General Books

The Duggars: 20 and Counting!: Raising One of America's Largest Families--How they Do It

Jim Bob Duggar, Michelle Duggar

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Homeschooling -> General
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Homeschooling -> General AAS
Subjects -> Parenting & Families -> Parenting -> Child Care

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Duggars: 20 and Counting! is a behind-the-scenes look at the supersize family that fascinates millions of television viewers around the world. From Idaho to Istanbul, people want to know how Arkansas parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar efficiently and lovingly manage seventeen (soon to be eighteen) happy, homeschooled children without going into debt -- or losing their minds!

This, the Duggars' first book, is an entertaining and enlightening collection of stories, photos, recipes, tips, traditions, and practical ideas designed to answer the questions of the curious, such as:

- Why do you have so many children?

- How do you provide for your family financially?

- How do you handle mealtimes? Transportation? Laundry? Birthdays?

- How are your children so well behaved?

- Why do all your children have names that begin with J?

Since their first documentary broke viewership records on the Discovery Health Channel, the Duggars have appeared in American and international news media, sharing their rock-solid faith and their overriding belief that "children are a blessing from God." In these pages, Jim Bob and Michelle share their story, beginning with their own childhoods. They reveal how their growing-up years shaped their philosophy of parenting. It continues with tales of their big, busy family, whose televised documentaries and frequent appearances in news shows and newspapers have created an international following.

The Duggars share, with humility and humor, the family routines and guidelines they've learned through biblical study and trial and error -- ideas that can help make your home a place of peace, love, and support:

- Financial lessons for debt-free living

- Organizing systems for a clutter-free home

- Homeschooling methods and schedules

- Training tips for little ones

- Relationship builders for older children

- Favorite Duggar family resources

Reading The Duggars: 20 and Counting! is like visiting this big, busy family right in their home: fascinating, inspiring -- and fun.

The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child: Volume 1: Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor, Revised Edition

Susan Wise Bauer

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Peace Hill Press Amazon Marketplace: 55 new & used starting at $8.99

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Subjects -> History -> Ancient -> General
Subjects -> History -> Ancient -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 116 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Homeschool material 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Excellent material. I really like how this material is designed to to cycle through over three times during a child's homeschool experience in grades K-12.

Editorial Review:

What terrible secret was buried in Shi Huangdi's tomb? Did nomads like lizard stew? What happened to Anansi the Spider in the Village of the Plantains? And how did a six-year-old become the last emperor of Rome?

Told in a straightforward, engaging style that has become Susan Wise Bauer's trademark, The Story of the World series covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. This first revised volume begins with the earliest nomads and ends with the last Roman emperor. Newly revised and updated, The Story of the World, Volume 1 includes maps, a new timeline, more illustrations, and additional parental aids.

This read-aloud series is designed for parents to share with elementary-school children. Enjoy it together and introduce your child to the marvelous story of the world's civilizations.

The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, Revised and Updated Edition

Susan Wise Bauer, Jessie Wise

Amazon Price: $26.37 List Price: $39.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: W. W. Norton & Company Amazon Marketplace: 61 new & used starting at $19.95

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> General AAS
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Homeschooling -> General
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Homeschooling -> General AAS

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Total reviews: 213 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Outstanding...should be on every home educator's reference bookshelf."—Homeschooling Today

This book will instruct you, step by step, on how to give your child an academically rigorous, comprehensive education from preschool through high school. Two veteran home educators outline the classical pattern of education—the trivium—which organizes learning around the maturing capacity of the child's mind: the elementary school "grammar stage," the middle school "logic stage," and the high school "rhetoric stage." Using the trivium as your model, you'll be able to instruct your child in all levels of reading, writing, history, geography, mathematics, science, foreign languages, rhetoric, logic, art, and music, regardless of your own aptitude in those subjects.

Newly revised and updated, The Well-Trained Mind includes detailed book lists with complete ordering information; up-to-date listings of resources, publications, and Internet links; and useful contacts.

The Story of the World: Activity Book 1: Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor, Third Edition

Susan Wise Bauer

Amazon Price: $23.07 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Peace Hill Press Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $20.45

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> History & Historical Fiction -> Ancient

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 57 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Captivating 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

We have tried several hs history curricula and this is the first one that has captivated my children. I would highly recommend this!

Great Resource!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book series is the perfect balance between a scripted, rigid history program and a completely unstructured approach to teaching history. I use it in a homeschooling history coop group with 6 girls, age 5-8. We have a great time. I use the study questions, we fill out the map, and then we do a craft. We enjoyed forming the Nile river with dirt and rocks, building an "ancient home" structure in the back yard, and creating hieroglyphics in clay. I like a lot of the books she recommends as supplements. We use the coloring pictures to add to our timeline we are creating that encircles our homeschooling room.
The coloring pictures are simple, but I think thats better for boys who sometimes are not into detailed coloring. I purchased some extra coloring books for my daughter who loves to color.
Finally, I am a devoted Christian who appreciates the flexibilty to add biblical content as I see fit.

Editorial Review:

This comprehensive activity book and curriculum guide contains all you need to make history come alive for your child!

Don't just read about history—experience it! Color a picture of a Minoan bull-jumper, make a model of the Nile River, create Roman armor and Celtic jewelry and more. Designed to turn the accompanying book The Story of the World, Volume 1: Ancient Times into a complete history program, this Activity Book provides you with comprehension questions and answers, coloring pages, lists of additional readings in history and literature, and plenty of simple, hands-on activities—all designed for grades 1-4.

Getting Started with Latin: Beginning Latin for Homeschoolers and Self-Taught Students of Any Age

William E. Linney

Amazon Price: $17.05 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Armfield Academic Press Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $17.05

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Homeschooling -> General AAS
Subjects -> Reference -> Foreign Languages -> Instruction -> Latin

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Getting Started With Latin 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Professor William E. Linney has done us Latin buffs a great service. His Latin textbook, Getting Started with Latin, is excellent and easy for learn-at-home students. The text is extremely user-friendly. Combined with the computer audio downloads of the Professor's class instruction for each lesson (including audio pronunciation [Classical or Ecclesiastical] for each Latin word in each lesson), you have a complete classroom setting. And Latin is best learned in a classroom. Professor Linney is an excellent teacher because he patiently explains all for the neophyte student. The teacher brings his classroom into your own home. What a boon!

Also, Professor Linney has the same classroom computer download system for his follow-on Latin course: The First Year of Latin. The textbook is of this title is authored by Walter B. Gunnison and Walter S. Harley. It's available here on Amazon also.

I've learned a lot with Getting Started with Latin. I'm now part way through The First Year of Latin. The personal progress is very good, compared to when I tried to learn Latin on my own.

Yours,
paul mugar

Editorial Review:

What's preventing you from teaching Latin in your homeschool or learning it on your own? If you're intimidated because you've never studied Latin, bewildered by traditional Latin books that move too fast, or just don't know where to begin, then Getting Started with Latin is for you! Specifically designed to overcome these types of obstacles, Getting Started with Latin is divided into simple lessons that explain the fundamentals of Latin grammar in a way that anyone can grasp. Instead of burying you in mountains of information to memorize, new words and concepts are introduced in a gradual and systematic way. You can immediately apply what you've learned by translating the fun exercises at the end of each lesson. To hear the words pronounced, simply download the free MP3 files from www.gettingstartedwithlatin.com. Quickly check your work by turning to the included answer key. With everything you need here in one book, why aren't you Getting Started with Latin?

The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2: The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance, Revised Edition ... the World: History for the Classical Child)

Susan Wise Bauer

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Homeschooling -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This read-aloud series is designed for parents to share with elementary-school children. Enjoy it together and introduce your child to the marvelous story of the world's civilizations.

Now more than ever, other cultures are affecting our everyday lives—and our children need to learn about the other countries of the world and their history. Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of other lands. Written in an engaging, straightforward manner, this revised edition of The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2: The Middle Ages weaves world history into a story book format. Who discovered chocolate? What happened to the giant Fovor of the Mighty Blows? Why did the Ottoman Turks drag their war ships across dry land?

The Story of the World covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. Designed as a read-aloud project for parents and children to share together, The Story of the World includes each continent and major people group. Volume 2: The Middle Ages, is the second of a four-volume series and covers the major historical events in the years 400 to 1600 CE, as well as including maps, illustrations, and tales from each culture.

The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 3: Early Modern Times

Susan Wise Bauer

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Peace Hill Press Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $8.99

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> History & Historical Fiction -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> History & Historical Fiction -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This read-aloud series is designed for parents to share with elementary-school children. Enjoy it together and introduce your child to the marvelous story of the world's civilizations.

