October 2022 Book Reports

Deuteronomy and Joshua, both from the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible series - This series gives the text of the Bible using the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition along with an introduction for each book, annotations on the text, word studies, topical essays, and study questions. I think it's a decent series. I prefer the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, but that's not available for the Old Testament. I read these because I had planned for my older daughter to use them in her Scripture study. Mater Amabilis schedules readings from the Bible so that a student will read the entire Bible over the course of the four high school years, with some books read more than once. My daughter always has lots of questions when reading the Bible, and I thought these books would give her more context. We ended up dropping Scripture as a school subject because she reads her Bible every night, so she hasn't read these yet. (purchased copies)

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather - This is one of my favorite books. This was my second or third read-through. It's a gentle story of quiet strength and courageous faith, surrounded by exquisite descriptions of the American southwest. Highly recommended. (copy from a fellow member of PaperBackSwap.com)

Australian Legendary Tales collected by Mrs. K. Langloh Parker - link to my post (purchased copy from Living Book Press)

Paul for Everyone: 2 Corinthians by N. T. Wright - I think the new edition of this is now called 2 Corinthians for Everyone. N. T. Wright is Anglican, not Catholic, but he's a leading authority on Paul. I like how he translates the letters himself, which makes them seem fresh and new to me. He breaks the letter down into little chunks. Following the Scripture excerpt, he provides connections to our own modern lives with personal stories and in-depth explanations of his translations, including connections to other verses of Scripture. (purchased used)

Knights of Art: Stories of the Italian Painters by Amy Steedman - I bought this book from Connecting with History to give us a break from picture study in First Son's last year or so at home. Once a week or so, I would read the story of one of the Italian painters. They were mostly enjoyable stories, though the kids were always excited when there would be one with a happy life; there were lots of illnesses and early deaths in those days. (purchased from Connecting with History; link is not an affiliate link)

Chatter: The Voice in our Head, Why it Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross - link to my post (library copy)

Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri - link to my post (library copy)

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.

Second Daughter's Masterpieces: Early Elementary Artistic Pursuits

Artistic Pursuits

Early Elementary K-3, Book One

An Introduction to the Visual Arts

This book is not recommended in the Mater Amabilis™ curriculum but some others in the series are. After using one of the later books with First Son and First Daughter, I decided to try this one to make sure I was getting art time with Second Daughter and to provider her with an opportunity to use something besides crayons and markers.

I have 2013 edition. This is just a book. There is a new edition that includes a book and a DVD illustrating artistic techniques. See the new edition and video lessons here. I can see how the DVD might be nice, but Second Daughter didn't have any trouble trying out the techniques in her book and it's nice not to have to be always going over to the TV to watch something.

This book provided lots of opportunities for Second Daughter to focus on artistic skills with materials unfamiliar to me (water-soluble wax pastels) or ones I might have anticipated as too daunting on my own (like the sculpture). Every lesson provides some background and a connection to real artists and their work, including artists lost in antiquity whose work remains in archeological digs, and an example of student work that encouraged my daughter in an attempt that might not match what she sees in her mind's eye.

Each lesson follows a similar pattern:

• A page on how and why artists make art,
• A page showing a piece of art with a few guided discussion questions,
• And a project page with a project for the student and a very few simple descriptions of artistic techniques or instructions for a new kind of media.

I read the pages with Second Daughter and then set her up for her art project. I think by the end of third grade, she probably could have read and worked without me.

There are 36 lessons in the book, enough for one lesson every week, but rarely have I done a full 36 weeks for a K-3 student. Plus, it's nice to have more flexibility with younger students to skip lessons during Advent or Lent, for example. So I spread Book One over two years for Second Daughter (second and third grade). We both enjoyed it so much, though, that I did purchase Book Two in the hopes that Second Son will be able to do even more. I probably wouldn't bother with a formal study like this in kindergarten, but it might be fun to start it in first grade as long as a student didn't get frustrated.

Second Son will use this book next year, in second grade. Second Daughter is going to move on to Elementary 4-5 Book One. First Daughter has completed the Elementary 4-5 book and we liked it, but I haven't written a full review on the blog.

This is an example of art produced by Second Daughter in lesson 5, when she was early in her second grade year. She was supposed to paint a picture from a photograph and chose a kangaroo rat.

Near the end of the book, Second Daughter (nearing the end of third grade) was able to create a handful of sculptures.

Above, we have Kansas Dad. Below is her rendition of her bearded dragon. (I nicked a bit of his tail off, but Kansas Dad fixed it later.)

