Chronicles of Narnia Study Book 1: The Magician's Nephew

I've been learning more about C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia after my middle school daughter was looking to do some end-of-summer summer reading. I didn't realize that The Chronicles of Narnia actually consisted of seven books, and neither did my daughter.  Although the books weren't written in chronological order, they can be read in this order.

I found a Narnia boxed set of the books on Amazon for around $30, which brings the cost of each book down to around $4.25 a piece.  My daughter loves fantasy stories, mysteries and books that reflect a character's ethical growth.  After reading a few of the reviews on the Amazon page, I decided the books would be perfect for my daughter, and I was looking forward to reading them, too.

I decided to tie her reading in with some sort of a study and vocabulary words, and would use the time spent on the home work toward the 875 hours of education per year that kids are required to complete in Wisconsin.  It's late in August, she has many free hours on her hands, and she is gobbling up the books in the Chronicles of Narnia series, so why not "make hay while the sun shines"?

I had a difficult time finding Narnia unit studies that were age-appropriate for a middle schooler.  Just about everything I found was for grades 3-5, which surprised me because although the books are a fairly quick read, there are a lot of upper level concepts in the books.  So, I started putting together my own Chronicles of Narnia study for middle school by using the study questions found at love2learn.net and some of the vocabulary words list on this Narnia Unit Study.  I found these pages while doing some searching off of The Old Schoolhouse Chronicles of Narnia study page, which is an excellent resource for putting together a Narnia unit study.

Here are the questions I compiled for the first book in the Narnia series, The Magician's Nephew:

• Book 1:  The Magician's Nephew Study Questions for Middle School Students

I'll publish the study sheets I put together for each book in the Narnia series as I complete them.

Bookswim : Convenient Homeschooling Book Rentals

Here's a great resource for renting books for home schooling students from preschool through high school, without leaving the house.




Bookswim is an online book rental service that lets you put together a queue of books to be delivered to your door. Among the classifications for children's book rentals are sections by age, literature, science and nature, animals, people and places. Adults will find tons of books covering all genres and topics as well.

To get started, go to Bookswim.com and set up an account, choosing a pricing plan that meets your home schooler's reading schedule. Plans start off at $23.95 a month to have 3 books out at once, all the way up to $59.95 to have 11 books out at once, and there are no due dates. The monthly fee includes shipping and handling, and a convenient return envelope. When you return a book, Bookswim automatically ships the next book on your book rental list.

There are no late fees, due dates or time limits with Bookswim book rentals. Right now, you can use promo code HOMEREADS to get 3 months book rental for the price of 2 at Bookswim.

Book Review: The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas: 500+ Fun and Creative Learning Activities

As I read through The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas, I found myself wishing I had known about this resource years ago.  Even though I was not home schooling at that time, my daughter and I would have had tons of fun with the activities presented in this book.  I am starting to home school my daughter in middle school, so the activities are too simplistic for her.  However, the first 33 pages of this book explain how to help children of all ages learn and how effective mastery of educational subjects involves more than a prescribed curriculum.  This really opened my mind to new ways too educate.

The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas:  500+ Fun and Creative Learning Activities for Kids Aged 3-12 by Linda Dobson is packed with inexpensive, fun activities for teaching children at home over summer and holiday vacations as well as in a home school. 

For more information, check out my full review of  The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas:  500+ Fun and Creative Learning Activities for Kids Aged 3-12 by Linda Dobson on Associated Content.  This book is packed with inexpensive, fun activities for teaching children at home over summer and holiday vacations as well as in a home school.

 

Home Schooling in Wisconsin: Everything You Need to Know

Home Schooling in Wisconsin:  At Home with Learning has been written by experienced home schoolers and is published by the Wisconsin Parents Association.  This book is updated regularly, with my copy being the sixth edition, published in 2006.

I first considered home schooling my child in first grade, but felt intimidated at the prospect of doing so.  Still, I remained interested in this method of education.  My child is now in middle school and due to a number of factors, I decided to look into home schooling again.  Had I read Home Schooling in Wisconsin:  At Home with Learning seven years ago, I would have started homeschooling sooner.

Home schooling takes preparation and requires dedication to the task of teaching by the parent, but the rewards are usually worth the effort.  This book explains how home schooling in Wisconsin is plausible with information and explanations for Wisconsin home school laws, how to choose a curriculum and learning resources, how to get started with home schooling, socialization concerns, home schooling through high school and other topics.

You won't find Home Schooling in Wisconsin:  At Home with Learning in online or bricks and mortar bookstores.  This 286-page reference book can only be ordered from the Wisconsin Parents Association.  Cost with shipping is $34, or join the WPA ($30 per year) and pay $27 for the book.



The WPA is a statewide, inclusive, grassroots organization, founded in 1984 to oppose legislation that would have severely limited homeschoolers' freedoms by giving the Department of Public Instruction power and authority over homeschools in Wisconsin.