Jocelyn's blog

Oct. 7, 2009

Shelfari!!

Well, after mucking around for over half an hour, I've updated my bookshelf on Facebook and here on the blog. Facebook has more of the books I'm reading for pleasure and the blog has the ones that either I'm reading or the boys are reading.

We love books here and always have one on hand. I bought a Roy & Matilda book today but forgot to add it to the shelf. These books, as well as the Katie ones, are great for Art appreciation. I like it that there's some Aussie ones too. Unfortunately, it's harder to get the Roy & Matilda ones but The Gallery Mice, pictured below is still available. I got mine through the National Library bookshop.

Roy & Matilda have adventures in three Australian Art Galleries. The Gallery Mice is set in Melbourne, The Mysterious Music is from the Queensland Art Gallery and The Golden Locket features the NSW Art Gallery. They are worth looking at with younger ones, though check and see if your library has them. Our library has The Golden Locket and The Mysterious Music.

You can investigate further at: http://www.edwinapublishing.com/titles.html

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Jun. 26, 2009

Top Picks for us

Posted in Reviews

Well, Andrew is changing laptops, the iPhoto libraries need to be merged between computers and I just haven't had the will power to sit in the kitchen at night, in the cold to catch up on photo bound entries.

We did have a homeschooling meeting this week and were asked to think about what books/curriculum was working for us. I only had a few to bring along and I'll share them here as well.

We've just finished using "Small Talks on Big Questions" for our night time devotions. The book goes through the questions of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, eg. Who made you? What else did God make? Why did God make you and all things? Who wrote the Bible?

These Q & As give a great summary from the Bible and it's up to you whether you want your children to learn them. After going through a few questions, there are two stories based on that theme - usually one from the Bible and one from History - told in a narrative form. There's great questions at the end to get you thinking further.

Availabie in Australia from www.reformersbooks.com.au or Amazon in the US

We did about 25 minutes of this workshop video, "Logic in 100 minutes" this week. Even though it is a great resource and gives a wonderful overview of logic and the various arguments that you need to identify, it's too much info in one go for my children right now. We also own "The Fallacy Detective" so I'm going to go through the section on Propaganda with them as a discussion and then we'll flick the video back on. Older kids would cope with moving through this video at a faster rate.

Available from christianbook.com.

We've also been making our way through this 3 volume series called "Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution" WE just did the second DVD this morning. It is providing a Christian perspective for the boys and countering some "fact" statements made by evolutionists. We're also borrowing David Attenborough's series "Planet Earth" from the library so they are hearing the evolutionist side and seeing some stunning pictures as well.

This is available from Word in Australia at a great price and is readily available in the US ( Christianbook, AiG, etc)

Another resource that we've been enjoying is the newly reprinted "Our Sunburnt Country". I've long admired this work but we are now using it in our Australian History lessons and I'm appreciating having such a good spine at my fingertips. It gives brief and yet detailed information about the main events in our history. Told in an easy to read style, it can stand alone or be the base from which you add more to a topic. The boys are liking it and I can't recommend it enough for those with children aged 8 and up.

Available from downunderlit.com in Australia.

The last book is one that I have recently purchased but have not found time to use as yet. Christianbook had some sample pages you can look at. I liked the idea of having a starting point from which to build for story writing.

Got any top picks of your own?

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Jan. 20, 2009

Expelled!!

Posted in Reviews

Even though we are very much in holiday mode, we watched this doco movie last week, on the recommendation of our pastor. It was really good and worth watching, if you have an interest in intelligent design and how the scientific world at large is responding to it.

I'm sorry, I am still in holiday mode and am not up to putting in the work to write my own review. This is pulled from the expelledstore.com website:

Big science has expelled smart new ideas from the classroom ... What they forgot is that every generation has its Rebel! That rebel, Ben Stein (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) travels the world on his quest, and learns an awe-inspiring truth … that educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired – for the crime of merely believing that there might be evidence of "design" in nature, and that perhaps life is not just the result of accidental, random chance.

In the film Ben says "Enough" - And NOBODY messes with Ben!

