Maureen Wittmann

The Empty Pot

Book cover: The Empty Pot
Author(s): 
Demi

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.

Spelling Power Activity Task Cards

Book cover: 'Spelling Power Activity Task Cards'
Author(s): 
Beverly L. Adams Gordon

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

Book cover: The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism No.1
Author(s): 
Rev. Bennett Kelley, CP

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.

Great Moments in Catholic History

Author(s): 
Rev. Edward Lodge Curran
Inviting the reader in with its black and white illustrations on each page, Great Moments in Catholic History presents one hundred exceptional events in the history of the Catholic Church. Originally published in 1938, each page presents a great moment beginning with the Annunciation and ending with Pope Pius XI's 1937 Encyclical letter on Atheistic Communism. At the end of the book there are 500 quiz questions, 5 for each of the 100 historical events, to review the lessons learned.