Last year I met Sarah through the writing of Jim Baumgardner and now he is helping others in their endeavor to write well or teach their children to write well. This is the third and final installment of the series ‘Fundamentals of Story Writing” by Jim Baumgardner of the Sarah Books Series, hosted over at Creative Learners.

Mr. Baumgardner, an award winning author, has shared with us over the last 2 months free lessons in story writing for our homeschool students of any age!  Thess articles have blessed my family, and many more! You can see the original articles by clicking here for #1 and here for #2.

For today’s third and final installment in the series, check out Creative Learners.

In reading on Charlotte Mason’s style I came across a term I have heard many times now — Living Books. She says this about choosing reading material:

For the children? They must grow up upon the best . . . There is never a time
when they are unequal to worthy thoughts, well put; inspiring tales, well
told. Let Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence’ represent their standard in poetry
DeFoe and Stevenson, in prose; and we shall train a race of readers who will
demand literature–that is, the fit and beautiful expression of inspiring ideas
and pictures of life.

She warns against twaddle, a word I just love.  So, I have started a vigilant hunt for books that breathe.

We read living books because we love them, they bring us together. They prompt incredible conversations. Even my little ones surprise me with the observations that they make about a book and its connections with real life. They bring something to our home school that no unit study, hands-on project, or even a field trip can. They spark the imagination and make creativity soar.

Some look alive, but hold nothing of value beyond the front cover. Others look old and dry and yet have carried us on amazing adventures. How do I know? Where do I find a good book?

Just wanted to share some great resources for finding a good read:

Ambleside Online — This website builds directly off of the Charlotte Mason philsophy. It assigns a time period for each year and can and is used by many as the core of their homeschool. We used them loosely for a couple years. Now, I still refer to that site because the book lists are excellent. We have loved probably 90% of the books we found through that site.

Curriculum reading lists — I started looking through other curriculums (like Sonlight — which we also used for a year) to see what books they recommend at various grade levels. Lots of great recommendations made it into our reading list this way as well.

Five in a Row — For books and accompanying activities, these books can give you plenty to choose from. Books that have stood the test of time, and you will love reading and rereading with your kids.

The Book Guardians — This is a brand new site for which I will be a contributor. Be sure to check it out over time as more books get added to its ranks. It will list books and share in 10 key areas if they have content that might need consideration. I talked more about it on my blog post about book reviews.

Common Sense Media — This site offers a number of reviews, but does not seem to have a strong moral slant. I did not find the reviews as helpful because I tend to have a stricter standard on what I deem appropriate reading for my kids. Still, definitely some value in the sheer quantity of books they have reviewed.

Christian Children’s book reviews –A good site, but seems to review only Christian books.

Focus on the Family has a book review section — Some good reviews, but they seemed to be lacking a depth in their recommendations and information provided. Does come from a conservative preference morally.

Facts on Fiction — Lots of reviews and clearly targeting key areas of concern. Alphabetized and easy to find what you are looking for.

1000 Good books — compiled by 25 homeschool moms, you can find 1000 of their recommendations. That should keep you busy for a while!

Many books also offer lists and reviews:

- Honey for a Child’s Heart

- What Shall We Then Read

- Hand that Rocks the Cradle (from the Bluedorns)

- Books Children Love

- Invitation to the Classics

- The Read-Aloud Handbook

Finding the time:

With six kids, five of them now school age, the trick is finding time in a day to read books. We have employed a variety of means to do so. We read a bit each day. Sometimes at bedtime, sometimes in the afternoon. We have a silent reading time each day as well. Books on CD also help. We listen to these in our rooms, at bedtime, and definitely in the car. We “read” an extra book or two each month by listening in the car. And, it keeps the kiddos quiet while we travel!

Looking for some recommendation? Here are some of our favorite books:

The Little House on the Prairie series

The Princess and the Goblin

Gone Away Lake

The Calico Captive

The Endless Steppe

God’s Smuggler

Bruchko

Robin Hood

Galileo and the Magic Number

And, every year we discover a few more favorites. Stay tuned to hear what we unearth this year.

Please add some more resources or book favorites of your own in the comments. We are always looking for well loved books.

This post linked to Works for Me Wednesday.

Borders book store has some deals designed specially for teacher’s looking to stock their classroom libraries. If you are in the market for inexpensive books for your school room, this could be just for you!

Special free download in celebration of the Fourth of July. Also, a special sale on Marilyn Boyer’s new book.

Great reminders to focus on more than barbecues and fireworks this weekend.

Happy Fourth of July!

FREE Download to Celebrate Independence Day Uncle Rick’s Tribute to America no purchase necessary Use Promo Code: TRIBUTE Paul Revere`s Ride, The Declaration of Independence, Concord Hymn, The Mayflower  Compact, The Star Spangled Banner. (All 4 verses!) For You They Signed: $35

Special Offer- All July Revisionist history is exploded as Marilyn chronicles the lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. By reading about one of the 56 Signers per week, you can give your family more than a year`s worth of exciting “family times.” Learn together about the sacrifices made by these great men for our freedom. Inspire your children to become citizens who will reclaim the Christian heritage of America A code inside the book gives you free access to a companion ebook containing coloring pages for little hands to complete and hang on the refrigerator to learn to identify the Signers, character quality definitions and Scripture verses to learn (one per week,) and Family Fun Quizzes to use every other week to review the information and make it stick. All Month Regular Price: $49.95 Sale Price: $35 Buy Now

“More than 2.000 years ago, Nehemiah undertook the rebuilding of his nation. As part of the process, he constructed a “House of Heroes” (Neh. 3:16) by which those in his generation could learn of the courage and sacrifices made by previous ones. Through For You They Signed , Marilyn has created a much-needed inspirational “House of Heroes” for this generation. “ David Barton Wallbuilders

There are many great programs to help develop your child’s writing skills.

