First Daughter's Third Grade Reading List

I recently posted First Son's third grade reading list and thought I'd just continue with the third grade immersion. For your comparison, here's First Daughter's third grade reading list.

Of all my children, First Daughter is the most voracious reader. None of the other three kids have read as much as she does in any year, including third grade.

Ginger Pye and Pinky Pye by Eleanor Estes - These are lovely and entertaining books, perfect for young readers who love pets.

The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz - I love this book!

Saint Rose of Lima by Mary Fabyan Windeatt - The saint books by Windeatt are good ones for this age and reading level. I let my kids pick from the handful we have on our shelves.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the other Narnia books by C. S. Lewis

From Kansas to Cannibals: The Story of Osa Johnson by Suzanne Middendorf Arruda - This is a biography of a young woman from Kansas who travelled the world making some of the first movies of natural wildlife in Africa and the people of the South Seas. There's a lot of grappling with out-dated beliefs about non-white ethnicities necessary when reading it, but she's one of my heroes. Third grade on the Range includes both a study of the South Seas in Extreme Environments and a study of Kansas, so it's a perfect fit. Not every family would feel the same. (I just copied this paragraph from the post on First Son.)

Saint Therese of Lisieux: The Way of Love by Mary Kathleen Glavich - The Encounter the Saints series is another good one for this level. Again, I have a handful on the shelves and let the kids pick one when it's time to read a saint biography.

Tikta'liktak: An Inuit-Eskimo Legend by James A Houston - I found this in our library and thought it complemented the Extreme Environments study in third grade so I added it to our independent reading list for the year.

First Daughter, in third grade

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry

The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill - This is a fun book I don't see on enough reading lists.

The Saturdays and The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright - Two of the books in the Melendy Quartet. I think First Daughter read the other books over the summer.

The Moffats and The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes - Another great series for this age! First Daughter read at least one other Moffat book as well, but not for "school."

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. All links to Bookshop and Amazon are affiliate links. Many of these books were library books because I can't store enough books to satisfy First Daughter's reading habit.

First Son's Third Grade Reading List

First Son, back when he was in third grade

This is just a quick post with a list of the books First Son read independently, for lessons but not for narrations, in third grade. I used to find lists like this invaluable in determining the kind of books that were about right for both reading level and age level when my kids were younger. First Son is now sixteen (gasp!), 6'3" (gasp!) and reads just about whatever he wants.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and the rest of the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis - I've linked to one of the editions we've had over the years. I think we've gone through at least three copies of each book over the years.

Walking the Road to Freedom: A Story about Sojourner Truth by Jeffi Ferris - This was on our bookshelf and lined up with our American history readings.

Chike and the River by Chinua Achebe - This matches well with an Africa study. It's a wonderful story of adventure and courage.

A Grain of Rice by Helena Clare Pittman - First Son was able to read this in one day; it's really an early reader. It's a delightful little book, though, and I wanted him to read it even though he was older before I found it.

The Apple and the Arrow by Mary and Conrad Buff - An exciting story of William Tell.

The Wright Brothers: Pioneers of American Aviation by Quentin Reynolds - I think this is my favorite Landmark book. It's well-written, adventurous, and inspiring.

From Kansas to Cannibals: The Story of Osa Johnson by Suzanne Middendorf Arruda - This is a biography of a young woman from Kansas who travelled the world making some of the first movies of natural wildlife in Africa and the people of the South Seas. There's a lot of grappling with out-dated beliefs about non-white ethnicities necessary when reading it, but she's one of my heroes. Third grade on the Range includes both a study of the South Seas in Extreme Environments and a study of Kansas, so it's a perfect fit. Not every family would feel the same.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Blessed John Paul II: Be Not Afraid by Susan Wallace (Encounter the Saints series) - This series is a pretty good one for the early elementary years. First Son chose from the ones we have.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder - First Son also read Little House on the Prairie and Farmer Boy. Farmer Boy was by far his favorite.

Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander - I haven't read this book, but my boys have both enjoyed it.

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

July and August 2016 Book Reports

Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child by Anthony Esolen - link to my post. (Kindle edition)

The Bee-Friendly Garden by Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn - link to my post. (book review for Blogging for Books)

The 101 Damatians by Dodie Smith is a delightful story; I'm sorry I never read it as a child myself. This will either be a family read-aloud for us or First Daughter will read it during her independent reading. I'm dismayed the Amazon link says it's "abridged" as the book I read from the library has the same cover, though it doesn't say it's abridged anywhere. I may invest in the Audible book, just to see if there's a noticeable difference. (library copy)

Hilary McKay's Lulu series - link to my post. (library copies)

Julian, Secret Agent by Ann Cameron is an early reader, and one in a series. Julian and his best friend start a detective agency with his little brother and learn it's best not to jump to conclusions. His father takes their escapades in stride and allows them the freedom to explore and investigate in a way that's probably impossible in today's world, but commendable. This will be an option for Second Daughter in her reading aloud to me. (library copy)

A Traveller in Rome by H. V. Morton - link to my post. (borrowed copy)

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford is a humorous easy chapter book about a girl who avoids reading her assigned book the entire summer and the events that transpire the last afternoon. It's not clear to me that Moxy learns or changes much in the short book, though she does eventually read Stuart Little. It's odd that there's a much younger boy (she's 9 and he's 6) who has a "crush" on her, follows her around and does whatever she says, a boy she considers her "boyfriend." For those who are concerned about such things, she does live with her mom and stepfather, though it doesn't say anything about divorce. My girls want to read this book, because they've seen it around the house, and I will let them, but I wouldn't offer it during the school year and I won't mention it's the first in a series. (library book)

Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book edited by Anita Silvey is a series of brief essays, some only a few sentences, of a successful person from a variety of careers, though there are lots of writers and illustrators, sharing a childhood memory of a book that impacted their lives. A variety of books are features, not all of them even written for children. Many of the stories reinforce Charlotte Mason's insistence on a broad feast of excellent books, as people draw different strengths and ideas from different books at different times. Each essay includes a full page excerpt, often with illustrations, from the featured book as well as a brief introduction to the book or series (in teeny tiny print) from the editor. One of my favorite stories told how Dr. Seuss had given up publishing his first children's book and was on his way home to burn it when he met a college acquaintance who just happened to be newly assigned to the children's book arm of his publishing house. Book lists appear at the end, but there are others I like more. (library book)

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene - link to my post. (owned copy)

Black Fox of Lorne by Marguerite de Angeli - link to my post. (PDF copy from publisher, complimentary copy of the book when published)

At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald is the story of a young boy named Diamond who is befriended by the North Wind. He learns to trust in her even when he knows she sometimes causes what seems to be evil. In our favorite chapter, Diamond observes (and understands) two horses conversing in horse language. The reader in our audio version sounded a bit like a grandmother which was a bit confusing to me when the narrator became a part of the story and was obviously male. The children didn't seem to mind, though, perhaps because they've listened to their mother read just about anything aloud to them. (audio book from Audible)

Ruby Lu, Brave and True by Lenore Look is a early reader chapter book, one of a series about a young Chinese American girl who loves performing magic tricks, adores her brother, and has a delightful family. It's cute and sweet and one I'd be happy for my young readers to enjoy. (library book)

Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott - I started to read this aloud to the kids from my Kindle when we were stranded outside Sequoia National Park. They were drawn in right away by the dog in the first chapter. We finished the book on Librivox. The girls (8 and 9) loved this book the most. First Son, I think, anticipated the ending and found it a little too "girlish" for his taste (though he loved Little Men last year). I found the Librivox reader a little perplexing in her pacing, but the children didn't seem to notice anything odd about it. I hadn't read this one myself before. It was fairly moralistic and the ending was predictable (but I still loved that predictable ending). (free Kindle book, free Librivox recording)

For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay and Towards A Philosophy of Education (Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series) by Charlotte Mason were read with my Start Here book club. We spent nearly 18 months reading through the study and I neglected to take extensive notes on the books. For the Children's Sake is an excellent introduction to Charlotte Mason and her principles. I recommend it for people who are new to Charlotte Mason, especially if her original volumes are intimidating. (purchased copy of For the Children's Sake at some long unknown time and place, purchased used copy of Towards a Philosophy of Education)

Humility of Heart by Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo - link to my post. (purchased used on Amazon)

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens - link to my post. (read for free on the Kindle, but I have an old used copy for First Son to read purchased at a library book sale)

Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin - link to my post. (library copy)

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by John Tiffany and Jack Thorne - There was really no way to avoid reading this book, which is really the script of a play. It was weird to read a Harry Potter play. The plot and character development are limited in a script; so much of that happens on stage. Many of the characters seemed like they were there just for show (especially Ron). Kansas Dad had trouble imagining Harry having so much difficulty relating to his son, but I personally think that could be managed. Really, though, I'd prefer to see this play performed. Maybe one day we will. (purchased copy, with a generous gift card from my godparents)

The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe by Roland Smith is recommended by RC History for volume 2. First Daughter read it independently and I read it just ahead of her. It seemed to do a good job of describing the trials and hardships of the journey without being too explicit for younger readers. The dog's point of view is also a benefit for more reluctant readers. It does present spirit animals (of a Native American tribe) as real and instrumental in the story, if that concerns anyone. We were fine with that as a literary technique. I linked above to the RC History website (an affiliate link), but the book is also available from Amazon (another affiliate link). (library copy)

Father Elijah: An Apocalypse by Michael D. O'Brien - In this fictional apocalypse, a Jewish convert priest does spiritual battle with an Anti-Christ who has risen to great political power in Europe. What does evil look like in the present world? How are we deceived by evil masquerading as doing good? How do we cultivate faith when the world seems so terrible? There is only minimal resolution in the book and I read recently there is a new book in the series. (parish library copy)

Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded by Simon Winchester - link to my post. (library copy)

Books in Progress (and date started)

• Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol 2 (sixth edition) (August 2014)
• Transforming Your Life through the Eucharist by John A. Kane (June 2016)
• Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (August 2016, listening with the children) 
• My Several Worlds by Pearl S. Buck (August 2016)
• The Peterkin Papers by Lucretia P. Hale (August 2016, reading aloud to the children)
• Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott (August 2016, with First Son)

The italic print: Links to Amazon are affiliate links. As an affiliate with Amazon, I receive a small commission if you follow one of my links, add something to your cart, and complete the purchase (in that order). 

Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks - another affiliate link.

Any links to RC History and PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

Other links (like those to Bethlehem Books) are not affiliate links.

These reports are my honest opinions.

My Favorite Picture Books: Waiting for the Biblioburro

Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown, illustrations by John Patra

I first found this book when looking for titles to read in 2012 when we read around the world with picture books, focused on Central and South America. Since then, we've requested it many times from our library. Jeanette Winter has a similar book, Biblioburro: A True Story from Colombia, but I personally prefer the Monica Brown one.

Based on the life of a Colobian librarian, Luis Soriano Bohorequez, who travels through rural areas leading a burro loaded with books, this book inspires an appreciation for the libraries we have here in America as well as a love of words and stories. It's a joy to read over and over again.

