U.S. Constitution, etc.

I happen to think that the best overall approach to getting this country back on track, straightening out the mess in Washington, convincing people of the best environment to create for the most success by the greatest number of people, etc. is to get back to living by the U.S. Constitution. If you'd like a very nice leather version, click on the link to the left. There are other versions available, including free printings for which you pay modest shipping & handling, such as at: http://www.thecapitol.net/Publications/PocketConstitution.html.
My New Year's resolution is to fully assimilate this material and focus any political discussions in which I might find myself on this content.

Duncan's War

The adventures of a 17th Century boy is exciting enough, plus a Christian world view to boot. We understand this story is going to be made into a movie: https://www.facebook.com/DuncansWar

The Pacific Coast Railway (PCRy)

The Pacific Coast Railway: Central California's Premier Narrow Gauge by Kenneth E. Westcott and Curtiss H. Johnson is the must-have book for the PCRy. Whether you're trying to model the railroad and its buildings or enjoy some railroading history, this is a fabulous book. Through the Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad, we've organized some tours along ex-PCRy right-of-way. Much of the information came from this book and another by Hal Madson, Railroads of the Santa Maria Valley.

May 4, 2013 field trip: http://friends-smvrr.org/130504.html

Treasure Island

Here's a great children's classic. I re-read it this month with some nostalgia from reading it with my 5th/6th graders last year. I remember the treasure hunt at the end of the unit...

Carry on Mr. Bowditch

Another great adventure with all kinds of life lessons to boot. From Amazon: 'Readers today are still fascinated by "Nat," an eighteenth-century nautical wonder and mathematical wizard. Nathaniel Bowditch grew up in a sailor's world—Salem in the early days, when tall-masted ships from foreign ports crowded the wharves. But Nat didn't promise to have the makings of a sailor; he was too physically small. Nat may have been slight of build, but no one guessed that he had the persistence and determination to master sea navigation in the days when men sailed only by "log, lead, and lookout." Nat's long hours of study and observation, collected in his famous work, The American Practical Navigator (also known as the "Sailors’ Bible"), stunned the sailing community and made him a New England hero.'

January's Sparrow

From Amazon: 'In the middle of the night, The Crosswhites, including young Sadie, must flee the Kentucky plantation they work on. Dear January has been beaten and killed by the plantation master, and they fear who may be next. But Sadie must leave behind her most valuable possession, the wooden sparrow carved for her by January. Through the Underground Railroad, the Crosswhites make the slow and arduous journey to Marshall, Michigan, where they finally live in freedom. And there they stay, happily, until the day a mysterious package shows up on their doorsteps. It is January's sparrow, with a note that reads, "I found you." How the Crosswhites, and the whole town of Marshall, face this threat will leave readers empowered and enthralled. This is a Polacco adventure that will live in the minds of children for years.'
I also appreciated Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco, she's got quite a few, including several Lynn has used in her classroom.

The Uses of Enchantment

I remember first reading this book in college days or shortly thereafter. And I'm certainly glad I read it before our kids came along. Here's what Amazon says: 'Bruno Bettelheim was one of the great child psychologists of the twentieth century and perhaps none of his books has been more influential than this revelatory study of fairy tales and their universal importance in understanding childhood development. Analyzing a wide range of traditional stories, from the tales of Sindbad to “The Three Little Pigs,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “The Sleeping Beauty,” Bettelheim shows how the fantastical, sometimes cruel, but always deeply significant narrative strands of the classic fairy tales can aid in our greatest human task, that of finding meaning for one’s life.'