These days, I enjoy planning themes for the month, finding relevant books, activities, and other resources, and then using our morning time to dive in. I’m amazed at the vast content that we’ve been able to cover over the years and I love watching my children take what they’ve learned from one little picture book into their day and weave it into their play and conversations. The last of my 7 learners is a bit of a reluctant learner but he never turns down a read-aloud or a hands-on activity to accompany the book…another benefit of using books.

June is a great time of year to transition to using more books even if it’s just to keep summer learning going. Curriculum studies are often winding down at this time of year and June is full of educational themes and topics. We’ve pulled together a few book stacks to help you cover the following topics.

June is National Indigenous History Month
Indian Tribes of North America – Coloring Book
Hiawatha
Northwest Coast Indians – Coloring Book
How Summer Came to Canada
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Canadian Fairy Tales
The Indian School

World Ocean Day is June 8^th

Island Boy
My First Book About the Oceans
A Morning to Polish and Keep
What Lives in a Shell
One Morning in Maine
Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean
Oceans
Sea Animals – Sticker & Coloring Book
Time of Wonder

June 5th is National Health and Fitness Day

Hear Your Heart
My First Book About the Brain
How Many Teeth
Lungs
My First Human Body Coloring Book

June 21st is World Music Day

Musical Instruments
Great Composers
Meet the Orchestra
Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers
Music Activity Book
The Story of the Orchestra
The Gift of Music

A few other resources to mention…

June 1st is World Milk Day and we carry a sweet little resource for you to read to your children…Milk From Cow to Carton. You don’t need to look much farther than your grocery store to add a fun activity to accompany this read-aloud; a menu filled with fun dairy foods! If you are looking for a more complete study on where our food comes from we carry a bunch of picture books that are a great place to start: How Do Apples Grow, From Seed to Plant, Honeymakers, The Vegetables We Eat.

It’s the story behind The Swiss Family Robinson that makes this novel a good choice for Fathers Day. The author, Johann David Wyss (1743-1818) was a pastor in Switzerland. He created this story to entertain and instruct his boys after they developed an interest in the Robinson Crusoe story. This is a classic family read-aloud and will prime your children for hours of summer creative play.  If you are looking to add some formal learning to this novel we also carry the Swiss Family Robinson Comprehension Guide. Also, don’t forget that this novel has been made into a movie. See our Movie Night Book Stack for a complete list of novels that have been made into movies.

June marks the beginning of the summer season. The Reasons for the Seasons does a great job explaining why seasons change. Add these titles to round out your child’s understanding of the relationship between the seasons and solar system: The Moon Book, The Sky is Full of Stars, The Big Dipper, Along Came Galileo.

Visit us again next month for a new list of books that you can add to your summer homeschool.

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Teach Through June appeared first on Classical Education Books.

Readers love a good novel series! This blog post is full of reviews that will guide you to the next novel series for your children.

Having trouble deciding? Start Wishlist on our website.

Reviews are included here for:

The Green Ember

Padraic Colum’s Stories from Ancient Mythology 

The Wilderking Trilogy

Marguerite Henry Books 

The Wingfeather Saga

Green Ember Series 

Heather and Pickett are two youngsters who are suddenly faced with the unimaginable reality of losing their home and their family. Faced with betrayal resulting in a life-threatening race against hungry, vicious wolves Heather and Pickett must remember, and obey, those commands given by their parents in a time of peace when no one was really paying attention.  

So begins the story of rabbits with swords, or courage versus cowardice. The young siblings embark on an adventure that will take them to the end of the known rabbit world, and push them beyond their own limits of strength and valor. Heather, as the older sister will learn how to love and protect while allowing freedom and growth to happen in those she tenderly cares for. Pickett will need to make decisions on whether to deal with his envy and bitterness as he begins to work with a prickly mentor.  

At every turn, there is suspense as victory and defeat take on different forms and have bittersweet outcomes. Morbin Blackhawk, leader of the depraved forces closes in on the beauty and bravery displayed by King Jupiter’s descendants. Each individual soldier must choose for himself who to follow as more than one leader lays claim to the throne.  

