• HOME
  • {A}’s Chipmunk Training Archives

 Homepage

  • The Homestead
    • Home Projects
    • Home Improvement
    • Home Decor
      • Seasonal Home decor
        • FALL Home Decor
        • WINTER Home Decor
        • SPRING Crafts and Creations
        • SUMMER Crafts and Creations
    • Our Chickens
    • Gardening
    • Organization
    • Re-Purposing
    • Furniture Refinishing
    • Budget
  • Crafts & Creations
    • Seasonal Home decor
      • FALL Crafts and Creations
      • WINTER Crafts and Creations
      • SPRING Crafts and Creations
      • SUMMER Crafts and Creations
    • DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project
    • Kids Arts and Crafts
    • Homemade/Handmade Gift Ideas
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Fan Pulls
    • Free Printable/Downloadable
    • Sewing Projects
    • Giveaways
    • Business Features
  • Recipes/FoodFun
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Main Dish
    • Sandwiches
    • Appetizers
    • Slow Cooker
    • On The Grill
    • Side Dishes
      • Soups
      • Salads
    • Baking
      • Breads, Rolls and Muffins
    • Snacks
    • Treats
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
  • Homeschooling
    • Elementary Homeschooling
      • Elementary Homeschooling READING
      • Elementary Homeschooling MATH
      • Elementary Homeschooling LANGUAGE ARTS
      • Elementary Homeschooling SCIENCE
      • Elementary Homeschooling HOME ECONOMICS
      • Kids Arts and Crafts
    • Middle School Homeschooling
      • Middle School Homeschooling SCIENCE
      • Middle School Homeschooling HOME ECONOMICS
    • Language Arts
    • Math
    • History / Social Studies
    • Geography
    • Foreign Language
    • Field Trips
    • Games
    • Nature Study
  • The Big Picture
    • Life In General
    • Celebrations
    • Faith
      • Into the Light; The Series
    • Giveaways
    • Reviews & Sponsors
  • Photography & Lettering
    • Photography
    • truck lettering
    • vehicle graphics
    • Newborns
    • Kids
    • Engagement
    • High School Senior Pictures
    • High School Senior Pictures Sneak Peeks

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.

nicholas-a-massachusetts-tale

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

Layout 1

nicholas-a-maine-tale-author-peter-arenstam_b

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

nicholas-a-new-hampshire-tale-peter-arenstam

nicholas-a-new-hampshire-tale-peter-arenstam_d

….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.

poppy-and-ereth-brian-floca

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.

poppy-and-ereth-brian-floca_f

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

good-elementary-reading-books-recommended

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.

Save

Save

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

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


dr-seuss-day-ideas_1

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.

triplets-kids-reading-dr-seuss-book
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.


dr-seuss-day-ideas_2

dr-seuss-day-ideas_3

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


fun-mismatched-socks

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

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


triplets-dr-seuss-day_4

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.”

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

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

A Word on Mem Fox

August 8, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

Mem-Fox-Sleepy-Bears author-mem-fox-books mem-fox-whoever-you-are

I’m happy to say, we’ve managed to somewhat keep up with our Author Fiesta journey. As I mentioned was up next, the month of July featured children’s author Mem Fox.

I think you will find in this post, that I repeatedly will manage to compare Mem Fox, with our previous author who we studied, Patricia Polacco. It was quite a transition for us, and the only 2 authors we have studies thus far. So my thoughts inevitably compare the two, though they are both very gifted in their own right, and have both blessed the availability of wonderful children’s literature, in their own distinct ways.

Our experience with studying Mem was completely different than our 2 months with Patricia Polacco. Reason being, they are very different in their style of writing. Each of Patricia’s stories were a good and long read. One book could take us up to 20+ minutes! But we loved the depth of the story to each one of them, and enjoyed every page immensely, both in text and illustration. Mem’s stories are very simple and very short, which was a welcome perk with July being a very busy month for us as a family. We did not manage to get EVERY one of Mem Fox’s book from the library, but certainly a good tall stack. Unlike the huddling and cuddling that took place with Patricia’s stories through the months of May and June, with Mem’s we had most story times out on our deck, and breezed through 4 or 5 at a time. It was too hot for cuddling anyway!! In addition to story time, the kids read many of the books over and over again on their own. They LOVE to read. It seems all out loud, with different books, all at the same time. But that’s ok!! As long as they keep on loving reading!

Another vast difference in these authors was the illustration work. We enjoyed Patricia Pallaco’s own unique style of her own illustration work that went with each story she wrote. The familiar style of the pictures seemed to make us feel closer to Patricia, perhaps make a better connection with her, if that makes any sense. The illustration work that went with Mem’s books were inconsistent, explained by the fact that each had a different illustrator. Being an educated illustrator myself, some of the work I really admired, and some I didn’t care as much for. For ME, the illustration work really helps is a crucial element to my connection, or lack thereof, to each story.

