Homeschooling

Yellow Ball: An Exercise in Perspective

February 21, 2012 by The Learning Basket 2 Comments

I screamed in surprise when I saw a copy of Yellow Ball while rummaging through a dusty box in my favorite used bookstore. Why wouldn’t I? It was one of four books in Before Five in a Row’s book list that I (or should I say, my kids) did not yet have. Out of print, it is being sold at Amazon for $45 up. And the tag said 49 pesos – just a little over a dollar. I screamed again. … [Read more...]

Seven Ways to Travel the World Without Leaving Your Home

January 26, 2012 by The Learning Basket 4 Comments

We just read the classic The Story About Ping by MarjorieFlack. It’s about a duck named Ping who lives in a riverboat on the Yangtze River. He almost becomes one family’s dinner when he gets lost one day but finds his way back home to his family. Good books can take us to distant times and places. The week before Chinese New Year, Little T and I went to China with Ping. … [Read more...]

Building Drama Skills At Home

October 18, 2011 by The Learning Basket 3 Comments

I don't like stuffed toys. They gather dust, take up space, and get played with for just about two minutes. Without buying a single stuffed animal though, we still managed to accumulate a menagerie! We got to put them into good use when we put up a show based on the charming book Ask Mr. Bear by Marjorie Flack. Another extremely fun idea from Before Five in a Row!THE SCRIPT … [Read more...]