tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80981665486042940642024-02-07T00:50:59.310-08:00May Every Word Tell"Reading is the work of the alert mind, is demanding, and under ideal conditions produces finally a sort of ecstasy." -- E. B. White lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.comBlogger419125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-88602548236663463612015-05-01T07:01:00.001-07:002015-05-01T07:01:09.836-07:00What we've been up to around here...Homeschooling most definitely has its ups and downs, but we've found our groove, and I'm pleased to say, unlike every other year, we will be doing the exact same thing next year!<br />
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Everyone will be homeschooled.<br />
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The other day, in fact, a friend and neighbor called me up and asked if I would be sending anyone to school next year in the hopes that we could carpool. I was momentarily stunned. Of course I wouldn't be sending anyone to school next year! Why would she even assume that?<br />
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Probably because I've had different kids in and out of school ever since she's known me.<br />
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I'll have to document very soon, for myself at least, how things are going and what we are doing, but suffice it to say, things are going well, and we are all very happy (the kids have the choice to go back to school, and, right now, none of them want to).<br />
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We are still not eating processed foods, and it is one of the best decisions we've ever made. EVERYONE feels better, even if not everyone loves all of their vegetables...<br />
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We are winding up most of our musical activities for the year, and we are going to do much less next year. Really, really, really.<br />
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Our garden is looking fabulous! We have twelve raised beds in the backyard filled with lettuces, cabbage, cucumbers, squash, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, peas, beans, etc... We are happy right now, but I do recognize that this is short-lived. It will soon be hot, and it will soon rain less, and I will have to water and I will not like that. Not one bit. But right now, it is a beautiful thing. We had our first salads this week with our homegrown lettuce, and they were delicious. All the kids were excited about it, including Flannery (my vegetable despiser), even though the greens were much stronger in flavor (more bitter, but somehow tastier) than Costco lettuce. We've been spreading twenty-four cubic yards of dirt over our garden in the front as well, and the kids have really been troopers, getting out there, getting dirty, building compost sculptures... spending all day long with shovels and buckets and their imaginations.<br />
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And we are reading. The older girls and I are in love with Miss Buncle:<br />
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Mary and Lucy read this and really found it interesting. Mary despises technology more than ever...</div>
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Mary is in love with this book:</div>
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Lucy loved this book:</div>
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Calvin loved this book:</div>
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Shaemus LOVES this series:</div>
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Flannery and Shaemus have been loving this book (you really should check this out!):</div>
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And we've been listening to these books on tape (almost to the point where I am going to go crazy...)</div>
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I've been doing school visits like crazy and LOVING it. Meeting kids who are excited about reading and writing (or who want to be encouraged and excited about reading and writing) is one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done!</div>
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I guess this is a post full of love, it's been such a beautiful spring! </div>
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I hope May is full of lots of reading for all of you!!!</div>
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lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-64436963261669654962015-04-07T10:33:00.001-07:002015-04-07T10:33:07.279-07:00The Best Friend Battle is Out!Hello Neglected Blog!<br />
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It's been a momentous few months. Breaking my ankle was supposed to help me get a lot of writing done since I couldn't move anyway, especially on the blog, but I got less writing done than ever. When little people know exactly where you are (the couch), they suddenly have a lot of questions for you. Like every five minutes, someone has a question, very important of course, about something.<br />
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Then I broke my arm (we need to move to a one level house). The arm brake wasn't nearly as bad as the broken ankle, but still, there's been some recuperation needed. For health reasons, our family has gotten rid of all processed foods, which has quadrupled my time in the kitchen and necessitated the twelve garden boxes my husband built in the garden a few weeks ago. We are probably going to get chickens... We are insane.<br />
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But we have been reading as always, and we are going to hop to it and get back in gear and keep posting our loves. (MS. BUNCLE'S BOOK, for example! I loved it!!! And the DRAGON WINGS series! So many good books!!!)<br />
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But I need to post that my book is officially out!<br />
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It is more fun than I imagined to have your book actually come out! I'm going to be visiting schools in NC and Utah very soon, and I can't wait to talk with kids.<br />
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My next book, THE MEAN GIRL MELTDOWN (Sylvie's second adventure) will be released on August 25th.<br />
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If you're interested in having an author's visit at your child's school, follow this link on my website to contact me:<br />
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http://www.lindsayeyre.com/contact.html<br />
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Happy reading everyone!!!<br />
<br />lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-37404862791092763662014-11-15T07:59:00.000-08:002014-11-15T07:59:00.717-08:00The Black CauldronDo you remember those books—one of the earliest fantasy series for kids?<br />
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Written by Lloyd Alexander, they are excellent. So, so, so good. Shames just devoured all series. The High King was his favorite, followed by the Black Cauldron. We're going to feed them to Shaemus next. They're so well written, I wouldn't object to the girls reading them for school either.<br />
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Do your kids love Harry Potter? Read the Book of Three aloud to them so they're hooked (or get the audio version—it's very good), then hand them the Black Cauldron, and you've got a new series to hook them on! There's even a Black Cauldron movie as a reward (though it's pretty terrible!!!)<br />
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<br />lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-30178923983127254352014-11-13T07:26:00.000-08:002014-11-13T07:26:00.612-08:00How Lucy is homeschooledLucy is one of those kids who loves school. Loves it. Not the social part of school, mind you. She eats lunch alone, makes few friends, and could care less that this is the case. She loves the academic part of school. Loves, loves, loves it. (Though it also gives her stomach aches and completely stresses her out.)<br />
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Just yesterday she told me the thing she misses most about being in regular school, besides getting grades, is preparing presentations (not giving them, preparing them). Who actually likes preparing presentations?<br />
