12 Hours constitutes Summer Reading

Oh my. The library system youth reading program is 12 hours! For each 12 hours, the kids can turn in a new card and enter again into a drawing for a galaxy tablet, but 12 hours is the minimum? Really? I told the librarian that Tiger does that in less than a week. She shrugged. That was Monday. Thursday, Tiger returned with summer reading program card in hand and the librarian looked at him in disbelief. “We didn’t expect anyone to finish that fast. We won’t be ready until later next week.” In the last 4 days, both Tiger and Marin have read multiple books. Tiger has been reading Laddie, A Single Shard, The Sign of the Beaver, and a few other fun books. He also wrote his essay for his Harry Potter class, practiced piano, and did his math daily. Butterfly has read The Horse and His Boy, The Princess and the Goblin, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon this week. Even Pumpkin Pie has completed half of the program for children- 500 minutes. Thankfully, they read because they love it and the reading program is just a bonus.

Kinder Cottage Publishing- Schoolhouse Review

I was offered the chance to review two books out of a series that has recently been republished by Kinder Cottage Publishing. The books I got to review are Peter Rabbit at the Farm and How Peter Rabbit Went to Sea. Each hardback book is costs $4. They are appropriate for children 3-7.

Originally written by Duff Graham in 1917 for the Henry Altemus company, Kinder Cottage has reprinted these stories in full color and edited the text to reflect more modern words. For example, the word velocipede was changed to bicycle. There are 10 stories in all.

 

Peter Rabbit at the Farm is about an adventurous rabbit named Peter who goes for a walk through the farm of Mr. McGregor. As he does, he meets many farm animals as well as Mr. McGregor’s hired man. Sometimes he helps the animals he finds out of trouble, but more often, he causes his own trouble. Finally, lost, Peter cunningly takes a ride hanging from the legs of Old Jim Crow until he can get his bearings and run home. There, he laughs as he tells his family of his adventures, is scolded for running away, eats his dinner, and falls asleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Peter Rabbit Went to Sea starts out with Peter running an errand for Mother Rabbit to bring home cabbage from Mr. McGregor’s garden. On his way home, he sees some apples on the ground and he decides to eat them. As he does, he forgets all about the cabbage, gets sick, and runs home. Because he has forgotten the cabbage, he is spanked and then cries while his sisters watch. The next day while Mother Rabbit goes out, she cautions the children not to go near the brook. The children look for some stored popcorn (which was hidden for Halloween) to play store until Peter suggests popping it and eating it up. They build a fire and eat most of the corn. Then Peter suggests they go on an adventure. While Peter’s sisters, who were “good little girl rabbits,” suggest playing robber in a cave, Peter, who was a “bad little boy rabbit” wants to build a boat and play pirate. Peter builds his boat then pushes it into the brook to sail away. Pretty soon he finds himself in the ocean where he gets scared of a shark and capsizes on a rock, which is actually the back of a whale. The whale blows him back into his boat, but before he can get in his boat, he meets more unpleasant sea creatures and nearly tips out again when a bird lands on his boat. Finally the bird is so shocked to see a rabbit in the ocean that he determines to take Peter home to show his children and flies off with him. Through some cunning, Peter gets free and runs home where he begs his mother to put him to bed.

 

The binding on these books is really nice and they are also available at a great price. I also like the size of the books. They are 5x7 and easy to hold.  My children and I didn’t enjoy the stories though. Some of the language doesn’t have the right feel about it. For example, Peter talks back and says things like, “Don’t believe it.” and “Will too.” Additionally, I did not like the “good girl” and “bad boy” descriptions. It seemed to me that it was not a “good” thing to go hunting for the hidden popcorn mother was saving for a special occasion and eat it up. “Good” children would have cautioned against such behavior. I also struggled with the rambling nature of the story line. I was glad that while I found the stories to be lacking in good relationships, Peter does run into trouble as a result of his disregard for others. It is also through some careful thinking that Peter frees himself from trouble.

 

Be sure to check out the other reviews. While I may not personally have enjoyed the stories, others surely did. Additionally, there are 8 other stories in the series.

