Virtual Surgery

Marianne sent me this site for "Dr. Marcus". We did virtual knee replacement surgery yesterday and he LOVED it. We also did the game about simple machines which was very cool. We will explore the site more over the next couple of weeks, however I think this may be his new favorite!

http://www.edheads.org/

The Cobble Street Cousins, The Adventures of Tintin, and Completed Books 5/17

A friend of mine recommended The Cobble Street Cousins series by Cynthia Rylant for Lella.  She LOVED them.  She read:

A Little Shopping (55 pages)
Special Gifts (55 pages)
Summer Party (54 pages)
Some Good News (55 pages)
In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen (54 pages)

Other books completed by Lella:  Here is the Wetland, Madeleine Dunphy, Five Fables of La Fontaine (64 pages), Roberta Sewal, Anatole Over Paris (32 pages), Eve Titus, Esther's Story, Diane Wolkstein.

Completed Books Marcus:  The Secrets of Droon, Crown of Wizards (168 pages), Tony Abbott, Andrew Lost in the Desert (88 pages), J. C. Greenburg, Andrew Lost in the Jungle (88 pages), J. C. Greenburg, Fabulous Monsters, Marcia Williams, Sinbad the Sailor, Marcia Williams.

Marcus and Gabriella requested more of The Adventures of Tintin...in English of course :-).

From Amazon:  Join traveling reporter Tintin and his faithful dog Snowy, along with well-known friends such as Captain Haddock, as they embark on extraordinary adventures spanning historical and political events, fantasy and science-fiction adventures and thrilling mysteries. These full-color graphic novels broke new ground when they were first released and became the inspiration for countless modern-day comic artists.

The Adventures of Tintin, Cigars of the Pharoah (62 pages), Jadven Herge.

Lives of the Presidents

A while back Marcus memorized all of the United States Presidents.  Well, I came across this book at the library and he very much enjoyed it.  He is now quoting some of the presidents...oh brother!  Anyway, he did learn quite a bit about them and enjoyed reading this book.

Lives of the Presidents (96 pages), Kathryn Hewitt.

Completed Books 5/6

Well, since my last post, the kids have been reading a lot of Calvin and Hobbes.  It's fun hearing them laugh out loud and share their enjoyment of reading with each other.  Most recently, they both finished The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson. 

We also recently completed several books that were part of history reading for school.  Next year, I think I will try to come up with a better system for posting books we read.  We read:  The Empty Pot, Demi, The Lost Horse, Ed Young, The Dragon Prince, Laurence Yep, Lord of the Cranes, Kerstin Chen, and Ten Suns, Eric Kimmel.  We also read Julius Caesar from Tales From Shakespeare, Marcia Williams.  

Marcus:  The Count of Monte Cristo (GIC, 240 pages), Alexandre Dumas, Sleepy Little Owl, Howard Goldsmith, Charlie Brown:  Not Your Average Blockhead, Schulz, Epossumondas, Coleen Salley.

Lella:  Mama Provi and the Pot of Rice, Sylvia Rosa-Casanova, A Gift of Gracias, Julia Alvarez, My Little Artist, Donna Green.

Where the Sidewalk Ends, Andrew Lost, and Completed Books 4/23/10

I loved Shel Silverstein's poems and drawings when I was a little girl.  Marcus and Lella recently discovered Where the Sidewalk Ends and devoured it.  Their favorite poem was Lazy Jane.

When Marcus was finished, he handed the book to me and said earnestly, "Mama, I really liked these poems, but I couldn't finish The Unicorn."
"Why buddy?"
"It violated my conscience Mama."

The poem is about Noah's arc and how instead of entering the arc, the unicorns played games; hence, no unicorns. 

Completed books Marcus: 
Frankenstein (GIC, 238 pages), Mary Shelley, Ancient China (43 pages), Mel Friedman, Shy Little Turtle, Howard Goldsmith, Superhero School, Aaron Reynolds, The Secrets of Droon, In the City of Dreams (120 pages), Tony Abbott, The Secrets of Droon, Flight of the Blue Serpent (119 pages), Tony Abbott, , The Secrets of Droon, Moon Magic (165 pages), Tony Abbott.

Lella recently finished Andrew Lost in the Garden (81 pages), J. C. Greenburg.  This is book four of the Andrew Lost series.  She really enjoyed it and asked for more.  I highly recommend this series for children.  They are sweetly written and educational to boot.  It is not necessary to read them in order.