The picture at the beginning of the post shows Second Son's art box almost ready for school. I bought four boxes like this, one for each student, and they work beautifully. Everything they need is right in the box (excluding things like water or newspaper, etc.) and they can carry it to the table or even outside. I labeled the sides with different washi tape to make it easy to see which one they need.

Here's the list of supplies with my notes:

• ebony pencil - I bought this box of ebony pencils about three years ago and we've been using them ever since. The kids each have one in their art boxes and most of us have them in our nature study bags. They've held up really well and I still have extras in our art supplies.
• vinyl eraser - We use this kind of eraser for everything. I've always bought them when back to school shopping in the fall at our local super-store. They each have one in their art boxes and in their pencil boxes and I keep one with my supplies.
• set of soft pastels - I bought this set on Amazon. We've had success with this brand in the past. It is easy for pastels to get broken and smushed together so the colors are mussed, but this box stayed safely in Second Daughter's art box and survived the study quite well. (We have a larger communal set that's always with our art supplies for "whenever" use.) She used about a third of the black, but the others are all still nice and long, definitely plenty for another child or two. I'm just moving this set to Second Son's box.
• sketch or drawing paper pad - I generally buy a few of these when they're on sale at our local Hobby Lobby. While the kids do most of their drawing on cheap printer paper, I like to have some nicer paper if they want to make a serious drawing or make a gift. Second Daughter didn't use her whole pad for this study, but she absconded with it for her own person use, so Second Son will need a new one.
• a set of watercolor crayons - I bought this set of water-soluble wax pastels and they are fantastic. The colors are bright and blend well. After the course, they have barely any use so there is lots of life left in them for Second Son.
• #8 round watercolor brush - I had trouble finding one at our local hobby store, so I bought this one on Amazon. I'm no expert on paintbrushes, but it seems nice. All three older kids have one and they have used them for the past two years on various projects; they just live in their art boxes.
• watercolor paper pad - I bought this one, though at our local hobby store during a sale. Second Daughter used exactly 15 of the 30 pages, so I anticipate Second Son having enough paper for the study. However...these are such great pages for all watercolor work, I might get an extra one so they can make more than the minimum paintings.
• heavyweight construction paper - I bought a assorted package at our local hobby store and have plenty left for Second Son. (I kept this stash separate for our "everyday" cheap construction paper.)
• assorted tissue paper - I bought a package at our local super-store, which was kept with our gift wrap and had to be frequently replaced. If I had kept it separate, one package would probably have been sufficient for both Second Daughter and Second Son.
• a pair of scissors - We have lots of these roaming around.
• 4 or 5 lb of gray self-hardening clay - I bought this at our local hobby store, but I think it was the same as this one on Amazon. You could probably stretch this for two children if they were doing the study at the same time, and were satisfied with small sculptures. Second Daughter used it all and would happily have used more.
• cotton cloth - The project for lesson 33 is an oil pastel painting on cotton cloth. We skipped this one because a piece of cotton cloth is the only supply I didn't buy and stock at the beginning of the study. It happens in the lesson talking about embroidery and I decided it was alright to skip it since Second Daughter does actual embroidery. I may try to figure something out for Second Son.
• glue stick - This isn't listed with the official supplies, but there are a few lesson activities that require some kind of adhesive.
• binding materials - The last activity is the making of a book that requires some kind of binding: stapler, hole punch, etc. I would imagine most homeschooling families would have something appropriate available.

I noticed a lot of art supplies go on sale during Amazon's Prime Day last summer (in 2017), so it might be worth checking to see if that happens in the future.

I purchased Artistic Pursuits Early Elementary K-3 Book One new and have received nothing in exchange for writing this post. All opinions are my own. Any links to Amazon are affiliate links. Links to the Artistic Pursuits site are not affiliate links.

American History Picture Books in 2012-2013 Post 3 of 5: World War I, Women's Suffrage, and the 1920s

This is the third post in a series on the picture books we read along with our American History studies in 2012-2013 when First Son was in  third grade, First Daughter was in kindergarten, Second Daughter was four and Second Son wasn't paying attention.

Gold Rush Winter by Claire Rudolf Murphy, illustrated by Richard Waldrep, is an early chapter book rather than a picture book, but it could easily be read aloud to young children. It's based on the real life of a girl who joined her father in Alaska during the Gold Rush. It's entertaining and informative and a good addition to any study of Alaska or the Gold Rush.