As Heather and Pickett get closer to the throne, and the true descendant, they find themselves in the confidence of the throne’s secret. Can they protect rabbitkind? Will Heather’s talent be the undercurrent of strength to keep the faith even in captivity? Can Pickett hold his own and fight with a resolve that’s larger than life?  

This series will keep you wondering at every turn. It has quiet moments of reflection interspersed with adventure. And one of my favorite things about this series is that it’s not particularly “for girls” or “for boys” but rather, for families, siblings, children, adults, or, quite simply all who love a good story.  

They are to be read in this order:  

The Green Ember – Book I
The Black Star of Kingston – Tales of Old Natalia
Ember Falls – Book II
The Last Archer- Green Ember Archer I
Ember Rising – Book III
The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner – Tales of Old Natalia
The First Fowler – Green Ember Archer II
Ember’s End – Book IV
The Archer’s Cup – Green Ember Archer III 

Padraic Colum’s Stories from Ancient Mythology 

Padraic Colum has written a trilogy of great fantastical stories to engage the imagination. While these are stories that can stand on their own, they have an added advantage to being stories based on ancient mythology. As these books are read and enjoyed, the reader will be introduced to some of the many characters in ancient mythology and enjoy an introduction to ancient literature. 

The Children’s Homer

Based on the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer, this story tells of that great hero of Greek literature, Odysseus. His first quest, to find his father takes us to Troy and the battles fought by Achilles. As the war ends, Odysseus travels on towards home, but it’s not a quick nor easy journey. Odysseus learns to be wise and cunning, though he does not completely avoid catastrophe. We feel the weariness of travel beset by woe, and the longing of home that’s deep in our own souls. Even as home lies within our grasp we learn that it’s not the home we had in mind, nor the comfort we needed.  

 The Golden Fleece

Before Odysseus there was Jason of the Argonauts. Jason gains the favor of the Greek goddess Hera, just in time to help him face the struggle to reclaim his father’s throne. His assignment to achieve his goal seems relatively simple: retrieve the golden fleece from the kingdom of Colchis at the shores of the Black Sea. Jason’s quest is challenged, but he also finds favor with powerful allies. The question we keep asking throughout the story is, will Jason complete his quest and live happily ever after?  

 The Children of Odin

Not all mythology is from Greece. This story tells us of the northern gods and goddesses, those of the Vikings. From the beginning of time, we learn of the Norse understanding of creation and the relationship between the supernatural and human beings. We may have heard of the names Odin, Thor, and Loki. But do we know where those stories come from? If you have watched even one Marvel show, then you owe it to Loki and Thor to read this book about their real stories.  

 These stories follow closely with the original texts written by the ancients. You may find that they only begin to spark you and your children’s interest in these ancient stories that have shaped the world as we know it.  

The Wilderking Trilogy

The Wilderking Trilogy is a brilliant story loosely based on the life of King David of biblical fame, set in an Arthurian style legend with a feudal type of government, and a Louisiana bayou landscape. 

In the first book, we meet the protagonist, Aidan. He is predictably the youngest of a large family, and not necessarily the most popular when he fulfills the local seer’s prophecy. He loves his father dearly and stays close by him to care for and serve him, but Aiden longs to engage in the outside world to see what legends he can explore.  

His family name rises in the court when he and his brothers capture and deliver a giant alligator to the court of the king. But they are not proud of their king and his rule, a feeling exacerbated by his cruel treatment of their prize alligator, and the event does not end well. 

With war looming on the horizon, Aidan’s brothers are called up to the king’s army, while Aiden stays home to care for his father. But all does not give way to boredom. Aidan is called up to bring supplies to his brothers at the front line. He takes the path less trod on the way in an attempt to avoid discovery by unfriendly natives. Instead, he is confronted by those pesky creatures, the feechies!  

The feechies are best described as human–like creatures who live on the swamps of the bayou. They are loving creatures who can’t go long without a good ol’ fight in which they have the advantage of using their highly unhygienic bodies as a weapon against Aidan. Just when things get a little dicey for Aiden, an old friend finds the courage to confess his allegiance to that brave human, or “civilizer” as the feechies call him.   

