Reading List for October: Christopher Columbus and Sailing Ships!

We started our social studies with early American history.  And it coincided nicely with Columbus Day!  So here is what we have been reading this month.


Christopher Columbus:  The Life of a Master Navigator & Explorer by David West & Jackie Gaff
This book was a graphic novel about Columbus's life.  It managed to capture the attention of Mr. Dramatic, who doesn't enjoy reading as much as his younger brother.


Sea Clocks: The Story of Longitude by Louise Borden
A wonderfully illustrated book that narrates the solving of the dilemma of direction that people faced when navigating the open seas.


Exploring the New World by Melody Herr
This book captivated my oldest from the first page!  He read the entire thing in two days (which is quite an accomplishment for a previous vehement hater of reading)!!  A great "choose your own adventure" book that manages to tell both sides of the story:  the explorers and the natives.



In Their Own Words: Christopher Columbus by Peter & Connie Roop
I was quite surprised how much Mr. Dramatic liked this book!  It pieces together Columbus's life from his own journal entries.




Eyewitness Visual Dictionary of Sailing Ships
Chock-full of illustrations and pictures of ships from all eras!  Mr. Independent pored over this for hours and then copied some of the illustrations.






Follow the Dream by Peter Sis
A very simple book about Columbus as a boy and his aspirations to become a great sailor.  Wonderful illustrations!

Don't Keep Silent

Orphanages are where children are supposed to find safety and security.  Not slavery and exploitation.  Tom Davis of Children's Hope Chest is rallying 10,000 people to sign a petition to CNN so that the child trafficking is exposed and the Son of God Orphanage in Haiti is shut down.  There are at least 40 children that are now missing and 75 more at risk for trafficking, organ harvesting, starvation and abuse.  Please sign the petition so that theses atrocities garner international media attention and the corruption is brought to light.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

Thank you for being their voice!

I'm In A Rut

"It's been 10 years and I think we're in a rut"

Hoping to win a Tempurpedic mattress on We Are THAT Family's giveaway!

What is Learning?

As I prepare for the new school year, I have reevaluated my method of schooling our children.

What is home education? How do I define it and carry it out? These questions gnaw at me.

What do I want my children to learn beyond fractions, American history or science? What drives my desire to teach my children at home?

I have been reading a wonderful book that has tipped my, already teetering, ideas of formal education over and has strengthened my resolve to home educate. It is "Dumbing Us Down" by John Taylor Gatto. In this book he redefines formal education into "schooling". And he drives home the point that it is not what the children learn but what they are taught that is of the utmost importance in our society today. Children are prevented from being free-thinkers and are conditioned to have someone else evaluate their progress. They are imprisoned by the ideals of nameless, faceless bureaucrats whose standards are driven by greed for power or prestige.

His scathing unveiling of the madness behind the educational machine is riveting!

It also causes me to pause and wonder if I have been so conditioned by formal education (of which I had three years in public school and four years in private school) that its evil tentacles of conformity have crept into my own little home school. In all of societal interaction we have been conditioned to conform. And yet, as a Christian I have been warned:

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

If I am supposed to obey this command, why do I feel the pressure to do the exact opposite? Specifically in the realm of educating my children? The answer: it is easier to do what everyone else is doing. It takes no thought and little effort to flow downstream. But it takes great vision and much work to paddle upstream.

And so I go on carving out my definition of education. Elucidating what education means to me and for my children. It cannot be found in a text book, discovered in a new curriculum, or revealed in a new organizational method for optimal learning. Learning is simply the joyful gathering of knowledge that lay previously undiscovered until it was unearthed by curiosity. I believe that curiosity is a God-inspired desire. And I intend to cultivate it in my learners.

Family Fun Day at the Rock & Mineral Museum

Valentine's Day Is Coming!

What about purchasing one of these super cute teddy bears that my sister made? Get one for each of the special people in your life!

This handsome little guy measures about 5 inches high and he is made from a soft acrylic yarn. She hand-knitted him with lots of love!

Visit her blog at www.every-day-joy.blogspot.com