Now more than ever, other cultures are affecting our everyday lives—and our children need to learn about the other countries of the world and their history.

Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of other lands. Written in an engaging, straightforward manner, The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child; Volume 3: Early Modern Times weaves world history into a story book format. Who was the Sun King? Why did the Luddites go around England smashing machines? And how did samurai become sumo wrestlers?

The Story of the World covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. Designed as a read-aloud project for parents and children to share together, The Story of the World includes each continent and major people group. Volume 3: Early Modern Times is the third of a four volume series and covers the major historical events in the years 1600 to 1850, as well as including maps, illustrations, and tales from each culture.

What Your Third Grader Needs to Know (Revised Edition): Fundamentals of a Good Third-Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series)

E.D. Jr Hirsch

Amazon Price: $10.20 List Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Delta Amazon Marketplace: 91 new & used starting at $3.10

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Elementary School -> General AAS
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Homeschooling -> General
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Homeschooling -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Give your child a smart start with the revised and updated What Your Third Grader Needs to Know

What should your child learn in the third grade? How can you help him or her at home? This book answers these important questions and more, offering the specific shared knowledge that thousands of parents and teachers across the nation have agreed upon for American third graders. Featuring 16 pages of full-color illustrations, a bolder, easier-to-follow format, and a thoroughly updated curriculum, What Your Third Grader Needs to Know, Revised Edition is designed for parents and teachers to enjoy with children.

Hundreds of thousands of children have benefited from the Core Knowledge Series. This revised edition gives a new generation of third graders the advantage they need to make progress in school today, and to establish an approach to learning that will last a lifetime.

Discover:

• Favorite Poems, old and new, from the traditional Mother Goose rhyme "For Want of Nail" to Lewis Carroll's whimsical poem "The Crocodile"

• Literature from around the world, including Native American stories, African folktales, European fairy tales, classic myths from ancient Greece, stories from ancient Rome, and more

• Learning About Language--the basics of written English, including sentence structure, parts of speech, and a first look at writing a report or letter

• World and American History and Geography--journey down the great rivers of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, visit ancient Rome, and experience the earliest days of America with the Pilgrims and Native Americans

• Visual Arts--an introduction to masterworks by Rembrandt, Henri Matisse, Mary Cassatt, and others, with full-color reproductions and fun, do-it-yourself activities

• Music--the basics of appreciating, reading, and making music, plus great composers, instruments, and sing-along lyrics for songs such as "A Bicycle Built for Two" and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"

• Math--stimulating lessons ranging from counting money to solving division problems, numbers through 100,000, graphs, and the metric system

• Science--fascinating discussions on the natural world, the cycles of life, the human body and its systems, pollution, and the environment---with accompanying activities and stories about famous scientists such as Copernicus and Alexander Graham Bell.

The Complete Writer: Writing With Ease: Strong Fundamentals (Complete Writer)

Susan Wise Bauer

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Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> History & Criticism -> Criticism & Theory -> General
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> History & Criticism -> Criticism & Theory -> General AAS
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Elementary School -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Hopeful Homeschooler 4 out of 5 stars.
26 of 26 people found this review helpful.

CAVEAT:
Take this preliminary review with a particular grain of salt, for I am an English teacher who unabashedly embraces "The Well-Trained Mind" philosophy behind the Wise-Bauer/Buffington writing team. While this review is a bit premature, I am hopeful that my children will reap benefits similar to those acquired through their related Peace Hill Press grammar and history series.

THEORY:
SWB explains that her motivation for this book was her experience as an ivy league college professor of literature and history. Simply put, her well-educated students could not write well. She argues against the theory that one should "Give the children high-interest assignments and have them write, write, write, and revise, revise, revise." This is not how I was taught to write, but it WAS how I was taught to teach, and I, too, endured the blank and panicked students' stares produced by that philosophy.

SWB compares writing to a foreign language. The conventions must be absorbed before the non-native speaker is fluent. Says Wise-Bauer, "Imagine that you have had a year or so of conversational French...After the first year, your teacher asks you to explain the problem of evil in French...(it would be impossible) to express complicated ideas in a medium that is unfamiliar... The conventions...need to become second nature -- invisible -- so that you can concentrate on the ideas rather than the medium." Speech is natural and necessary. Writing is not. Many can, and do, get by without learning to write well.

