!

September 10, 2016 Uncategorized Post a Comment

Morning Basket: Family Learning Time for Homeschoolers

What a fabulous workshop we had last week! Thank you to everyone who came out to make it a fruitful time of learning and support. While there's no substitute for the in-person camaraderie and exchange of ideas (not to mention the tea and cake!), I wanted to offer a little taste of what you missed if you weren't able to join us.

Hard Work and Hospitatlity

Sadly, I was too busy to take pictures of the lovely ladies and the lovely spread. But, as I mentioned, there was tea and cake - on real dishes! And fresh lavender in a vase. And I turned off the nasty fluorescent lights and just used the can lights in the room. I made it feel as much like my living room as I could. My workshops feel way more "mom's night in" than "lecture in a library." They're cozy. You should come.

workshopteaset

The workshops are also productive. The ladies who came left with a whole list of ideas of things to put in their Morning Baskets, and the star students even left with a Morning Time Agenda they can put into place with their kids on Monday Morning. I don't just throw a bunch of ideas at you, I give you time to figure out how to put them into practice in your own home.

Morning Basket How To's 

Just to show you I love you even if you weren't able to make it this time, I want to share a few of the treats I shared with the ladies who were there.

First, if you're not already familiar with the Morning Basket idea, I think one of the best places to start dipping your toes in is at Morning Time Moms. There's a series of posts there that will gently introduce you to the idea of having a family learning time in your homeschool. That link will take you right to it.

If you're already familiar with Morning Basket, check out Pam Barnhill's website and podcast, Your Morning Basket. Each podcast is an interview with an often well-known homeschooling mom about how they use Morning Time in their home. There's lots of good stuff there.

But you don't have to do a lot of research to get started with Morning Time in your home. You can (and should!) just throw some things in a basket and bust it out when your kids are all gathered for breakfast. Or if that doesn't happen at your house, do it at lunch time. Or institute a special afternoon cookie time and do it then. You don't have to have food at Morning Time, but it does help get people to the party.

Free Goodies!

To help you figure out what to put in your morning basket, I have two free printables for you.

First, this page will help you brainstorm what you already have in your house that you can put in your Morning Basket.

After you fill out that page, pick 4-5 things from your brainstorm list and go put them in a basket. Or a box. Or even a grocery bag. Just get them all together. You can buy a pretty basket later.

Now, fill out this Morning Time Agenda. Start with a prayer or a song. Then list the 4-5 things you chose in the order you want to use them.

Great! You're ready to start Morning Time with your family!

One last goodie. This list of Morning Time Rules. This is to remind you that Morning Time is supposed to bring peace and joy to your homeschool. If what you're doing isn't bringing Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, stop it.

Don't Miss Out!

The next workshop will be October 18 from 6-8pm. We'll be talking about Learning Through Play. I'm super excited about it and I can't wait to see you there! You can get registered for it here.

 

September 4, 2016 Morning Basket, Our Faith, Our Homeschool, Uncategorized 1 Comment

Teaching the Catholic Faith in Our Homeschool

These are my favorite resources for teaching the Catholic faith to my kiddos.

Catechisms

 

St. Patrick’s Summer: A Children’s Adventure Catechism 

(Marigold Hunt)

A fun approach to the Catechism in storybook format. The children in the story are visited by Saints who deliver catechism lessons and tell exciting stories from the history of the Church. A great read aloud for those preparing to receive the sacraments.

An Illustrated Catechism (Inos Biffi and Franco Vignazia)

Richly illustrated in a style reminiscent of medieval illuminations, this beautiful book is organized according to the outline of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, with a section corresponding to each of its four main parts: The Creed, The Sacraments, The Commandments, and Prayer.

The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism

Originally published in 1963, this more traditional catechism is presented in question and answer format. The topics of creation, the fall, redemption, and sacramental life are all presented in an orderly manner, with accompanying full color pictures. This is a very thorough presentation of the faith at a level young children can grasp.

Jesus and the Saints

A Life of Our Lord for Children by Marigold Hunt 

By the same author as St. Patrick’s Summer, this lovely book tells the story of the gospels in a way that is engaging and accessible to children. No dumbing down here. Hunt takes nothing away from the gospel and adds only enough to help children understand the context of the time and place.

The First Christians by Marigold Hunt 

Another one by Marigold Hunt, this tells the story of the Acts of the Apostles in her signature engaging style.

Saints and Angels: Popular Stories of Familiar Saints by Claire Llewellyn 

Stories of some of our favorite “Super Saints” and the Archangels accompanied by absolutely gorgeous illustrations.

First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion

Receiving Holy Communion
(Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.)

Pretty “old school” in it’s style and tone, this book offers a beautiful, straightforward explanation of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. It includes an explanation of the origin of the Mass; prayers for before, during, and after Mass; as well as conditions for receiving communion and a simple examination of conscience.

Going to Confession (Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.)