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My daughter.<br />
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So homeschooling her is pretty easy. She does what I ask her to do with gusto, secretly worried if she does not do it with gusto, she will grow stupid.<br />
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This could be the end of the story.<br />
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But it's not.<br />
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I'm struggling with Lucy because I want her to break free of the idea of grades being the best thing about school. I want her learning to be the best thing about school. I want her CREATING to be the best thing about school.<br />
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Every day the four youngest kids have an hour of tinkering time, where they are supposed to try new things, new skills, or make new inventions. It is literally about tinkering. Shaemus and Calvin LOVE this time. It's their favorite.<br />
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Lucy, not so much. She just asked me the other day if she could do extra writing and extra Spanish during tinkering time. Not really thinking about it, I said sure.<br />
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But I've been thinking about it. I think Lucy needs tinkering time.<br />
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I think Lucy needs tinkering so she can learn how to fail.<br />
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I'm going to do some experiments with this. We've created such a right/wrong world (there is one correct answer and you'll find it in the back of the book!) in the public schools and in our society. Lucy is perfectly happy to exist in that world as long as she is on the "right" side of the fence. Being on the "wrong" side sends her into panic. (I'm not talking about morals, by the way.)<br />
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I need to create a world for Lucy where there are few right answers and few wrong answers—there is just effort and thought and inspiration and perseverance. I need to create a world for her where there is no "growing stupid."<br />
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Otherwise, when she grows up, she will be afraid of doing anything that might cross that stupid line, and her life will be very small indeed.lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-88613066185103698732014-11-11T07:17:00.000-08:002014-11-11T07:17:00.102-08:00Blue Mountain<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Give this to your animal lover or your adventure lover or your nature lover. Calvin thought it was terrific. He's now writing a book about chimpanzees... Ages 10 and up.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">(This is written by Martine Leavitt who also wrote Keturah and Lord Death, one of my top ten favorite books of all time.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Tuk the bighorn sheep is told he will be the one to save his herd, but he is young and would rather play with his bandmates than figure out why the herd needs saving. As humans encroach further and further into their territory, there is less room for the sheep to wander, food becomes scarce, and the herd's very survival is in danger. Tuk and his friends set out to find Blue Mountain, a place that Tuk sometimes sees far in the distance and thinks might be a better home. The journey is treacherous, filled with threatening pumas and bears and dangerous lands, leading Tuk down a path that goes against every one of his instincts. Still, Tuk perseveres, reaching Blue Mountain and leading his herd into a new, safe place.</span>lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-89790769904426649972014-11-08T07:14:00.000-08:002014-11-08T07:14:00.615-08:00Wednesday WarsLucy devoured this in a day. Gary Schmidt is brilliant. For kids 10 and up. It's hard to imagine someone not loving this book.<br />
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Here's a synopsis of the book:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Meet Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High, who must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has religious instruction. Mrs. Baker doesn’t like Holling—he’s sure of it. Why else would she make him read the plays of William Shakespeare outside class? But everyone has bigger things to worry about, like Vietnam. His father wants Holling and his sister to be on their best behavior: the success of his business depends on it. But how can Holling stay out of trouble when he has so much to contend with? A bully demanding cream puffs; angry rats; and a baseball hero signing autographs the very same night Holling has to appear in a play in yellow tights! As fate sneaks up on him again and again, Holling finds Motivation—the Big M—in the most unexpected places and musters up the courage to embrace his destiny, in spite of himself.</span>lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-41679997654375277502014-11-06T07:12:00.000-08:002014-11-06T07:12:00.145-08:00My Name is Asher LevThis is probably my favorite book. Mary just read it and absolutely loved it as well.<br />
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If you haven't read this book, read it. Give it to your twelve year old or older (maybe 14 or 16 would be better). It will change the way you think about people and talents and love.<br />
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It is a book that will change you.<br />
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My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok (I also love the sequel, the Gift of Asher Lev)<br />
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lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-47693737267730387402014-11-04T07:08:00.000-08:002014-11-04T07:08:00.483-08:00BranchesThere's a fantastic new series of books for kids who are still learning to read longer and longer books. I'd say these books are perfect for 1st through 3rd graders. They have lots of fantastic pictures, but they are longer than say, Henry and Mudge, and the vocabulary gets increasingly more difficult.<br />
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They are just short enough, however, for a child to read the whole thing in one block of time, something important for emerging readers who aren't yet ready to read books by chapter.<br />
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It's Scholastic's emerging reader series: Branches. The variety in this series is so tremendous, there is no way you won't find something your child will love.<br />
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Flannery loves all of them, and her reading is getting better and better every day thanks to these books.<br />
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<br />lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-42148400569518900522014-11-02T07:00:00.001-08:002014-11-02T07:00:57.983-08:00BrokenThat is one dramatic post title.<br />
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But this post deserves a little drama. </div>
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It was early on a Monday morning. My husband was out of town, four hours north in Virginia. I had to get my daughter, Mary, to her seminary class (an early-morning religious studies class for teenagers) in thirteen minutes. </div>
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When my alarm went off, I got up in body, but not quite in spirit. I was too tired to deal with the lights, so I stumbled around in the dark to get dressed (barely) and get my sandals and my glasses and get out to the car.<br />
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I made it down the first set of stairs in our house (which is a split-level) fine. When I reached the next set of stairs—the stairs I now think of as the <i>steps of doom</i>—I went down too quickly. I went down so quickly, I seemed to forget (in the dark) exactly how many steps were on those stairs, and I lurched forward with one more step to go, thinking I was done.<br />
<br />
Bam.<br />
<br />
Something snapped on my right leg. I collapsed to the ground and began to scream because the pain was so, so, so, so bad. The kids woke up. Lights went on. I was lying in the entryway of my home screaming for God to help me think and know what to do. Sam wasn't home. No adults were home. I had to go to the hospital, but I was nearly hyperventilating.<br />
