Have you looked at Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything (also available on audiobook)? You want the illustrated hardcover or illustrated paperback not the unillustrated one. This is something that you'd want to preview to make sure it is right for your family. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DU80KJK?keywords=bill%20bryson%20a%20short%20history%20of%20nearly%20everything&qid=1443919356&ref_=sr_1_5&s=books&sr=1-5 Also Theories for Everything by John Langine (published by National Geographic). http://www.amazon.com/Theories-Everything-Illustrated-History-Science/dp/0792239121/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443919423&sr=1-1&keywords=theories+for+everything Neither is specific to the 20th century.

I will second The Complete Tightwad Gazette. The numbers are twenty years outdated (as is any computer advice lol!), but the mindset is completely applicable, the book is funny and easy to read, and it gives you support when you are making hard choices. The library may be able to get it for you or buy used. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Tightwad-Gazette-Amy-Dacyczyn/dp/0375752250/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443196950&sr=8-1&keywords=the+complete+tightwad+gazette Our local farmer makes deals with people who ask to buy in bulk or buy seconds on produce. http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/11467-20-ways-to-build-a-whole-food-kitchen-on-a-budget.html http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/food-policy/save-money-on-groceries-zmaz10aszraw.aspx This website contains a visual and a list of what you get if you buy a quarter cow for the freezer. https://www.homegrowncow.com/buying-meat-in-bulk http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2012/07/05/beef-from-field-to-freezer-a-how-to-buy-a-cow-guide/ This will help you find farms near you http://www.eatwild.com/products/

Itch: The Explosive Adventures of an Element Hunter by Simon Mayo Itch Rocks by Simon Mayo Itchcraft by Simon Mayo Silverwing by Kenneth Oppell (bats) Sunwing by Kenneth Oppell Firewing by Kenneth Oppell Darkwing by Kenneth Oppell

The Marva Collins' Way http://www.amazon.com/Marva-Collins-Way/dp/0874775728/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442791920&sr=8-1&keywords=marva+collins+way Homeschooling for Excellence http://www.amazon.com/Homeschooling-Excellence-David-Colfax/dp/0446389862/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442796905&sr=8-1&keywords=homeschooling+for+excellence

The War Against Grammar http://www.amazon.com/War-Against-Grammar-CrossCurrents/dp/0867095512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442542541&sr=1-1&keywords=the+war+on+grammar Most of Dumbing Down our Kids (Be aware he's kinda not into multicultural literature though...) http://www.amazon.com/Dumbing-Down-Our-Kids-Themselves/dp/0312148232/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442542574&sr=1-1&keywords=dumbing+down+our+kids Not a book but podcasts: Andrew Pudewa on Reading Aloud to Older Kids http://amongstlovelythings.com/1 Adam Andrews: How to Talk to Your Kids about Books http://amongstlovelythings.com/2/ Denise Eide's book on how whole word/sight word instruction is hobbling many children in school. http://www.amazon.com/Uncovering-Logic-English-Common-Sense-Approach/dp/1936706210/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442542749&sr=1-1&keywords=uncovering+the+logic+of+english Denise Eide's video on the same topic

Reading aloud throughout childhood (and beyond) is the best thing in the world for a child. Most definitely take Jim Trelease's book The Read Aloud Handbook out of the library. If they don't have it. PM me your address and I will send one to you. I have FIVE copies! Also watch all of Sara Mackenzie's podcasts. Start with number one and work your way up. Several have religious content which may or may not align with your views, but even if they do not, the read aloud content in them is totally worth wading through the rest. http://amongstlovelythings.com/read-aloud-revival-the-podcast/ As for phonics instruction. You should be able to get one of these at your local library: http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Road-Reading-6th-Rev/dp/0062083937/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442447390&sr=8-1&keywords=the+writing+road+to+reading library.http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Parents-Guide-Teaching-Reading/dp/0972860312/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442447329&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=jesse+wise+everyday You may also enjoy watching Denise Eide's (author of The Logic of English) instructional videos on teaching children to read.

