Sturbridge Village Announces Homeschool Days

Sturbridge Village has announced their homeschool days for 2012. While there is limited information available on activities and costs, the current scheduled dates are:

Friday, March 2
Wednesday, May 2
Wednesday, September 12
Thursday, November 8

You can check out the current available information here and sign up for their newsletter to receive updates on the events.

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Eyes and Ears Seymour Simon

Eyes and Earsis a great resource for parents and teachers looking for a resource to teach the parts and functions of the ear and eye.

Simon uses photographs, diagrams and clear prose to help readers learn more about what make eyes and ears work. For anyone who has ever read a text and gotten lost in the first paragraph, Simon provides an alternative learning approach for elementary readers. Even older readers can benefit from the photographs and clear diagrams.

I have been collecting Simon's books for a younger relative and this is the latest purchase in the collection.

Punctuation the Write Stuff

I decided to pick up Basher Basics: Punctuation: The Write Stuff for a family member after purchasing Basher Science: Chemistry: Getting a Big Reaction and enjoying the presentation and format of the material.

While this book is in the same series it had a different author, so I was interested to see if it would be as strong as the first book I picked up. While a different writer, the series continues to be one I am pleased with and I would like to find the additional English focused titles.

The book divides punctuation into categories and gives each of the marks a personality that will help children remember the identity and purpose of each type of punctuation. This is an interesting approach to teaching what can be a dry subject. The illustrations and humor is a creative approach to getting children engaged in learning and may actually lead to children remembering what they have learned.

I would suggest this as a great addition to a family or classroom library. It is a handy book to review those often forgotten punctuation rules.

Paul Revere's Midnight Ride

Greg Harlin's illustrations do much to help Paul Krensky engage children in the tale of Paul Revere's Midnight RideReview here

While told in picture book format, the author provides quite a bit of information about the event and does not fall into the trap of inaccuracies and mythology that some even longer tales present.

This is a great book for teachers, parents, or homeschoolers who want an accurate account of Revere's ride to share with children. The artwork is worth discussing with older readers. It would be great to read Wadsworth's poem and compare it to the historical details presented in this and other accurate children's books on the subject.