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My kids were getting more and more upset. My ankle was now twice the size it should be and my foot was no longer connected properly to my leg. Mary called Sam who blearily ordered her to call 911.<br />
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"I can't!" she cried. "I'm scared. I don't know what to say."<br />
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I will always count it an amazing blessing that I was calm enough (despite my violently trembling body) to not get angry. I asked Lucy to bring me my cell phone and I called 911. In the meantime, Sam called my neighbor who came over to our house to give me a blessing. He also instructed the kids to get me pillows. I remember, in my fog, hearing the kids running around the house shouting, "Get Mom a pillow! She needs a pillow!" I think at some point I shouted, "My foot is hanging off my leg. I don't want anyone to touch me and I don't need a pillow!" <br />
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The ambulance arrived. The paramedics seemed a little dismayed by my injury. It was taking them a long time to decide how to get me out of there. I knew I couldn't move in such a state. I would pass out from the pain. They gave me some morphine which stopped the violent shaking but did not ease the pain. So they gave me more.<br />
<br />
I managed to get on the stretcher (after seriously banging my head on some furniture) and they took me to the hospital. The ER doctor noticed that my toes were turning purple, meaning the circulation to my foot was poor. With a nurse's help, he pulled my foot as hard as he could, snapping it back into place. It had been dislocated.<br />
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Oh, how much better I felt when he was finished! I'm done! I thought. That's it! My ankle had been dislocated. Nothing else is wrong.<br />
<br />
I got an x-ray soon after and fully thought the doctor would bring me the good news that I was fine and could go home.<br />
<br />
I started to cry when he said I'd broken my tibia clean through and my fibula in two places.<br />
<br />
There's no need for further details, but I had surgery last Tuesday, and was incredibly surprised (once the anesthetic wore off) by how much it hurts to have a plate and screws drilled into your bones. I'm so grateful for my mom and my mother-in-law for coming out to help take care of us. I can't drive or put weight on this foot for at least a few more weeks. I've been on the couch for two weeks and I'll be on this couch for several more.<br />
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The lessons I've learned have already been great. For one thing, I know that God knows me personally, and he will always, always be with me. I've also learned how much I love my children, and how much I need to really focus on them when I'm home. I don't mean that they need more time from me, but they need more FOCUS.<br />
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They need to be listened to and respected for their ideas and insights. They don't need to be told what to do so much as they need a forum to test out their ideas. A safe place where they can learn from mistakes.<br />
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I am learning that there is very little direct instruction my kids need both in life and in school. They need examples of awesomeness that inspire them. They need to be free to discuss anything that is confusing or interesting. They need to be creatively motivated, and then they need to know they have an audience excited to hear about their ideas.<br />
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Children are not boxes to be placed on a conveyor belt and stamped with all the correct labels. They are individuals that need every opportunity to dig deeper into every aspect of their lives and to have someone there, ready to lend a hand or shine a light or just listen.<br />
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When I am not stuck on a couch, right in the middle of my family swirling around me, I want to have that same FOCUS. I want to be that same parent. I want to shut out the voices telling me that my children need to be this or look like that or have these skills or this resume, and listen to my childrens' voices telling me the help they need to grow up into happy, creative, confident, hard-working, mindful people.<br />
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When I get off this couch, I hope to be a better person, a better mother and teacher. I hope that more than just my bones won't be quite so broken. </div>
lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-17278228508738268242014-10-09T10:56:00.001-07:002014-10-09T10:56:57.146-07:00No way—Nothing's better than EragonI was given a challenge last week by one of the kids in my writing class.<div>
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It went something like this: </div>
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Him: "Do you like Eragon?"</div>
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Me: "Meh."</div>
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Him: "No way. Eragon is the best. It's like in my top favorite of all time books."</div>
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Me: "That's awesome. But I bet I can find books for you that will knock Eragon off its throne of power."</div>
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Him: "No way."</div>
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Me: "Yes way."</div>
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Him: "Bring it on."</div>
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Me: "Oh, it's coming."</div>
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So the time needs to come, and it needs to come now. Here's my list so far of books that I think he will like even better than ERAGON (he also liked Mysterious Benedict Society, to give you an idea of his preferences):</div>
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THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE</div>
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THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND</div>
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HEROES OF THE VALLEY</div>
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MAIRELON THE MAGICIAN</div>
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THE TALES OF UMBER</div>
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THE DARK IS RISING</div>
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SEA OF TROLLS</div>
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JINX</div>
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THE UNFORTUNATE SON</div>
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GOBLIN SECRETS</div>
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ALCATRAZ AND THE EVIL LIBRARIANS</div>
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THE WIZARD OF EARTHSEA</div>
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SABRIEL</div>
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MAGYK</div>
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AIRBORNE</div>
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THIS DARK INTENT</div>
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HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE</div>
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THE WEE FREE MEN</div>
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DEALING WITH DRAGONS</div>
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HOUSE OF THE SCORPION</div>
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THE EAR, THE EYE, AND THE ARM</div>
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THE LAST OF THE REALLY GREAT WHANGDOODLES</div>
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HOLES</div>
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WEDNESDAY WARS</div>
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OKAY FOR NOW</div>
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WHEN YOU REACH ME</div>
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THE EGYPT GAME</div>
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FREAK THE MIGHTY</div>
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PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS</div>
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REDWALL</div>
