Australain Nature Study with Flower Fairies: by Jan Wade

Do your children love nature? These books will capture their imagination.

Look out for these informative and delightful books, and you will be charmed into learning heaps about Australian bush and forest. Nature study cannot get more delightful. A must buy modern classic to keep for generations to come!

http://www.bookworm.com.au/Book/My-First-Book-of-Australian-Flower-Fairies-9780980289251.aspx

http://www.bookworm.com.au/Book/My-Second-Book-of-Australian-Flower-Fairies-9781921756214.aspx


http://www.bookworm.com.au/Book/as00693_01-jpg-9781921346446.aspx

http://www.bookworm.com.au/Book/as00694_01-jpg-9781921346453.aspx

Tanglewood's Secret and other stories by Patricia St John

Patricia St John http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_St._John is a christian author who has written many lovely children's stories. Most of them help children to figure out the difficulties that they must face and struggle with in their young lives. So often we presume that because children are protected by us that they will never face any inner struggles. Unfortunately this is not always so.

Today we bought and watched the Tanglewood's Secret DVD today. I was so thrilled with the story all over again. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed reading this story. (Of course I always prefer reading the book to viewing!) It is a story that deals well with life and death issues, which sadly many children have to face earlier than we would chose. 

It also deals with the issue of prayers that seem to be unanswered. The little girl in the story prays that her friend will be healed and she finds herself very discouraged after his death. A local shepherd tells her that the Great Shepherd and taken her friend away from the stoney and harsh field and to a green and lush, happy pasture! So often when we think God is saying 'No" to our prayers, He has in fact chosen something better for us.

As I look back over my own childhood, I do believe Patricia St John was instrumental in developing a deep sense of compassion for the lost and the underdog. My favourite as a child was the Secret of the Fourth Candle and so I can say it was the most influential. Being an African kid whose paretns had been missionaries I think I fully related to and loved Patricia St John  own missionary expereince that greatly influenced in her stories and her understanding and compassion for fellow mankind.

I think Treasures in the Snow must be the most well known of her books. But truely, every child should have a chance to read her other books as well. Even more than Treasures of the Snow, I particularly like Star of Light, Twice Feed and Runaway.

I personally think that

Star of Light, Twice Feed and Runaway need to be read first by parents,  as they do touch on topics that need a certain maturity. Whereas Friska My Friend and The Other Kitten are delightful reading for the younger reader.  

One can never finish one of these books without feeling inspired to be a better person! 

Other of her books that I have read over the years and enjoyed for a specific 

audience are the Rainbow Garden, Where the River Begins, Three Go Searching, and Rainbow Garden. Again I would read it first as a parent if you are fussy about what your children read as they are aimed at addressing particular issues some children may face in life.

The Victor I think is the same book as The Runaway.

Jessica knows this devotional, which she thinks is fine.

Would you Believe it?: Young Person's Guide to Knowing God . Jessica also enjoyed A King Is Risen as a little girl. And encourages her brothers to use Young Persons Guide to Knowing God. 

I have just discovered on Amazon that she has written even more...I will have to try and get hold of them and try them out too - how exciting! 

An Ordinary Woman's Extraordinary Faith: The Autobiography of Patricia St. John

     

ESV Study Bible

A Bible on it's own is worth it's weight in gold and more. But I have found the commentary for the Easter story in this Bible fascinating this year....take a look at this Bible, worth every cent you pay for it and more!

Art Curriculum:

This is what we have used and loved over the years....we started with drawing text books which is the cheapest and best value for money. Gordon School of Art is the best art program for the really serious artist. Draw today is great for thinking out of the box, you draw everything inside dawn, train your brain to draw what you actually see. My older kids have won art prizes with this method - the down side you use charcoal which is messy if you are not thoroughly organised with a basin of water next to each person. Even someone who is not a natural artists person gets brilliant results as long as they are prepared to try and work hard! 

Presently we are using How Great thou Art for my 11, 9, 6 year olds; Beginning Drawing and I can DO all Things and I am very happy with them....we are really pleased with it! I also have their Art History/appreciation  program which I have glimpsed at and LOVE!

Draw Write Now is good for independent work! And is a real bonus if a kid likes art but not writing. The  beginner Gluck Art programme can be used  independently with a mature kid. We generally buy from Christian books http://www.christianbook.com/ or Rainbow Resource centre http://www.rainbowresource.com/index.php or Timberdoodle http://www.timberdoodle.com/ if they stock things. Of course you get free postage from Book Depository in the UK and Amazon UK has free postage to some countries now! And Amazon USA has some good second hand options too.


Teach Art at Home: (CD Roms, New online program too which we have not used) http://www.teachartathome.com/art-instruction-cds.html 
How Great Thou Art:(DVD's with Text books, supplies etc) http://www.howgreatthouart.com/

















Gordon School of Art:( DVD, work book supplies, hand in availabity etc)  http://www.newmasters.com/

Draw Write Now: (Text books) http://www.drawyourworld.com/ 

















Drawing Textbook: (Booklet)  http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Textbook-Bruce-McIntyre/dp/B000GTZZ9Q  













The Gluck Method: ( DVD, supplies etc.) http://thegluckmethod.com/howtodraw/courses/index.html













Draw and Paint today: (video, text books, supplies etc)
http://www.sonlight.com/RA011.html http://www.sonlight.com/RA017.html












Happy reflecting our great Artist, who paints a new sunset and sunrise for us each day, and creates beauty in each cell, each flower, each mountain, each ocean for his own glory and for our pleasure. What a wonderful God we serve, Joy

A Handy Horse

By Jill Eggleton
This is a Scholastic Blue Reader on the most fascinating topic...horses being used as guides for the blind. In America they are starting to train small horses as companion animals. They are good at focusing and live linger than dogs. A must read for every early reader!Available here:

http://keylinks.com.au/pdfs/Key_Links_PLOF.pdf

Easter by Jan Pienkowski.

