Rhiannon Third Grade Reading List

These are the books she read between September 2007 and May 2008. The formatting may not be ideal and there will be repeats as this data is collected and exported from Book Collectorz. The basic format is: Title, Author, Number of Pages

. . . If You Grew Up with George Washington,Ruth Belov Gross; McCully; Emily Arnold,64
. . . If You Lived At The Time Of Martin Luther King,Ellen Levine; Rich; Anna,72
. . . If You Lived When There Was Slavery in America,Anne Kamma; Pamela Johnson,80
. . . If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620,Ann Mcgovern,80
. . . If You Traveled On The Underground Railroad,Ellen Levine; Larry Johnson,64
A Picture Book of Benjamin Franklin (Picture Book Biography),David A. Adler; Wallner; John C; Wallner; Alexandra,32
A Pocket in My Heart,Marcia Hoehne,160
Abigail Adams,Wallner; Alexandra,32
Abigail: The Breeze Fairy (Rainbow Magic: The Weather Fairies; No. 2),Daisy Meadows; Ripper; Georgie,80
Addy Learns a Lesson: A School Story (American Girls Collection),Connie Porter,68
Addy's Surprise: A Christmas Story (American Girls Collection),Connie Porter; Connie Rose Porter; Melodye Rosales; Renee Graef; Dahl Taylor; Jane S. Varda,65
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: With A Discussion Of Curiosity (Values In Action Illustrated Classics),Kathy Wilmore; Arthur Conan; Sir Doyle; Doyle; Arthur Conan; Butterfield; Ned,
The Aesop for Children: With Pictures by Milo Winter,Milo Winter; Aesop,
An Algonquian Year,Michael McCurdy,32
Alison Rides The Rapids (Magic Attic Club),Nina Alexander,80
America in World War I: America in World War One (Wars That Changed American History),Richard Worth,48
America in World War II: America in World War Two (Wars That Changed American History),Michael Burgan,48
The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History,Jennifer Armstrong,368
American Voices from Reconstruction (American Voices from),Adriane Ruggiero,103
The Ancient One,barron,367
Archer's Quest,Linda Sue Park,176
The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (Cornerstones of Freedom. Second Series),Brendan January,30
Beck Beyond the Sea (Disney Fairies Chapter Books),RH Disney,128
Betsy And Tacy Go Downtown,Lois Lenski,180
Betsy-Tacy and Tib (Betsy-Tacy),Maud Hart Lovelace,160
Bobbsey Twins 00: Sun-Moon Cruise GB (Bobbsey Twins),Laura Lee Hope,
Book Of Dragons,E. Nesbit; Millar; H. R; Fell; Herbert Granville,180
The Boxcar Children (Boxcar Children (Turtleback)),Gertrude Chandler Warner,154
Bully-be-gone,tacang,216
The Burning (Guardians of Ga'hoole; Book 6),Kathryn Lasky,224
The call to vengeance,watson,134
Capture (Guardians Of Ga'hoole),Kathryn Lasky,240
Chloe The Topaz Fairy (Jewel Fairies),Daisy Meadows; Ripper; Georgie,80
The Civil War (Wars That Changed American History),Deborah H. Deford,48
The Civil War: American Tragedy (First Book),Alden R. Carter,64
Cleopatra VII; daughter of the Nile,gregory,221
The Climb,Gordon Korman,160
CLUE FLEW AWAY #3 (The New Bobbsey Twins; No 3),Hope; Tsui; George,
Clue That Flew Away,Laura Lee Hope; Tsui; George,84
The Coming of Hoole (Guardians of Ga'hoole; Book 10),Kathryn Lasky,224
Contemporary's Amazing Century: Book One,Contemporary Books; Contemporary,5
Contemporary's Amazing Century: Book Three,Contemporary Books; Contemporary,5
The contest,korman,137
Corpses; Coffins; and Crypts: A History of Burial,Penny Colman; Penny Coleman,224
Dear Mr. Henshaw (rpkg) (HarperClassics),Beverly Cleary,160
Death on Naboo (Star Wars: Last of the Jedi; Book 4),Jude Watson,160
The Declaration Of Independence (We The People),Michael Burgan,48
The Declaration Of Independence: Foundation For America (American History American Symbols),Jon Wilson,24
The Dog With Golden Eyes,Wilbur; Coyle; Mark,160
The Double Horror Of Fenley Place (Nancy Drew),Carolyn Keene,160
Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine,Kristiana Gregory,190
Election Day (Holiday Histories),Mir Tamim Ansary,32
Ella enchanted,levine,232
The Emancipation Proclamation: Hope of Freedom for the Slaves (Let Freedom Ring: the Civil War),Michael Martin,48
The Enchanted Castle (Puffin Classics),E. Nesbit,304
The Encounter (Animorphs#3),K.A. Applegate,176
Eragon (Inheritance; Book 1),Christopher Paolini,544
The evil experiment,watson,144
Fairest,Gail Carson Levine,336
Fairy Diaries: Annie's Journey (The Fairy Diaries),Louise Bradley,119
Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand,Gail Carson Levine; Christiana; David,208
Fairy Realm #1: The Charm Bracelet (Fairy Realm),Emily Rodda,128
Fairy Realm #3: The Third Wish (Fairy Realm),Emily Rodda,128
The Fall of the Berlin Wall: The Cold War Ends (Point of Impact),Nigel Kelly,32
The False Peace (Star Wars Jedi Quest Series #9),Jude Watson; Alicia Buelow,158
The final showdown,watson,151
