Alicia Van Hecke
Language of God for Little Folks (Level A)
This is a simple and charming, Catholic grammar workbook designed for use in the second grade. It reinforces very basic grammar concepts such as - what constitutes a sentence, nouns and verbs, past and present tense (choosing the correct verb), singular and plural, opposites, simple synonyms, and capitalizing words such as - the days of the week, the months of the year, special titles and the names of God.
The Cottage at Bantry Bay
I often have the hardest time reviewing my very favorite books. The O'Sullivan family, of Ireland in the 1930s, have become very dear to us over the years. The story is simple and charming, but very real...in the best sense. You pick up the book and can't help reading it with an Irish brogue..and getting carried away from the modern noisy, busy world of today to a land of simplicity and beauty (though not an easy life).
Lyrical Life Science
This clever learning set teaches basic concepts in Life Science through cleverly written songs (to tunes like Battle Hymn of the Republic and Dixie). There are eleven songs in all, with a chapter in the text and three pages in the workbook corresponding to each song. These are the song titles:
The Holy Twins: Benedict and Scholastica
This oversized story book, illustrated with the familiar style of Tomie de Paola, relates the stories of Saints Benedict and Scholastica – twin brother and sister who lived in Italy in the 5th Century. The story is very simple, with gentle humor, and suitable for young children. The illustrations are especially interesting because they resemble pre-Renaissance Christian art with little bits of the story taking place in the background of the main picture.
Little Folks' Number Practice
This simple workbook provides practice for preschool and kindergarten aged children in writing numbers, counting objects and considering religious ideas associated with each number (one God, two natures: human and divine, three Divine Persons, four marks of the Church: One - Holy - Catholic - Apostolic, five Sacred Wounds, etc.).
Math-U-See
Math-U-See is a fairly new Math program, designed especially for homeschoolers, which runs from Kindergarten all the way through high school. The author is a former high school Math teacher who has attempted to balance a solid conceptual understanding of math with enough practice to let it "sink in." The program consists of a student text (workbook format), a teacher's manual, and optional practice sheets, special Math-U-See blocks and a teacher training DVD. I am very impressed with this program.