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Now (Book) Reporting |Elementary Homeschooling

July 7, 2011 By Laura 7 Comments

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It’s always nice to have friends, who care about your kids in a sincere way, almost as much as you do.  Don’t you think? I have had a friend in particular like that, for 13 years now or so.   About half-way into our friendship, I began homeschooling our oldest, and at the time, only child. Eventually, we added 3 more students to our school, 😉 and are now transitioning into our 7th year of homeschooling . As of this post, the triplets are 9 years old and ~ 4th grade level.

My friend had 3 kids of her own, all close to my daughter’s age, adding a 4th along the way. She has also happened to be a teacher.  But somehow, all along, those two facts or common interests, have never really come together between us.  Until this year.  Oh, I may have, at times, happened to say something to her about our schooling, as a friend would in sharing what is happening in their life in girlfriend chit-chat. She in turn, has talked about her teaching, as a friend would in catching up as well.

Mind you, we are good friends, and see each other frequently enough. Our families get together here and there.  So it’s always apparent we care about each other & each others’ kids.  But I was especially impressed when on one day she came over this past winter, she brought something for my kids.

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A big bag full of books, for them to borrow!  She knew how much they loved to read, and perhaps I had mentioned to her how difficult it always is, to keep up with keeping new material around for them to read as well.  They devour them, tending to read every book 2-3 times, because they’ve read them all. And we can only hit the library so much, you know? With 4 kids who aren’t easy to remove from the library once we’re in, I think twice some days!  Oh the guilt. So, I was thrilled with this surprise delivery!  So were the kids, gathering around.

But wait….she had more….

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She then told them that she brought each of them their own journal, and she wanted them to write book reviews in it.  She kept the suggested format simple, and their excitement grew.  Because she’s not only a very qualified & passionate teacher who loves kids, but a mother too, she knew just the manner in which to communicate with them. Her presentation was exciting, and so they were inspired. I was smiling inside, a great big grin!

The very simple and casual format she suggested they use to write, following each book they read, was as follows:

  • Book Title
  • Author
  • Whether they liked the book or not, and why.
  • What their favorite part was, or what part they really did not like, and why.

She told them she really loved so many of these books herself, and she couldn’t wait to read all about what they thought of them.

And they were off! They couldn’t wait to get to work.

Now honestly, my kids need no encouragement to read, as you may have gathered by now. Writing, they actually don’t mind doing too much either. But I like them to write as much as possible.  Not for the sake of penmanship, but for the sake of formulating thoughts, organizing them, and putting them down on paper in a meaningful way. As a homeschooling educator, I strongly feel that developing strong writing skills is critical.  So needless to say….but I’ll say it anyway….This ‘surprise activity’ was one I thought was FABULOUS!

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On the other hand, some of the kids’ penmanship can always use more practice too! In the course of our school days, they have days where they print super-neat, and days when they don’t.  That depends on one thing: effort!  Sometimes, they are excited to express what they want to say, or are just in a hurry for whatever reason, so they just whip it out at lightening speed! So it comes out messy.  Some of them need to practice s l o w i n g  d o w n, and being a little more mindful of each letter (or number) they are forming. Other times, they are not focused enough on the use of space between the lines: being sure capitals go to the top, and lower case are around half the size of the upper case.  They need to practice adjusting their letter sizes, to the kind of paper they are writing on.

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But for their book reviewing, in these journals, the qualities of their penmanship, was not a factor that mattered to me to press at all. I mostly wanted them to focus on their thoughts about the story they read, and what they had to say about it. Keeping it a fun and leisure activity, was the approach our friend gave them, and I wanted to maintain that.  I had them for all of their schooling, to address the rest. And I sure do. 😉  Also, correct use of punctuation, spelling, indenting, paragraphs, proper grammar.  < I’m a freak about these things, Yo. >  😉 

I was amused to find a book in the pile,that brought back some fond memories for me …..

Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson.

My memories involving this book, make me smile.  When I was a kid, I started a new school, in 6th grade.  I had only gone to one other school, in my whole entire life. 😆  It was scary to start at a whole new school, with all new kids.  But I got a teacher that I not only loved, but my whole class loved.  Mrs. Curry made everything o.k.  She was petite, and pretty, with dark eyes and long black hair, and she had such a soft-spoken voice, with an accent….that was really fun(ny) to listen to.