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WHAT CAME FROM THE STARS</div>
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Any other ideas????</div>
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lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-56775362241167940612014-10-07T10:14:00.002-07:002014-10-07T10:14:28.022-07:00How We Do Homeschooling (right now) Part TwoFlannery<br />
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<b>Age</b>: 6<br />
<b>Temperament</b>: Cheerful (unless she doesn't get what she wants—then hound dog is the best way to describe her)<br />
<b>Struggles that make homeschooling tricky</b>: Can be lazy. Prone to fibbing. Doesn't like to do hard things.<br />
<b>Passions</b>: art, writing<br />
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I was worried about homeschooling Flannery. I've always had a rule since I attempted this back in 2008 that I would never homeschool a child until they were completely self-sufficient, particularly with reading.<br />
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But you try telling your six-year-old that everyone else gets to be homeschooled while you have to go to school by yourself. She liked Kindergarten most of the time, but her teacher was not super tuned into her (or any of the kids), and there were times last year when she asked why she couldn't be homeschooled like Mary and Shaemus.<br />
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I will admit something right now. There was a lot of meaningless threatening going on the first few weeks of homeschool. I probably said, "If you don't do (fill in the blank), you will go back to school tomorrow," five thousand times.<br />
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I didn't really mean it, but I said it, and it did no good, but patiently training Flannery has done some good. She is very, very independent. I just have to make sure she's actually done what she says she's done.<br />
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This is Flannery's schedule:<br />
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Cello practice from 8-9<br />
Math with Teaching Textbooks from 9-10<br />
Reading from 10-11<br />
Workbooks (see below) and writing 11-12<br />
Art (drawing, sculpting, painting)/P.E./Piano/Building/Science and basically anything else she's interested in doing the rest of the day.<br />
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Official school isn't that long for Flannery, but because it is really long for everyone else, she ends up doing extra work without knowing it's happening. We have a bazillion books for her to explore here and we go to the library every week. I'm finding her curled up alone with a book, her lips moving silently, more and more often. Her reading gets better every single day, and she's doing surprisingly well with math.<br />
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She likes to save everything she makes and everything everyone else makes, and she never wants to clean up after herself. She makes my house a wreck. This is a MAJOR problem I have patience with about one time out of ten, but...<br />
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I am loving homeschooling her. I told a friend just yesterday that everything around our house seems to get happier and happier as each day passes.<br />
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My kids are being creative, and they are being creative all day long.<br />
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Yesterday, Flannery made a crazy elephant out of playdough. It doesn't sound like much, but she spent a long time on this elephant, and it was the best playdough sculpture I've ever seen. She's been designing her own board game complete with complicated instructions, math, warnings, and fabulous pictures. She made a 3D map of the world the other day out of model magic—all done completely on her own, and it was really, really good! (I'd post pictures if I had a phone that took pictures, but I do not. Maybe one day.) She has been teaching herself the piano, and she really is doing it! She works in the yard with me and makes discoveries every few seconds (Mom, what's a grub good for? Why does that squirrel have an ouchy on its back? What would hurt it? How is this growing here? Why do weeds keep coming?). Her stories are fabulous—about things like jellyfish that eat vegetables for a job.<br />
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All of this comes from within her. It seems to me that creativity is something that bubbles and froths and grows and grows when given the best ingredients. It is limitless. It never diminishes under the right conditions. And the confidence kids get when they create something interesting from start to finish after much trial and effort is indescribable.<br />
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If you gauged learning on engagement (meaning both mind and heart are completely occupied in a task), Flannery is learning at home every single second of homeschool (with the possible exception of the two workbooks I have her work in every day...). Not a minute of her time is wasted, and man, that makes her one happy kid.<br />
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<br />lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-34041436927529490182014-09-30T09:49:00.001-07:002014-09-30T09:49:26.142-07:00How We Do Homeschooling (right now) Part OneMARY<br />
<br />
Age: 14 (scary!)<br />
Temperament: Good. Pleasant.<br />
Struggles that might make homeschooling tricky: Prone to despair. Time management. Organization.<br />
Passions: Music<br />
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<br />
This is Mary's ninth grade year, so these are the things we decided she should study:<br />
<br />
Geometry<br />
Anatomy<br />
Music History along with some art history<br />
Music Theory<br />
Alexander Technique (a truly awesome thing)<br />
Literature<br />
Shakespeare<br />
Writing<br />
Cultural Geography<br />
Music<br />
German<br />
<br />
Boy, that sounds awesome doesn't it? I should just leave it alone at that. Superhero homeschool Mom of the universe!!!<br />
<br />
In truth, this is Mary's day:<br />
<br />
Practice viola—four to five hours<br />
Math—one hour<br />
Reading/Literature—at least one hour (She's currently loving THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO)<br />
All her other subjects, she squeezes in whenever she can around math, practicing, and her bazillions of music rehearsals. She probably spends three to four hours per week on each subject. Other than German (which she takes through BYU's Independent Study Program) and her math, she doesn't have tests. I don't require assignments other than some writing. She studies her books, takes notes—the end.<br />
<br />
So how do I know she's studying and learning?<br />
<br />
Tough to say. I don't 100% know anything. I examine her notebooks regularly, and they are chock full of great stuff. She's allowed to write in her textbooks, and there is a great deal of underlining being done. But is that enough to know?<br />
<br />
I second guess myself constantly on this issue with all of the kids. Kids in the United States now spend an average of 30-40% of their time in school taking tests. Kids in Finland spend 3% or less of their time taking tests, and Finland rocks the rest of the world on every measurable test. I'm on the side of Finland!!! I remember so little of what I memorized in Junior High and High School and College. So very, very little. Memorization only takes you so far especially when we live in this age with such easy access to all sorts of information.<br />
<br />
What I'm trying to worry about is her ability to express herself and her ability to think and her ability to learn on her own and, finally, her ability to take ownership for that learning.<br />
<br />
She is studying anatomy because she wants to better understand how music affects the body and how a musician physically learns to play.<br />
<br />
She is studying literature with my guidance, but selecting her own books.<br />
<br />
She is studying Music History rather than plain old World History because it relates so deeply to her passions.<br />
<br />
She is studying German because she wants to live in Germany or Austria one day with its deep tradition of music.<br />
<br />
