Author | |
JaysFamily Forum Pro
Joined: March 30 2010 Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline Posts: 241
|
Posted: Aug 03 2010 at 10:59pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
If you did not have an extensive home library, and for whatever reason, you knew that you could never buy any more homeschooling books again, which books would you make sure were on your shelves for each subject for students of all ages?
__________________ In Christ,
Jaysfamily
wife to Jay
mother to DS(5)
|
Back to Top |
|
|
guitarnan Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005 Location: Maryland
Online Status: Offline Posts: 10883
|
Posted: Aug 03 2010 at 11:21pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Oh, dear. It's almost too awful to think about!
I'll start with general reference and hope others chime in with subject-specific ideas:
The Bible
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
A good dictionary
A good thesaurus
An up-to-date atlas
A style guide (MLA, Turabian or similar)
Warriner's English Grammar and Composition or similar
Uncle Josh's Outline Maps (they are soooo handy!)
Butler's Lives of the Saints or similar
A good Church history book
A basic cookbook that is really useful (e.g. Sunset Easy Basics or How to Boil Water
An excellent history of my own country (for adults)
These are the books I pull off my shelves all the time, for reference at home, at co-op and for my job - regardless of topic.
__________________ Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
|
Back to Top |
|
|
lapazfarm Forum All-Star
Joined: July 21 2005 Location: Alaska
Online Status: Offline Posts: 6082
|
Posted: Aug 03 2010 at 11:31pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
In addition to Nancy's list---local field guides, most definitely. Absolutely cannot function without those. Birds, wildflowers, insects, trees, and seashore are the basics.
__________________ Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
|
Back to Top |
|
|
JennGM Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005 Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline Posts: 17702
|
Posted: Aug 04 2010 at 12:40pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Oh, that would be a fate worse than death! But I know it can happen.
So, are you asking the question like "I have some money now to spend on homeschooling books, and may never be able to buy more. What is most helpful?"
Or, are you saying, you're budget is cut off now, and how can you find resources without buying any more books?
I am nodding my head in agreement to all of the suggestions above. If you had a computer and internet connection, lots more books online would be available. So much online is available for living the liturgical year, although I do love a good book for this.
I like having a daily missal (or the Magnificat) and a book on the Liturgy of the Hours.
I would check my library and see what is available, and, if applicable, my parish library, especially in regards to good Catholic books, like saints books (Vision books, for example). Reading the Saints is very helpful for me to flesh out reading material for feast days and history. Good saint and other Catholic books are harder to find in libraries, so that would be an area I would definitely focus.
Besides the Catechism, the Compendium as a companion, has been extremely helpful.
If you are sticking to the CM approach, I think it would be easy to not feel pressured to buy any more homeschooling books. An exception would be the math programs. Charlotte Mason's 6 volume series is online, and I like to have When Children Love to Learn to back it up.
And then I keep my eyes open for suggestions of reading book lists, picture books and others for all sorts of subjects.
If I had (and I do) younger children, I definitely want to have some books to understand Montessori in the home, especially reading.
Reference books I use often. Jen mentioned "Timetables of History" as an example of a good reference.
I also use the Catholic homeschool books, like Kimberly Hahns, Maureen Wittmann's books, and Laura Berquist, to flesh out ideas for subject areas.
But also important for me is help in organizing myself, spiritually mainly. So books for mother nurture is part of the homeschool budget, like the books "In Conversation with God" that have daily meditations. Indispensable to help me keep on track.
__________________ Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
|
Back to Top |
|
|
JaysFamily Forum Pro
Joined: March 30 2010 Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline Posts: 241
|
Posted: Aug 04 2010 at 1:24pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
JennGM wrote:
Oh, that would be a fate worse than death! But I know it can happen.
So, are you asking the question like "I have some money now to spend on homeschooling books, and may never be able to buy more. What is most helpful?"
Or, are you saying, you're budget is cut off now, and how can you find resources without buying any more books?
|
|
|
Oh, I agree it would be horrible, but I thought it was a fun question to ponder. I was trying to search out comprehensive living books, and then saw some sensational headlines, and thought to myself, "Goodness, wouldn't it be awful if the dollar lost its value and we were stuck only with our preschool materials for homeschooling!" It's not a realistic scenario, or something I'm even worried about, but it did make me start thinking about how to pull off a Charlotte Mason education in a more frugal manner.
