Community Blog

by DK Publishing

I love all the books in this series. Each book  takes a plot of land and shows how it changes from pre-history human occupation through various key times in history (such as Greeks, Romans, Middle Ages, Industrial Rev. through to modern times).

Because of the detail in these books, it would probably take several sittings to go through one together with your kids. Any would also be a great one to leave out on the coffee table. These are the kind of books kids will pick up over and over again.

There’s a small amount of text on each page. Then to help give the pages focus, around the edges there are “characters” which you can then try to find in the picture. –Cool supplement to world history study and just for fun.

Other titles in the series include A Port Through Time and A City Through Time.

by Magellan Geographix

Like the United States History Atlas by the same publishers, this book is an invaluable tool for us while studying history together. Being able to pull this out and flip to a map relevant to our reading can make all the difference in our understanding the events we’re reading about. It’s painless geography, really!

Here are some questions this title will help you answer:

1. If agriculture started in the fertile crescent, where did it go from there?
2. Where were the Minoans in proximity to the Mycenaeans in Ancient Greece?
3. Hearing about the different Germanic tribes who invaded Ancient Rome is interesting, but I can’t keep them straight. Who went where?
4. What part of India did the British control in the early 1800’s?
5. Where were some of the major battles during WWI?
6. How did Europe get divided after WWII?
7. Where was the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War?

These and so many more questions can be answered by this handy, colorful reference book.

Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield

Because a Shakespeare play is so difficult to read with its English from another time and place, a book like this makes the stories accessible to younger readers and listeners. Garfield has taken select Shakespeare plays and retold them.  I’d recommend reading a given story from this book or its second volume before reading or seeing a Shakespeare play in its original. –Kind of like reading the storyline before attending an opera or becoming familiar with certain classical music pieces before hearing them in concert. It ups the enjoyment factor of the real thing immensely, in my opinion.

While these stories are retold beautifully, they are not an easy read. To read them independently, perhaps one would need to be at least 13 years old, or even older. With an adult reading aloud and retelling much along the way, this book is working well for my 10 and 11 year olds. And while we don’t have immediate plans to head out to a Shakespeare play, this is a good read just for the sake of these most interesting stories.

I’ve looked for years for a small water bottle for taking a drink in a child’s lunch. There’s really only one out there for purchase that’s small enough for a lunch box and made out of the right plastic.

We tried it, and it leaked.

I started off with this one by packing my son’s juice (or milk) in a medela breastmilk storage bottle — those things are amazingly leak proof — and taking along a cup.

The downside to that plan was that the cup took up a lot of space, had to be taken home wet, and then he’s drinking from a non-sippy cup.

Then I had the idea! Drill a hole in an extra medela bottle lid, and stick a straw in it! Pack the extra lid and straw in with his lunch! He loves his “juice box,” we reduce our trash, and best of all, I don’t have to remember to go to the store the day before co-op to buy expensive juice boxes.

Want to make one? My husband shares this tip for drilling plastic: tape duct tape on the spot where you plan to drill, this keeps the plastic from cracking.

I am really excited about Disconnected Kids: The Groundbreaking Brain Balance Program for Children with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Neurological Disorders by Dr. Robert Melillo.

What’s it about? Why am I so excited?

It’s about chiropractic neurology, something you may not have heard of, but stay with me. The author is a chiropractic neurologist, with a practice devoted to helping kids with issues including those mentioned above.

He’s written the book for those who cannot afford to travel to him, and he’s created a home therapy program — don’t freak, it’s quite do-able — for parents and children to do together at home.

I’m excited because of the improvement this technique will likely bring to our house.

The book includes extensive questionaires to help you identify the specific issue your child has — not the symptoms — but the underlying brain deficiency.

Yes, I said deficiency, don’t freak! The concept, which he explains quite thoroughly in the book, is that certain symptoms (Tourette’s, OCD, dyslexia, autism, etc.) are caused by brain disconnection — not enough communication between the sides of the brain, and a more developed hemisphere.

But that’s a simplistic explanation, please read the book yourself in order to understand it completely.

You may be able to find a chiropractic neurologist in your area to work with your child, should you wish to. But even if you plan to do that, instead of doing the home program, it would still be great to read the book in order to understand how the brain should work, and what happens when things go a little wrong.

Now, I know that some nay sayers, or just skeptics, will be thinking, “How is that possible? How can one thing cure all those problems that are unrelated?”

Well, he explains that in the book. And if they’re all brain issues, doesn’t it make sense that fixing the brain will fix the symptom?