DVD Bonus Features:
- Expelled Super Trailer
- Message from Ben Stein
- A Special Segment on Using Intelligent Design for Medical Research
- 3 Bonus Music Tracks

DVD Insert Extras:
- Pocket Size Book of Quotes
- 20% Off Exclusive Discount Code for the Expelled Online Store
- 6 Free Music Downloads with Music by Andy Hunter

Actors: Ben Stein, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Sternberg, Mark Souder

Director: Nathan Frankowski

Anyone else seen it? Want to share your thoughts?

Will try and get back into regular blogging mode soon...

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Oct. 17, 2008

Life Lessons from the Squire and the Scroll

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I have been meaning to write a short review of Life Lessons from the Squire and the Scroll for a while now.

About two months' ago, I decided to change from Bible stories to doing this topically based study. The Squire and the Scroll is a lovely picture book, illustrating the quest that a squire and a knight go on. It highlights the importance of following God's precepts and remembering what to watch out for on the path through life.

The Life Lessons book is an additional Bible supplement to the picture book. Each week has a different topic to explore, based on the story of The Squire and the Scroll, as well as the development of godly character. It is mainly aimed at boys of around 8 - 12 years of age but can easily be used outside of this "target" audience. Since when is guarding your heart, your ears, the importance of memorising Scripture and being a light for those around you limited to a certain age group or gender?

The lessons are divided into sections. " A Squire Prepares" this usually contains the introductory text. For instance, Week 5 is "Accepting the Protection of Authority".

It starts off like this: Remember that part of The Squire and the Scroll when the son is leaving home? His parents aren't happy that he's leaving but they are proud of him. They trust him to be successful in his quest. They've done their best to teach him from the scroll and to remind him that they will always support him in his quest for the king. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

We usually do the next title " A Squire's Prayer" on the first day as it is a lovely way to conclude our time of meditation.

The next section is entitled "Scroll of Faith" It has the Bible verse for the week printed there. I have decided to make up our own sheets, combining copy work with a picture from the book. Below are some examples:

Day 3, I usually look at the section on "Heroes of Faith". In this topic, it was on Ham, Shem and Japheth. Usually when we read the account of Noah and the Ark, we focus on Noah's faith. This study looked at the faith of the sons to follow in the footsteps of their father, even though the world scorned what he was doing. It was a powerful example and I was struck afresh by how radical that ark-building was for these sons.

As we have a 4 day week, I will choose between the section called "Creative Squire Adventures", that has fun and different ideas for exploring a topic, and the section entitled "Battle Plans". This week, we looked at the Battle Plan topic. It asked - What keeps you from giving your heart to your parents for safekeeping? Plus many more questions along those lines.

I am so heartened by the words, the encouragement that continually flows from this guide and the positive way to share these concepts with my boys. I feel challenged as a parent to ask myself a lot of the same questions.

I strongly urge you to consider spending some time in either this guide or the one for girls, Life Lessons for The Princess and the Kiss as you won't be disappointed.

It is available from Credo Trust in Australia and Christianbook.com in the USA. Christianbook may well have some sample pages you can look at.

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Jul. 28, 2008

Robin Hood review

Posted in Reviews

Someone asked about which Robin Hood book to use with their young children on a discussion board that I am on. I decided to copy most of my answer here as well:

I'm not as picky about unabridged vs abridged with Robin Hood books as they are all based on ballads and tales so there's not one definitive version (in that sense). We have three good versions in our house.

Robin Hood DK Illustrated Classic - Neil Philip
I like starting this one as it gives an in depth story, beyond the Disney version anyway! It also has information, in typical DK style, down each margin about historical things of the period. Other pages scattered throughout are devoted to topics of interest, such as King Richard and the Crusades, the Feudal system, portrayals of Robin Hood (in movies and plays) throughout history.

Picking this up again for a quick flick to review, I think we will leave it out for a while

The Adventures of Robin Hood - Roger Lancellyn Green
Puffin or Penguin Classic

My eldest son enjoyed this one the most. After getting a taste for Robin Hood with the DK book, he wanted to know more details about Robin, the man and his exploits. Now 11, he read this version two or three years ago. I still remember him stopping, quoting sections from the book to me and then going on with his reading.

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood - Howard Pyle.
Interestingly, I bought this one first! My eldest tried this one out at 6 or 7 and found the "thee"s and "thou"s too hard. As he had enthusiasm for Robin Hood, I searched out the easier books for him. He would probably be alright with it now so I might try him on this one again soon. Pyle has great passages of prose and the most detail of all the versions. I must confess that I haven't read this one from cover to cover. From what I have skimmed through and others have said, it is worth getting.