Emily by Michael Bedard, pictures by Barbara Cooney, is a story of Emily Dickinson, one of my favorite poets, illustrated by Barbara Cooney, one of my favorite illustrators, so I can't explain why it wasn't on my schedule for the year. It's a fictionalized account of a friendship between a neighbor child and the poet that shows how she lived and reluctantly interacted with others. It would make a wonderful complement to any study of Dickinson.

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, pictures by Melissa Sweet, is a new book (published in 2013) so we didn't read it when we studied this era, but it's a fantastic book. It's about immigration, women's rights, unions, industrialization, and tells the inspiring story of a courageous young woman. Combine this book with a discussion of continuing dangerous conditions in factories in other parts of the world and you could have quite the conversation.

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children by Jan Pinborough, illustrated by Debby Atwell, is not a book we read during our studies because I hadn't read it yet (it was published in March 2013), but it's now one of my favorite picture books. I particularly think it would fit in well with a reading through American history because it offers a more joyful glimpse of the era. Read with Brave Girl, younger readers could contrast the two books and see that while some are courageous and walk picket lines, others are courageous and build libraries. We need both.

I didn't read The Donkey of Gallipoli: A True Story of Courage in World War I by Mark Greenwood, illustrated by Frane Lessac, to the children because I really tried to focus more on what was happening in America than overseas during the wars. (This was American history; we also cover the wars in Western history.) Also, this story is probably more appropriate for older elementary students or even middle school students, but it's a marvelous true tale of bravery and the devastation of war. The illustrations are brilliant, filling every bit of every page with color.

When Esther Morris Headed West: Women, Wyoming, and the Right to Vote by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge, illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, tells the story of Esther Morris, the first woman to hold elected office in the United States. What I like best about the book is how the focus is not just on Esther Morris, but on the man who believed women should be able to vote and the lawyer who changed his mind when he saw how well Esther managed herself as a judge. The book seemed to have a touch more law and politics than I thought my girls would enjoy, so I just put it in the book basket this time around.

I Could Do That!: Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote by Linda Arms White, pictures by Nancy Carpenter, is a book on Esther Morris that was better for my young girls. Esther is brave, competent, and doesn't get discouraged even when she doesn't get her way. The phrase "I could do that!" is one children will eagerly adopt.

Mama Went to Jail for the Vote by Kathleen Karr, illustrated by Malene Laugesen, tells the story of the women's suffrage movement in the early 1900s from the point of view of the daughter of a suffragist. While a fictionalized account, it gives a good idea of what life was like for the women in the movement, including supervising the cook and dinner for their husbands. It's full of high ideals and wonderful illustrations.

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant, illustrations by Melissa Sweet, is a biography of Horace Pippen I discovered after our year was done, but it would have been a great addition to our studies. Pippen was inspiring as a person and the illustrations are evocative of his work. (Melissa Sweet has illustrated so many wonderful books!)

Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue  by Anna Harwell Celenza is a fun look at music composition as Gershwin is composing Rhapsody in Blue. It focuses more on the process of the composition rather than technical terms or everything that influenced him, but it's perfect for young children as an introduction to much of the music of 1920s America. The included CD is a fantastic end to the book as children are prepared to listen by the story. The piece itself is also one most children will enjoy, of course. I love the illustrations.

Waiting for the Evening Star by Rosemary Wells, illustrated by Susan Jeffers, tells of two brothers growing up in Vermont just before World War II. Their lives shaped by the seasons and the farm, by the community in which they lived, and by their dreams. The older brother, Luke, dreams of traveling and seeing the world, and eventually joins the Navy to fight in the war. Though he doesn't actually die in the book, his brother imagines that he will never return as he watches the train carrying his brother leave. It is bittersweet, both for the brother who remains and for the kind of childhood they had that has in many ways disappeared.

The Great Serum Race: Blazing the Iditarod Trail by Debbie S. Miller, illustrations by Jon Van Zyle, is a non-fiction book on the events behind the Iditarod, the race in 1925 to bring antitoxin serum to Nome, Alaska, where diptheria raged. There is a lot of text, so I put this in our book basket for First Son to read if he wanted, but I did not want to neglect it in this post because the illustrations are so amazing. The text is good, too, and the story is both exciting and inspiring. This is an excellent book for any child interested in Alaska, medicine, tests of endurance, or dog sledding.