This opens the way into the feechie fen, and a world where “civilizers” are not usually welcome. Aidan’s adventure requires that he too become deliciously unhygienic to survive the swamplands. And that’s only the beginning as his world changes and the legends he had heard of were only suggestions of the reality he encounters.  

As we move into book two we learn more about the feechies, and in particular how they are concerned about a particular species of bird that seems to be hunted for one of its features, and then its carcass is left on the ground to decay in the hot sun. This is not the way of the feechie, and they feel justified in their antagonistic attitude towards the “civilizers.”  

But of course, Aidan isn’t like those other “civilizers.” The only problem is that he is on a quest for the king. It will take him into the heart of the feechie fen which would usually mean certain death for any human. Can he spare any time and wit to help the feechies track down the illegal hunters that are threatening the existence of a friend in their habitat?  

By book three we are quite comfortable in the feechie fen and that is quite an accomplishment given the conditions. But Aiden has found refuge there as his king has continued to be angered by him and his accomplishments.  

As word reaches Aiden about his ailing father, he decides to leave the fen and return home. His re-emergence into civilizer land brings great joy from its people. To Aiden’s horror, he learns that he has been turned into a legend of sorts and the people are expecting his return but not under the conditions that he meant to return. The people are ready to crown him as their new king.  

Aiden’s life was never more in danger, but he also had more civilizer companions to help him navigate the political landscape that included his leadership even while he was absent. How will he continue to honor a king who has oppressed his people? How can he avoid certain death now that the people have brought treason to his name and family? Will Aiden maintain his respect for the king when there is nothing respectable about him? 

This trilogy is an excellent read-aloud with action, fiction and fantasy, and battles to cheer along. It can be read aloud to children as young as 6 years old or read by children as young as 10 years old. It may be a little uninteresting to those later teenagers, but most adults I’ve talked to have loved every word of this story along with their children.  

Marguerite Henry Books 

 Marguerite Henry was born in 1902 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While very young she became sick and unable to attend school until age 11. During that time, Marguerite read many books and discovered that she had a great love for the creatures of God’s creation. Her family did not have a pet, or animals in their lives, but even so, at a young age, Marguerite began to write stories about the creatures she loved.  

Her first book was published in 1940, and she went on to write an incredible amount of stories. Some of her best-loved stories are about horses. While they are fictional, all the stories are based on true stories. Marguerite was careful to research her stories well before she wrote, even traveling to the location of the story in order to capture the smallest details.  

The first book that became popular was Justin Morgan Had a Horse. This is the story of the little foal, the runt of the litter that no one wanted. It was passed around so much that no one really knew anymore where it came from. Finally, a teacher took care of the little horse in payment for lessons. He really didn’t want it, he really couldn’t afford to feed it, but there it was, in his care. But what Justin Morgan discovered was that he had the strongest, most persistent horse ever known in those counties. And so we learn about the Morgan horse, a breed well known today for its versatility and strength. Justin Morgan was just a teacher to rose to the challenge before him when he didn’t think he had the resources. Today we have a breed of horse named after him.  

The next story was Misty of Chincoteague. This is the story of the little pony from the island of Chincoteague. Every year the locals would round up choice horses from the Island of Assateague and sell them. One year Paul and Maureen, to children with a deep passion, decide they want one of those horses. But not just anyone, they want Phantom! The wildest, the legend. Misty is a real horse, the Paul and Maureen were real children. Their story is one of learning the limits of your desires. Can you achieve everything you want? Should you achieve it? Two very different questions.  

Misty is not a stand-alone story. Stormy, Misty’s Foal, and Sea Star are both sequels to the story. If you have read the book, you may find the movies a wonderful family evening event.  

All of Marguerite Henry’s stories are worth adding to your library as living books at their finest.  

Wingfeather Saga 

It is all about the jewels of Anniera. Where are they?  