New Readers and How We Love Them

The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc

Second Daughter is learning to read. She's just at the brink of leaping off into that wide world of books with enough knowledge to sound out most simple words and an inkling of what other words should be. Earlier this week, she brought this book to me from our library stash. She said she wanted to read it to me but that she would need help with a few words. So she did.

I had already read this book and thought it was sweet but it didn't thrill me. I love how her attraction to the book inspired her to seek me out and share it with me. I enjoyed the book so much more when she read it to me than when I had skimmed it myself.

As Second Daughter is learning to read, she's revealing her tastes more clearly than ever before. It reminds me of that amazing time when each of my children first learned to talk. All along you knew there was a little thinking person running around (often terrorizing everyone in the house) and suddenly she begins to communicate with you in words.

I have learned so much this year about Second Daughter and how words and illustrations intrigue her and draw her in. Or not.

Second Daughter Is Reading

Second Daughter has discovered the joys of reading. She read Have You Seen My New Blue Socks? to me a few nights ago...twice. Then she read it again. And again. And again.

It's amazing to witness that light bulb moment, when kids realize the letters on the page can all be sounded out and that it's fun.

We just need a few more books from the library...

October 2014 Book Reports

The Postman by David Brin started out really well. I was most interested in how the main characters actions seemed to be bringing about the kind of world he sought despite his recognition of it, but the last third took a different direction and I think the book suffered because of it. Apparently, it's a movie, too, but I haven't seen it. (library copy)

Kiln People also by David Brin was much more interesting. In addition to being fun and exciting, it raises questions about what it means to be human. I might have read more by the author after this book, but I had the chance to hear him speak and found him so obnoxious I decided against it. (library copy)

My Sister the Saints by Colleen Carroll Campbell (review copy from Blogging for Books)

UnDivided by Neal Shusterman (library copy)

These Beautiful Bones by Emily Stimpson (Kansas Dad's university library copy)

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift is a book I had never read, and now I have. Some of it was fun and much of it was...long. But now I know what a yahoo is. (purchased copy)

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma was the inspiration for one of the Read-Aloud Revival podcasts at Amongst Lovely Things. I loved the podcast and immediately requested the book. The book is a memoir of her childhood so it is about more than just the reading she and her father did together or even the direct effect of the reading promise on her life. It was a sweet memoir, but I thought the best parts were the ones that most concerned the reading. (library copy)

The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough is a book I couldn't put down. I literally read it in a couple of days, mostly in a few hours of straight reading in the evenings. It's fast-paced and fascinating. I didn't know much about the flood before I read the book but was constantly comparing it to recent events, how people survive and overcome tragedy, how corporations behave (in good and bad ways), and how people are held responsible. Most of all, I thought of how we should all pay attention to credibility and expertise of the "experts" who are telling us everything is fine (or not so fine). Kansas Dad thought it looked depressing, and it was sad in parts, but I felt in some way that the people who spoke with the author wanted to tell their tales and want them to be remembered. The author has some problems with other books, but as far as I can tell this book is reliable. (library copy)


Books in Progress (and date started)

• Open Mind, Faithful Heart by Pope Francis (January 2014) 
• The Education Of Catholic Girls by Janet Erskine Stuart (February 2014)
• A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller (April 2014)
• Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol 2 (sixth edition) (August 2014)
• Men and Women Are From Eden: A Study Guide to John Paul II's Theology of the Body by Mary Healy (September 2014, with our parish adult education class)
• The Little Oratory: A Beginner's Guide to Praying in the Home by David Clayton and Leila Marie Lawler (September 2014)
• The Bible Compass: A Catholic's Guide to Navigating the Scriptures by Edward Sri (September 2014)
• The Religious Potential of the Child: Experiencing Scripture and Liturgy with Young Children by Sofia Cavaletti (September 2014, with a book club at our parish)
• The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (October 2014)
•  Another Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup (October 2014)

Links to Amazon are affiliate links. Other links are not affiliate links.

7 Quick Takes Vol 7: Reading, a Water Battle, and Other Random Thoughts

--- 1 ---

May is almost over. I have been enjoying this month between the end of school and the beginning of summer activities. I gave myself this month without school planning (or at least, without too much of it). I spent most of it reading, and that was lovely.

I also spent much of May in physical therapy, which was not quite so lovely. I have at times been very discouraged about the likelihood my upper back and shoulder would heal, but I am currently optimistic.

Over the course of the last month, I have been thinking often of those who are always in pain. I have been horribly short-tempered with my children and know it's because I am a complete failure at handling pain and discomfort well. I have been trying to remember to offer it up for those who cannot go to physical therapy and get better. Surprisingly, this offering often makes it a tiny bit easier for me to be nice to my kids.

--- 2 ---

Those of you who are facebook friends with me might have seen a link I posted to this blog post, How to Make Your Children Hate Reading. We signed up for one summer reading program this week and will participate in another one at a different library as well. I have been requiring a chapter a day from the two readers this summer (along with some math facts practice). The chapter has to be from a book I select, though I have let First Daughter choose from different options. First Son could, too, but he's mainly interested in getting it done, not wasting any time thinking about what he might like to read.
I try to choose fun books for summer. For example, First Son is now reading the The Half Upon a Time Trilogy and the third installment of the Hero's Guide series, which just came out, The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw. First Son and I did rock/paper/scissors to see who would get to read it first and I lost, so I have to wait my turn.

More than once, they have read more than one chapter of their books; that's what I want from summer reading programs. I look for books that are at or slightly below reading level with lots of humor and excitement.

