Homeschoolers, Hippies, & Heirloom Tomatoes


Book Description

While most kids attend traditional schools, the Masat children get to have school in a coffee shop some days. The Masats, a family of tugboat-dwelling, organic veggie-growing, barge-farming, homeschooling vagabonds, spend their days traversing tributaries of the Mississippi River, escaping truant officers, and dodging flying Asian carp.




The Road to Positive Discipline: A Parent's Guide


Book Description

By using positive methods of discipline parents have the opportunity to provide their children with an optimal home environment for healthy emotional growth and development.




Stargirl


Book Description

ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A modern-day classic from Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli, this beloved celebration of individuality is now an original movie on Disney+! And don't miss the author's highly anticipated new novel, Dead Wednesday! Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’ s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first. Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love. Don’t miss the sequel, Love, Stargirl, as well as The Warden’s Daughter, a novel about another girl who can't help but stand out. “Spinelli is a poet of the prepubescent. . . . No writer guides his young characters, and his readers, past these pitfalls and challenges and toward their futures with more compassion.” —The New York Times




The Focus Project


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The Elliott Homestead


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Notes from a Blue Bike


Book Description

Life is chaotic. But we can choose to live it differently. It doesn’t always feel like it, but we do have the freedom to creatively change the everyday little things in our lives so that our path better aligns with our values and passions. The popular blogger and founder of the internationally recognized Simple Mom online community tells the story of her family’s ongoing quest to live more simply, fully, and intentionally. Part memoir, part travelogue, part practical guide, Notes from a Blue Bike takes you from a hillside in Kosovo to a Turkish high-rise to the congested city of Austin to a small town in Oregon. It chronicles schooling quandaries and dinnertime dilemmas, as well as entrepreneurial adventures and family excursions via plane, train, automobile, and blue cruiser bike. Entertaining and compelling—but never shrill or dogmatic—Notes from a Blue Bike invites you to climb on your own bike, pay attention to who you are and what your family needs, and make some important choices. It’s a risky ride, but it’s worth it—living your life according to who you really are simply takes a little intention. It’s never too late.




Little Soldiers


Book Description

New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice; Real Simple Best of the Month; Library Journal Editors’ Pick In the spirit of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Bringing up Bébé, and The Smartest Kids in the World, a hard-hitting exploration of China’s widely acclaimed yet insular education system that raises important questions for the future of American parenting and education When students in Shanghai rose to the top of international rankings in 2009, Americans feared that they were being "out-educated" by the rising super power. An American journalist of Chinese descent raising a young family in Shanghai, Lenora Chu noticed how well-behaved Chinese children were compared to her boisterous toddler. How did the Chinese create their academic super-achievers? Would their little boy benefit from Chinese school? Chu and her husband decided to enroll three-year-old Rainer in China’s state-run public school system. The results were positive—her son quickly settled down, became fluent in Mandarin, and enjoyed his friends—but she also began to notice troubling new behaviors. Wondering what was happening behind closed classroom doors, she embarked on an exploratory journey, interviewing Chinese parents, teachers, and education professors, and following students at all stages of their education. What she discovered is a military-like education system driven by high-stakes testing, with teachers posting rankings in public, using bribes to reward students who comply, and shaming to isolate those who do not. At the same time, she uncovered a years-long desire by government to alleviate its students’ crushing academic burden and make education friendlier for all. The more she learns, the more she wonders: Are Chinese children—and her son—paying too high a price for their obedience and the promise of future academic prowess? Is there a way to appropriate the excellence of the system but dispense with the bad? What, if anything, could Westerners learn from China’s education journey? Chu’s eye-opening investigation challenges our assumptions and asks us to consider the true value and purpose of education.




Miss Missy's School: Book I: A Pack of Farm Dogs Starts a School


Book Description

Miss Missy's School tells the delightful story of how Missy and her pack came to realize they needed a school for all of the animals on their Mississippi farm. Watch out, though! You may just learn a few things, too!




Homeschooling, Simplified: Chocolate Chip Math


Book Description

Chocolate chip math is a little booklet for homeschooling parents. Directed at the primary grades, math is presented in a simple and joyful way. In a five or ten minute lesson, the basics of arithmetic can be taught with ease. And yumminess. Bonnie's first book, "Homeschooling, simplified: dication" lays the foundation for homeschooling that is cozy and joyful. The basis for successful learning is that the relationship comes first. Chocolate chip math is efficient, inexpensive, fun and tasty.




Everything Elderberry


Book Description

This book is for everyone from novices to advanced herbalists and contains everything you need to know to source elderberries and make the most potent and delicious natural remedies and treats. Used for centuries to fight illness, elderberries’ reputation as an effective home remedy for colds and flu has been borne out by numerous scientific studies. While elderberry syrup is perhaps this amazing berry’s best-known form, there is so much more we can make from flavorful elderberries! In addition to its flu-fighting superpowers, elderberry contains potent antioxidants that support long-term health. Elderberries make nutritious and tasty additions to baked goods, drinks, and all manner of treats. Once you get started making your own elderberry gummies and homemade beverages, you won’t want to stop! Everything Elderberry will introduce readers to the science behind elderberries, their traditional uses, what to know about growing and foraging elderberries, and how to prepare numerous mouthwatering elderberry and elderflower recipes. From simple teas, syrups, and tinctures, to jams, desserts, and wine, Everything Elderberry will have you hooked on these gorgeous gifts from Mother Nature! The recipes featured here include: Elderberry hard candies and cough drops Jams made with foraged elderberries, strawberries, and chia seeds Elderflower soda & kombucha Foraged berry oat muffins Elderberrry and elderflower tea & tinctures