Little Leap Forward

Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing

by Guo Yue and Clare Farrow

illustrated by Helen Cann

This is a beautifully written book about Little Leap Forward, a young boy in Beijing in 1966. He tells of his family, his hopes and dreams, and the ways his life is impacted by the arrival of the Red Guards and the Cultural Revolution. The author drew on his own life and experiences to create a real picture for the reader. The many illustrations are like full-page watercolor paintings.

It would be perfect as a substitute for a book in Level 1A Year 2 of Mater Amabilis, when studying Asia for People and Places. I think it's not quite as sad as Water Buffalo Days, which is a little hard to read to the end, even thought it's a wonderful book. You can read about the books listed in the syllabus in this post.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Bookshop and Amazon are affiliate links. I checked this book out from our library.

A Master Lesson Plan for the Geography Coloring Book with Mater Amabilis™

As I was wrapping up our Mater Amabilis™ Level 1A year and organizing the Level 2 plans for Second Son, my youngest, I realized that over the years I have assigned different maps for the same book and the same maps for different books in The Geography Coloring Book. Because I love things to be nice and orderly, I decided to spend a little time creating a coherent set of master plans for The Geography Coloring Book aligned with the geography books for Mater Amabilis™ in Level 1A Year 2 (third grade), Level 2 (fourth and fifth grades), and Level 3 (sixth and seventh grades).

Just a friendly reminder: The Geography Coloring Book is not an essential tool for studying geography. I might even argue it's not the best tool for studying geography within the Charlotte Mason method. It is, however, an easy resource. The student colors the assignments independently, then can show the map work while narrating. Something similar would be asking the child to trace the country borders, rivers, and seas, but I found my kids tended to skip that part if I wasn't sitting next to them. I also personally love coloring maps, so in the usual fashion, I like assigning my children work I enjoy.

Moment of truth: These plans will not be used with any of my children in their entirety. They are plans for a hypothetical child who would start 1A Year 2 next year. These plans would allow for a student to use the same coloring book for the five years without duplicating the maps. (A few years allow options for different books, so there may be one or two countries or activities that appear more than once, but I really tried to avoid duplication.) At the end of five years, there are still plenty of maps left to color if you have a student who enjoys it.

If you are interested in a nice neat printable version of these, I intend to share a link in the Mater Amabilis™ Facebook group.

Level 1A Year 2 Geography and Earth Studies: People & Places
Mapping Lessons for Asia

Post on the Books We Read

Level 1A Year 2 Geography and Earth Studies: Extreme Environments

Map Assignments (for 52 Days by Camel, Jungle Islands, and By Truck to the North)

Level 2 Years 1 and 2 Geography and Earth Studies: American Geography
Mapping Lessons for the Holling C. Holling books (Paddle-to-the-Sea, Seabird, Tree in the Trail, and Minn of the Mississippi)

Level 2 Year 1 Geography and Earth Studies: People and Places

Mapping Lesson for the Americas

Post on the Books for Second Son

Post on the Books for First Son

Level 2 Year 2 Geography and Earth Studies: People & Places

Mapping Lessons for Africa

Post on Some of the Africa Books

Level 3 Year 1 Geography and Earth Studies: Travel

Book of Marvels: The Occident

Level 3 Year 2 Geography and Earth Studies: Travel

Book of Marvels: The Orient

Please do not copy and share these elsewhere, but instead share by linking to this post or to the Facebook group.

Links to Bookshop are affiliate links. You can also find The Geography Coloring Book at Amazon (affiliate link).

Focused Mapping in Third Grade Geography (Level 1A Year 2)

This is a revised and expanded lesson plan for The Geography Coloring Book for the Mater Amabilis™ Level 1A Year 2 People and Places Asia studies. You can find the final ones our family used in this post, along with some notes about the books we read.

Our plans were kind of all over the place through the years. If you use these plans, you can follow the master list (which I'll link here after I've finished and posted it) without assigning the same maps in different years. I've adjusted the maps for this year in particular to focus much more on the individual country associated with the book being read.

You would only choose three of these books. 

Sovietrek: A Journey by Bicycle Across Russia

Week 1

pp. 6-17

Geography Coloring Book: Russia on p. 26 (just color the outline)

Week 2

pp. 18-25

Geography Coloring Book: Moscow on p. 26

Week 3

pp. 26-33

Geography Coloring Book: Volga River on p. 26

Week 4

pp. 34-43

Geography Coloring Book: Ural Mountains  on p. 26

Week 5

pp. 44-51

Geography Coloring Book: Black Sea on p. 26

Week 6

pp. 52-57

Geography Coloring Book: Caspian Sea on p. 26

Week 7

pp. 58-67

Geography Coloring Book: Lake Baikal on p. 26

Week 8

pp. 68-75

Geography Coloring Book: Barents Sea on p. 26

Week 9 

pp. 76-83

Geography Coloring Book: Bering Sea on p. 26 (Find Alaska)

Week 10

pp. 84-93

Geography Coloring Book: Baltic Sea on p. 26

Week 11

pp. 94-99

Geography Coloring Book: Arctic Ocean

Week 12

pp. 100-end

no Coloring Book assignment

The Children of China: An Artist’s Journey

While the page numbers below are for The Children of China, the mapping assignments are not specific to the book. They would also work for A Little Tiger in the Chinese Night.