I was looking through my wish lists and realized that I had 15 books about Autumn in them! It would be better if I could one comprehensive book on seasons that could last until high school, and then maybe one picture book for each season. I think I may be wasting money now, when I could be investing in books that will always be useful and welcome on our shelves. I know a lot of people recommend The Harp and Laurel Wreath, Story of the World, Catechism of the Catholic Church, etc. I was looking for other suggestions for living books that crossed multiple books. Most of what I've found in my searches were encyclopedias or textbooks. I'd like to start with comprehensive living books, and then as the years go on, I can add supplemental reading and books as needed.
At any rate, it's interesting to see the different books everyone values.
__________________ In Christ,
Jaysfamily
wife to Jay
mother to DS(5)
|
Back to Top |
|
|
JennGM Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005 Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline Posts: 17702
|
Posted: Aug 04 2010 at 2:39pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Okay, good! Now I get it -- a challenge!
Sometimes I think there couldn't be "ONE" book for a theme. I'd rather have 10 fall books, because I know they offer different perspectives on the same theme.
I guess if I was forced to be a minimalist I'd get one main book, but it would be so hard to choose. And the watching my sons go through various stages of learning, one book wouldn't satisfy each stage.
__________________ Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
|
Back to Top |
|
|
lapazfarm Forum All-Star
Joined: July 21 2005 Location: Alaska
Online Status: Offline Posts: 6082
|
Posted: Aug 04 2010 at 2:48pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
The Little House books would be on the list for sure. They cover so many interesting topics (history, geography, seasons, food, farming, animal husbandry, weather, education...) plus some editions have lovely art as well. They are great for rabbit trails, appeal to both boys and girls, and many ages. For littles they cannot be beat as read-alouds, then they are awesome for reading independently and narrating with middle grade kids.You could easily choose copywork from the song lyrics and dictation passages from the many lovely descriptive passages, dialog, etc.
If I could own only a few books, these would make the list hands down.
__________________ Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
|
Back to Top |
|
|
Erin Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 23 2005 Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline Posts: 5814
|
Posted: Aug 04 2010 at 3:32pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
This is a challenge indeed.
I would recommend having a basic amount of high quality literature.
I have a set of Queensland readers, they are a re-print of Australian school readers from the late 1800s. The standard of language and diversity of poetry and literature is impressive. I'm actually not normally a fan of readers but if I was limited in what I could buy I would recommend having something like this.
__________________ Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
|
Back to Top |
|
|
Mackfam Board Moderator
Non Nobis
Joined: April 24 2006 Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline Posts: 14656
|
Posted: Aug 04 2010 at 6:19pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
This is a tough question, but interesting to think about. I enjoy a challenge like this, and have often considered how books & things, if they are living, can speak to a multitude of ages and abilities with ease and find themselves frequently used in my home. And, I notice you didn't challenge me in numbers of books I could offer just...if I can't buy another book, what are the must haves that are already on my shelf, right?
So...I'll work by subject...
Religion/Faith
** The Bible
** The Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as Baltimore Catechism 1,2,3
** Father Gerald Brennan books & Treasure Box books for youngers/elementary
** The Catholic Girls Guide & The Catholic Boys Guide for middle school children
** Father John Laux's A Course in Religion Series & Our Quest for Happiness by Rev. Clarence Elwell for high school
** Around the Year with the Trapp Family by Maria von Trapp
** Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs by Father Francis Weiser
** St. Andrew's Missal - amazing details on the richness of the liturgical year with great explanations! Love the history and explanations in this (oop) missal.
Language Arts
** Elements of Grammar by Margaret Shertzer
** Elements of Style by E.B. White
These would be for reference only - all language arts following CM methods would not require any books...so in our "hypothetical-I-can't-buy-any-books-but-these" scenario, these would be what I'd keep on my shelf for reference.
History
** The Timetables of History by Bernard Grun
** One well written narrative compendium of history - Gombrich or Hillyer would be my preference.
** National Geography Collegiate World Atlas
Sciences
** Science Scope by Kathryn Stout
** Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
** Eyes and No Eyes series by Arabella Buckley
** The Storybook of Science by Jean Henri Fabre
** Adventures in Nature by Edwin Way Teale
** The Amateur Naturalist by Gerald Durell
** Readers Digest North American Wildlife
** Golden Field Guides
Fine Arts
** The Gift of Music: Great Composers and Their Influence by Jane Stuart Smith and Betty Carlson
** The Little History of Music and The Little Guide to Music Appreciation by Helen Kaufmann
** Favorite Poems Old and New edited by Helen Ferris
** A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson (very picky about illustrators, preferring Tasha Tudor or Eulalie)