An excellent companion to the above book, this one explains the origin and meaning of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and takes kids through the logistics of the sacrament. It also contains a thorough examination of conscience based on the Ten Commandments. This is an excellent, gentle explanation of the sacrament that focuses on Jesus’s mercy and love for us.

A Picture Book of the Mass: Illustrated by the Masters (Lacy Rabideau)

This is a missal for young children from the creator of Catholic Icing. It provides the responses for Mass and is current for the new translation. Each page is illustrated with a gorgeous, classical painting to help children (or adults!) meditate on what is happening in the Mass. Helps young children to follow along and understand the Mass.

Jesus in my Heart (Sr. Immaculata Vertolli, OSB)

This book, written and illustrated by a Benedictine nun of the Abbey of St. Walburga, is part workbook, part textbook, and part keepsake. It was written to provide a hands-on curriculum for sacramental preparation that would engage a child’s senses and imagination.  The highlight of the book is the 3-D  card with fold-out “gates” and pocket inside representing a tabernacle. The child is invited to visit the Blessed Sacrament and insert the prayers he writes to Jesus into this card.

The Weight of a Mass
(Josephine Nobissio and Katalin Szegedi)

This beautifully illustrated and gentle tale celebrates the power of the Mass. A shabby, penniless old woman enters the baker’s shop as he is preparing luscious creations for the king’s wedding. When the baker refuses to give the old woman even a crust of stale bread, she offers to say a Mass for him, in exchange for food. Scoffing, he writes “One Mass” on a tiny piece of paper, places it on his scale, and tries to overbalance it with heaps of his finest pastries, but to no avail. The Mass outweighs them all.

The Mass Explained to Children (Maria Montessori)

While this book is written about the old rite of the Mass, it is an excellent, detailed, and understandable explanation of all aspects of the Mass from the prayers to the vessels to the vestments. Truly a treasure.

Confirmation

My Path to Heaven
(Geoffrey Bliss, S.J. and Caryll Houselander)
*Age 10 and up

Based on the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises this “retreat in a book” provides detailed illustrations to guide your child’s meditation on such  essentials of the Faith as God’s will, angels, Heaven and Hell, the Fall of man, the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, the Nativity, the Passion, salvation, the sacraments, faith, hope, love, and contrition, and it teaches children the relevance of these truths in their lives and in the decisions they make. Best for kids a bit older as some of the imagery might be scary to younger or more sensitive children. Also excellent for adults.

Archdiocesan Curriculum to be available ?

There is remarkably little available to prepare young children for Confirmation. Most material is geared toward teenagers. As our Archdiocese shifts to conferring the sacrament on 8-year-olds, parents will be challenged to find appropriate materials. The Archdiocese has indicated its plan to release a curriculum which will be made available in May of this year.

 

June 22, 2016 Writing Post a Comment

Introduction to Copywork: Copywork FAQ’s

Copywork is a favorite tool in Classical and Charlotte Mason homeschooling circles, but what is copywork? What benefits does it provide? How do you get started with it? How do you find passages?

I’m glad you asked.

 

What is Copywork?

Copywork is just what it sounds like. Depending on your child’s age and developmental level, he copies letters, words, sentences, and/or paragraphs. You provide him with a model, and he copies it in his own hand.

 

What benefits does copywork provide?

At first glance, copywork appears to be the epitome of the reviled “busywork.” What good can possibly come from this? So, so much it turns out. Imitating a model is how children learn language. It’s how they learn spoken language without formal instruction. We don’t set out a curriculum to teach infants and toddlers grammar, vocabulary, syntax, pronunciation, phrasing, etc. We just talk to our babies. And they copy what we say to them.

Copywork (and hearing and reading good literature) allows us to tap into this natural imitative process in order to teach written language. By imitating a good written model, our children learn spelling, punctuation, grammar, letter formation, vocabulary, and how to eloquently express a thought.

Not bad for 5-10 minutes of effort a day.

 

How do I get started with copywork?

With the littlest kids, you start with having them copy single letters. Progress to short words. Around second grade or so you can give them short sentences. Sentences can get longer through 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade, and middle schoolers can begin copying paragraphs. However, if your kid has never done copywork before, even if they’re older, start with sentences. The right length is what they can copy neatly and accurately in 5-10 minutes.

 

 

Where do I find passages for copywork?

You can find copywork passages on the internet. You can buy copywork workbooks. Or you can simply choose a sentence or two from a book your child is reading. There are websites where you can make your own handwriting worksheets. You can type a passage into that, or you can write it by hand, or you can simply have your kid copy straight from the book.

Most people recommend choosing from a variety of types of passages – scripture, poetry, literature, great speeches, fiction, non-fiction. You want to give your child a variety of good models to imitate to get the most out of the exercise.

 

How much time should copywork take?

Most recommendations are to spend 5-10 minutes on copywork 3-4 times a week.

