A Trip Around the World in Three Books

 Elementary, Geography, History, Mom Helps, Unit study resources  2 Responses »
Dec 012010
 

I have three reproducible books from Carson Dellosa Publishing that have been helping us in our studies of different countries.  They are a series geared for elementary ages.  The first book, A Trip Around the World, helps you and your children explore life in Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Germany, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Australia, Canada, and the United States.  Another Trip Around the World takes you to Panama, Venezuela, Argentina, Antarctica, South Africa, Nigeria, Israel, Greece, Italy, France, Russia, and India.  A New Trip Around the World covers 12 more countries: Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Cuba, Peru, Chile, Spain, the United Kingdom, Norway, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ghana, and Morocco.  All three books are similarly laid out, each country’s section has the following:

  • Basic Information – area, population, flag descriptions, etc.
  • Fascinating Facts – This could be sports, animals, education, or historical, among other things.
  • Language activities
  • Recipes
  • Printable maps, flags, and a worksheet
  • Classroom activity ideas and a resource list to find more books

I really like these books and they are the first ones I read when we get ready to start learning about a new country. Why?  Because I get a great, succinct orientation to the country myself, one that gives me ideas of some of the possible topics we can study that relate to the country.  I admit, I am not as familiar with life in other countries as I could be, so I really like having this one-stop spot for familiarizing myself with the basics and some interesting facts.  I have found these to be fun and add neat things to our Expedition Earth study for my 4th grader.  Read my review of Expedition Earth here.

I can see using these books as a simple, stand alone set of unit studies for a weekly ‘country study’ that happens one day each week. I know my children are enjoying our country studies, and even when we move to a science focus come January we can keep exploring the world in a quick way when we just need to shake things up a bit.

What are some of your favorite reproducible books? I would love to know if you have used these or others in your homeschool, so please leave a comment!

Written by Tristan, mom to 6 children ages 9 to newborn, homeschooling through unit studies with a side of lapbooks.  You can visit her at her blog, Our Busy Homeschool, or read her other Curriculum Choice posts here.

Evan-Moor History Pockets

 History, Unit study resources  2 Responses »
Nov 192010
 

History is on of my very favorite subjects to teach.  I’ve always loved history and if you’ve read my blog for very long at all, you know I’m a project kind of homeschool mama.

I don’t use any one history curriculum…I use a wide variety of project books with one or two great spine books to base our unit off of.  One resource that I’ve gone back to over and over is Evan Moor’s History Pocket Series.

I absolutely love these books!  For us, we use them as a way to tie up our unit that we’ve been studying OR as a resource we use right along with our unit from start to finish to enhance what we’re learning.

History Pocket books have tons of simple, easy, but very informational projects organized into categories.  For each category, the students make a pocket and put their projects into the pocket.
By the end of the unit, each student has their own pocket book…a great way to show off all they’ve learned during the unit.

There are a wide variety of themes that these books come in.  Areas of history such as Ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece are books we’ve completed in our homeschool.  There’s also Native Americans, Colonial America, Moving West, Civil War, and American Revolution, and more.I love that when you’re finished using these books, you have a great pocket book full of your kids’ creations to show at the end of the unit.  Personally, I wouldn’t use these as a spine in my unit study, but they are a great enhancement.

These photos are from books that we’ve worked on.  If you would like to look closer, here’s a link to the history section on my blog.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ll try these fabulous history books!! :)

Alicia is a literature loving homeschool mom of 3.  You can find her blogging at La Famille.

The Mystery of History

 Bible, Biblical Principle Approach, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Hands On, High School, History, Middle School, Uncategorized, Unit study resources  2 Responses »
Nov 122010
 

Whether you study history chronologically or, like we do, in whatever order that strikes our fancy, The Mystery of History is a curriculum worth considering.

It is a complete, chronological history of the world, which combines secular and Biblical history. The hardback textbook is written in a conversational style that holds the reader’s attention.

The Companion Guide, which is used in conjunction with the hardback reader, contains:

•28 weeks worth of learning activities for younger, middle, and older students

•Memory cards

•Hands-on projects

•Field trip suggestions

•Review games

•Informative articles for the teacher

•Form for recording grades

•Outline maps

•Geography activities

•Supplemental book list

•Pretests, quizzes, and answer keys

•Timeline helps

The curriculum can be used with grades K-8th, but the author states in her letter to teachers that she has provided “tracks to run on that best match Middle Students, those from about 4th to 8th grades”. The activities can be adapted to fit the needs of younger and older students as well.