Fira and the full moon,herman,
Firefly and the Quest of the Black Squirrel (The Fairy Chronicles),J. H. Sweet; Chang; Tara Larsen,128
First Collier (Guardians Of Ga'hoole),Kathryn Lasky,208
The First Four Years,Laura Ingalls Wilder,160
Five Children and It (Wordsworth Children's Classics) (Wordsworth Children's Classics),Edith Nesbit,192
Five Smooth Stones: Hope's Revolutionary War Diary (My America)(Book One),Kristiana Gregory,112
For the Last Time; "Who's There?": Thousands of Jokes for Absolutely Everyone,Michael Kilgarriff,480
The Fourth Of July Story,Nonnast; Marie,
Freaky Friday,Mary Rodgers,176
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,E.L. Konigsburg,168
Future (DK Eyewitness Books),DK Publishing; Michael Tambini; Inc. Dorling Kindersley,72
George Washington; Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War,Thomas B. Allen; Harness; Cheryl,192
The Gettysburg Address (Cornerstones of Freedom. Second Series),Kenneth G. Richards,32
The Girl; The Dragon; and The Wild Magic (Rhianna #1),Dave Luckett,128
The Golden Tree (Guardians of Ga'hoole; Book 12),Kathryn Lasky,208
The Great Depression (We the People),Michael Burgan,48
Great Expectations,,
Great Women Of The Civil War (We the People),Lucia Raatma,48
Hans Brinker (Great Illustrated Classics),Mary Mapes Dodge,240
Happy Birthday; Addy!: A Springtime Story (American Girls Collection),Connie Porter; Luann Roberts Smith; Connie Rose Porter; Renee Graef; Bradford Brown; Geri Strigenz Bourget; Dahl Taylor,60
Harriet Spies Again (Edgar Allen Poe Award. Best Juvenile (Awards)),Helen Ericson; Louise Fitzhugh,240
Harriet the Spy,Louise Fitzhugh,320
Harry & Hannah: The American Adventure (Herrington; Chris. Adventures of Harry & Hannah.),Chris Herrington; Jean Ahern Lubin; Jorge M. Pacheco; Jorge Pacheco; Lubin; Jean Ahern,72
The Hatchling (Guardians Of Ga'hoole; Book 7),Kathryn Lasky,240
The haunted clock tower mystery,Soileau; Hodges,137
Henry And The Clubhouse,Beverly Cleary,224
Henry And The Paper Route,Beverly Cleary,192
The Hobbit: Or There And Back Again.,JRR. Tolkein,
Home on Stoney Creek (Sarah's Journey Series #1),Wanda Luttrell,208
Horse and Pony Care (Kingfisher Riding Club),Sandy Ransford,64
House of danger,montgomery,108
How to Eat Fried Worms,Thomas Rockwell; Emily Arnold McCully,128
If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln (If You.),Ann Mcgovern,80
If You Lived 100 Years Ago (If You.),Ann Mcgovern; DiVito; Anna,80
If You Lived At The Time Of The American Revolution (If You.),Kay Moore; O'Leary; Daniel,80
If You Lived At The Time Of The Civil War (If You.),Kay Moore; Matsick; Anni,64
If you lived in colonial times.,Turkle; Brinton,79
If You Lived In The Days Of The Knights (If You.),Ann Mcgovern; Andreasen; Dan,80
If You Lived With The Cherokees (If You.),Peter Roop; Connie Roop; Smith; Kevin Warren,80
If You Travelled on the Underground Railroad,Ellen Levine,
In Grandmas Attic (The Grandma's Attic Series),Arleta Richardson,138
In Their Own Words: Pocahontas (In Their Own Words),George Sullivan,128
India The Moonstone Fairy (Jewel Fairies),Daisy Meadows; Ripper; Georgie,80
Inkheart,Cornelia Funke; Bell; Anthea,560
Irish Myths and Legends,Ita Daly; Bee Willey; Bea Willey,96
A is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women,Lynne Cheney; Robin Preiss Glasser; Preiss-Glasser; Robin,48
Island Of The Blue Dolphins (Illustrated),Scott O'Dell; Lewin; Ted,192
Jahanara: Princess of Princesses; India; 1627 (The Royal Diaries),Kathryn Lasky,186
John Adams Speaks For Freedom (Ready-To-Read. Level 3),Deborah Hopkinson; Craig Orback,32
Josefina's Story Collection (The American Girls Collection),Valerie Tripp; Tibbles; Jean-Paul; McAliley; Susan,406
The Journey (Guardians Of Ga'hoole; Book 2),Kathryn Lasky,256
Julie: An American Girl (American Girls Collection),Megan McDonald,
Just So Stories,Rudyard Kipling,210
King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian,Margueritte Henry; Marguerite Henry; Wesley Dennis,192
Lady Of Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior Of The South; Southern China; A.D. 531 (The Royal Diaries),Laurence Yep,300
The Lemonade Trick,Scott Corbett; Paul Galdone,103
Life On The Underground Railroad (Picture The Past),Sally Senzell Isaacs,32
A Light in the Attic (20th Anniversary Edition Book & CD),silverstein,176
Lily's Pesky Plant (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)),Kirsten Larsen; Clarke; Judith,128
Little Town On The Prairie (Little House),Laura Ingalls Wilder,303
The Long Winter,Laura Ingalls Wilder,
Louisiana Purchase (Cornerstones Of Freedom),Gail Sakurai,32
The Magic Half,Annie Barrows,224
Maine (Welcome to the U.S.a.),Ann Heinrichs; Kania; Matt,40
Mandy (Julie Andrews Collection),Julie Andrews Edwards,320
Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles; Austria-France; 1769 (The Royal Diaries),Kathryn Lasky,238