She talks about her learning regularly in casual conversation. Her writing is clear and well-organized. She needs to work on it, as we all do, but she's growing. I can see it.<br />
<br />
Most importantly, she works enthusiastically and independently all day long. She decides when she does what. She keeps a record. She knows if she doesn't do what she needs to do, going to college is going to be tough. She knows what she is learning will impact her now and in the future—and not just because of college. She knows that time wasted is gone forever.<br />
<br />
I am writing this down because it is tough to remember this. It is tough to remember that I know my daughter is learning and growing when people say things to you like, "They've got to go to school to face the tough knocks. How else will they be prepared for life?"<br />
<br />
I have no answer for this but that I want her to learn a great deal more than just tough knocks.<br />
<br />
Here are the texts Mary is using for her various subjects. There are pros and cons to them, but, for the most part, they are the best we could find, and we're satisfied. We do <b><a href="http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Textbooks</a></b> for math and LOVE it. We also have a Shakespeare class she takes on Fridays and I teach a writing class to the same group (about eighteen teens). It gives her a chance to present, discuss things in groups, etc... She really loves that.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/History-Western-Music-Ninth/dp/0393918297/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412094968&sr=8-3&keywords=music+history" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"></a></span><br />
<div class="imageBox" style="box-sizing: content-box; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; position: relative;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/History-Western-Music-Ninth/dp/0393918297/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412094968&sr=8-3&keywords=music+history" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61jy+RRgSdL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Musicians-Guide-Theory-Analysis-Second/dp/0393930815/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1412095001&sr=8-8&keywords=music+theory+textbook" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><div class="imageBox" style="box-sizing: content-box; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; position: relative;">
<img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/519pF-qS5zL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></div>
</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Indirect-Procedures-Musicians-Alexander-Integrated-ebook/dp/B00D3MA3NG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1412095115&sr=8-2&keywords=alexander+technique+for+musicians" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><div class="imageBox" style="box-sizing: content-box; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; position: relative;">
<img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/410i4obSx%2BL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></div>
</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div class="imageBox" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: underline;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Mona-Lisa-Prehistoric-Post-Modern/dp/0740768727/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1412094938&sr=8-4&keywords=art+history" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/511bIEQBsxL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Travel-Book-Journey-Through-Country/dp/1742200796/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412095280&sr=8-1&keywords=the+travel+book" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Travel-Book-Journey-Through-Country/dp/1742200796/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412095280&sr=8-1&keywords=the+travel+book" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51KRWaDBIwL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div class="imageBox" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: underline;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Human-Body-Coloring-Book/dp/0756682347/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412094919&sr=8-1&keywords=human+body+coloring+book" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51YXq8JjOaL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div class="imageBox" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: underline;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Human-Body-Book-Second/dp/1465402136/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412094905&sr=8-1&keywords=human+body+book" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51xssfPbeDL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
</span>lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-65856706397855276912014-09-25T19:55:00.000-07:002014-09-25T19:55:00.715-07:00The Five Paragraph EssayIf you google: <i>Should we dump the five paragraph essay?</i> you will see mostly a list of articles saying that yes, we should. You will see a few defending it. You find a lot of articles where college professors bemoan this essay form taught in so many high schools, claiming they have to teach their students all over again how to write.<br />
<br />
I am on the dump-it side of the equation. Lots of people have different reasons for this, but I have one and only one reason:<br />
<br />
Who wants to read an essay where the writer first explains what they are about to say, then explains it, then says the exact same thing in a conclusion?<br />
<br />
Nobody.<br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
They are boring.<br />
<br />
Longform.com puts together what they think are the ten best news articles from 2013. For my writing class, I took the first paragraphs from five of those articles and put them in one document. Each one looked something like this:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: FranklinITCProLight, HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue Light', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.8em; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span>T</span>hey had promised to try everything, so Mark Barden went down into the basement to begin another project in memory of Daniel. The families of Sandy Hook Elementary were collaborating on a Mother’s Day card, which would be produced by a marketing firm and mailed to hundreds of politicians across the country. “A difference-maker,” the organizers had called it. Maybe if Mark could find the most arresting photo of his 7-year-old son, people would be compelled to act.</div>
Where is the thesis statement in this article? Where is the clear explanation of everything that will follow? I think we can say from this paragraph that this article will be about gun control, but we don't know what it's going to say.<br />
<br />
Not only that, but this paragraph throws us right into action. There is no history given here, no recounting of events so we know where we stand. This paragraph starts right with Mark Barden going down into the basement to find a photo. Every one of the ten articles begins with action. They also begin with a question or questions. From this paragraph, I want to know if Mark Barden found that picture. If it made a difference. I want to know who he made that promise to. I want to know which politicians listened and which politicians did not. I want to know more about Mark Borden. There are a lot of things this paragraph makes me want to know, and that's why I keep reading.<br />
<br />
The five paragraph essay does not lend itself easily to questions. It is difficult to provide mystery in such a confining form.<br />
<br />
I think the five paragraph essay is taught to give students a rudimentary structure to follow. I think it's taught to keep them focused. I think it's taught because it is easy to grade.<br />
<br />
Rubric: Thesis statement? 4. Supporting paragraphs? 3. Conclusion? 2. Grade: 3.<br />
<br />
Why do we teach forms of writing that don't mirror anything we do in the real world? Why do we teach forms of writing that will—without question—bore these students to death so that they hate to write?<br />
<br />
Too many kids hate to write, and it is the fault of the people teaching them what writing is about.<br />
<br />
This, by the way, was my students favorite of the five paragraphs:<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2 class="sub-header" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1d1d1d; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