--- 3 ---

On Memorial Day, the children convinced Grammy and Kansas Dad to have a water balloon and water gun battle. When I told First Daughter I never liked water balloon fights very much, even when I was seven, she was shocked. Kansas Dad said, "I can think of one word for that."

First Daughter replied promptly, "Boring!"

Yep, that's the word.

Second Son didn't last very long before he decided it was too hectic and too chilly. He and his puppy snuggled next to me.

I think the children have now decided all summer holidays warrant swim suits and water battles.

--- 4 ---

I'm not very good at following the news, but I saw this blog post linked off facebook about the Amazon/Hatchette disagreement. I'm an affiliate with Amazon and don't intend to stop shopping there entirely. When you live as far as I do from stores and have four kids to haul around with you, online shopping can be a great blessing.

I do, however, try to give my business to smaller bookstores when I can. My school shopping is almost entirely split between RC History and Sacred Heart Books and Gifts. (These are not affiliate links.) Unlike the local bookstores (and there are a few wonderful independent ones within driving distance), these stores carry books I need to buy for school. I've also had the pleasure of talking with both of the owners on the phone or through email, a delight unknown at giants like Amazon.

I also firmly believe in adequately compensating people for their work, whether it be making soap, writing or illustrating books, or making plastic do-dads. For that reason, I prefer to purchase fewer things or do without so I can a higher price if necessary to feel like I'm supporting someone's ability to properly feed, clothe, and support a family. It's not a perfect system and I'm not always consistent. Luckily, when you mostly want to sit at home and read a book, the needs are few.

--- 5 ---

My birthday was this week. I don't feel like I should be old yet, but my gray hairs beg to differ. Can you guess where we went to celebrate?

--- 6 ---

Kansas Dad has started painting our white picket fence. It's going to look amazing when he's done. We're going to try to get the kids to help paint, too. Luckily they really will think it's fun because the older two already know the Mark Twain trick.

--- 7 ---

Have you checked out the Unbound blog yet? I've mentioned it before. If you've glanced at it and didn't find anything interesting, now's your chance to help guide the content. They have posted a short reader survey (very short, I promise) and are looking for lots of helpful responses.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

My Favorite Picture Books: Miss Moore Thought Otherwise

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children 

by Jan Pinborough, illustrated by Debby Atwell

This book is a biography of an important librarian in the early 1900s, Anne Carroll Moore, who was instrumental in changing how libraries served children. She also wielded her pen to write reviews of children's books, influencing not only what libraries purchased and provided for children, but what authors wrote and publishers published. Though she is not as well known as many other people in history, any child who can visit a lovely library can easily understand how her work directly influences his or her life today.

Miss Moore was not afraid to go against the common thoughts of her day, willing to "think otherwise" and act on it, but I feel like this is a nice quiet sort of revolt. I imagine her tilting her head to the side, considering her options, and then going ahead with her crazy ideas of comfy rooms, books children could check out, reading aloud to children, and providing puppets and other programs. She lived at a time when women were being beaten for trying to organize in labor unions and jailed for demanding the right to vote, but she also managed to change the world. She found something she loved and used her gifts to bring that love to as many children as possible.

The illustrations are absolutely lovely, so bright and colorful. My favorite illustration shows Miss Moore surrounded by joyous rays of light as she surveys New York City, which is displayed in all its beautiful glory. They show some of the excitement and giddiness of that era when anything seemed possible.

I have no doubt Miss Moore would have delighted to add this book to her library's collection.

Homeschool Review: The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading

The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading

by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington

I used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with First Son (an older version shown in my review). He did indeed learn to read, but there seemed to be a great many words that he would mispronounce. He couldn't seem to recognize or remember phonograms that were slightly different than what he had learned. He also seemed intimidated by more difficult words, skipping them, guessing at them, or merely replacing them with a word that he knew from the context had an appropriate meaning. I thought this would dissipate over time and I suppose it did get better, but through all of first and second grade I felt like he had to read everything aloud to me because he was consistently reading certain words incorrectly.

I was on the search for something more systematic and thorough for First Daughter and decided to try The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. I have been very pleased with it! After reading Uncovering the Logic of English, I was pleased to see how well it followed the same thought pattern, introducing a more thorough list of phonograms. I modified the teacher text a little to take into account some of the different language or additional information in Uncovering the Logic of English. I think they complement each other well.

The lessons clearly state at the top what will be taught, the parent's role is clearly written out (though I often paraphrased the instructions), and the lessons follow a pattern that quickly becomes familiar - review words, new sounds and sample words, and a story to read. There are no pictures, which I liked because pictures are often more distracting than helpful. The stories are simple, of course, but I was often impressed with them given the small number of phonograms. I can only recall a few instances where a phonogram appeared in a story before it was introduced. (I should have written them down to report back to the author, but life in the midst of a school year is hectic.)

The book recommends a magnet board and letters for the lessons. First Daughter loves these. In fact, all the children love them and I've even used them with First Son. I bought the Little Red Tool Box: Magnetic Tabletop Learning Easel and Smethport 120 Foam Magnetic Letters. The board has held up really well to two years of use. The letters are all great except for the ones Second Daughter chewed. Even those still stick to the magnet board. I always watch carefully when my children are using magnets, though Second Daughter would only swallow them accidentally. I think the magnets in the letters are probably not strong enough to cause any health problems, but it's good to be vigilant. If you dislike magnets or wanted to avoid spending much money, a movable alphabet would also work.

