March 2009
Lots of science fiction this month. Maybe reality is a bit too real. It is nice to embrace some alternative endings from time to time. And science fiction often presents a way of thinking through our present dangers unencumbered from labels derived from politics and religion.
Ring of Fire - Eric Flint et al. This is an anthology of stories set in the 1632 series alternate history. The general idea of the series is that through a cosmic mishap, a West Virginia mining town is relocated in time and space to Thuringia in 1632. The West Virginians have to adapt to their new time and setting, which is smack dab in the middle of the 30 Years War, the Reformation and the Counter Reformation. They are a pretty amusing read. You get to watch the Uptimers try to adapt to their new circumstances, like no internet or reduced electricity or trying to figure out how to manufacture things that they'd always taken for granted. You also get to play spot the historical figure as they glide in and out of the stories.
A Civil Campaign - Lois McMaster Bujold. This is the second book in the Vorkosigan series that I've ever read. I read Diplomatic Immunity a few years back, mainly because the title amused me. This one is set a few years earlier, on the hero's homeworld. It is a tangled story of two brothers trying to win the love of their intendeds along with a contorted set of political intrigues. The writing is lovely to read and had me laughing out loud in several places. Since our library tends heavily toward science fiction, I'm going to see if I can get the rest of this series.
Miles, Mystery & Mayhem - Lois McMaster Bujold. The future world in which the Vorkosigan books are set has not only developed a means of screening and manipulating the genetics of embryos but also mechanical means of gestation, uterine replicators. Bujold has a thread of the use and misuse of this technology running through several of her books. This book is actually a compilation of three previously published works: Cetaganda; Ethan of Athos; and the short story, Labyrinth. Written several years apart, each has a genetic quandary at its core. Cetaganda explores the issues of power arising from the control of genetic banks. Ethan of Athos presents a planet where there are no women at all, the civilization having eliminated the need for women by producing every son at a reproduction centre. Bujold's universe also has mutants, species bred for specific purposes like low gravity or as super soldiers. Labyrinth discusses what qualities makes one human and what rights humans should have. Some Christians tend to shy away from science fiction, labeling it as something false. And given the tendency of many science fiction writers (Bujold included) to embrace a free love sensibility, there is often a reason not to hand them off willy-nilly to the children. But science fiction can also posit worlds that don't yet exist. Worlds that hopefully we can still tweak and avoid. Given the rate of change in human reproduction and the proposed use of embryos created and destroyed in order to provide medical treatment for someone else, having a few stories like these under the belt might be a good opening.
Mirror Dance - Lois McMaster Bujold.
Diplomatic Immunity - Lois McMaster Bujold. Two more books in the Vorkosigan Saga. I'm enjoying reading these a lot. I'd actually read Diplomatic Immunity several years ago. Rereading it, with more of the previous books in the series behind me, I can see that much of the story depends on knowing the history of the universe and characters she's created. Although it says a lot for her writing that I did enjoy the book the first time, even though I missed half the allusions she through out. These were both fun to read. But they didn't sparkle the way A Civil Campaign did. Nor do they have the tight focus on genetics that the shorter novels in Miles, Mystery and Mayhem have. Still, beats watching tv.
The Bronze Christ - Yoshiro Nagayo. I commented on this book earlier.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling. I read this quickly the weekend it was released. But this time through I took a bit more time to savor it. If this were to be the shared text of the turn of the 21st century, we could certainly have done worse.
Charlotte's Web - E. B. White (for Sonlight 1) I know that I've read this book at least once before, although I don't think I ever read it as a child. But I had forgotten how lush the writing was. I found myself folding down corners to mark especially vivid paragraphs. The description of the rope swing in the barn was incredible. You could take a number of the sections I marked, break them out of the paragraph form and read them as poetry. This was a read a loud for my youngest, Artichoke. I had found four copies on clearance racks so each of us had a copy. I did most of the reading, but the older boys, Rutabaga and Cauliflower also read sections and sometimes whole chapters. Artichoke loved "reading" along in his own copy and kept up by comparing page numbers.
Update: Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury. I forgot to list this one. Perhaps the best part of the book is the observation that there really wasn't much objection when they started burning books because the populace had long ago given up actually reading them. Or as my dh likes to point out, a man who will not read is no better than a man who cannot read.
February 2009
Basic Economics, 3rd Edition - Thomas Sowell.
Black Rednecks, White Liberals - Thomas Sowell.
Serving Homeschooled Teens and Their Parents -
In the Shadow of the Sun King - Golden Keyes Parsons.
The Secrets of Mariko: A Year in the Life of a Japanese Woman and Her Family - Elisabeth Bumiller.
Gaudy Night - Dorothy Sayers.
Thrones, Dominations - Dorothy Sayers and Jill Paton Walsh.
January 2009
Back on Blossom Street - Debbie Macomber
Twenty Wishes - Debbie Macomber
Busman's Honeymoon - Dorothy Sayers
Whose Body? - Dorothy Sayers
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie
Death in the Air - Agatha Christie
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Yes, We Will
I was reading an online conversation about a recently introduced bill to regulate farm products. It was written with the care and skill that makes CPSIA such a great example of legislation, so the regulations would seem to extend to anyone who sells produce or farm products, no matter how small.
