Gifted Resources

From Life Take 1:

Gifted Children at Home by Maggie Hogan
Creative Homeschooling: A Resource Guide for Smart Families by Lisa Rivero
Support Groups
Homeschool Gifted Yahoo Group -- Maggie Hogan's group for homeschoolers with gifted children. It has a lot of great information and help.

Parenting Helps

From Life Take 1:

These little ones sure can cause problems!!! It seems like just when I solve one discipline issue another one arrives and I am back to the drawing board trying to figure out a new tactic that will work on their new problem. Shouldn't these guys come with a manual!!?? Well -- I am assuming they forgot to give me mine at the hospital as its missing. Below are some books that others have suggested I try. Hope these help you as well!
Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel
Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson
The New Strong Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson
The New Dare to Discipline by Dr. James Dobson
Shepherding A Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
Creative Correction by Lisa Whelchel
Seasons of A Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson -- check out other books by this author as well.
Your One Year Old: The Fun-Loving Fussy 12-24 Month Old by Louise Bates Ames
Your Two Year Old: Terrible or Tender by Louise Bates Ames
Your Three Year Old: Friend or Enemy by Louise Bates Ames
Your Four Year Old: Wild and Wonderful by Louise Bates Ames
Your Five Year Old: Sunny and Serene by Louise Bates Ames
Your Six Year Old: Loving and Defiant by Louise Bates Ames
Your Seven Year Old: Life In A Minor Key by Louise Bates Ames
Your Eight Year Old: Lively and Outgoing by Louise Bates Ames
Your Nine Year Old: Thoughtful and Mysterious by Louise Bates Ames
Keeping Our Children's Heart by Steve Maxwell
Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell

Life Skills for Boys

From Life Take 1

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I have been looking everywhere for a list of things every man should know when he leaves his parents home. I have found nothing. I have found plenty on things little girls should know but nothing about boys. So.... with the help of my husband, some homeschool friends, and with my own boys as guinea pigs ... I am determined to make my own list. This is a work in progress obviously and I will need all of your help. PLEASE ... if you think of anything to add, email me. I will be trying to divide the list first into catergories and then by age and/or grade ranges. Maybe even through in a few ideas on how to implement all of this ... who knows we will see how it will develop. Maybe it will even turn into a book someday. Whatever God has in store ... will be perfect for me! And so not to exclude anyone ... these ideas could also be used for little girls as well.


General Resources
There are quite a few books available written about boys but nothing has what I am looking for exactly as I stated before. However, there are a few resources that are great at teaching life skills aimed at both genders. I have listed these below. These books cover multiple areas. For books on a particular subject ... please look under the appropriate heading.

For Use With The Kids:
Life Skills for Kids: Equipping Your Child For The Real World by Christine Field
Plants Grow Up
Contenders of Faith
Man in Demand
Christian Manhood
Preparing For Every Man's Battle


For The Parents:
Raising A Modern Day Knight
Books For Boys
Bringing Up Boys
Future Men
Boyhood and Beyond
Preparing Sons o Provide for a Single-Income Family by Steven Maxwell


C hores

18 months - PK:
Help with picking up
Imitate cleaning in play
Can put things in trash when asked
Can bring things to you when asked
Cooperates with directions given
Helps make the bed by placing pillow and stuffed animals on bed after it is made
Helps put dirty laundry in the laundry basket


PK-K:
Pick up toys and belongs; put in proper places
Put Away Laundry Piles
Sort Laundry
Help younger siblings
Help mom or dad upon request
Put plate and cup on counter near sink
Set the table
Turns off lights when leaving a room


1st-3rd grade:
Carry laundry and have it remain folded correct to the rooms it goes in
Fold laundry
Unload the dishwasher
Make Bed independently
Feeds pets
Empty small trash can
Help bring in groceries
Vaccuum
Dust
Knows address, phone number, and full name
Know full names of parents and siblings
Street Safety
Knows to look both ways before crossing street (Stop, Look, and Listen rule)
Knows to always cross in the crosswalk or at a corner
Knows what the meaning of stop lights are (and each color)
Knows what a stop sign is