Marigold and the Feather of Hope; The Journey Begins (The Fairy Chronicles),J. H. Sweet,120
Marley: A Dog Like No Other,John Grogan,208
Mary; Queen Of Scots: Queen Without A Country; France; 1553 (The Royal Diaries),Kathryn Lasky,202
The Master of Disguise (Star Wars Jedi Quest #4),Jude Watson; David Mattingly; Alice Buelow,288
Meet Addy: An American Girl (The American Girls Collection Book 1),Connie Porter,69
Midnight On The Moon (Magic Tree House 8; paper),Mary Pope Osborne; Murdocca; Sal,80
The Missouri Compromise (We The People),Michael Burgan,48
Molly Learns a Lesson: A School Story (American Girls Collection),Valerie Tripp; Payne; C. F,67
Molly Saves the Day: A Summer Story (American Girls Collection),Valerie Tripp; Backes; Nick,69
Mr Poppers Penguins,Atwater,
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH,Robert C. O'Brien,240
Mummies Made in Egypt,Aliki,32
My America: Our Strange New Land; Elizabeth's Jamestown Colony Diary; Book One (My America),Patricia Hermes,109
My brother Louis measures worms,Robinson; Barbara,10
My Side of the Mountain (Puffin Modern Classics),Jean Craighead George,192
Mysteries of the Mummy Kids,Kelly Milner Halls,72
The Mystery in Lost Canyon (Home School Detectives ; No 7),John Bibee,121
The Mystery of Alligator Swamp (Boxcar Children Special),Gertrude Chandler Warner; Hodges Soileau,128
The Mystery Of The Haunted Boxcar (Boxcar Children Mysteries),Gertrude Chandler Warner; Soileau; Hodges,122
Mystery Of The Jade Tiger (Nancy Drew 104): Mystery Of The Jade Tiger,Carolyn Keene,149
The Mystery of the Mixed-Up Zoo (Boxcar Children Mysteries),Gertrude Chandler Warner; Charles Tang,1
The Mystery of the Widow's Watch (Home School Detectives; Vol 8),John Bibee,122
The Mystery of the Wild Surfer (The Ladd Family Adventure Series #6),Lee Roddy,152
Nathan Hale: Patriot Spy (On My Own Biography),Shannon Knudsen; Shannon Zemlicka; Craig Orback,48
Nellie the Brave: The Cherokee Trail of Tears (1838) (Sisters in Time #10),Veda Boyd Jones,144
Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba; Angola; Africa; 1595 (The Royal Diaries),Patricia McKissack; Patricia C. McKissack; Pat McKissack,136
Olympic Dreams (High Hurdles #1),Lauraine Snelling,155
The Only Witness (Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice; 17),Jude Watson; Cliff Nielsen,118
The Outcast (Guardians of Ga'hoole; Book 8),Kathryn Lasky,224
Outside and Inside Woolly Mammoths (Outside and Inside (Walker & Company)),Sandra Markle,40
Painted Warriors and Wild Lions (The Adventures of the Kerrigan Kids #1),Gilbert Morris,120
Peril at King's Creek: A Felicity Mystery (American Girl Mysteries),Elizabeth McDavid Jones,163
Periwinkle and the Cave of Courage (The Fairy Chronicles),J. H. Sweet,128
Peter and the Starcatchers,Ridley Pearson; Dave Barry; Call; Greg,464
Peter Pan (Book and Charm),J. M. Barrie,240
Peter Pan in Scarlet,Geraldine McCaughrean,320
Pilgrims (Magic Tree House Rsrch Gdes(R)),Mary Pope Osborne; Natalie Pope Boyce; Boyce; Natalie Pope; Murdocca; Sal; Osborne; Mary Pope,128
Pinky Pye,Eleanor Estes; Ardizzone; Edward,272
Pippi in the South Seas,Astrid Lindgren,125
Planet Earth (Oxford Children's Reference),Jill Bailey; Catherine Thompson,160
Pocahontas; 1595-1617 (Blue Earth Books: American Indian Biographies),Liz Sonneborn,32
Prince Caspian (Narnia),C. S. Lewis,256
The Princess Bride: S Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure,William Goldman,416
Pygmalion,,
Racso And The Rats Of Nimh,Jane Leslie Conly; Lubin; Leonard B; O'Brien; Robert C,288
Ralph S. Mouse,Beverly Cleary,176
Ramona And Her Mother (Ramona Quimby),Beverly Cleary,224
Rani in the Mermaid Lagoon,Lisa Papademetriou,128
Rebekah in Danger: Peril at Plymouth Colony (1621) (Sisters in Time #2),Colleen L. Reece,144
Remember the Ladies: A Story About Abigail Adams (Creative Minds Biography),Jeri Ferris; Beier; Ellen,64
Remember Valley Forge: Patriots; Tories; And Redcoats Tell Their Stories (Remember Series),Thomas B. Allen,64
The rescue,lasky,197
Rescue (Guardians of Ga'hoole; Book 3),Kathryn Lasky,208
Revolutionary War On Wednesday (Magic Tree House 22; paper),Mary Pope Osborne,96
The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader (Star Wars),Ryder Windham,208
River Of Wind (Guardians Of Ga'hoole),Kathryn Lasky,224
Robinson Crusoe: With A Discussion Of Resourcefulness (Values In Action Illustrated Classics),Sean Price; Landgraf; Kenneth; Defoe; Daniel,190
Safety Around Strangers (Living Well (Child's World (Firm)).),Lucia Raatma,32
Samantha's Story Collection (American Girls Collection),Susan S. Adler; Maxine Rose Schur; Valerie Tripp,365
Samuel Adams: Father Of The Revolution (Our People),Ann Heinrichs,32
Sarah Witcher's Story,Elizabeth Yates; Unwin; Nora Spicer,95