Pros:

  • God is placed at the center of the world’s history. The reader can see how His hand has shaped human events.
  • Mrs. Hobar’s writing style is much more interesting than that of most dry, traditional textbooks.
  • The Student Reader is a beautiful, colorful, hardback volume.
  • The activities and helps in the Companion Guide are fun and hands-on, helping to make the history lesson come alive.
  • The curriculum is written in a way that simplifies multi-level teaching, especially if you use the Companion Guide.
  • Students are encouraged to keep a history notebook in which they place their completed activities. I think it’s nice to have a keepsake like this for reviewing material.
  • Even if you don’t teach history chronologically, this is a wonderful resource for studying a specific time period.
  • Traces world events chronologically, lining them up with Biblical history. (For example, the reader learns what was going on in the rest of the world when King David was on the throne of Israel.) Obviously, the events of Volume 3 take place after Bible times.
  • Encourages the use of and gives instructions for making a timeline, which is a wonderful tool for helping students to visualize the unfolding of historical events.

Cons:

  • The only drawback I could find to The Mystery of History was the fact that the textbook did not hold the attention of my 5 and 7 year old.  My 9 year old, however, listened and enjoyed it as a read aloud. My youngers could easily be included in many of the Companion Guide activities though.

To see a video explaining more about The Mystery of History and to view prices for the textbook, companion guide, and supplementary products, visit Bright Ideas Press.

Written by Shannon, who blogs about her family’s hands-on history studies and other homeschool adventures at Song of My Heart.

Dover Coloring Books

 Art, History, Science, Unit study resources  4 Responses »
Nov 102010
 

We have many, many Dover coloring books, and they have changed the life of at least one of our children.  Miss 12 spends hours carefully coloring fashions of the past.  She has learned so much history simply from studying the pictures and reading the captions.  In fact, when she looks at paintings she can date them accurately, just by what the people are wearing!  She’s also learned a lot about color, realism, different media, and shading from the historical fashion coloring books.

Of course, not all Dover coloring books are about historical fashions.  We have books about military planes, cowboys, dogs, birds of prey, weeds, butterflies, and more.  Many of these books have small full-color examples of each coloring page, and all of them have informative captions for each picture.  Other coloring book titles include castles, farm animals, and ABC’s .  You can see them all here.

Note that these are not your typical scribble-in-when-you-are-four-years-old coloring books.  The pictures are detailed and accurate and would be a pleasant challenge even for an adult.  The paper is high quality, and we’ve even used markers on them, although pencil crayons and gel-pens work better.

For children who love to do something with their hands while mom reads aloud or while chatting with friends, there is no better Christmas gift or add-on to a school subject.  Of course these books will not work for all children, but since they are relatively inexpensive it’s worth a try.  If the kids don’t like them, you can always color them yourself.  In fact, I’m regularly tempted to order some of the great artists books for myself, but right now my days are too full to add a project like that.

To try out actual coloring pages, you can sign up for free weekly samples at the Dover web site.

Caution:  Occasionally the outfits in the fashion coloring books are indecent.  Some of the other books, such as those about art, may need a similar warning, but I have not seen them.

Disclosure

This review is based on the many Dover coloring books we have bought over the years. I do not receive any compensation for it.

-Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five great children, who blogs at Tea Time With Annie Kate.

Constant Conifers – NaturExplorers Review

 Charlotte Mason, Elementary, Mom Helps, Nature Study, Preschool, Science, Unit study resources  1 Response »
Nov 012010
 

Nature study is something my family has only been doing for a few months now.  When I began looking for something to hold my hand as we jumped into the nature study waters I came across the NaturExplorers series by Shining Dawn Books.  These downloadable unit studies were just what I needed.  I received Constant Conifers ($12.00) for my family to review.

Packed into each unit I found:

  • Inspiration to get me enthusiastic about the topic, and literature suggestions I used at my library.
  • Basic information for the topic in one place so I could just read and go if I wanted to skip the library.
  • Lots of out in nature ideas – the gold mine I was looking for!  I had pages upon pages of ways we could explore our topic in the outdoors.  Each day we went out I knew I was ready to help guide my children to learn a little bit more than they had the last time we were outside.
  • Writing and research ideas to bring our learning back inside.
  • References for Bible study, artist study, composer study and poetry tie-ins, with internet links.
  • Notebooking pages to print and use with many of the activity ideas.