But what struck me was the insistence of some posters that the idea that the government was going to come in and regulate at that level was just silly. That there was some natural barrier that the government was never going to pass over. You could sense their eye rolling over other people's concerns.
Personally, I think the new slogan for government isn't Yes We Can but Yes We Will. Watching the impact of CPSIA (admitedly, legislation from the last congress and signed by President Bush, who should have been wearing holes in his veto stamp) and the audacity of the actions taken in the last couple months, I would say that there is no bright line of common sense, no line that the government will not cross over. I just don't think that the people who run government (from both parties) ever look at something and think, well, it would be nice but that's just not the role of government.
I think we're going to have plenty of leisure in which to repent of how we have allowed ourselves to be taken in by our representatives.
But what struck me was the insistence of some posters that the idea that the government was going to come in and regulate at that level was just silly. That there was some natural barrier that the government was never going to pass over. You could sense their eye rolling over other people's concerns.
Personally, I think the new slogan for government isn't Yes We Can but Yes We Will. Watching the impact of CPSIA (admitedly, legislation from the last congress and signed by President Bush, who should have been wearing holes in his veto stamp) and the audacity of the actions taken in the last couple months, I would say that there is no bright line of common sense, no line that the government will not cross over. I just don't think that the people who run government (from both parties) ever look at something and think, well, it would be nice but that's just not the role of government.
I think we're going to have plenty of leisure in which to repent of how we have allowed ourselves to be taken in by our representatives.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
I Am Better Than You
I remember sneaking around the door frame to listen to my oldest son, Rutabaga reading Put Me in the Zoo to himself in bed. He couldn't actually read yet, but he'd heard the story so many times that he new every word and every page break. It was funny to hear him start out with just the intonation we'd used for the title page, "Put Me in the Zoo, by Robert Lopshire."
Dh found a sweet little Robert Lopshire book on a trip recently. It was a present for our youngest, Artichoke. I Am Better Than You is a story of two lizards, Sam and Pete. Sam insists that he is the best lizard there is. But everytime he demonstrates his superiority, Pete is able to do just the same thing. The ending is sweet and funny.
This book is an I Can Read it Book and the copy he brought home is a lovely tight hardback copy. But it is out of print. Unlike Put Me in the Zoo and its sequals, it doesn't seem to have been reprinted. There are a couple used copies available on Amazon. Get one before they get mulched under CPSIA or go up to collectible only prices.
Dh found a sweet little Robert Lopshire book on a trip recently. It was a present for our youngest, Artichoke. I Am Better Than You is a story of two lizards, Sam and Pete. Sam insists that he is the best lizard there is. But everytime he demonstrates his superiority, Pete is able to do just the same thing. The ending is sweet and funny.
This book is an I Can Read it Book and the copy he brought home is a lovely tight hardback copy. But it is out of print. Unlike Put Me in the Zoo and its sequals, it doesn't seem to have been reprinted. There are a couple used copies available on Amazon. Get one before they get mulched under CPSIA or go up to collectible only prices.
Harold and the Purple Crayon's Grandnephew?
Artichoke and I have been reading Harold and the Purple Crayon. This superb animation is what Crocket Johnson might have done if he were writing today.
Hat Tip: The Common Room
Hat Tip: The Common Room
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Moving
I'm resigned to losing things when we move. Something will end up in the trash or in storage instead of in the pile to bring with us. Things will end up at the bottom of a box that is only cursorily examined in our new home before being thrust into the back of a closet. Things are put away in new places, only to have me forget where that new place is.
But I do wish that things would go missing in sets. I have a spare mop head with no mop and the top to a garden flag hanger with no vertical section. And if anyone could tell me where we put Susan Bauer's history of the ancient world after reading the China chapters I'd be thrilled.
But I do wish that things would go missing in sets. I have a spare mop head with no mop and the top to a garden flag hanger with no vertical section. And if anyone could tell me where we put Susan Bauer's history of the ancient world after reading the China chapters I'd be thrilled.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Things to Do and See from Yokosuka, 2
The latest Stripes Kanto has an article on the Cultural Center at Shonandai, about an hour away from Yokosuka.
A combination science and children's museum, that seems to have a lot of hands on exhibits and opportunities to play.
Directions from Ikego: Yokohama Subway to Shonandai Station. Take Exit G. Walk straight a block and a half and look for the giant silver ball on the left side.
300 Y adults, 100 Y kids, preschoolers free.
A combination science and children's museum, that seems to have a lot of hands on exhibits and opportunities to play.
Directions from Ikego: Yokohama Subway to Shonandai Station. Take Exit G. Walk straight a block and a half and look for the giant silver ball on the left side.
300 Y adults, 100 Y kids, preschoolers free.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
I Love Indiana Jones
These are some of my favorite movies and before we were married dh and I loved to watch the Young Indiana Jones series on tv. I even have the comic books and the children's books made from the series and some of the series books that were published in Germany (Indiana Jones can be a language lesson can't it).
So I was excited to learn about lesson plans for the series.
H/T: Dragons in the Flower Bed on WTM
So I was excited to learn about lesson plans for the series.
