Informative Reviews for Homeschooling Moms…and a slice of our life as well
For years we, like many homeschoolers, have enjoyed David Macaulay’s book The Way Things Work. Recently we discovered that portions of this book have been animated! The movies give you both the science and the big woolly mammoths of the book. Originally produced for the BBC, this set of 26 videos, each 13 minutes long, [...]
There’s always a lot to learning math. New ideas. Funny symbols. Last year’s concepts, almost forgotten, but suddenly important again. And, above all, radically new ways of thinking, especially for high school math. Because it takes many exposures to these new ideas to really understand them, your teens will benefit from supplementary math resources no [...]
Prince Hamlet, distraught by his widowed mother’s rapid remarriage, is approached by his father’s ghost demanding revenge on his murderer. Torn by conflict, Hamlet is maddened by this command, causing all around him to worry for him and setting in motion a plot which ends, as you may know, with almost every survivor dying at a [...]
Farmer Angus Buchan, extremely stressed, moves his family from trouble in Zambia to trouble in South Africa. Angus tries to settle onto his new farm but he struggles, falling apart and constantly losing his temper, until his sweet wife is in despair and wants to get tranquilizers for him. Then she convinces him to attend [...]
Here’s a wonderful introduction to Canadian history and literature for the whole family: Sisters in the Wilderness. This DVD portrays the mid-19th century pioneer life of two sisters who sailed from England expecting an easy existence in the Canadian bush. Incorporating both contemporary artwork and dramatization, this quality film full of beauty, pathos, humanity, and [...]
We’ve always tried to grow some of our own food, for both health and financial reasons. It wasn’t until later that we realized it was a wonderful educational opportunity as well, perfect for our homeschooling family. We learn about plants and animals, bugs and diseases, and soil. What’s more, we learn how they are [...]
Last term we spent some time with Henry V, Ambleside Online’s Shakespeare selection. It’s the action packed story of how, as a young king, Henry fought for the French throne and then won the French princess Katharine. It’s about Christian kingship, leadership, responsibility, and war or, in modern terms, about national pride, Christian politics, and [...]
Katherine, an energetic, enthusiastic young girl, has written a diary of a year on her family’s farm. She and her mother take turns reading the diary while we tour the farm through the seasons. We begin with the horse, Tim, who’s much nicer than a tractor because he starts even in the cold Manitoba [...]
my read shelf:
