When her Mohawk mother died, Catherine Stand Apart went to live with her French father Gabriel Duval near Montreal. Her sister Bright Star and their little brother Joseph stayed behind and, inevitably, part of Catherine’s heart did too. But she had made her choice; her father needed her. Now, in 1759 Catherine ran his trading […]
English
Review: The Avion My Uncle Flew by Cyrus Fisher
Every once in a while it still happens: I discover a ‘new’ old book that absolutely delights me. The Avion My Uncle Flew, a 1947 Newbery Honor book, was the latest. Charming, complex, beautifully written, exciting, uplifting, and funny, it tells the story of Johnny Littlehorn, an injured American boy who unwillingly spends the summer […]
Fundamentals of Literature: A Study Guide
Although there are many ways of studying literature in the homeschool, all of them should, to some extent, involve discussions of fundamental concepts such as conflict, character, theme, structure, point of view, and moral tone. Whether one uses a textbook, reads novels, stories, and poems, or focuses on writing, understanding these fundamentals is essential to […]
Review: Phonics for Parents by Leslie Perry
When Phonics for Parents showed up in the mail, I was instantly captivated. How much it would have helped me when I was trying to teach my children to read! I relearned phonics alongside them, using the teacher’s guides of our reading program, but that is a very inefficient way to do things. With this […]
Canadian History Through Literature
The best way to learn about the past is to live in it, and we can do that with well-written books. For Canadian history we have always focused on reading novels, stories, and even poems and have used textbooks mainly as outlines and guides. This literature-based approach to Canadian history leads to great learning and […]