MONEY AND ALL THAT ...
"This must be a buffalo nickel," my 9yo son exclaimed recently, showing me the new Kansas quarter which pictures a buffalo. With a question or two he'd soon concluded that since it was a quarter it couldn't also be a nickel. (Curious I asked where he'd heard about buffalo nickels; in a Hardy Boy book, he explained.)
Anyway, even though this was a complete interruption :-) we pulled out our home library books on the world history of coins and also of US coins that I'd squirreled away for just such a moment. Soon he had found pictures and the history of the famous buffalo nickel and a few more sparks of learning were ignited with a reference library prepared for action!
One of my favorite aspects of hunting for old books is coming across not just good reference books but also related books that expand and comment on one another yet are not found on any of the standard (even 'living books') reading lists. A unique library!
Here's a small collection I came across at used booksales recently for more such moments ....
THE GOLDEN PATH: The Lure of Gold Through History, Richard Lyttle,
A unique way of overviewing world history as well as numerous other disciplines ... from the perspective of gold's influence in a society.
GOLD AND SILVER, SILVER AND GOLD: Tales of Hidden Treasure, Alvin Schwartz, 28 fascinating stories, both true and legendary, from pirate treasure and sunken galleons to mysterious ciphers and ancient maps.
SILVER & LEAD, Ralph Moody: The birth and death of a mining town in the great silver strike in the eastern Sierra Nevadas in 1858.
To round out with the biblical aspect of money's influence I would highly recommend this just released package by Steve Beck:
TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT DEBT AND FINANCES excellent audio CD as well as substantial Student and Teacher workbooks on CD-ROM, including almost all of the verses in the old and new Testaments about debt, surety and usury.
http://1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=252205
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Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts
which other men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life. --Anon
Comments
Oct. 31, 2006 - providing the name
Posted by Anonymous
Just wanted you to know the name of the person who said this marvelous quote:
“Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life.” Jesse Lee Bennett
As someone else who believes in the power of education - I think it's important to attribute quotes appropriately.