The League of Homeschool All-Starss, Bentley Boyd, 2009, Williamsburg VA: Chester Comix, ISBN-10: 1933122404, ISBN-13: 978-1933122403, 32 pages
Medium: Hardcover book
Age/Grade: 9-12/4-7
Secular/Religious: Inclusive-contains references to some of the featured personalities' religious beliefs as part of their biography where appropriate, without proselytizing
Rating: ****
* I hate it
** I don’t like it
*** It’s about average
**** I like it
***** I love it
I purchased The League of Homeschool All-Stars along with the Chester Comix series of historical comic books by the same author, as it looked like it might be an interesting read. I thought my children might enjoy reading about famous people who were themselves home-schooled.
The book is a collection of short (one page) biographies of twenty-two (22) famous people whose education was primarily completed at home. It is divided into several chapters: science, the arts, politics, and business, with several examples of homeschoolers who have made significant contributions in each area. Some of the people included are Ansel Adams, George Washington Carver, Thomas Edison, Woodrow Wilson,Charlotte Mason,and one of my favorites, Beatrix Potter.
The biographies are not detailed enough to provide a real history lesson of each person, but rather are designed to inspire home educated children to excel, and provide role models for them. In this, it succeeds reasonably well.
The drawings are attractive, if busy, and colorful, while the text gives key points of each character's life. I like the time line at the top of each page that not only tells when each person was born, but includes major political events that occurred around the same time-it helps to put things in some historical perspective. I also like that this book includes more modern people like Venus and Serena Williams, as well as more historical personages.
I wouldn't recommend this book for use as a lesson in itself, but I think it would be of interest to older elementary and middle school aged home-schooled students as an interesting read. I suppose that it might be an interesting adjunct to other more traditional resources when studying the various included historical figures, as a kind of side bar. It certainly has some inspirational value for the home educated child.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
An Opportunity to Help Educate Children About Modern Day Slavery
According to Free the Slaves, there are ~27 million slaves in the world today. That is more than at any other time in history, despite it being illegal in pretty much every country of the world. It seems that most of these slaves are used in farm work or as domestics, though some are used in mining or the sex trade as well. There are slaves in almost every country in the world, including the United States, which is estimated to have over 10000 people living in slavery at any time (from Free the Slaves).
I came across this project, which is looking for funding to create a comic book about human trafficking and needs $8000 before the end of September to make it happen. Personally, I think it looks like a good way to introduce children to the problem and raise awareness of it across the nation. It could be used as part of a unit on slavery, as a resource that is easily readable and interesting.
I'm supporting it-I hope you will too.
Borderland: A Comic Book About Human Trafficking
I came across this project, which is looking for funding to create a comic book about human trafficking and needs $8000 before the end of September to make it happen. Personally, I think it looks like a good way to introduce children to the problem and raise awareness of it across the nation. It could be used as part of a unit on slavery, as a resource that is easily readable and interesting.
I'm supporting it-I hope you will too.
Borderland: A Comic Book About Human Trafficking
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Product Review-The Complete Home Learning Source Book
The Complete Home Learning Source Book: The Essential Resource Guide for Homeschoolers, Parents and Educators Covering Every Subject from Arithmetic to Zoology, Rebecca Rupp, 1998, New York: Three Rivers Press, ISBN-10: 0609801090, ISBN-13: 978-0609801093, 880 pages
Medium: Paperback book
Age/Grade: Adult/Educator
Secular/Religious: Inclusive-contains references to both secular and religious material without proselytizing or espousing any particular beliefs
Rating: ****
* I hate it
** I don’t like it
*** It’s about average
**** I like it
***** I love it
The Complete Home Learning Source Book is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a lot of reading to get through War and Peace, but that’s just peanuts to The Complete Home Learning Source Book. All right, so that may not be strictly true (and it’s a blatant rip-off from Douglas Adams, I know), but really, this is a book that lives up to its name.
Rebecca Rupp has compiled all kinds of resources, from print to video to computer software, and listed it by subject. As if this wasn’t enough, she has included addresses, phone numbers, websites and information about all of the resources she lists, and in many cases, bases her information on personal experiences with the products in question from her own homeschooling program. This book really is a wealth of information. In fact, my only complaint is that I found it a bit overwhelming.
I like the format-divided by subject, and further subdivided by type of media, with clear markings as to the age/grade level of the material. She starts with the title, type and age, and then gives a brief review, often followed by purchasing information.
While I have found this book extremely helpful, I consider it best used paired up with Rupp’s Home Learning Year by Year. This book provides the resources needed to follow the curriculum outline in Home Learning Year by Year. Beginning homeschoolers like me may find it difficult to know where to start without the latter book, but be unsure where to turn for materials without the former.