And we got to listen to her a lot!  Because every afternoon, for a little while, she took off her shoes, climbed up on an empty student desktop and sat on it, facing us, with her bare feet on the chair, and she read to us.  I loved watching her read, and listening to her voice. Soon, however, we learned Mrs. Curry was going to have a baby.  We watched her belly grow, her walk turn into a cute waddle over the weeks, and how she started sliding up on to the desk with her big belly and arched back, rather than the way she so used to so casually just hop up there before.  She read us many books throughout that year.  But the only one I really remembered, was Bridge to Terabithia. I think the story line drew me in enough at one point, to make me forget about focusing so much on how nice Mrs. Curry was, that I was actually, truly listening.  Studying the book cover that faces us, as we listened, was another part of story time, for me.  I was an illustrator in the making, so the cover was almost everything.  If the cover was lousy, I’d probably never find out if the rest was good, because I wouldn’t bother reading it.  I don’t remember now, exactly what this book cover (of Bridge to Terabithia, that year in school) looked like, but I recall quite enough to know that it was different than this illustrated cover above, from the kid’s bag. The one from 6th grade had a brilliant yellow/orange/red color fade, and I believe a silhouette of kids on a bridge.

Or something similar.

Turns out, my own daughter (the girl triplet) loved this book best too….

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So strange to to think of it, too long.  As I do.

A full circle of sorts,  from my own grade school life, to my own childrens’, and this book.

My daughter’s book review reminded me of more of the story, than I originally remembered.  I think it effected her in a deep and sad way, as it probably did for me.  Maybe that’s why it is the book I remembered most?  Possibly. Disturbing things do tend to stick with me.  But tragedies are a part of life, and it’s likely best to start grasping that reality through books first, in our young lives, before we are faced with such difficult circumstances in real life.

Come to think of it, I think that was the last book Mrs. Curry read to us.  And perhaps it did prepare me for an imminent tragedy in my own life.  Well…through the perspective of a 6th grader, anyway. But not enough for me.

Mrs. Curry announced she was leaving.  To be at home with her baby on the way that summer.

I was devastated.  Sr. Cathy, who replaced her, was just o.k., on a really good day.  She was a far cry, from Mrs. Curry.

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Our oldest (14) got her own bag of books, being of an age that was suitable for more mature content.  She is a true, true book lover.  A collector already, I would say. In fact, maybe I should be sure she returns these books she took on loan from our friend, come to think of it. ; )

Along with her books, came this from our friend too……

This is a scan of just the front page. In reality, it is 9 pages, stapled together, full of writing prompts.

Wow.  No excuse for ‘Writer’s Block’ this time, huh?

(Gosh….maybe I should grab it, for my blogging! ; )  )

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As I said, with schooling, all 4 kids write a lot, anyway. It’s required in my school here.  Their reports for me are actually much longer than these brief book reviews they do.

But the point of these was to encourage both reading & writing, and keep it in the light of a leisure and enjoyable activity, that is always available to us throughout our lives.

To update you as to how they did with all of this : 

When the kids quickly made their way through the first bag of books, my friend picked it up, and brought another to replace the first. : )  As a multi-grade-level teacher over the years, she has en enormous collection of books, off the shelves of her various classrooms.  The younger kids read probably 95%, if not every book, she has brought, and they have written reviews for….far fewer than that.   They started off gung-ho with the writing part!  But it lost some fizzle along the way, as they jumped straight from one book to the next, to the 8th, to the 14th, in a matter of a week or 2, before I thought to casually ask if they were continuing journaling for each.  “No, not for all of them.  But some!!” And that’s ok, because again, there is plenty of writing not only in school, but willingly on their own for other things as well, such as personal journaling, poems, notes, copying (they do this for fun? lol…), recipes, and more. They have all read 100’s of books, besides this bag, as well, since February. They just blow through them.

So the book-reviewing in their journals is stop & go, giving random reviews in their journals along the way. But the book reading is non-stop, in their day-to-day life.  They play hard outdoors, and everywhere we go.  But they have always used reading as their way of resting.  I love that!

