A new Drawing Project

I love it when I find something worth reading in the library. I've read the first chapter so far. And I've done the before you begin exercises in the chapter. I'll scan them as soon as I can figure it out again. I hope to find time to read chapter two this week and do the exercises.

52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge 2010: March 9-12

• Book 9 Pocketful of Pine Cones.

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. It was a little unrealistic in that the mother seemed to be a bit too put together. But it was still worth the read. The story is a fiction about a mother who decides to homeschool her two elementary school children and the many things that transpire as they go through their first year of homeschooling. It's set at the beginning of the great depression. It's written by a homeschooling mom who has a passion for the Charlotte Mason Approach to homeschooling and leans heavily on Nature Study. It's a good hands way of looking at education and a practical picture of how it could work in your family.

• Book 10 Kokology

This was an interesting fun book. Though I would say that some of the exercises were a bit more serious then others. I wouldn't take the book seriously though.

• Book 11 Welsh Fairy Tales by P.H. Emerson

The Stories of sixty good fairies who come to Mona to fight an evil witch. I enjoyed reading this short story to my children. It kept us engaged and of course everyone lived happily ever after.

• Book 12 Homer The Iliad

This is a good review. I enjoyed reading this book. It was a bit of a challenge to fine the time and keep myself on track reading it, but in the end it was worth the read.

Books 4-8 of 52 Weeks Challenge 2010

Book 4
Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame I wasn't impressed with the book as much as I thought I would be. Probably because I've watched so many kids cartoons featuring these characters. However, Moca thought it was awful. It was okay as far as kids books go... but I was surprised it's considered a classic.

Book 5
Poor Richard by James Daugherty This was a wonderful book. The story flowed so well it was hard to remember that it was a biography. It starts off at the beginning of his life in Boston and moves on through his life until his death in Pennsylvania. The illustrations are great, the chapters are short, and the way that Daugherty wrote is easy to follow without being dribble. Jo Bean eat it up.

Book 6
Marco Polo Book II More travels of Marco Polo after a while I ended up looking at a map to figure out where he was and though the book was interesting in some ways, the basic speach and lack of attention to detail did grade on me. I often thought, there just wasn't enough detail. Other then that the book was interesting.

Book 7
Marco Polo Book III By the time I finished book 3 I was a bit tired of Marco Polo. I'd say this is more of a book that should be read over time. If read slowly (as in not getting it from the library and having a time limit), it would really work out well for a Geography study. Anyway, I did enjoy it... but thought it was a bit outside of my son's comfort reading. He did read all of book 1 and some of book II before it got too tedious for him.

Book 8

America The Beautiful has many beautiful illustrations and the little snippets of information that are just right in size. Sanibel Island in Florida was my favorite photograph. If you like beautiful places which you could actually visit this is the book for you.

Books 1,2 and 3 of 52 Weeks Challenge 2010

Book 1
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White is a great cuddle book with the kids. I found more then once the other children sneaking in to hear what happens to Wilbur next (even though I read it to them when they were 5). I think the best thing about Charlotte's Web was hearing the insights of my 5 year old. "Mommy, why doesn't anyone see how special Charlotte is? She's the one who spins the word webs." "Do you think that it's right to eat pigs? I know they don't really talk, but do you think they mind if we eat them?"
*Spoiler~ "Do you think that Charlotte went to spider heaven?"

Book 2
The Travels of Marco Polo, finished book 1 Journey from the Lesser Armenia to the Court of the Great Khan at Shangtu. The print is small, which hurts my eyes a bit even with my bifocals on. The chapters are short though many. I wanted to get an idea of what it would have been like to read his account during his time so I didn't consult a map. As I read I could really "see" the land, this place of wonder, of the unknown. It was like reading about Neverland or what Alice saw on the other side of the looking glass without the attention to detail. Imagining some of the amazing things Marco Polo saw on his travels and the dangers he encountered at such a young age was fun. The only other criticism that I have is that his writing is a bit mater fact, it doesn't allow for frills. Still, looking forward to reading Book II.