H/T: Dragons in the Flower Bed on WTM
Friday, March 20, 2009
Commissioner Nord's Letter on CPSIA
CPSC Commissioner Nancy Nord recently released a lengthy letter about CPSIA. This letter is in response to a series of questions posed by Representative Dingell.
It is worth reading the whole thing, because the letter touches on issues like ATVs, ball point pens, economic impact to manufacturers and crafters and much more. I general I think the letter is well thought out and helps to convey much of the frustration over the new law.
The section about libraries and used book stores begins on page 20 of the pdf file.
One thing that did leap out at me was the statement that most children's books in libraries are recycled ever 18 lending cycles or three years. This might apply to paperback books or picture books that are being read to and by very young children. But it doesn't really reflect the reality that I see on other childern's library shelves.
There are much older books there. Many are still quite servicable reading copies (which is why I love library book sales so much). And many are stories that are not readily available in print anymore or that are not commonly available in sturdy hardback or library bindings.
But the letter is also clear that as the law stands now, it does in fact apply to books for children 12 and under, even if the risk posed in normal use of the book is minimal.
In each section of the letter there are proposals for how the problem could be remedied. The potential solutions posed for the problems in the law relative to books include lowering the age limit of the law to much lower than 12. Another solution is to allow the Commissison to create a waiver process to allow them to grandfather products that were made prior to the enactment of the law but "present only a de minimus exposure level and therefore a negligible risk."
I've been wondering what I should ask my congressmen to do when I get them on the phone. Just calling to complain is a bit of a wasted opportunity. I think that both of the solutions above are perhaps helpful. 1) Lower the age that the law is applicable to to products for much younger children (3 and under would probably line up with other laws such as item size). 2) Provide a waiver for all books published prior to the enactment of the law unless they are specifically designed for and marketed to very young children that would be expected to mouth books rather than read them (ie, board books, bathtub books) .
It is worth reading the whole thing, because the letter touches on issues like ATVs, ball point pens, economic impact to manufacturers and crafters and much more. I general I think the letter is well thought out and helps to convey much of the frustration over the new law.
The section about libraries and used book stores begins on page 20 of the pdf file.
One thing that did leap out at me was the statement that most children's books in libraries are recycled ever 18 lending cycles or three years. This might apply to paperback books or picture books that are being read to and by very young children. But it doesn't really reflect the reality that I see on other childern's library shelves.
There are much older books there. Many are still quite servicable reading copies (which is why I love library book sales so much). And many are stories that are not readily available in print anymore or that are not commonly available in sturdy hardback or library bindings.
But the letter is also clear that as the law stands now, it does in fact apply to books for children 12 and under, even if the risk posed in normal use of the book is minimal.
In each section of the letter there are proposals for how the problem could be remedied. The potential solutions posed for the problems in the law relative to books include lowering the age limit of the law to much lower than 12. Another solution is to allow the Commissison to create a waiver process to allow them to grandfather products that were made prior to the enactment of the law but "present only a de minimus exposure level and therefore a negligible risk."
I've been wondering what I should ask my congressmen to do when I get them on the phone. Just calling to complain is a bit of a wasted opportunity. I think that both of the solutions above are perhaps helpful. 1) Lower the age that the law is applicable to to products for much younger children (3 and under would probably line up with other laws such as item size). 2) Provide a waiver for all books published prior to the enactment of the law unless they are specifically designed for and marketed to very young children that would be expected to mouth books rather than read them (ie, board books, bathtub books) .
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
New Carnival of Homeschooling
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the Blarney Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling at Homeschool Cafe.
New Online Ad Site
The shopping website YokosukaAds.com was featured in a recent Stars and Strips Kanto ad supplement. It is new, but evidently, a sister site for Yokota has been popular.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The Bronze Christ
The base library has a large collection of non-fiction books about Japan and fiction relating to Japan, both by westerners and Japanese authors. They don't have a suggested reading list, but one of the librarians did point out several major authors to start with. I also picked out The Bronze Christ by Yoshiro Nagayo because the topic looked interesting. It isn't as well known as some of the others that the librarian recommended, but it caught my eye because it is about the martyrdom of Japanese christians during the time of the shogunate.
Nagayo wrote the story after WWII and it reminds me of the work of Heinrich Boll from the same general period. The story is sparsely written and the reader is left to connect a lot of the dots. The story is about the authorities' attempt to flush out hidden christians. In order to make the christians reveal themselves, they make whole village populations walk across icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary. Anyone who refuses is labeled as a christian and tortured to death. But the printed icons are wearing out and the authorities fear that they are so shabby that christians will walk across them, not recognizing them for what they are. They ask a young sculptor to make a bronze christ instead. While fictionalized, there is some fact behind the story.
There is much in this story that I didn't connect with. I don't know if that is because of its bare bones post war style, a style particular to Japanese stories in translation or because I'm missing much of the underlying references. It does make me want to learn more about these early christians and the history of christianity in Japan.