<span>Remember that crazy story about the dude in Mississippi who mailed ricin to Obama and then tried to frame some other dude in Mississippi for the crime? Well, as Wells Tower discovered when he traveled to Tupelo and started poking around, the story is a thousand times crazier than you thought.</span></h2>
<div>
<span><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span>No thesis statement here, but there sure are a lot of questions...</span></div>
lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-48612667492394003192014-09-23T06:52:00.000-07:002014-09-23T06:52:00.030-07:00Falcon Fever—Can any kid love falconry?This is a bit of a strange post. It's a lot about schooling and it's also about a book I haven't read. It's also about my quest to help my kids figure out the things that they love.<br />
<br />
Calvin loves facts. He loves facts about everything. If there was a job where you could memorize facts and quiz people about them, Calvin would love that job.<br />
<br />
It's not hard to find him a book he will like, but to find him a book he will love... that's a trickier thing.<br />
<br />
All of my kids have to read some non-fiction and take notes/write about it every day. What they read is up to them as long as I approve it (mostly to check the complexity).<br />
<br />
I have a lot of visions for my kids, and one vision I've occasionally had for Calvin is that he might be a falconer one day.<br />
<br />
I know. That's weird. A falconer. Aren't there, like, three falconer jobs in the entire world? Why would I encourage this as an interest?<br />
<br />
The answer is this: I don't know.<br />
<br />
But in my desire to encourage falconry (???), I bought Calvin this:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></span><br />
<div class="imageBox" style="color: #cc6600; display: inline-block; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: underline;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Falcon-Fever-Falconer-Twenty-first-Century/dp/0547237790/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410875065&sr=8-1&keywords=falcon+fever" style="color: #cc6600; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5130iQiH%2BXL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; height: 160px; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Falcon Fever by Tim Gallagher. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span>
This is not juvenile nonfiction, and as much as I wish I could say differently, I've never had success getting my kids to read most adult nonfiction. This book doesn't have pictures. Any. Zero. It's 336 pages long.<br />
<br />
But this is one of the reviews of the book:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Starred Review* Falconry, a sport most of us equate with medieval kings and Arabian potentates, is alive and well in the twenty-first century. Gallagher, author (The Grail Bird, 2005) and editor in chief of Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s journal Living Bird, brings this arcane sport to life in his memoir-cum-travelogue-cum-falconry-history. Although he was born in England, Gallagher’s family moved to Canada and finally California in his childhood. An abusive father drove the young boy to nature, and when he discovered the thirteenth-century book on falconry by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, he was hooked. In part 1 of the book, Gallagher recounts his boyhood, obsessed with hawks and falcons, running with a less-than-perfect crowd, getting arrested for selling marijuana, and spending time in jail. This formative period segues into part 2, when the author decided to spend a year following in Frederick II’s footsteps, both figuratively and literally. This engaging book draws readers in from page 1, and we want to learn more about Gallagher’s life, his quest for understanding the souls of falconers from Frederick II to himself, and the majesty of the hunting falcons. A gem.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small;">The reviewer says: "This engaging book draws readers in from page 1." </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small;">It drew Calvin in, but I doubt it would draw many other kids in, because how many kids are going to love a book about falconry (actually maybe a lot would...). The point is, I had a hunch about a book Calvin would like despite its lack of flash and lack of pictures. He likes this book FOR THE TOPIC. He is interested in this subject, and he will, therefore, read difficult books about it. He's not finished with this beast, but he's already asking for more books on falconry.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small;">I believe the same thing can happen for ALL CHILDREN on a lot of different subjects. If we as parents, teachers, the community as a whole, would recognize that we should help children find their particular interests, nurture them, help them grow, the children of this country would grow exponentially in their reading and writing abilities and other basic skills. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small;">And they wouldn't even know it was happening because they'd be too focused on falconry to wonder if they're going to make benchmark this year.</span></span>lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-13093359636192866122014-09-21T16:18:00.000-07:002014-09-21T16:18:00.163-07:00Interested in Classical Music but don't know where to start? Want to get your kids interested?Here are some of our favorite youtube clips of awesome classical music performances:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mujLDuqI5Pc" target="_blank">Smetana, Quartet No.1 "From My Life" - 1. Allegro vivo appassionato</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROWnNIVgVyA" target="_blank">Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg Plays Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto on the Tonight Show</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP4NzTUmIt4" target="_blank">Stjepan Hauser - Hungarian Rhapsody Op. 68 (LIVE)</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upNuCeu3nes" target="_blank">D.Shostakovich-piano trio, op. 67 (1944)-finale. S.Richter,O.Kagan, N.Gutman.</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTU8Q0paSzk" target="_blank">Eileen Ivers, Nadja Salerno Sonnenberg, Regina Carter 2002</a>lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-4165346909633349142014-09-19T15:52:00.000-07:002014-09-19T15:52:00.204-07:00Julia, ChildLovely, delightful, a celebration of childhood. The pictures are the sort of thing I want to hang on my walls. (Which maybe gives you an idea of the kind of things I hang on my walls...)<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Julia-Child-Kyo-Maclear/dp/1770494499/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410648733&sr=8-1&keywords=julia%2C+child" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51o-jh-BuGL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
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Julia and Simca are two young friends who agree that you can never use too much butter -- and that it is best to be a child forever. Sharing a love of cooking and having no wish to turn into big, busy people who worry too much and dawdle too little, they decide to create a feast for growing and staying young. A playful, scrumptious celebration of the joy of eating, the importance of never completely growing up and mastering the art of having a good time,<i style="font-style: italic;">Julia, Child</i> is a fictional tale loosely inspired by the life and spirit of the very real Julia Child -- a story that should be taken with a grain of salt and a generous pat of butter.</div>
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lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-50203695607392363642014-09-17T15:46:00.000-07:002014-09-17T15:46:00.375-07:00My Writing ClassLast Friday, I held my first-ever writing class for eighteen teenagers.<br />
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It was awesome. I'm not implying that I was awesome—I don't want to think about that one way or another—but the kids were awesome. Some of them loved to write already. Some loved to read but weren't so sure about writing. Some avowedly hating writing, but they all listened, and they got it.<br />
