Series: Ten Terrific Weeks Reading Adventure Programs.
Subject Areas: History, Science, Literature, Fantasy, the Arts, Geography, Anatomy/Physiology.
Ages: 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12.
Type: Curriculum Guide

With the approach of summer vacation, and all those hours begging to be filled, you should take a look at our Ten Terrific Weeks Reading Adventure Programs, based on groupings of Usborne titles. The authors of these guides tell us that “each one is designed to keep your child active, learning, and thinking. These programs are designed to help you learn more about your child’s thoughts and personality.” You'll need to purchase the guide AND the books that go along with that guide.

The preparations needed for these programs are generally simple and easy to do a day or so ahead of time. In each guide you’ll find a list of topics to be covered, any materials needed for hands-on activities (these are all simple items, and inexpensive.) Next is a day-by-day outline of the assignments to be done, and at the end is a certificate that you present to the student when the course is completed to recognize their achievement.

Each day, specific short reading assignments are given. Thought-provoking questions follow, which are to be used for discussion and/or journaling. The various hands-on activities are described, internet explorations are suggested, and some easy field trips are recommended for additional experience and information. It's a varied and interesting approach to learning which could also work well for curriculum during the regular school year. These assignments could be done with a single student or a group of students; I've heard of small neighborhood groups doing these together so the kids enjoy the company, as well as the added advantage of seeing and hearing peer thoughts and ideas. I do really advocate the journaling part! We have required this of our children beginning in elementary school. It's a low pressure way to teach them to express themselves on paper -- a very important skill, even more so now that the College Boards require writing!

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Of Interest To: Parents, Home Schoolers, Day Care Providers, Camp directors, Librarians and Media Specialists, Teachers

This week is officially TV Turn-Off Week. If you love televison, you just might not want to read today's post, because I don't find much about TV watching that's very beneficial. There are lots of educators and physicians who agree.

The average U.S. household has the television on more than 7 hours a day; almost 50 hours a week! In contrast, what's the average amount of time per day that a child 6 or under will read or be read to? 41 minutes. TV Turnoff Network tells us: "On average, children in the US will spend more time in front of the television (1,023 hours) than in school this year (900 hours)."

My personal opinion is that TV slowly destroys the desire to read. It has a numbing effect because it requires no interaction, no activity, no imagination, and no communication; yet at the same time it demands our attention. It replaces people. You can't plan, strategize or fulfill responsibilities while watching tv. TV robs families of basic communication. It can create an environment of laziness. Have you ever really thought about the strangeness of this habit -- sitting in front of a box, escaping from your real life by living thru others' experiences, all the while exposing yourself to violence, sexual innuendo and more? You'd never invite someone into your home to do these things, yet daily we invite TV to affect us this way. Not a very pretty picture.

Then there are the physical implications:
US Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher said at the Kick Off of TV-Turnoff Week 2001, "We are raising the most overweight generation of youngsters in American history...This week is about saving lives."

Look at this article by Sherrie Le Masurier, co-owner of Family Sanity Savers, a site offering smart solutions for busy parents:

"Research shows children who consistently spend more than ten hours per week watching TV are more likely to be overweight. Okay, so maybe you don’t have an overweight child, but consider the fact that most children get a great deal of information about health from television. Much of this comes in the form of an ad. Typically, ads don’t give true or balanced views about healthy lifestyles and food choices. Many TV ads encourage unhealthy eating habits. Two-thirds of the 20,000 TV ads the average child sees in a given year are for food and in particular, foods with high-sugar counts.
And just think of how television shows, even educational, non-commercial ones, replace physical activity in your child’s life. TV-viewing takes away from participating in sports, music, art and other activities. Regular viewing encourages a sedentary lifestyle which in turn, can lead to poor physical fitness down the road. Further it decreases time spent in social interactions with family and peers.
Research also suggests that television viewing may be associated with decreased attention spans in children. A recent study from Dimitri Christakis, a researcher at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, indicates that pre-school aged children who watch television face increased risks of attention deficit problems by the time they reach school age. The study was published in the April 2005 issue of Pediatrics:
'For many years, teachers and doctors have told us that, in their experience, many of the children who have the most difficulty focusing and paying attention are also the heaviest TV-watchers. This study provides scientific data confirming their belief, says TV-Turnoff Network Executive Director Frank Vespe. The network sponsors TV Turn Off Week which is held each year at the end of April. In 2006, families are encouraged to turn their televisions off April 24 to 30th. This report underscores that the early years of a child's life are absolutely crucial to the development of a healthy brain. It makes clear that each hour of daily television-viewing in very young children is associated with a 10 percent increase in their risk of suffering attention deficit problems.'
TV also influences children’s attitudes toward themselves and others. After seeing the stereotypes represented on television over and over, children begin to take them at face value."