During our study of conifers we learned so much about these ‘cone-bearers’. We chose one special conifer by our backyard fence to explore in detail and compare with a maple tree in our yard.  It really helped to be able to touch and see the trees close up when we were learning about cones, sap, bark, needles/leaves, and more.  We spent one day watching for creatures in and around our conifer, another looking at cones in wet weather versus dry, measuring, drawing, and even smelling our tree.  You can see a sample of Constant Conifers on this page.  The units are written for elementary ages, with ideas for using it with both younger and older students.  All my children were able to learn together with Constant Conifers!

I have plans to pull Constant Conifers back out in mid-winter and see what new observations we can make about our special tree in a new season. There were so many great nature study ideas that we could not get to them all the first time around.  I also have my eye on several more of the NaturExplorer units, including Snow and Ice.  I know my kids would have a blast with that one during the winter blahs around February or March!

Written by Tristan, mom to 5 going on 6 children, homeschooling through unit studies with a side of lapbooks.  You can visit her at her blog, Our Busy Homeschool, or read her other Curriculum Choice posts here.

{Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Constant Conifers when I approached Shining Dawn Books about doing a review.  I received no other compensation and all opinions presented herein are my own.}

Answers in Genesis: God’s Design for Science

 Biblical Principle Approach, Science, Unit study resources  6 Responses »
Oct 292010
 

Gone are the days of buying separate science curriculum for various levels. Focusing on different topics in multiple grades. For me, as homeschool parent, I no longer have to set aside time to “do science” with each child. Everyone is learning together. A unit study approach for the whole family.

Four years worth of units for grades 1-8. Each with 3 units

Properties of Matter, Properties of Atoms and Molecules and Properties of Ecosystems

Heat and Energy, Machines and Motion, Inventions and Technology

Our Planet, Our Universe, Our Weather and Water

The World of Plants, The World of Animals, The Human Body

Presentation: Each chapter begins with a separate “Beginner” section.

(1st-2nd grade): Just a few paragraphs of the Beginner section, key words, the chance to join in on experiments and projects and worksheets, if directed by the teacher.

(3rd-5th grade): skip the beginner section and start right into the regular portion of the lesson. These students progress through the accompanying activities.

(6th-8th): in-depth studies, special features on scientists, historians or current events, learning “additional interesting information.”

Quizzes and final tests are also included in the curriculum.

Solid Biblical Foundation: Creation based – special icons alert the teacher and students to explain how “the information in the lessons fit into the Seven C’s of History: Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, Consummation.”

For the parent: Minimal preparation. An accompanying CD provides printable activities, accompanying questions for further study, graphs, questions to prompt review or specific work on a unit project.

For all students: reading some excerpts aloud reaches my auditory learners, the activities for further study reach my students that love hands on learning, while my older students like reading the special features for further study on their own.

Unit projects: For example in God’s Design for Life, the student keeps an animal notebook while studying that unit, adding a new animal “page” or two per chapter.  Some experiments could easily be a science project for a homeschool group’s science fair.

See for yourself: View sample pdf files of each year.

What does it cost?

The entire set – four years worth of science texts (24 softcovers and 4 CD-ROMS $299.00)

Each year’s worth of study:  (6 softcovers and CD-ROM $89.00)

Our family owns God’s Design for Life and God’s Design for Heaven and Earth. In fact, last Christmas eldest boy asked for a book on space. Rather than spend the money on one book, we decided to go ahead and purchase the Heaven and Earth set for him because we knew that, eventually, the whole family would benefit and that it was Biblically based.

How it works for our family:

The joy for our family has been how we turn to these texts when studying nature. Honestly, our nature studies drive our science studies. This is how it works.

Rather than having a hard stop. “Time to do science!” I read the lesson during lunch. In the spring, we were studying weather:

We discussed the Christian view of weather:

•Who designed the weather patterns on earth?

•What is one way that rain and sunshine work together to help people?

•What major event in the Bible greatly changed the weather on earth?

…also how “God sends the rain, withholds the rain, controls storms, but most importantly, God created the earth and everything in it. He set up how the weather operates… if we recognize these things when we study weather, we will see God’s hand and understand Him more clearly.”