Oh the places they have been, and the places they will go, through the pages of a book.

I’m really so happy to have such a good friend, who deeply understands the joy of teaching and encouraging children in their learning process, and watching the rewards of their development in them, along the way.  It’s one more mutual appreciation, we can share now.

So I’ve shared all of this with you, for your consideration in getting your own little scholars a journal for some book reviewing, suggest the simple format above, or your own ideas, and see what they do with it.  You may just find you have new & entertaining reading for your own enjoyment!:  their reviews!

Happy Schooling!


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Filed Under: Elementary Homeschooling, Elementary Homeschooling READING, Homeschooling, Reading / Writing, The Big Picture Tagged With: Bridge to Terabithia, elementary-book-reporting, elementary-homeschooling, encouraging reading and writing with kids, homeschooling, kids-book-reports

The Joy of Reading – Elementary Homeschooling – 4 Recommended Chapter Books

November 1, 2009 By Laura 6 Comments

I thought we’d talk a bit today about elementary reading, for homeschooling kids or not. Last March I blogged about our then six year old triplets reading their first chapter book, Nicholas – A Massachusetts Tale.  Since then, they have continued to do lots and lots of reading, in the forms of shorter books, magazines, game directions, and what books their big sister has had in her gigantic collection for their age.   Since March though, our library trips have consisted of other exciting and urgent items on our reading or viewing list.  So just recently did we come around to getting back to the wonderful travels and tales of Nicholas, which is the series of books written by our local, gifted children’s author, Peter Arenstam.

Book One of the Nicholas series…. Nicholas – A Massachusetts Tale.

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Book Two of the Nicholas series…. Nicholas – A Maine Tale.

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The adventures and New England travels continue in Book Three, Nicholas – A New Hampshire Tale.

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….and there are yet still  more to the Nicholas series to request, and wait for that exciting phone message, ‘This is the library calling….the books you have requested are in, and we will hold them for you.    Please pick them up at your earliest convenience. “

We also picked up another charming children’s chapter book, Poppy and Ereth, by Brian Floca, which the kids found as much entertainment and amusement in.

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It’s easy to understand why!  Just the cover alone entices me enough to want to curl up on the couch with some cocoa, and read it…if I had time for such a thing this time of year.  Here is a description of the book, Poppy and Ereth.

Poppy, a deer mouse, and Ereth, a grumbling porcupine, have been the best of friends for as long as the animals of Dimwood Forest can remember. An unstoppable pair ever since they defeated the tyrannical owl, Mr. Ocax, Poppy and Ereth have enjoyed many happy adventures together. But when a swirl of bitter winter storms buries Dimwood Forest in snow and Poppy’s husband, Rye, dies suddenly, all Poppy wants is some privacy. “Dancing doorknobs,” Ereth mutters to no one in particular, “how can she not want to see me?” As he waddles back to his log, Ereth fears he may have lost his dear friend forever.

But Ereth has not lost Poppy, at least not yet. As the ground begins to thaw, life returns to Dimwood Forest and Poppy ventures out in search of excitement. Suddenly, swooped up by Luci the bat, Poppy is flying high over the forest and unexpectedly embarks on her greatest adventure. Meanwhile, Ereth, left to his own devices, manages to convince himself that Poppy has died and, as only the old porcupine can do, sets about to give her the best memorial service the forest has ever known.

The last episode of the Poppy stories, poppy and ereth is a rousing adventure befitting one of the great heroines of children’s literature as well as a final, heartwarming celebration of the life, love, and friendship of two most unlikely companions.

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There is a follow up book to this one, titled Poppy Returns.

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All 3 chapter books, were eagerly consumed, page by page, by all 3 of the little ones, even in time to be returned for their first due date!  No need to renew, because they were all done. Which says something, because with the Nicholas series being books by a local author, their regular ample time is not allowed for the books to be out!  Regardless, they really, really enjoyed not only reading them, but discussing the adventures of this charming mouse, the predicaments he finds himself in, and the friends he meets in his travels to reclaim his family’s journal.   Lots of chatter about Nicholas and his friends, as well as Poppy and Ereth.  It’s like having our own In-House Kid’s Book Club!!