PRACTICALS:
In Writing With Ease, the elementary years are less about creative output, and more about intake and foundations. The small book is packed with week-by-week exercises (36 for each year) aimed at building one layer at a time. She covers roughly four years in a succinct 216 pages: Years One and Two: Narration, Copywork and Dictation; Years Three and Four: Putting the Steps Together. The copywork samples come primarily from fables, fairy tales, and childhood classics such as "Little House" and "Charlotte's Web". No dull prose allowed.

SWB then thoroughly describes the writing process taught through the middle and high school years, giving this homeschooling mom courage. Says Bauer, "The goal is to turn the young writer into a thoughtful student who can make use of written language, rather than struggle with it." She adds, "Good writing requires training. It demands one-on-one attention." To that I respond with a heart-felt "Amen, sister!"

I've given it four stars after I've previewed the contents, but I hope to add the fifth after the year is over.

NOTE: Some teacher prepraration is required. SWB models the lessons, and then you will cull material from the student's texts and literature books. It's actually very simple to implement and takes very little time. I like to take passages from literature relating to other subjects they are already studying. My kids, second and fourth grade, respectively, love it because we are done in 5-10 minutes. SWB also gives short grammar cues for you to subtly tie in to the lesson.

MY TWO CENTS:
I am ridiculously grateful to have my hands held when it comes to teaching writing to my own kids! I used to teach grammar and composition on the middle and high school level. I left public school dismayed by the students' response to writing in general (never mind the heinous grammatical butchery -- the slaughter wrought through "texting" still haunts me to this day). They hated and feared writing. I never expected prose worthy of Faulkner, but the ability to write simply, clearly, and meaningfully was beyond most -- even the "honor roll" students were woefully inept and overwhelmed by the simplest assignments. I had 145 students x 100 assignments (there were always many who would never in a years' time complete a single writing assignment) X 36 weeks divided by the few hours I had after the 100 daily "administrative" tasks (I actually had to spend the first precious minutes of each day doing a "clothing check" for violations -- Argh!). There was little time to address the fundamentals so obviously lacking, and even less time for meaningingful (and mostly ignored) editorial, instructive feedback. I'm thankful for the experience, for I might never have known the joys of homeschooling.

Editorial Review:

A new series on teaching writing, from the author of The Well-Trained Mind.

In Writing with Ease, Susan Wise Bauer lays out an alternative plan for teaching writing, one that combines the best elements of old-fashioned writing instruction with innovative new educational methods.

Writing with Ease, the first in a three-volume series, outlines a complete four-year program for elementary-grade students. Drawing on her fifteen years of experience in teaching writing, Bauer carefully walks parents and teachers through a sequence of steps that will teach every student to put words on paper with ease and grace.

Teaching Montessori in the Home: Pre-School Years: The Pre-School Years (Teaching Montessori in the Home)

Elizabeth G. Hainstock, Lee Davis

Amazon Price: $9.11 List Price: $11.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Plume Amazon Marketplace: 71 new & used starting at $5.73

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Education Theory -> Contemporary Methods -> Experimental
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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Homeschooling -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent Resource 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I became interested in this method of schooling the first time I ever read about it. I had yanked my four year old son from his preschool program because he had gone from a normal happy preschooler to a biting, kicking, swearing little monster. He also has a speech delay, which did not help matters at all because we could not understand what he was talking about when he tried to tell us what was happening during his day.

His father and I decided to homeschool him until he's six, upon which time we will enroll him with the local charter school. So I started researching different methods and the first time I saw this I fell in love. But my heart sank when I saw just how expensive the equipment is. I was also dissapointed when I discovered that we have a local Montessori school only to find out it cost more than we make in a month. My husband is a full time student on a very low, limited income. I could not in good concious sanction spending that kind of money. So I read everything, online and books, that I could get my hands on. And while all I read talked of the different methods, it never said how to implement them.

I saw this at Paperback Swap (awesome site) and snagged it on impulse. I am so glad that I did. It gave me everything I needed to get a start. It helped me understand the resources I already had and told me how to pull them together in a cohesive whole. I have four children ranging from 8 months - 4.5 years. The three oldest think it's great and they are so proud of themselves every day. Even my husband got in on it and helped me construct several items. We both love this book and I reccomend it to everyone that talks about teaching Montessori.

I also reccomend Seven Times the Sun: Guiding Your Child Through the Rhythms of the Day by Shea Darian