I didn't find much about the author online, but I did find Japan's Faithful Judas by Phillip Yancey, an article about the early history of christianity in Japan and the writings of Shusaku Endo. This seems to have been originally published in Books and Culture. It contains some background on early Christianity in Japan as well as some interesting thoughts on how Christianity is perceived through a Japanese lens. (Hat tip: The Ethe-Real World)
Nagayo wrote the story after WWII and it reminds me of the work of Heinrich Boll from the same general period. The story is sparsely written and the reader is left to connect a lot of the dots. The story is about the authorities' attempt to flush out hidden christians. In order to make the christians reveal themselves, they make whole village populations walk across icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary. Anyone who refuses is labeled as a christian and tortured to death. But the printed icons are wearing out and the authorities fear that they are so shabby that christians will walk across them, not recognizing them for what they are. They ask a young sculptor to make a bronze christ instead. While fictionalized, there is some fact behind the story.
There is much in this story that I didn't connect with. I don't know if that is because of its bare bones post war style, a style particular to Japanese stories in translation or because I'm missing much of the underlying references. It does make me want to learn more about these early christians and the history of christianity in Japan.
I didn't find much about the author online, but I did find Japan's Faithful Judas by Phillip Yancey, an article about the early history of christianity in Japan and the writings of Shusaku Endo. This seems to have been originally published in Books and Culture. It contains some background on early Christianity in Japan as well as some interesting thoughts on how Christianity is perceived through a Japanese lens. (Hat tip: The Ethe-Real World)
Cool List of Historic Fiction
I love booklists. I like to skim them to see how many books I've read, how many authors I recognize. I like the subtle thrill of recognizing something that I don't know but might enjoy.
I was bumbling around looking for some commentary on a Japanese novel I'm reading and I found this list of historic fiction from the Alexandria, Virginia library. Even more of their booklists are available here. Actually Alexandria is an example of a library that is neither resting on its laurels nor subcoming to electronic media. Its website is constantly pointing visitors to more and more books, book clubs, even online reviews of books by library patrons that appear in the library's computer catalog. Very cool. (And they have a good booksale.)
I was bumbling around looking for some commentary on a Japanese novel I'm reading and I found this list of historic fiction from the Alexandria, Virginia library. Even more of their booklists are available here. Actually Alexandria is an example of a library that is neither resting on its laurels nor subcoming to electronic media. Its website is constantly pointing visitors to more and more books, book clubs, even online reviews of books by library patrons that appear in the library's computer catalog. Very cool. (And they have a good booksale.)
Another Potential Victim of CPSIA
Dewey's Treehouse had a link to this article in the New York Times about a donation center where teachers can collect donated cast offs from businesses. Since many are moving or downsizing, there are lots of supplies coming in. It is a great example of a creative idea that gives companies a tax write off, reduces the inflow to the trash stream and provides useful supplies to classrooms. My sister-in-law is a classroom teacher and I have gone shopping with her in late summer as she shops the sales for folders and notebooks to give to her students so that they can complete classroom assignments. She's not, by the way, spending district money. It is coming out of her own pocket. But does any of this meet the standards for children's products under CPSIA? Is this group likely to fold in the face of oppressive liability?
When I was in college, a friend and I used to roam around just before graduation week salvaging books that other people were throwing out. I'd say a big chunck of my Penguin classics came from those piles.I've heard of a couple colleges where students have started small businesses that collect the cast offs at the end of the year and either donated them to school students who need them or sell them to incoming college students in the fall (fans and desk lamps being quite popular).
I don't know how groups like this could possibly continue giving items to elementary or middle school students without having reams of documentation. Maybe they could still continue if buyers sign a waiver assuring that the supplies will only be used for 13 year olds and older. And I think that the fall giveaways of a backpack full of donated school supplies is in question too. For that matter, if ball point pens contain small amounts of lead, what is in binder clips, and spiral notebooks?
Restricting the materials used in education is not going to make students safer.
Hat tip: Dewey's Treehouse
When I was in college, a friend and I used to roam around just before graduation week salvaging books that other people were throwing out. I'd say a big chunck of my Penguin classics came from those piles.I've heard of a couple colleges where students have started small businesses that collect the cast offs at the end of the year and either donated them to school students who need them or sell them to incoming college students in the fall (fans and desk lamps being quite popular).
I don't know how groups like this could possibly continue giving items to elementary or middle school students without having reams of documentation. Maybe they could still continue if buyers sign a waiver assuring that the supplies will only be used for 13 year olds and older. And I think that the fall giveaways of a backpack full of donated school supplies is in question too. For that matter, if ball point pens contain small amounts of lead, what is in binder clips, and spiral notebooks?
Restricting the materials used in education is not going to make students safer.
Hat tip: Dewey's Treehouse
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Activities for Students
I found this list of student contests and activities, while I was looking at National Latin Exam info. I can't guarantee that every one of the groups would have an open policy toward homescoolers. But many of them exist outside of schools like the American Classical League. It might be worth your time to puruse the list and see if there is a group that fits your kids' interests. There are a lot of contests here for essays, video projects and other projects. Some might even be associated with scholarships.
I also googled student essay contests just to see what sort of variety I might find.
First Freedom Student Competition on religious freedom (which had, by the way, the most inclusive and thoughtful eligibility rules that I've ever seen). For high school students.
Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest from Penguin Books. This year's essay is on Jane Eyre. Last year's was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. For high school juniors and seniors (homeschoolers 16-18).
The Jane Austin Society of North America essay contest. Open to students in high school, undergraduate and graduate school.
The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest for high school students.
NRA Civil Rights Defense essay on the Second Amendment This one has two divisions, one for high school students and another for younger students.