Sarah's New World: The Mayflower Adventure (1620) (Sisters in Time #1),Colleen L. Reece,144
Scarlett The Garnet Fairy (Jewel Fairies),Daisy Meadows; Ripper; Georgie,80
Secession: The Southern States Leave The Union (Let Freedom Ring: The Civil War),Judith Peacock,48
Secrets Of The Jedi (Star Wars),Jude Watson,208
Shark Life: True Stories About Sharks & the Sea,Peter Benchley,208
The Shattering (Guardians of Ga'Hoole Series #5),Kathryn Lasky,176
Shiloh,Phyllis Reynolds Naylor,144
Smoking (My Health),Alvin Silverstein; Virginia B. Silverstein; Laura Silverstein Nunn,48
Snowbound Mystery,Gertrude Chandler Warner,128
Son of the black stallion,Menasco; Milton,330
The Spanish-American War (America Goes to War),Kerry A. Graves,48
Spiderwort and the Princess of Haiku (The Fairy Chronicles),J. H. Sweet,112
Spies: The Undercover World Of Secrets; Gadgets And Lies,David Owen,128
Star of Light,Patricia St.John; Mills; Mary; Rees; Gary,160
Staying Safe (My Health),Alvin Silverstein; Virginia B. Silverstein; Laura Silverstein Nunn; Silverstein; Virginia B; Nunn; Laura Silverstein,48
Strawberry Girl,Lois Lenski,208
Sunset of the Sabertooth (Magic Tree House #7),Mary Pope Osborne; Murdocca; Sal,80
Surprise Island;,WARNER,181
Susan B. Anthony: Fighter For Women's Rights (Ready-To-Read. Level 3),Deborah Hopkinson; Bates; Amy June,32
Swiss Family Robinson,,
The Tale Of Despereaux: Being The Story Of A Mouse; A Princess; Some Soup And A Spool Of Thread (Tale Of Despereaux),Kate Dicamillo,272
Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Tree House #27),Mary Pope Osborne,96
The Anybodies,N. E. Bode; Ferguson; Peter,288
The Battles of Lexington and Concord (Let Freedom Ring: the American Revolution),Judith Peacock,48
The Black Pearl (Newberry Honor Book),Scott O'Dell,112
The Black Stallion,Walter Farley,224
The Black Stallion Returns (Black Stallion),Walter Farley,240
The Boxcar Children: The Mystery Cruise #29,Gertrude Chandler Warner,
The Burning (Guardians of Ga'hoole; Book 6),Kathryn Lasky,224
The Copycat Mystery (Boxcar Children Mysteries),Gertrude Chandler Warner; Soileau; Hodges,137
The Courage of Sarah Noble,Alice Dalgliesh,64
The Death of Hope (Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice; Book 15),Jude Watson,152
The Desperate Mission (Star Wars: The Last of the Jedi; Book 1),Jude Watson,160
The double horror of Fenley Place,keene,158
The Fairy's Mistake (Princess Tales),Gail Carson Levine,96
The first collier,lasky,179
The Forests of Silence (Deltora Quest; 1),Emily Rodda,131
The Ghost in the First Row (Boxcar Children Mysteries),,109
The Ghost of KRZY (Bloodhounds; Inc.),Bill Myers,128
The Great Bicycle Race Mystery (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #76),Gertrude Chandler Warner; Charles Tang,115
The great shark mystery,Soileau; Hodges,130
The Hatchling (Guardians of Ga'hoole; Book 7),Kathryn Lasky,240
The Haunted Bridge (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories; No 15),Carolyn Keene,192
The Hidden Staircase (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories; No 2),Carolyn Keene,192
The Hundred Dresses,Eleanor Estes,96
The Jamestown Colony (Cornerstones of Freedom),Gail Sakurai,30
The Journey of Wishes: A Trip That Changed John Adam for Good (The Spirit Flyer; Book 8),John Bibee,187
THE LAST BATTLE.,CS. Lewis,
The Last Pony Ride (Pony Pals Super Special #6),Jeanne Betancourt,128
The Magic of Oz (Books of Wonder),L. Frank Baum,292
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood,Howard Pyle,320
The Mystery at the Broken Bridge (Bibee; John. Home School Detectives; 6.),John Bibee,128
The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories; No 17),Carolyn Keene,192
The Mystery of the Campus Crook (Home School Detectives),John Bibee,122
The Mystery of the Cupboard,Lynne Reid Banks; Newsom; Tom,246
The Mystery of the Homeless Treasure (The Home School Detectives),John Bibee,117
The Mystery of the Mexican Graveyard (Home School Detectives),John Bibee,128
The Mystery of the Missing Microchips (Home School Detectives),John Bibee,
The mystery of the star ruby,Soileau; Hodges,120
The Mystery of the Vanishing Cave (Bibee; John. Home School Detectives; 5.),John Bibee,126
The Mystery of the Widow's Watch (Home School Detectives; Vol 8),John Bibee,122
The Neverending Story,Michael Ende,384
The Nobodies,N. E. Bode; Ferguson; Peter,304
The Outcast (Guardians of Ga'hoole; Book 8),Kathryn Lasky,224
The Perfect Star: Becoming Children of the True King (Spirit Flyer Series; No. 7),John Bibee; Turnbaugh; Paul,183
The Radio Mystery (Boxcar Children Mysteries),Gertrude Chandler Warner; Soileau; Hodges,128
The Rescuers,Margery Sharp,
The Runaway Parents: The Parable of Problem Parents (Spirit Flyer Series),John Bibee; Turnbaugh; Paul,164
The Secret of the Fiery Chamber (Nancy Drew No. 159),Carolyn Keene,160
