Quote #31

It is a good rule after reading a new book, 

never to allow yourself another new one 

till you have read an old one in between.

C.S. Lewis 

Quote #30

I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once.

C.S. Lewis 

Quote #29

For the word of God is living and active, 

sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

Quote #28

Children are made readers

on the laps of their parents.

 

Emilie Buchwald

Quote #27

To learn to read is to light a fire.

Every syllable that is

spelled out is a spark.

 

~Victor Hugo~

Quote #26

A little library, growing larger every year, is an honourable part of a man's history.  It is a man's duty to have books.  A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessaries of life.

 

                                           -Henry Ward Beecher

The Heavens Declare

I love living in the country.  The natural world is a constant companion, the view from every window a delight to the eyes.  I rejoice when I see our animals frisking in the pasture as spring comes in with its gentle breezes and sunshine.  But one of my favorite times to be out is on a clear night.  Praise wells up inside me as I look up and see the heavens declaring the glory of God.  Tears came to my eyes last night as I was walking by the pond to lock up the chickens.  I noticed the reflection of a sliver of moon in the water.  Looking up, I was awed by a spectacular display of the stars. 

There is nothing that can compare with time spent outdoors reveling in the creative power of  God.  Sometimes we want to dig deeper and study more about these heavenly bodies we are observing.  Here is a list for all ages.

Janice VanCleave's Astronomy for Every Kid is a good resource for experiments for middle school students.

H.A. Rey, known for the classic Curious George stories, has given us two gems to teach us about the heavenlies, The Stars and Find the Constellations. 

One of my favorite science series for younger children is the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out series.  These are excellent in explaining concepts in a way that children understand without dumbing down.  There are several titles to teach about the heavens.  All of these titles are authored by Franklyn Branley.  Many have been reprinted or can be found inexpensively.

The Sun:  Our Nearest Star
The Planets in Our Solor System
The Big Dipper
Shooting Stars
Journey Into a Black Hole
Comets
What the Moon Is Like
The Moon Seems to Change
A Book of the Milky Way Galaxy for You

Seymour Simon is known for his stunning photography and has several books which give us a glimpse into outer space. 

The Christmas Sky by Frankly Branley is an interesting look at what might have been happening in the heavens to create the Star of Bethlehem. 

The trusted Landmark series offers these titles to help us experience what it was like to go into space.

Walk in Space by Gene Gurney
Americans Into Orbit also by Gene Gurney

Author Dava Sobol has gained a great deal of respect for her science titles for older students. The Planets and A More Perfect Heaven are two titles that have been highly esteemed. 

A study of astronomy would not be complete without including biographies of great men and women who brought their knowledge to the forefront.  People like Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Halley and others offer great knowledge and inspiration.

A word about evolution...  Often Christian parents are hesitant to delve deeply into books which may come to different conclusions as to the origin of the universe.  There are organizations such as Answers in Genesis which have given us a wonderful gift of a Biblical perspective.  I love what Jan Bloom says when reviewing science authors who may not view these topics through a creationist's lens.  No one, absolutely no one can rob God of His glory.  He is our All in All.  Read with discernment.  The heavens do indeed declare the glory of God. 

Look up.

Quote #25

Never trust anyone

who has not brought

a book with them.

 

-Lemony Snicket

Quote #24

No two persons

ever read the same book.

 

Edmund Wilson

Quote #23

If I am honest,

I have to tell you I still

read fairy tales

and I like them

best of all.

 

Audrey Hepburn

Quote #22

Employ your time

in improving yourself

by other men's writings,

so that you shall gain easily

what others

have labored hard for.

 

-Socrates-

Quote #21

A book is like a garden,

carried in the pocket.

 

Chinese proverb

Quote #20

When you are writing for children,

do not assume a style for the occasion.

Think your best and write your best.

Let the whole thing live;

let there be plenty of breadth

and power.

 

~Anatole France~

Quote #19

We give him little text-books, mere compendiums of facts, which he is to learn off and say and produce at an examination; or we give him various knowledge in the form of warm diluents, prepared by his teacher with perhaps some grains of living thought to the gallon.  And all the time we have books, books teaming with ideas fresh from the minds of thinkers upon every subject to which we can wish to introduce children.

