Creative Minds at Play

"Mom, look! We created our own well!"

Obviously I had trod into a new colonization. I could tell by the busy settlers and the fishing poles (sticks that is). Popped right up in my backyard! A few hours of hard work later, the "leaders" had designed a well (which one settler was using to fill up a bucket to carry to the vegetable garden) right in the middle of the colony. One person was in charge of caring for the pigs and the chickens, another the vegetable garden. Felt like I was in Plymouth.

One settler offered to give me a tour. I obliged. And what a tour I had! Smiling faces. Happy colonists. Each doing a job, working together. On the last leg of the tour I was encouraged to visit the duck pond complete with blue water lilies (thanks to the faded print on an old bath towel). This is where ducks could be hunted for dinner. They had thought of everything!

I walked back to the front of the house, smiling inside. What ingenuity! Reminded me of my childhood days. Wonder what their next adventure will be?

Motivation Sparks Learning

A day of discovery and interest-led learning. Better than anything I had planned. Better yet, it will be remembered.

The current interests were ignited by our friends' recent return visit from their work in Kenya. My children heard their stories, viewed their safari pictures and remembered personal discussions with their children, their friends. Intrinsic motivation? You bet!

One child took her interest to the library. She checked out informational books on African animals and started (because of her desire to remember the information) to copy the book. Copywork initiated by her interests (yes, we talked about plagiarism  too!). Her efforts helped her remember the animal facts she read but also helped her practice spelling and mechanics. Much accomplished through self-motivation and interest.

Her interest sparked the idea of designing her own lapbook (glad we kept those old file folders) using the copywork she had written and adding some pictures from old National Geographic and wildlife magazines. Thank you, Dad, for digging out the magazines from the laundry room cabinet!

Another child became interested in the geography and wanted to know the locations of the countries in Africa. Her interest ignited another child's curiosity and within minutes all three girls were asking for my help to find a printable outline map to label. We talked about reliable sources and how political boundaries change. Together we searched for the most recent political map of Africa. Great discussions.

Each proudly placed their finished "book" on my "desk" and talked about what their next learning adventure would be. Can't wait.

Live History with Landmark Books Part I

Has your child wondered how it might feel to find gold in California in 1848? How about walking the streets of Philadelphia with Ben Franklin? With Landmark books, children can authentically journey through America’s (and the world- but that is another post) past with our country’s heroes. The are packed with rich history and adventure, each written with eloquent and inviting language, drawing children into the setting, meeting people they might have only heard about and never had the chance to “know”.

“The early morning sun gleamed like a bright golden coin above the California foothills. It was January 24, 1848. In all the green wilderness world there was no sight of life except a wisp of smoke from a breakfast fire, and the figure of a man walking beside a ditch that led from a nearly finished sawmill to a river. Suddenly he stopped and stared intently down.”

                                    - The California Gold Rush, May McNeer

Landmark books make these curiosities possible by taking children along on the journey, whether signing the Constitution or laying rails on the transcontinental railroad. Along the way they meet people who changed or shaped our country.

Now considered vintage (because of their age), these books were the first among historical, non-fiction books written for the middle grade reader. They were originally published by Random House in the 1940s, 50s and 60s in two categories: American and World. There are 122 titles in the American series and 63 titles in the World series all penned by award-winning authors (for example C. S. Forester, Margaret Cousins, James Daugherty and Sterling North) individually contracted to write for the series. The hardcovers are now out of print, though some titles have been edited and reprinted in paperback form.

Landmarks make wonderful additions to home libraries as they can be enjoyed by readers of all ages (I have been known to stay up late into the night eagerly turning pages). They can be found at used bookstores, garage sales, library sales or through online book sources.

“But for a boy, there were trees to climb, fish to catch, boars to sail, and canoes to paddle. There were the Commons, where Bostonians drove their cows to pasture, the marshes, the ponds, the river, and the sea. Boys built forts and stockades and played Indian, put together homemade boats and sailed the ponds as pirates, explored the woods and swam in the blue water.”