The Secret of the Mask (Boxcar Children Mysteries),Gertrude Chandler Chandler Warner,113
The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories; No 1),Carolyn G. Keene; Carolyn Keene,192
The Siege (Guardians of Ga'hoole #4),Kathryn Lasky,224
The siren song,Orpinas; Jean-Paul,122
The Snow Queen's Surprise,Carolyn Keene; Joanie Schwarz; Jones; Jan Naimo,80
The Stolen Sapphire: A Samantha Mystery (American Girl Mysteries),Sarah Masters Buckey,181
The Tail of Emily Windsnap,Liz Kessler; Gibb; Sarah,224
The Tanglewoods' Secret,Patricia St.John; Mills; Mary; Rees; Gary,224
The Threat Within (Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice; Book 18),Jude Watson,130
The Tiger Rising,Kate Dicamillo,128
The Toothpaste Millionaire,Jean Merrill,144
The Trail of Tears (Cornerstones of Freedom. Second Series),R. Conrad Stein,30
The uncertain path,watson,140
The Wild One (Phantom Stallion #1),Terri Farley,224
The Winter Rescue (Sugar Creek Gang Series),Paul Hutchens,112
These Happy Golden Years,,289
Thistle and the Shell of Laughter (The Fairy Chronicles),J.H. Sweet,128
Thresher Sharks (Sharks Set II),Adam G. Klein,24
Time Warp Trio: The High And The Flighty (I Can Read Book 3),Jon Scieszka; Catherine Hapka; Lisa Rao,48
To Be a King (Guardians of Ga'hoole; Book 11),Kathryn Lasky,224
The Trail of the Jedi (Star Wars: Jedi Quest; Book 2),Jude Watson,128
Treasure Island,Robert Louis Stevenson; Wyeth; N. C,273
Tree House Mystery (Boxcar Children),Gertrude Warner; Gertrude Chandler Warner,
Tuck Everlasting,Natalie Babbitt,144
Tut; Tut! (Time Warp Trio),Jon Scieszka; Smith; Lane,80
The Underground Railroad: Bringing Slaves North To Freedom (Let Freedom Ring: The Civil War),Judy Monroe,48
The Usborne Spy's Guidebook (Usborne Spy's Guidebooks),,48
Valley Forge (Cornerstones Of Freedom. Second Series),R. Conrad Stein,32
Vidia and the Fairy Crown (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)),Laura Driscoll; Clarke; Judith,128
Voting Rights Days (Hitty's Travels #3),Ellen Weiss,
The War Of 1812 (Cornerstones Of Freedom. Second Series),Andrew Santella,30
Warriors #1: Into The Wild (Warriors),Erin Hunter,288
We Are Patriots: Hope's Revolutionary War Diary; Book Two (My America),Kristiana Gregory,108
Whales and Dolphins (Nature's Wild; 1),Anton Ericson,
What Your Fourth Grader Needs To Know: Fundamentals Of A Good Fourth-Grade Education (The Core Knowledge),E.D. Jr Hirsch,416
What Your Third Grader Needs To Know: Fundamentals Of A Good Third-Grade Education (The Core Knowledge),E.D. Jr Hirsch,368
When Freedom Comes: Hope's Revolutionary War Diary; Book 3 (My America),Kristiana Gregory,112
You Wouldn't Want to Be a Civil War Soldier: A War You'd Rather Not Fight (You Wouldn't Want to),Thomas Ratliff; David Salariya; Antram; David,32
You Wouldn't Want to Be a Medieval Knight: Armor You'd Rather Not Wear (You Wouldn't Want to),Fiona MacDonald; Antram; David; Salariya; David,32
You Wouldn't Want to Be at the Boston Tea Party! (You Wouldn't Want To... (Sagebrush)),Peter Cook,

Ciaran First Grade Reading List

These are the books he read between September 2007 and May 2008. The formatting may not be ideal and there will be repeats as this data is collected and exported from Book Collectorz. The basic format is: Title, Author, Number of Pages


A cow in town (Primary phonics; Set 1),Barbara W Makar,16
A Dollar = $1.00 (Dollars & Cents),Carey Molter,23
Al (Primary Phonics; Set 1 Book 3),,16
All About Frogs (All About...),Jim Arnosky,32
Amelia Bedelia,Peggy Parish,64
Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor (Amelia Bedelia (Harpercollins Hardcover)),Herman Parish,48
Are You My Mother?,P.D. Eastman,72
Arthur's Prize Reader (I Can Read Books),Lillian Hoban,64
Arthur's Reading Race (Step-Into-Reading; Step 3),Marc Brown,24
Bambi's Hide And Seek (Step-Into-Reading; Step 1),RH Disney; Andrea Posner-Sanchez; Mones; Isidre,32
Bananas (Wonder Books Level 1 Fruits),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
Basketball (Wonder Books Level 1 Sports),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
The Bath Book,Harriet Ziefert,
The Berenstain Bears Down on the Farm (I Can Read Book 1),Stan Berenstain; Jan Berenstain,32
The Big Cheese (Step into Reading) (Ratatouille movie tie in),RH Disney; Apple Jordan; Disney Storybook Artists,32
Biking (Wonder Books Level 2 Activities),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed,24
Blast Off!: The Sound of Bl (Phonice Readers),Alice K. Flanagan,24
Boat Rides (Welcome Books),Pamela Walker,24
Bobbsey Twins and the Greek Hat Mystery (Bobbsey Twins Series),Laura Lee Hope,176
Brown Bear; Brown Bear; What Do You See?,Bill Martin Jr.,32
The Cat In The Hat,Dr. Seuss,72
Chad Checks: The Sound of Ch (Wonder Books (Chanhassen; Minn.).),Peg Ballard,24
Clifford's Big Book Of Stories (Clifford),Norman Bridwell,64