I think I love you, Bluegoat.

We did. In Maine in the 70s. Wonderbread bags were prized as I remember.

Astronomy for All Ages by Phillip Harrington http://www.amazon.com/Astronomy-All-Ages-Discovering-Activities/dp/0762708093/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440444008&sr=8-1&keywords=astronomy+for+all+ages

365 Starry Nights: An Introduction to Astronomy for Every Night of the Year by Chet Raymo http://www.amazon.com/365-Starry-Nights-Introduction-Astronomy/dp/0671766066/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440443808&sr=8-1&keywords=365+starry+nights+chet+raymo

I would start with CE 1. I prefer the old edition that is more vocabulary less Roman history, but you'd probably have to get it used.

Hakim's Story of Science: Newton at the Center or Hakim's A History of US Making Thirteen Colonies? Since you are asking lit, I will assume A History of US: Chapter 1: Puritans, Galileo, Chapter 2: Captain Newport, West Indes Chapter 3: The First Virginians, Powhatan, Chapter 4: English Settlers in Virginia, John Smith, James I, Chapter 5: John Smith Chapter 6: The Starving Time, Captain George Percy Chapter 7: Lord de la Warr, Sir Thomas Dale, Pocahontas, John Rolfe Chapter 8: The Virginia Company, William Tucker Chapter 9: African slaves, The House of Burgesses

Children Tell Stories by Martha Hamilton http://www.amazon.com/Children-Tell-Stories-Storytelling-Multimedia/dp/1572746637/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1439736706&sr=8-8&keywords=storytelling+for+kids

If you are very, very patient (because I am very, very slow), I should have something quite like this as my next Nature Study title from Royal Fireworks Press (provided they are also very, very patient...).

I am so excited for you. You are such a good role model for women who homeschool/work and still are able to keep their creative side going. I'm heading over to Amazon to put in my preâ€order now!

Fed Up with Katie Couric was good.http://www.amazon.com/Fed-Up-Katie-Couric/dp/B00L5R5GE2/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1439226439&sr=1-2&keywords=Fed+Up Jamie Oliver has a movie called Hungry for Change that is excellent http://www.amazon.com/Hungry-Change-Jamie-Oliver/dp/B008MIYKR6/ref=pd_sim_74_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0MM1AG7QMB4Q8PSVQERS Prescreen this movie, but it is really good, just not sure for elementary. Fresh with Joel Salatin . http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Joel-Salatin/dp/B005YFGIZM Michael Pollan has a version of The Omnivore's Dilemma book for kids. http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Secrets-Behind-Readers/dp/0803735006/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439226524&sr=1-2-fkmr0&keywords=ominvore%27s+dilemma+for+kids There is a version of the Fast Food Nation book for kids called Chew On This: Everything that You Never Wanted to Know about Fast Food http://www.amazon.com/Chew-This-Everything-Dont-About/dp/0618593942/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439226548&sr=1-1&keywords=fast+food+nation+for+kids