I started First Daughter in this book the year before she started kindergarten. She turned five at the end of September that fall. We struggled. She was so wiggly! She would stare at the ceiling and complain that she couldn't see the words. I broke lessons down so we would only do about a third of a lesson each day. It was terrible and we both dreaded it, but it was also clear that she was learning, so I continued. That was a mistake. We finished a whole school year of lessons that way, getting through relatively little of the book. I considered continuing over the summer, but I was exhausted by the thought. So I put it aside.

In the fall of 2012, she started kindergarten. She was about six weeks shy of six years old when we picked up the book again. I thought about reviewing some of it with her but decided to see what she remembered if we just jumped right in. It was amazing. She finished an entire lesson (remember, we were only doing a third of a lesson the year before) without any complaining and much less wiggling. (She is naturally a very wiggly girl.) By the end of the year, we were often doing two lessons in less than ten minutes, and sometimes she would want to do more. As I write this, we're about thirty lessons from the end of the book.

Second Daughter is starting kindergarten in the fall, but if she behaves at all like First Daughter, I am going to put this book aside and wait. I've also decided to teach Second Daughter her phonograms using Doodling Dragons: An ABC Book of Sounds rather than the first twenty-six lessons in The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. Those lessons were a little boring (though remember First Daughter was probably not ready for them when we started). I haven't used this book yet, so don't take this as a blanket recommendation.

There is only one thing I wish this book had: recommendations for early readers (preferably living books, of course) my child would be able to read as we go through the book. For example, after Lesson 124, there might be a list of books that use the phonics learned so far and maybe a few stretch words. I'm sure it could be done, but it would be a time investment. At this point, First Daughter could probably fly through a lot of the books First Son read after he finished Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

I plan to follow The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading with Essentials (see my pre-review here) in first grade for First Daughter. The same organization is making a program designed to teach younger children to read that looks fantastic, but also a lot more expensive than The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. If you anticipate having difficulty with a child learning to read, I would recommend checking it out. If I had unlimited homeschooling funds, I would be very tempted to buy it for the two who don't know how to read yet.

What I Loved About Last Week (49th Ed.)

1. Last Saturday morning, Kansas Dad made blintzes for us using a recipe we found in How Mama Brought the Spring (which we read in our Preschool Reading Around the World lessons). First Daughter wanted to make them, but we had to find the right time. Saturday was the feast of St. Bruno, one of our family's patron saints, so it seemed fitting to have a celebration (even if St. Bruno probably never ate a blintz).

Let me tell you something: they were fantastic. Heavenly! Definitely not in the P90X nutrition plan. All the kids tried them, but I think First Son was the only kid who really liked them.

2. First Son served Mass again on Sunday. I missed it, staying home with a sick Second Son, but I love how he loves to serve.

3. I love taking First Son to his soccer practice. Once a week, I lounge blissfully in the silence of the van, watching him run around and reading. Kansas Dad and the girls always make an effort to clean up the living room while we're gone, too.

4. Girls Night! The girls and I decorated Halloween and fall cookies with friends. Well, the girls decorated and the moms talked. Fun! I think we're going to try to meet up regularly, just us girls.

5. I taught my very first Level I Catechesis class by myself this past week. You would not believe how nervous I was about presenting the Sign of the Cross to ten 3-6 year olds! It was just fine, of course! Second Daughter did not behave very well during the class, but I was assured by the regular teacher that she doesn't usually have so many problems. I guess she was just acting out for her mom! (She does that all the time.)

6. I helped clean our church for the first time this week. First Son helped us without any complaining. Second Son sat quietly in the back room watching a movie on the Kindle. (He was so good! And cute!) I was reminded of the lovely story in this book often as I vacuumed. What a wonderful gift it would be to forget self entirely before our Lord!

7. Surviving a messy homeschool week. This week we had a physics experiment that involved flying flour, three presentations on volume in math that involved pouring cups and cups of water, and painting in art. It's a bit of a miracle that my children survived my stress relatively unscathed, but perhaps they were too distracted by all the flying flour. (And somehow, First Daughter and I both stepped in green paint. I never could find it and we didn't seem to track it everywhere, but if you come for a visit please don't look too closely at our floors.) Then, on Friday, I sent the girls out to play in the rain and the mist and the mud. I told Kansas Dad I deserved some sort of Charlotte Mason reward for that.

The

According to The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, there's a rule on how to pronounce "the." It's "/thuh/ before words beginning with consonants and /thee/ before words beginning with vowels."

Seriously? I had no idea. I think I always say /thuh/.

Seven Quick Takes Vol. 2

1. The Cosby Show is one of the best shows. Kansas Dad and I have been enjoying it much more than we remember when we were children. Not only is it much funnier now that we're parents, but I can appreciate how much of the writing created a show perfect for the entire family to watch together and discuss. We're up to the third season. It's available to stream on Netflix.

2. Can anyone tell me the chigger's place in the ecosystem? I'm having trouble imagining them doing any good whatsoever. I'm starting to think they're a result of the Fall.

3. I have been exercising consistently every day for over seven weeks and am just starting to think I sees some results. Sadly, I have sprained or strained a muscle in my abdomen and now have to take a few days off. I'm afraid it's going to destroy all my momentum. It also ruined part of my plans for today as I was going to take the kids to a museum, but I'm not anxious to be walking around that much. (It hurts to stand straight or lay down straight -- much better to be sitting or curled.) I'm very thankful for my doctor's office's walk-in clinic that let me visit a PA who assured me it wasn't appendicitis. (We didn't really think it was, but it's nice to hear it from someone "official.")

4. Yesterday I was in the middle of mixing a batch of muffins using a new recipe when I opened the refrigerator and discovered we had NO eggs. For a few seconds, I wondered what I would do. Then I remembered, we have chickens! I sent First Son out to collect one for me, but he couldn't find them. So the girls and I trooped out as well (while Second Son napped) and I dug five out from under a hen who was resting in the nesting box. We went in to finish the muffins. It was a good country moment.