** Mother Goose
** Signs and Symbols in Christian Art by George Ferguson
** Famous Paintings Selected from the World's Great Galleries with commentary by G.K. Chesterton
** Wee Sing CDs (don't laugh - they're beloved here!)
General
** Charlotte Mason's 5 volumes on Home Education
** For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macauley
** The American Boys Handy Book, The Field and Forest Handy Book by D.C. Beard, and The American Girls Handy Book by Lina and Adelia Beard
Living Books - I started working on a list, but it was just enormous...so I deleted it. It's too hard to say really. Many of these cross ages...but I tried to compile by age - keep in mind that I'm leaving out a lot!!! I'm offering you my absolute favorite authors...and probably still missing some.
Early years & Picture Book Authors
Rev. Daniel Lord
anything by Neumann Press in their early years religion
Beatrix Potter
Robert McCloskey
Margaret Wise Brown
Tasha Tudor
Virginia Lee Burton
Lynd Ward
Else Minarik
Marjorie Flack
Maj Lindman
A.A. Milne
Munro Leaf
Lois Lenski
Jessie Orton Jones
Marcia Brown
...anything illustrated by Eloise Wilkin
Elementary
James Herriot
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Jean Henri Fabre
Millicent Selsam
Ernest Thompson Seton
Thornton Burgess
Sterling North
Jim Kjelgaard
E.B. White
Caryll Houselander
Hilda Van Stockum
Elizabeth Coatsworth
Maud Hart Lovelace
Catherine Beebe
Mary Fabyan Windeatt
Gerald Brennan
Marguerite Henry
Holling C. Holling
David Macauley
Middle School
Louisa May Alcott
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Jean Henri Fabre
Maud Hart Lovelace
Catherine Beebe
Mary Fabyan Windeatt
Jean Fritz
Jean Craighead George
Janet Elizabeth Gray
Jack London
Samuel Eliot Morison
Scott O'Dell
Gene Stratton Porter
Howard Pyle
Robert Louis Stevenson
Jules Verne
High School
Scott O'Dell
Kenneth Roberts
Sir Walter Scott
Mark Twain
Jane Austen
Bronte sisters
William Thackeray
Willa Cather
Winston Churchill
Thor Heyerdahl
James Fenimore Cooper
C.S. Lewis
G.K. Chesterton
Hilaire Belloc
Peter Kreeft
Anything by a saint!!!
There are so many I'm leaving out - I look for wonderful series of books that never fail me...like:
Landmark Books
Signature Books
Catholic Digest Junior Bookshelf
... see...I can't stop...and this is not even close to a complete list of classic must-have authors. But, rather than delete, I just decided to leave the list.
*******************************
Whew!!!!! I've been having fun adding to this all.day.long...and now that I preview it to post it I see that it's my standard issue GINORMOUS post! Probably way more than you were looking for! But, I had fun thinking about the question!
If we're talking more than hypothetical here...if you're being called to great frugality, I suppose I'd choose rich living book anchors that can be used across the ages. And, I'd probably make great use of the library and used book stores to build my home library with living books...and spend some time compiling a great tried-and-true-living-book-authors list to bring with me.
__________________ Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
|
Back to Top |
|
|
ekbell Forum All-Star
Joined: May 22 2009
Online Status: Offline Posts: 747
|
Posted: Aug 04 2010 at 8:02pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Does this include books bought for my own enlightenment and enjoyment?
Assuming that I'm being frugal AND that we have access to the internet and our local library.
General knowledge
For my younger children a set of older Childcraft books, very readable, contains many good poetry and story selections and elementary science doesn't change *that* quickly. My set gave me good service at a time when I couldn't afford much else.
For older children, the internet and checking with the local library as to when they'd be upgrading their reference material- we scored a free set of encyclopedias that way!
Misc reference books for writing
dictionary etc.
Language arts
All of the Hillside Education English and compositions books- reusable and they'd double as picture study for the younger children.
Natural Speller
Math- I'm not sure what I'd buy if we had to stop buying consumable workbooks.
History
A good Catholic overview book for each age level if possible.
Geography
-An good atlas
Science
-Science Scope
Religion
-A good bible story book (the anguish at picking just one!),
-bibles,
-the St. Joseph Baltimore Catechisms.