Caitilin has nailed it. The difference between MCT language arts and other (especially parts to whole) programs is in his focus on beauty in expression. That is one of the basic goals of a some branches of classical education which is to expose the student to truth and beauty. To master something because you love it. To love something because someone has revealed to you its innate beauty. I will begin by saying my book is published by the same publisher as MCT, and that I have a casual acquaintance with MCT. That being said, I have nothing to do with the marketing of other books by Royal Fireworks Press and my opinion, as follows, is based only upon my experience with the MCT program with my kids and informed by hearing MCT speak at conferences. My kids, especially my gifted son (who learns very differently), loved MCT's elementary program. We began it as suggested in third grade with Island level and worked through Voyage level, took a hiatus for Hake Grammar to get punctuation and usage covered, and are now afterschooling Word within the Word and Magic Lens. The program is whole to parts, it is designed for kids who do not need lots of repetition, and focuses on the beauty of language. It is written by a man who absolutely revels in the beauty of language, who loves words and sounds and poetics because they are beautiful and meaningful. The program has to be approached as a sit on the couch and snuggle program. It is not open and go and it is not intended to be. It is an opportunity to share MCT’s love of language with him and with parent and child. The books seem thin to those of us used to FLL, Hake, or Analytical Grammar (we did all three), because unlike the daily lessons in those grammar books, the grammar in MCT is designed to be “front loaded.†You go through the book in the first 10 weeks or less of school and then switch to the practice books for reinforcement. When in the reinforcement stage of the grammar, you start the writing book (which addresses grammar), and then the poetry book. The vocab books are used throughout. This is they style of teaching that fits gifted and very quick learners and keeps at bay their dread of repetitive worksheet style curricula. So you have to think of all four books as one book in terms of continuity throughout the teaching year. I will begin with the poetry series. Here he lays out the structural beauty of sound, phonemic awareness and its uses, to make the basic structure of poetry apparent. The sybillant /S/, the punctuating /T/, sounds that work with soft subjects and those that underline the harsh. There is nothing else like this series, though the two other poetics programs, The Art of Poetry by Classical Academic Press and Grammar of Poetry by Roman Roads Media are both really good and bring analysis to poetry but not the same kind of love. I would say that the poetry is by far the most difficult of all the books and we did not start the series before 4th grade though it is recommended for 3rd. Some might even start it later. However, there is nothing else like it. And if you prefer to do your poetry studies by reading real poems everyday, this is a perfect quick introduction. Now on to vocabulary. 100% recall. 100% recall YEARS LATER. Constantly finding and commenting on Caesar’s English words in classic literature. Talk about front loading for your literature studies! The classic words used in the 3rd and 4th grade curriculum will carry your child through high school. Just like all the other MCT programs, Caesar’s English should be done on the couch, aloud together. Word Within the Word’s word lists (say that five times fast) are very long, but can be halved in practical use. WWW also reviews Caesar’s English words to help retention. The Grammar series is thought provoking and excellent. More is accomplished in the 4 level analysis of one sentence per day than 20 of the dull sentences in, say, analytical grammar. We use the space for notes at the bottom of each page to diagram the sentence. It is true that the parent must have knowledge of grammar for this program to be easy to teach. But we usually started the year with MCT and then added in workbook pages or sections from another series to cover the things MCT does not such as punctuation, usage, homonyms, etc. and used them while we were going through the practice book. The Magic Lens also has an ebook supplement called “Loops†that really adds to the program. The writing curriculum. This is the weakest part of the program and we used it only as a read aloud on the couch to reinforce the grammar book. We did none of the exercises. While my bright kid picks up grammar and poetics and vocab easily he needs direct instruction (incremental, torturous direct instruction) in writing (to the point we haven’t even found something that really works for him). Only a natural writer would thrive under the writing portion. We did not use the literature program. Finally, we purchased both the teacher and student books and found we only needed the teacher books despite what it says on the website. If I were making the recommendation I would be very specific. I would list the MCT materials under the category of “Accelerated and Gifted Learners†and possibly as "Supplementary Curriculum" or "Afterschooling" should there be such categories. I would recommend Caesar’s English and Word Within the Word wholeheartedly as well as the poetics program starting with The Music of the Hemispheres. As well as the Grammar Program beginning with Grammar Island and Practice Island through Magic Lens. I would not include the writing program or the literature program in the list.

Books, books, books and more books. Nice unabridged, illustrated copies of the classics. Lots of non fiction history. Books on homeschooling. Books on nature study. Books on teaching art to children. Books on teaching writing to children (even unbound books like The Writer's Jungle by Julie Bogart, which is loose leaf). Literacy programming to help struggling readers of all ages. Ongoing literary and young novelist clubs for the bookworms who don't fit in anywhere else. Flexibility in finding good times for programming (survey your frequent borrowers, do they think a book club would be better on Tuesday at 4 or Saturday at 10, for example. Don't give up on a good program if you haven't tried it in a number of time slots). Special presenters on topics linked to books (esp. science presenters). Give homeschool parents larger check out limits (my friends often have out 90 books at a time!) Feature some books turned cover out (especially those that are excellent but overlooked) like they do at independent bookstores. Pull quotes from good children's books and print them on small squares of paper and stick them in unexpected spots to encourage people to look at something new (or old!). Other fun little ways to point people in the direction of something different.