I am all about kids getting lots (and lots) of exercising….running and jumping, swinging and swimming,  climbing and shooting (hoops, that is),…… but you’ll never hear me complain for a moment about a kid sitting around and reading for awhile either.  I am so glad our kids find SO MUCH JOY and THRILL OF ADVENTURE and wonderment, within the pages of books, the way they do.

These books are truly delightful reads, for any children, anywhere. But if you are from New England, as we are, they are all the more special. Wishing your children hours of enjoyment, lost in their vivid  imaginations through these beautiful and adventurous, fun-filled tales.

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Filed Under: Elementary Homeschooling, Elementary Homeschooling READING, Homeschooling, Reading / Writing Tagged With: author-Peter-Arenstam, elementary-books, elementary-reading, homeschooling, homeschooling-elementary, Nicholas A Massachusetts Tale, Nicholas-A-Maine-Tale, Nicholas-A-New-Hampshire, Poppy-and-Ereth, recommended-reading-books-for-New-England-elementary-kids

Nicholas – A Massachusetts Tale – Elementary Reading

March 18, 2009 By Laura 5 Comments

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I think I’ve mentioned, oh, maybe a kazillion times, that all of our kids just love reading books.  (But it’s true!) Thank God too.  I mean, to love reading is just, helpful, to get through the school years enjoyably.  Because they love it so much, they are way above their grade level with that.  So I started thinking they (the triplets; 6 years old) were probably quite ready for bigger chapter books.  But….I really didn’t know, like, WHAT chapter books.  Because the thing is, I am very particular about content of most anything where TV/videos/reading material goes. All I could really think of, was possibly some  Magic Tree House books? Which turns out are pretty easy for them. But they do like the stories.

So one day not too long ago, I was at the children’s library with my girls.  I am a fanatical person about really nice children’s illustrated books, as an illustrator of sorts myself.  When I am looking through books, any books,  I really do judge them by the cover. Especially if it’s a children’s book…..and has bad illustrated cover?  I don’t even open it up. lol  So I was flipping through and piling up a lot of ‘worthy’ books to have lined around our school window sills, for the kids to grab when they feel like it. I do this a lot. Even though…all 3 of the little ones just read them all in a matter of 30 minutes.

So sitting there on the library floor, ( I know…yuck….that’s what I was thinking at the time…), I started looking at the books on the shelf behind me, and saw this title:  Nicholas – A Massachusetts Tale. Hmmm.  That alone got my attention, so I grabbed it.  One look at the cover, and I was sure it was a gem!     ; )       I read the inside jacket of the front cover:

MEET NICHOLAS- a lively field mouse from
Massachusetts. He lives tucked under a
farmhouse outside Stockbridge until a flood
destroys the journal that contains his
family history. Faced with the loss of all
his family stories, Nicholas embarks on a
journey across the state to find his Uncle
William and a copy of the precious journal.

Early in his travels, Nicholas meets up with
a haughty chipmunk named Edward, and the
pair decides to head east together. Along
the way, they learn a great deal about their
home state-the animals that live there,
the geography, industries, and even about
the state’s history. West Tisbury is their
destination, but when they arrive there, will
they be able to find Uncle William, and will
he still have the remaining copy of
Nicholas’s family journal?

I was hooked already! I opened the book in the middle, and quickly read a few pages.  It was passing my ‘appropriateness for 6 year olds test’ too.  But dang…it was a big book!  So I called {O} over, opened it to the first page, and told her to start reading to me.  She did.  Now, if you could hear this girl read anyway…she sounds like a little adult. I’m not kidding.  Expression….use of punctuation….vocabulary and articulation…you’d probably chuckle. It’s just kind of funny.  She almost sounds like a teacher or a librarian, reading to the children.  So….it was cake for her. And I was EXCITED I found a great chapter book.

We checked it out, along with the ‘window sills’ pile, and {A’s} her own hefty pile, and headed home to meet the boys, who had been at a basketball clinic.