 

That doesn’t seem like much. Is copywork really effective for teaching language arts?

I’m going to pass you off to another website to answer this question. The short answer is “yes.” 🙂

May 31, 2016 Uncategorized Post a Comment

How to Choose Curriculum: Brown Bag Dinner Workshop

Whether you're brand new to homeschooling or you've been at it for years, chances are you're looking to buy some curriculum for next year. Maybe you are considering a full grade level package. Maybe you're just looking to fill in a few gaps - perhaps a spelling program or a foreign language curriculum.

 

Where do you start? Google "homeschool spelling curriculum" and you'll be overwhelmed with possibilities. Ask four different friends and you'll get four different opinions about the best option available. And, of course, each of the curriculum providers' websites makes their program sound like the perfect solution to your needs. How do you know what to choose?

 

Most homeschoolers take a trial-and-error approach to finding the best curriculum fit for their family. But might there be a better way? Is there some way to know that a curriculum will be a good fit for your family before you waste your money - not to mention time spent in tears and frustration - on a good curriculum that just isn't a good fit for your family? You want what's best for your children. How do you know which curriculum is the best???

 

The best curriculum is the one that best suits you and your children. There's nothing magical about any curriculum or approach to teaching any subject. It's about finding the right fit between your family and the curriculum. 

 

This workshop will walk you through a process that will maximize the chances of you finding the right fit the first time. It will help you get really clear about what you need, what you want, and what you will actually look forward to using with your children. It will help you identify the materials that will maximize the joy you feel while teaching and that your children feel while learning. 

 

You'll leave this workshop with a clear idea of the characteristics you need in a curriculum and a tool to use to evaluate curricula and programs against the criteria that make a curriculum ideal for your family. It will save you tons of time and money and help to ensure that next year is your best homeschooling year yet.

May 25, 2016 Book Reviews: Books for Children, Morning Basket, Rethinking the 3 R's Post a Comment

In My Morning Basket: Apricot ABC (aka The Best Alphabet Book Ever)

Have you ever read a book and thought, “Why haven’t I ever heard of this book? Why isn’t everyone talking about this book? Did I miss something? People must know about this book!” (If you have, please, please share it in the comments below!)

I just finished reading this kind of book to my 5-year-old and I just had to share it with the world – or at least the tiny portion of the world that reads my little blog. Lucky you!

It’s called Apricot ABC by Miska Miles. The exquisite illustrations are by Peter Parnall.

I probably picked it up from a yard sale at some point, or perhaps it came from a box of my husband’s childhood books. I’ve seen it lying around my house recently and it looked like it might be sweet, so when I had a rare opportunity to snuggle up and read to just my little guy, I pulled it off the shelf.

I was afraid it would be a bit “babyish” for my strapping young man. He has known his ABCs for quite some time after all. But he was game, so we dove in. Right away I knew this wasn’t going to be your typical ABC book.

“An apricot tree grew knobby and tall
Beside a rickety garden wall.
A yellow-ripe apricot fell from that tree.
Swift as an arrow,
Just missing a sparrow,
It startled a . . . “

Bee. In case you’re wondering. It startled a Bee.

This ABC book has a plot! It tells the story of this apricot, and the plants and animals living near it, through the seasons. There’s an exciting scene with a “scary” hen that sends the birds and bees running to hide. And, of course, the book ends with a new tree growing from the original apricot seed.

ApricotABCChicken

The story is told is such beautiful language. The “Q” page is a favorite. Yes, the book is so amazing that the “Q” page is truly beautiful.

“Quietly, from special places
In the flickering shadow of Queen Anne’s laces,
Quickly ventured queer little things,
On fluttering, fragile gossamer wings.”

Not only is this book full of poetry, but the gorgeous illustrations double as a field guide for plants and insects. On the “U” and “V” pages you can identify dillweed, dock, ivy, purple violet, and Jimsonweed. Not to mention the aforementioned Queen Anne’s lace. The “C” and “D” pages have illustrations of crickets, butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies.

This book is perfect for Morning Basket Nature Study.

ApricotABC1

All of this, and you have the fun of finding the letter for each page hiding in the illustrations. Actually, that was the most absorbing part for my little guy the first time through. We will have to read this treasure many more times before we begin to exhaust the richness it offers.

I have so many ideas of how to use this book!

As we read it the first time we looked at the different shapes of leaves on the different plants. An older child could use it to draw and learn to identify the different plants. You could look up the plants and critters in a field guide and see how the illustrations compare to official drawings of the same. A simple story of seasons for a very small child. A fun point-to-the-animal book for a toddler. Not to mention the opportunities to find the words that start with that page’s letter,discuss the parts of speech of those words, examine the poetic devices used in the book. . . there are so many possibilities!

It is out of print, but there are a number of inexpensive copies available on Amazon. Check your library, but keep your eye out at used book sales! This is one you want to own.

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