Week 1

pp. 5-7

Geography Coloring Book: China on p. 33 (just the outline)

Week 2

pp. 8-9

Geography Coloring Book: Beijing on p. 33

Week 3

pp. 10-11

Geography Coloring Book: Himalaya Mountains on p. 33

Week 4

pp. 12-13

Geography Coloring Book: Tibet and the Plateau of Tibet on p. 33

Week 5

pp. 14-17

Geography Coloring Book: the Yangtze River on p. 33

Week 6

pp. 18-19

Geography Coloring Book: the Yellow River on p. 33

Week 7

pp. 20-23

Geography Coloring Book: Altai Mountains on p. 33

Week 8

pp. 24-27

Geography Coloring Book: Gobi Desert on p. 33

Week 9 

pp. 28-30

Geography Coloring Book: Mongolia on p. 33

Water Buffalo Days

Week 1

pp. 1-10

Geography Coloring Book: Vietnam on p. 34

Week 2

pp. 11-22

Geography Coloring Book: Brunei on p. 34

Week 3

pp. 23-30

Geography Coloring Book: Cambodia on p. 34

Week 4

pp. 31-38

Geography Coloring Book: Indonesia on p. 34

Week 5

pp. 39-46

Geography Coloring Book: Laos on p. 34

Week 6

pp. 47-57

Geography Coloring Book: Malaysia on p. 34

Week 7

pp. 58-71

Geography Coloring Book: Myanmar (Burma) on p. 34

Week 8

pp. 72-86

Geography Coloring Book: Philippines on p. 34

Week 9

pp. 87-101

Geography Coloring Book: Thailand on p. 34

Week 10

pp. 102-112

Geography Coloring Book: Indian Ocean on p. 34

Week 11

pp. 113-117

Geography Coloring Book: South China Sea on p. 34

Optional Additional Book: Sacred River by Ted Lewin

We owned this book and we had an extra week, so I added this as Week 12 for Water Buffalo Days (above) or as Week 7 for Miss Happiness and Miss Flower (below). This would also be a nice complement to Daughter of the Mountains (an alternate title below).

Geography Coloring Book: India on p. 32 (outline only)

Miss Happiness and Miss Flower

Week 1

pp. 1-23

Geography Coloring Book: Japan on p. 33

Week 2

pp. 24-36

Geography Coloring Book: North Korea on p. 33

Week 3

pp. 37-54

Geography Coloring Book: South Korea on p. 33

Week 4

pp. 54-71

Geography Coloring Book: Taiwan on p. 33

Week 5

pp. 72-87 

Geography Coloring Book: Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea on p. 33

Week 6

pp. 87-104

Geography Coloring Book: East China Sea and South China Sea on p. 33

Daughter of the Mountains

This book contains references to Buddhism and practices that may warrant discussions with your children. See the Mater Amabilis™ Level 1A online syllabus for more information. It is also a book with longer chapters than the other options which you may need to read aloud.

Week 1

Foreward and Ch 1

Geography Coloring Book: Himalaya Mountains on p. 32

Week 2

Ch 2

Geography Coloring Book: Nepal on p. 32

Week 3

Ch 3

Geography Coloring Book: Ganges River on p. 32

Week 4

Ch 4

Geography Coloring Book: Bangladesh on p. 32

Week 5

Ch 5

Geography Coloring Book: Pakistan on p. 32

Week 6

Ch 6

Geography Coloring Book: Indus River on p. 32

Week 7

Ch 7

Geography Coloring Book: Bhutan on p. 32

Week 8

Ch 8

Geography Coloring Book: Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea on p. 32

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

A Challenging but Worthwhile History: This Country of Ours

This Country of Ours

by H. E. Marshall

This Country of Ours is the first option on the Mater Amabilis™ Level 1B syllabus for History, the first year in a three year course of study that continues through Level 1A (first grade through third grade). I started to read it aloud to First Son when he was in first grade and...it was a bit of a disaster. A lot of reasons for our struggles were at play: First Son was not a strong narrator. I was new at homeschooling and at narration myself. I had an exhausting two-year-old. I also had a demanding infant. The book was published in 1917 and is written with an attitude toward Native Americans we now recognize as racist, though it was not intended as such, but I was uncomfortable dealing with that attitude as we read. This Country of Ours is a challenging text, and the early chapters are in some ways the most difficult. 

We had barely scratched the surface when I decided to switch to Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans by Edward Eggleston, one of the suggested alternatives. This was a much better book for First Son at that age and for me, too. 

There are a lot of discussions in the Mater Amabilis™ Facebook group about This Country of Ours and the American history options in Levels 1-3. I heard stories from other families that loved the book and from those that used it in later years. So a couple of years ago, I decided to revisit it. First Daughter and Second Daughter have read the whole book. Second Son just started it in Level 1A Year 2 (third grade).

One of the aspects of the book I really wanted to address was the change in attitude toward Native Americans between Marshall's time and our own. I also wanted to give my readers a more concrete grasp of where these events were taking place. So I wrote a study guide, one that could be printed with a little introduction to each chapter saying everything I would say if I were sitting down to read it aloud to them. I included some maps to study before and as they read. As the girls used the study guide, I fixed errors and expanded it. Over the past few weeks, I added a list of people for each chapter. (My children explained they were having trouble telling people apart, especially in remembering which country or army someone represented.)

Over the past three years, I have read This Country of Ours two or three times, and I have come to love it. The people described are real, with their faults and virtues. The stories are exhilarating, and yet encourage further study. The language is full of rich descriptions. As a teacher of children at multiple levels, I can see myriad connections with This Country of Ours and other books in the Mater Amabilis™ syllabi like A Book of Discovery. These are not explicit, as they would be in a series that referred to early books or chapters, but are there because they exist in reality.

Though I address Native Americans in the study guide, I found a book for Second Son to read from before he started This Country of Ours and to intersperse in his readings to give a completely different perspective on events concerning Native Americans. First People: An Illustrated History of American Indians by David C. King seems to be an even-handed description of life before Europeans arrived and the consequences that followed interactions between Europeans and Native Americans.

Second Son was nine years old before he even started third grade and is a fantastic reader and narrator, so he could handle a little more difficulty than just This Country of Ours. Even so, I let him tell me if I'd assigned too much. If he wanted to only read half a chapter, I let him. Because I knew he was such a strong reader, I knew he'd be able to handle adding First People in addition to This Country of Ours.