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Jan. 3, 2008

Lamplighter Books

Posted in Reviews

At the end of each "school year", we give the boys a book. Sometimes, they ask for a particular book or we buy one that's part of a series they already have. This year, I decided to buy some Lamplighter books.

Why?

Lamplighter publishing finds old stories, often with a Christian message, and reprints them in a beautifully bound hardback. Their "Rare Collector's Books" are perfect for a gist or to mark a special occasion.

This year, I gave Zac "Titus: A Comrade of the Cross" and Stephen got the sequel, "Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross". There's one more in the series, "The Cross Triumphant" and we will get that soon. Zac told me after he finished his book the other day that he wants to buy another Lamplighter book with his own money. I mentioned to him that I would buy a few in one go and he said that he wanted to buy all of them himself, even if it took a while!

I was thrilled to hear him say this. The language is harder for a 9 year old than a lot of the other books he's reading but he enjoyed the story and now wants more.

Why not go to the Lamplighter site and have a look around? Some old classics may be known to you already.

www.lamplighterpublishing.com

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Nov. 1, 2007

Courage and Conviction: Chronicles of the Reformation Church

Posted in Reviews

For those of you who look at the blog, you will notice that I have a section on the left hand side where I talk about the books or resources that we are using. I try to update this from time to time but many of these are delved into over long periods of time.

My friend, Susan (aka Home Grown Kids), has just listed an entry on her blog about History Lives. It is the same series as the one we have been using all year. We are using Volume 3, called Courage and Conviction: Chronicles of the Reformation Church. I have been meaning to write a review on this for a long time and as Susan has asked for comments from others about this series, I decided to write my reply and review all in one.

Each book in the series is about a different historical time in the ages of the church. The first book covers the Ancient church, the second is about the Medieval church and the third looks at the church of the Reformation. This series is being written now, by Brandon and Mandy Withrow, so the language is modern and the stories are easy to follow for ages 8 and up. So, do the topics lack depth? Not at all! Last year, in the book titled Monks and Mystics: Chronicles of the Medieval Church, we read about Bernard of Clairvaux. He struggled with the mission given to him by the Pope to preach in favour of a Crusade when personally, he felt it was futile. Isn't that part of the unfolding drama of history - the complexity of events and how they impact upon people? The Withrows are able to weave these components into their stories; helping you to understand the frailty of humans and God, who is at work through it all.

This latest book has been no different. The Reformation was a time of great upheaval socially, as well as religiously. We read a story on Thomas Cramner recently. Though this man was convinced of the importance of the Scriptures, the need to expose errors in the Catholic Church at that time, of his right and privilege to marry as a man of God, he still struggled with his resolve when Queen Mary asked him to recant and return to the Catholic faith. For a short while, he valued his life above his faith but was burned at the stake. In a story of about 30 pages, this critical time in Cramner's life was told poignantly. We talked about that for quite a while afterwards.

Another feature of this series is its structure. Interspersed between the biographies are short chapters or summaries on different events. Some topics we have read about are: Religious Wars, Cathedral building, and the forming of universities. I like the two styles being put together in the one book. Sometimes, it's great to be able to read a narrative to the children and at other times, I prefer to give them the background information before we move on.

The only story I haven't liked so far has been the one on John Calvin. In my opinion, it spent too much time talking about his desire and quest to find a wife and not enough time on other key aspects of his life. We read other books on Calvin so we just skipped this one in the book. You may find that some stories won't resonate with you, though I would be surprised if the number is high.

Overall, I find this series to be excellent. It certainly has found a niche in a plentiful homeschooling market! I eagerly await the next title - Hearts and Hands: Chronicles of the Awakening Church.

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Nov. 1, 2007

Dictation and Teacher's Guide from Downunder literature

Posted in Reviews

Just before I got sick, I wrote this review, with the intention of posting it on the blog. Here it is now:

Recently, I sat down with a cup of coffee in hand to look through the new Downunder Dictation and Teacher's Guide. (I was given an advance copy - it will be available soon!) I'm glad that I did set aside a period of time because this resource does demand that, if you are going to get the best out of it.