 

                                                                        -Charlotte Mason



Quote #18

When I get a little money

I buy books;

and if any is left

I buy food and clothes.

Desiderius Erasmus

Quote #17

I'm not addicted to reading.

I can quit as soon as I read

one more chapter.

Books for Sale updated

I have just posted an enormous list of books for sale.  Click on the "Books for Sale" tab above or here.

Thanks for looking and supporting Children's Legacy Library!

Quote #16

No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.

                                                                                                       - Confucius

Quote #15

Show me a family of readers

and I will show you

the people who move the world...

 

                                                                                              -Napoleon

 



 

 



Quote #14

You don't have to burn books

to destroy a culture.

Just get people

to stop reading them.

 

-Ray Bradbury-

 

 

                                                               

Quote #13

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.

 

 

-Mark Twain

Quote #12

My dear Lucy,

I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books.  As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still.  But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.  You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it.  I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall still be

                                        your affectionate Godfather,
                                                   C.S.Lewis

Quote #11

The only thing worse

than not reading a book

in the last ninety days

is not reading a book

in the last ninety days

and thinking that

it doesn't matter.

 

 

Jim Rohn

Quote #10

I find television very educating.

Every time somebody

turns on the set,

I go into the other room

and read a book.

 

-Groucho Marx



Nature Study for the Hungry Soul

Ahhh, Spring.  You can feel it in the air.  Yes, we just got rid of inches of snow and ice and the landscape is brown and yucky.  But my peepers are singing their hearts out and I know it's coming.  I have an almost a desperate longing for Spring this year.  After my recent diagnosis with a life-threatening allergy to the cold in which I had two dangerous episodes, I have spent the last few weeks inside the house.  I'm dying to get out and revel in nature.

Our nature study has been very minimal this winter.  I plan to remedy that in the weeks to come.  Nature study is crucial to, not only our spirit, but to our academics as well.  Charlotte Mason recommended nature study and living books for science in the early years (actually all grades implemented these in addition to more formal study.)  The importance of nature study cannot be overemphasized.  It lays the foundation for all other study.  (Notice I did not say for all other "science" study.  ALL subjects benefit from consistent nature study.)  Living books play an important role in supplementing this important habit.

Below are some tips if you're new to nature study and resources that might help.

1.  Nature study can be planned or spontaneous.  You can have certain things you are looking for when you go out or just be surprised.  Sometimes we are studying a particular topic and we go out to observe that, recording observations in our nature journal, looking things up in living books, field guides or even an app.  But we always have our eyes open for things to see.  Barb at the Handbook of Nature Study site has a plethora of ideas and helps for you.

2. Invite nature to come to you.  Hang a bird feeder, build a bat house, plant a garden, etc.

3.  Keep a nature journal.  This should be a joy, not drudgery.  You should keep one as well as your child, but allow him to do his own work.  You may give suggestions but ultimately the work should be your child's.  Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie gives excellent instruction.  The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady offers inspiration (as long as you don't compare and become discouraged!  It's gorgeous!)

4.  Don't forget things that are "common."  I love what Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason says.  "The dandelions are not new, but the children are new."  Help them to appreciate what they see in their everyday world.

5.  Look up.  There's lots of nature in the sky, day and night, and it often changes every few seconds.

6.  Living books can play various roles.  If you are studying specific topics, seek out books about those topics.  Or if you are out and see something unexpected, find books about that.  Don't let the books drive the study, though, and feel like you have to read about every single thing or record every single thing in a nature notebook unless your child really wants to.  Sometimes a little goes a long way. Some of my favorite science/nature authors and series are Jim Arnosky, Robert McClung, Millicent Selsam, Edwin Way Teale, Margaret Waring Buck, Let's-Read-and-Find-Out series, and Discover Nature series to name a few.

7. Keep a calendar of firsts.  These can be simple or fancy, but the easiest thing to do is get a plain ol' calendar and record all the "firsts" you notice...the first bud on a tree, the first peeper frogs, the first snowfall, the first frost, the first hummingbird, etc.  It may not be the first one, but it's the first one you saw.  Children love this and they are always looking to find things to add to their calendar.  Then the following year, they make another one and can compare from year to year.  They may notice that the hummingbirds came earlier this year than last or the first frost was later.  They begin to look for their favorites with anticipation and it will open their eyes to notice everything around them.