-As many sets of Saint books as I could afford [our library actually has a good selection of Picture books of Saints but no juvenile chapter books on Saints)
-CCC and The Catechism of Church History.
Fine arts
A good set of history of music CD's
and The Story of Art by Gombrich.
and then I'd depend on
**For the love of literature*, online reading lists and our library for the rest!.
I already make extensive library lists when planning our year out as our library has a great selection of books, DVDs, and CDs.
|
Back to Top |
|
|
guitarnan Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005 Location: Maryland
Online Status: Offline Posts: 10883
|
Posted: Aug 04 2010 at 10:12pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Adding to Jen's (Mackfam's) list, I'd certainly include the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. And, if you could get your hands on anything by Patricia Beatty for middle schoolers (she specialized in Pacific Northwest historical novels for young people, although she also wrote about California and Puritan New England), or anything by Linda Sue Park (Korean/Korean-American historical novels), I would add them in a heartbeat.
Now...if I were stranded on a desert island...I'd also want Shakespeare (provided I already had a Bible). I could make the plays simpler for the littles and go whole-hog with any older children who happened to be around...
__________________ Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
|
Back to Top |
|
|
CrunchyMom Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline Posts: 6385
|
Posted: Aug 05 2010 at 8:54am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Awesome lists!
Yes, Nancy, definitely Tolkien and Shakespeare! I actually picked up an Oxford complete Shakespeare from a used sale with this sort of thing in mind. When studying individual plays, I would probably get separate volumes which have more notes and are easier to read (larger print, less abreviations, etc...), but I thought I just NEEDED to have all of Shakespeare on hand (not that I've actually READ it all myself )
I think my own focus would be on the things listed that our libraries don't readily carry. Barring nuclear fallout, I assume we'd still have library access.
This is also one of those ideas that makes me glad I haven't yet disposed of my college textbooks. They might be a bit heavy for young ones, but I can make them work in a pinch. A complete high school education could probably be had from the English Anthologies of both my husband and myself as well as decent histories. Both my Western Civ and Music histories are the works of single authors and aren't too text-book-y.
Sometimes I wonder if our family wouldn't all be BETTER educated if we were left isolated with only the books we already own. Something about only having a few that are the best seems to suggest mastery to me. Yk, like I'll be bored enough to actually make it through a Dickens novel ( How embarrassing that I find it so hard when I actually like the stories and characters). And of course, in the face of collapse, perhaps we wouldn't be as likely to be distracted by radio, movies, and the internet?
Somehow, pondering this scenario always makes me think of Ralph Moody's mother constantly reciting great poetry to the children and their spending an evening together hooking a rug and ALL reciting their roles from Julius Caesar. He was the second oldest at around 11! I don't have much to share that way from my own memory, and it makes me sad sometimes to think of how dependent I am on books for sharing good things with my children. I don't mean to sound morbid, but I think of people who were in concentration camps or gulags and the like, and I feel like I would have so little to give my children from myself.
Sorry if all that goes off topic from the "list challenge."
__________________ Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
Back to Top |
|
|
Wendy Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 14 2005 Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline Posts: 530
|
Posted: Aug 05 2010 at 11:42am | IP Logged
|
|
|
How fun! 16yodd and I just brainstormed and came up with these to add to the above:
Picture Books
D'Aulaire's American history bios
D'Aulaire's Greek Myths
D'Aulaire's Norse Myths
Tomie de Paola -- esp. saint books
Aesop for Children (we like the one illustrated by Milo Winter)
Robert Hugh Benson
Elementary
Kipling
Ralph Moody
Andrew Lang
Swallows & Amazons
Edith Nesbit
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Lambs' Tales From Shakespeare
Famous Men of Greece
Famous Men of Rome
High School/Adult
Iliad
Odyssey
Aeneid
Beowulf
Dante's Divine Comedy
Robert Hugh Benson
Miscellaneous
The Book of Virtues
The Moral Compass
My Catholic Faith
The Declaration of Independence
The Constitution
__________________ God bless,
Wendy
Wife to Chris
Momma to Grace, Sam, Ben, Maggie, Mary Cate, and Jamie
|
Back to Top |
|
|
Kristie 4 Forum All-Star
Joined: June 20 2006 Location: Canada
Online Status: Offline Posts: 1508
|
Posted: Aug 05 2010 at 4:16pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Lives of the Saints
Tolkien
George MacDonald
C.S. Lewis
The Fairy Books by Lang
Field Guides
Dickens
Math Program for each year
Grammar Reference- ie. The Mother Tongue
and definitely not The Little House Books (Just had to add that Theresa! More as a joke than anything. My kids don't like those books AT ALL. I couldn't believe it as I loved them so much when I was young).