 

Learning Breakthrough- Schoolhouse Review

I have always been interested in modalities which might assist a person to learn better. I find the idea that conditions like dyslexia or other learning disabilities can only be accommodated  preposterous. I believe the brain is amazing and if you tap into the right pathway anything is possible. I love reading about research related to this concept. Recently I was given the opportunity to review A Life in Balance published by Learning Breakthrough Program. Available in paperback, it retails for $16.94.

 

Written, by his son, Eric Belgau, A Life in Balance is the story of how Frank Belgau spent years in the classroom researching, modifying, and perfecting methods to help children overcome learning disabilities and reach their potential. It is the story of a man who wouldn’t take no for an answer and despite many setbacks and lack of science and neurological degrees. It is also a manual on how to implement some of his discoveries in your home. These tools have helped children suffering from ADD, dyslexia, poor coordination, as well as those children who don’t seem to have any learning or other disabilities.

 

In the 1960s, children with learning disabilities were called minimally brain-injured and were not expected to learn much. Mr. Belgau, through his life experiences did not believe that these children were destined to sit at the desk with their heads down covered in paper so as not to distract the other students. He believed they had potential and it just needed to be unlocked. Starting in Frank Belgau’s early life, this story highlights transformational events which shaped his hypothesis and experiments. It also is a wonderful story of mentors and great teaching as well as not giving up when “failure” seems present. No matter what “failure” was presented, Mr. Belgau seemed to take it like Thomas Edison took his failed light bulbs. Nothing was a failure- all was a learning opportunity. Using the measuring stick of “immediate, observable improvement in reading” as the determination if a therapy worked or not, Mr. Belgau developed exercises, activities, and games which did work. Over time, he integrated ideas and help from medical, neurological, and educational professionals to arrive at what he calls his Learning Breakthrough System.

 

I found the book engaging and interesting. I loved to read about the different things that were tried, his logic as to why he chose new things, and how the experiments worked. It was fascinating to me to see how the right people seemed to be placed in Belgau’s path at the right times and how his program evolved. As I read, I began to think about the little kids I teach in karate. I started thinking about how various exercises we do in karate can help the children I teach learn better both in and out of the dojo. I also started thinking about how I can help my children, who don’t have learning disabilities, learn better. Thankfully, the last several chapters of the book outline several exercises so we can begin to use some of the tools that Mr. Belgau has discovered. These exercises include various body-in-space awareness drills. They don’t require a bunch of equipment and can be used right away.

 

This is a great book for anyone who works with children in any capacity. The brain is a marvelous wonder. New pathways can be established and everyone has potential just waiting to be realized. As I was reading this book, I was recommending it to various people asking about how to help their struggling children.

A Wonderful Afternoon

What do our afternoons look like?

While Little One naps, the rest of us are pursuing great books.

A Gift for Her Sister

Butterfly wanted to make a canopy for Strawberry’s bed. I am not sure what spurred the thought, but she has been working on this project for several weeks. First she drew her plans, B helped her measure dimensions and then she and B went to the hardware store and bought PVC pipe. Together they built the frame for the canopy. Then she took an old sheet and measured the panels and cut it up. She sewed all the edges and today she presented her present to Strawberry. Strawberry loves her bed.

Why Mothers Get Gray

My Mother’s Day flowers didn’t stand a chance…

And yet my older children don’t seem to understand how important it is to push the dining chairs in!

Micro Business for Teens- Schoolhouse Review

 

My children are always trying to come up with businesses to earn money with. I have pictures of them when they were very small waving signs at the end of our driveway hoping someone would drive through our cul-de-sac and buy their artwork. Over the years, many of their business ideas have not been very practical, but they tried them anyway. As they get older, they have more desire to learn about creating a business that will be practical. Recently, Tiger got to review two eBooks and a workbook from Micro Business for Teens to help him create a worthwhile micro business.  He reviewed the Starting a Micro Business, Running a Micro Business, and Micro Business for Teens Workbook. All three products are geared towards youth 12-18, but I think a motivated 11 year old could really benefit from these books as well.