National World War II Museum Essay Contest for high school students. They also have a Middle School Art Contest and support the National History Day (which has a junior and a senior division that covers students from 6th grade up to 12th grade).
I also like the looks of the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad. I've used some of the practice problems with the kids. They really require some thinking and reward kids who aren't scared by languages that don't work the way English does. (I feel smarter if I even understand how to start solving the problem.)
In short, there are tons of contests out there on all levels. Odds are there are also local contests, promoted by companies or organizations in your local area, especially for younger students like those in middle school.
I also googled student essay contests just to see what sort of variety I might find.
First Freedom Student Competition on religious freedom (which had, by the way, the most inclusive and thoughtful eligibility rules that I've ever seen). For high school students.
Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest from Penguin Books. This year's essay is on Jane Eyre. Last year's was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. For high school juniors and seniors (homeschoolers 16-18).
The Jane Austin Society of North America essay contest. Open to students in high school, undergraduate and graduate school.
The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest for high school students.
NRA Civil Rights Defense essay on the Second Amendment This one has two divisions, one for high school students and another for younger students.
National World War II Museum Essay Contest for high school students. They also have a Middle School Art Contest and support the National History Day (which has a junior and a senior division that covers students from 6th grade up to 12th grade).
I also like the looks of the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad. I've used some of the practice problems with the kids. They really require some thinking and reward kids who aren't scared by languages that don't work the way English does. (I feel smarter if I even understand how to start solving the problem.)
In short, there are tons of contests out there on all levels. Odds are there are also local contests, promoted by companies or organizations in your local area, especially for younger students like those in middle school.
OOOOHH
I've heard about the National Latin Exam before, but I'd always assumed that it was something for high school students or at least students who'd completed some major work in Latin. I had no idea that there was an Intro to Latin level.
And the American Classical League also has an Exploratory Latin Exam for elementary aged students. And a National Mythology Exam for 3rd to 9th graders that might be appropriate for all kinds of students, not just those who are taking Latin as a foreign language. The mythology, by the way, includes Norse, African and Native American as well as Greek and Roman. The exam period for 2009 is just finishing. But this is something to keep in mind for the fall.
This is a good incentive to break out the Latin disks again.
And the American Classical League also has an Exploratory Latin Exam for elementary aged students. And a National Mythology Exam for 3rd to 9th graders that might be appropriate for all kinds of students, not just those who are taking Latin as a foreign language. The mythology, by the way, includes Norse, African and Native American as well as Greek and Roman. The exam period for 2009 is just finishing. But this is something to keep in mind for the fall.
This is a good incentive to break out the Latin disks again.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Use It Up - Wear It Out - Make It Do
The uncertain economic prospects make me a little more hesitant to get rid of clothes unless they are definitely worn out or have been outgrown by even the youngest. How Stuff Works has a series of posts on how to make repairs to clothes.
Hat Tip: Confessions of a Sewciopath
Hat Tip: Confessions of a Sewciopath
The Carnival of Homeschooling Is Up
Life Nurturing Education is hosting the latest Carnival of Homeschooling, featuring her favorite school supplies. (Mine is a big mug of coffee.)
Government Announces Older Books Aren't Useful
So now CPSC has declared that children's books more than twenty years old aren't useful. Granted, this was a bullet in a powerpoint presentation. But on the other hand, this statement is now out there in the presentation that CPSC is using to brief its own employees, lawmakers and members of the press. Here is there wording.
But it is entirely possible for a book to be twenty years old and be relevant both in content and in a well maintained copy. Put aside for the moment the older classics like A Boy's King Arthur or Henty or Little Women. The Black Stallion, Betsy-Tacy, , Half-Magic, Detectives in Togas, Little House on the Prairie, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Ring, and even Charlotte's Web are all over twenty years old. In fact I have copies of some of these books that are individually well over twenty years old.
I bought a set of reading copies of Charlotte's Web from the clearance rack at Half Price Books. We're reading it aloud and everyone has a copy. I and my older kids take turns reading. The youngest keeps up by matching page numbers and looking at the pictures. The copies that I bought have no publication data in them beyond copyright info. So they are marked as copyright 1952 with renewals of text and illustration copyrights in 1980. So as far as the regulators at CPSIA are concerned, this book is illegal to sell for a child's use. These books aren't textmaculate by any means. The paper is yellowing a bit, as do most mass market paperbacks after a few years. But they are quite good enough to hand to the kids to read. Why should this option be taken away from us? Or be made to cost $36 for four copies instead of the $4 for four copies that I spent? And you can forget individual teachers being able to build classroom sets or plump up their classroom library with books gleaned from used bookstores and library sales.
Maybe this twenty year relevance is a valid statement for a library that is planning to replace its heavily used books. But even then, there are many books on library shelves well older than this.
Maybe this is valid for science texts, where greater understanding of a subject makes an older one less valid. But even then, there are plenty of older nature books that are far better written than most of what is available for youth now. We even picked up an old book called The Electronic Brain about computers. Yes, it is from the 1960s. But it has the best explanations of binary and what is happening at the heart of a computer. Most modern books for kids treat a computer as a black box into which you plug your various gizmos. In short these books treated kids as if they were readers who were capable of thinking about a subject and understanding.