5. Speaking of muffins, I have made three batches this week and a number of loaves of bread. We've been busy with all the great summer offerings in our local community and with our friends. My house is reasonably clean and (as I mentioned above) I've been exercising regularly for the first time in years. All of that is good and yet I still find myself thinking in the evenings of all I (and we) haven't been doing during the day. I feel like I'm always asking myself if I have my priorities in order. Am I accomplishing what I should be each day? Should I be doing more? Or something differently? Perhaps my list of things I'd like to do is too ambitious? I have grand plans to finish our alphabet (Alphabet Art) and do some experiments (Creepy Crawlies and the Scientific Method). I want to pre-read all our read-aloud and reading lesson books for next year. I want to read some grown-up books about next year's topics as well to prepare myself. I want to finish my liturgical year binder. I'd like to be cross-stitching, working on Second Son's baby album, organizing pictures from the last year (none of which are in albums). And so on. Logically, I think I'm in a good place for a wife and mother of four young ones, but it's hard to convince my emotions of that. There are just so many good things to do each day and my time is no longer entirely my own. (It hasn't been for many years, but since I was pregnant with Second Son I struggled so much just to get the bare minimum done I haven't had time to think about how my time is not my own.)

6. My "new" laptop is up and running again. It's about three years old, I think, but that's two or three years younger than the desktop I was using. I'm still getting used to it and still haven't pulled pictures from the camera, but it's nice to have my own computer again. It's surprisingly hard to go back to a Mac after (dare I admit it?) more than a decade away but Kansas Dad keeps telling me I won't regret it. Another task on the to-do list: figure out how to get the desktop out into the living room where First Son and First Daughter can use it but Second Daughter and Second Son cannot destroy it. And figure out if we need a parental protection program. They won't be searching for anything but still...

7. Our summer reading program ended yesterday with a pizza party and a run through the librarian's sprinklers. The three older ones all received prizes (for showing up yesterday): a book each. I love our summer reading program! You should all have one as wonderful. I'm glad it's over, though, and we have Mondays and Thursdays to ourselves...for a week before swimming lessons start. I think our summer is turning out to be as busy or busier than our school year. Just without the lesson planning.

Jen has more 7 Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

Listening and Loving It

I was careful during the school year to keep us supplied with audio books from the library to play in the van. We have nearly an hour in the van just about every time we go anywhere, so we had lots of time to fill. On our way to and from choir, we always listened to our composer CD, but we usually had at least one other trip to town each week.

My children have been disinterested in listening to me read long books. They suffered through The First Four Years (Little House) (because it wasn't available on audio book and they asked me to read it), but they find it difficult to concentrate when it's just me reading long selections. (Hopefully First Son is ready for more of that next year as I think we're increasing our reading next year.) In the van, though, they are confined to their seats and can gaze calmly out the window while listening to someone much better than I perform a story.  I've tried audio books at home, but find the children are easily distracted and spend so much time making noise themselves that they have not listened to the story at all. So the van it is.

Here's our list for first grade, including a few we took along on our Christmas vacation:

• By the Shores of Silver Lake (Little House) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Long Winter (Little House) by Laura Ingalls Wilder - You would never believe how interesting this book is, given that nearly nothing happens beyond darkness, wind and hunger. If you ever find yourself struggling to feel grateful for heat and enough food, spend a little time with this book.
• Little Town on the Prairie (Little House) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• These Happy Golden Years (Little House) by Laura Ingalls Wilder - I think this is my favorite Little House books - everything seems so calm and pleasant.
• Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
• Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary
• Henry and Ribsy by Beverly Cleary
• Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney - Kansas Dad and I didn't enjoy this book very much, but the children liked it.
• How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell - First Son thought this book was hilarious, but I wish I had waited a while to share it with the children. It had been too long since I'd read it, so I didn't remember it properly. There's a bit more antagonism between the friends than I would like my seven and four year olds to hear. They didn't seem to imitate it, though.
• Now We Are Six by A. A. Milne - I had been reading these poems at home to the children's delight, but they loved listening to a professional recite them even more. Even Second Daughter started reciting them during her games. Despite the popularity of the title, I had been unprepared for how wonderful the poems are. Mr. Milne knew what it was to be a young child.
• Green Eggs and Ham and Other Servings of Dr. Seuss by Dr. Seuss - Frankly, I thought many of the Dr. Seuss poems lose something without the book
• .Rascal by Sterling North - Kansas Dad and I enjoyed this book tremendously. We often stopped to entreat First Son not to follow in Sterling's footsteps, but much of the tale is idyllic. Please be sure to share this tale with your young boys!
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - I was hesitant to listen to this with the children at first. I wasn't sure First Son would be interested enough in a young girl from India and her sickly cousin. He seemed to enjoy it very much and I realized again how much I love this story. I'd forgotten quite how much "magic" is mentioned and invoked, but the "magic" they speak of is quite easily explained as God's intervention. It is a lovely story of sunshine, bright thoughts, redemption and relationships.

Though I love reading "older" books with my children, please remember to discuss how people of different races and cultures are portrayed, discussed and treated in them. In fact, that's not a bad idea for all books, even with young children. We found this with parts of the Little House books and a bit in The Secret Garden.

I find myself excited for our drives, knowing we will be able to listen to the next part of our story. I highly recommend finding good audio books to make driving more enjoyable for everyone.

Busy Reading

Forgive me if I don't post for a few days. I'm too busy reading Understood Betsy on my Kindle!

