Book Review- Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Although I have heard rumors of snow headed our way again it is very springlike where we live. I have checked this book out a couple of times but only today did I take the time to sit down and read it.

So many books...so little time!

Z~girl read it months ago the first time I checked it out but there it sat on my coffee table collecting dust. So...if you are wondering why I would choose to read and review a book that has snowflakes in it when the daffodils are gracing us with their beauty, now you know. Plus, it has a character in it that was homeschooled so now I can add it to Homeschoolliterature.com.

I will post part of the review in my blog but if the book sounds interesting please check the rest of it out directly on the website. 

Wilson Bentley was born Febrary 9, 1865. From the time he was young, growing up on a farm in Jericho Vermont, Willie Bentley loved to explore nature and show others his discoveries. He lived in an area that was called the "snowbelt" where they averaged 120 inches of snow a year. He was schooled at home with his mother as his teacher until he was fourteen years old and spent much of this time exploring nature. He would look at things he found outside under a microscope but the one thing he could not look at up close was snowflakes. He was intrigued by all forms of moisture and liked to keep records of the weather he observed. 

As he grew older he learned many facts about snowflakes but longed for a way to preserve the beauty and intricateness in what he saw so he could share it with others. When he was fifteen he began drawing the snow crystals and drew hundreds of them! He read about a camera that had a microscope on it and just knew that he could take photographs of snowflakes if he had one. His parents sacrificed all that they owned to buy the camera for Willie. The camera created images on glass negatives and magnified the ice crystal from sixty-four to 3,600 times the actual size.

Would you like to find out more about this book and what I thought about it? Click on the banner below!

  

Pity Party for One

It's my party and I can cry if I want to. Why? It's not something new that I have realized, but even after you have thought that you have come to peace with something...the scab is torn off so to speak and quite frankly it hurts! A~man has come so far in his 14 years, much farther than we could have ever imagined. But sometimes I get reminded that things are not "normal". (what is normal anyway?) What am I babbling about?

Sometimes it is hard to hear of teen social events and realize that this is not something A~man would be welcomed to...by other peers. (and maybe not even their parents) Does he notice that he has never been invited to a birthday party of a peer since he was a toddler? (well...unless it was a party that Z~girl was invited to) No, he has not. In fact he has never been invited to play unless it was initially an invitation for his sister and he was included in the invite.(which I have to say was kind to do...not belittling it!) Oops, with the exception of going to the movies with his friend that is a girl last summer!! Do I notice when teen events are happening and he would not be on someone's mind to invite? YES, and it hurts a mamas heart enough for him and I. This isn't really homeschool related as I'm guessing the same would be true if he was in regular school learning math and the properties of matter, rather than at home learning.

This summer Z~girl will be a teen. (Lord help me, seriously!!! not about boys but the rollercoaster of moods is already taking its toll on me) I have no doubt she will not have a problem getting invites and finding opportunities to "socialize". The ironic thing being A~man is the one who craves being around other people and Z~girl is like her mama and values her solitary time even more so than being with friends. Don't get me wrong, both of us like hanging out with friends, but A~man craves being around people he can talk to. (he needs to work on the listening part of having friends)

I will say the peers we are around are for the most part typically  polite, patient, and kind to him (I suspect they have noticed my mama bear claws??) ...but also with a look of "when is this kid going to stop talking so I can get away from him?" thrown in. Still, he doesn't notice, I do. Maybe that is a blessing in disguise for him?

I guess it is just something that I need to get over as I am the one it bothers, and the one that is hurt by it. 

In brighter news A~man is on a special needs basketball team! He LOVES this even though he is REALLY unfamiliar with how it is played. My boy would be content to walk around talking to every single person in the gym. LOVE my boy! When he was younger he went to day-camp with a lot of the people participating and also plays baseball with many of them. In fact, I noticed that one of his team mates was a boy he went to kindergarten with. He is well received by this group of peers...of course on occasion I still see the "when is this kid going to stop talking so I can get away from him?" look too, but I do understand as my ears are tired at the end of the day.

Still, I will go put another band-aid on my heart and be thankful the issue is mine and that for the most part A~man's heart is not the one hurting. 

40 bags in 40 days....anyone want to join me?

I just saw this tonight and it sounds like a must do for me. I am so clutter challenged. Anyone want to join me in this endeavor?(hopefully my hubby will see this and join me! ;) Now to decide on what size of bags....hmmm.....Wish me luck!!

Edited to add- 7 down, 33 to go!!!!

Movies Based on Literature

It is true without fail, well at least in my opinion, that the book is always better than the movie. There are so many details in a book that make it difficult to incorporate it all into a movie that is only an hour or two long. Despite this, I think there is a great value in allowing children to view these kinds of movies, after reading the book if they are able to. What about children with learning challenges or dyslexia? Movies allow them to experience at least part of the joy of a good literary piece. Plays based on books are also an excellent way to help children experience literature.

For children that have read the book it may help to engage them in the story even more and help with analytical thinking skills. They can compare and contrast the differences between the book and the movie adaption. They can see how their interpretation or view point of the book, may be different than the film makers.