Maybe there are some lawmakers and bureaucrats who'd like come over and read some of my kids' books. Maybe they'd learn something.
Hat Tip: The Common Room and Doodles and Noodles
Children’s books have limited useful life
(approx 20 years)
But it is entirely possible for a book to be twenty years old and be relevant both in content and in a well maintained copy. Put aside for the moment the older classics like A Boy's King Arthur or Henty or Little Women. The Black Stallion, Betsy-Tacy, , Half-Magic, Detectives in Togas, Little House on the Prairie, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Ring, and even Charlotte's Web are all over twenty years old. In fact I have copies of some of these books that are individually well over twenty years old.
I bought a set of reading copies of Charlotte's Web from the clearance rack at Half Price Books. We're reading it aloud and everyone has a copy. I and my older kids take turns reading. The youngest keeps up by matching page numbers and looking at the pictures. The copies that I bought have no publication data in them beyond copyright info. So they are marked as copyright 1952 with renewals of text and illustration copyrights in 1980. So as far as the regulators at CPSIA are concerned, this book is illegal to sell for a child's use. These books aren't textmaculate by any means. The paper is yellowing a bit, as do most mass market paperbacks after a few years. But they are quite good enough to hand to the kids to read. Why should this option be taken away from us? Or be made to cost $36 for four copies instead of the $4 for four copies that I spent? And you can forget individual teachers being able to build classroom sets or plump up their classroom library with books gleaned from used bookstores and library sales.
Maybe this twenty year relevance is a valid statement for a library that is planning to replace its heavily used books. But even then, there are many books on library shelves well older than this.
Maybe this is valid for science texts, where greater understanding of a subject makes an older one less valid. But even then, there are plenty of older nature books that are far better written than most of what is available for youth now. We even picked up an old book called The Electronic Brain about computers. Yes, it is from the 1960s. But it has the best explanations of binary and what is happening at the heart of a computer. Most modern books for kids treat a computer as a black box into which you plug your various gizmos. In short these books treated kids as if they were readers who were capable of thinking about a subject and understanding.
Maybe there are some lawmakers and bureaucrats who'd like come over and read some of my kids' books. Maybe they'd learn something.
Hat Tip: The Common Room and Doodles and Noodles
Science E-Zine for Kids
The daughter of Dana at Principled Discovery has started a science e-zine, The Science Mouse. The first issue, about the solar system, is available. She is already accepting queries for the second issue. If you have kids who would prefer to have a reason to write other than just because, you might point them her way.
Interesting Nature Books
I picked up several cool nature books from used book stores and library sales over the last couple months. I've been challenged and encouraged by Barb at Handbook of Nature Study to get out and observe. Just to look around and be willing to see what is around me. For the last few years, we've lived well outside the realm of what is typically covered in guidebooks or nature study handbooks, first in Europe, then Hawaii, and now Asia. But I'm still working to learn the skills of seeing and recognizing that will serve me wherever we are.
A Practical Guide for the Amateur Naturalist by Gerald Durrell. I had been seeing this book all fall and finally decided to take a look at it. What a gem. It really is a general guide for people looking at nature. It is based on the spirit that we are all potentially competent amateur naturalists, capable of observing nature and making discoveries for ourselves. There are chapters for various ecological areas (fields and fencerows; scrub, shrub and chaparral; grasslands; desert; tundra; deciduous woodlands; coniferous woodlands; tropical forest; mountain; ponds and streams; marshlands; coastal wetlands; cliffs and dunes; smooth shores; rocky shores; seas and oceans). If at least one of these doesn't apply to your neighborhood or one nearby, then get off the computer and go do your spacesuit maintenance checks! The author was European, with experience in Greece and England, but the book has a sweet balance between generalities (ungulates for example) and specifics about individual species that have caught his fancy. There are marginal drawings as well as double page color photo spreads. There is also a sizable section on the Naturalist At Home, that includes techniques, equipment, preservation of samples and much more. There are intriguing sidebars every few pages like the vital statistics of a tree or how to make various nets for catching marine animals. This book is a real winner if your home area doesn't feature prominently in the typical children's nature literature (like Asia or Eastern Europe) or if you move around a lot.
Birds of the World: A Survey of the Twenty-seven Orders and One Hundred and Fifty-five Families - Oliver L. Austin, Jr. I like this book because it isn't a guidebook. Instead it is more of an encyclopedia of birds, divided into order and family. There are full color illustrations on nearly every page. The text is both detailed and interesting. For example, in the section on birds of prey I learned that the Goshawk,
was widely used in falconry, and in Japan was a great favourite for hunting rabbits and marsh birds. Instead of striking its prey and disabling it in passing with a blow of its talons, the Goshawk usually strikes and stays with its victim, riding birds to the ground. In feudal days the Japanese falconers used the Goshawk to hunt cranes. No hunting Goshawk was entitled to wear royal purple jesses until it had killed the most noble of all game, the great Japanese, or Manchurian, Crane. Though this crane is several times the Goshawk's size it is no match for the accipiter in a flying fight.
Now I just have to figure out if this is the bird that swoops and soars outside my balcony windows.