{O} got right to reading that book. After the first few chapters, she was telling me all about what happened. But you know…I couldn’t ask her any questions, because I hadn’t read it myself.  So later when I got the chance, I read the first few chapters, just to check her com-pre-HEN-sion.  (I just had to type that word out like that…because the kids love that word, and we always giggle when we say it.  They also love…actual comprehension checks. Which works out great, because I love to put the little people on the spot, and they love to prove to me that I didn’t ‘get them’.  We’re a very competitive family. lol)

Anyway, maybe a week or so later, {O} was done with the book.  She had chatted excitedly every day, after reading a few chapters, about this little adventure Nicholas went on, or where she left off and she was wondering what would happen next. So when she was done….I grabbed the book, and read a few chapters a day myself, by the fire.

I am telling you…I am SMITTEN with this book. CHARMING.   It really is. Now, I am sure, being a Massachusetts girl, it was all the more cooler. I grew up in western MA, and now our family resides on the south shore. So I was like “Hey!  I know where that is!”    As these little critters traveled across the state, meeting new friends along the way, and having quite the adventures,  I learned quite a bit myself, about places I had always known, been, seen….throughout MA. Very interesting little bits I didn’t know.  And having been to these places, it was all the more fun to read, and BE there. {A} had to grab it herself to read, and she enjoyed it as much.

Not only is the style of writing charming, but there are beautiful pencil sketches  scattered throughout the chapters, from cover to cover.

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When I was done, and with all of the chit-chat about the adventures of Nicholas, {S} decided he was going to read it too!  He loved telling me what was going on, in between the chapters he read over those few days. It was nice to be able to have these conversations with him about the book, having already read it myself!  When he was done….{J} decided he wasn’t letting it go back to the library before he read it too. (We’re a very competitive family.)

So basically….I guess we had a BOOK CLUB thing going on here.  Only Daddy hasn’t read it. But hey…..he’s been busy reading the Bible cover to cover…and who am I to suggest interrupting THAT. He can just check this book back out later, if he feels left out. lol.  (Because I am quite sure he won’t be done with his any time soon. That’s a bigger good book!)

So I have really just been eager to tell you about this great book, and I am glad I finally did.  It’s great for any elementary kids….maybe even some middle school kids….to read.  Especially if they are from Massachusetts….because it is loaded with history and geography. ALL good stuff. Just a great piece of children’s literature.  It’s hard to find books this great these days! (Especially when you have to read them first, yourself, to find out if they are!)  For picky me, there always seems to be parts that I deem inappropriate, unnecessary, or just a shame. Where, otherwise it would have been great. But this one is ALL good!! So I HIGHLY recommend it for your kids if they are at the right age or reading level. If not, than I highly recommend you cuddle up on the couch with your kiddos, and read it TO them! Huh, huh??  (Am I sounding pushy yet? lol)  I looked it up at Amazon, and the (reading) age level for this book is 9-12 years old. As I said before, it’s 27 chapters, and 152 pages long. And did I mention it has great illustrations?

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Once I was done reading the book, my attention/fascination turned to the author, Peter Arenstam. Wouldn’t you know…he’s a native of Massachusetts!….and lives very close to home. : )  I might go track him down very soon.  Perhaps shake his hand. Maybe catch him off guard, freak him out a little, and hug him for a very long time? The illustrator is Karen Busch Holman.  She and her pencils are very gifted. Together, they did one HECK of a job.

To our delight, there are TWO follow-ups, that we’ll be tracking down.  (ETA:) Well, one is a follow-up (Nicholas-A Maine Tale), and the other looks like the beginning of a new series (Oliver’s Travels-An Ohio Adventure) , but I do not see a Book Two to it yet. AND….there is also a whole series on 2 other mice who go on state adventures, called Mitt & Minn.  Same illustrator for those books, but a different author named Kathy-Jo Wargin. THAT series looks awesome too!  I guess we’ll let you know~

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Maine and Ohio!  Here we come!!

(Oh gosh….I was so excited to blog about this book. I just knew I was going to blab on forever.)

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Filed Under: Elementary Homeschooling, Elementary Homeschooling READING, Homeschooling Tagged With: book review, childrens-chapter-books, elementary-homeschooling, elementary-reading-books, homeschooling, Nicholas A Massachusetts Tale

A Quiet Dr. Seuss Day Celebration

March 2, 2009 By Laura 12 Comments

We just wanted to share with you a peek into our quiet Dr. Seuss Day celebration.