4th-6th grade:
Load the dish washer/wash dishes
Start a load of laundry and complete it ... to where everything is put away neatly
Clear table and put away left overs, etc.
Empty trash cans
Put away grocerries without help
Wash Windows
Clean bathroom counters and sink
Clean Microwave
Sweep Tile (or vacuum it like I do)
Answering Door


7th grade - adult:
Clean entire bathroom
Mop floors
Clean oven
Clean Refrigerator
Defrost Freezer
Handling Solictors
Important Papers
what are they
how to keep them safe (filing in a fire safe box)
Knows what to use to clean any surface in the home, where to purchase it, and how to clean that surface without any outside help from mom or dad
Able to see what needs to be done and does it on his own


Manners
18 months - PK:
Says Please
Says Thank you
Says Your Welcome
Sits or Stands quietly during a short family prayer time
Says Excuse me
Waits to start eating until after a prayer has been said
Resource: Boys First Book of Manners


PK-K:
Says yes/no ma'am/sir
Says God Bless you for sneezes and coughs
Open some doors for mom and sisters (depends on weight of door)
Child learns not to interrupt
Child answers phone with "------- residence. Please hold." and nothing else even if it is Dad or Grandma on the other line. You never know if he is mistaking a voice or not. How many times have you made that same mistake even as an adult?
Resource: Everyday Graces


1st-3rd grade:
Can answer phone and take messages when needed
Holds doors for elderly, woman, when someone needs help
Offers assistance when appropriate
Resource: Little Book of Manners for Boys
Treats others with Respect at all times


Self-Care
18 months - PK:
Washes hands with help
Tend to potty needs with help
Requires help dressing self
Requires help brushing teeth


PK-K:
Washes hands alone
Tends to potty needs alone
Brushes Teeth alone
Some assistance needed with bathing but beginning to do it on own
Brushes hair with minimal assistance
Sex Education
Resource: The Story of Me (God's Design For Sex Series)
Knows that he is a boy
Knows differences between boys and girls, moms and dads
Stranger Danger
Knows what a stranger is
Knows who to go to for helps
Knows what to do if seperated from parents


1st-3rd grade:
Sex Education
Resource: Before I was Born (God's Design For Sex Series)
What is an Emergency
Introduce the topic of drugs and alcohol
what is peer pressure
how to say no
smoking
Living a Healthy life style
proper nutrition
exercise
how to handle stress properly


4-6th grade:
How to tie a tie
Cleaning up vomit
deodrant and cologne
Sex Education
Resource: What's The Big Deal (God's Design For Sex Series)
CPR
Knows how to purchase own clothing and shoes
shopping on a budget
purchasing what you need first then what you want
finding out if you can afford your wants
knowing your sizes
how to tell if things fit properly


7th-adult:
How to shave
Sex Education
Resource: Facing the Facts (God's Design For Sex Series) -- to be done around 7th grade or so.
what is a menstrual cycle -- uncomfortable, why the blood, no deroggatory remarks
caring for an illness
Routine Medical Care
how to talk with medical professionals
explaining the problem
When to go the doctor
importance of yearly exams
family medical history
Refresher course on CPR for all age groups; get a card
how to trim hair
making sure side burns are even
how to get a haircut
comparing costs
describing what you want
where to go


Matters of Self-Control
Sexually and otherwise ... (I think you all know what I mean here and some of the resources at the top helps you prepare your little man for this as he grows. Now we are expecting him to do this on his own. All the time.)
Basics to work on through out:
Basic first aid
Administers medication to others
Visit the following websites for specific information
http://www.mayoclinic.com/findinformation/firstaidandselfcare/index.cfm
http://www.parasolemt.com.au/Manual/
http://www.healthy.net/clinic/firstaid/
Creating a First Aid Kit
Visit the following websites for list of supplies
http://www.tundraco.com/dlhkit.html
http://expage.com/page/firstaidkit
Disaster/Emergency Preparations
visit the following sites for specific information:
http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/
http://www.fema.gov/rrr/prep2.shtm
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0%2C1082%2C0_601_%2C00.html
http://www.disasterrelief.org/Library/Prepare/
Take an Emergency Management Course at your local College

Cooking
PK-K:
How to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
How to pour himself a drink
Assists with baking

