My kids received TEN new books at Christmas this year. Picture books. Non-fiction books. And drawing books.
I can't wait to share them all with you! But I'll restrain myself and not review all ten of them in this one post. I'll spread them out a little.
(However, if you can't wait, click on the GoodReads link in the sidebar and search for my children's shelf.)
The one book we bought ourselves was The Big Blue Book of Beginner Books.This book includes: Go Dogs Go!, It's Not Easy Being a Bunny, Are You My Mother?, Put Me in the Zoo, The Best Nest, and A Fly Went By.
Usually I don't like compilation books but this was about $5 more than we would have paid for ONE of those titles by itself. I LOVE me a bargain!
All of my kids are enjoying these stories. Ellie walks around with the book and calls it her "Bible." (We think God understands the mind of a 2 year old and won't strike her for her blasphemy.) She and Will (5 years) both like to sit and "read" the book.
Actually, William could read the book if he put some effort into it. It's a beginning reader book and he definitely qualifies for that. Ellie's version of reading the book is to say the parts she remembers us reading. It won't be long and she'll have the while thing memorized.
I have enjoyed reading some of the lesser known Dr. Seuss stories. There is the typical Seussian rhyme, silly antics by the characters and bright illustrations. Two of the stories (It's Not Easy Being a Bunny, The Best Nest) even have morals (be yourself and be content).
If you are looking for a beginning reader or a rhyming book other than Cat in the Hat, I highly recommend this book.
If you enjoy Dr. Seuss here are a few links you might be interested in:
*Seussville for games, catalog and events;
*Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden outside the Springfield Museums (Massachusetts)which also includes an exhibit on Dr. Seuss.
Finally, on March 2, 2009, (Seuss's birthday) the National Education Association's Read Across America program is calling for every child to be reading in the company of a caring adult.
(Let me be clear that I am NOT an advocate for or fan of the NEA!)
2 comments:
Okay - I've written two messages on Facebook, but Firefox does not like it when I write messages on Facebook, so the messages have disappeared into nothingness! So, I'll try to keep it brief here...:-)
Holidays - a dear friend gave me "Every Day a Holiday" by Silvana Clark several years ago. VERY fun book! This friend also finds lots of holidays from other sources. Her blog is www.achoate.blogspot.com if you're interested in seeing some of her ideas. She's a phenomenal homeschooler, and I've learned so much from her!
Kids - Olivia is 7, Angela is 5, and Steven is 2 As for curriculum, I insist on putting together my own for KG. There's so much variation in how kids at that age learn, and I want the freedom to pull back or challenge more. But, I tried the same thing for first grade, and I ended up falling flat on my face, spending much more money and time than I would have spent otherwise, and being overloaded in general. I have so many friends who are incredibly talented at creating their own curriculum each year and doing it efficiently and cost-effectively. I just can't do that! We chose Sonlight because we can combine grades for the "core" subjects and individualize for math, reading, writing, and language arts. That keeps it cost-effective for us. To be honest, we don't have the money to do it, but God has provided so beautifully, so we've felt that was His confirmation. What I've learned? Homeschool as you're gifted, not as someone else exemplifies or encourages!
Philosophies - Sonlight draws on Charlotte Mason and Ruth Beechick. We haven't adopted a single philosophy for ourselves, but we do rely heavily on paying attention to learning styles and personalities, and then taking what we have and adapting it to each child.
Your insights have been so incredible for me! I love your organizational thoughts and your book reviews. I can't tell you how encouraging and helpful it is to 1) know there are others out there who share my same passions and 2) see ideas that help me so much! Thanks for blogging!
My mom got me the Dr. Seuss Dictionary when I was about this age, and I pored over that thing for hours upon hours. Can't beat Dr. Seuss!
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