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

~  Dr. Seuss


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Earlier today, we celebrated the 105th birthday of Dr. Seuss.  It was a much quieter celebration, than our usual fanfare, because most of our kiddos (6 years old triplets) are a bit under the weather.  Low grade fevers, little coughs and headaches, and a big dose of the ‘Quiets’.  That’s just who they are today. Actually, 1/4 is recovering, 2/4 are pretty down and out by this time of the day, and 1 was out playing in the new-fallen snow.   But late this morning and early afternoon, they were up for a little quiet fun and reading. We did some Dr. Seuss – themed face painting for them, for the occasion.

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Dr. Seuss was a man of wise words.  One of my personal favorite quotes from him is:

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

That’s one I try to keep in the forefront of my mind, because we need to remember it frequently!  It’s so hard for us to understand why some people are the way they are.   So what to do?  Well,  another Seuss quote comes in handy as well:

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”

Enough said there. lol


We’re blessed in that all 4 of our kids truly do love reading. They just love books, and always have. And we know that will take them a long, long way in life.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

The little ones are quite beyond their grade level in reading, so the Dr. Seuss books are at this point, way too simple for them.  They are reading chapter books now. But today, as we celebrate this gifted author and artist, for his great contributions to children’s literature, we honor the value of his non-sensicals, that are so cleverly woven with his words of wisdom, which even an adult can gleam advice from.   So we all enjoyed his books today, none-the-less.


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It was the perfect activity, for a day that called for quiet and rest.


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Here’s another great quote, that simply must be a Pro-Life declaration!:

“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”


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They were somewhat smiley this morning, as quiet as they were. But as you know how fevers go….as they day wore on, they were feeling less and less their best.  I sure hope they feel better tomorrow. Meanwhile, we’ll keeping enjoying the quiet, and  giving cuddles.  Things could be worse!  lol

Thanks for dropping in!  See you again soon, perhaps!

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.”

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Filed Under: Elementary Homeschooling, Elementary Homeschooling READING, Homeschooling, The Big Picture Tagged With: Dr-Seuss-Day, Dr-Seuss-Day-ideas, elementary-books, elementary-homeschooling, elementary-reading, Green Eggs and Ham, homeschooling, homeschooling-Dr-Seuss-day, The Cat In The Hat, The Lorax, There's A Wocket In My Pocket, triplets, triplets-reading

God’s World News / World News Group – A Newspaper for Your Kids!

January 17, 2009 By Laura 4 Comments

God's World News / World News Group

(now….)

God's World News / World News Group  
*
See UPDATE Below.

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Hi there Everyone!!

We’ve been wanting to share with our readers, a subscription that we have found our children really, really benefit from.  It’s put out by * ** God’s World News, and there are various titles, for various reading/age/grade levels to fit the level of any child, Pre-K through young teens! We have received it for a number of years, and it has proved to be a valuable and educational news source throughout. It’s a newspaper for kids!!

* UPDATE/Revision:  God’s World News is now: WORLD News Group   – The links in this post (for God’s World News), will still bring you to the correct site, under their new titles. From there, there are individual site links to the newspaper for the proper age range for your child(ren):  God’s Big World/Pre-Schoolers, worldkids/Elementary age, WORLD TEEN/Teenagers
** IMPORTANT NOTE: Although the titles of the newspapers has changed, the high quality content has not! The intent of the newspaper publications, for age appropriate world news, reported in the light of faith, remains unchanged.

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(Is this photo of our boy, reading his newspaper, not a RIOT??!  He often does sit just like this….while reading, at Mass, etc.  It always cracks us up, but he looked especially like a little man, sitting in his chair with his legs crossed, reading his newspaper. Look at his flickering toes. lol)

Our triplet 6 year olds receive God’s Word News-Early Edition (now World Kids).  Our 11 year old receives God’s World News-Top Story (now World Teen).

Our kids benefit from their age-appropriate newspaper-magazines so much, because they ENJOY it so much! They enjoy it so much, because it has SO much to offer! There is a LOT in each edition, and a huge (educational) variety at that.  If you homeschool your kids, we highly recommend this subscription!  If your kids are enrolled in school, we highly recommend this subscription!  : )  This rave review is fueled solely by our family receiving this magazine, and us as parents, consistently seeing what happens with our kids, when they get it into their hands. They get many hours of social studies educational exposure and information from each issue.  All in the name of QUIET for us FUN for them! That’s why we had to tell you all about it…..it just seems like it’s something GREAT for any and all kids!   Read on.