I encourage all Mater Amabilis™ families to explore the many different ways to teach American history in Levels 1-3. The website has many options and the Facebook group has lots of people willing to share their own experiences. Here are just a few ideas:

• Read This Country of Ours over three years starting in Level 1B as on the original Mater Amabilis™ syllabus (first, second, and third grades). Use the study guide and read aloud to your student. Divide the early chapters into as many readings as you need so your student doesn't get overwhelmed.
• Read This Country of Ours over three years starting in Level 1A Year 2 and going through both years of Level 2, as Second Son will, with readings from First People interspersed (third, fourth, and fifth grades). Or spread This Country of Ours over these three years but without any reading from First People.
• Read This Country of Ours over two years in Level 2, as Second Daughter did, using the study guide (fourth and fifth grades). (She did not read First People.)
• Read This Country of Ours over two years in Level 3, as First Daughter did, with First People as an independent reading book (sixth and seventh grades). 

As you can see, my own four children have each read (or not read) This Country of Ours on a different schedule.

The study guide I wrote is available in the Mater Amabilis™ Facebook group for families to download and print or to use on a tablet and would be appropriate for reading aloud with children in Levels 1B and up, or printing for children to use independently in Levels 2 or 3. I hope it provides some support for families who might otherwise hesitate to use This Country of Ours.

Incorporating First People with This Country of Ours (perhaps most appropriate for Levels 2 or 3)

Start the year with First People. For This Country of Ours, read about a chapter a day (perhaps increasing to two chapters nearing the end of the third year as the chapters get shorter). Some of the First People readings might need to be broken up as well, depending on your student.

• First People
• Introduction pp. 6-11
• Chapter 1: The Beginning pp. 15-19 (The Ice Age and the Land Bridge, Adapting to the Environment)
• Chapter 2: The Emergence of Indian Cultures pp. 28-33 (The Mound-Building Cultures, Monk's Mound)
• This Country of Ours (TCOO)
• Chapters 1-12
• First People
• Chapter 2: The Emergence of Indian Cultures pp. 68-71 (The Southeast, The Cherokee)
• Chapter 3: First Encounters with Europeans pp. 75-77 (Europeans Explore the Southeast)
• Chapter 4: The European Impact pp. 88-89 (Changes in the East)
• Chapter 5: The Contest for a Nation pp. 118-119 (The Virginia Frontier)
• TCOO
• Chapters 13-21
• First People
• Chapter 2: The Emergence of Indian Cultures pp. 60-67 (The Northeast Woodlands, The Iroquois, The Ojibwe)
• Chapter 3: First Encounters with Europeans pp. 78-79 (First Meetings in the Northeast)
• TCOO
• Chapters 22-31
• First People
• Chapter 5: The Contest for a Continent pp. 120-121 (The Conflict in New England)
• TCOO
• Chapters 32-49
• First People
• Chapter 5: The Contest for a Continent pp. 122-123 (The Conflict Moves West)
• TCOO
• Chapters 50-66
• First People
• Chapter 2: The Emergence of Indian Cultures pp. 42-46 (The Great Plains, The Sioux: Before European Contact, Made from Bison)
• Chapter 2: The Emergence of Indian Culture pp. 48-51 (The Plateau, The Great Basin)
• Chapter 4:  The European Impact pp. 94-98 (Changes on the Plains, The Sioux: After European Contact, Weapons of the Plains)
• Chapter 2: The Emergence of Indian Cultures pp. 54-59 (The Pacific Northwest, The Haida: Before European Conflict, Totem Poles)
• Chapter 3: First Encounters with Europeans pp. 84-85 (Encounters on the West Coast)
• Chapter 4: The European Impact pp. 108-113 (Changes in the Northwest, The Haida: After European Contact, The Kwakwaka'wakw)
• TCOO 

• Chapters 67-72
• First People
• Chapter 5: The Contest for a Continent pp. 126-131 (Last Conflicts in the East, Write it in Cherokee, The Trail Where They Cried)
• TCOO
• Chapters 73-74
• First People
• Chapter 5: The Contest for a Continent pp. 124-125 (Other Indian Struggles to Survive)
• TCOO
• Chapter 75
• First People
• Chapter 3: First Encounters with Europeans pp. 80-82 (The Spanish in the Southwest)
• Chapter 4: The European Impact pp. 100-107 (Changes in the Southwest, The Navajo: After European Contact, The Apache)
• Chapter 5: The Contest for a Continent pp. 134-135 (Indian Losses in the Southwest)
• TCOO
• Chapter 76
• First People
• Chapter 2: The Emergence of Indian Cultures pp. 52-53 (California)
• Chapter 5: The Contest for a Continent pp. 132-133 (The Impact of New Developments)
• TCOO
• Chapters 77-91
• First People
• Chapter 5: The Contest for a Continent pp. 136-143 (War for the Great Plains, What's in a Headdress?, Final Victories, Final Defeats)
• TCOO
• Chapters 92-99
• First People (spread over many days)
• Chapter 6: The Struggle to Survive
• Chapter 7: A People's Revival

Second Son also read some of the supplemental reading during his independent reading time over the course of the year.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links. I have also often purchased books directly from Yesterday's Classics because their reprints are consistently good and the myriad of options on bookseller sites are often impossible to evaluate before purchasing.

2015-2016 Fairy Tales

I decided in 2015-2016 to take a break in the beginning of the year from the Flower Fairy Tale Books collected by Andrew Lang. I believe I started with the theme of "beautiful versions of fairy tales I happened to find at our library" and ended with a book on our shelf.

For whatever reason, we struggled to read fairy tales every week during that school year; perhaps I just scheduled too many outside activities. Here are the few we did read.

In 2015-2016, First Son was in sixth grade, First Daughter was in third grade, Second Daughter was in first grade, and Second Son was still a preschooler.

Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp retold by Philip Pullman with gorgeous illustrations by Sophy Williams - I selected this book from our library because I loved the illustrations so much. There are lots of versions of the tale of Aladdin, but I do think this is one of the better ones. We enjoyed it, reading it over a few weeks rather than all at once. It's longer than a standard picture book.

Merlin and the Making of the King by Margaret Hodges with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman - This is another one where there are lots of versions, but I tend to love everything by Margaret Hodges and especially with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman. The stories retold by Hodges tend to be ambiguous in the more mature scenes but without just glossing over immoral behavior, so you may want to pre-read anything from her books. I don't have this book on my shelves, either, so I can't quickly skim it to highlight anything particular in this one. I split this one into multiple readings as well. You would want to spend at least a week on each of the four stories.

Melisande by E. Nesbit, illustrated by P. J. Lynch - This is a fun fairy tale with a twist from Nesbit, one of my favorite authors.

The Book of Saints and Heroes by Andrew and Lenora Lang

I have received nothing for this post. Other than the last book by Lang, these were all books I checked out from our library. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.

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.

2015-2016 Memory Work: Sixth Grade, Third Grade, First Grade

This is just a quick post to share the kinds of poems and verses the kids memorized in their respective grades. I remember early on I would have trouble discerning which options were too difficult.

Now, in 2020, I have a big binder of poetry and prayers for them to look through and choose their own. (That's the reward they get when they memorize something - something else to memorize!) I generally choose the Scripture verses unless a child specifically asks for something. They come from readings we've done, catechism books, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, or just verses I happened to like.

I've written before about how we practice our memory work.

First Son's Sixth Grade Memory Work

Poetry

• Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - This took him more than a year to memorize, but he learned the whole thing. He was able to immediately notice that our favorite picture book version is missing a verse (for no explicable reason) and, four years later, can still recite it from memory.

Memory Verses

• James 1:19-20
• 1 Peter 5:7
• Daniel 3:26-27 - First Son picked these verses.

First Daughter's Third Grade Memory Work

First Daughter loves memory work. She practices multiple times a week, even on days she doesn't work with me.

Poetry

• Yellow Butter by Mary Ann Hoberman from Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart
• Bird Talk by Aileen Fisher from Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart
• The Little Elf by John Kendrick Bangs from Poems to Learn by Heart
• Dad's cell phone number
• Anima Christi
• Catch a Little Rhyme by Eve Merriam from Poems to Learn by Heart
• I Heard a Bird Sing by Oliver Herferd from Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart
• The Kitten by William Wordsworth from Primary Language Lessons

Memory Verses

• 1 John 4:18-19
• Hebrews 13:16
• Isaiah 40:31
• 1 Peter 5:7

Second Daughter's First Grade Memory Work

Poetry

• Toad by the Road by Joanne Ryder from Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart
• Catch a Little Rhyme by Eve Merriam from Poems to Learn by Heart
• her birthdate and birth city
• Prayer After Meals
• The Bluebird by Emily Huntington Miller from Primary Language Lessons

Memory Verses

• Jeremiah 31:25
• Psalm 31:24
• John 6:35

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

2015-2016 Family Read Aloud List

It's make-up work time on the blog, I guess. I never posted our family read alouds for 2015-2016. That school year I had a sixth grader, third grader, first grader, and a preschooler.

Many of these can be found in the literature recommendation on the Mater Amabilis™ site.

Easter, 2016

The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit and Other Tales by Beatrix Potter - Our edition is out of print, but this is a complete one. My sentimental favorite is a set of miniature original tales Kansas Dad bought at Oxford when he was there for a conference and I was home with lots of little ones.

The Father Brown Reader II: More Stories from Chesterton adapted by Nancy Carpentier Brown - The second volume is more serious than the first in that in contains stories of murders rather than just thefts. Additionally, there is a suicide. A few times, too, I had to walk my eight year old through the conclusion as often it is not explicitly written out.

The Animal Family by Randall Jarrell, decorations by Maurice Sendak

Francie on the Run and Pegeen by Hilda van Stockum - These are the second and third books in the Bantry Bay series and are fantastic. The publisher has frequent sales and many other wonderful books.

The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

The Big Alfie and Annie Rose Storybook by Shirley Hughes - My two youngest (seven and five when we read it) loved these sweet stories of Alfie and Annie Rose just living life. I loved the wedding story that showed a black couple getting married with Alfie as the ring bearer. There's no mention of race in the text, just the illustrations depicting different races celebrating family life together.

The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit

Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry - We finished this book just in time to leave on a cross-country camping trip that included the Grand Canyon. The children loved the book and were thrilled to talk about it all over again when we were visiting the park.

Audiobooks

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes - We listened to this audiobook from the library (read by Cary Elwes!) and loved it so much, I bought it on Audible during a recent sale. If you love The Princess Bride, you will love this book, though you may want to pre-listen to it.

D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths - This is a wonderful book, of course, but it's also a very enjoyable audiobook. Even Kansas Dad appreciated it.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming - This is a really fun story!

We also listened to the Series of Unfortunate Events books, but I didn't think they were that great.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. All links to Bookshop and Amazon are affiliate links. Most of these were probably library copies, but it was so long ago I can't remember!

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.

Inos Biffi and Franco Vignazia for Advent: The Life of Mary and The Way to Bethlehem

The Life of Mary

edited by Inos Biffi

illustrations by Franco Vignazia

The Way to Bethlehem

text by Inos Biffi

illustrations by Franco Vignazia

These two books are recommended by Mater Amabilis™ for Level 1A for Advent reading. I've mentioned them in the past when I've blogged about our Advent plans in general, but I thought I'd highlight them in their own post.