What about the older grades? Sometimes I put the assignments for further study into a workbox. This works well with my two middle schoolers. Or sometimes we read the basic lesson together, then the younger ones get down to go play. The older ones stay while we discuss the more in-depth topics.

Eldest girl will be an eighth grader next year. I’ve been thinking ahead on what to do for high school. I’ve checked and Answers in Genesis offers rich studies for the high school level. Building Blocks of Life Science, Biology 101 DVD set, and many more. Just scroll down to Homeschool Curricula.

Conclusion: This curriculum is written by homeschool authors Richard and Debbie Lawrence. In addition it has received awards from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and Practical Homeschooling. I often call the Answers God’s Design curriculum the Tapestry of science. That is simply because Tapestry of Grace works well for our large, multi-level family for history. The same principles apply for science with God’s Design. Everyone is learning together. Less work for mom, more fun together as a family. Plus, the learning is gentle and joy-filled.

Fun Fact from God’s Design for Heaven and Earth: Our Weather & Water: The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia is more than 1,250 miles long. It is the largest structure on earth built by living sea creatures. It is larger than anything built by man including the Great Wall of China, and it is visible from the moon.

~Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting and homeschool sites as well as her own daily Hodgepodge.

Expedition Earth: A Journey Through God’s World

 Elementary, Geography, Preschool, Unit study resources  No Responses »
Oct 042010
 

We love unit studies and were thrilled to be able to begin a trip around the world with Expedition Earth: A Journey Through God’s World ($15.00 instant download) from Confessions of a Homeschooler.  In the last few months my children and I have visited China, South Korea, and India.  We’re headed to several countries in Africa next, and I have to say we’ve been having a wonderful trip from the comfort of our couch!

Just what is Expedition Earth? It is a unit study curriculum plan that takes your K-3rd grade children through 31 countries on all seven continents.  Expedition Earth lays out plans for a week in each country, telling you which books and resources you’ll need and what to do each day with your family.  There is a small core resource list that these weekly plans center around, which means you can just gather these resources and be set for the entire curriculum.   We have most of the core resources, so each week I can simply print the schedule for the country, gather any craft materials, and we’re ready to go.  An extra book list is included to take your learning further if you wish to spend more time in some countries.  I usually grab a few extra books for each country from my library to make Expedition Earth meaty enough for my 4th grader to join in the family adventure.  If you want to see a sample week check out the plans for a visit to Brazil here.

Expedition Earth also includes:

  • craft ideas
  • recipes
  • a Christmas around the World unit
  • a study of geography and ecosystems
  • printable flag and map for each country
  • a mini language study where you learn to say hello in each country’s main language
  • a free Animal Classification unit and mini-book for animals from each country

There are five report pages you can use for students on the older end of the age range, giving you a variety of focus over the course of your travels.  We tend to choose one or two reports per country for my 4th grader to do.  The reports are:

  • Country Report
  • Continent Report
  • Animal Report
  • Ecosystem Report
  • Children Like Me Report

My children look forward to Mondays now, ready to add a new flag to their passports and start their adventure in a new country. Each day they browse the book basket and come back to me asking questions, wanting to know more about the people, the places, and the animals God has placed on this Earth.  I love that so much of the planning is done for me, and I love that all my children can learn together.  We’re making memories and discoveries as we use Expedition Earth to travel the world.

-Written by Tristan, mom to 5 going on 6 children, homeschooling through unit studies with a side of lapbooks.  You can visit her at her blog, Our Busy Homeschool, or read her other Curriculum Choice posts here.

{Disclaimer: I received Expedition Earth free to enable this review.  I received no other compensation and all opinions presented herein are my own.}

History Comes Alive

 Charlotte Mason, Literature, Living books, Unit study resources  4 Responses »
Aug 182010
 

As a Charlotte Mason homeschooler, teaching with living literature is imperative to me. And considering that I like to package much of our history and science learning into unit studies, incorporating living literature into our current unit makes awesome connections for my children.

The History Comes Alive books written by Barbara Greenwood fit both the CM and unit study aspects of our homeschool perfectly! Written about four major eras of North American history, the books are a wonderful mix between historical fiction, factual snippets and simple hands-on activity ideas.

I’ve used these books with my children from 2nd grade on up. They’re each well over 200 pages, but are illustrated in black and white pencil drawings to keep children intrigued. It’s very easy to skip around and only read certain parts, too, if you’d rather not go through the entire book.