Never before in history have people spent so much time inside detached from nature.  We are paying a hefty price for our neglect.  Spending time outside creates a sense of wonder and awe for our God. Open your eyes and SEE.

Quote #9

Let their books be

LIVING BOOKS,

the best that can be found

in liberal supply and variety.

~Charlotte Mason~

Quote #8

You're never too old,

too wacky, too wild,

to pick up a book

and read to a child.

                    -Dr. Seuss 

Quote #7

Don't grudge Anne Cordelia her fancies, Diana.  I'm always sorry for children who don't spend a few years in fairyland.

~Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery~

The Streak ~ 100 Days!

We have arrived at an exciting milestone in our read-aloud journey.  This is day 100 of our Reading Streak!  We began on Thanksgiving Day with the goal of reading aloud every single day until the end of the year.  We continued through the New Year and have arrived at day 100!

As I wrote previously, we already have a family culture of reading aloud almost every single day.  When books are your constant companions, it makes sense that reading aloud would be a priority.  But there has been something about setting a goal such as this that has made us more intentional.  We find ourselves laying aside less important (to us) activities that might crowd out read-aloud time, coming together and sharing a book.  It's a beautiful thing.

We spent two weeks in February snowed in so those days were easy read-aloud days in front of a roaring fire.  No busyness to interfere.  We did have one close call, though.  We were finally able to dig ourselves out of snow and ice to do some much needed errands, a birthday celebration that was waylaid and a make-up violin lesson.

That evening the boys were going to spend the night with Grandma but I had assured them that we would read before they went.  Well, in the frenzied pace of the day, we forgot.  After the boys were safely delivered to Grandma's, I remembered in a panic!  I grabbed the phone, explained to my mother what had happened and told her I needed both boys on two different phones!  She was doubtful and said, "They won't want to stop what they're doing just to read.  They're playing."  "GET THE BOYS!!"  I said.  What transpired in the next few seconds cracked me up and warmed my heart.  I heard my mom tell the boys that Momma was on the phone and she wanted them on separate phones so she could read to them.  I heard a flurry of activity as Marcus screamed, "OH NO!  We forgot to read!  Daniel, get the other phone!  WE FORGOT TO READ!!!"  Daniel shuffled around crying, "Where is it?!?  Where is it?!"  Marcus shoved the phone into his hands imploring him to hurry!  Finally we all settled down to a read-aloud time thanks to Alexander Graham Bell.

Keep in mind these boys are 11years old and one of them is two inches taller than I am.  Needless to say I was thrilled...and my mom was shocked.  Books bind us together.  In a culture of individualism, books are part of what make us...US.

We will continue on with our Streak as long as it lasts and I may post about special milestones, but I wanted to share the impact this simple goal had made in our reading and our family.

Here are the books we've shared as read-alouds over the last 100 days.

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
I Saw Three Ships - Elizabeth Goudge
A Tree for Peter - Kate Seredy
The Christmas Stove - Alta Halverson Seymour
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus - Amelia Houghton
The Snow Queen - Hans Christian Anderson
By Right of Conquest - G.A. Henty
On the Far Side of the Mountain - Jean Craighead George
Wizard of Oz - Frank Baum
Frightful's Mountain - Jean Craighead George
Beyond the Desert Gate - Mary Ray
Greek Slave Boy - Lillian Carroll
Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
The Green Ember - S.D. Smith

Quote #6

To a bibliophile, 

there is but one thing better

than a box of new books,

and that is a box of old ones.

-Will Thomas-

Quote #5

When you sell a man a book, you don't sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life.  Love and friendship and humor and ships at sea by night - there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book I mean.

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley

Quote #4

Poetry and Hums 

aren't things which you get, 

they're things which get you.

And all you can do is go where

they find you.

Winnie-the-Pooh

Quote #3

I cannot live without books.

-Thomas Jefferson-

Quote #2

It is what you read 
when you don't have to 
that determines what you will be 

when you can't help it.

~Oscar Wilde~

March is National Reading Month ~ A Quote a Day

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.

  The man who never reads lives only one.

~George R. R. Martin~