So, what are YOU going to do about it? This week is the perfect time to start. When we've had TV free weeks at our house, we rediscovered the excitement and fun of reading and lots of other activities. We talked more, lingered at the dinner table longer to talk, and spent more time outside or simply relaxing. You could start by choosing a good book or two to read with your kids this week. Usborne has hundreds of them! Peter Usborne specifically created his books to grab a child's attention and wrestle them away from the lure of televison. Happy Reading ... and enjoy real life this week! I hope it will be the beginning of a permanent change in your home.

If you want to know more about TV and kicking the habit, here are a few good books (for both you and your children) on this topic:

Alternatives to TV Handbook

Unclutter Your Life: Transforming Your Physical, Mental and Emotional Space

52 Alternatives to TV

The Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV

Series: World Cultures Series.
Subject Areas: Religion, World Cultures, Geography.
Ages: 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16.
Type: Encyclopedia, Internet-Linked


Since the Washington, D.C. area where we live is multi-cultural, we’ve found this book very helpful in understanding and reaching out to neighbors and other people we meet. There is a beautiful impish child on the cover, and the book is packed with photos and drawings of people and the places they worship. Usborne Encyclopedias are totally unlike any encyclopedias I used as a child! Usually I sit down to look at one of these and lose all track of time with them. The Internet Links are a great addition to this title because you need to see and hear from those who actually practice the religions to get a feel for what their culture is like.

The book begins with “What is Religion?,” defines worship, prayer, meditation and scriptures, then goes on to explain what sacred places are, the many functions of religion, and a section on the various viewpoints people take on religion. I found the section on the future of religion fascinating, especially these two quotes:

“Over the world as a whole, religions are growing … some experts predict that there will be a swing away from a materialistic outlook and that people will turn back to the more spiritual values of religion.” and

“Since the discovery of DNA, much more is known about how living things reproduce. This does not stop people from feeling that the creation of new life is miraculous.”

Each of the major religions is subdivided into sections on the founding of the religion, who or what their God or gods are, sacred writings, birth and death rituals, wedding customs, places of worship, festivals, and popular sayings. The book covers Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Shinto, Jainism, Chinese Religions, the Baha’i faith, Zoroastrianism, Rastafarianism, a myriad of local religions and some now defunct religions. There are no opinions given as to the validity of the practices or beliefs; it's "just the facts".

The Encyclopedia is filled with history and geography moments too! There’s a particularly interesting section on ancient religions that have mostly died out. Keep a globe or world map nearby, especially if you choose to use this book with its perfect companion book, Peoples of the World.

Here are a few of the many websites we found intriguing:
- One that takes you around the world to view holy places.
- An archaeological site
- Learn Hebrew online
- A guided tour of a Buddhist temple
- Muslim wedding rituals
- Aboriginal and Maori cultures

You'll want to try these sites and explore others, too. The book concludes with maps and a time chart.

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Of Interest To: Librarians and Media Specialists, Parents, Teachers, Homeschoolers

Readers have asked me about resources I use to find out more about education, learning styles, and curriculum. Here is a very short list of books that have been helpful to me while working with children (along with the links to view them):

How to Read a Book,
The Well-Trained Mind,
The Well-Educated Mind,
The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling
The Core Knowledge Series.

I'll be back tomorrow with a book review!

Series: Spotter's Guides Series.
Subject Areas: Science, Weather.
Ages: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16.
Type: Guide books, Pocket books

Can you look at the sky and tell the difference between high level, medium level and low level clouds? How about rain, snow, hail, and sleet -- do you know how each is formed and what the differences are? What's an anticyclone? What exactly are tornadoes, and their lookalikes -- dust devils, waterspouts and funnel clouds? The Weather Spotter's Guide answers all these questions (and many others) with loads of photos and drawings mixed in. The reader will look for and learn to identify 24 different cloud formations, identify various forms of dew, frost, and rime (I never even knew this existed), learn about thermometers and hygrometers, barometric pressure, thunder and lightning, wind and its effect on weather, air masses, jet streams, depressions, frontal weather and tropical storms. Several pages explain weather forecasting and how to read weather maps and weather symbols.