Book 3
Raising Gifted Kids by Barbara Klein, Ph. D. this reading Chapter 2 really stuck out, How to Be a "Good-Enough" Parent to Your Gifted Child. Something I struggle with at times. When the questions never end, and your head is pounding from too many questions and meltdowns (very common in our home), that's when I need to just be a good enough parent. Perfectionism goes deep in our family. Either we do it perfect or not at all... which for the parent units is not a good thing. After all it doesn't really matter if your undies are washed perfectly or just generally clean. Yes, I needed the reminder that I don't have to be supermom of the century. Not much of a book review I know, but as far as parenting books go and gifted education books this one is pretty good... like with all topical books of this nature it's got its good and its bad. I think the general overview of the book is worth the read even if your offspring are more on the brightish, talented or of a different kind. Basically if your kids are on the peculiar side as mine are.

So these are the books I've finished last week. And I am so proud of myself (I'm not much of a deadline kinda girl).

Next weeks list looks something like this
Books to finish reading:
{1} Wind in the Willows
{2} Poor Richard (have to wait till Jo Bean finishes it)
{3} Marco Polo Book II and begin Book III
{4} The Beginning
{5} Continue Treasure Island (I hope to finish it by months end)
{6} Continue Trial and Triumph (read-aloud for Jo Bean & Moca)
{7} Continue This Country of Ours (read-aloud for Jo Bean & Moca)

New Books I intend to begin this week.

{1} The Epic of Gilgamesh
{2} Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift
{3} The Confessions of Saint Augustine Edited by Temple Scott
{4} Plutarch: the lives of noble Grecians and Romans Translated by John Dryden
{5} The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White (read-aloud for Z-train)
{6} The Princess Tales by Gail Carson Levine (read-aloud for Princess Sugar Plum)
{7} And I want to start on a Bible study book or a book of Christian poems or sayings (maybe something like Oswald Chambers books). Not sure yet what though.

A Beginning

As my first post I think I will blog about the books that I am currently reading. I've decided to take the...

Read-aloud with my princess
God's Little Princess Devotional Bible by Sheila Walsh This is such a precious little book, my daughter and I are really enjoying the time together studying God's word.

Read-aloud with my Kindergartner
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White We're on chapter 3 and I am hearing a lot of, but it's not as good as Pooh's Corner. I am hoping that he will come to enjoy it in the end.

Read-aloud with my 2nd & 4th graders
This Country of Ours by Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall My 2nd grader was going on and on about this to his dad yesterday. Apparently, "It's a very intriguing story" as my son put it.
Trial and Triumph: Stories From Church History by Richard M. Hannula We've only just begun reading about the death of Polycarp, it has caused much concern in my oldest in the "goodness" of mankind. He is none to happy with the treatment that the Christians suffered under the Roman Empire.

Pre-reads for my 2nd grader.
Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame I wish I would have read this book when I was a child. I would have really gotten a kick out of the use of the "a" word.

Pre-reads for my 4th grader.
Poor Richard by James Daugherty which has lovely illustrations, and I really enjoy the way that the author unfolds the story, not a dry biographical sketch of the life of Benjamin Franklin, which is what I was expecting.
The Travels of Marco Polo, this book really goes into quite a lot of detail. It's a meaty read, but I am enjoying it quite a bit.

For the Teacher in me
Raising Gifted Kids by Barbara Klein, Ph. D. I've actually read this several times, but I find something helpful every time I read it. Of course as a homeschooler there are chapters that simply don't apply.

For the Learner in me
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson I've been working on trying to get through the first chapter since the first of the year. I know the story will get better as I go... but it sure is a "boy" book if ever I read one. hah

And of course Just for Fun
The Beginning by Gene Edwards Again a book I've read before and it is written the way I'd write a book if I ever had the time to do so. It is just wonderful. Weather it's Biblical or not isn't much of an issue with me... it's just a nice fiction, Edwards is a great story teller.