Posts in This Series - I'll update this list with links to all the others after they post.
#1: Slavery and the Civil War
#2: Progressive Era and Immigration
#3: World War I, Women's Suffrage, and the 1920s (this post)
#4: The Great Depression and World War II
#5: Civil Rights, Hawai'i, Alaska, and Space Exploration

Here's a post on the books we read about World War I and the Jazz Age when First Son was in kindergarten. In addition, you can find links to all the picture books we read through American history in 2009-2010, when First Son was in kindergarten. 

Western History Picture Books in 2012-2013 (Years 1301-1600)

I recently posted a review of RC History's Connecting with History Volume Three and the first of three lists of the picture books we read to go along with it (years 1070-1300). Here's the next installment, for roughly years 1301 to 1600. (The units overlap a little in Connecting with History volume 3 in order to take into account the complexities of the Reformation and the exploration of the New World in addition to following the events in Europe.)

I've noted the books that were recommended by Connecting with History.

A Medieval Feast by Aliki gives all the details you could wish on the lives of the wealthy in medieval times and the preparations involved in a great feast. The illustrations are colorful and include small bits of information in text on the life and times. This book is available from RC History.

Brother William's Year: A Monk at Westminster Abbey by Jan Pancheri tells of a year in the life of Brother William, a fictional Benedictine monk in the year 1383 at Westminster Abbey. The text is not overwhelming but there is a surprising amount of information about life in the 1300s and especially life at a Benedictine Abbey. It even includes some recipes. It's really wonderful!

Chanticleer and the Fox by Barbara Cooney is an adaptation of one of Chaucer's tales by one of my favorite illustrators, so of course we love it. It is a tale particularly enjoyable if you have actually watched a rooster. This book is available from RC History.

Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky is a favorite here on the Range. The illustrations are fantastic and the fairy tale is one of the most enjoyable. This book is available from RC History.

A Boy Named Giotto by Paolo Guarnieri, pictures by Bimba Landmann, is a based on the life of the artist, Giotto. It's marvelously illustrated in a style like that of Giotto and gives a bit of background for his life.

Arthur and the Sword by Robert Sabuda is a wonderful retelling of the story of King Arthur and the sword in the stone. It's full of vibrant stained-glass style illustrations that perfectly complement the text.

Joan of Arc by Josephine Poole, illustrated by Angela Barrett, is one of my favorite picture book biographies of St. Joan of Arc. The text is a little dense for young children, so you might want to spread it over a few days, but I really like how the story is told. I also enjoy the illustrations in this version.

Leonardo and the Flying Boy by Laurence Anholt is a delightful tale based on Leonardo da Vinci's amazing talents. It's full of stories of his life and snippets from his notebooks. There is an informative page at the end with more information on da Vinci and some of the apprentice boys in his workshop. This book is available at RC History.

Chee-Lin: A Giraffe's Journey by James Rumford is the fascinating and beautifully illustrated story of a giraffe captured in Africa in the early 1400s and traded along until he arrives in China. The full pages overflow with images and words that bring the people and times to life. This book is text-heavy for a picture book, but we were all fascinated. I think I planned to read it over a few days but no one wanted to stop. Though I'm not sure I've mentioned it before, it's one of my favorite books.

Romeo and Juliet retold by Bruce Coville, pictures by Dennis Nolan, is an enjoyable version of Shakespeare's play. I warned my children it was a tragedy and therefore would not have a happy ending but that it's a beautiful play. The illustrations are fantastic in this version. It is a little heavy on text, so you might want to spread it over a few days for younger listeners. If you're studying Romeo and Juliet, this is a great version to share.

The links above to Amazon are affiliate links. The links to RC History in this post are not affiliate links (though I am an affiliate).

July 2013 Book Reports

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is a novel written from the perspective of a fifteen year old autistic boy. I don't know how accurate it is in depicting an autistic person, but there is a paragraph early in the book that sounded exactly like a young autistic I know. It is an interesting and different narrative form for a novel. This is a quick read and I enjoyed it, but I always find myself saddened by "regular" people in novels who do horrible things, as if that's just how life is now. (started at a friend's house, finished with a library copy)

The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy is the sequel to The Hero's Gide to Saving Your Kingdom, which I read last month. It's just as enjoyable and in some ways has a little more depth. More books are in store and I intend to read them all! First Son enjoyed the first one, laughing out loud sometimes as he was reading it. He'll read this one, too. (library copy)