 

From brainstorming business ideas to writing a business plan to finance and motivational words, Starting a Micro Business book is designed to assist youth become successful micro business owners. It costs $4.95 for an eBook and is also available in paperback for $9.95. Starting a Micro Business was written because Carol Topp, a CPA and mom of two, found that so many entrepreneurial books do not meet the needs of teens. They are either not complex enough or they set unreasonable expectations and recommend unreasonable processes. Topp aims to teach about the various aspects of being a micro business owner while maintaining time for education and other responsibilities. It provides practical and relevant advise without dumbing down the information. Throughout the book many business ideas real teens have implemented as micro business owners are highlighted. Easy to read and understand, Starting a Micro Business uses plain language that leaves the reader understanding business terminology without being dry or overly technical. Each chapter ends with a bullet point list of “Important Points.” I love that there is an entire section dedicated to warning about scams as well as a chapter on avoiding pitfalls, problems, and solutions to the problems. The chapter on business planning is very well laid out and would benefit any micro business owner. I wish Tiger had had this book a year ago when he started his micro business. I also really liked all the quotes from classics and people scattered throughout the book. For example, in the chapter on finance, there are quotes from the Bible, Hamlet, and Benjamin Franklin to name a few.

 

Running a Micro Business is written for the teen who has already figured out the business plan, financing, and is ready to go. It is the perfect follow up to Starting a Micro Business because it details sales, marketing, customer service, record keeping, bookkeeping, software, legal names and tax ID numbers, risks and solutions, and time management. Like the first book in the series, Running a Micro Business gives practical advise on how to run a business. It costs $4.95 for an eBook and is also available in paperback for $9.95. In the chapter on sales, it discusses how to get sales, how to get paid, and how to handle non-paying customers. It also addresses both in person and online sales. This book also includes quotes and important points. Throughout this book, various people are highlighted in side bubbles. This time, rather than highlighting business plans, these people are highlighted based on characteristics they possess which would be good for business. They are small stories of appropriate behavior as well as inappropriate behavior along with what went wrong.

The Micro Business for Teens workbook is designed to be used by the teens. It is just under 100 pages and costs $9.95 for an eBook copy or $14.95 for a physical copy. It can be used both independently or as part of a class. If it is used as part of a class, it is recommended that it be used over 14 weeks along with the two texts. If it is used indecently at about a chapter a week it could be completed over about 3 months. The workbook is designed to help students better internalize the material in the texts. The first half of the workbook corresponds Starting a Micro Business and the second half corresponds to Running a Micro Business. It provides a place for the teens to brainstorm and wrestle with the ideas and information they learn in the texts. Some parts of the workbook seemed to be comprehension fill-in sheets and not really that useful, but most of the workbook was excellent. It takes a student through brainstorming, narrowing down choices, clarifying ideas, finding mentors, problem solving problems, writing a business plan, and getting started. If used, I think this workbook could really benefit a youth in his endeavors to create a profitable business venture.

Since this was used entirely by Tiger, and he has been running a micro business for the past year, I asked him to write a review. The following is his review:

I thought that the curriculum was overall beneficial and helpful to teenagers starting businesses. The author calls it a “Micro Business” and showed how it differentiated from other businesses. Here are some of the key points that a Micro Business has in the books: Simple and easy to start up; Only one worker, the owner; Low Risk; Learn while Earning.

I thought that these and a lot of the other traits listed in the book were very helpful and useful. There were motivating business stories in little sidelines of the page. Those were rather fun and motivating. The first book covers a lot of topics such as getting an idea for a business, problems and how to avoid scam and phishing, especially if your business is online, writing a business plan, and encouragement. The 2^nd book covers things such as customer service, sales, marketing, and keeping records.

I thought that the books were very helpful in beginning and keeping a business going, how to expand later, keeping it under control, etc. I currently run a “Micro Business” and these books have helped me with ideas for another one, and have helped me to improve my current one. I briefly looked at the workbook and think that it is good for examining and writing a business plan and fine-tuning. The fill-in the blanks for reviewing the chapters didn’t seem to help much. I thought that the business plan was very thorough and easy to change if needed. Overall I enjoyed this product; it covers everything from getting your micro business off the launch pad to fine-tuning your services and finances.

I have seen many entrepreneurial products on the market geared towards children and teens. I think and this one is not only excellent, but also well priced.