Michelle Morrow has written some excellent notes on the importance of dictation in the life of your child's learning. It is to your detriment if you try to skip past these notes at the beginning of the book and launch straight into the first lesson. These introductory pages help you to organize your thoughts on dictation, give the importance of preparing a passage and have great tips for how to tackle different genres of literature.

In the back, there are appendices with basic spelling rules, sample grammar lessons from Charlotte Mason, and checklists with common questions to ask your children in language studies.

All of this gives you the foundation you need to make copy work and dictation a regular part of your week, without the stress and hassle of not knowing where to look next.

However, it was the section in the middle; the selections for dictation that was a delight. Some of the best known Australian authors are represented here. Wonderful poems, ballads, narratives, tales of the bush, adventures on the high seas and inspiring heroes in our history. My only problem was that there weren't enough! Don't misunderstand me, 32 separate pieces will take you a while, perhaps one a week if you want to use them regularly, I just enjoyed it so much that I was sad to reach the end.

One of the stated aims of this guide is that it will whet your child's appetite for more. Perhaps it will encourage you to get the book from which the extract was taken, or read more about a topic. I think we will be doing some of those things in our household as we go through it together.

This review is glowing and I usually like to mention the things I didn't like about a resource as well. I don't have much to say on this point. I think Michelle gets the balance right. She gives guidance but does not script each lesson for you. This suits my style but you may look for more detail. If you do prefer a more scripted lesson, this resource will still aid you. Take more time to digest the introductory pages, perhaps plan out a few of the lessons yourself using the notes at the start to guide you. Your child will benefit from the more individualized planning that you do.

The only other "down side" to this guide is that I didn't have it sooner. I would have loved it a couple of years ago.

Thanks Downunder Literature for making this resource available now and blessing current and future (home) educators with your labours.

For more information, look at their website - www.downunderlit.com

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Aug. 13, 2007

Little Britches

Posted in Reviews

We have been reading Little Britches by Ralph Moody as our current read-aloud. We have all been enjoying the stories of the scrapes that Ralph gets himself in to and also the way he gets out of them. What I have been appreciating the most is the relationship between Ralph and his father. It is unique to this first book in the series and the words of wisdom, patience, love and firmness shown by this father stayed with Ralph in the years ahead.

I'll just quote some passages from the book to show you what I mean:

Ralph accidentally kills a pheasant when it gets caught in his hunting trap. Shooting pheasants is against the law in Colorado. His father explains to him what he should do about it:

"It isn't a case of 'if the sheriff finds out about it'. It's a case of your breaking the law without intending to. If you tried to cover it up, you'd be running away from the law. Our prisons are full of men whose first real crime was running away because they didn't have courage enough to face punishment for a small offense. Tomorrow, you must go and see the sheriff..."

Ralph, although only 8, has been helping his father on the ranch for the past year, earning money for herding cows, helping out at the neighbour's farm come haying time. He reasons to himself that he actually "owns" the chocolate bar that his mother uses for cooking. After it has been "calling to him" all day, he finally steals it out of the house and hides it in the barn. He goes back at night to take a section off the bar:

I shook the bar out of the box, unwrapped it, and laid it on the lower rail of the corral fence. Just as I was starting to cut it with the axe, Father said, "Son!"

I couldn't think of anything to say, but grabbed the bar of chocolate and shoved it inside the bib of my overalls before turning around.

After spanking him, Ralph write this:
But it was the next thing that he said that hurt worse than the spanking. He said, "Son, I realize a lot better than you think you have been helping to earn a living for the family. We might say the chocolate was yours in the first place. If you had asked Mother or me for it in the first place, it would have been yours without question, but I won't have you being sneaky about things"...

He said he didn't want a sneaky partner, but if I could be open and above board he didn't know a man he'd rather be in business with.

I couldn't help crying some more when he told me that, just because I loved him. I told him I'd never be sneaky again, and I'd always ask him before I did things.

That whole interaction between them is beautiful and it's a shame to cut it short. The relationship unfolds and is built upon throughout the whole book. I must admit to being affected by this section.

