June Book Reviews | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

Wade, Theodore E. (Ed.) Fun on the Road. Berrien Springs, MI: Gazelle Publications: 1976. 40p. $2.00 [ISBN 0-930192-23-0]

Fun on the Road is a simple travel activity workbook intended for all ages, although most games are more appropriate for younger children (ages 7-10). Most games include alternative ways to play and/or variations, which make them more challenging for older participants. One example of a game is Car-go, a variation of Bingo. Several game sheets are provided and children must identify items on the game sheet that they see while traveling down the road. The simple black and white illustrations make the game sheets easy to duplicate. Other games included are Twenty Questions, alphabet games using signs and billboards, and geography games. Although better travel activity publications are on the market for children, this book is simple, affordable, requires very few extra materials, and is relatively easy to use. Far too often, hand-held games and headphones significantly limit communication while traveling. This simple book encourages teamwork, interaction and communication among all travelers.

Wade, Theodore E. (Ed.). The Home School Manual. 7th ed. Berrien Springs, MI: Gazelle Publications. 1998. 543p. $30.00 [ISBN 0-930192-36-2]

Today, many issues are challenging America's educational systems: school violence, lack of school funding, quality of education, and students' academic success. The Home School Manual is a comprehensive tool for individuals interested in learning more about the basic and advanced issues related to home schooling. The author's target audience includes individuals considering home school, parents who are experienced home school educators, and parents considering home school for preschool/young children. The book is organized into "tours" for each intended audience (selected relevant chapters are listed at the beginning of the publication). Wade provides a basic introduction to the concept of the educational process and home school education. In addition, he includes candid reasons why parents should not consider home school education.

All topics covered provide the reader with a basic overview of the issues involved, and recommendations of how to manage and make informed decisions. Each chapter is approximately 4-5 pages in length. The author focuses on the importance of role of libraries are in home school education. Theodore E. Wade, Jr. and over 40 contributing authors have had extensive experience with home school education. There is a strong emphasis on the integration of Christianity into home school education. However, very subtle tones of inequality of gender roles weave themselves throughout the book, particularly obvious in the chapter "What Dads Can Do". The emphasis is on the father as the spiritual authority, home school administrator, and financial provider.

The appendix provides resource materials related to secondary distance education, home school support groups/organizations, and national and international resource information. Additionally, there is a complete home school curriculum guide, sample planning and assessment forms, and a comprehensive annotated bibliography on math, science, foreign language, and religious instruction included in the appendix. In general, further reading will be required to learn more about home schooling, but Wade's book is an excellent starting point.

Wade, Theodore E. (Ed.). Early Years at Home. Berrien Springs, MI: Gazelle Publications: 1992. 64p. $4.00 [ISBN 0-930192-26-5]

Today early childhood education in America encourages children to learn skills to prepare earlier for elementary education. Early Years at Home focuses on infancy through preschool. The authors emphasize the importance of delaying the premature entry into formal education for young children. According to the author, the early years should focus on the physical and character development of the child and not on intellectual development and academics. Scientific research is presented which supports waiting until children are mentally, physically, and spiritually ready to begin formal education.

The author discusses the disadvantages of a variety of preschool educational systems, such as Waldorf, Montessori, day-care, and High/Scope. The subsequent chapters focus on teaching values from a Christian perspective, the introduction of exploring science through nature, and laying the groundwork for reading and mathematical success. The chapter on Art and Music provides detailed art projects and activities to develop young children's artistic expression.

Keller, Clifton. Doing Science, Learning Life. Berrien Springs, MI: Gazelle Publications. 2001. 127p. $12.00 [ISBN: 0-930192-38-9]

Doing Science Learning Life covers 80 science activity lesson plans/experiments covering earth science, astronomy, heat, light, sound, forces, and chemistry. The author provides general tips on how to explore and experiment with science. The experiments are designed for use in a classroom setting, but are adaptable for home use. The author emphasizes the importance of integrating spiritual lessons into a science program.

