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LATEST
NEWS
A busy time of the year
3 May 2010
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Do you also find that things seem to get busy at this
time of year? The first school term is out of the way and things
should be settling down nicely, but we find that this is when we
realise we've taken on just a few too many activities. That
extra club or lesson that seemed such a good idea at the time
now becomes just about impossible to fit in and the carefully
planned schedule, which is supposed to ensure that none of us
has to be in two places at once, doesn't fit as well as it should.
One aspect that gets sorted out pretty well during the
second term is which subjects we need to supplement a little. It
becomes obvious where the gaps are and that is the time to find
something with which to fill those gaps.
If you have a
similar situation, have a look at the website to see if we can
help. Remember we can also get you books that are not on the
site and really enjoy helping out, so just ask if you need help
with resources.
A Couple of New Additions
This month we've
ordered in
Black Ships before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff and
The
Odyssey retold by Geraldine McCaughrean. Both are
recommended in The Well-Trained Mind and we've added these to our
website on a customer's request. We do listen to you, so
keep the requests coming! |
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We have many other books on this topic, such as
The Iliad
and the Odyssey retold by Marcia Williams, who
depicts these great stories in her distinctive comic
book style.
The Tale of Troy and
Tales of the Greek Heroes don't
need much explanation and Roger Lancelyn Green needs no
introduction. Ideal for reading aloud or for independent
readers to read by themselves.
Younger
students of the classics would enjoy the gorgeous
illustrations in
The Orchard Book of Greek Myths
(retold by Geraldine McCaughrean who always gets it just
right and illustrated in award-winning style by Emma
Chichester Clark.
This
is a great read-aloud book that includes the following
stories: Odysseus (Iliad and Odyssey covered in ten
pages), Pandora’s box, Persephone, Echo and Narcissus,
Daedalus and Icarus, Arachne, King Midas, Perseus,
Twelve Labours of Hercules, Jason and the Golden Fleece,
Orpheus and Eurydice, Apollo and Daphne, Theseus and the
Minotaur, Atalanta’s race, The Wooden Horse and Freedom
of Prometheus.
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The Junior Homer is a set of 4 audio CDs on
which Benjamin Soames reads The Tale of Troy and the Adventures
of Odysseus. These CDs tell of the war between the Greeks and the
Trojans, with Achilles, Agamemnon and Ajax fighting against
Hector and Paris to regain Helen; and the 10 long years
journeying home for Odysseus to his beloved Penelope on the
island of Ithaca. Just right for listening too while colouring in
The Adventures of Ulysses (another name for
Odysseus) or
Greek Gods and Godesses and reading the
interesting captions.
These are only a taste of the
resources we have available for this period. Lots more can be
found on the
website.
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Colouring Books
These classy colouring
books seem to fill gaps aplenty for some of you, so here are a few more titles
we've added to the site. Plenty more on their way, so this
section should remain a feature of the newsletter for a while. The plan is to classify them all under
a Colouring Book section, but for now you'll find them in the
Activity Books section and under the
relevant topic heading. |
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Let us know what you want to see in the newsletters!
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Website
of the Month
The ABC's My Favourite Book
Young Readers site has some book quizzes
that will keep early to mid-primary-aged readers on their toes.
Well-read older students could try the challenging questions at
the
Kids Lit Quiz site. The quiz is run in
China, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK, so unfortunately
Australians can't enter, but nothing stops us from trying out
previous quizzes (answers provided). At the very least it will
give you good ideas for books to read!
By now you know that we always add a
warning when recommending websites. We trust you're sensible
people who check web content and keep an eye on your children's
internet activities!
About Us
The rest of us are trying to convince Seb to
give us a little piece about himself. At the moment he is snowed
under with TAFE work, so let's hope we'll get something out of
him for next time.
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Contact
Us
It is lovely hearing from you, so please
contact us with any queries or to give feedback on how things
are going with products and homeschooling in general.
Happy reading!
Elsa, Peter, Seb & Lila
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