The Life of Mary is focused almost entirely on the illustrations, drawn to resemble stained glass windows. The limited text focuses the reader on the events of the life of Mary as they are related in the Gospels, pulling from (Roman and Ambrosian) liturgy, hymns (including at least one of the Eastern Church), and Scripture.

The meditations cover:

• The Annunciation
• The Visitation
• The Nativity
• The Presentation in the Temple
• The Flight into Egypt
• The Loss and Finding of Jesus in the Temple
• The Wedding at Cana
• The Crucifixion
• The Ascension
• Pentecost
• The Assumption or Dormition

The Way to Bethlehem contains more text than The Life of Mary. Based on the Gospel stories leading up to the Nativity and through the infancy of Jesus (coming of the Wise Men, flight into Egypt, return to Nazareth), it provides the same kind of contemplative artwork. The second section provides information on the saints of the season: Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Angels and Shepherds, Wise Men, the Innocents, Simeon, Anna, Nicholas, Lucy, Stephen, John, Thomas Becket.

I was afraid the children would be upset by the page on Herod's killing of the Innocents, but they seemed less saddened than I was. Perhaps my response was stronger because I had little babies myself when I first read it.

These are two beautifully illustrated books. The illustrations are stylized (much as you see on the covers) with brilliant colors.

When First Son was in Level 1A, I read both of these books aloud, a few pages a day, while the children ate breakfast. (That's our Morning Time / Morning Basket / whatever it's called now.) Reading aloud allowed me to control the reading rate, encouraging contemplation and a prayerful attitude.

As families change, so did our time all together, so the other three children read it on their own. In some ways, independent reading provides a great opportunity for a child to immerse themselves in these meditations, but I wasn't able to see whether either of them really took advantage of that opportunity. It's possible they were more focused on just finishing the reading for the day. (One way to combat that hastiness is to follow the Mater Amabilis™ recommendation to cut back on some of the other readings during Advent; the children then really have more time to appreciate the liturgical year readings.)

Here's the schedule I used for the those who read on their own. You might need to adjust the readings a bit to match the time you have in Advent and time you want to be off school for the season. I did not ask them for narrations.

Independent Reading Schedule

Second Grade: The Way to Bethlehem

Week 1
1 - pp. 8-11
2 - pp. 12-15
3 - pp. 16-19

Week 2
1 - pp. 20-23
2 - pp. 24-27
3 - pp. 28-31

Week 3
1 - pp. 32-35
2 - pp. 36-39
3 - pp. 40-43

Week 4
1 - pp. 44-47

Third Grade: The Life of Mary

Week 1
1 - pp. 6-9
2 - pp. 10-13

Week 2
1 - pp. 14-17
2 - pp. 18-21

Week 3
1 - pp. 22-25
2 - pp. 26-27

I intend to keep these books on our shelves because I do think they invite and encourage prayer for all ages. I hope the children will revisit them.

I've linked to Amazon above, but I have frequently found these books available directly from Liturgy Training Publications at reasonable prices.

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

Third Grade People and Places: Asia (Lesson Plans)

[UPDATE April 2021: I just read a book that would work wonderfully in this study - Little Leap Forward.]

Second Son is finishing up third grade this month and, as I am wrap up the year, I realized I have never shared our actual plans for the recommended books for Mater Amabilis™ People and Places of Asia (Level 1A Year 2).

Because we use it in many of our other studies, I assigned some mapwork from The Geography Coloring Book for my younger children. My oldest just traced a map of the country (identifying some rivers and major cities, etc.) before his reading. The coloring book is really easy for me because it doesn't take any prep work and it's easy to confirm the student actually did something involving a map, but it's not necessarily better than the map exploration First Son did each week.

[UPDATE June 8, 2020: I created a new set of mapping activities for these books and the others suggested for this level. You can find the updated lesson plans here.]

Term 1: Russia

Sovietrek: A Journey by Bicycle across Russia by Dan Buettner

This is one of my favorite Mater Amabilis™ books so I'm surprised I haven't written about it before. Dan and two friends bike through Russia in 1990, when Russia was almost unknown to the average American. It's an adventure complete with mishaps and enduring generous hospitality from Russians who share what sounds like truly disgusting food (and some good things to eat, too). Some of the bike riding described is amazing.

Week 1
- Geography Coloring Book p. 18 - color Russia (Russian Federation, under "Eastern") and read the text.
- Sovietrek pp. 6-17. Narrate.

Week 2
- Geography Coloring Book p. 19 - Color these rivers: Dvina, Dnepr, Don, Volga, Ural.
- Sovietrek pp. 18-25. Narrate.

Week 3
- Geography Coloring Book p 19 - Color these bodies of water: Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Barents Sea, Baltic Sea.
- Sovietrek pp. 26-33. Narrate.

Week 4
- Geography Coloring Book p. 19 - Color these mountain ranges: Carpathians, Urals, Caucasus.
- Sovietrek pp. 34-43. Narrate.

Week 5
- Geography Coloring Book p 19 - Color the Principal Land Regions (smaller map on second page).
- Sovietrek pp. 44-51. Narrate.

Week 6
- Geography Coloring Book p 25 - Color the Former Soviet Baltic Republics.
- Sovietrek pp. 52-57. Narrate.

Week 7
- Geography Coloring Book p 25 - Color the former Soviet Eastern European Republics.
- Sovietrek pp. 58-67. Narrate.

Week 8
- Geography Coloring Book p 26 - Color Russia on the big map.
- Sovietrek pp. 68-75. Narrate.

Week 9
- Geography Coloring Book p 27 - Color the Former Soviet Caucasus Republics.
- Sovietrek pp. 76-83. Narrate.

Week 10
- Geography Coloring Book p 27 - Color the Former Soviet Asian Republics.
- Sovietrek pp. 84-93. Narrate.

Week 11
- Geography Coloring Book p. 28 - Color Russia and Middle East I countries.
- Sovietrek pp. 94-99. Narrate.