Other:
baking bread
cooking a meal
proper nutrition
the food pyramid
using the microwave
using the oven
using the stove
using other kitchen appliances
chopping veggies
slicing fruit
grating cheese
how to follow a recipe
food safety during preparations
meat temperatures for safe cooking
Get a food handlers card
how to make coffee, tea, hot cocoa
How to handle knives
How to sharpen Knives
Hot Oil Safety
What to do if there is a....
grease fire
electrical fire
general fire
use of a fire estingquisher


Cars Repair and Maintenance
PK-K:
Resource: How Our Car Works by Larry Burkett
1st - 3rd grade:
Learning the names for various parts of the car


Other:
Changing the Oil
Fixing a Flat Tire
Changing the Wiper Blades
Filling Brake Fluid
Filling Transmission Fluid
Maintenance Checks
Putting on Snow Chains
De-Icing a Windshield
Wash a car
Wax a car
Detail a car
Change the spark plugs
Change the oil filter
Change the air filter
Putting air in the tires
Checking the tire pressure
Filling the window washer fluid
tightening belts
fixing the breaks
learning the parts to a car
changing a fuse
changing a light bulb
putting on the tags
vehicle registration
getting insurance
driver's education
defensive driving course
learning to drive a stick and an automatic
How to stabalize a car and use a jack
how to put gas in a car
How to get estimates for work that needs to be done
for your car
for your home
Purchasing car parts
comparing prices
where to go
What to do when your car breaks down
on a freeway
in the middle of the street
in the middle of no where
in an emergency
How to tell when something is wrong with the car
gauges indicating there is a problem
smoking
strange noises
What to do when your car overheats


Home Repair and Maintenance
PK-K:
Visit Home Improvement Store and become familiar with the various sections and types of things they carry
Plant a garden, learn to care for it with assistance
Pull weeds with assistance
Water with assistance
How to clean up spills
Resource: How Our House Works by Larry Burkett


1st - 3rd Grade:
raking leaves
Cleaning deck furniture
Shoveling Snow
Sweeping sidewalks
Using phone functions (caller id, speeding dialing, ....)
How to Climb a Ladder Safely
bug killing
recognizes non-posions bugs
able to step on them or squish them with a paper towel and throw them in the trash
Hosing off sidewalks
Proper care of tools
Proper use of tools
hammer
pliers
screw drivers (phillips, flathead)
sockets
wrenches
hand saws
power tools
kinds
use
care
drills
mounts
bits
tape measure
safety equipment
dust mask or respirator
leather gloves
goggles
hard hat
steel-toed boots
learn about various trades and equipment used


4th -6th Grade:
Cleaning the bar-b-que
Grocery Shopping
how to pick fresh produce
checking for expiration dates
comparing prices (price per unit)
Furniture Care
oiling wood
oiling leather
flipping mattress
hiring companies to clean
drapes
couches
other items
Basic Sewing
how to sew on a button
repairing a simple tear
How to Iron
How to Change a light bulb
Painting
touch ups
filling holes
how to mask off
Proper lifting of heavy items
Moving Furniture and other items
Connecting electronics (ie tv, dvd, vcr, stereo)
Getting grease stains out of the garage
When to call a repair man
Proper way to clean up broken glass
Disposing of hazard materials
Building a bird house
Staining or Restaining Furniture


7th Grade - Adult:
pest control (using raid or other products)
Renting Your First Apartment
World's Easiest Pocket Guide to Renting Your First Apartment
mowing the yard
unclogging sinks
Fixing appliances
garbage disposal (reset button)
refrigerator (adjusting temp)
washer
dryer
freezer
fixing leaks
Wall Paper
Hanging Pictures
Cleaning a pool
How to use a weed wacker
How to trim a tree
How to trim a bush
Cleaning gutters
Tune up a lawn mower
How to replace door locks
Basic plumbing
Turning water off at appliance
Turning water off at the main (to the whole house)
Unclogging the toliet
Unclogging the drain
Cleaning the drain
Replacing a u-joint
Unclogging a garbage disposal
Fixing a running toliet
How to Replace a Washer
How to protect pipes from freezing
Fixing a leaking toliet
Basic tile installation
Basic electrical
Turning electricity off to appliance
Circuit Breakers
turning off the main
turning off to various parts of the home
proper labeling
How to repair a drive way
How to add a sidewalk with either brick or concrete
Relocating ~ out of state, in state
Shampoo the Carpet
How to cut firewood
Better Homes & Gardens ...... Making a Home: Housekeeping for Real Life (This book covers more than just cleaning. This is a how-to guide for every aspect of your home from purchasing items including furniture to etiquette and entertaining. From stain removal to organization. A must have for everyone of your children as they prepare to take on the world along. ISBN: 0-696-21203-x)
constructing simple shelves
Assemblying furniture and other items
How to turn the gas off to an appliance
How to turn the gas off to the house
Simple Drywall Repair
Basic Landscaping principles
protect plants from freezing