Destination: Bethlehem by Sharon R. Altman follows two cousins who independently develop relationships with the Holy Family in the months leading up to the Nativity. The 24 chapters are meant to be read on the 24 days in December before Christmas as an Advent activity. I found the story to be adequate despite my higher hopes for it, though there is some usefulness is providing the historical information for children. I'm not sure if we'll read this book during Advent. I may ask First Son (who will be in fourth grade) to read it independently. I don't think it would be bad to read; I'm just not sure it would be better than other books I've already planned. (received as a gift)

The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke is a science fiction story based in the far future, when Earth has sent seed ships to the far reaches of the galaxy to avoid the elimination of mankind when the destruction of Earth was assured. A spaceship from Earth arrives at a thriving colony. It was fun to read and interesting to ponder, though it's probably not surprising that Clarke and I differ on many opinions. (Kindle edition borrowed from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library)

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene (PaperBackSwap.com)

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is so enjoyable! I can't believe I had never read it. At first I was going to ask First Son to read it independently, but I think instead I'll read it aloud to the whole family next year. (Kindle edition, though we received a real copy as a gift)

Theras and His Town by Caroline Dale Snedeker (purchased copy from Sacred Heart Books and Gifts)

Impressionism: 50 Paintings You Should Know by Ines Janet Engelmann gives a summary of Impressionism and then presents fifty paintings in chronological order with brief descriptions of the painting or the painter for each one. At the top is a timeline that extends throughout the book. I enjoyed this book and felt like it gave a nice overview of the subject and some important paintings, helping me to prepare for our picture study in the upcoming year; we'll be studying Renoir, Degas, and Monet. (library copy)

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate was a pre-read for First Son. It's the tale of Ivan, a gorilla living in a small cage at a mall zoo until a tiny new inmate prompts him to change. It seems to be written at a pretty easy level with lots of very short chapters that will be inviting to weak readers, but the character growth and topics (animal cruelty and zoos) are appropriate for older readers. First Son may be a little young for a few of those lessons (at nine), but there's nothing here he can't read. It's a great tale of compassion, bravery, hope, and understanding. (library copy)

Prayer (a review for The Catholic Company)

Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home by Elizabeth Foss (received as a gift)

Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark and Caleb's Story by Patricia Maclachlan is the trilogy of the beginning of a family, when Anna's father puts an ad in a newspaper for a wife, answered by Sarah. Shockingly, I had never read these books. The first is my favorite, with beautiful and halting descriptions of Anna's hopes and fears. The last is a good story of forgiveness and a reminder to parents of the ways our children watch our actions. These are on my list as possibilities for First Daughter to read in first grade. (purchased used on Cathswap)

The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill was written in the 1970s, telling of a white girl befriended by a black boy who go on together to build a successful toothpaste company. First Son will be reading it next year in his financial literacy studies and I think he'll enjoy it. It's a good book of entrepreneurship, friendship, math in real life, self-sufficiency, good corporate citizenship, and racial issues. It is surprisingly not too preachy but honestly fun. Definitely recommended. (library copy)

Something Beautiful for God: The Classic Account of Mother Teresa's Journey into Compassion by Malcom Muggeridge (purchased copy)

Deadweather and Sunrise: The Chronicles of Egg #1 by Geoff Rodkey is full of adventure and unexpected twists. I liked the main character, though I did not like how his family treated him. I think it's an intriguing beginning to a new trilogy for young readers and am excited for the next two. First Son could read this book, but now he's interested in the Redwall series so it's not clear I'll need to provide any leisure time reading for a while. There is one disturbing episode in which some pirates attempt to force themselves on a young woman which I worried would bother First Son, but Kansas Dad thinks he wouldn't really understand it and would just move on. I'm going to put this on our list for next summer (when he'll be ten), just in case I need to make some suggestions. (library copy)

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury is as beautifully written as any Bradbury. And very creepy. (library copy)


Books in Progress (and date started)

• The Mass and the Saints (April 2013)
• Lorna Doone by Richard Blackmore (May 2013)
• The Catholic Mother's Helper in Training Her Children by Sister Mary, I.H.M, Sister Mary Roberta, O.P., Sister Mary Rosary, O.P. (June 2013)
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (July 2013)
• St. Dominic and the Rosary by Catherine Beebe (July 2013)

Book Review: Catholic Icing's "A Picture Book of the Mass"

A Picture Book of the Mass, Illustrated by the Masters, created by Lacy of Catholic Icing (a site every Catholic mom with young children should know, so bookmark it now if you haven't already!)