Other books completed by Lella: 
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (GIC, 236 pages), Jules Verne, Don Quixote, Marcia Williams, Tales From Shakespeare, Marcia Williams, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Marcia Williams, Sinbad the Sailor, Marcia Williams, Jamaica's Find (32 pages), Juanita Havill, Jamaica's Blue Marker, Juanita Havill, Jamaica Tag-Along, Juanita Havill, Jamaica and the Substitute Teacher, Juanita Havill.

Holes

About a week ago the kids and I finished Holes (240 pages), Louis Sachar.  I honestly have no idea how this book won the Newberry Award.  The story is far too contrived to be believable, and I would certainly not consider this book "intelligent" reading.  I realize that this book is loved by many, but I do not recommend it. 

Greek Myths and Completed Books 4/19

Marcus and Lella LOVED Greek Myths For Young Children by Marcia Williams.  The children enjoyed her comic strip format to classic Greek myths.  Eight myths are retold by Williams and some are very funny.  Enjoy!

Completed Books
Lella:  Romeo and Juliet Together (and Alive!) At Last (page 122), Avi, Brown Angels (poems), Myers, Brianna, Jamaica, and the Dance of Spring, Juanita Havill, A Packet of Seeds, Deborah Hopkinson, The Boy Who Invented TV, The Story of Philo Farnsworth, Kathleen Krull, Carmann's Summer, Stian Hole, Esther's Story, Diane Wolkstein, Epossumondas Saves the Day, Coleen Salley, Epossumondas, Coleen Salley.

Marcus:  The Secret of Droon:  Flight of the Blue Serpent (119 pages), Tony Abbott, The Secret of Droon:  Crown of WizardsThe Secret of Droon:  Moon Magic (168 pages), Tony Abbott, Ali and the Magic Stew, Oppenheim, How to Make Friends with a Giant, Amy Walrod.

Both:  The Secret of Droon:  Queen of Shadowthorn (120 pages), Tony Abbott, The Secret of Droon:  The Treasure of the Orkins (120 pages), Tony Abbott, Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail, Coleen Salley, There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat, Lucille Colandro.

Who Stole the Wizard of Oz? and Completed Books 4/13

Marcus really enjoyed Who Stole the Wizard of Oz (116 pages), Avi.  He said he liked it because it was a good mystery.  Other books Marcus recently finished:  The Secrets of Droon:  Escape from Jabar-Loo (122 pages), Tony Abbott, The Secrets of Droon:  Crown of Wizards (168 pages), Tony Abbott.

Gabriella has enjoyed reading various picture books, some with larger amounts of text, some on the shorter side.  She really liked Eppossumondas Plays Possum, Colleen Salley.  She requested the other ones in the series.  She also enjoyed reading Ancient Greece, Sandra Newman, Ancient China, Mel Friedman, and Mesopotamia, Sunita Apte.  These books are from a series called "A True Book" and are simple reads with great facts and colorful pictures.

Other books Lella recently read:  My Little Artist, Donna Green, Turtle Bay, Saviour Pirotta, The Day-Glo Brothers (a true story btw about how day-glo came about), Chris Barton, How to Make Friends with a Giant, Gennifer Choldenko, Sleepy Little Owl, Howard Goldsmith, Shy Little Turtle, Howard Goldsmith, Superhero School, Aaron Reynolds, Cupid and Psyche, M. Charlotte Craft, Ali and the Magic Stew, Shulamith Oppenheim, The Secrets of Droon:  Escape from Jabar-Loo (122 pages), Tony Abbott.

The Hobbit and Completed Books 4/6/10

Steve and the children recently finished The Hobbit (483 pages), J.R.R Tolkien.  I highly recommend this book as a family read aloud.  Marcus and Gabriella LOVED reading this book with Steve.  Before they read, Steve reviewed what they had read so far.  Also, during the reading, if they had any questions, they would raise their hand, Steve would pause and answer their question.  Both say this is their favorite book now.  I don't doubt it is, but there sure is something special about reading a book with Daddy!

Marcus:   Dracula (GIC, 239 pages), Bram Stoker.
Lella:  The War of the Worlds (GIC, 239 pages), H.G. Wells, Hairy Hezekiah (89 pages), Nick Bruel.
Both:  The Secret of Droon:  Pirates of the Purple Dawn (124 pages), Tony Abbott, Gladiator (80 pages), Richard Watkins.

Memories

Recently, I pulled out my three favorite picture books from childhood:  Never Tease a Weasel, Jean Conder Soule and Denman Hampson, Yurtle the Turtle and Other Stories, Dr. Seuss, and Star Flower, Jim Kelly .  Gabriella loves reading them and at night I often find them on her bedroom floor.  The one she enjoys the most is Star Flower by Jim Kelly.  It's a sweet story about seasons, friendship, and love.  Gabriella is also drawn to the illustrations, just as I was as a child.  The first three images below are the covers from each of these books and the images that follow are from Star Flower. 