Curious George Feeds the Animals,H. A. Rey,64
Curious George Flies a Kite (Curious George),H. A. Rey; Margret Rey,80
Curious George Goes To A Chocolate Factory,H. A. Rey,24
D.W.; the picky eater,brown,
Dancing Dinos Go To School (Step Into Reading),Sally Lucas; Margeaux Lucas,32
Danny and the Dinosaur,Syd Hoff,64
Day of the Dragon King,Murdocca; Sal,68
Dinosaur Babies (Step-into-Reading: A Step 2 Book),Lucille Rech Penner,32
Dinosaur Time (I Can Read Book 1),Peggy Parish; Lobel; Arnold,32
Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1),Mary Pope Osborne,80
Disney*Pixar Storybook Collection (Disney Storybook Collections),Various; Disney Press; tk; Disney Storybook Artists,320
DK Readers: Rockets and Spaceships (Level 1: Beginning to Read),DK Publishing; Karen Wallace,32
Dk Readers: Surprise Puppy (Level 1: Beginning To Read),Judith Hodge,32
DK Readers: Tale of a Tadpole (Level 1: Beginning to Read),Karen Wallace,32
Dogs (Wonder Books Level 1 Pets),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
Dogs on the Farm (On the Farm),Mari C. Schuh,24
Dolphins at Daybreak (Magic Tree House; No. 9) (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)),Mary Pope Osborne,67
DR. SUESS'S ABC (Beginner Books),Dr. Suess,
Dragon of the Red Dawn (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)),Mary Pope Osborne; Sal Murdocca; Salvatore Murdocca,128
Driving Buddies (Step into Reading) (Cars movie tie in),RH Disney,32
Drums (Wonder Books Level 1 Musical Instruments),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
Duck for President,Doreen Cronin,40
Earthquake in the Early Morning (Magic Tree House #24),Mary Pope Osborne,72
Epic Battles (DK READERS),Simon Beecroft,48
Everyday Hero,Ivan Vasquez; Redondo; Jesu´s,32
Fantastic Four; #527 (Comic Book),J MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI,
Felix And The 400 Frogs,Jon Buller; Susan Schade,
Firefighters (Wonder Books Level 1 Careers),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
Fish (Wonder Books Level 1 Pets),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
The Frog And Toad Treasury,Arnold Lobel,192
Frog on His Own,Mayer; Mercer,32
Ghost town at sundown,Murdocca; Sal,73
Go; Dog. Go! (Beginner Books),P.D. Eastman,72
The Go-Cart (Primary Phonics; Set 4),Barbara W Makar,16
Good Families Don't,Robert Munsch,32
Grapes (Wonder Books Level 1 Fruits),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
Great Day for Up; youth 23,Dr. Suess,
Green Eggs and Ham (I Can Read It All by Myself Beginner Books),Dr. Seuss,72
Guitars (Wonder Books Level 1 Musical Instruments),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
Hamsters (Wonder Books Level 1 Pets),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs Uh-Oh! (Step into Reading),R. Schuyler Hooke,32
Hearing (Rookie Read-About Health),Sharon Gordon,26
Henry And Mudge And The Bedtime Thumps: Ready-To-Read Level 2 (Paper),Cynthia Rylant,40
Henry And Mudge And The Tumbling Trip (Henry And Mudge Ready-To-Read),Cynthia Rylant; Suçie Stevenson,40
Henry And Mudge First Book,Cynthia Rylant,40
Henry And Mudge Take The Big Test: Ready-To-Read Level 2 (Paper),Cynthia Rylant,40
Here Comes Silent E! (Step into Reading),Anna Jane Hays; JoAnn Adinolfi,32
Hide And Seek,B.G. Hennessy,
Hooray for You! A Celebration of You-ness,Marianne Richmond,40
Hop on Pop (Beginner Books(R)),,72
Hot Dog (Step-Into-Reading; Step 1),Molly Coxe,32
I Am Not Going To Get Up Today! (Beginner Books(R)),Dr. Seuss; James Stevenson,48
I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!,Dr. Seuss,40
I Can Ride a Bike (Welcome Books),Edana Eckart,24
I Can Ski (Welcome Books: Sports),Edana Eckart,24
I Like Bugs (Step-Into-Reading; Step 1),Margaret Wise Brown; Karas; G. Brian,32
If You Give a Moose a Muffin (If You Give...),Laura Numeroff,32
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (If You Give...),Laura Joffe Numeroff,32
If You Give A Pig A Pancake (If You Give...),Laura Numeroff,32
Jesse Bear; What Will You Wear?,Nancy White Carlstrom,32
The Jet (Primary Phonics; Set 1),Barbara W Makar,16
Jump; Frog; Jump!,Robert Kalan; Byron Barton,32
Just Like Me (Step into Reading),RH Disney,32
Kella's Kitten: The Sound of K (Phonics Friends),Joanne D. Meier; Cecilia Minden,24
Let's Add Bills (Dollars & Cents),Kelly Doudna,23
Let's Add Coins (Dollars & Cents),Kelly Doudna,23
Let's Find Out What's Big and What's Small,Charles And Martha Shapp,
Let's Go to a Fair (Welcome Books: Weekend Fun),Cate Foley,24
Let's Subtract Bills (Dollars & Cents),Kelly Doudna,23
Let's Subtract Coins (Dollars & Cents),Kelly Doudna,23
Let's Subtract Money (Dollars & Cents),Kelly Doudna,23
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse,Kevin Henkes,
Little Bear (An I Can Read Book),Elsa Holmelund Minarik,63