                                    - Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia, Margaret Cousins

Some our favorite physical features of the hardcovers include large font and inviting two-tone line drawings. Several of our books have that “old book smell” adding to their authentic feel.

Landmarks have been a part of our almost 20 year home education journey. My oldest son devoured Old Ironsides, his first introduction to a full-length, independently read chapter book. He was hooked, not only on the series, but also on history. (Imagine the excitement when we had the opportunity to walk aboard the U.S.S. Constitution!) Since that time, each of our children has come to better understand history from these vintage gems.

I enjoy sharing our favorites, what they have taught us and how they have influenced our children's understanding of the people and events which have shaped history, through conference workshops and local presentations. Many have never heard of these books are eager to incorporate titles into their studies and learn how they can begin collecting these treasures for their home library. Wanting to know more about how to use Landmarks in your home education program? Contact me. I'd love to share how these books have brought history to life for our family in workshop format.

Note: These non-fiction books do not neuter history. There tell of the scenes of real history, real people and real details. Some of the books include first-hand accounts which may be desired reserved for older readers. For example Thirty Seconds over Tokyo, a moving account, brilliantly written by Captain Ted W. Lawson, contains details of the injuries sustained by the crew which crashed into the China Sea during the Doolittle Raid. As with any book, parents must decide what books and materials are suitable for their children.

The 122 titles in the American category:

1      The Voyages of Christopher Columbus by Armstrong Sperry

2      The Landing of the Pilgrims by James Daugherty

3      Pocahontas and Captain John Smith by Marie Lawson

4      Paul Revere and the Minute Men by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

5      Our Independence and the Constitution by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

6      The California Gold Rush by May McNeer

7      The Pony Express by Samuel Hopkins Adams

8      Lee and Grant at Appomattox by MacKinlay Kantor

9      The Building of the First Transcontinental Railroad by Adele Gutman Nathan

10    The Wright Brothers by Quentin Reynolds

11    Prehistoric America by Anne Terry White

12    The Vikings by Elizabeth Janeway

13    The Santa Fe Trail by Samuel Hopkins Adams

14    The Story of the U. S. Marines by George Hunt

15    The Lewis and Clark Expedition by Richard L. Neuberger

16    The Monitor and the Merrimac by Fletcher Pratt

17    The Explorations of Pere Marquette by Jim Kjelgaard

18    The Panama Canal by Bob Considine

19    The Pirate Lafitte and The Battle of New Orleans by Robert Tallant

20    Custer’s Last Stand by Quentin Reynolds

21    Daniel Boone by John Mason Brown

22    Clipper Ship Days by John Jennings

23    Gettysburg by MacKinlay Kantor

24    The Louisiana Purchase by Robert Tallant

25    Wild Bill Hickok Tames the Wild West by Stewart H. Holbrook

26    Betsy Ross and the Flag by Jane Mayer

27    The Conquest of the North and South Poles by Russell Owen

28    Ben Franklin and Old Philadelphia by Margaret Cousin

29    Trapper and Traders of the Far West by James Daugherty

30    Mr. Bell Invents the Telephone by Katherine B. Shippen

31    The Barbary Pirates by C. S. Forester

32    Sam Houston, the Tallest Texan by William Johnson

33    The Winter at Valley Forge by Van Wyck Mason

34    The Erie Canal by  Samuel Hopkins Adams

35    Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Captain Ted Lawson

36    Thomas Jefferson, Father of Democracy by Vincent Sheean

37    The Coming of the Mormons by Jim Kjelgaard

38    George Washington Carver, the Story of a Great American by Anne Terry White

39    John Paul Jones, Fighting Sailor by Armstrong Sperry

40    The First Overland Mail by Robert Pinkerton

41    Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders by Henry Castor

42    The Pioneers Go West to California by Covered Wagon by  George R. Stewart

43    Peter Stuyvesant of Old New York by Anne Erskine

44    Lincoln and Douglas: The Years of Decision by Regina Z. Kelly

45    Robert Fulton and the Steamboat by Ralph Nading Hill

46    The F. B. I by Quentin Reynolds

47    Dolly Madison by Jane Mayer

48    John James Audubon by Margaret and John Kieran

49    Hawaii, Gem of the Pacific by Oscar Lewis

50    War Chief of the Seminoles by Mary McNeer

51    Old Ironsides, the Fighting Constitution by Harry Hansen

52    The Mississippi Bubble by Thomas B. Costain

53    Kit Carson and the Wild Frontier by Ralph Moody

54    Robert E. Lee and the Road to Honor by Hodding Carter

55    Guadalcanal Diary by Richard Tregaskis

56    Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan by Ferdinanad Kuhn

57    Davy Crockett by Stewart H. Holbrook

58    Clara Barton, Founder of the American Red Cross by Helen Boylston

59    The Story of San Francisco by Charlotte Jackson

60    Up the Trail from Texas by J. Frank Dobie

61    Abe Lincoln: Log Cabin to White House by Sterling North

62    The Story of D-Day: June 6, 1944 by Bruce Bliven, Jr.

63    Rogers’ Rangers and the French and Indian War by Bradford Smith

64    The Greatest Showman: The Life of P.T. Barnum by Joe Bryan III

65    Sequoyah, Leader of the Cherokees by Alice Marriott

66    Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys by Slater Brown

67    Wyatt Earp, U.S. Marshall by Stewart H Holbrook

68    The Early Days of the Automobiles by Elizabeth Janeway

69    The Witchcraft of Salem Village by Shirley Jackson

70    The West Point Story by Colonel Red Reeder

71    George Washington, Frontier Colonel Sterling North

72    The Texas Rangers by Will Henry

73    Buffalo Bill’s Great Wild West Show by Walter Havighurst

74    Evangeline and the Acadians by Robert Tallant

75    The Story of the Secret Service by Ferdinand Kuhn

76    Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too! By Stanley Young

77    America’s First World War: General Pershing and the Yanks by Henry Castor

78    The Doctors Who Conquered Yellow Fever by Ralph Nading Hill

79    Remember the Alamo! By Robert Penn Warren

80    Andrew Carnegie and the Age of Steel by Katherine B. Shippen

81    Geronimo: Wolf of the Warpath by Ralph Moody

82    The Story of the Paratroops by George Weller

83    The American Revolution by Bruce Bliven

84    The Story of the Naval Academy by Felix Riesenberg, Jr.

85    Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr by Anna Erskine

86    Stonewall Jackson by Jonathan Daniels

87    The Battle for the Atlantic by Jay Williams

88    The First Transatlantic Cable by Adele Gutman Nathan

89    The Story of the U.S. Air Force by Robert Loomis

90    The Swamp Fox of the Revolution by Stewart H. Holbrook

91    Heroines of the Early West by Nancy Wilson Ross

92    The Alaska Gold Rush by May McNeer

93    The Golden Age of Railroads by Stwart H. Holbrook

94    From Pearl Harbor to Okinawa by Bruce Bliven, Jr.

95    The Copper Kings of Montana by Marian T. Poole

96    Great American Fighter Pilots of World War II by Robert Loomis

97    The Story of the U. S. Coast Guard by Eugene Rachlis