Week 12
- Finish Sovietrek. Narrate.

Term 2: China

The Children of China: An Artist's Journey by Song Nan Zhang

This book has beautiful pictures covering whole pages, painted by the author. They show families and children working or playing, but generally joyful. At one time we also owned A Little Tiger by the same author (also on the Mater Amabilis™ list), but I decided I preferred this one for our study. It covers a lot of different areas and people of China. If you're interested in something more personal, A Little Tiger would be a good choice.

Week 1

- Geography Coloring Book p. 28 - Color the Eastern countries (starting with China).

- Children of China (own) pp. 5-7. Narrate.

Week 2
- Geography Coloring Book p. 28 - Color the Middle East II countries.
- Children of China pp. 8-9. Narrate.

Week 3
- Geography Coloring Book p. 28 - Color the Southern countries.
- Children of China pp. 10-11. Narrate.

Week 4
- Geography Coloring Book p 28 - Color the Southeastern Countries.
- Children of China pp. 12-13. Narrate.

Week 5
- Geography Coloring Book p. 28 - Color the Western countries.
- Children of China pp. 14-17. Narrate.

Week 6
- Geography Coloring Book p 29 - Color the principal rivers.
- Children of China pp. 18-19. Narrate.

Week 7
- Geography Coloring Book p 29 - Color the principal mountain ranges.
- Children of China pp. 20-23. Narrate.

Week 8
- Geography Coloring Book p 29 - Color the land regions (smaller map on the second page).
- Children of China pp. 24-27. Narrate.

Week 9
- Geography Coloring Book p 29 - Color the mountain peaks.
- Children of China pp. 28-30. Narrate.

Term 3: Vietnam (First Son and Second Son)

Water Buffalo Days: Growing Up in Vietnam by Huynh Quang Nhuong is a gentle tale of a boy in Vietnam who loved his family, his village, his water buffalo and his life. It is an autobiographical account that gives a wonderful glimpse of his daily life, the joy he found in his home though the Vietnam War does touch his life violently near the end of the book.

Week 1

- Geography Coloring Book p. 33 - Color China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, and Taiwan.

- Water Buffalo Days pp. 1-10. Narrate.

Week 2

- Geography Coloring Book p 33 - Color the oceans and seas.

- Water Buffalo Days pp. 11-22. Narrate.

Week 3

- Geography Coloring Book p. 32 - Color the countries.

- Water Buffalo Days pp. 23-30. Narrate.

Week 4

- Geography Coloring Book p. 32 - Color the oceans and seas.
- Water Buffalo Days pp. 31-38. Narrate.

Week 5

- Geography Coloring Book p. 34 - Color the countries.
- Water Buffalo Days pp. 39-46. Narrate.

Week 6

- Geography Coloring Book p. 34 - Color the oceans and seas.
- Water Buffalo Days pp. 47-57. Narrate.

Week 7

- Water Buffalo Days pp. 58-71. Narrate.

Week 8

- Water Buffalo Days pp. 72-86. Narrate.

Week 9

- Water Buffalo Days pp. 87-101. Narrate.

Week 10

- Water Buffalo Days pp. 102-112. Narrate.

Week 11

- Water Buffalo Days pp. 113-117. Narrate.

Week 12

- Sacred River: The Ganges of India by Ted Lewin. Narrate. (for fun, because we own it)

Alternate Term 3: Japan (First Daughter and Second Daughter)

Water Buffalo Days is wonderful and certainly a good choice for girls as well as boys, but Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden is absolutely delightful. (I recommend finding an older copy of the book with the original illustrations.) It's quite a bit shorter than Water Buffalo Days, which might be good for the end of the year when everyone is ready to be outside playing instead of reading and narrating. (It does happen.)

Week 1

- Geography Coloring Book p. 33 - Color China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, and Taiwan.

- Miss Happiness and Miss Flower pp. 1-23. Narrate.

Week 2

- Geography Coloring Book p. 33 - Color the oceans and seas.

- Miss Happiness and Miss Flower pp. 24-36. Narrate.

Week 3

- Geography Coloring Book p. 32 - Color the countries.

- Miss Happiness and Miss Flower pp. 37-54. Narrate.

Week 4

- Geography Coloring Book p. 32 - Color the oceans and seas.

- Miss Happiness and Miss Flower pp. 54-71. Narrate.

Week 5

- Geography Coloring Book p 34 - Color the countries.

- Miss Happiness and Miss Flower pp. 72-87. Narrate.

Week 6

- Geography Coloring Book p. 34 - Color the oceans and seas.

- Miss Happiness and Miss Flower pp. 87-104. Narrate.

Week 7

- Sacred River: The Ganges of India by Ted Lewin. Narrate. (for fun, because we own it)

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

Finally - Actual Crystals!

One of the activities in the Mater Amabilis™ Mountains and Volcanoes study in Level 1A Year 2 (third grade) is to grow a crystal. We tried some different kits and methods with First Son, First Daughter, and Second Daughter, with varying degrees of success.

This year, I purchased the 4M Crystal Growing Experimental Kit and it was far and away the best kit we've ever used. Second Son (the third grader) used it to grow enormous crystals. It actually got away from us. Then later in the year, First Son (the tenth grader) used it to grow a second set of crystals for his geology term.

There's enough left for another set but I don't know if it'll still be around in three years when First Daughter is ready for tenth grade geology. We may have to use them up just for fun before then.

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

Adding Maps: Geography Coloring Book for Extreme Environments in Level 1A

My youngest child is finishing up the Extreme Environments studies in Level 1A Year 2. The three main books of this study recommended by Mater Amabilis™ are some of my absolute favorites and it's a little sad to think there won't be another child reading through them for the first time.