Another time, Ralph sees that the neighbours have company. Some relatives are "free-loading". Ralph talks to the little visiting girl, whose father apparently has the philosophy that the world "owes him a living". This same man cannot hold down a job and seems to be quite at home taking advantage of his family. When Ralph talks to his father about this conversation over the milking at night, this is his reply:

"There are only two kinds of men in this world: Honest men and dishonest men. There are black men and white men and yellow men and red men but nothing counts except whether they're honest men or dishonest men.

Some men work almost entirely with their brains; some men almost entirely with their hands; though most of us have to use both. But we all fall into one of the two classes - honest and dishonest.

Any man who says the world owes him a living is dishonest. The same God that made you and me made this earth. And He planned it so that it would yield every single thing that people on it need. But He was careful to plan it so it would only yield up its wealth in exchange for the labor of a man. Any man who tries to share in that wealth without contributing the work of his brain or his hands is dishonest.

Son, this is a long sermon for a boy of your age, but I want so much for you to be an honest man that I had to explain it to you."

I wish I knew how Father was able to say things so as to make you remember every word of it. If I could remember everything the way I remember the things Father told me, maybe I could be as smart a man as he was.

I could go on and write so much more about this book. At times I catch the boys just looking at me - their colouring sheet or quiet play put to one side as they are riveted to the story. He was a boy, just like them but he lived through so many adventures, with lessons to learn and some hard times of growing up. All of these things make this book precious and I think this will be a great series to read aloud.

For further reviews, see:
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=281781&netp_id=278508&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW#curr

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Aug. 1, 2007

Amazing Grace Movie

Posted in Reviews

Andrew & I went out to see the movie, Amazing Grace last night and really enjoyed it. Most of you would have heard the promotional material surrounding this film. It is about William Wilberforce - a Christian politician who fought against slavery and cruelty to animals. The RSPCA even sponsored an advance screening here!

It was refreshing to see the life of a Christian man being portrayed in a film with such an excellent cast and professional team. If anything, it whetted my appetite to read more about this man. Andrew felt the same way - wanting to know how much of the drama was true to his life. I suspect that most of it was. True stories often are more interesting than fiction!!

The movie didn't hide the struggles Wilberforce had early on in his career between whether being a Christian meant he should resign from politics or not. In one scene, he is "humbly reminded" he can be religious and a political activist. I know that will be something to talk about when our children see the movie - God's calling on your life where you are.

Some of the gruesome practices of slavery were discussed and thankfully, not shown. I felt tears coming to my eyes several times as I heard of the unbearable conditions suffered by so many thousands, millions of people. It was incredible to see the hardness of the ruling class at that time and yet, a humble reminder that in so many ways we can be indifferent today. God did lay a burden on the heart of Wilberforce, and though it was a lifelong struggle, he did see that mission through. I liked what the PM, William Pitt said at one stage (and I'm paraphrasing) - because we are young, we try to do the impossible, because we are young, no one` tells us it can't be done. It was probably a dramatic inclusion but it captured a good point to think about with our boys - to use these years of youth & vigour profitably.

There was a short speech in Parliament at the end of the film. It had a fantastic point, even if the speech wasn't actually made. Normally when we think of heroes, we think of men like Napoleon (he was winning at the time). The success of these men is measured in blood. Rarely do we think of the peaceful men who have changed the world and Wilberforce is one of them.

I wonder how many men/women who were not royalty, clergy or prime ministers are buried in Westminster Abbey? The fact that Wilberforce was in such company says much about the esteem in which he was held in his own day.

So was there anything we didn't like?

I did wonder at the portrayal of John Newton. He came across as a man broken down and under the weight of his sins being a slave trader. I'm sure he was haunted by many aspects of that life, even after he became a Christian. Yet, when he wrote the song, Amazing Grace, he said ,"I once was blind and now I see". He wasn't talking about being freed after he finally wrote down his confession about the slave trade. He was talking about the freedom that comes from God when you are saved by Him. It was a shame that they blurred the line on that one and made the abolition of slavery the biggest factor.

Wilberforce's wife also wore a dress which went down rather "low" at the front. Somehow I think that was out of character with a woman of her stature in those times.

Would I let these things stop my kids seeing the movie?

Absolutely not. We would discuss them together but I think we would do some reading about Wilberforce first. I actually bought a book about William Wilberforce at the start of this year.

We will look forward to reading that before the movie comes out on DVD later in the year. Even former English PM Tony Blair thinks it is a story worth knowing!

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