A Man's Tool Box:
We feel that it is important for every young man to leave home with a well stocked quality tool box. When our sons begin first grade, they each recieved a tool box with his initials clearly on it (so as not confuse with Dads or brothers) and a few tools. The first tools our sons recieved were a level, a tape measure, and safety goggles. Each year, as they learn more about the home and cars ... they will get new tools to add to their collection. Their tools represent things that they have learned to do. Whenever a project is to be done .... each little man gets out his own tools. All tool boxes are located in the garage, where they belong. When our oldest son got his, our little ones felt left out so we bought them aprons at the home improvement store. They were just as thrilled with this and their toy tools as big brother with the tool box. Just a note, Kris got his apron and first set of tools (plasic in a plastic tool box) when he was a year old. These have been a favorite ever since. They also have play hard hats.


Sports
Throwing a ball
Catching a ball
Kicking a ball
Basic Rules for
football
baseball
basketball
hockey
soccer
pool
golf
tennis
volleyball
Swimming
Diving
Rock Climbing
Hiking
Push Ups
Pull Ups
Sit Ups
Arm Wrestling
Olympic sports
Self defense course
Karate
Boxing/Wrestling
Skiing
Snowboarding
Ice Skating
Roller Skating
Lifting Weights
Aerobics
Stretching
Warming up and Cooling Down
Riding a Bike
Playing team sports
Sportsmanship
Being a great loser
Being a humble winner
Dancing
Slow dancing
on a date

Outdoor and Survival Skills
Camping
how to put up a tent
what to pack
where to go
rules for safety
collecting firewood
starting a fire
Bar-b-Que-ing
starting a fire
how to tell when its done
What to do when encountering a wild animal
What to do when lost
What to do during a flood
How to tie a know
Able to identify common plants and animals to the area where you live
Can use a compass
Boiling water for safe drinking
How to plan a trip
budget
map reading
safety percautions
transportation issues
plane, train, car, boat, ....
Home preparations for natural disasters .. ie what to do during a
hurricane
tornado
earth quake
flood
Firearms
how to clean
registering
how to care for
how to use
where to store it
naming various parts
types


Finances
PK-K:
Resource: Lets Go To The Store by Larry Burkett
Resource: Lets Count by Larry Burkett


1st-3rd Grade:
Resource: All About Money by Larry Burkett
How to save money
Resource: Money Matters for Kids by Larry Burkett
Resource: World's Easiest Pocket Guide to Your First Savings Plan by Larry Burkett (This should be read aloud to your child. They can re-read it on there own later for a refresher course.
Open up a savings account in the child's name


4th - 6th Grade:
Resource: Money Matters for Kids Planner by Larry Burkett


7th grade - Adult:
Resource: Money Matters for Teens Workbook by Larry Burkett
How to purchase a home
Resource: World's Easiest Pocket Guide to Buying Your First Home by Larry Burkett
How to purchase a car
Resource: World's Easiest Pocket Guide to Buying Your First Car by Larry Burkett
How to purchase furniture
How to make investments
Resource: World's Easiest Pocket Guide to Planning Your First Investment by Larry Burkett
The Stock Market
How to balance a check book
How to open a bank account
Tithing
Donating to charities
How to write a check
no SSN number on the check
numbers as words
no empty spaces
your signature
making a budget (and sticking to it!)
Choosing a loan by comparing interest rates
Financial Planning
Resource: World's Easiest Pocket Guide to Creating Your First Financial Plan by Larry Burkett
Credit Cards
Resource: World's Easiest Pocket Guide to Getting Your First Credit Card by Larry Burkett
Preparing Tax Forms
Doing it yourself vs. hiring an accountant