Spelling and Writing

Gabriella and Marcus are doing so well in spelling this year.  The program we use is Spelling Power and is well worth the money.  One of the ways the program helps children remember the words they misspelled is to write them in a sentence.  Gabriella struggles a bit with contractions and missed these three words:  we're, there's, and you're.  

These were her sentences exactly as written:

There's a place we're at called Mount Piaplo.  "You're gonna climb that!" said my mom.  I could not believe it!  The mountain was 100,000 miles!  I was going to climb it.  "Wow!" I said.

THANK YOU SUSAN WISE BAUER!  I think that's pretty impressive punctuation for a 6 year old :-). 

Completed Books 3/29/10 and The Roman News

Marcus and Lella enjoyed The Roman News, Langley and De Souza.  Each page is laid out like a newspaper and is full of fascinating facts about ancient Rome.

Marcus' Completed Books:  The Secret of Droon:  Flight of the Genie (122 pages), Tony Abbott, The Secret of Droon:  The Isle of Mists (121 pages), Tony Abbott, The Secret of Droon:  The Race to Doobesh (127 pages), Tony Abbott, The Secret of Droon:  The Riddle of Zorfendorf Castle (124 pages), Tony Abbott.

I had to laugh when Marcus began reading these books again.  He would watch Lella read and enjoy them and he just couldn't take it!  So, now I think he's trying to catch up.  I asked him about it and he said it was, "just timing Mama.  I didn't mean forever."

Lella's Completed Books:  The Invisible Man (GIC, 239 pages), H. G. Wells, The Secret of Droon:  In the Shadow of Goll (123 pages), Tony Abbott.

Completed Books 3/24/10

Marcus:  The War of the Worlds, GIC, (238 pages), H.G. Wells, Tales of Mystery and Terror, GIC, (238 pages), Edgar Allan Poe.  

Marcus told me recently he is "not interested anymore" in The Secret of Droon books.  It's funny how he just decided to be "over them".  I asked him why and he replied, "Mama, I have too many other things I want to read right now."  Lella is still reading them :-).

Lella:  The Secret of Droon:  Flight of the Genie (122 pages), Tony Abbott, The Secret of Droon:  The Isle of Mists (121 pages), Tony Abbott, The Secret of Droon:  The Race to Doobesh (127 pages), Tony Abbott, The Secret of Droon:  The Riddle of Zorfendorf Castle (124 pages), Tony Abbott.

Both:  You Wouldn't Want to Be a Roman Gladiator! (32 pages), John Malam, Roman News, Andrew Langley and Philip De Souza, Rome Antics (79 pages), David Macaulay.

Disappointed in book

The kids and I were about 1/4 of the way through I Coriander (288 pages), Sally Gardner, when I was sad to see the development of one of the main characters in her story.  

I understand that the fairy tale takes place in 17th-Century London, but to paint the only Christian character in the book (at least up until we stopped reading the book) as an uneducated, abusive step-mother is very disappointing.

I was saddened when I read reviews of this book on Christian websites. Not a single reviewer pointed out that in this book, Christ's name is used in vain, Christ is completely misrepresented, and that the only Puritan woman in this story is painted as an evil, wicked woman.  I could write more, but I won't.

Needless to say, we will not be finishing this book and I do not recommend this book to other Christian families who read this blog.

The Willougbys and Completed Books 3/19/10

The kids and I recently finished The Willoughbys (176 pages), Lois Lowry.  Lowry's parody of old fashioned children's books was entertaining and quite funny at times, but was a bit dark for our family.  

I think we're going to take a break from dark comedy for a while :-).

Marcus:   UP, Spirit of Adventure (78 pages), Irene Trimble, Wayside School is Falling Down (152 pages), Adam McCauley, Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger (168 pages), Louis Sachar, The Mouse Family Robinson (71 pages), Dick King-Smith, Dinosaur Trouble (118 pages), Dick King-Smith, The Jungle Book (GIC) (238 pages), Rudyard Kipling.

Lella:  Wishbone Mysteries, Stage Invader (140 pages), Vivian Sathre,  The Secret of Droon:  The Fortress of the Treasure Queen (115 pages), Tony Abbott, The Tale of Three Trees, Angela Hunt, How Animals Care for Their Babies, National Geographic Society, Katie Meets the Impressionists, James Matthew, Seven Ravens, Laura Geringer.


Both:  Who is Melvin Bubble, Nick Bruel, Atlantis, Christina Balt, The Legend of the Persian Carpet, Tomie DePaola.