The world has been turned upside down since Nag the Nameless came into power. His dreadful army of fangs, lizard-like creatures that love chaos and disgusting food, roam the kingdom keeping all other forms of life in line, following orders. A darkness hovers over the kingdom.  

Janner, Tink, and Leeli are young siblings who are growing up in this world. Their Mother and Grandfather tell them stories of a time before they were born when people could wander the land, travel without a care, and when honest kings ruled, and armies fought off evil tyrants. But no one will tell them why it all ended. What happened?  Where is their father? Why doesn’t Mother admit he’s dead?  

And why are they under such a watchful eye of Slarb, Fang of Dang? As they seek refuge from the leering mobsters in the little town bookshop, they discover a map. Who can resist a map? What secrets does it tell? Is it perhaps the location of the coveted treasure, the Jewels of Annira? 

This is masterful storytelling, that holds the attention of adults and children alike. Adventure, mystery, pursuit, swashbuckling heroes (or is he a villain?), creatures that stir the imagination, but most of all, a desire for justice, and a cheer for the courageous.  

Andrew Peterson does not gloss over the darkness of evil, but this is the extraordinary aspect of the story. The story is true because it also glories in the virtues required to survive the darkness and the hard. The reality is that we will all have a time of difficulty in our lives, the question is: how will we come through it? This story is a beacon of hope and a call to courage for children and adults alike.  

by Hester VanBraeden

Hester is a second-generation home-educating parent who is keenly aware that her own education is not complete, and comfortable that it probably never will be. She has many years of experience with children, books, and curriculum. She loves to travel to worlds and times beyond the present with her children through many books. Hester and her husband have four children and live in the lower mainland of BC.

The post Novel Series Book Stack appeared first on Classical Education Books.

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada and we’ve gathered a stack of books to help you and your family learn about the heritage of our Asian community. Use the links to find complete descriptions of each book.

Anno’s China

The Five Chinese Brothers

Ruby’s Wish

Water Buffalo Days

Chu Ju’s House

The Story About Ping

Tikki Tikki Tembo

The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks

The Story of Little Babaji

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Inside Out and Back Again

Rikki Tikki Tavi

El Chino

Ming Lo Moves the Mountain

The Lotus Seed

Something Beautiful for God

Crow Boy

Once A Mouse

Grandfather’s Journey

Taste of Asia

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Asian Heritage Month Book Stack appeared first on Classical Education Books.

I was not a reader as a child, but I knew that I wanted to raise readers even before I knew I wanted to homeschool. When we decided to homeschool, I read, watched, and listened to everything I could on how to teach reading. I was convinced early on that phonics was the way to go and invested in a solid phonics program, bought readers, magnetic letter tiles, and flashcards.

My oldest was a natural and it felt like the second she understood that letters were connected to sounds she was reading fluently. Teaching her to read was effortless, and to this day she is a voracious reader. My second daughter caught on to reading easily but I wouldn’t say it was effortless. She would start off sitting beside me on the couch, then she’d be looking over my shoulder, then on my lap, on the floor, and then back where she started…it was exhausting but productive. I thought my third child, a boy, would never learn to read. He was halfway through grade 4 before he was reading simple 3-word sentences. He made regular progress, always moving forward but the steps were tiny, often taking several days to complete one little movement forward. That struggling young boy is now 17 and devours books regularly. My other 4 children have fallen somewhere on the spectrum between my oldest daughter and oldest son. They have not caught on as quickly, nor have they taken quite the same scenic route before learning to read.

How to Raise a Reader

Teaching your children to read is an important task; it’s worth taking the time to do it well. The overall goal is bigger than teaching them to read though; we want to raise readers, and maybe some of my thoughts will help you.

Raising a reader begins long before you purchase your first phonics program and even before you introduce them to their first book. It begins with the words you speak to them as you go about your day. Your touch, your scent, and your voice are a comfort to your babies. Fill them with words as you go about your day.

Introduce books early. Fabric books and bath books are a great place to start. At this stage, we are not even close to teaching reading but over time there are important skills that are being learned: moving through a book from left to right, holding a book the right way up, and associating books with bonding are all-important first steps.