Dating
How to buy flowers
How to make dinner reservations
Planning a night out (focusing on things you both like to do or she likes to do ... not just what you want.)
Getting a baby sitter (okay ... this could also be a fatherhood skill but I stuck it here.)
Buying appropriate gifts
Remembering important dates
Conflict Resolution
Abstinence and other options
Sex Education (see self care for specifics)
Personality Types
Basic Psychology
World's Easiest Pocket Guide to Family Relationships by Larry Burkett
Dating Rules


Characteristics of a spouse
How to buy jewelry
Preparing for Fatherhood
How to Change a Diaper
How to Make a bottle
How to pack a diaper bag
How to Give baby a bath
proper temp
what to use
those funny little hooded towels
The cost of little people
planning for their futures (wedding, college)
all those things they need
all those things they want
medical expensenses both before and after the are born
paying for an education (private school, home school, extra-curricular activities)


Job Skills and College
College Admission Applications
Getting Your First Job
World's Easiest Pocket Guide To Finding Your First Full Time Job by Larry Burkett
How to Write a Resume
Job Interviews
what to wear
what to expect
what to say
sending a thank you letter afterwards
Filling out a job application
Internships
Exploring various Careers
Online resume sites
Head Hunters
Time Management Skills
Setting Priorities
Organizational Skills
Computers
Basic Understanding of popular programs ... Microsoft
Word
Excel
Powerpoint
Access
Email Etiquette

Usborne Book List

From Life Take 1
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Notes:
These are the books that I used. Sonlight periodically changes there programs around therefore some of the books listed below may no longer be in use. Please check a current catalog for the correct book lists.

Prices quoted for books is subject to change. The prices mentioned are the prices current of when this information was originally posted. Usborne books, in general, are inexpensive and a great value. For information about prices, availability -- please email me.

If you would like information on recieving a discount on Usborne Books by becoming a consultant or would like to sell Usborne Books, please email for the current specials. You only need to sign up once and your membership as a consultant is good for a life time regardless of how often you order books. That means you can get the 25% discount this year, in 10 years, and then again in 30 and never have to meet a yearly or monthly minimum. (okay exaggerated the years to prove a point -- after all who could wait 10 years to order more books!!)

Baby/Toddler Books

I have been using a lot of the Beginning readers for my little one and haven't purchased a lot of Usborne books for him yet. He loves the easy readers and as a bonus big brother can read them and gets in extra reading practice. He also enjoys the Tie-A-Bow book even though he is too young to understand yet. I only allow my children board books before the age of 2. In addition to these, we own....

Find the Duck (loves this one and wants to read it over and over again. QUACK! QUACK! as Zac calls it.)
Building Site
Diggers

A friend of mine recommended the following Usborne books for baby and toddler. These look great and I will have to plan on adding some to my collection soon!

Look and Say Board Books - Beach, Farm, Town
First Picture Word Book
That's Not My. series - Car, Truck, Tractor, Train, etc.
Young Farmyard Tales Board Books - Curly the Pig, Wooly the Sheep, The
Red Tractor
Farmyard Tales Touchy Feely - Curly's Friends, Wooly's Walk, Rusty's Bone
Animal Noises (Not sure about these. I tend to shy away from the touchy books that can get all sticky and yucky and are hard to clean.)
Find the - Kitten, Teddy, Puppy
Animal Hide and Seek
Alphabet Book
Young Nature Board Book Series - Horses & Ponies, Baby Animals, Farm Animals
Big Machine Board Books - Trucks, Racing Cars, Planes, Tractors
Ultimate Touchy Fell Board Books - Diggers, Trucks (Not sure about these. I tend to shy away from the touchy books that can get all sticky and yucky and are hard to clean.)
Look Through Board Books - Bunny on the Beach, Mouse on the Moon, Panda in the Park
Very First Words
Very First Numbers
Things that Move
Animals
Sonlight Core Preschool Books
Things People Do
Then and Now
First Thousand Words -- This book is also available in other languages and in sticker book format. All are wonderful and indespensible in learning vocabulary for a new language.
Opposites -- workbook
Shapes -- workbook
What's Under The Sea? -- Now available in the Pocket Scientist Red Book that is internet linked. This book also contains 7 other books from this series and is a great bargain at $8.95 compared to the $4.95 I paid for just this one book from Sonlight. (prices are subject to change.)
Why Do Tiger's Have Stripes? --- See the information above about this book.
Preschool Books
Starting To Measure -- From the same workbook series as Opposites and Shapes. A great introduction to measuring.
Pocket Scientist Red Book and Pocket Scientist Blue Book -- The complete series of science books that are used in Sonlight Science programs PK-1st grade I believe. Only a few titles are ones that Sonlight actually uses but all are wonderful. These books are internet linked and full of wonderful information.
First Encyclopedia of Science (IL)
Ted and Friends
First Dictionary (IL)
Sonlight Science K Books
Finding Out About Everyday Things
First Book of Nature -- This book has been redone by Usborne and is now available in an internet linked format by the title of Pocket Nature. It includes all the same information just in a different order.
Science Activities II
Sonlight Core Kindergarten Books
Children's Encylopedia