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I don’t know about you, but I want my kids to know what is going on in the world.  They should generally be aware of current events, politics, new-breaking stories, scientific findings, history, etc. But in an age appropriate way!
The problem is, television news, as well as newspaper news, are not geared towards communicating to children.

Naturally, it’s not their mission, as it is all meant to inform adults, and rightly so.  So it’s simply not conveyed in a way all children would understand, nor necessarily be emotionally ready for.

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That’s what we love about this magazine.  In it HIGHLY informative about the world’s news, presented in a way to catch and hold kid’s attention,  and is easily understood, in kids’ terms and ways they can relate to.  It draws them in.  In younger level editions, it’s snippets of info they can read and truly comprehend and retain.   Older kid’s issues are generally the same topics, but with more detail, longer articles and a more in-depth study overall. Then additional stuff. What I love most, is that the contents is delivered in a Christian/Biblical Worldview style.

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But it’s not just serious current events news stories. Each issue is also jam packed with (reading, of course), science, history, geography, weather, funny stories, etc.  And all with LOTS of photos. There are games, experiments, activities and puzzles that strengthen skills such as logic, observation, process of elimination, …. the list goes on. AND on!

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 Beyond the magazine itself, they have a website that has even MORE to supplement each edition.  There are parent/teacher resources, bonus pages to enhance or expand on all the kids have learned, and even quizzes and keys you can use.  There is LOTS at the web site, that is another educational tool all it’s own.

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When our kids are reading their issues, they are so amused by something, or intrigued with something they learned, that they feel compelled to share it with us, or read it to us.  Sometimes, they ask questions, because they want to know more and more. This often launches great discussions to have with your children, that can get as deep as you want, or give you an opportunity to ask them questions, that encourage them to think through concepts, varied opinions, or their own perspectives.  It’s a wonderful tool to help jump-start really good discussions, about often very important topics in the world, with your children.

012_God's-World-News-World-News-Group  For example: Here, {A} is reading about Fidel Castro-how he came to be a dictator, his ways of dictatorship, and all of the effects it has had on his country.

Here’s another  page of Top Story (sorry about the glare. : ):

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Each issue (all editions for all ages) most always has wonderful maps, educational fold-out spreads, and/or pull-out posters, like this one:

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I love also, how these arrivals in our mailbox, bring our kids together too!  They love to share with each other what they are reading, and have discussions of their own about the topic.  They end up laughing together, reading together, learning together, which all means they are simply enjoying more of being ….together!

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If you find yourself remotely intrigued, we encourage you to check out the God’s World News web site. Look around!!  There are peeks inside these subscriptions, and you are also likely able to get a free copy if you request one, to decide for yourself what you think of them!  For us, it’s been just too good of a great thing, NOT to let any parent, or teaching parent, know about this amazing tool. We find it WELL worth the cost of the subscription.  We all know that our kids learn the most, when they are enjoying what they are doing, or enjoying HOW they are learning…anything at all!  The more ways we can find to give them that, the better. Because when they are having fun learning, they want to learn more and more and more.  So we hope you find this newspaper-magazine to be ‘good mail’ in your family.

We’re pretty excited about MANY things we’ve got coming up to share with you on our blog, so come back soon!! In the meantime, if your kids are receiving a subscription, or have a book, or watch a show….that YOU find very valuable, educational, and they really enjoy, please share it with us!  We know there is a wealth of info and resources out there, and what better way than to share it with each other, complete with reviews and gold stars!

We hope you are all enjoying this long weekend!

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Filed Under: Elementary Homeschooling, Elementary Homeschooling READING, Elementary Homeschooling SCIENCE, Geography, History / Social Studies, Homeschooling, Middle School Homeschooling, Middle School Homeschooling SCIENCE, Politics and Government, Science Tagged With: Catholic-blogs, current-events, current-events-newspaper-for-kids, God's World News, God's-worldviews-news, homeschooling, newspapers-for-kids, social-studies-for-preschool-elementary, triplets, World-News-Group

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