Archive for September, 2006
September 30, 2006 at 6:47 am · Filed under My Musings, publishing
I just discovered that Tools of the Ancient Greeks is available as an e-book. I don’t get e-books. I mean long, full text sized e-books, not the short 15 page jobbers that I can read and glean information from quickly. When I read a book, I want to be able to stick it in a bag and hit the road, and bookmark the pages with a real bookmark, not the click of a mouse. But, as I was looking at this site (where the Bible and the Book of Mormon – books I’d think people would definitely want in print form – are in the number one and two spots respectively) it occurred to me that there is one thing that e-books would be good for.
Publishers don’t have the resources to print most books in a large print format. It would be too expensive to do. But by creating a document in large print, they’d be able to offer this service to sight impaired people without the expense of an entire print run.
September 29, 2006 at 3:30 pm · Filed under island life
I meant to post about this several days ago, and forgot. But, Stephanie is talking politics and reminded me. Don’t worry, I’m not going to get into a big political debate here. I like to save my rants to spice up quiet moments with friends. 
The primary election happened here last Saturday (anyone else have voting on a Saturday? I thought this was odd.). For those of you who missed it, I’m in Hawaii where there is a tremendous amount of aloha and things are just more relaxed. Well, that is so even in politics! My husband and I were both shocked and pleasantly surprised at how the candidates dealt with issues rather than simply bashing their competition. There wasn’t any name calling, finger pointing or slanderous/sleazy advertising. Instead, the candidates made themselves available to the public and wished the other candidates well. It was incredibly refreshing.
Oh, and remind me someday to tell you about how easy it is to buy a car here.
September 29, 2006 at 7:19 am · Filed under home education
From the deep dark recesses of my computer.
***
As parents we all strive to help our children master the art of reading. It’s an important skill, a milestone of sorts. Once children are able to read, they have the ability to do in-depth learning about anything that is of interest to them. They can use a dictionary, do online research, lose themselves in a great book or just follow instructions. So, how can we encourage our children to enjoy reading?
The old adage, “Read to them, read to them, read to them” is certainly one of the best ways to encourage a love of reading. But of equal importance is making certain that your children are exposed regularly to the written word. For a child just beginning to understand the concept of the written word, an entire book might seem quite daunting. While your children should have books available to pick up as interest dictates, there are so many other options available for emerging readers to explore.
Look around and you will see that our world is filled with words. “WALK”, “FOR SALE” and “EXIT” are common first words for beginning readers, only because they are so visible in our day to day travels. Children seldom learn the word “STOP” from a book; they learn it because they see it regularly on that big red sign at the end of the road!
You can point out other signs as you travel through your town. They may have become unnoticeable to you, but the bright colors and different shapes may interest your child and help him to recognize the repetitive words. Signs also offer diversity; our twenty-six letter alphabet can have many different looks, depending on the choice of font, case and style. A child that is able to read “exit” may not be able to read “exit”. Exploring these differences encourages word recognition, and may even make your travel time seem shorter.
Catalogs and magazines offer the opportunity to look at enticing pictures, and will encourage a child to ask “What does ____ spell?” in their effort to find out more about something that intrigues them. I was quite surprised when my son Brad at age five was able to read the word “available” on a real estate sign. When I asked how he knew that word, he told me he saw it in his Lego catalog, as in “not available in any store”. He had seen this phrase often enough, that he began to recognize the individual words. There are a huge variety of catalogs and magazines available to consumers free for the asking. You need not limit your choices to children’s publications, either. Sporting goods, electronics or clothing magazines may be just the thing to pique your child’s interest.
Share maps with your child. Provide local maps showing the streets in your town and help her to locate your home from a birds eye view. Make sure your children have access to a map of your state, as well as your country and a world map or globe. If you travel, offer maps of your destination with the route highlighted. Find maps showing the layout of the city you plan to visit. Even most campgrounds offer a map of their property and interesting hikes or natural features. Make a point of showing your child the places you visited on the map. And, let them look at the maps whenever they wish, in spite of their inability to ever fold it right again!
Invest in magnetic letters for the fridge. Play with letter combinations, maneuvering and changing the letters around to create new words. Graduate from these to magnetic words that can be combined to create entire sentences. A new sentence on the fridge in the morning may inspire your child to read a bit, even before breakfast.
Creating a book for your child will personalize the process a bit. Include your child in the process, if she is interested. A silly story about your dog, cat or even the child herself can be a good starting point. Have your child illustrate the tale and create a simple binding. This first book may inspire her to create additional stories for herself. The bonus here, is that she is not only preparing a story that she can read later; she is also discovering the process of writing!
Something else to consider: take the time to discover your child’s natural learning style. It took quite a few years, but I have finally come to realize that my youngest son, Evan is an auditory learner. He retains what he hears, often verbatim. When he was just learning to read, I could ask him how to spell the word ‘cat’ and he was able to phonetically sound out the word. However, if he saw the word ‘cat’ it was painstaking to watch him try to sound it out. Word recognition was very difficult for him. He must have seen the word ‘and’ at least three hundred times before he could read it without sounding it out!
Some children might have obstacles to overcome in their quest to conquer reading while others may come to it naturally. If we can help guide them, taking each of their individual needs into account, learning to read can become a simpler and less stressful process than it is sometimes perceived to be. Regardless of our children’s learning style, allowing our children the freedom to choose their reading material – be it maps, catalogs or comic books – might just help them to see reading as a fun activity, rather than something to dread.