Kindergarten Books

First Dictionary -- I prefer this to the one Sonlight uses for K LA but I have both and use both. This one is internet linked though. (I warned you earlier that I loved internet link books -- didn't I?)
Children's IL (that means Internet Linked) Encyclopedia -- I used this in addition to the one Sonlight includes in its Core K program. The difference is the links and there is more information in the internet linked one compared to the regular one.
Stories From Around the World
Children's World Cookbook (IL)
People's of the World (IL)
Tie-A-Bow Book -- great for teaching your child how to tie laces. Lots of different things to practice on and a few surprises too at the end!
Beginning Readers

Frog on a Log
Hen's Pens
Goose on the Loose
Ted's Shed
Toad makes a Road
Ted in a red Bed
Sam Sheep can't Sleep
Fat Cat on a Mat

The books above are phonics lift the flap board books. I prefer the board books because then Kris can read to Zac for practice and I don't have to worry about torn pages. As an added bonus -- my litte one gets more books added to his collection. Most of these are available in regular paperback format as well. These are all in color, regular book format and builds a child's confidence that he is truly reading real stories!!

Fox on a Box
Ted's Shed
Mouse Moves House
Shark in the Park
Big Pig on a Dig
These are more great easy readers from Usborne but are not available in board book format. Oh how I wish Usborne would make them as such!!!

Sonlight Core 1 Books

Coming Soon!

Sonlight Science 1 Books

Coming Soon!

Kindergarten Book List

From Life Take 1
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This is a list of books compiled from several sources of extra read alouds for Kindergarten. Some I have read, some I am planning on reading, and some I am hoping we get to soon!! Some are sequels to SL Core K books.

Usborne Children's World Cookbook
Usborne People's of the World
Dragons of Blueland
Elmer and the Dragon
Boxcar Children #2-19
Wizard of Oz #2-18
Voyages of Dr. Doolittle
Hero Tales II, III, and IV
Grandma's Attic Sequels
More Poems To Read To The Very Young
Treasury of Fairy Tales
Read Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young
Hales
Beverly Cleary Books
Henry Huggins Series
Little House Books
Ralph Moody Books
Stuart Little
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Around the World in 80 Days
Tom Sawyer
Swiss Family Robinson
The Prince and the Pauper
Trumpet of the Swan
Farmer Boy
Narnia Series
Kon Tiki
Burt Dow
Black Beauty
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Books
The Snow Queen
Dot and Tot of Merryland
The Sea Fairies
Pippi Longstocking Series
Littles Series
Secrets of the Canyon
Secrets of the Forest
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
The Secret World of Og
The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet
Half Magic
Great Brain Series
The Rocking Horse Secret
Choose Your Own Adventure Series
Miss Pickerell series
The Moorchild
Snow Treasure
The Enchanted Castle
101 Dalmations
A Life Just Like Mine
Children Just Like Me
Children Just Like Me Celebrations

Videos to see:

Kids 10 commandments (also called K10C)