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When they asked them what the rules of writing are, they said, "There are no rules!" And they would be mostly correct.<br />
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I say mostly, because there are a few rules of writing.<br />
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Here are the six rules I gave them and I want them to live by as we critique each others' work. (That's how we're going to do things in this class—not too much talking from me, mostly sharing from them.)<br />
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1) No story is too lost (if you aren't willing to give up!)<br />
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2) Everything can be fixed<br />
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3) The fixes are often smaller than you think<br />
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4) Be prepared to throw out everything—but when you throw out everything because you understand your story better, that is true progress!<br />
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5) You are never done—and that's a good thing!<br />
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<b><u>6) Writing is not a talent, it is a skill that needs regular practice to be developed</u></b><br />
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They don't teach that in schools. In school, they teach rules. In a lot of homeschools, they teach rules. Rules overwhelm children when they are trying to grasp their ideas and put them down on the page. Rules overwhelm adults when they are trying to grasp their ideas and put them down on the page. Rules are easy to state, easy to enforce, easy to grade. But rules do not teach how to write.<br />
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The last step in publishing (basically) is copy-editing. And yet that is one of the first things teachers work on with their students. Copy-editing.<br />
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The last step in teaching writing to people of all ages should be copy-editing. The first step should be talking about ideas.<br />
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More later...<br />
<br />lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-6591203574774748922014-09-15T15:38:00.000-07:002014-09-15T15:38:00.307-07:00The Actual and Awful Truth of Becky ThatcherAlert important people! Calvin devoured this book and the main character is a girl!!! Not that he won't ever read a book where the main character is a girl—he will and does—but this book is <i>overtly</i> about a girl. <div>
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There must have been something about the cover, because I did not put this before him and even suggest he read it. </div>
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But he couldn't stop reading once he started. He made himself two hours late getting his homeschool stuff done because he couldn't stop reading. </div>
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And I let him.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Actual-Truthful-Adventures-Becky-Thatcher/dp/1481401505/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-1&keywords=adventures+of+becky" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51OrInHC2DL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Description from Amazon:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Tom Sawyer’s and Huckleberry Finn’s adventures are legendary, but what about the story you haven’t heard? In 1860, eleven-year-old Becky Thatcher is the new girl in town, determined to have adventures like she promised her brother Jon before he died. With her Mama frozen in grief and her Daddy busy as town judge, Becky spends much of her time on her own, getting into mischief. Before long, she joins the boys at school in a bet to steal from the Widow Douglas, and Becky convinces her new best friend, Amy Lawrence, to join her.<br /><br />But the theft doesn’t go as planned, and Widow Douglas ends up being unfairly accused of grave robbing as a result. So Becky concocts a plan to clear the Widow’s name. If she pulls it off, she might just get her Mama to notice her again, as well as fulfill her promise to Jon in a most unexpected way. That is, if that tattletale Tom Sawyer will quit following her around.</span></span></div>
lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-27766288913849043572014-09-12T13:20:00.000-07:002014-09-12T13:20:00.452-07:00You must read (or listen) to this book.This book is my kind of book, and the audio version of this book is even more perfect.<br />
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I do not say this often. Please, at least try the audio. The narrator perfectly captures Astri as she has to make decision after decision. As she faces one brutal challenge after another. It's tough to weave stories into books. So many readers shut down when a character starts telling a story, but not in this book.<br />
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This is the kind of book I want to shake in people's faces until they pick it up to read it.<br />
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Picture me shaking this book in your face. Then pick it up to read it (please!)<br />
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Ages 10 and up.<br />
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lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-44953830675699798302014-09-11T08:18:00.000-07:002014-09-11T08:18:00.041-07:00A writing class for teensI'm teaching a writing class for homeschooled teens this year. I'm really excited (and a little nervous). I poured over all of my writing books for essential texts I wanted them to read. What I ended up choosing surprised me.<br />
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These kids aren't necessarily striving to be fiction writers. Many of them aren't striving to be writers at all. Most of them will probably be there because their parents are forcing them, so my goals are pretty simple:<br />
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1) To help them learn how to think like a writer<br />
2) To develop within them an energy for writing—the beginning of passion<br />
3) To help them feel creative, powerful, and strong as they write<br />
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I also feel like the goals of any kind of writing are the same:<br />
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1) To communicate an idea<br />
2) To convince your audience<br />
3) To capture your audiences attention (and possibly heart)<br />
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With those things in mind, I chose these two books:<br />
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<i>The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life </i>by Twyla Tharp<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Creative-Habit-Learn-Life/dp/0743235274/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410275559&sr=8-1&keywords=creative+tharp" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51U-BkmvXWL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
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<i>A Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation </i>by Noah Lukeman.<br />
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Neither of these were books I planned on choosing. I still can't believe I did, but after looking over everything, I decided I wanted books to inspire. Twyla Tharp's book is nothing but inspirational and encouraging. It is also full of ways to embrace creativity and make any project your own—autonomous.<br />
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I am opposed to the serious study of grammar before a love of writing is firmly in hand. So why would I pick a punctuation book?<br />
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This book shows how punctuation is a tool to empower the writer. It is also chock full of fabulous examples of great writing. It is not about grammar. It's about flow.<br />
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If anyone else has any great ideas for texts, I'd love to hear them. I think I'll post my first lesson plan here, just to remember it!lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-50126573090575063202014-09-09T08:04:00.001-07:002014-09-09T08:04:33.914-07:00My Website and Squirrel's WorldMy book is coming out March 31 of next year. Here is the cover!<br />