__________________ Kristie in Canada
Mom to 3 boys and one spunky princess!!
A Walk in the Woods
|
Back to Top |
|
|
JaysFamily Forum Pro
Joined: March 30 2010 Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline Posts: 241
|
Posted: Aug 05 2010 at 6:22pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I'm enjoying reading all the replies, and am finding things I had not heard of yet!
Kristie, I'm interested in knowing more about The Mother Tongue. Who is the author?
__________________ In Christ,
Jaysfamily
wife to Jay
mother to DS(5)
|
Back to Top |
|
|
JodieLyn Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006 Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline Posts: 12234
|
Posted: Aug 05 2010 at 6:29pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
To some extent I would want higher level books that I could retell to younger kids vs books that will be out grown.. though some of everything is a good thing too.
__________________ Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
Back to Top |
|
|
JaysFamily Forum Pro
Joined: March 30 2010 Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline Posts: 241
|
Posted: Aug 06 2010 at 10:17pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I have another question. Several of you recommended a good atlas. I searched past discussions here, and searched on Amazon. I have to admit that I'm a bit overwhelmed with the options! Oxford or National Geographic? Even then, should you choose a world history atlas? A current atlas? A Catholic history or Bible atlas? There are so many options!
__________________ In Christ,
Jaysfamily
wife to Jay
mother to DS(5)
|
Back to Top |
|
|
guitarnan Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005 Location: Maryland
Online Status: Offline Posts: 10883
|
Posted: Aug 06 2010 at 10:28pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We have the Oxford Atlas and I love it. (Of course it weighs a ton - you could probably press an entire botanical garden's worth of flowers with it!)
Knowing about today's Earth is very important. I have a Bible atlas and my college atlas (from the U.S.S.R. era) but we seldom refer to either of them.
__________________ Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
|
Back to Top |
|
|
Mackfam Board Moderator
Non Nobis
Joined: April 24 2006 Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline Posts: 14656
|
Posted: Aug 14 2010 at 10:29am | IP Logged
|
|
|
JaysFamily wrote:
I have another question. Several of you recommended a good atlas. I searched past discussions here, and searched on Amazon. I have to admit that I'm a bit overwhelmed with the options! Oxford or National Geographic? Even then, should you choose a world history atlas? A current atlas? A Catholic history or Bible atlas? There are so many options! |
|
|
There ARE a lot of options, aren't there?!!! We have 3 we use all the time. I find a good atlas to be absolutely indispensable! We use ours all the time!
National Geographic Collegiate Atlas of the World, copyright 2005. This is a fairly recent edition, recent enough to be current. I bought mine used for very little. It's a thick atlas and contains nice maps, helpful detailed reference info. My son really enjoys looking at the thermal maps of the world from space.
Usborne Illustrated Atlas of World History - this is a lovely atlas and we really like to use this with history studies.
Bible Atlas illustrated by Brian Delf. This is a very tall book, and it sometimes annoys me that it's so tall, but the illustrations are stunning and so are the maps! This book is not written from a Catholic perspective. There is one correction you will need to make to the text if you use this book. You'll find it in the last 2 page section entitled The Early Church, on p. 45, middle right blurb -- you can note my correction emphasized:
Quote:
The central act of early Christian worship was a simple meal with bread and wine symbolizing (strike through) which becomes the body and blood of Christ. This is known as the Eucharist. |
|
|
This is the only element contrary to our faith in this atlas that I know of. The use of an atlas with an element like this is of course prudential in each individual home.
And...not specifically an atlas, but we also really like Then and Now Bible Maps...which...now comes with a CD rom. sigh.
Those are our atlas choices. Now...if money were no option, and I had a beautiful library with walnut built in shelving and tables and a lovely atlas stand, I'd love the National Geographic Atlas of the World.
__________________ Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
|
Back to Top |
|
|
CrunchyMom Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline Posts: 6385
|
Posted: Aug 14 2010 at 11:58am | IP Logged
|
|
|
We were fortunate enough to inherit this from a local Catholic school that was closing and the priest invited our homeschool group one evening to come by and take what we wanted! It is nice. Alas, no walnut cabinet came with it
__________________ Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
Back to Top |
|
|
|
|