98    William Penn: Quaker Hero by Hildegarde Dolson

99    John F. Kennedy and PT 109 by Richard Tregaskis

100  The Story of Oklahoma by Lon Tinkle

101  Americans into Orbit: The Story of Project Mercury by Gene Gurney

102  The Story of Submarines by George Weller

103   The Seabees of World War II by Edmund Castillo

104   The U. S. Border Patrol by Clement Hellyer

105   The Flying Tigers by John Toland

106   The U. S. Frogmen of World War II by Wyatt Blassingame

107   Women of Courage by Dorothy Nathan

108   Dwight D. Eisenhower by Malcom Moos

109   Disaster at Johnstown, the Great Flood by Hildegarde Dolson

110   The Story of Thomas Alva Edison by Margaret Cousins

111   Medal of Honor Heroes by Colonel Red Reeder

112   From Casablanca to Berlin by Bruce Blevin, Jr.

113   Young Mark Twain and the Mississippi by Harnett T. Kane

114   The Battle of the Bulge by John Toland

115   The Story of the Thirteen Colonies by Clifford Lindsey Alderman

116   Combat Nurses of World War II by Wyatt Blassingame

117   Walk in Space: The Story of Project Gemini by Gene Gurney

118   The Battle for Iwo Jima by Robert Leckie

119   Midway, Battle for the Pacific by Captain Edmund L. Castillo

120   Medical Corps Heroes of World War II by Wyatt Blassingame

121   Flat Tops: The Story of Aircraft Carriers by Edmund L. Castillo

122   The Mysterious Voyage of Captain Kidd by A. B. C.Whipple

Evaluation Season Fast Approaching

If you home educate in a state which requires an annual evaluation you are likely beginning to think about how you will fulfill that requirement. Go back to the mandates in your state. Familiarize yourself with them. If you are not sure exactly what is required, contact the state home education organization, a local support group or a mentor mom in your area. Head into the season educated, equipped and prepared. 

If you live in Florida, here are some of the most frequently asked questions.

What is a teacher evaluation?

Florida law requires parents/guardians who homeschool through the home education program with their local superintendent to file an annual evaluation with the county superintendent's office. The teacher evaluation is one of five options by which a parent/guardian can meet the annual evaluation.

Who can do a teacher evaluation?

The parent/guardian selects a Florida-certified teacher who holds a current Florida teaching certificate to do the teacher evaluation. Local support groups and state organizations often have a lists of teacher evaluators they recommend.

What can a parent/guardian expect at a teacher evaluation?

Each teacher evaluator will conduct an evaluation differently. Some will informally discuss the contents of the child's portfolio, others will administer a formal test.  Still others combine the two methods and ask informal questions as the portfolio is reviewed.  It is important that the parent/guardian interview the evaluator before the evaluation takes place so that all parties have the same expectations.  From a legal standpoint, the evaluator is noting whether the child "demonstrates educational progress at a level commensurate with his or her ability."

How does the parent/guardian select a teacher evaluator?

Parents/guardians should interview the teacher evaluator to be sure the expectations of all parties are acceptable. It is recommended that home school families locate a teacher evaluator in the beginning of the school year to determine what exactly the evaluator will expect.  Knowing what the evaluator will expect will help the parent/guardian decide on a record keeping method which supports the evaluation method.  Parents/guardians might ask the evaluator:

• Do you hold a current, valid Florida teaching certificate to teach academic subjects at an elementary or secondary level?
• Are you familiar with home education?
• Are you a home schooling parent?
• What words would best describe your educational philosophy?
• Have you evaluated home educated students in the past?
• What can I expect to occur during the evaluation?
• Are the parents/guardians encouraged to remain with the child?
• How long can I expect the evaluation to last?
• What materials should I bring to the evaluation?
• Where does the evaluation take place?
• What fees will be associated with the evaluation?
  
  
   
  
  
  Homeschoolers in the state Florida can find out more about home education from Florida Parent Educators Association. Their website features a host of information from the daily ins and outs of home education to the legal considerations and support group information. They also host an annual convention on Memorial Day weekend.
  
  
  There is also additional information on my website http://www.cherylbastian.com/.
  
  

Lincoln for All Ages

Recently one child's interest in Mary Todd Lincoln's seamstress intrigued a younger learner. Off to the local public library. Happiness! Mary Todd Lincoln: Girl of the Bluegrass, an original hardcover version from Childhood of Famous Americans series.

Arriving home, one of our littlest learners announced "We have Meet Abraham Lincoln!" She retrieved the book from our Step Up collection on the bookshelf we reserve for younger learners. Before long our family, all at different levels of learning, were snuggled in the living room, all learning about the Lincoln family on their level. From their reading we were able to discuss what each had learned, how what they read differed from what others learned (with a rabbit trail discussion about bias and perspective), and how it wove together in the tapestry of our country's history.