I posted plans for the three books long ago when First Son first read these books and have used the same plans almost unchanged for the three other children. I had to change some of the library basket books as our library updated their offerings and retired some older books, but most of the notebook pages stayed the same. It's fun to look back at the differences between the children. First Son would draw elaborate pictures but refuse to write a single word. Second Son, my youngest, would eagerly log on to the computer to get some facts and write them down (usually writing on the back side of a lined piece of paper) but refused to draw any pictures of anything.

One change I did make was adding some assignments in our Geography Coloring Book. It was easy for me to add these because I have assignments for this book in a variety of lessons all the way up to seventh or eighth grade. I would not recommend purchasing it just for these couple of assignments, but you might want to consider adding them if you've already decided to buy the book.

[UPDATE June 2020: I've created a master lesson plan for The Geography Coloring Book for Levels 1A, 2, and 3 which avoids assigning the same maps in different levels as much as possible.]

Term 1: 52 Days by Camel lesson plans - On the first day of the study, color Morocco and Mali on page 37.

Term 2: Jungle Islands lesson plans - On the first day of the study, color Australia, New Zealand, and the Solomon Islands on page 36.

Term 3: By Truck to the North lesson plans - On the first day of the study, color British Columbia (and Vancouver Island), Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, and Beaufort Sea on page 5.

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

An Update for Chemistry on the Range in Third Grade

Last summer, I revised our third grade science plans for chemistry and posted them on the blog. I wanted to follow up and let you know how the went (and make a reminder for myself for the few modifications I plan for Second Son).

Overall, these plans worked very well for us and we enjoyed learning about chemistry together. There are a lot of fun activities that are the sort of thing the kids remember long after the study is over, like the experiment we do together at the end of the year.

As I anticipated, The Elements is a little difficult for a third grader to read and narrate on her own. An older student, even just by one year, would be able to handle this book more easily. On the days pages from that book were assigned, we read them together and narrated them one or two paragraphs at a time during her lesson time with me. I often helped her with the activities from that book as well. Because we spent much of our "exploration time" going through what I had planned as independent lessons, we sometimes missed those. So for Second Son, I'm going to take the "exploration activities" from the weeks we read from The Elements and incorporate them into the independent lessons even though I anticipate they will not be done independently. That way, we won't miss that. There's plenty of time in the lesson plans to extend the study a few weeks.

The periodic table connecting tiles were colorful, well-made, and came with a little booklet of activities. I think we waited too long to get it out and intend to add it to the schedule every time we read about the periodic table in The Elements. Especially if the teacher is reading aloud, the student can be connecting the tiles as he or she listens.

After we finish The Elements and before we start How to Think Like a Scientist, I'm going to assign a biograpy of Marie Curie, because I like her and we own it: Marie Curie's Search for Radium by Beverly Birch and Christian Birmingham. This is one most third graders would be able to read independently. (It's one of a number by the same author that we have enjoyed.)

Second Daughter didn't seem to care for the activities and ideas in Super Science Concoctions. As we went through the year, I felt like we had a good number of activities planned, so we often just looked through the pages together without doing the activities. I still like this book and will use it with Second Son, but I may consider it more of a supplement, a source for more information and more activities if he is especially excited or interested.

So, to sum up:

• Be prepared to read The Elements together.
• Move the exploration activities for the weeks we are reading The Elements to the independent plans so we have extra time scheduled for them.
• Add the periodic table connecting tiles to the following chapters / assignments for The Elements:
• Ch 2 pp. 12-15 (week 10)
• Ch 4 pp. 39-40 (week 14)
• Ch 5, each day (weeks 15 and 16)
• Ch 6, each day (weeks 16 and 17)
• Ch 7, each day (weeks 18 and 19)
• Ch 8, each day (weeks 19 and 20)
• Add Marie Curie's Search for Radium between The Elements and How to Think Like a Scientist (week 20 or 21)
• Use Super Science Concoctions more as a supplement to avoid overwhelming the student.

It's hard to believe next summer I'll be preparing for the last round of third grade chemistry, but these children keep growing up.

Greek Myths, Illustrated: D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths

Mater Amabilis™Level 1A recommends Classic Myths to Read Aloud in Level 1A (second and third grade) and we loved it. But after reading it aloud for the first two children, I was ready for a change. So Second Daughter and I read Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire instead.

We had already listened to the audiobook from our library, which is wonderful and a book even Kansas Dad enjoyed hearing. The book we also had on the shelves, a gift from dear friends of ours many years ago.

In the first year, second grade, I read the stories aloud to Second Daughter. In the second year, third grade, I started out reading them aloud, but she asked if she could read them independently and then narrate them. The disadvantage of independent reading is that many of the names are difficult to pronounce and even more difficult to remember. So I would usually try to model the name for her during her narration if not before her reading. (I also learned from the audiobook that there are multiple acceptable pronunciations for many of the names.)

These stories are exciting and entertaining. They are wonderfully illustrated, of course, in the d'Aulaire style you might recognize from one of their many books. Many incidents in the Greek myths are not appropriate for young ears, but the d'Aulaires manage to phrase them in a general and circumspect manner that makes them acceptable for all ages.

For those that are interested, I'll post our schedule. It's easy to spread the stories over the two years leaving plenty of extra time for breaks during Advent or for important things like trips to the zoo.