UPDATE: The boys are now 11 & nearly 14. They read voraciously, in spite of never had a real “lesson” in how to do it. A couple of years ago a teacher I know thought they were reading at high school level. I have no idea what level they are at now!
September 28, 2006 at 3:22 pm · Filed under home education
A mom on an unschooler’s bulletin board I visit was lamenting the fact that her teenaged kids don’t write, and asking how to teach them this important skill that they needed to know. Another sage mom wondered who says they “need to know”? I replied:
I have two boys, both pretty hesitant writers. They are now 11 & nearly 14 and still don’t much like to sit down and write – UNLESS it’s pertinent to them. My eldest has fallen in love with the ukulele – he decided to start a blog to write about music and do book/music reviews and such. His idea, his baby. Some of his posts are very short, but he is writing on his own. On another day, he was sending some music information to a friend via snail mail. One of the papers needed explanation, so he sat and wrote for an hour, creating step by step instructions for how to use this information. If I asked him to write an essay, he’d balk. But this is stuff that’s important to him, so he does it without any qualms.
I think we would all agree that writing is a very important skill for kids to learn. But is it important that they be able to write a fictional story? Is it important that they know how to write a comparative essay? Or is it most important that they learn to write in order to convey information? Thoughts?
September 28, 2006 at 9:07 am · Filed under island life, publishing
During a trip to Costco yesterday, we happened across an author book signing. B has been wishing for IZ: Voice of the People. With the chance to meet the author and have a signed copy, how could I possibly turn him down?
Author Rick Carroll gave us a synopsis of the book, telling us that Israel Kamakawiwo’ole was born in 1959, the same year that Hawaii became a state. But he was born into a world that was Americanized, where “Mack the Knife” was more recognizable than any traditional Hawaiian music. Thankfully, his grandfather regularly took him to visit the island of Ni’ihau where Iz absorbed much of the culture and the old ways. Seeing the importance of this culture, Iz was a vocal supporter of teaching Hawaiian language, hula and other cultural skills. Through his music he shared his love of the Hawaiian Islands and his wish for the Hawaiian people to be proud of their heritage and carry it on to future generations.
You may not be able to pronounce his name, but you may recognize his touching rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow that has become very popular nine years after his death.
PS: B has a review up, here.
September 26, 2006 at 1:53 pm · Filed under home education, book reviews
Last week we came home with our usual sky-high pile of library books. One of those books was The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. E couldn’t put it down. I (gasp) had never heard of the author*.
E: This was the best book!
Me, looking at the cover: Is it about ancient Greece? (’cause I’m thinking that it looks like it has something to do with ancient Greece)
E: No
Me: Is it about Greek mythology? (’cause I see pictures of Medusa, a centaur and a minotaur)
E: Not really. It’s hard to explain.
Me, looking at the cover again and reading words like Athena, demigods and Greek gods (!): Hunhh.
I asked because 1) I like to keep up with what the boys are reading and 2) because, well, after writing Tools of the Ancient Greeks I have a certain fascination with the gods and goddesses of the ancient world. And, my review of the cover makes me think that it is at least peripherally about the ancient Greek gods.
Ironically, earlier today I stopped by Jen Robinson’s blog and then over to the September issue of The Edge of the Forest, where there is an interview up with – you guessed it – Rick Riordan, the author of The Lightning Thief. And, he has a blog! I love being able to take a peek into the life of authors – especially those whose books have captured the attention of my kids.
Needless to say, while E is eagerly awaiting the arrival of The Sea of Monsters, book 2 in the series, I’ll be reading The Lightning Thief myself.
*Even though I had never heard of Rick Riordan, he is a multi-award winning author. Publication of a book – even a really good book – doesn’t guarantee that its author will become a household name (for more about that from my perspective, see here). Sorry, Rick!
September 25, 2006 at 4:31 pm · Filed under Food
I’ve been obsessed with finding a good granola bar recipe and finally I have success. The Vermont Granola Bars at Cookie Madness are fabulous! I helped E make them today and they are almost gone - the boys loved them.
September 25, 2006 at 9:59 am · Filed under home education, book reviews
I just added a new page where I’ve compiled some of our favorite ancient historical fiction. There’s a permanent link over in the sidebar –>. I hope to keep adding to this (if you have recommendations, share!) - my kids love ancient history and I’m sure we’ll run across more favorites!
I’ve also compiled a longer list with fiction and non-fiction titles on Amazon, here.
September 25, 2006 at 8:46 am · Filed under publishing, home education
It’s your chance to read something scary (“It’s Perfectly Normal” for homosexuality, nudity, sex education, religious viewpoint, abortion and being unsuited to age group;), inappropriate (Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey for anti-family content, being unsuited to age group and violence) and shocking (“Crazy Lady!” by Jane Leslie Conly for offensive language). And if anyone gives you any grief, remind them that you have the freedom to read whatever you’d like. Check out the American Library Association page for more info.
Blog Nod: COD and Jen Robinson
September 25, 2006 at 6:58 am · Filed under home education
B brought this game home from his music theory class (where they play with values of musical notes) - I’d never heard of it. He taught us how to play last night - it’s a fun game that takes a bit of strategy (and of course the luck of the draw) to win.
Next entries »