Little Bear's Friend,Else Holmelund Minarik,64
Little Bear's visit.,minarik,64
The Little Skunk (Primary Phonics; Set 4),Barbara W Makar,16
Loose Tooth (Viking Easy-To-Read),Anastasia Suen; Ezra Jack Keats; Eitzen; Allan; Keats; Ezra Jack,30
Mac gets well (Primary phonics),Barbara W Makar,16
Maple Trees (Rookie Read-About Science),Allan Fowler,31
Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! (Bright & Early Books(R)),Dr. Seuss,36
Meet the Robinsons: A Family for Lewis (I Can Read Book 2),Sadie Chesterfield; Disney Storybook Artists; Disney Publishing's Global Design Group,32
Mount Rushmore (Wonder Books Level 3 Landmarks),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,32
Mummies in the Morning (Magic Tree House; No. 3),Mary Pope Osborne,80
My "A" Sound Box (New Sound Box Books),Jane Belk Moncure; King; Colin,30
My "D" Sound Box (New Sound Box Books),Jane Belk Moncure; King; Colin,29
My "H" Sound Box (New Sound Box Books),Jane Belk Moncure; King; Colin,29
My "j" book,Linda Hohag; Moncure; Jane Belk,29
My "J" Sound Box (New Sound Box Books),Jane Belk Moncure; King; Colin,29
My "K" Book (My First Steps to Reading),Jane Belk Moncure,29
My "L" Sound Box (New Sound Box Books),Jane Belk Moncure; King; Colin,29
My "O" Sound Box (New Sound Box Books),Jane Belk Moncure,29
My "P" Sound Box (New Sound Box Books),Jane Belk Moncure; King; Colin,29
My "S" Sound Box (New Sound Box Books),Jane Belk Moncure; King; Colin,29
My "T" Sound Box (New Sound Box Books),Jane Belk Moncure; King; Colin,29
My "W" Sound Box (New Sound Box Books),Jane Belk Moncure; King; Colin,29
My "Xyz" Sound Box (New Sound Box Books),Jane Belk Moncure; King; Colin,30
My Dad's Great,Gaby Goldsack; Sara Walker; Andrea Newton,32
My First Book (New Sound Box Books),Jane Belk Moncure; King; Colin,31
My Five Senses (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1),aliki,32
My Grandma is Great (Great Relatives),Gaby Goldsack,32
My Many Colored Days Board Book,Dr. Seuss,16
My Nine Book (My First Steps to Math),Jane Belk Moncure,32
My Seven Book (My First Steps to Math),Jane Belk Moncure,32
My Six Book (My First Steps to Math),Jane Belk Moncure,32
My Ten Book (My First Steps to Math),Jane Belk Moncure,32
My V Sound Box (New Sound Box Books),Jane Belk Moncure; King; Colin,29
Nate The Great And The Big Sniff (Nate The Great),Marjorie Weinman Sharmat; Mitchell Sharmat; Weston; Martha,48
Night Of The Ninjas,Murdocca; Sal,68
Now I'm Reading!: Look Around! - Pre Reader (Now I'm Reading),Nora Gaydos,128
Ogre Eats Everything (Dutton Easy Reader),Bethany Roberts; Winborn; Marsha,48
Oh; Say Can You Say? (Beginner Books(R)),Dr. Seuss,48
Old; New; Red; Blue! (Step into Reading) (Cars movie tie in),RH Disney; Melissa Lagonegro; Random House Disney,32
On My Beach There Are Many Pebbles,lionni,32
On My Boat: The Sound of Long O (Wonder Books (Chanhassen; Minn.).),Robert B. Noyed; Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Klingel; Cynthia Fitterer,24
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish (I Can Read It All By Myself Beginner Books),Dr. Seuss; Theodor Seuss Geisel,72
Oopsy Does It Movie 8x8 (Care Bears),Samantha Brooke; Josie Yee; Kelly Grupczynski,24
An Ordinary Night,Kimberly Rinehart,
Pigs (Wonder Books Level 2 Farm Animals),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
Pirates Past Noon (Magic Tree House; No. 4),Mary Pope Osborne; Salvatore Murdocca; Murdocca; Sal,80
Play Ball; Amelia Bedelia,Peggy Parish,64
Primary Phonics 5 Good Cook,Barbara Makar,
Primary Phonics 5: Shy Tiger,Barbara Makar,
Primary Phonics 5: Square Eggs,Barbara Makar,
Primary Phonics 5: The Clumsy Rabbit,Barbara Makar,
Primary Phonics 5: The Lost Wallet,Barbara Makar,
Primary Phonics 5: Too Small,Barbara Makar,
Primary Phonics Max and The Fox Set 3 Book 10,,16
Primary Phonics Spot Set 3 Book 3,,16
Primary Phonics The Lost Duck Set 3 Book 9,,16
Primary Phonics: Mittens; Set 3 Book 7,,16
Primary Phonics: Slide; Set 3 Book 1,,16
The Prints (Primary Phonics; Set 3),Barbara W Makar,16
The Pup Speaks Up (Step into Reading),Anna Jane Hays; Valeria Petrone,32
Put Me in the Zoo (Beginner Books(R)),lopshire,72
Rabbits (Wonder Books Level 1 Pets),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
Rain: Level 1 (Wonder Books Level 1-Weather),Alice K. Flanagan,24
Revolutionary War On Wednesday (Magic Tree House 22; paper),Mary Pope Osborne,96
Ring the bell (Primary phonics; Set 4),Barbara W Makar,16
Rock Climbing (Wonder Books Level 2 Activities),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
Rockets and Spaceships (DK Readers Beginning to Read; Level 1),Karen Wallace; Linda Martin,32
Sammy the Seal (I Can Read Book 1),,64
The Sea Gull (Primary Phonics; Set 3),Barbara W Makar,16
Seeing (Rookie Read-About Health),Sharon Gordon,32
The Seven Silly Eaters,Mary Ann Hoberman; Marla Frazee,40