I was so excited to see these booklets, I ordered a bunch for all my kids and each of our god-families. I asked for an extra copy in exchange for an honest review on my blog. Sometimes this works and I'm so glad this is one of those times!

We have had a number of missals in our home and all of them seem to be full of pictures of Mass in the 1980s or funky illustrations that just don't seem to do Mass the justice it deserves. This book features beautiful full-color high quality reproductions of real art relevant to each part of the Mass. Only two pages don't have any artwork on them and those both have a full-page painting on the facing page. I've never seen a missal quite like this one, especially priced so reasonably, and think it will be a great blessing. Lacy says on her website she thinks this book is great for all Catholics, including adults, and I agree, but I also think all our children deserve missals like these, that feature so much Beauty along with the awe-inspiring sacrifice of the Mass. There's a post over at Catholic Icing with lots of pictures of some of the beautiful artwork.

The text is very simple, showing only the most important and consistent responses and parts of the Mass. It can be used easily throughout the year and in any parish despite differences in celebrations. Of course, it is based on the new translation of the Roman Missal and is published with the approval of the Committee on Diving Worship. The people's responses are all in red, easy to find and read. There are small icons showing when to sit, stand or kneel (enormously helpful for those visiting or new to the Catholic faith).

I just received these today but am really excited to see how the children use them at Mass this weekend. I think helping Second Daughter follow along in the book might help her focus more at Mass. She'll be four next week and has great difficulties being still and quiet at Mass, but she loves Mary and the saints and does want to be good (or so she says); I think she'll love having her own Mass book. I'll help her follow along, of course.

The booklets are already on back-order, but they'll be shipping again on July 23rd. You can go ahead and order now and they'll ship when they're in stock again!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I do not receive anything if you follow a link above and make a purchase.

If you are a parent of one of our godchildren or a godparent of one of our children, I have one of these books for you already. I was thinking of saving them for Christmas, but I'm not sure I can wait that long. If you want it earlier, let me know and I'll get it to you.

Book Review: The Creative Family

The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections by Amanda Black Soule

When I reviewed Young at Art, two friends suggested this book instead. Susan Striker's book actually laid out a plan for introducing a young child to art materials like paints, clay and colors. This book focuses more on creating a family life that embraces and encourages creativity.

First of all, this book is beautiful. It is well-designed and illustrated, including many pictures of the author with her three children. (She now has four; check out her blog for more updates on her life.)

There are a few projects suggested in the book, many of which were new to me and some of which we will be introducing on the Range. I love the idea of creating thank you cards with some artwork by the children (p. 17) and think Kansas Dad and the kids will have a great time making real wood block from logs we cut on our own land (p. 49). I've made lots of notes on these and other ideas. The projects cover a range of materials and skill levels so there's something here for everyone.

The tone of the book was a little "earthy" for me, thanking "earth mother" and such. In our house, we usually thank God for the earth. I think it's simple enough to glean some great ideas, though, from around the few things we wouldn't do with our children. I was also surprised she didn't mention cooking until a paragraph or so in the last chapter, but perhaps that's because once I started thinking about how we encourage creativity on the Range now, I realized it's mainly in the kitchen. (And by "we," I mean "I" since Kansas Dad does relatively little baking with the children, though they will sometimes help stir the pancake batter.)

There's more I'd like to share about the book, but Second Son is calling me and it's already taken a week to write this post. Check the book out and see if it can encourage some more creativity in your own life.

Making Our Masterpiece Folders

A few days ago, I posted my review of How to Use Child-Size Masterpieces. Here's how I fared making the folders.

I recently hit one of the mega-stores and bought red, blue and green folders for the first three steps of the Child-Size Masterpieces. I didn't even try to hit a sale, just bought the cheapest pocket folders they had, and still spent only about $5 on all the folders (with lots of extras for those postcards I'll be purchasing later in the year). I couldn't find the colored stickers she suggests (small dots of specific colors) so I splurged and bought myself a small rainbow set of Sharpie markers, planning to color the folder dots myself. (I could have used markers we had at home, but I was really looking for a reason to justify the Sharpie purchase anyway; they were already in the cart. I love Sharpie markers.)

The instructions for making the folders tell you to purchase regular size folders and trim them to 8" x 6", which was actually not difficult at all. It was a little more annoying to make them pocket folders again. When you trim them, of course, you cut the sides off, so you have to seal up the edges again. The instructions say to staple them, so I tried that at first. It was difficult to get them stapled properly, though that probably has more to do with my chinzy fifteen-year-old baby stapler than the task itself, though I also don't really like using staples on things the kids will be handling. I think there's the possibility of them cutting themselves on a staple that doesn't bend properly. More importantly, the staples might come loose and babies are very likely to pick up such things and eat them. It might not be a problem, but eating staples just seems like a bad idea.

