Atticus Finch. What a father. Even as a child I admired him deeply after meeting him in the pages of To Kill a Mockingbird. Quiet, resolute, insightful, his battle for justice for the oppressed was awe inspiring. Scout learned the most valuable lessons in life about loving your neighbor as yourself under his gentle management,… Read More Father Stories
One of the workshops I attended at the just concluded Childlight USA Conference in Boiling Springs, North Carolina was on writing. The presenter discussed how children learn to write and why they write, which gives us insight into guiding them in their writing education. The main contributing ingredient to those who excel in the craft is a rich background and… Read More The Girl Who Loved Storytelling
Concern with character building is a recurrent theme in homeschool circles. Just recently I read a mother’s request for suggestions of books that would help her teach character. I’m personally doubtful that any workbook will provide material that can convey the virtues and strength of character parents desire their children to exhibit, let alone produce… Read More He’s the Man
When you begin digging for treasure from the “Golden Age of Children’s Literature” you might miss this author, but when her books are unearthed and opened, there is gold. In fact, a friend once confessed that in sorting through piles of old books she had acquired, she gave away a whole batch of Hilda van Stockum’s books and later… Read More Discovering Hilda
Spring is in full bloom. Flox, iris, and even the delphinium are bursting to beautify our borders. Honeysuckle is sweetening the air. Strawberries are ripe for picking and mouth-wateringly delicious. In the vegetable garden, the peas are flowering and the potatoes are up. Every night we have enormous salads because the greens are so lush and prolific that we… Read More Books in the Garden
Boys are commonly viewed as having trouble in school. It is true that they often are slower to read. I have half boys and half girls and I would say the generalizations are not unfounded, but my years with this library have shown me an interesting phenomenon. Boys overwhelmingly are the most enthusiastic investigators and most… Read More Thank You, Mr. Bulla
Cynics doubtless lay this holiday at the feet of some card manufacturing company whose aim was to cash in on the most common human experience. Regardless of that supposed motivation, are not mothers to be celebrated every day of the year? The Bible says, “Give honor to whom honor is due,” and half way through the list of the… Read More Happy Mother’s Day
One day as I was putting away the vacuum cleaner I had an overwhelming longing for Lucinda. I knew Emily was the only one who would not think I was crazy for admitting this out loud, so I told her. Imagine my pleasure when she announced triumphantly a few minutes later, “Mom! There’s a sequel.… Read More The Story Behind Lucinda, or Is It Ruth?
You never know what to expect. That is part of the fun. It may be the most exciting event of the year, or a complete waste of time. Either way, if the whole family goes, we will have fun together and good memories of a day spent with one another. How? Where? Plundering the offerings of library sales.… Read More Something Fun for the Whole Family
Whenever I mention that good books are disappearing, someone is sure to bring up Ray Bradbury’s book Fahrenheit 451. I remember avoiding that book because I wasn’t much of a science fiction aficionado; however, when I did finally read it, I couldn’t put it down. Of course it seemed ludicrous that firemen instead of putting… Read More Is Truth Stranger Than Fiction?