Nonetheless, many of Mem’s stories, like Patricia’s, had an effective message or moral of the story, in a more subtle yet right to the point way. {S}’s favorite storybook of Mem’s was The Straight Line Wonder, and it was the book he chose to do an assigned illustration of his own for. It’s a wonderful story that encourages one to follow their heart in what they love to do, or who they want to be, regardless of if doing so makes them different. In this story, a group of ‘straight line’ friends worry about one of their own, who decides he’d rather not be a straight line all of the time. He was not afraid of being different, as the following excerpt expresses:

“People will stare!” said the other straight lines. “I don’t mind” said the 1st straight line, and he kept on jumping in humps, twirling in whirls, and pointing his joints.”

Sometimes, being different makes you stand out, but that can serve to be a good thing!! Such is the case with The Straight Line Wonder, he became famous as a showman, and spent the rest of his life doing what he loved to do.

{O}’s favorites were Sophie, Wombat Divine, and Where the Giants Sleep. Yet her drawing was from the book Sleepy Bears, which was my absolute favorite. (I wish there was a link to that one on the Mem Fox web site, which seems to need updating.) To start, the illustration work, by Kerry Argent, is beautiful. Very much my style of work. But my love for this story went beyond the pictures, to the content of the story, although I do believe the illustration work drew me in deeper than might have happened otherwise. First of all, I love the whole image in real life and in this book, of the family bed. (Although it’s not something we practiced with our children, until morning anyway. lol) I just love the illustration of all of those adorable bears, under that beautiful, colorful quilt, which I want!! But this story of Mem’s is also sort of reflective of a concept I have always tried to use with my children. I have always told them to think about fun and wonderful things that they love to think about as they drift off to sleep, and they just may have wonderful dreams about the same, even beyond their imagination.

{J} especially enjoyed Wombat Divine, and also Particular Cow, (which all of the kids thought was a riot), but he did a beautiful line drawing of Time for Bed. {A} really liked her work in Hunwick’s Egg and Particular Cow, but did an amusing illustration for Boo to a Goose,…specifically for the excerpt: “Id skip across town, with my pants hanging down, but I wouldn’t say “BOO” to a goose!” If you can only imagine, you’re probably imagining correctly. She thinks that part is the funniest thing.

My least favorite book was Feathers and Fools. While I ultimately liked the ending, I just found the story a little disturbing along the way. Maybe I am alone in my surprise, but I didn’t expect such ‘bloodshed’ to be part of a children’s story book. (is it ok to critique? Too late. lol) On a more positive note, I really loved the message of Whoever You Are, confirming the truth in the fact that no matter how different each of us looks, dresses, acts, or how or where we live, we are all the same. We also all enjoyed Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge. It made me want to take my kids to do some visiting at the local nursing homes. (Can you do that anymore?) My children are still saying that line from the book “A memory is as precious as gold, young man, a memory is as precious as gold”. (Isn’t that the truth!!) I might add, more wonderful illustration work in that one as well, by Julie Vivas.

As I said, Mem Fox was a great fit for our busy month of July. We enjoyed her, but was still flying high from Patricia Polacco. This month we are behind already. While we are not at all familiar with Tasha Tudor’s work, I find her life story completely fascinating!! It’s virtually a dream I could go with; living on a farm and living the simple life as she did. Although I wouldn’t insist on roughing to quite the extent she did.  I think the interesting details, simplicity and hard work ethics of her life will lend itself well to the report {A} writes on this particular author. Also, I was delighted to learn that she, like Patricia Polacco, also illustrated all of her own story books. Unfortunately, Tasha very recently past away. So her spirit truly will live on in her works now. I am very much looking forward to spending some time with my children, and a great big pile of books, that is the the work of her life. Best get to that library again, before August is over!

 

Filed Under: Elementary Homeschooling, Elementary Homeschooling READING, Homeschooling Tagged With: author-Mem-Fox, childrens-authors, elementary-books, elementary-homeschooling, elementary-reading, homeschooling

We are wicked happy to have you here! We hope you find much inspiration, help, humor and enjoyment here.




Archives



POPULAR POSTS

* * * * * *

SUBSCRIBE to House of Joyful Noise blog! Every new post, delivered right to your email box!


Privacy Policy

Amazon Affiliates

Never at any additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission for our endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products from our website. Your purchase through our links helps support our family, while sharing with you the products we authentically use and recommend, for various ideas, and letting you know where you can purchase them. Thank you for your support!

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2025 HouseOfJoyfulNoise.com · Genesis Framework by StudioPress