My Small Successes XLII

1. We made our first batches of strawberry jam! So far we have four pints of strawberry jam and seven pints of strawberry lemon marmalade. The harvest is later than last year, but hopefully we'll still have a good one. Last year's was great, but I was too tired to can as much as I had liked. I tried a new recipe for pickled watermelon rinds, too, just because we had them. Kansas Dad is outside picking strawberries today so hopefully we'll have some strawberry sauce soon! (We also had strawberry smoothies for breakfast. Yum!)

2. We ordered a Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board. So far I've managed at least 30 minutes of exercise on all but one day. (That's 12 of the last 13 days. I didn't exercise on my birthday, more because I was worried about getting four adults and four kids to Mass on time than because it was my birthday.) I haven't noticed a difference in tone, strength, size or weight yet, but these things take time, right? I have been sore, so something must be happening. At the very least, I haven't exercised this much since I was playing basketball in high school.

3. I bought something for myself just because. I've wanted a Kindle for a long time but have never wanted to spend the money on something I so obviously didn't need. I had just enough birthday money for one, though, and my parents were encouraging me to order it. After consulting with Kansas Dad, I did. It should arrive tomorrow. I'm posting it as a success because it's the first time in (probably) years I haven't spent my birthday money on something for the kids, something for the kitchen or something for our homeschool. Not that I don't like spending money on those things, but Kansas Dad thought I was due to buy something for me. Now I'll be downloading all those classics I haven't read that are available for free. (Recommendations welcome.)

Head over to Chocolate for Your Brain for more Small Successes.

April Book Report

The Politics of Breastfeeding: When Breasts are Bad for Business by Gabrielle Palmer

Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather by Mike Smith

First Son's First Grade Booklist

The Phone Book: The Curious History of the Book That Everyone Uses But No One Reads by Ammon Shea is a fun little book. The first half or two thirds is the best part, when he's really writing about the history instead of waxing poetic about how our attitude to the phone book is an indicator of all of society's deficits. He's a bit obnoxious about religion and politics, too, but luckily that doesn't appear too often in the book. For those that are wondering, Mr. Shea read the Congressional Record and no one has ever read the phone book in a filibuster.

The Early Admissions Game: Joining the Elite by Christopher Avery, Andrew Fairbanks and Richard Zeckhauser is a well-researched look at the early application programs at several elite colleges (Early Decision and Early Admission). They say it's written for parents as well as guidance counselors and college admission officers, but I think a great many parents would find it heavy reading. (Not me, but I know I have odd tastes in reading. Also, I just skimmed over most of the statistical stuff.) If you happen to be a parent of a young adult who is interested in attending one of those "elite" colleges, you can get much from this book by reading chapter 7 in which they provide ten guidelines to help high school students really think about what they want in a college, where they truly desire to attend and if applying early would be beneficial in their particular situation. (I'm well aware my oldest is only seven years old, but I have a fascination with the college experience, how people decide to attend and where to attend and what difference those decisions make in real life, not just careers.)

Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head, Second Edition by Carla Hannaford, Ph.D. is a book that starts out pretty well but then got a little...let's say unorthodox. My background is biology, so a lot of what she described (nerve cells, axons, etc.) seemed accurate, but then she'd make conclusions that just didn't seem right to me. I was not impressed with the research articles that were linked in the end notes (nothing from highly respected medical or research journals, for example) and much of her "research" seemed to be anecdotal. Much of what she encourages in the early chapters makes sense to me as a home educator -- touching students to help them focus, allowing students to move more in the classroom, drinking plenty of water, and so on -- but once I reached the brain gym exercises and her assertion that ADHD, ADD and other behavioral problems are really just caused by stress and can be cured by the brain gym exercises, I decided to stop reading. It didn't seem like the rest of the book was worth my time. (You can read more about Brain Gym here and one of the strongest assertions against it here.) As a side note, the figures are terrible - hand drawn diagrams of the brain labelled in elaborate script which, while beautiful, is almost impossible to read.

The Night Crossing by Karen Ackerman is the tale of Clara, Marta and their parents as they attempt to escape from Nazi-occupied Austria over the mountains into Switzerland. Though neighbors are attacked and the girls are taunted, this book does not explicitly discuss the horrors of the concentrations camps. This book may be a less-terrifying way to introduce the sufferings of the Jews in World War II and I will consider it for First Son's reading lessons next year.

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois is the tale of the fantastic voyage and adventures of Professor Sherman who had hoped for nothing but silence and solitude. It's definitely on the list for First Son, though we'll have to see if he's ready to read it next year. We might use it as a read-aloud.

Book Report for First Son in First Grade

I told myself I'd post First Son's list of books more often in first grade than in kindergarten, but I haven't. Keeping up with school, home, life and (mainly) Second Son took a lot more effort than I'd envisioned. Luckily, we read longer books but fewer of them, so hopefully this list won't be too overwhelming.

First Son reads very well and extensively on his own, so my main goals for our reading lessons, when I'd sit next to him, were to increase vocabulary and, most importantly, convince him to expand his reading horizons a little. I think it's reasonable for a seven year old boy to want to read all the books in a series. The characters become familiar and the vocabulary tends to be similar so he's not encountering too much of the unknown. I just like him to be aware there are a lot of other authors and characters out there.

When our reading lessons started to become a bit of a battle, I made a deal with First Son. Typically, we would alternate between a book I selected and one he selected (with approval from me). So far, he's chosen all Magic School  Bus chapter books.