Read aloud to your children. This is foundational to raising readers. Make this a daily habit. The benefits are so much bigger than your children loving books. Bonds are made over books. Don’t give up too easily with this. Maybe the read-aloud session needs to be shorter or maybe there needs to be a snack involved. Try topics that your child is already interested in or connect your read-aloud time to other activities like field trips, science activities, or art activities. Ask questions as you read and discuss the characters the next day.

If you are not already a reader, become one. This is where I admit to you that this was a tough one for me. I was not raised in a home where reading was valued; the TV was on all the time, I had free access to it, and old habits die hard. Also, I was a slow reader and struggled to stay focused on what I was reading. I married a reader and he’s been a great influence on me. He’s a public-school principal and sweetly refers to me as a careful reader, not a slow reader. Early in our relationship, he encouraged me to keep trying with books. He was sure there was something out there for me and was a great encouragement and I’m grateful for that.

When I was 20, I was working full-time with few expenses, was careful with my money, and decided that I needed to know what to do with the savings that I had accumulated. I bought a copy of ‘The Wealthy Barber’ and it was the first book that I devoured.  That book opened my world to an entire section of the bookstore that I had overlooked until then. All those books that have practical life application…that’s me!  I have since done enough reading about educating children to know that fiction is really important too and have read countless picture books and novels to my children but it’s just not what I gravitate to for personal enjoyment.

Limit the screen time in your home! I cannot stress this enough! This is the game changer! Well, this along with reading aloud. Those that know us, know that we fall on the strict side of the screen spectrum; we have lost a bit of our endurance over the years for sure, but I have no regrets over being careful with the amounts of screens my children had access to.

Boredom is not your enemy. It’s ok if your children are bored. That’s your cue to read them a story or hand them a book. Honestly, boredom is a key ingredient to raising a reader, and filling their boredom with a screen is counter-productive.

Resources to Help

If you are late to the game and need to make changes, start slow, go easy, and be patient. You might want to consider getting your hands on a copy of The Read Aloud Family.

If you are looking for a solid phonics program you can check out these titles on our website:

All About Reading: This program has easy and fun readers. It has a lot of activities, is colorful and playful, and is very good for learners with special needs. Printing practice is not included, it’s a bit pricey, and some find that there is too much busywork.

First Start Reading: This program integrates phonics and copywork and will have your child reading words in the first book. It is black and white with a lot of coloring practice which strengthens fine motor skills needed for printing, however, some students prefer color over black and white printed materials. It also has a special needs program.  The readers are not as strong as the ones in All About Reading but you could use the All About Reading readers with this program. This program is simpler and less time-consuming than All About Reading but gets the job done.

Mr. Putter & Tabby

The post Raising Readers appeared first on Classical Education Books.

I’ve really enjoyed reading through these math picture books with my children. We use them as part of our morning time, and they are bringing math to life.

I’m regularly negotiating with my reluctant learner but he’s always up for a good story, even a math story. Math picture books help children make connections between math concepts and the real world, they introduce your students to math vocabulary, and they combine literacy skills with math. Many times my reluctant learner has literally disappeared under the table as I’ve encouraged him to answer the math questions in his workbook but math questions that are asked as part of a story seem to fly under his radar and he’s happy to answer them.

Whether you have children who love math or have one that has developed math anxiety, math picture books are a fun way to engage children with math in a fun and gentle way.

Counting on Katherine

Millions to Measure

Blockhead

Bedtime Math

Math Curse

The Librarian who Measured the Earth

How Many Pumpkin Seeds

How Much is a Million

I’m Trying to Love Math

Anno’s Counting Book

Lemonade in Winter

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Math Picture Book Stack appeared first on Classical Education Books.

The Easter Egg

A Tale for Easter

The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross

The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross – Coloring and Activity Book

The Passion of the King of Glory

National Wildlife Week – April 4th-10th

Encyclopedia of Animals

Kingfisher First Encyclopedia of Animals

Call of the Wild and White Fang

The Jungle Book

Vimy Ridge Day – World War I – April 9th

Airplanes of World War I – Coloring Book

The post Teach Through April Book Stack appeared first on Classical Education Books.

