Friday, November 30, 2007

Cavalcade of America - Audio Learning

Cavalcade of America was a weekly radio program featuring dramatized American history during the 1950's. Internet Archives has these shows in public domain for download. I also noticed that McGuffey readers were listed in the audio archive.

Click here.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

A History of the United States and Its People/Google Books

This is the third book in Eggleston's American History series. Click here. Ages 12 and up. A little more about this book at Lost Classics Books. They have republished this book series.

The other book in the series is Stories of Great Americans for Little People.

Thorndike Mathematics/Google Books


A very nice elementary school math book with mostly word problems and drills. Wonderful everyday examples. Click here.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Audio Books/Internet Archive

There are 1,794 audiobooks listed here for download. Unfortunately they are not categorized, so you'll need to use the search engine to find specific books, or browse through all of them.

These are MP3 downoads which can be burned onto a regular CD with Microsoft's Windows Media 11(free). I've downloaded a few to CD, and they played fine on my regular CD player in the car.

I'm working on a collection of vintage old time radio historical MP3's for children. They are wonderful to listen to while in the car.

Friday, November 23, 2007

The Silver-Burdett Arithmetics Series/Google Books


I've linked to the table of contents for each of these books.

Book 1
Book 2
Book 3

Complete Book - looks like a review(remedial?) with consumer math.

First Arithmetic(Mathematics) Book/Google Book Search


First arithmetic book covers counting, addition, subtraction, simple multiplication, measurements, simple factions and more. Click here. I've linked to the table of contents. There are some nice illustrations as well, and simple word problems.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Early Elementary Science and Nature Studies/Google Book Search

This is a science text with comprehension questions for early elementary. There are even some poems. I really like this text for young children - easy to understand and thorough. Here is a sample for the first page:

LAND AND WATER. When we go out of the house, upon what do we walk ? Do we always walk upon the ground ? How does the ground feel under our feet? Why do we not sink into it? Do we ever come to something on the ground which is not hard or solid, and upon which we cannot walk? What makes these puddles of water on the ground? We often call the ground land. Wherever we go we shall be either upon the land or upon the water. We can walk upon the land because it is solid. If we should try to walk upon the water, we would sink down into it. Then, if we could not swim, we might be drowned. Copy the following sentences, and fill the blank spaces ....

Click here.

Our American Neighbors, Studies of North and South America/Google Book Search


This elementary level social studies text explores Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America. Click here.



Our American Neighbors: Canada

Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans/Google Book Search

Click on title.

American History for Elementary/Google Book Search

Hero Stories of American History. According to the appendix, this book is to be read first or along with a formal history text. Here's a nice one by Channing: A Short History of the United States.

A few recommended in the appendix: The Beginner's American History, McMaster's Primary History of the United States , Tappan's Our Country's Story, Eggleston's First Book in American History and Thorpe's Junior History of the United States.

I liked a First Book in American History so much that I bought a vintage edition online. I'll post my reviews after we've completed this book. This book has been reprinted by Lost Classics Books.

Free Downloads: Homeschool Living Books for the Ears

Click on title.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Google Books Download Helps and Google Library

Google Books has improved their free online book service. You can now switch to plain text to copy and paste, or highlight all(select all) in order to copy and save text to your computer. I'm fairly certain the plain text option was not available during the summer. You can also switch to HTML(bottom right margin) which means you can save the pages and pictures to your computer, copy pages, and see hyper-links on the table of contents.

Once you switch to HTML mode, just right click on the image of the page in order to save or print. Most of the links I post here are already in HTML mode. The default mode at Google Books is standard mode which does not allow right clicks on the images of the page.

Another new option is the Google Library. This is so helpful! I have added over a hundred books from Google Books to my library for later viewing. Click here to take a peak. I'll being reviewing these books, and adding them here if they are helpful to homeschooling.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Halleck's New English Literature/Project Gutenberg

"The book furnishes a concise account of the history and
growth of English literature from the earliest times to the present day. It lays special emphasis on literary movements, on the essential qualities that differentiate one period from another, and on the spirit that animates each age. Above all, the constant purpose has been to arouse in the student an enthusiastic desire to read the works of the authors discussed. Because of the author's belief in the guide-book function of a history of literature, he has spent much time and thought in preparing the unusually detailed Suggested Readings that follow each chapter."

Click here.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

What Great Men Have to Say About Women/Project Gutenberg

Click on title.

The Child's Day/Project Gutenburg


A very nice wholesome health studies book for early elementary from 1912. Teaches basic hygiene and good health practices. Also includes some basic anatomy. Book has comprehension questions for each unit.

Click here.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Woodside or, Look, Listen, and Learn/Project Gutenberg


"Now for the dear, dear country,
Its trees and meadows fair,
Its roses, cowslips, violets,
Whose sweetness fills the air.
"'Tis there we hear the music
Of lark's and blackbird's song,
And merry little finches,
Singing the whole day long."—C. H.

Very sweet story book about children who visit their grandfather at the farm. Along the way they learn about nature. A very wholesome science type reader for the warmer months with references to scripture as well.

Click here.

Haydn/Project Gutenburg

An easy read for advanced middle school-high school. Click here.

Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Haaren and A.B. Poland

The introduction mentions that this book is written for elementary school. It covers European history years 476-1492.

Click here.

Homeschool review


Also available at The Baldwin Project, and as an audiobook here. Google books has a copy here.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Geographical Twins Series by Lucy Fitch Perkins/Project Gutenberg





Geographical Series

THE DUTCH TWINS PRIMER. Grade I.

The Eskimo Twins . Grade II.

The Dutch Twins . Grade III.

The Japanese Twins . Grade IV.

The Swiss Twins . Grade IV.

THE FILIPINO TWINS. Grade V.

THE IRISH TWINS. Grade V.

THE ITALIAN TWINS. Grade V.

THE MEXICAN TWINS
. Grade V.

The Scotch Twins. Grade VI.

The Belgian Twins Grade VII.

The French Twins . Grade VII.

Historical Series

THE CAVE TWINS
. Grade IV.

The Spartan Twins . Grade V.

THE COLONIAL TWINS OF VIRGINIA. Grade VI.(CurrClick has it for sale as a download)

THE AMERICAN TWINS OF 1812. Grade VI.

THE PIONEER TWINS. Grade VI.

THE AMERICAN TWINS OF THE REVOLUTION. Grade VII.(CurrClick has it for sale as a download)

The Puritan Twins . Grade VII.

Supplemental:

Original 1922 Lucy Perkins The Twins Series paper dolls 


Paper dolls of Friends Around the World

Catholic Home Education: Papal Documents of Interest

Click on title.

The Story of Mankind/Project Gutenberg

History for later elementary. Click here. Skip the first section if you would rather avoid the evolution theory. HT to Love2Learn who mentioned that they were using this book as a complement to Hillyers History of the World.