So for the least set (the green ones), I decided to try taping them instead. I think it worked perfectly. I used the big clear packing tape, which we always have on hand.

I put some address labels (cut in half) on the insides and colored the dots on there so the marker would show well, rather than directly on the colored folders.

You might notice the green folders have four pockets. To create those, you need twice as many folders and then attach them together. I opted to use double-stick tape, which worked very well. Almost too well. I learned after the first one to be very careful about putting it together only when I was sure I had them lined up as I'd like. I also added a bit of packing tape on the edge to keep the kids (cough, Second Daughter) from pulling them apart.

I figured someone must sell the 8" x 6" size, but the only place I really found them was at Parent Child Press, the publisher of the books, for $1.50 each (here are the red ones, but they have all the colors). That's about ten times what I paid, even without a big sale; a lot more expensive. I was also surprised that the packages they sell are just packages of the books and the folders. You'd still have to cut all the cards out yourself and glue the cover cards on the folders. (I used double-stick tape for that, too.)

All in all, I think it took me about an hour to make the folders and put the cards for the first three steps inside. I had already cut them from the books and can't remember how long that took. (I cut them out while watching something from Netflix.) I probably could have finished quicker if I hadn't been at the table helping First Son and First Daughter with their dot-to-dots and color-by-numbers. (They love those things.)

It's also definitely the kind of project an older child could do. First Son probably could have managed it, but they wouldn't have looked quite as nice (not that mine are perfect).

I didn't mention it in the review, but I do intend to move to a more Charlotte Mason style approach to art appreciation eventually. I think First Son's more inclined to enjoy a Montessori approach right now which will involve manipulation of the cards. We'll see!

Book Review: How to Use Child-Sized Masterpieces for Art Appreciation

How to Use Child Size Masterpieces by Aline Wolf

You might be surprised to learn I decided to use this for our homeschool next year before I had actually read the book. Well, I did. You'll be even more surprised when I tell you it took me about thirty minutes to read through the whole book (though I just skimmed some of the information at the end).

After reading it, though, I am excited to try these exercises out with the kids. (The kids are really excited, too, after seeing me put all the cards in folders.) We'll be working through the first three steps: matching identical paintings, pairing companion paintings, and grouping four paintings by one artist. As she describes the approach, children are pulled deeper into the paintings, learning to pay closer attention to details and style in order to complete the exercises. Later steps involving schools of art and timelines build on those skills to increase knowledge of art history. She even mentions using groups of art work as an addition to history, culture or geography lessons. We'll work through at our own pace and see how it goes before investing in steps 4 through 8.

Ms. Wolf describes her simple approach to art appreciation, giving detailed instructions so you can easily create your own folders using whatever postcards you have at your local museum or that you might chose online. You most certainly do not have to buy any of the prepared groupings of cards (like Child Size Masterpieces of Steps 1, 2, 3 - Matching, Pairing, and Sorting - Level 1 Easy). Personally, I'm really glad we have the first three books because it's a little easier to see how it all works with some examples to move around myself. Using her descriptions, I'll also be selecting some postcards from our local art museum to augment our collection and make it more personal for the kids. (I'm hoping it will also make them more interested in the actual pieces in the art museum. We took them recently and they were definitely not interested!)

If you want to use the prepared groupings, you should plan on purchasing at least the first three books (Child Size Masterpieces of Steps 1, 2, 3 - Matching, Pairing, and Sorting - Level 1 Easy, Child Size Masterpieces for Steps 1, 2, 3: Matching, Pairing and Sorting - Level 2 Intermediate and Child-Size Masterpieces for Steps 1, 2, 3 of Matching pairing and sortingy, Level 3--Advanced). The books provide groups of postcards for the three steps at each level, but the instructions in the book seem to indicate you'll want to introduce the exercises to children with all three levels for Step 1, then all three levels for Step 2, and finally all three levels for Step 3. It seems like it would have been a better idea to group all of Step 1 together so people could give it a try that way, with only one book. I can understand being hesitant to purchase all of these resources to start a new program. I luckily only had to purchase one and used a gift card for that.