As you know, in my homeschool I have two students. Z~girl is an avid reader that reads constantly and goes through books rapidly. My son has taken many years to be able to read and he reads slowly. Often during the whole process of figuring out what each word says, the story's meaning can get lost along the way. Yet he very much enjoys a good story and likes to be read to.

 Movies are one way that I am able to bring enjoyment to both of my children and let my son enjoy some of the same stories his sister loves. It is an activity that they can both do together and benefit from. My son is still learning about literature, and watching it on the TV (Netflix or videos from the library) is a way he can experience it at his own cognitive level. When we watch a movie he constantly is asking questions about the characters and the plot trying to understand what is going on. (which most of the time is a good thing!)

Here is a list of movies, based on books that I have compiled that a person can find on Netflix. The first one I am going to recommend is Alabama Moon by Watt Key which is a newer book. If you would like to read a review for this particular book there is one at Homeschoolliterature.com. There are also literature-based word lists for many classic books to go along with the books and movie!

Lord of the Rings trilogy
Ann of Green Gables
Gone with the Wind
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Wizard of Oz
Lassie Come Home
Great Expectations
Sense and Sensibility
The Black Stallion
The Secret Garden
Where the Red Fern Grows

Of course this is just a list of a dozen possibilities and there are many more available on Netflix. Also, do not forget about your public library. I know there are many movies in our library that are based on literature.

Do you use movies based on books in your homeschool? What are some of your family's favorite movies?

Review: Asia Its People and History

Over the years one of my children's favorite activities with our homeschool group has been Geography Club. Each year it is done differently and in addition to getting to meet up with their friends they come away with a greater understanding of people that live in far away lands. So I was pleased to be able to do a review for a book that would help us learn more about Asia. Asia Its People and History is a sixteen week course for children that are ages 8-12 that was written by Bonnie Rose.

Asia Its People and History takes a look at six Asian countries from a Biblical worldview and encourages prayer for the persecuted Christians living there. The countries the book explores are-

• Laos
• Bangladesh
• Nepal
• China
• Iran
• Vietnam

The suggested age range for the book is 8-12 so my children are on the older end of it at 12 and 14 although A~man is at a younger level so it is actually very adaptable to his learning needs. We have a blow up globe and it was fun to find each of the countries on the globe. Also, we do not do as many formal learning activities together as when they were young so this book is a nice opportunity to come together to learn. We have only so far "traveled" to Laos but I look forward to traveling through the rest of the countries in the next month.

Each section has a story about a child living in that particular country and it also has some discussion questions. The information includes both history and the geography of each country. The book is Christian based and portrays what it is like for Christians living there and the importance of praying for them. Each section also includes suggested activities such as crosswords, map puzzles, word searches and also there is free bonus content available on Bonnie Rose Hudson's website.

I would definitely recommend this book to other homeschoolers and I can also see it being a wonderful resource for even a Sunday school class or youth group wanting to learn more about Christians in far away places! It is a great resource for a special needs parent to teach their child about people in other countries without having to use a big text book...which may be more information than they can comprehend. I look forward to any other geography books she may write! Here is a short bio about the author, Bonnie Rose-

Bonnie Rose Hudson works with both SchoolhouseTeachers.com and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine® as a curriculum creator and editorial assistant. Her heart’s desire is for every child to feel the love of God and know how special they are to Him. She would love for you to stop by and meet the star of her children’s series at Exploring with Jake, look through the 10/40 window of the world and join others in prayer at Looking Out the 10/40 Window, or stop by her author’s blogWriteBonnieRose.com  for fun printables and discover how you can write for the homeschool market. 

You can find this ebook available at The Old Schoolhouse Store for $6.95 which I think is very reasonable for this book. Also, there is a  promotional code here- 02asia14! (make sure to include the ! in the code) that will give you 25% off the cost until March 15th 2014. You can also find it on Amazon.com for $6.95, and at Smashwords for $6.95. At Smashwords it is available in formats for Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader and ibooks. Soon you will be able to get it as a paperback from CreateSpace.

Imagination

Do Over Days

I originally posted this last year on my work blog at Time4Learning.com but I decided that on occasion I would post some of my favorites from the past over here. 

Have you heard of them? These types of homeschool days are something that over the years our family has implemented, especially when having to deal with special need issues.

 Particularly in the past when my son was much younger as he had great difficulty controlling his words and actions. Basically, he often would not think things through before doing something. When this happened repetitively, which was often the case, something had to change in the day.

My daughter too, especially when she was younger, has had to have a restart to her day when attitudes and words have gotten sassy.

But wait! I cannot forget myself. Years ago I had severe PMS issues that would cause my normally calm demeanor to be short tempered. Children are not the only ones that may need a restart to their day.

What did we do? Sometimes I would suggest we start our day over or one of the kids would say they needed a do over. A little bit of grace goes a long way in turning a terrible, horrible, not good day around. If there were days when we did not do this and instead muddled through, the day usually ended up being completely unproductive and quite honestly draining.

Typically we would go to a quiet place alone (the key) and either read quietly, play quietly, or take a short nap. After a certain amount of time we would come back together and if needed apologize and ask forgiveness. Usually hugging would be involved too. If it was a homeschool day I would try to pick a fun activity like reading a book to them, doing some art together, or exploring our yard to give the day a fresh and positive restart.

Do any of your homeschool days ever need a do over?