A Pioneer Story introduces you to Sarah and Willy Robertson, Canadian pioneer children of the 1840′s who must be hard-working members of their family in order to survive. Breaks in the story-line turn to more factual information about such things as what a typical log house would’ve looked like, how a farm might be situated, the maple sugaring process, the process of weaving and much more. Activity breaks are also included in the story which will give step-by-step instructions for making cheese, making a homemade balance scale, stenciling and many others.

There are two smaller books available by the same author on the subject of pioneers, too – A Pioneer Thanksgiving and A Pioneer Christmas. Both are written in the same style as the above book, but only have about 48 pages each.

The Last Safe House (our very favorite) is a story of the Underground Railroad. Two preteen girls, Eliza (an escaped slave) and Johanna (a daughter in the home of a safe house) become wonderful friends. Johanna is introduced to the world of slavery, escape, fear and freedom in this wonderful tale. On the factual side of the story, you learn about famous slaves, slave labor, the Underground Railroad and even a few slave songs. The activities teach how to make corn-husk dolls, tin lanterns, gingerbread cookies, and how to spin a good story.

Gold Rush Fever is set in the Klondike in 1898. Thirteen year old Tim sets off with his older brother on the dangerous journey through the Yukon territory in an attempt to get rich during the gold rush. This book not only takes you on the hunt for gold, but starts at the beginning in Seattle where you start the trip through treacherous conditions. It’s a good view of the entire sacrifice and determination on the part of those who left home in search of gold. The factual snippets teach you about gold mining equipment, boat building, mining towns, what happened when gold was found and more. The activities introduce you to a sour-dough biscuit recipe, knot tying, playing solitaire and other ideas that are particularly boy-friendly.

Factory Girl brings you face to face with the reality of children working in factories in the early 1900′s. Meet 12 year old Emily as she works long hours in a unsafe, dark, overcrowded sewing factory where she is treated poorly by her demanding and unfriendly boss. Don’t be fooled, this story isn’t just for girls. The informational sections take you on a photographic journey through all sorts of child labor conditions of the times including coal mines, housemaids, and other factories. You will learn about immigration, living in large cities in the early 1900′s, schooling, women at work, and laws that changed child labor and working safety.

Although this books is unlike the others in that it doesn’t include activity ideas, it’s still our second favorite in the series. This is an issue that’s harder to find literature about for children, so we were very excited to dive in!

-Written by Cindy, eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of 3. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and you can find her nature studies at Shining Dawn Books.

NaturExplorers

 Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Hands On, Middle School, Nature Study, Science, Unit study resources  3 Responses »
Aug 092010
 

Nature study can be so rewarding and memorable for our kids, but sometimes getting the motivation to go outside and go on nature walks can be tough.  Especially when the weather is cold and there’s lots to do inside the house.  For me, I felt like I wanted to do fun nature walks, but had no direction.  And for this list-making, plan-it-out kind of mama, I needed more direction.  So, when I found NaturExplorers over at Shining Dawn Books, I was very pleased.

The books are written by two nature-loving homeschool moms, Cindy West and Melissa Leach. Their love of nature drips from the pages of these wonderful nature guides.  Each book focuses on a different area of nature, such as:

~Fruits and Nuts
~Spiders
~Birds
~Rain
~Snow and Ice
~Butterflies
~Fungus
~Rocks
~More! (there are 19 books in the series)

What I love about these books is the flexibility and the many, many options and ideas they provide.  They are absolutely full to the brim with information and ideas.  Not only does each book include tons of information on the subject it’s based on, but it includes ideas of how to incorporate many different areas of your homeschool right into nature study.
Areas like:

  • Artist Study
  • Composer Study
  • Art
  • Bible
  • Poetry

For example, when my kids and I were studying from the Fruits and Nutsbook, one suggested activity was to study the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians and gave great ideas of how to do so.  What a fabulous way to bring nature study inside and keep right on learning!

In our homeschool, we study one area of nature for about a month or two.  So, when we go on a nature walk we know what to look out for.  We read some background info that each book provides along with some of the additional reading they suggest, and away we go.   You can use these as the spine to an in-depth unit study or you can definitely pull them right off the shelf and use these books as guides as you go on your walks.  Their notebooking pages and many suggestions make it possible for any homeschool mom to use them, no matter what your teaching style.