Tome Travelers?

A Buzz in the Meadow: The Natural History of a French Farm and A Sting in the Tale: My Adventures with Bumblebees both by Dave Goulson Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee A Bird in the Tree by Elizabeth Goudge

Dear Susan, I would love to see Denise Eide's Logic of English listed among your top picks for spelling/reading curriculum. I jumped from SWR (Spell to Write and Read by Sanseri) as soon as I got LOE Essentials in my hands. There was no learning curve for the parent as you find with SWR or Spaulding. It is open and go like WWE. LOE is also secular, unlike SWR or Rod and Staff. Lessons were introduced in a sensible order such as the sound alikes "oi" and "oy" together. Denise takes into account the American pronunication of "ey" at the ends of words like honey as long "E" rather than sticking to the short "i" sound as SWR does. There is just the right amount of repetition. There is an entire teacher training course for free on YouTube. She produced an advanced word list for Essentials. She explains how to sound out the Dolch List! She makes videos explaining "crazy words." She includes foreign phonograms in her advanced phonogram list. She expanded the curriculum to include a foundations level. I suspect she will be doing more with Latin and Greek roots and morphographs in more advanced levels soon. She uses games and multisensory activities. Nerf guns are allowed. Spelling could not be made more fun. I used it with both my kids (and myself!) with excellent results and then passed on the recommendation to other families with struggling readers whose teachers did not have time to help them. Plus, even though this is not really a reason to buy a curriculum, Ms. Eide shares her own struggles with spelling and she radiates goodness and honesty, and this last bit makes her videos a pleasure to watch. I would agree with a previous poster that for students with dyslexia, Barton (and LiPS) would be a better option. Struggling spellers and even good spellers will get plenty out of LOE. As to the expense, Denise Eide did produce a book called Uncovering the Logic of English ($15) that in conjunction with her free teacher training YouTube videos, free materials on her website, and an hour of time writing out your own phonogram and spelling rule cards is enough to teach the program making the price similar to Spalding which is another great OG program. Thanks, Laurel

I really like about half of what Anthony Esolen says and dislike strongly the other half. But I really like the comparison between the introductory text of the old Book of Knowledge with the new. Clearly the content of the new ones are being tightly controlled to meet national standards, lexile measures, and to avoid any controversy. I particularly like the part where the old Book of Knowledge "shall make their lives happier, and save the waste of precious years of school." Might have to add this to my bookshelves next to My Bookhouse.

My (white) husband ate lunch every day at the Mexican grocery for seven years (they had prepared food as well as groceries and a couple of tables). Unlike the Mexican restaurant on the same street, it was frequented by day laborers and farm workers. My husband was one of their best customers and they knew he loooooved their cooking. They invited him to their grandchild's first birthday party and he went and had a great time. Don't hesitate to go and support their small business and get good food and authentic ingredients!

Also see if your state has an Archeological Society, a not for profit that works to preserve and excavate archeological sites. They will often allow students to join their digs. They also have monthly meetings, often with guest speakers. Here is one example. http://ioccnysaa.blogspot.com/

I don't know where you are located, but my son participated in the "Do the Dig" archeology program with Prof. Geoff "Big Dog" Purcell for five years. We were in the New York area at the time, but I know some digs were held in NJ and perhaps CT or VT. It is a wonderful week long program for homeschoolers. The subject matter is different each dig (ancient Rome, Maya, Native American etc). The dig itself if simulated, Big Dog is an archeologist and has a large collection of artifacts and replicas that he buries in contextual strata which are excavated by the students. The morning consists of lecture and discussion. The afternoon of digging. http://www.dothedig.net/