Each concept experiment/activity is structured as follows: The author provides the objective of the experiment; the author emphasizes the teachable moment by including the moral lesson that each experiment should reveal; a biblical citation or reference is included for further discussion; and finally, the materials needed and procedures are provided. All experiments are very simple and require materials that are relatively accessible. Sometimes the scientific explanation is not included with each experiment because scientific exploration is the primary outcome of the experiments. Other areas are covered such as activity plans that emphasize good hygiene, healthy eating habits, overpopulation, and environmental awareness. Sometimes the moral lessons and the biblical references do not appropriately correspond with the science experiment.

The intended audience is K-6, with variations of activities included for older children. Dr. Keller is a retired elementary and secondary science teacher. He has a scientific publishing record in science journals, textbooks, and other Christian-centered science books. The book includes interesting activities, which should appeal to a variety of age levels. Very few illustrations are included, but not required due the simplistic nature of the activities. This book is suitable for both parents and teachers.

Kenyoe, Mary Potter. Home School From Scratch: Simple Living - Super Learning. Berrien Springs, MI: Gazelle Publications. 1996. 127p. $2.00 [ISBN 0-930192-35-4]

Home Schooling From Scratch is a personal account of Mary Potter's home schooling experience. She chronicles her own personal life journey and her choice to become a home school educator. The author provides advice on how to reduce the cost of home schooling, curriculum development, and details on home library collection building. Mary Potter provides resourceful methods of obtaining school supplies, books, posters, supplementary educational material, and alternative learning experiences such as apprenticeships. She discusses the importance of establishing a strong network with a local support group for home schoolers, online home school communities, pen pals, and others.

The activities section of the book focuses on low-cost activities, and the basic supplies necessary for a variety of projects. The author provides insight on organization and clutter control techniques for home school educators. She provides advice on establishing a home-based business. In addition, she suggests methods of successfully creating a balance between home schooling and managing a home-based business. The book ends with cost saving strategies, which include using coupons, establishing a home garden, and a variety of other tips. The author was a contributor to the popular Tightwad Gazette newsletter. The final chapter provides a useful resource guide on where to obtain school supply catalogs, books, home school teaching magazines, support organizations, and much more. Potter provides a common sense approach to the challenges of home schooling while maintaining economic stability.

Wade, Theodore E. (Ed.) The Home School Manual, CD-ROM. Berrien Springs, MI: Gazelle Publications. 1998. $24.00

The Home School Manual CD-ROM provides a multimedia version of the print source. The major advantage of using this product is the website access which provides resource information updates and technical support. However, at the time of review the link for technical support and updates were not working. A brief print manual, while not included, would have been helpful to convey system requirements and installation procedures for beginning computer users. Links are embedded throughout the text that quickly take users to related topics. This product utilizes frames extensively, which may be problematic to some browsers.

The author attempts to organize information in the book according to experience level of readers. In the introductory chapter of the print version, the author lists the relevant chapters, which are appropriate to the audiences' experience level with home school education. In the electronic version this is done much easier. The user can choose an appropriate "tour" according to their information needs and experience level. Tour A is organized for beginners, Tour B is designed for more experienced home schoolers, while Tour C is designed for parents/teachers working with young children in preschool years. The electronic version provides easier navigation of the "tours". The author provides home school organizational and administrative forms electronically for WordPerfect, Word, and Word Pro. Users can manipulate and change the forms to suit their specific needs. The index is hyperlinked to each related section.

The CD-ROM includes a supplementary section (not available in the print version) that includes practical advice about parenting and child development provided via sound bytes by Dr. Kay Kuma, a child development specialist. Real Player is required to listen to her advice and other sound bytes included throughout the publication. The Learning Space provides reviews and brief samples of software available to enhance children's home school education. The Magazine and Book section provides reprints from Home Schooling newsletters and other publications, not included in the print source. Topics include parenting matters and more about home schooling.

All reviews on this page by Vanessa Middleton, Librarian II, Wayne State University Libraries, vmiddleton@wayne.edu

previous | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

you are: contents > Book Reviews (top)