I do think you want this book if you are interested in using the Child Size Masterpieces. You may be able to muddle through without it, but it seems to provide all the important information on using the postcards with Ms. Wolf's approach. I read a few reviews online of people who thought it was too complicated. They seemed to think you could just throw some postcards together and go through them with your children. I'm sure you could, however, I think the system is actually fairly simple once you see the cards in action. I also think a more thoughtful approach in art appreciation can build the same kind of appreciation I'm hoping to develop with our music appreciation plans. Ms. Wolf provides the kind of detailed instructions I've found in other Montessori materials which often seem unnecessary, but work perfectly when modeling activities with children.

We'll see how these work in the fall, of course. I'll try to remember to post more on it once we're using them.

Originally, I was going to store the postcards in plastic bags because that's what I had and the folders seemed unnecessary. (A lot of other reviewers of the program said they just used bags or regular folders.) I didn't want to bother cutting down and stapling folders for postcards, but I was inspired after reading the book. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of the kids being able to get the folders out themselves and go through the exercises. Having separate pockets and the identification of the colored dots makes it very simple for them to complete the activity and return everything to its place so it's ready for next time.

I'll write a separate post with a few tips on making the folders, in case anyone is interested.

Book Review: For the Love of Literature

For the Love of Literature by Maureen Wittmann

I've had this book on the shelf for a few months and finally pulled it down to really read.

The first few sections discuss how the book is organized, recommendations for building a home library (or using the public one) and brief descriptions of some common homeschooling philosophies (classical, Charlotte Mason, unit studies). I'd certainly recommend reading more on any of the philosophies that seem appealing, but the introductions are straightforward and she provides a sample of titles for additional reading, all of which seemed familiar to me by name even if I hadn't already read them. (I'm beginning to feel like I've read a lot of homeschooling books...)

The bulk of the book is devoted to lists of books for Art and Music Appreciation, Math, History, Science and Books About Books. For each book (all of which were in print at the time of last editing), Ms. Wittmann gives a brief description and recommended age ranges. She provides the publisher for some of the titles less likely to be found in large bookstores. A small cross indicates the books that are Catholic. Each section has subdivisions, too, so it's easy to flip through and find books on Ancient times in the History section.

One of the best features is the At A Glance section at the back where she lists some titles from each grade, particularly helpful for someone like me with only one official student and no need for three or four books of different levels for a particular subject.

The Appendix is also full of valuable information: links to websites with book lists with different foci, websites with aids in understanding and teaching literature, used book stores, email groups for more information and even a list of blogs. It's amazing how much information can fit into a few pages when websites and publishing companies are involved!

If you couldn't tell from our history series this year, I believe strongly in vibrant, informative, living books for our subjects. Other than history, I haven't included them as part of a specific plan this year because we read books like these all the time: science, math and history picture books abound on our shelves. Frankly, if I had the money, I'd buy just about every book recommended in this one just to have them around.

To simplify my life, and because we have some flexibility in our homeschooling budget (though I may see more flexibility there than my husband at the moment), I have purchased some curricula that already include recommendations for books, living books. For someone without that flexibility or with more ambition, this book could be a marvelous resource in building a unit study or a library full of living books for art, music, math, history and science.

I know I'm biased, but I think non-homeschooling parents could use this book as well. If your child is struggling in a particular area, of if he or she is fascinated by a topic or era, this book could direct you to some quality books. The characteristics that make a book a wonderful living book for teaching and learning are the same ones that make books fabulous birthday or holiday presents.

Happy to be Moving On

We have finally finished Come Look with Me: Enjoying Art with Children and I am so glad to have it behind us. I still love this book myself, but the kids were very uninterested. Only Second Daughter liked looking at the pictures. (Sometimes, First Daughter would flip through the book, but even she did not want to talk about any of the paintings.)

Originally, we were going to spend two weeks on every picture. After a few weeks, I found myself "forgetting" our art or outright skipping it because no one was enjoying it. I recently decided we'd just spend one week on each painting and that seemed a little easier. Now, though, we're all happy to be moving on to something else: A Child's Book of Prayer in Art. I'm not sure if the kids will think this is much different than what we had before, but it's something to try.

For next year, I've already decided we'll switch to Aline Wolf's method: How to Use Child Size Masterpieces. A very kind PaperBackSwap member sent me not only Aline Wolf's book, but the cards for Level 2 and Level 3! So we can try it out for only a small investment. (Again with the disclosure, if you follow the PBS link and join up, I receive a credit for the referral. I wouldn't suggest it if I hadn't been very pleased with our experience, though.)