I “like” this book, rather than “love” it because I am not one who enjoys books of lists-even when they are as useful and well done as is this one-but I would still highly recommend it for its utility.
Medium: Paperback book
Age/Grade: Adult/Educator
Secular/Religious: Inclusive-contains references to both secular and religious material without proselytizing or espousing any particular beliefs
Rating: ****
* I hate it
** I don’t like it
*** It’s about average
**** I like it
***** I love it
The Complete Home Learning Source Book is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a lot of reading to get through War and Peace, but that’s just peanuts to The Complete Home Learning Source Book. All right, so that may not be strictly true (and it’s a blatant rip-off from Douglas Adams, I know), but really, this is a book that lives up to its name.
Rebecca Rupp has compiled all kinds of resources, from print to video to computer software, and listed it by subject. As if this wasn’t enough, she has included addresses, phone numbers, websites and information about all of the resources she lists, and in many cases, bases her information on personal experiences with the products in question from her own homeschooling program. This book really is a wealth of information. In fact, my only complaint is that I found it a bit overwhelming.
I like the format-divided by subject, and further subdivided by type of media, with clear markings as to the age/grade level of the material. She starts with the title, type and age, and then gives a brief review, often followed by purchasing information.
While I have found this book extremely helpful, I consider it best used paired up with Rupp’s Home Learning Year by Year. This book provides the resources needed to follow the curriculum outline in Home Learning Year by Year. Beginning homeschoolers like me may find it difficult to know where to start without the latter book, but be unsure where to turn for materials without the former.
I “like” this book, rather than “love” it because I am not one who enjoys books of lists-even when they are as useful and well done as is this one-but I would still highly recommend it for its utility.
Product Review-Home Learning Year by Year
Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School, Rebecca Rupp, 2000, New York: Three Rivers Press, ISBN-10: 0609805851, ISBN-13: 978-0609805855, 432 pages
Medium: Paperback book
Age/Grade: Adult/Educator
Secular/Religious: Secular-little to no mention of any religious beliefs
Rating: *****
* I hate it
** I don’t like it
*** It’s about average
**** I like it
***** I love it
When we first started educating my son at home, we used a “school-in-a-box” complete religious-based curriculum, which included DVD lessons, texts, workbooks, tests and teacher’s editions for all the core subjects. While academically rigorous, this did not seem to be the best option for our son’s learning style.
So I went searching for resources to help design a curriculum that would better suit our family’s needs. One of the resources I found was Rebecca Rupp’s Home Learning Year by Year, which is a comprehensive outline of the public school curriculum in a surprisingly concise book. The curriculum that Dr. Rupp has put together is a “synthesis of the public school curricula of all fifty states, as well as from proposals from private sources and innovative educators”.
Dr. Rupp is well known in homeschool circles for educating her three sons at home for more than ten years, and for authoring several books, both fiction and non-fiction, including several that are related to homeschooling. She also writes a monthly column for Home Education Magazine.
Home Learning Year by Year covers all of the core subjects and many elective subjects that are taught in the public school system. Notably missing are references to Bible study and courses in religion, so readers seeking a strong Christian basis for their curriculum will not find it in this book, though may find it a useful reference for non-religious parts of their educational program. And non-Christians who may want to deviate significantly from the public school system are not likely to find this a very helpful resource, either, since it is a synthesis from the public schools’ curricula.
But for those home educators who want to generally follow the same material and progression as the public school system in the United States, this is an excellent resource for curriculum design. It is well written, complete and easy to follow. It gives a good outline of knowledge and provides some resources and textbook recommendations to aid in teaching the material. I would suggest, though, that this book is better viewed as one of a set, paired with Rebecca Rupp’s other invaluable resource The Complete Home Learning Source Book: The Essential Resource Guide for Homeschoolers, Parents and Educators Covering Every Subject from Arithmetic to Zoology (Rebecca Rupp, 1998, New York: Three Rivers Press). This volume has much more in depth resources which complement her curriculum outline nicely.
Overall, this is a clear, comprehensive and secular overview of the public school curriculum in the United States, written for home educators to use in their own curriculum design. It does what it sets out to do, and I highly recommend it.
Medium: Paperback book
Age/Grade: Adult/Educator
Secular/Religious: Secular-little to no mention of any religious beliefs
Rating: *****
* I hate it
** I don’t like it
*** It’s about average
**** I like it
***** I love it
When we first started educating my son at home, we used a “school-in-a-box” complete religious-based curriculum, which included DVD lessons, texts, workbooks, tests and teacher’s editions for all the core subjects. While academically rigorous, this did not seem to be the best option for our son’s learning style.