If you are looking for a more controlled look at nature, you might enjoy Bottle Biology by Mrill Ingram. This is a nifty little book that gives directions for science experiments using recycled plastic bottles. This is well beyond the old standby of a tornado in a bottle. These bottle experiments are things like a decomposition column, fermentation (of kimchee), TerrAqua columns, and much more. Many of the experiments use two liter bottles, but others call for film canisters. I appreciate that this book uses good scientific terms for what is going on in the experiments. There is a newer edition of the book available than what I have, but either are likely to be good finds. You can also find information on the Bottle Biology Project at their website or using the above links. (Ironically, the commissary stocks no 2 liter bottles, so I'm adapting the directions for liter bottles of club soda and big juice bottles.)
All three books cost me less than $20 new.
A Practical Guide for the Amateur Naturalist by Gerald Durrell. I had been seeing this book all fall and finally decided to take a look at it. What a gem. It really is a general guide for people looking at nature. It is based on the spirit that we are all potentially competent amateur naturalists, capable of observing nature and making discoveries for ourselves. There are chapters for various ecological areas (fields and fencerows; scrub, shrub and chaparral; grasslands; desert; tundra; deciduous woodlands; coniferous woodlands; tropical forest; mountain; ponds and streams; marshlands; coastal wetlands; cliffs and dunes; smooth shores; rocky shores; seas and oceans). If at least one of these doesn't apply to your neighborhood or one nearby, then get off the computer and go do your spacesuit maintenance checks! The author was European, with experience in Greece and England, but the book has a sweet balance between generalities (ungulates for example) and specifics about individual species that have caught his fancy. There are marginal drawings as well as double page color photo spreads. There is also a sizable section on the Naturalist At Home, that includes techniques, equipment, preservation of samples and much more. There are intriguing sidebars every few pages like the vital statistics of a tree or how to make various nets for catching marine animals. This book is a real winner if your home area doesn't feature prominently in the typical children's nature literature (like Asia or Eastern Europe) or if you move around a lot.
Birds of the World: A Survey of the Twenty-seven Orders and One Hundred and Fifty-five Families - Oliver L. Austin, Jr. I like this book because it isn't a guidebook. Instead it is more of an encyclopedia of birds, divided into order and family. There are full color illustrations on nearly every page. The text is both detailed and interesting. For example, in the section on birds of prey I learned that the Goshawk,
was widely used in falconry, and in Japan was a great favourite for hunting rabbits and marsh birds. Instead of striking its prey and disabling it in passing with a blow of its talons, the Goshawk usually strikes and stays with its victim, riding birds to the ground. In feudal days the Japanese falconers used the Goshawk to hunt cranes. No hunting Goshawk was entitled to wear royal purple jesses until it had killed the most noble of all game, the great Japanese, or Manchurian, Crane. Though this crane is several times the Goshawk's size it is no match for the accipiter in a flying fight.
Now I just have to figure out if this is the bird that swoops and soars outside my balcony windows.
If you are looking for a more controlled look at nature, you might enjoy Bottle Biology by Mrill Ingram. This is a nifty little book that gives directions for science experiments using recycled plastic bottles. This is well beyond the old standby of a tornado in a bottle. These bottle experiments are things like a decomposition column, fermentation (of kimchee), TerrAqua columns, and much more. Many of the experiments use two liter bottles, but others call for film canisters. I appreciate that this book uses good scientific terms for what is going on in the experiments. There is a newer edition of the book available than what I have, but either are likely to be good finds. You can also find information on the Bottle Biology Project at their website or using the above links. (Ironically, the commissary stocks no 2 liter bottles, so I'm adapting the directions for liter bottles of club soda and big juice bottles.)
All three books cost me less than $20 new.
Monday, March 09, 2009
National Review Reports on CPSIA
Between a Rock and a Barbie Dream House looks at CPSIA and the unintended consequences of the law.
I must say, however, that I'm more than a little fed up with Members of Congress saying that they didn't intend to wreck the havoc that they've created with their little law. They didn't take even basic steps to try to investigate what the outcomes of the law would be. They went for the easy sound bite instead.
I must say, however, that I'm more than a little fed up with Members of Congress saying that they didn't intend to wreck the havoc that they've created with their little law. They didn't take even basic steps to try to investigate what the outcomes of the law would be. They went for the easy sound bite instead.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Looking Forward to India
India will be coming up in our history studies in a few weeks. Wall Street Journal has an interactive map of New Dehli in its weekend Asia section. Actually, I've been finding several good articles for our Sonlight Core 5 studies in the Asia version of Wall Stree Journal online.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Chinese Art
We're well into our weeks of studying China for Sonlight Core 5. So far, I'm enjoying the core quite a bit, although it is also requiring me to teach my kids a bit more about how to read a schedule and plan their days. Not that this is a bad thing in the long run.
I was pleased to find a lovely post about Chinese art in the latest Carnival of Homeschooling. On Living by Learning has collected a lovely set of links for us to use in our China weeks.
I was pleased to find a lovely post about Chinese art in the latest Carnival of Homeschooling. On Living by Learning has collected a lovely set of links for us to use in our China weeks.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Things to Do and See from Yokosuka
Stars and Stripes has free community papers as advertising supplements. But they also contain lots of helpful community info like how to get licensed as a motorcycle operator, local school and club activities. And every issue seems to feature an article on somewhere cool in the area to visit. These are often places that are good to go as a family.