Preschool Book List

From Life Take 1
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Below is a list of books that I have collected from several sources. Most have been shared with my children or I am planning on sharing them soon. I have listed the books by when I used them -- but that does not mean that they cannot be used for other ages/grades as well.
Books by Joan Sweeny (Me and My place in Space, Me on the Map, Me and My Family Tree, etc...)
Books by William Bennet (The Children's Book of America, The Children's Book of Heros, etc...)
20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury
The Big Book of Beatrix Potter
The Story of Me
A Bear Called Paddington
Snake Stories From Africa
The Village Well
Rick-A-Chee Series
Ian & the Gigantic Leafy Obstacle
Curious George Treasury
Heroes For Young Readers Series
This is a list of all the children's books we purchased/read during this time. Many are twaddle -- therefore not listed above but my children still enjoyed them. Once again -- as with all my book lists -- these can be used with other ages/grades. One other note, I did not include in any of my lists books that were read off of other internet site book lists.
Disney Treasury
Thomas the Train Treasury
Magic Tree House Series
We also watched a lot of videos during this time, as my children are visual learners. Below is a list of some of the things we have seen.

Veggie Tales
Max Lucado (Hermie, Flo)
Sesame Street
Zoom
Clifford
Jay Jay the Jet Plane
Thomas the Train
Disney Films
Zoologists Series
DK Explorers

Looking for More Great Books to Read?

From Life Take 1
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Books are one thing my children never seem to get enough of and I am always on the look out for more things to read. Below are links to some lists I have found very helpful.

Paula's Archives
1000 Good Books
100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
Math Books and Resources
Book Adventure
The Schoon List of Excellent Picture Books

Can't get to a library but still need more to read? Check out the following sights. Ambelside is actually a curriculum (that I do not use) but in their book lists section, has links to books you can read free online. This has lead me to find many more free books to read online as well.

Ambelside Online Curriculum
Page By Page Books
Online Library of Literature

Want to know what we have read personally? Below you will find links to our book lists for various ages/years.

Birth - Age 2
Preschool
Kindergarten

Victoria in TX recently shared with us her list of favorite art books for Preschool through early elementary and gave a wonderful description of each of the books that I thought I would share all that great information with you. Below is a link to her list. She is currently working on a list for older children and a game. Can't wait to see what she has for this. Thanks for sharing Victoria!! If you have any questions please feel free to email Victoria.

Victoria's Art Book List

Looking for some great books about music? Check out the following List for the Preschool through early elementary years.

Exploring Music Through Literature

Sleeping Bear Press has some great alphabet books for each state, the world and more. Check them out to find one for your state.

As some of you know, I am an Usborne Book Consultant. I joined just for the discount on all their great books -- some of them are included with the Sonlight Curriculum. This is how I first discovered them. Now that I get the discount, my sweet hubby says why not try and sell them too that way you can make a little to buy some more books. So I figured why not!! Below is a link to my favorite Usborne Books and information about various books including some of the Sonlight titles. If you want to purchase anything, just let me know and I would be more than happy to help.

My Usborne Book List

I asked some friends of mine recently to share their favorite board and picture books for babies and toddlers. Below is there answers. You will also find a nice long list of ABC books they recommend as well. Enjoy!! : -)


Board & Picture Books

Presidents & Elections

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Websites:

The White House for Kids. Learn all about the President, his family, and more!

The White House Learn all about the Presidents both past and current.

Election 2004 Keep up to date on all the latest information.

PBS Kids Democracy Project Learn about democracy, voting, and what it would be like to be the President for a day.

George W. Bush Take a quiz to see how much you know about our current President.

Election Skills Workbooks for purchase from Scholastic for the upcoming election year.

Books:

• The White House Cookbook by Hugo Ziemann & F.L. Gillette
• The White House Family Cookbook by Henry Haller
• Duck for President by Doreen Cronin
• Clifford for President
• My Teacher for President by Kay Winters
• Robin Hill School Election Day by Margaret McNamara
• Vote! by Eileen Christelowe
• Werewolves Don't Run for President by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones
• Smart About the Presidents by Jon Buller and Susan Schade
• Smart About First Ladies by Jon Buller and Susan Schade
• The Story of the White House by Kate Waters

Easter

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Books:

• The First Easter by Carol Heyer
• The Tale of Three Trees
• Benjamin's Box
• The Legend of the Easter Egg
• The Story of Easter by Tracy Harrast.
• Peek A Bible Series.
• The Story of Easter by Patricia A Pingry

Olympics

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Websites:

Olympic Educational Activities for all ages.