If your child has one of these issues, I wish I could buy you this book and have it sent overnight. Please read it.

Update: I hinted above that we would be trying this in our house. Well, rather than go the DIY route, we did find a doctor to work with and my child has been cured of dyslexia!

(The views expressed in this review do not necessarily reflect those of The Community Co-op. The views expressed belong to the reviewer, who would like as many people as possible to benefit from this book!)

The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto is an amazing book.

Gatto, a former award-winning school teacher, gives the true story of the origins of the American school system. The truth is shocking.

I found it to be an absolutely fascinating read, and it only confirmed that homeschooling was the right choice for our family. It’s long, but totally worth it.

I think everyone should read it — not just homeschoolers, but anyone who cares about the system of education in America.

(Please note: the views of this reviewer do not necessarily represent those of The Community Co-op.)

(The reviewer also wishes to say that she understands that many people choose to use schools, public and private, and she respects the decisions of those parents who have made those decisions.)

Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto is a short but powerful book. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone can read it and _not_ decide to homeschool, though that is not his intention.

Gatto is a former award winning school teacher turned truth teller about the compulsory school system.

I love all of his writings, but if you find his larger tome, The Underground History of American Education: A School Teacher’s Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling overwhelming, this one is an easier start.

I don’t know what else to say about it — it’s a must read for anyone who is, or is thinking about homeschooling.

It’s also an interesting read, just to think about your own schooling experience.

(Please note: the views of this reviewer do not necessarily represent those of The Community Co-op.)

(The reviewer also wishes to say that she understands that many people choose to use schools, public and private, and she respects the decisions of those parents who have made those decisions.)

This book answers the question, “What is the most perfect science book ever?”

Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, by Bernard Nebels, Phd, is a curriculum for K-2 written for teachers and homeschoolers.

The author lays out for you exactly what you should be teaching your child during the grades K-2, and he discusses the underlying principles of science that are relevant.

There are tons of experiments and demonstrations in the book, but they are all in context of the larger ideas of the book. There are lots of “gee whiz” science experiment books out there — that are just one experiment after another without the big picture.

The experiments are “easy” from the parents point of view, in terms of what materials you need.

Oh, how I wish they had this book when my first child was younger! But I will be using this book for my second child. I strongly recommend it. It will be a great help to you if you are not strong in science, yet it is rigorous enough to satisfy those who are strong in science.

If your child is older than second grade, try Nebel’s other book: Nebel’s Elementary Education: Creating a Tapestry of Learning, which includes science. I haven’t seen this one yet, but I do plan to get a copy.

New to homeschooling in the Oak Park area? Wondering what groups are out there?

Westside HOUSE is the west suburban chapter of HOUSE, or Home Oriented Unique Schooling Experience, a non-sectarian group. HOUSE offers monthly parent support meetings, a Roots and Shoots Club for boys, and other classes and events scheduled as needed. Find them on the web at http://www.housewestside.org. Outside the Oak Park area? Check the Illinois House website to find a group near you.

TEACH, an Oak Park area Christian group, states that its purpose is to support the sharing of information and support between T.E.A.C.H. group members. Activities include a parent’s support meeting. Their yahoo group is here.

NUG, or Northside Unschoolers, can be found on the web at http://www.Northsideunschoolers.org.

In addition to a popular multi-age Girl Scout troop, NUG also hosts Open Gym, Mother’s Teas, and other events and classes planned as needed.

Are there more groups that I don’t know about? If you would like to share information about another group, please post a comment, thanks!

Wondering where to get all the handy supplies for your lunch so you can reduce your use of plastic bags?

Here’s a link to a how-to for making your own. You can also find ready-mades to buy at etsy.com.

Here’s how to sew your own reusable snack bag, with downloadable pdf option: http://wewilsons.blogspot.com.

You can buy a sandwich wrap here: http://www.wrap-n-mat.com. You can also find the Wrap ‘n Mat locally, at Green Home Experts.

Here’s a helpful post on the topic: http://www.thekitchn.com.

Want to go waste-free and Japanese? There are lots of great bento ideas at Bento Yum. An affordable place to shop for bento supplies online is http://www.ichibankanusa.com.

One co-op mom has this terrific tip: need help carrying all those water bottles and your own travel mug for coffee or tea? The Trader Joe’s wine bottle tote is just the right size for your eco-friendly and healthy steel water bottles. And only 99 cents!

Have you seen these? A handy new item for transporting hot food. Perfect for avoiding microwave use, and a way to have a hot meal besides soup!