The current edition is downloadable as a .pdf file, but I haven't yet located an archive of articles.
Here are some links to the topics of other recent articles that I'd clipped out.
Tama Zoological Park in Hino City
Railway Museum in Omiya, Saitama
Toshiba Science Museum in Kawasaki City
I've also heard that there is a cool earthquake center near the city hall in Yokosuka. It is called the Earthquake Awareness and Preparation Center and it sounds like fun, but I don't have a link yet.
The current edition is downloadable as a .pdf file, but I haven't yet located an archive of articles.
Here are some links to the topics of other recent articles that I'd clipped out.
Tama Zoological Park in Hino City
Railway Museum in Omiya, Saitama
Toshiba Science Museum in Kawasaki City
I've also heard that there is a cool earthquake center near the city hall in Yokosuka. It is called the Earthquake Awareness and Preparation Center and it sounds like fun, but I don't have a link yet.
Books Under Seige
The Fort Worth Star Telegram has scooped most of the major news outlets in the country by accurately reporting on the looming danger to children's literature that CPSIA represents. The Dallas - Fort Worth area is also the home to the first Half Price Books store. The current flagship store is in an old Service Merchandise building, has shopping carts and a children's section that is probably bigger than a mall Waldenbooks. Half Price stores across the country have been pulling books out of their children's sections.
The books have been sent to a Dallas distribution center, where they wait as costly tests are run on children’s books to determine whether they are safe. One exception is collectable children’s books, which are wrapped in plastic bags and placed in adult book sections for collectors.
When we were home in the US over the Christmas holidays, we shopped at at least five different Half Price Books in three different states. I shipped several boxes of books to our new home here in Japan. Probably a full box worth would have been affected by this law.
The article also has strong words from Deborah Duke, the collection management administrator at the Ft Worth Public Libary.
"We’ve had children’s books for 100 years," said Duke, collection management administrator for the Fort Worth Public Library. "Other than the occasional expanded mind, we haven’t heard of them harming any children."
The article also observes that 1 in 7 adults in America can't read. Pulling books out of circulation or putting quality literature out of the price range of financially stressed families doesn't help this problem.
If you haven't already called your representative and senators over this, take the time to do it this week. Especially if your senator is on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Or if your representative is on the House Small Business Committee. Send them an email. Send them a letter. Send them a box with the picture of a book you love that no one will be able to sell under this law. Some congressional offices may be under the misimpression that books published before 1985 aren't in much demand anyway. If you disagree, then take the time to tell them. Let your kids help you write the letter or draft the talking points for the phone calls. You can show them how important it is in a democracy that representatives here from their constituents. And you can let them use a ball point pen.
(Hat Tip: Overlawyered)
The books have been sent to a Dallas distribution center, where they wait as costly tests are run on children’s books to determine whether they are safe. One exception is collectable children’s books, which are wrapped in plastic bags and placed in adult book sections for collectors.
When we were home in the US over the Christmas holidays, we shopped at at least five different Half Price Books in three different states. I shipped several boxes of books to our new home here in Japan. Probably a full box worth would have been affected by this law.
The article also has strong words from Deborah Duke, the collection management administrator at the Ft Worth Public Libary.
"We’ve had children’s books for 100 years," said Duke, collection management administrator for the Fort Worth Public Library. "Other than the occasional expanded mind, we haven’t heard of them harming any children."
The article also observes that 1 in 7 adults in America can't read. Pulling books out of circulation or putting quality literature out of the price range of financially stressed families doesn't help this problem.
If you haven't already called your representative and senators over this, take the time to do it this week. Especially if your senator is on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Or if your representative is on the House Small Business Committee. Send them an email. Send them a letter. Send them a box with the picture of a book you love that no one will be able to sell under this law. Some congressional offices may be under the misimpression that books published before 1985 aren't in much demand anyway. If you disagree, then take the time to tell them. Let your kids help you write the letter or draft the talking points for the phone calls. You can show them how important it is in a democracy that representatives here from their constituents. And you can let them use a ball point pen.
(Hat Tip: Overlawyered)
Monday, March 02, 2009
Morning at PBA
Rutabaga has decided that he's tired of doing school up to and after dinner and has gotten an early start. He's contemplating his Choose Your Adventure options for Antarctica and China (from Eastern Hemisphere Explorer). He's been doing nature cards for animals that live in various places studied.
Rutabaga: (looking over his card on a midge) Can I do another insect?
Sebastian: Well, it is cool that you did a midge, since it is pretty surprising that they live in Antarctica. But maybe you should do a card on one of the more significant animals that people think of when they think of the area.
Rutabaga: Krill?
Yes, I live with an arthropod lover with the soul of a fighter pilot. Go figure. (And yes, I'm letting him do krill.)
Rutabaga: (looking over his card on a midge) Can I do another insect?
Sebastian: Well, it is cool that you did a midge, since it is pretty surprising that they live in Antarctica. But maybe you should do a card on one of the more significant animals that people think of when they think of the area.
Rutabaga: Krill?
Yes, I live with an arthropod lover with the soul of a fighter pilot. Go figure. (And yes, I'm letting him do krill.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)