Just like the guide I reviewed yesterday, The Night Sky, this one has circles where you add your mark once you've seen the weather phenomenon firsthand. And of course this book has Internet-Links also -- links for weather forecasts, links for satellite images, maps, activities, information about how weather forecasters predict what's coming, links to find out more about cloud identification. One of the websites is an interactive way to "make" your own hurricane, earthquake, tornado or volcano in various parts of the world. Very interesting. On this same website we watched a terrifying up-close video taken by tornado chasers. This storm was WAY too close to the cameraman. On another website is a list of weather disasters (hurricanes, sandstorms, fires, etc) from 1960 to the present -- choose one and see the satellite images taken. Once again we realized how massive Hurricane Katrina was. A glossary and index complete this book.

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There are lots of other Spotter's Guides available from Usborne. We've enjoyed all of them. They are very inexpensive and loaded with information. After using this guidebook, if your student wants more about weather, try Weather and Climate Changes.

Of Interest To: Librarians and Media Specialists, Parents, Teachers

Series: Spotter's Guides Series.
Subject Areas: Science, Astronomy, Meteorology.
Ages: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16.
Type: Guidebooks, Pocketbooks

Two newly-released Spotter's Guides have grabbed my attention recently. I gravitate to these books, probably because I’m one of those odd people who likes everything to be neat and orderly, especially when life with a large family is somewhat chaotic. I adore lists, and checking(ticking) items off, so that I feel like I’ve accomplished something. These two guides are The Night Sky Spotter's Guide and Weather Spotter's Guide.

Have I mentioned how likable these and some of the other new Usborne book covers are? Smooth, slightly slippery, matte finish, probably water-resistant; very sturdy yet lightweight for carrying around in a pocket or backpack; children are drawn to them. The first time I picked up a book with one of these new covers, I played with it for a few minutes – flipping through it, feeling the texture and enjoying the uniqueness. My children did the same thing!

All right, I must digress for a moment. Usborne books already appeal to children because of the way all of their senses get involved. And here they’ve discovered yet another dimension to add to the experience of reading – playing with texture, using an intriguing variety in the covers they select, and loads of books like the Touchy-Feely series. Did you know that Peter Usborne says children’s books should be good enough to eat? That’s the effect they have on young readers. They gobble them up. Peter's vision is evident in the entire Usborne approach, and the brilliant staff he has working for him.

Ok, back to these two titles.

The Night Sky is a mini-Astronomy course in one small volume. It’s made to be carried with you when you go out at night. It may take up to a year to see all the items that are presented. As you view them, make a mark in the circle next to each item. (You may want to put a date also in your entries.) Over the years, night watches have been a regular event in our backyard or out in our court. My children and I take blankets, chairs, hot drinks and our guidebook, and make a memory of it. Occasionally it turns into a night to sleep outside. We’ve also done late night watches with neighbors – one group as large as 12 or 15 at about 1 a.m. – and that has been really fun. We’ve watched meteor showers, looked for satellites, learned constellations, studied the surface of the moon, watched lunar eclipses and more. The book explains that you can do all of this with a good pair of binoculars; no need for an expensive telescope. Instructions are given for how to do night watching; there are maps of constellations for both Northern and Southern hemispheres, detailed information on individual constellations, galaxies, nebula, star clusters, dying stars, planets and charts of where to look for them, comets, asteroids, all kinds of info about the moon and its phases, meteor showers, satellites, and other sky sights like the aurora borealis. You can see it’s packed with information, and lovely photos are in each section, too.

There is even a helpful section on photographing the night sky, followed by a glossary, and finally a scorecard for all you’ve seen in your watches. If you want to go on in your studies, check out the Complete Book of Astronomy and Space or some of the other Usborne titles on space.

Then there are also the Internet Links. When we’ve studied astronomy, these have been a fruitful addition to what we see at night. They are very quick and easy to use -- Get into www.usborne-quicklinks.com, choose your country, then enter Night Sky in the search box. Wait till you see what is available; gorgeous photos, live shots from space, recordings, video footage, puzzles, quizzes, a 3-D solar system fly-through of the planets, satellite tracking, the Hubble Space telescope, and on and on.

This is probably quite long enough for one day, so tomorrow I’ll fill you in on the new Weather Spotter’s Guide. It’s just as fascinating!

