Maureen Wittmann
The Empty Pot
This lovely little storybook has been enjoyed by my preschoolers as well as my grade-school-aged children. As the moral of the story unfolds, this colorful story book exposes children to a little bit of Ancient China. It is the story of Ping, a child with a green thumb. However when the emperor gives Ping a seed to care for, he cannot even get a sprout from it. Yet all of the children of the land, who were also given seeds to nurture, return to the emperor's palace with beautiful flowers. Ping, humbled, gives the emperor his empty pot expecting to be scolded.
The New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism No. 2
Book no. 2 has the same division and order as book no. 1, reviewed here, but the lessons are more in depth for the older student, taking a spiral approach. Its recommended use is for grades six through eight.
This book is available from nearly all Catholic homeschool providers.
Spelling Power Activity Task Cards
The Spelling Power Activity Task Cards provide a multi-sensory approach to spelling instruction. (The activity cards are coded to indicate a visual, auditory, kinetic, and/or tactile instruction style.) Such an approach gives a child multiple ways to "retrieve" the phonics rules from his "mental filing cabinet." This approach is particularly well suited for children who have trouble retaining their spelling lessons, or have learning disabilities.
The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism No.1
Though very inexpensive, the New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechisms with explanations written by Father Kelley are worth their weight in gold. They are based on the Baltimore Catechism which was first approved by the Archbishop of Baltimore, James Cardinal Gibbons in 1885. The New Saint Joseph version goes beyond the simple question-and-answer format of the original catechism, it incorporates Holy Scripture with each lesson and includes discussion questions, a fill-in-the-blank section, and suggested Bible readings at the end of each lesson.
Meet the Masters
Years ago, a friend who teaches university-level art classes, told me that the best way for me to teach my children art was to combine how-to instruction with art appreciation. She suggested learning about the life of a particular artist by reading biographies and then learn how to imitate his or her technique. This made perfect sense to me, but I did not feel knowledgeable enough in the subject matter to put together my own curriculum and I did not know of any such art program that could be used in the home.