Waterford Press: A Pocket Naturalist Guide

Waterford Press has a tagline that says, “Putting the World in Your Pocket.” With Waterford Press it is amazing just how much of the world you can fit into your pocket. You can store information about animal tracks, the cosmos, plants, wildlife and more right in your back pocket. These naturalist pocket guides are durable, easy to read, colorful, and fun for children or anyone who appreciates nature. In addition to nature guides, you can have a hands on guide to first aid, wilderness survival, knots, and state flags and facts. I cannot even begin to give you the entire … Continue reading

Learning about Education

There is no doubt about it: Education has changed. I’m currently in my 20th year of schooling and the differences between a Ph.D. program and kindergarten are astonishing. Long gone are the days of tactile exploration with toys and lessons about being kind. No one reads stories to me anymore and none of the books have pictures. The most shocking changes of all, of course, are a direct result of my ever increasing age (and hopefully wisdom). I now play the diametrically opposed role of teacher and student at the same time. I’ve observed a great deal about learning and … Continue reading

Frugal Living Month in Review: June 2008

What a happy month is June, filled with the renewal of spring and the promise of summer. In the last month, we have shared so many ideas for frugal living and saving money. This past month has seen some pretty big increases in food, gas and other items (look for an upcoming post about strawberries increasing more than 100 percent). Now more than ever, it is important to save money where we can. This is why I decided to do a month in review. June 2nd Frugal Living Review: May 26th Through June 1st Garage sale shopping has got to … Continue reading

Homeschooling and Public Teaching Comparison: Choosing a Curriculum

I really enjoy checking over in the homeschooling section to see what new topic or idea Valorie is discussing. As a teacher and as a parent, homeschooling has always been an interest to me. I have never really considered doing it but I find it intriguing and I am always up for learning more about it. One of Valorie’s more recent articles discusses how homeschooling parents can find a curriculum that meets their children’s educational needs. I think that this is one aspect of homeschooling that I would definitely enjoy more than public school teaching. When teaching in a school, … Continue reading

Book Review–Kimchi and Calamari

My last blogs have featured adoption books for young children. I’m pleased to be able to talk about one aimed at the middle-school crowd. This age group is often hard to find books for. Parents want books that introduce adoption themes so that their kids can feel that there are other kids like themselves and also to spark discussion between parent and child. But most books are either children’s picture books, or teen novels dealing with heavy themes like child abandonment and searching, such as Throwaway Daughter. Kimchi and Calamari also touches on these themes, but in a light-hearted way. … Continue reading

I Survived the First Grade Today

Well, I did it. In spite of how often I talk about adoption, I was nervous about going to Meg’s first-grade classroom, where her classmates had been pressing her about whether she was adopted and who her “real” mom was. (I talked about this in a recent blog.) I’ve done presentations on Korean heritage in the past, sometimes including adoption and sometimes sticking strictly to describing the holiday or customs, (You can read my blog about these presentations by clicking here.) I learned that it’s not easy to decide what’s right for your child, no matter how well-informed you may … Continue reading