So I went searching for resources to help design a curriculum that would better suit our family’s needs. One of the resources I found was Rebecca Rupp’s Home Learning Year by Year, which is a comprehensive outline of the public school curriculum in a surprisingly concise book. The curriculum that Dr. Rupp has put together is a “synthesis of the public school curricula of all fifty states, as well as from proposals from private sources and innovative educators”.
Dr. Rupp is well known in homeschool circles for educating her three sons at home for more than ten years, and for authoring several books, both fiction and non-fiction, including several that are related to homeschooling. She also writes a monthly column for Home Education Magazine.
Home Learning Year by Year covers all of the core subjects and many elective subjects that are taught in the public school system. Notably missing are references to Bible study and courses in religion, so readers seeking a strong Christian basis for their curriculum will not find it in this book, though may find it a useful reference for non-religious parts of their educational program. And non-Christians who may want to deviate significantly from the public school system are not likely to find this a very helpful resource, either, since it is a synthesis from the public schools’ curricula.
But for those home educators who want to generally follow the same material and progression as the public school system in the United States, this is an excellent resource for curriculum design. It is well written, complete and easy to follow. It gives a good outline of knowledge and provides some resources and textbook recommendations to aid in teaching the material. I would suggest, though, that this book is better viewed as one of a set, paired with Rebecca Rupp’s other invaluable resource The Complete Home Learning Source Book: The Essential Resource Guide for Homeschoolers, Parents and Educators Covering Every Subject from Arithmetic to Zoology (Rebecca Rupp, 1998, New York: Three Rivers Press). This volume has much more in depth resources which complement her curriculum outline nicely.
Overall, this is a clear, comprehensive and secular overview of the public school curriculum in the United States, written for home educators to use in their own curriculum design. It does what it sets out to do, and I highly recommend it.
Product Review-Bang! The Universe Verse: Book 1
Bang! The Universe Verse: Book 1, James Lu Dunbar, 2009, CreateSpace, ISBN-10: 1449587666, ISBN-13: 978-1449587666, 44 pages
Medium: Paperback book
Age/Grade: Any
Secular/Religious: Secular-little to no mention of religion; may offend some Christian beliefs
Rating: *****
* I hate it
** I don’t like it
*** It’s about average
**** I like it
***** I love it
What do you get when you mix Stephen Hawking, Stan Lee and Shel Silverstein? The answer is James Lu Dunbar and his wonderful account of the Big Bang origin of the universe in comic book form.
After having my interest piqued on an internet forum, I bought this book as a supplement to my children's home education program. I'm always on the lookout for materials that are fun, easy to understand and yet have some real educational value, to complement the more traditional curriculum that I use. "Bang! The Universe Verse Book 1" certainly meets those criteria.
It is written in rhyming poetry in language that my middle school aged children can easily understand and it presents the Big Bang theory quite clearly. Discussing the early and rapid expansion of the universe, concepts of energy force and matter, atomic structure, the formation of the elements, and the structure of the universe, this little book presents these topics in a straightforward manner that anyone can understand, but it doesn't "dumb it down" so much that it becomes useless either.
The drawings are fun and complement the text well, and the whole book has a lighthearted feel to it that should help learners old and young re-discover the joy of science.
I plan to use this for my homeschooling, but I think it would be enjoyable for anyone of school age or older (including adults) who have an interest in science and astronomy. I'm looking forward to books two and three...
Medium: Paperback book
Age/Grade: Any
Secular/Religious: Secular-little to no mention of religion; may offend some Christian beliefs
Rating: *****
* I hate it
** I don’t like it
*** It’s about average
**** I like it
***** I love it
What do you get when you mix Stephen Hawking, Stan Lee and Shel Silverstein? The answer is James Lu Dunbar and his wonderful account of the Big Bang origin of the universe in comic book form.
After having my interest piqued on an internet forum, I bought this book as a supplement to my children's home education program. I'm always on the lookout for materials that are fun, easy to understand and yet have some real educational value, to complement the more traditional curriculum that I use. "Bang! The Universe Verse Book 1" certainly meets those criteria.
It is written in rhyming poetry in language that my middle school aged children can easily understand and it presents the Big Bang theory quite clearly. Discussing the early and rapid expansion of the universe, concepts of energy force and matter, atomic structure, the formation of the elements, and the structure of the universe, this little book presents these topics in a straightforward manner that anyone can understand, but it doesn't "dumb it down" so much that it becomes useless either.
The drawings are fun and complement the text well, and the whole book has a lighthearted feel to it that should help learners old and young re-discover the joy of science.
I plan to use this for my homeschooling, but I think it would be enjoyable for anyone of school age or older (including adults) who have an interest in science and astronomy. I'm looking forward to books two and three...
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