You may have heard of or used Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW), or Writing Strands, or Write Shop, or a number of other programs.

I also recently came across this website that shares lots of great writing tips, In Our Write Minds. (written by a Write Shop author)

Last year I had the privilege of reviewing a well-written book called Sarah’s Wish. The author, Jim Baumgardner, has started writing a short series of posts to help parents help kids write.

Since writing is an area we plan to spend some time on we enjoyed reading the first post for our group Composition time today. He focuses on how to come up with ideas for your writing projects and his ideas really helped the wheels start turning in our house.

Check out his full post at Creative Learners, and be inspired!

To register, please visit:  http://sites.google.com/site/hrcopenhouse/

Johnsburg Library HRC Open House and Used Curriculum Flea Market

July 10th from 10:00 – 4:00

(set-up for the Flea Market begins at 8:30 when the library opens)

10:00 – 12:00 Used Curriculum Flea Market

Sell some stuff, buy some stuff, ask lots of questions!

A limited number of tables and parking spaces are available by advance reservation only.

Those who do not register in advance may bring a blanket and use the lawn to sell.

Each seller is responsible for pricing and selling his/her own materials.

To reserve a space (free!) to sell at the used curriculum flea market please fill out the form below.

Answers to all questions are REQUIRED.

12:00 – 1:00 Eat, Meet and Greet

Bring a lunch or purchase a boxed lunch ($10 each) and join us!

You must reserve boxed lunches in advance (see below).

1:00 – 4:00 Open Forum Panel Discussion Q&A

Ask questions and hear real answers about the different homeschooling styles, curriculum choices, what has worked (and what hasn’t!), legal information, where to find resources, and much more!

This year’s featured panel members are:
Barbara Frank,

author of The Imperfect Homeschooler’s Guide to Homeschooling and LifePrep for Homeschool Teenagers

&

Alison McKee,

author of From Homeschool to College and Work: Turning Your Homeschooled Experiences into College and Job Portfolios and Homeschooling Ourselves, Unschooling our Children.

This event is FREE.

Children are, of course, invited to attend but we do not have room for child care

and any noise must be kept to a minimum in the library.

Homeschool Resource Center at the Johnsburg Public Library
3000 N Johnsburg Rd, Johnsburg, IL 60051
(located on Johnsburg/Wilmot Rd. – 2 blocks north of Chapel Hill Rd.)

If you’re researching or buying homeschool curriculum, you have to check out the Vendor Hall at the Schoolhouse Expo! It’s open to everyone. Browse through companies such as Rainbow Resource, WriteShop, Apologia, Latin Road, Phonics Road, Multiplication Shake, Go Phonics, and MANY MORE!

Latin Road, Phonics Road has freebies in their booth. Rainbow Resource has a free shipping offer. Spears Art Studio has a free CD. Real Science by Gravitas has a 25% discount coupon.

There is just so much to see. Stop by and meet the virtual hostess from each company, browse their selection, and look for “conference specials”.

You don’t even need your walking shoes or suitcase to lug your purchases in! Be sure to check out the Schoolhouse Expo Vendor Hall.

Often during the summer months we spend some extra time in books. With a lighter school schedule, more daylight hours, and more enjoyable weather, we love to stretch out with a book, inside or outside.

Why not reward your kids for time spent between those covers?

Of course, first check out your local library. Many of them have summer reading programs beginning this month or next with fun incentives to keep your kids reading.

But, that’s only the beginning:

- Scholastic won’t actually give you something (other than virtual trophies), but you can log minutes to help move toward a world record.

- Barnes & Noble will give your child a free book if they read 8 others and fill out the forms from their website.  (Hat tip to Debra for that link!)

- Borders will also give your under 12 year old a free book in exchange for reading 10 other titles.

- If you haven’t already checked out Book Adventure, that can always help motivate your reader. My kids have not used this much recently, but in the past did win some of their prizes for reading the books and correctly answering questions on a quiz after the reading.

- Feel free to make up your own. Grab some little trinkets at a garage sale, on clearance, use outings as a reward, or just plain old cash. Set goals, and watch your kids dig into those books.

Reading in itself is an amazing reward, but some kids do need that little extra nudge to keep at it. Any other creative ideas or programs for encourage reading in your child?

Coupons on top of deals all wrapped up in a warehouse stocked with books, what could be better?

Look up Illinois dates and locations, pre-register to print your coupon, and go shopping!

Another great opportunity to pick up some USED CURRICLUM at great prices.

The Kane County Christian Homeschoolers are having their annual used curriculum sale.

Many sellers will be on hand with their no-longer-needed materials. I find these sales a great place to pick up deals and advice on what to buy and why.

When: Friday May 14, 2010

Time: 1:00-4:00 PM

Where:  Morning Star Community Church in Aurora, Illinois

Members and non-members are welcome to sell and, of course, everyone can come and shop.