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Of Interest To: Parents, Teachers,Librarians and Media Specialists

Series: Picture Books Series.
Subject Areas: Picture Books, Science, Nature.
Ages: 2 3 4 5 6 7.
Type: Picture Books, Nature Books

Imagine for a moment that you’re a five-year-old. That’s what the Usborne Picture Book Series, my current favorite for young children, reminds those of us who have forgotten what it’s like! These titles teach important science and nature ideas or history from a child’s viewpoint, and they do it in a very appealing style – almost, but not quite, like a story. The series includes: On the Seashore, The Butterfly, The Rainy Day, The Snowy Day, In the Nest, The Dinosaur, In the Castle, and two others I mention below that are fictional. The Rainy Day is also available in Spanish. All the books in the series are written by the same author, and although similar in style, each has a different artist.

Each of these books contains one basic question, typical of what a young child might ask:
Have you ever wondered what clouds are made of?
What do you think it would be like to go to the moon?
Have you ever wondered what makes it snow?
Have you ever been to the seashore to look for treasures
the sea has left behind?
What do you think the little stripy caterpillar has been doing all day?
A little bird flies to and fro – What do you think she’s doing?
What would it be like if dinosaurs were still alive?

The rest of the book is then devoted to answering the question, and this style prompts many discussions. I classify these as conversational books because when I’ve read them with children, they end up asking even more questions, and imagining other scenarios. The language is quite visual also: “On the moon you feel very light and floaty. When you walk around you take big, bouncing strides.” “The baby birds grow fluffy feathers…they grow bigger and bigger until they are much too squashed in the little nest.” “…if you watch very closely you might see two shiny eyes peering out of a small, grubby shell.”

The books in this series are slightly oversized, just a bit over 10 inches square, and each has a smooth, puffy feel which makes them fun to hold. The large format and simple illustrations are perfect for reading and showing to a group.

You could use these books as a well-rounded introduction to nature for preschoolers. There are countless other Usborne titles to use for follow-up: First Book of Nature, Pocket Nature, Living World Encyclopedia, Mysteries and Marvels of Nature, What’s Under the Sea?, Birds (Internet-Linked). From On the Moon, you could make the jump to First Encyclopedia of Space, or Space(Internet-Linked).

For hands-on activities, try Seashore Sticker Book, Butterflies Mobile Kid Kit, Seas and Oceans Kid Kit, Dinosaurs Sticker Book, Dinosaur Stencil Book, Dinosaur Jigsaw Book, Dinosaur Snap, all kinds of Dinosaur Kid Kits including Dinosaur Excavation Kid Kit, Box of Dinosaurs Puzzles, or Dinosaur Sticker Atlas.

For some reason, there are two other titles included with this series that are children’s classic stories, Pinocchio and The Snow Queen. Aside from the lovely format and cool covers which make the books appealing, I’m not sure why these were added to the nature ones. Both of these stories are bold and quite unusual, as you probably know if you ever read either of these growing up!

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Of Interest To: Librarians and Media Specialists, Parents, Teachers, Preschools

Series: World Cultures Series.
Subject Areas: World Cultures, Geography.
Ages: 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15.
Type: Internet-Linked

My children and I are exploring the world by using this book and the recommended websites. The introductory pages help the reader to consider the vast diversity -- the different lifestyles, languages, ethnic groups and religions -- that make up our world. After the intro begins the world tour, starting with North America. You'll visit each of the continents in turn, learning about history, customs, popular foods, currency, clothing and more that characterize each area. Like the other books in this series, it's loaded with beautiful photos, and we're especially drawn to the photos of children throughout the book. The cover alone is worth the purchase price -- three delightful, mischievous-looking youngsters that make me want to laugh every time I look at them!

This morning we went to a website where we saw the World Population Clock adding approximately 3 people per second, which lead to a discussion of birth rates, death rates, migration and other related subjects. Next stop was a website that tells what the current time is anywhere in the world -- we compared our time to that in the UK, Alaska, Hawaii, Uganda, viewing each location on the world map that was shown next to the time. Of course we also had to go see the website that features Insect Snacks around the world. Blecch! Every two-page spread lists sites to visit that relate to the current topic you are studying. They are all fascinating and most are created for kids.

There are maps featured throughout the book too, so that the reader is always aware which part of the world is being discussed. When using a book like this, try some recipes from the country you're studying, listen to music from that culture, and find art work that is native to that area. It's always helpful to pull out a globe or large world map to find and review the various areas discussed.

This book is also one component of the combined volume known as the Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World Geography, a much more in-depth study book. Usborne's Combined Volumes (C/V) are a fabulous bargain, with several books combined into one volume at just a portion of the individual prices.

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Of Interest To: Librarians and Media Specialists, Parents, Teachers, Homeschoolers