Year One (second grade), reading once a week:

• In Olden Times and Gaea pp 9-11
• The Titans pp 12-15
• Zeus and His Family pp 16-23
• Hera pp 24-27
• Hephaestus pp 28-29
• Aphrodite pp 30-31
• Ares pp 32-33
• Athena pp 34-37
• Poseidon pp 38-39
• Poseidon cont pp 40-43
• Apollo pp 42-43
• Artemis pp 44-49
• Hermes pp 50-55
• Hades pp 56-57
• Persephone and Demeter pp 58-63
• Dionysus pp 64-69
• Minor Gods and Prometheus pp 70-73
• Pandora pp 74-75
• Deucalion pp 76-79
• Eos pp 80-81
• Helios and Phaethon pp 82-85

Year Two (third grade), reading once a week:

• Selene pp 86-89
• Pan pp 90-91
• Echo pp 92-93
• Syrinx pp 94-95
• The Wild and Vulgar Centaurs and Asclepius pp 96-99
• The Nine Muses pp 100-101
• Orpheus pp 102-107
• Europa and Cadmus pp 108-111
• Tantalus and Pelops pp 112-113
• Danaus, Perseus, and the Gorgon pp 114-122
• King Midas pp 123-125
• Sisyphus pp 126-127
• Bellerophon pp 128-129
• Melampus pp 130-131
• Heracles pp 132-139 (stop before 11th labor)
• Heracles pp 139-147
• Theseus pp 148-157
• Oedipus pp 158-161
• The Golden Fleece pp 162-166 (stop before "The Black Sea was a dangerous…"
• The Golden Fleece pp 166-175
• The Calydonian Boar Hunt p 176-177
• The Apples of Love and the Apple of Discord p 178-184
• To the End p 186-189

I have never really done exams with the kids, but inspired by Know and Tell, which I had recently read, I asked Second Daughter to tell me her favorite Greek myth at the end of this book and she beautifully narrated more than one of them. It was one of those moments when you think perhaps this homeschooling thing will work out alright after all.

I wouldn't say this book of Greek myths is better than Classic Myths to Read Aloud, but if you happen to have it on your shelves it can make an excellent substitute.

I received nothing for writing this post which contains only my honest opinions. I purchased a used copy of Classic Myths to Read Aloud and we received the d'Aulaire book as a gift. Links to Amazon 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.

Our Homeschool: Poetry in 2017-2018

Poetry is a part of our culture studies loop: Three or four times a week, depending on our schedule, we loop through these subjects:

• Shakespeare
• Poetry
• Shakespeare
• Picture Study

You can read more about the loop scheduling here. (I've moved Fairy Tales to our read-aloud loop since writing that post.)

Shakespeare gets double-duty because it includes review of our memorized passages. (Here's an example of what Shakespeare looks like for us.)

During this poetry time, I pull a book of poetry off the shelf and I read a handful of poems. Generally I keep going for about ten minutes or as long as we are all interested. Then I put in the book mark and we pick it up again the next time Poetry rolls around. I do not discuss meter, rhythm, rhyme, or other such things unless someone asks a particular question. I do sometimes explain a word if it's one they might not know. Mostly, though, we enjoy poetry together. Here are the books we read over the 2017-2018 school year.

Classic Poetry: An Illustrated Collection selected by Michael Rosen has a carefully selected collection of two or three poems by prominent poets in roughly chronological order, but I was disappointed at the times only a portion of a poem was included without any indication that it was just a portion. I don't mind excerpts of poetry for younger audiences; I just like to know. There was a nice sentence of two to introduce each poet. We started it last school year but didn't finish, so I picked up where we left off at the beginning of the year. (There's a newer version available, but we read the old one from our library.)

The House of a Mouse by Aileen Fisher, illustrated by Joan Sandin - We've memorized many of Aileen Fisher's poems, so when I saw this book of poetry available I picked it up. It's a whole book of poems about mice. The youngest two especially enjoyed it. I was, as always, conflicted about poems about sweet little field mice because I pretty much hate them whenever they find their way into our house. But they are sweet little poems for little folks. (own, from PaperBackSwap.com)

The Frogs and Toads All Sang by Arnold Lobel, color by Adrianne Lobel - This is a book of silly frog and toad poems. We read it in one sitting and the younger children especially enjoyed it. (library copy)

A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: A forest of poems by Deborah Ruddell, illustrated by Joan Rankin - And another book of silly poems. These are certainly more amusing than edifying, but it was highly enjoyed. (library copy)

Walking the Bridge of Your Nose: Wordplay Poems and Rhymes selected by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Chloe Cheese - And yet another book of silly poems. I read these aloud, but often found myself needing to show the words of the poem so the kids could see the puns and jokes. I think they were best appreciated when the kids read them aloud themselves. They definitely loved reading them aloud. It was fun for me to watch the younger ones as they figured out the jokes. (library copy)

Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts about Peace by Anna Grossnickle Hines is a book of poetry around the theme of peace. The poems were a bit uneven in quality, with some I liked very much and others I found forced or awkward. The kids' favorite was From a Story in the Paper about a snake that made friends with its intended food, a hamster. (library copy)

Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It: False Apology Poems by Gail Carson Levine with illustrations by Matthew Cordell is a whole collection of poems written in the style of William Carlos Williams's This Is Just to Say. Most of them are entertaining, but the best of them are written as if by fairy tale or Mother Goose rhyme characters. The kids had fun yelling out the character before I flipped the book to show the illustration. The illustrations are all pen and ink and purposefully ragged; not my favorite illustrations, but variety is good when reading aloud to four children. (library copy)

During Advent, we read from The Oxford Book of Christmas Poems, which we've been checking out from our library every December for a few years now. I just start where we stopped the year before. It has an expansive collection, though sometimes I think the page layouts are erratic. (library copy)

Overall, our poetry for the year leant much more to the humorous than in years past. This was a good balance for our single poet studies. As with the books above, I didn't make a real "study" out of any of these. We read one poem each day until the book was finished. I like the Poetry for Young People series because the selections are already edited with young people in mind. I might not always have chosen exactly the same poems, but I'm willing to make concessions when they've already done the work. My children appreciate illustrations on every page. There is also usually a brief introduction for each poem which I read aloud before the poem.

Walt Whitman (purchased used)

Langston Hughes  (library copy)

William Butler Yeats (purchased used)

This post contains my own opinions. I've indicated which books we own and which we checked out from the library. I received nothing for writing this post. The links above to Amazon and PaperBackSwap are all affiliate links.