The book and card selection that Leah sent showed me a whole different side of Barefoot Books. What I loved about each item was that it combined an educational aspect with entertainment. The books have nuances that include multi-cultural themes (Little Leap Forward), magical realism (The Boy Who Grew Flowers), and math concepts (The Real Princess) that makes each book special, interesting, and engaging. As for the card decks, these are really well done and I know that we will be using them a lot!
Author: Pragmatic Mom
How To: Select a Music Teacher
Choosing a Music Teacher: tips and questions to ask when interviewing prospective music teachers.
How To: Detect & Get Rid of Lice
How to detect and remove lice and nits. Two effective methods for killing lice: Robi Comb (an electronic zapper comb) and the Olive Oil Treatment. Pragmatic Mom does not recommend lice shampoo because it’s not 100% effective due to lice resistence, and has harmful chemicals.
Picture Book On Rescue Dog after Loss of Pet
In The Blue House Dog by Deborah Blumenthal, Cody, a boy who is probably 8 to 10 years old, notices a stray dog in his neighborhood. As he watches the dog day after day, Cody starts to notice everything: where the dog sleeps and how it might feel, how the dog is scared of dog catchers and the police, how thin he is, his unusual eye coloring, and how no one else thinks this dog is special. Perfect for children who have lost their beloved pet. Advanced picture book, ages 6-10.
26 Favorite Counting Picture Books
I remember how much I enjoyed a counting book with a twist. I do completely believe in the power of picture books to teach math concepts but I do need a little something extra as I am reading the book for the tenth time. My own counting picture book library was not too robust so I trolled through a 4 foot stack of counting books to find these treasures. I hope that you and your child enjoy them. What are your favorite counting books? Please leave a comment and I’ll keep adding to this list.
How To Teach Good Manners to Kids
My husband grew up in a military family so manners was a really big deal and he has beautiful manners. He’s not from the South, but he’s even got the Sir/Ma’am thing down. Manner are so important to him, or rather, bad manners are so offensive to him, that I refer to him as the Manners Nazi.
This sweet board book, Mealtime, teaches good table manners including washing hands, saying “thank you” and “please,” trying one bite of everything on your plate, and clearing your plate. It’s a nice way to reinforce what you are saying. I will be giving this book away. Please leave a comment with a manners tip that you do with your child to win.
Visual Dictionary: Free and Great For Science
I’m part of a Yahoo homeschooling group that focuses on education and someone recommended this visual dictionary so I checked it out and it IS amazing for science or anything in which you need a visual explanation.