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You have to have a website if you have a book (it is a law of the internet), so I have a website now. I'm linking this blog to the website, and I suppose I'll have to link this blog to the website. I'm also going to try to be more active on twitter, and I will occasionally recommend books on twitter as well as here. </div>
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My website: lindsayeyre.com and my twitter name (or whatever that is called...) is @lindsayeyre (I think).</div>
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Now, onto the good stuff.</div>
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Flannery just read out loud to me a favorite book I've never blogged about before:</div>
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SQUIRREL'S WORLD by Lisa Moser</div>
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A perfect read aloud for you to your child or for your child to you. You can't help but love Squirrel, and Valeri Gorbachev is one of my favorite illustrators!</div>
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Ages 3 and up for a read aloud. Ages 6 and up to read on their own.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Squirrels-World-Candlewick-Lisa-Moser/dp/0763666440/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410274926&sr=8-1&keywords=squirrel%27s+world" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51hFPe0iY0L._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
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lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-74727888490226807592014-09-04T09:35:00.001-07:002014-09-04T09:35:58.376-07:00BracesLucy got braces today. She looks awesome—doesn't know what to do with her lips. She asked the orthodontist why on earth she would want different colored elastics on her braces; it's not as if she'd want anyone to look at them. I think she'll keep her mouth shut for the next year.<br />
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I'm not sure this was a helpful thing, but the entire way home, we discussed this excellent book by the excellent <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Raina Telgemeier.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Smile-Raina-Telgemeier/dp/0545132061/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1409848290&sr=8-5&keywords=raina+telgemeier" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41cIVkCa7uL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
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A true horror story of braces. Not for the faint of heart, but perfect for its laughter and its tears. A must for every preteen and teen.lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-77154276603887297172014-08-31T17:53:00.000-07:002014-08-31T17:53:00.516-07:00For your fantasy lover...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For anyone who loves Lord of the Rings or Wizard of Earthsea or Game of Thrones...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Abhorsen Trilogy beginning with Sabriel. This is a NY Times bestselling series, but I don't hear people talking about it, and it's old enough, you might not know about it for your child who loves fantasy. AND IT HAS A GIRL PROTAGONIST! That is saying something.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Ages 12 and up</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lirael-Daughter-Clayr-Garth-Nix/dp/0060005424/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409359779&sr=1-3&keywords=sabriel" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41WoWEVjkKL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sabriel-Abhorsen-Garth-Nix/dp/0064471837/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409359779&sr=1-1&keywords=sabriel" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kUTJ51esL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clariel-Lost-Abhorsen-Garth-Nix/dp/006156155X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409359779&sr=1-4&keywords=sabriel" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #0066c0; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51L-zcSuc9L._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Since childhood, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who refuse to stay dead. But now her father, the Abhorson, is missing, and Sabriel must cross into that world to find him. With Mogget, whose feline form hides a powerful, perhaps malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage, Sabriel travels deep into the Old Kingdom. There she confronts an evil that threatens much more than her life and comes face-to-face with her own hidden destiny. . . .</span></span>lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-69607639791628201522014-08-29T17:40:00.004-07:002014-08-29T17:40:49.881-07:00Guji Guji<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I cannot believe this book is out of print. It is, without question, one of the best picture books of all time. Simple, sweet, and the pictures are gorgeous. If you haven't read this before, you should. Now. Even better if you read it aloud to a child. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Perfect.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Guji-Chih-Yuan-Chen/dp/1929132670/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409359074&sr=8-1&keywords=guji" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/410Y90TMDJL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Ages 3 and up.</span>lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098166548604294064.post-46352673182770399962014-08-28T07:05:00.004-07:002014-08-28T07:05:53.914-07:00The Fourteenth GoldfishThis is a great book for 10 and up. Boys and girls. Science geeks and non-science geeks. The chapters are short. The book moves so fast, I blinked and was finished. Great for discussions about science and life and what the future may or may not bring. We are big Jennifer Holm fans around here, and this book did not disappoint. One of her best!<br />
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The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Fourteenth-Goldfish-Jennifer-Holm/dp/0375870644/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409234707&sr=8-1&keywords=fourteenth+goldfish" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Fourteenth-Goldfish-Jennifer-Holm/dp/0375870644/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409234707&sr=8-1&keywords=fourteenth+goldfish" style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #e47911; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage cfMarker" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TzuMPYTPL._AA160_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; height: 160px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top; width: 160px;" /></a></div>
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Here's a review:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Eleven-year-old Ellie Cruz's life changes dramatically when her mother brings a teenage boy home one night and she learns it is her estranged grandfather. Melvin is a scientist who has figured out how to reverse aging and is now 13 again. Tensions are high between Melvin and his adult daughter, Ellie's mother, but Ellie feels like she now has the opportunity to really get to know her grandfather. Her interest in science blossoms, and she is eager to help Melvin retrieve the jellyfish specimen he used in his experiments so he can publish his discovery. Fascinated, Ellie learns about the work of Jonas Salk, Robert Oppenheimer, and Marie Curie. But as she learns more, she realizes that scientific discoveries often have unforeseen consequences. Readers are carried along with Ellie as she navigates old and new friendships in her first year in middle school with the added complication of her teenage grandfather at the same school. Short chapters keep the story moving at an engaging pace, and the interactions among the characters will easily hold readers' interest. Ellie's growing relationship with her grandfather helps her make discoveries about herself. Melvin, who begins as unapologetically single-minded in his determination to continue his work, also learns from Ellie. With humor and heart, Holm has crafted a story about life, family, and finding one's passion that will appeal to readers willing to imagine the possible.</span>lindsay eyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02394740649672328926noreply@blogger.com0