Lincolns at All Levels

Elementary Level
Abe Lincoln's Hat by Martha Brenner
A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln by David A. Adler
Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books by Kay Winters
Abraham Lincoln by Edgar Parin D'Aulaire
Meet Abraham Lincoln by Barbara Cary

Upper Elementary/Middle School Level
God's Leader for a Nation: Abraham Lincoln by David R. Collins
Abraham Lincoln by Edgar Parin D'Aulaire
Abraham Lincoln: The Great Emancipator by Augusta Stevenson
Abe Lincoln: Log Cabin to White House by Sterling North
The Story of Abraham Lincoln by Nina Brown Baker

High School Level
The Gettysburg Address
The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Henry Ketchum (available on Kindle)
Behind the Scenes, or Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House by Elizabeth Keckley
A collection of Lincoln works
Speeches and Letters of Abraham Lincoln 
Speeches and Letters of Abraham Lincoln, Kindle store

Please note: Some of these resources are written authentically (especially the high school resources) and may include vivid descriptions of the treatment of slaves. Parents, consider content before handing any reading to your children. Books might appear on book lists but that does not mean they are the best book for a particular child at a particular stage in learning, or that the book is the best book written on that subject.

Real-Life Learning: Photography

Real-life photography problem demands solutions. Finding a solution offers learning. 

Problem: Mat 30 photos for entry into the fair with a deadline looming, T-minus 36 hours

Possible solutions: 

• Buy pre-cut mats
• Hire framer to cut the mats

Scenario: Shopping several craft stores reveals pre-cut mats are not available in bulk quantities. Smaller group packs of three mats begin at $3.99, however none of the craft stores have enough group packs to fill our need of 30 mats. Single mats ranges from $2.00 to $5.00, pending size. Dollar signs begin to appear about the same time a young gentlemen rounds the corner. He had another solution, a solution I didn't want to hear, a solution nonetheless.

Solution: Use the 40% off coupon from the craft store to purchase our own mat cutter ($27.99 less 40%) and buy the LAST bulk package of mats (without the inside frame pre-cut). Bulk package contains 35 mats, just enough for our project and a few to spare should be over cut or scratch a mat. 

Conclusion: "Perfect mom! If I am going to be a photographer and mat my own work, economically this is the best solution."

Real-life photography problem demands solutions. Finding a solution offers learning. 

What a grand lesson for our daughter, a budding young photographer! Math, Economics. Design. Practical life skills. Photography application. Can't beat it! 

We will let you know how the photos do in the fair.

Weighty Matters: Kitchen Scale FUN!

Kitchen scales bring math to life. None threatening. Almost unnoticed. Naturally. 

When our oldest was five years old we replaced our familiar preschool bucket balance scale (the simple one which determined lightest and heaviest without numerical connection) with a $9.99 kitchen scale from Walmart. The minute the box opened items were placed on the scale: a potato, a toy car, a box of tea bags, mom's slipper. Anything that could be weighed was. Even liquids were weighed, thanks to the nifty plastic bucket which could be placed on the scale. Which is heavier, the potato or the slipper? Which weighs more, a cup of sugar or a cup of rice? By the end of the day, our son knew how to read a mechanical kitchen scale, purely due to his interest in our new found measuring tool.

We've also had opportunities to use digital scales. Experiences with digital scales has offered a nonthreatening opportunities to teach greater and less than using decimals. Decimal scales also sparked an interest in adding decimals; a concept often not introduced until third or fourth grade but understandable when taught earlier with real life application.

Eighteen years and six children later, our mechanical kitchen scale continues to be one of our favorite measuring tools. Our scale introduced and helped us to express comparison of weight, measurement terminology, measurement conversion, and number operations using weight units. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of using our scale has been our children having the opportunity to once again take math off a one dimensional page and apply it to their very active lives.


Our children want to know more about scales? Click here!