Olympic Games History --lists who has hosted the Olympics and when. Map out the locations. Use a see through post-it arrow to write the date on and mark it on the map. For more than one year, just simply add all the dates onto the one arrow. Then you can play a quiz game using your map and arrows.

Books:

The Original Olympics by Stewart Ross

Hour of the Olympics (Magic Tree House)

Olympics by Chris Oxlade

Ancient Olympics by Chris Oxlade

Olympics

Count Your Way Through Greece by Jim Haskins andKathleen Benson. Cool book, great illustrations, fairly short text per page spread.

Footsteps in Time: The Greeks by Sally Hewitt. One page on the Olympics, plus a spread on making an Olympic torch.

I Wonder Why The Greeks Built Temples and other questions about Ancient Greece by Fiona Macdonald. Here again, only one 2-page spread on the Olympics, but this is just a great book overall. Great questions like "Who took a shower in a bowl?" and "Why did the Greeks beat their trees?" There are 8 books in this series covering various history and science topics. Great introduction books!

How Would You Survive as an Ancient Greek by Fiona Macdonald. More detailed than the above book, and the illustrations are, umm, yeah, more detailed too. I Wonder Why has the naked athletes running on thebottom of the page, so you are seeing them from the waist up. Survive has them full-body, but turned just enough to not quite see, um, boy parts. It is far more noticeable that they are not wearing clothes. I still plan to use the book, but figured I better put in the disclaimer!

Mother's Day

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Books

• Mother's Day
• I Love My Mommy Because.....

Father's Day

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Books

• Father's Day
• I Love My Daddy Because

Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate

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Mother's Day is just a round the corner and what Mom doesn't like Chocolate??? So in honor of all those chocolate loving mothers who work so hard all year long -- a chocolate book list to enjoy with your children. Chef John shared this great book list with us during one of our classes last year when he taught us how to make homemade truffles. With his permission, I am sharing it with all of you.

• 1001 Chocolate Treats by Gregg R. Gillespie
• All About Chocolate: The Ultimate Resource to the World's Favorite Food by Carole Bloom
• April Bubbles Chocolate: An ABC of Poetry by Lee Bennett Hopkins
• Cam Jansen and the Chocolate Fudge Mystery (Fam Jansen Adventure Series #14) by David A. Adler
• The Case of the Chocolate Fingerprints by Parker C. Hinter
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. [Misty Notes: There are two movies out by the same name. The old classic version,which is my favorite and the new version with Johnny Depp. The new version follows closer to the story line. While you are at the store, pick up some Willy Wonka Chocolate for a special treat as you watch the show. My boys are always looking for a golden ticket when I get them one of these. LOL! ]
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator: The Further Adeventures of Charlie Bucket and
• Willy Wonka, Chocolate-Maker Extraordinary By Roald Dahl
• Chocolate (What's For Lunch) by Claire Liewellyn
• Chocolate: From Start to Finish (Made in the USA) by Samuel G. Woods
• Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith
• The Chocolate Sundae Mystery (Boxcar Children Mysteries #46) by Gertrude Chandler Warner
• Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling
• The Chocolate Touch - Literature Unit
• Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory by Margeret Ray
• Elizabeth's Wish (Neate Series #2) by Deborah M. Newton Chocolate
• The Ghost Who Ate Chocolate (Black Cat Club #1) by Susan Saunders
• The Hershey's MilK Chocolate Bar Fraction Book by Jerry Pallotta
• How Monkeys Make Chocolate: Foods and Medicines from the Rainforests by Adrian Forsyth
• The M&M's Brand Chocolate Candies Counting Board Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
• Mary Marony and the Chocolate Surprise by Suzy Kline
• Max's Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells
• Milton Hershey; Chocolate King, Town Builder by Charman Simon
• Wellington's Chocalately Day by Mick Inkpen

So . . . . . . what are your favorite books about chocolate?