Free Teacher’s Manuals from The History Channel
Passed on…
Free Teacher’s Manuals from The History Channel
Includes:
- The Declaration of Independence
- The Missouri River: A Journey with Stephen Ambrose
- The National World War II Memorial
- The White House 200th Anniversary
Save Our History
Historians and other educators at The History Channel are creating multidisciplinary teacher’s manuals, available to educators on a complimentary basis. Each manual features primary sources, portfolio projects, vocabulary, and creative activities. Join teachers around America and get your students involved in the Save Our History initiative, where history combines with science, math, geography, and language arts topics to bring the past alive in the classroom. Indicate the manual of your choice. You may order all of the manuals listed.
Recommendations for Beginning Readers
So, everyone rants and raves about the Bob Books, by Bobby Lynn Maslen , but the girls and I are not taking too well to them.
So, through trail and error…here’s what we came up with as our recommended starting points for Beginning Readers.
Please share your opinions and recommendations in the comments section below…we’re open to trying everything and anything.
Please keep in mind, our girls are now 2, 4 and 5 years old, they each have different attention spans, interests and learning styles…so, since we just logged in our 30th hour of reading today at the library (and we just started July 5th) we’re avid readers at this house.
1. Dora the Explorer Phonics: 12 Book Reading Program 
2. A recommendation for Mem Fox, such as ‘Time for Bed’
One warning: I read her books first, becuase a couple of them have some pages that I wouldn’t want my girls to read or even “joke” about.
For example, in her Boo to a Goose
We love Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild!
3. I just came across Cathryn Falwell
I read she resides in my home state capitol of Hartford, CT, with her husband, 2 sons and their dog who inspired her to write “P.J. & Puppy”.
Ohhh….do I miss home. Being a native to my beloved Hartford (my home during grad school and when I was the City’s Deputy Health Director)…hits my heart passionately.
Geez…I’m such a “girl”!
4. Last but not least…the imfamous Dick and Jane books
Our eldest and I read Books 1-3 at Barnes & Noble today…and she actually READ Book 4…all by herself. I pointed to the earlier books, showing her the pictures and themes to remember the previous words she just learned…but, honestly she READ Book 4 by herself!
Well, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
So, these series and authors are what we’re sticking with for awhile.
Oopps. (5) I’m reading American Girls (TM) books to them…just as FTI (For Their Information).
[Disclosure: we read anything and everything that crosses our path (such as newspapers, magazines, junk mail, etc. Therefore, these recommendations are for phonics, vocabulary building, and our reading lessons. I wholeheartedly agree with Mem Fox when she promotes reading aloud to children (babies) as much as possible.]
Happy Reading!
Kindergarten at Home
This is such an exciting time for me and the girls.
Here’s some starting points, thanks to my dear friend and homeschool mentor, as she completed an extremely successful Kindergarten year with her daughter:
They’re screaming in the background and we have a full-day tomorrow…so off to bed we go…or at least attempt!
Library Movies and DVDs
Should public libraries charge for the rental of movies and DVDs?
Check out the debate: Libraries increase DVDs stacks, add fees for movie watchers.
Now are some people just chosing to be cheap…and not renting elsewhere, taking away from the public’s right to free educational and entertaining resources of those who can NOT afford the luxury of movie rentals?
As a movie renter, I honestly do not turn to the library for New Releases…hence, I do not expect or want public libraries to start actively carrying them…just to cater to a movie frenzy and spending dollars I’d rather see them spend on educational materials for my homeschool girls, and the general public at large.
I grew up utilizing the vast educational resources of the public libraries and raising my girls the same way.
No doubt, I don’t just rent educational videos and DVDs. We get Disney full-featured films too…so, there is a place of entertaining videos…as books are the source of creativity, the arts and where true entertainment lies in the imagination of our own minds.
Please, let’s invest wisely.
Potty-training & more
Woo hoo…our youngest pooped and peed in her training potty today. She actually enjoyed hangin out there and giving high-fives to everyone too. She’s 20 months old.
Our 4 year-old figured out addition and subtraction herself. It was way cool. She said, “Mama there’s five of us and when Baba goes to China (where he conducts business) then there’s only four of us”. We played with our family of five, added and subtracted and she actually got the concept without having to count every single person.
For example, she says if I go with Baba, then three of you are left at home. If we both come home then all five of us are together again. Aww…what a proud moment.
Our 4 year-old and 3 year-old got regular watches last month, even though our 4 year-old only knows how to tell digital time. I haven’t had a chance to teach her minutes, until today, I made a drawing of a clock with hours in the center, and minutes (all 60 minutes) on the outside. I had her check the digital time and find the numbers on the drawing and showed her watch so she made the connection.
She absolutely loved it. She was also reading the minutes as single digits until today, I tought her the twenties, thirties, etc. She’s catching on very well.
Our 3 year-old had a field day drawing family pictures. She finally makes bodies with all our faces, she’s so proud of herself…so are we of course.
After a wonderful warm spring day yesterday, as fate would have it we got snow today. Aww…I love days warm at home.
PowerTouch Learning System
The PowerTouch Learning System by FisherPrice…is Way cool!
The girls love it. Though you have to be very careful, it’s not a tug-o-war toy since the pages have to sit nice & flat.
Words, pictures, reading, phonics, spelling, counting & more…perfect for homeschool.
It say the starting age is 3, but our 20-month-old can play the “finding” game just fine.
Well worth the investment!