We have a selection of art curriculum that you can work through with your children but also consider taking the time to introduce your children to famous artists and their work. We have used several of these Katie books; they are a fun way to introduce your children to the art world.

Add a package of watercolour pencils, paintbrushes, and a new watercolour art book and you have the ingredients for making beautiful homeschool memories.

Katie and the Mona Lisa

Katie and the British Artists

Katie and the Waterlily Pond

Katie’s Picture Show

Katie and the Bathers

Katie and the Starry Night

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Book Stacks – Katie Books appeared first on Classical Education Books.

Coloring Books

Don’t let the fact that these are coloring books fool you, they are full of more than just coloring. Your children will learn a lot as they read through these pages and be inspired to learn more. They are a great starting point for some springtime learning.

Forest Animals

My First Book About Backyard Nature

Backyard Nature Coloring Book

Picture Books

You might still need a blanket but these picture books about nature would make great read alouds as you sit outside enjoying the change of season. I have to be so purposeful to get outside in the winter months but that all changes once springtime rolls around. We eat outside, read outside, and work through our morning time routine outside.

Wangari Maathai

Stellaluna

The Gift of the Tree

The Rainforest Grew All Around

We’re Sailing to Galapagos

Have You Seen Birds?

Wonders of Nature

Novels and Nature Stories

All of the reading here has a spring/nature theme. Use the links below to see a full description of each title.

The Penderwicks in Spring

Come To My Tomorrowland

The Burgess Bird Book for Children

Outdoor Secrets

Jack’s Insects

We hope you are excited about the appearance of spring, but we also know that the events of life can cause the darkness of winter to take root where it is not welcome. Know that the CEB team is here to help you navigate through your homeschooling journey no matter what season you wake up to today.

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Spring Book Stack appeared first on Classical Education Books.

The Planets

Stargazers

The Moon Book

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Book Stack – Gail Gibbons Solar System appeared first on Classical Education Books.

Drawing books also make great additions to Morning Time.  These books include practice pages but I prefer to pick up a sketchbook for each child to use just during Morning Time.  It’s so fun for them to flip back and see the progress that’s been made.

How to Draw Insects

How to Draw Birds

How to Draw Animals

How to Draw Forest Animals

How to Draw Planes, Trains, and Boats

How to Draw

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Book Stacks – Drawing Books appeared first on Classical Education Books.

If Morning Time or a Morning Basket is already a part of your regular routine, these should be in there! (If you are not familiar with the concept of a Morning Basket, click here to link to a short video that will help you get started.)

Cycling through these stories throughout the year will give your young children a solid grasp of basic grammar.  My 7-year-old, who has not been introduced to any grammar concepts yet, had a clear understanding of nouns after the first read-through, and even my 9-year-old who has completed 2 years of formal grammar curriculum enjoyed these books.

There is a suggested game at the end of each book that is simple and fun. Don’t dismiss big kids before you read one of these to a younger one; they work well as a simple review, and I found that my young ones enjoyed having the big ones participate in the game.

Order a few to get started with but you’ll probably be back for more.

If You Were a Noun

If You Were an Adjective

If You Were a Verb

If You Were an Adverb

If You Were a Preposition

If You Were an Interjection

If You Were a Conjunction

If You Were a Homonym or a Homophone

If You Were an Antonym

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Book Stack – Grammar Picture Books appeared first on Classical Education Books.

World Water Day

From Brook to Ocean

Water Dance

Down Comes the Rain

Celebrate Spring

Karl, Get Out of the Garden

The Reasons for the Seasons

How Does a Seed Sprout

Palm Sunday

A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories

The Jesus Storybook Bible

World Poetry Day

The Llama Who Had No Pajama

A Child’s Book of Poems

The Selected Poems of Wendel Berry

Saint Patrick’s Day

Patrick

St. Patrick’s Day

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Teach Through March Book Stack appeared first on Classical Education Books.