We have enjoyed making Nut Dye, coloring in the snow, inspecting snowflakes, and gathering samples of coniferous trees.  NaturExplorers have been so helpful in our nature study.   I now feel like I can look through these, get ideas and have a plan before we go on a nature walk.  You can visit the website at Shining Dawn Books where you can read their nature blog or ask them questions.  They are great about giving advice and answering questions.

If you don’t want to just take my word that these are wonderful books, you can read Shannon’s review by clicking here. I have to say that my very favorite part about NaturExplorers is they inspire me to explore God’s awesome creation!  I hope you are encouraged to go out and do some exploring yourself!

Alicia is a homeschool mom of 3 nature-loving kids and can be found blogging at La Famille.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children

 Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Living books, Science, Unit study resources  No Responses »
Aug 062010
 

The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess is a delightful blend of storytelling and nature study.

Published originally in 1919, Burgess meticulously weaves the non-fiction details of bird life into the fictional account of a curious rabbit named Peter.  As Peter explores his surroundings, the Old Orchard, the Green Forest, the Green Meadows and even the banks of the Big River and its tributaries, he also pursues his longing to find out more about his feathered friends.  Their ways intrigue Peter, so he sets out to discover them, interviewing Jenny Wren and dozens of other birds commonly found in the United States.

Peter is the secret to the book’s story-telling success.  He is sometimes prideful, generally curious, and always growing.  Peter’s personality especially appeals to children, as he flits around his world encouraging his friends, meeting new birds, and generally enjoying the whole experience.  His antics and manners reflect a joy of learning and life.  In addition, he is a good role model, one who chooses to learn from his mistakes and who appreciates those around him even though they are different from him.

Peter is joined by a numerically formidable group of his feathered brethren.  Each bird—91 birds total—has a name created by Burgess that is intended to reflect the bird’s personality and characteristics.  It is combined with the commonly used name (names in some cases) of the bird.  The non-fiction nature study component for each bird includes the birds’ descriptions, male and female, and generally also discusses the bird’s diet, call, nesting practices, migration tendencies, and daily habits.  The sharing of these facts does not become tedious or mundane, however; Burgess utilizes story to maintain interest.  Each bird becomes a true character in his own right, engaging the reader and informing at the same time.

Burgess’s method works amazingly well.  My lower elementary-aged children never failed to request “one more, please” as we worked our way through the short chapters.  Though the language is not particularly difficult, it is typical for the time in which it was published and uses phrasing that is not commonly used today.  This was not an issue, even though my children are young.  In fact, they have retained information from the book, sometimes regaling me with their bird knowledge at unexpected times.

There are great possibilities for study with this book.

●Use it as a read-aloud.  Enjoy both the story and factual elements.

●Use it as the foundation of a bird unit study.  Add a field guide and some library books for an amazing nature-based science unit covering birds.

●Use it to teach the masterful combination of fiction and non-fiction in story form.  Have your student give it a try.

●Use it as independent read for an older student.  Expect a bird-centered project at the end.

●Use it to encourage bird watching and general nature appreciation for the whole family.

●Use it to painlessly learn the details of bird life in the United States.  A field guide and audios of birds singing their tunes would complement the book nicely.

●Use it for art.  Ask students to draw and color the birds from the book’s descriptions and then compare their work to photographs.  For younger kids, print coloring pages.

●As you read, use it for copywork and narration.  The short chapters lend themselves to this approach.

●Discuss character lessons drawn from Peter and the other creatures as you read.  Collect Bible verses that illustrate similar character values and virtues.

●Use it seasonally, returning to it each spring as the birds return.

For the most part, we just read the book and loved it.  It is a book that teaches without trying; a “living book” to which we will return for more in-depth study as my kids get older.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children is available for purchase from Dover for $8.95.  It can be found for free at Project Gutenberg and LibroVox.  A quick search of the internet will provide a number of useful sites, including the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds guide.  There are also quite a few homeschool mamas out there who have used this book and share their ideas.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children is really not just for children.  It is a book that will encourage and engage readers and listeners of all ages.  Don’t be surprised if you learn something, too!

-Most days find Susan on the couch reading to her children, in the floor “playing” math, and generally in the middle of a good-sized mess.  A love for the Lord, a love for her little ones, and a love of learning have led Susan and that  wonderful man she married to an educational philosophy that is Well-Trained Mind-inspired classical and Charlotte Mason, with a touch of the traditional.

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