How to Repair Book Spines

For everyday books, not high value collectibles.

Interactive U.S. History for Students

Just discovered this site and thought I would share.

Interactive history, online and free:

Click here.

Anne of Green Gables Free Audiobook With Cast of Narrators

Surprised to find a quality audiobook with a cast at Librovox(free and public domain audiobooks)! Very well narrated, and all character voices are well matched except Diana Barry who is narrated by a person with the voice of a grandmother, haha. This is only a minor issue as Marilla Cuthbert  and Anne are fabulous.

See here for download and playback audio.

Free Kids/Children's Storybooks Online

Cute stories at this site. I just read through The Brave Little Pirate...funny. Stories for young children, older children, and young adults. See here.

The SAG Foundation has created some free read-along/read-aloud versions of popular children's books here.

Vintage illustrated children's books in color here from The Rosetta Project.

Aligned with Common Core standards, free contemporary online books here.

U.S. Library of Congress free books.

Young Explorer National Geographic free books.

Value Tales Children's Book Series

I stumbled upon these 1980's value tale books a few months ago when my young daughter wanted a book on Helen Keller. This series which covers over 40 values, as told through the lives of historical figures, was published in the 80's. The target audience looks to be early elementary as either a read aloud or independently by good readers.

They are fairly long with over 50 pages and large illustrations that take up much of the page, perfect for a young child with limited attention, or one who is still developing the confidence to read. The short paragraphs on each page aren't as overwhelming when broken down on single pages with large illustrations.

The biographies are detailed and the value repeated often, but in a mild effective way and not condescendingly so. Positive and uplifting for young children and highly recommended for an introduction to historical figues and positive values.

We've read The Value of Honesty(Confucius) and The Value of Determination(Helen Keller). The other books in the series are listed on the last page of every book. My daughter just asked for another, The Value of Kindness(Elizabeth Fry). I think we'll end up with them all.

I found mine on Amazon for a penny plus $3.99 shipping. Good deal. Ebay may have them even more cheaply in a lot.

Complete list of tales.

Vintage Children's Party Invitation Instructions

INVITATIONS

First of all, for the invitations. Choose your prettiest note paper, and don’t forget to write very plainly the date of the party. If you are just going to have a little afternoon tea, you can simply write,

Dear Daisy,—

“Will you come to my house to tea on Friday afternoon, June sixth, at three o’ clock? I hope you can.

“Lovingly,
“Dorothy.

“19 Elm Street.
“June first.”

Or if you are going to have a larger party, you can write:

“Miss Dorothy Manners requests the pleasure of your presence at her home on Friday afternoon, June sixth, from four until eight o’clock.

“19 Elm Street.
“June first.”

Be sure to send your invitations in time for your friends to write replies. Mother will need to know just how large a birthday cake to bake, and how much ice cream to freeze.

All free to use and in public domain. From: Project Gutenberg's When Mother Lets Us Give a Party, by Elsie Duncan Yale, 1909.

If you have a party and don’t bother mother,

I'm sure she'll allow you to soon have another

Vintage DIY Children's Instructions for An Indoor Garden Party

INDOOR GARDEN PARTY

For the indoor garden party, you will need a large sheet for a screen, and plenty of pictures cut from magazines and catalogues. These pictures must be of houses, barns, stables, trees, animals, anything that will have place in an outdoor scene. You will also need a paper of pins, some large sheets of white paper, and, if you like, a couple of little gifts for prizes, such as a box of crayons or a box of paints.

After your friends have come, arrange the sheet in place, and pin in the center a large picture of a house which has been cut out. Now let your guests help themselves to the pictures which you have cut out, each taking one. For example, one child may have a barn, another a rose bush, another a dog kennel. Blindfold each in turn, and let him pin the picture on the sheet. When all have finished you will have a queer-looking landscape, for a dog kennel may be on the roof and a rose bush growing from a lawn mower!

After this game, get out your sheets of paper, scissors, and pictures which you have ready. Let each one try making a garden with his eyes open! Paste a house in the center of the paper, and arrange trees, bushes, fountain, etc., about it as[20]tastefully as possible. Then after mother has decided which is the best, you can give the prize which you have bought.

You can serve your refreshments from a little table just as you would at a garden party.

Public domain, free to print and use. From Project Gutenberg's When Mother Lets Us Give a Party, by Elsie Duncan Yale, 1909.

Free Online: Five Little Peppers,The Stories Polly Pepper Told by Margaret Sidney

Newly available. Click here

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Vintage Children's Book: Ten American Girls From History by Kate Dickinson Sweetser/ Free Download

Project Gutenberg here.

Vintage Children's July Nature Study, Free Download

See here.

Free Downloadable Vintage Speller, Grades 1-3

See here. Handy for extra lessons.

Title	New-world speller, Volume 1 New-world Speller, Julia Helen Wohlfarth
Authors	Julia Helen Wohlfarth, Lillian Emily Rogers
Edition	revised
Publisher	World book company, 1921

Free Beginner Sewing Machine Lessons

This sewing machine tutorial looks helpful, and there are links to videos.  See here.

Extra Etsy Pictures

Needed to host some extra Etsy pictures here, so if you are following my blog, please just disregard. Etsy listing.

Planning for College Already!

Gahh, I can't believe we are at the end of the road for homeschooling my son. What a journey it has been, and since Kindergarten no less.

He'll be eighteen soon, so he decided to study for and take the GED during his senior year this fall. College tuition is ridiculously expensive, so he'll start off at our community college studying for an A.S. in computer science. I remember working part-time in college and earning enough to cover tuition. Tuition was very inexpensive in the late 1980's.

Other things he'll be working on are getting a driver's license and setting up some volunteer work for job experience. We'll be sharing a car while he goes to college and works.

Still Listing at Etsy

I've picked up some older classroom games that I'll list after my daughter has some time with them, and more books. Most of the older classic collections of children's stories are really high quality. I hope someone selects those for their home library.

I haven't decided whether I should open a second shop just for my vintage collectibles, or just mix them in with the books. I'll probably just have to experiment. Meanwhile, I stick to what appeals to me and hope others out there have the same taste. If not, I'll have an awesome library for keeps! Haha.

Brain Pop Junior App

Loving this app for K-grade 3. Brain Pop Junior covers six subjects. We began with the free app at Amazon, and liked it so much that we paid for full access, $9.45 per month. I stepped away from my frugal ways(find it free) for this one. The quality was very good, and covered quite a bit from English, Science, Arts & Technology, Social Studies, Math to Health. It is worth it for my wiggly third grader...really captures her attention. This is a super informative high interest supplement.

Thrift Finds - Educational Games

Picked up a vintage Spill and Spell last week,  some state flash cards, and a 3D Taj Mahal puzzle. The Spill and Spell was a hit. We have not yet put together the huge puzzle yet, but it looked like fun. I'll be doing a little unit study along with the puzzle next week.

Very inexpensive items. I think I spent about two dollars. Check out yardsales this summer for good deals on educational items. I'm always surprised at what people pass up at yardsales, and eventually donate. Even later in the day after they have been picked over, check the yardsales out. You might find some useful learning items at reduced prices. Thrift stores are the same way. I found my items 15 minutes before closing. The place had been picked clean, but these were found right on top of the bins, like they were waiting for me.