Easter by Jan Pienkowski. We do love the illustrations for this book as well! We have always enjoyed this illustrated Bible passage over the years and somehow the old English of the KJ makes all the more beautiful. A family classic to treasure, althoughh hard to find these days! I have added a tunic to Jesus after he has risen ( easy to do with a black permanent marker and have blocked the little illustration of Judas hanging for the younger viewer with paper but would like to replace it with a nice sticker in keeping with the lovely background of the silhouettes.

"My First Story of Easter" by Tim Dowley

"My First Story of Easter" by Tim Dowley is my favourite first Easter book for little ones from the palm branch praises to his ascension. It doesn't give too much information but then again it gives plenty of interesting information for a very little one who is hearing the story afresh after a while and has forgotten much or for a brand new listener. (It is easy enough to add more to the story as you go along if you have a big kid listening in.) The pictures are sensitive to a little one’s viewing and there is not an overly gruesome portrayal of death, no blood. (I like that for my tiny ones, the full impact of Jesus horrible death can come later)

It explains terms like disciples being Jesus friends as you go along in a natural way as part of the story. My three year old keeps asking why they put prickles (thorns) or bindies (Australian thorns) on Jesus head, being very worried that Jesus head was made to bleed and be sore. He cannot understand why they hurt Jesus whom we love. The bigger children were asking why they praised Jesus and so soon turned against Him, calling for his death.

It has sparked a new interest in this timeless true story and it is refreshing to see it through the eyes of a child again. Certainly a beautiful way to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love again!

The Gruffalo and the The Gruffalo's Child

One usually considers picture books to be written for children but Julia Donaldson definitely, definitely must have had bored parents in mind when she wrote these delightful tales, The Gruffalo and the The Gruffalo's Child. The twists and turns are clever to say the least and the humour will have you all giggling away!

The Gruffalo is definitely my 3 year old's favourite book and he knows much of it off by heart! The movie has extended the story a bit but still holds true to the original!

Must look....good books, most libraries should have copies of these modern classics, but you can't beat having your own copy for daily use. It deals with facing one's fears and finding original solutions in a very clever way. It also brings home the point that some fears are are imagined not real.

Sister Lucy's Great Big Family by Susie Poole

Kenyan born but living in Australia, I was delighted to find this treasure for my 'Westernised' children! This is a gentle and sweet true story about orphans in Kenya who are mothered by Sister Lucy, who has no children of her own.  A must read first book for children who know nothing of other children who have less than they do! And who forget to be thankful! A portion of the money you spend on this book goes to WER see http://www.worldemergencyrelief.org/index.html

This is a positive and happy book and does not go into the details of the hardships of life as many similar books do - making it great for a very young child. But don't underestimate its impact on an older child too. Find an orphanage you can support as a family, both with gifts and with prayers! Or support your favourite charity that supports orphans. 

Our favourite two are http://www.tshepo.org/
and http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/OCR-Overseas-Community-Reach/157758800933392

As you will find hidden in the beautiful illustrations, on Sister Lucy's notice board, 

" Join us, we can make a difference" and as the story ends,
"Mungu ni mwema"
(God is good!)

The White Stallion of Lipizza

A must for beginner horse lovers! And for mothers who tire of reading second rate horse books to little girls (and big girls; and boys too)!

The is a first rate read aloud story for any horse lovers or for anyone who loves a good book. I had forgotten how lovely it was - it is the sort of book where Mum has to pause because she is too choked up to read any further...a story of hope and following dreams, even when life is tough! You learn a lot about the real world of the beautiful Lipizza horses too. You cannot get better than this in the imaginary world of horses and in a child’s world of figuring out life!

Art and the Bible for Chidlren

http://www.howgreatthouart.com/products/94.html

What a wonderful book - how inspiring to have the children draw their own Bible illustrations! There are heaps of fascinating children's illustrations all the way through alongside the text, which is well written by a 15 yo homeschooling boy. Plus Barry Stebbing has art lessons dotted all the way through the book too!

It is the most pick up and look some more children's Bible story I have come across!

Tales from Israel:

There is a series of Advent books by Arnold Ytreeide that I have just recieved but not fully read myself; we tried to read Bartholomew's Passage years ago when the kids were smaller and found it a' bit violent', so left it????!  I look forward to revisiting it now, and trying the others


    














And Patrician St John has written


 
I think the Victor and The Run Away are the same book with different titles.











You can download Pearl Maiden for free, but I honestly cannot remember if it is suitable for children, you will have to read it first to decide for yourself!
http://www.manybooks.net/titles/haggardhetext04prlma10.html

Happy Reading, Joy