• Song of St.Francis by Clyde Robert Bulla - I love Bulla's books! First Son and First Daughter both loved this book. It was a perfect way to start the school year. First Son did quite well reading the story.
• The Shoemaker's Boy by Joan Aiken
• The Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla
• The Absent Author (A to Z Mysteries) by Ron Roy - This book was recommended by good friends with great taste. I needed something to replace First Son's taste for the Magic Tree House books (read what I thought of those here) because he'd read all of them. This was perfect. We read the first one together and he's making his way through all the others on his own.
• Space Explorers (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book, No. 4) by Eva Moore - Based on the recommendation of another great reading family, we started reading the Magic School Bus Chapter Books. They are nice little chapter books with lots of information. First Son adores them.
• The Magic School Bus Chapter Book #05: Twister Trouble by Ann Schreiber
• Pirate's Promise by Clyde Robert Bulla
• The Magic School Bus Chapter Book #06: The Giant Germ by Anne Capeci - You can probably tell which books First Son is picking to read.
• Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown - We read this book to death, literally. It fell apart. The kids all loved it, though. (It's always fun when First Daughter wants to be snuggled with us when First Son is reading.)
• Ribsy by Beverly Cleary - This was by far the most difficult book First Son read this year. It didn't have many chapters, but they were long with challenging vocabulary. We made it through but I think First Son tired of the challenge before we were done.
• The Great Shark Escape (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book, No. 7) by Joanna Cole
• A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla - We're still reading this one. It took a while for First Son to find it interesting, but now he sometimes asks to read more. Most of Bulla's books are now below First Son's reading level, but the stories are exciting. I'm still hoping he'll decide to ask for more of his books to read on his own.
• Penguin Puzzle (Magic School Bus Chapter Books #8) by Judith Bauer Stamper
• The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children, No. 1) - This is our next book and will probably be our last official book of first grade.

I have not read a book by Clyde R. Bulla I didn't like. They're often exciting historical fiction novels appropriate for young readers. I would guess they're good for a first grade level. (First Son may be closer to third grade; I'm not sure how reliable these levels are.)

The Magic School Bus chapter books are quite good. They convey a large amount of information on their non-fiction topics with a familiar cast of characters and lots of silly puns. (First Son always says, "Ha ha." He likes them.)

Overall, I think I could have done better selecting his books. Don't get me wrong; these are great books. Most of them, though, were much too easy for him. Ribsy was almost too hard and took a long time to read through together. Next year I hope to do a better job challenging him in his reading without overwhelming him. (I'm not sure I would have selected Ribsy; First Son received it from St. Nicholas and wanted to read it together.)

What's the consensus among homeschooling moms? Should we continue "reading lessons" over the summer?

February Book and Movie Report

Hand that Rocks the Cradle by Nathaniel Bluedorn

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson contains a novella (I Am Legend) and a bunch of short stories. When I first started reading it I thought I might have nightmares from the vampires but I persevered and after the first few scenes the attacks are not as frightening. Many of the stories were a bit more physically violent than I usually read, and certainly not appropriate for children, but they were often intelligent. The novella, by the way, is very different from the recent movie.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Ted Lawson is the tale of his experiences as one of the pilots sent to bomb Tokyo on the Dolittle Raid after Pearl Harbor was bombed. It was enthralling and I tore through the book in two days. A young man (though one old enough to engage in conversations of the reality of war) would thoroughly enjoy this book as a part of a history study of WWII. It was written during the war, so the Japanese and Germans are identified plainly and bluntly as enemies of all Americans. The Chinese and many missionaries in China are repeatedly praised. It's been made into a movie, but I haven't seen it.

The Swiss Family Robinson (Signet Classics)  by J. D. Wyss is, of course, the story of a family shipwrecked on an island and forced to survive in relative paradise but isolation for over ten years. I was amazed at how quickly I read and how interested I was to see what would happen next because the writing itself was a bit ponderous. Though their knowledge of natural history and "modern" (early 1800s) industrial techniques vastly improves their quality of life, a good bit of it is not really accurate. It should also be noted that this is some sort of enchanted island that contains kangaroos, penguins, lions, tigers, ostriches, and elephants, among other animals. It may also be disturbing to contemporary readers that upon nearly ever encounter with a newly discovered animal, they shoot one or two.

A Wonder-Book for Boys and Girls  by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a collection of classic myths retold for children. They were wonderful and I'm considering reading them with the kids next year. I'm currently reading the second volume, Tanglewood Tales.

We also saw a few movies recently that were interesting enough for me to want to share.

Food, Inc. - We actually watched this in January. It's not a objective documentary, but a movie with an agenda. I can't say whether all they claim is true. (I'd like to know what some of our friends with big commercial farms think.) If even a part of it is true, though, it should change how you think about food. We already eat very few processed foods, try to have a large garden and raise our own eggs, but this movie made me want to do even more. It's available to watch instantly at Netflix.

The Karate Kid (the new movie) was surprisingly good. We enjoyed it immensely. Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan were fun to watch as a team. I loved some of young Smith's expressions. I have to admit I couldn't help thinking about my children facing bullies and how complicated and difficult that can be. Hopefully they'll be much older before we have to deal with it. There was also one scene where the two children kiss. (They're only twelve.) It didn't seem crucial to the plot and I think the movie would have been better without it.

Babies - Have you seen this movie? I loved watching these babies grew up and was fascinated by what was shown. It's also not an objective documentary. In my case, it generated more questions about how other cultures raise children than it answered. I am also sure I would never let them come and film my children or my house! The babies are adorable and many of their facial expressions are universal. Even Kansas Dad seemed to enjoy the bits and pieces he saw as he was being productive around the house while I held the sick baby and watched. This one is also available to watch instantly on Netflix.