The Shape Of Me And Other Stuff (Bright & Early Books(R)),Dr. Seuss,36
Sharing: A Level Three Reader (Wonder Books Level 3 Values),Kathryn Kyle,32
Ships (Wonder Books Level 1 Transportation),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed,24
Signs on the Road (Welcome Books: Signs in My World),Mary Hill,24
Skateboarding (Wonder Books Level 2 Activities),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
Skateboarding (World of Sports (Mankato; Minn.).),Bill McAuliffe,32
Smelling (Rookie Read-About Health),Sharon Gordon,26
Snip Snap!,Maland; Nick,
Snow fun (Primary phonics; Set 1),Barbara W Makar,16
Soccer (Wonder Books Level 1 Sports),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Cindy Fitterer Klingel; Noyed; Robert B,24
Spider-Man 2: Everyday Hero (I Can Read Book 2),Acton Figueroa; Jesus Redondo; Ivan Vasquez; Redondo; Jesu´s,32
Spider-Man 3: Meet The Heroes And Villains (I Can Read Book 2),Harry Lime,32
Stage fright on a summer night,Murdocca; Sal,70
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,Robert Frost,25
Summer (Wonder Books Level 2 Seasons),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Cynthia Fitterer Fitterer Klingel; Noyed; Robert B,24
Sunburn (Rookie Read-About Health),Sharon Gordon,31
Sunset Of The Sabertooth (Magic Tree House; No. 7),Mary Pope Osborne,80
Sunshine (Wonder Books Level 1-Weather) (Wonder Books Level 1-Weather),Alice K. Flanagan,24
Swimming (Wonder Books Level 1 Sports),Cynthia Fitterer Klingel; Robert B. Noyed; Noyed; Robert B,24
Tasting (Rookie Read-About Health),Sharon Gordon,32
Teach Us; Amelia Bedelia (Hello Reader),Peggy Parish; Lynn Sweat,56
Ten Apples Up on Top! (Bright & Early Board Books(TM)),,24
The bee (Primary phonics; Set 2: p workbook and phonetic storybooks for kindergarten through grade four),Barbara W Makar,16
The Berenstain Bears Down on the Farm (I Can Read Book 1),Berenstain; Jan,32
The cake (Primary phonics; Set 2),Barbara W Makar,16
The clumsy rabbit (Primary phonics; Set 1),Barbara W Makar,16
The Fire (Primary Phonics; Set 2; Book 10),Barbara W Makar,16
The Frog and Toad Collection Box Set (I Can Read Book 2),,
The Giving Tree,Shel Silverstein,64
The go-cart (Primary phonics; Set 4),Barbara W Makar,16
The good cook/ c by Barbara W. Makar (Primary phonics; Set 5),Barbara W Makar,16
The hard worker (Primary phonics; Set 4),Barbara W Makar,16
The knight at dawn,Murdocca; Sal,65
The lost horse (Primary phonics; Set 4),Barbara W Makar,16
The mouse house (Primary phonics; Set 1),Barbara W Makar,16
The Pet Poodle,Barbara Makar,
The Poky Little Puppy (A Little Golden Book Classic),Janette Sebring Lowrey,24
The Pup Speaks Up (Step into Reading),Anna Jane Hays,32
the square egg,makar,
The Tin Man: Primary Phonics (Print-braille Children's Educational Books; Set 1 Book 2),,
The Visit,Booby Lynn Maslen,21
Time Warp Trio: The High and the Flighty (I Can Read Book 3),Jon Scieszka; Catherine Hapka; Lisa Rao,48
Too small (Primary phonics; Set 1),Barbara W Makar,16
The Top Job,Elizabeth Cody Kimmel; Robert Neubecker,32
Treasures In Heaven (I Can Read God's Word!),Phil Smouse,64
Ultimate Tales Spider-Man Double Sided Flip Magazine Number 5 November 2005 (Learning Curve),Brian Michael Bendis,
Viking ships at sunrise,Sal Murdocca,71
What Is A Wookiee?,Laura Buller; Kate Simkins,32
When The Shadbush Blooms,Carla Messinger; Susan Katz; Fadden; David Kanietakeron,32
Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery,Jamie Lee Curtis; Laura Cornell,36
Where's the Baby?,Pat Hutchins,
The White Hen (Primary Phonics; Set 4),Barbara W Makar,16
Who Will Be My Friends? (An Early I Can Read Book),,32
Why We Became Rescue Heroes: The Teammates Tell Their Exciting Stories,J.E. Bright; J. E. Bright; Scholastic Books,32
The World's Greatest Superteam (DK READERS),Neil Kelly,48
A Wrinkle in Time,Madeleine L'Engle; Quindlen; Anna,224
Young Cam Jansen And The Pizza Shop Mystery (Young Cam Jansen),David A. Adler,32
Your Five Senses (Time-To-Discover),,16

Summer Days

So much for being more consistent this summer. It has been two months since I blogged. We are having a very different summer as my back limitations are still there. In addition we have had a variety of normal summer kid injuries. Right now Ciaran has a cast and unfortunately it is NOT a waterproof cast so we are all missing out on some of the best swimming weather. The cast should come off in two more weeks.

Yesterday we had a great summer day. We headed to our local nature center and hikes. We collected 6 toads and a leopard frog and saw a variety of butterflies. Then we headed over to the arboretum and sketched a variety of flowers, trees, and shrubs. We had some yummy custard at a favorite custard shop and came home to eat dinner on the deck.

After dinner the girls jumped on the trampoline, Ciaran read his new Boba Fett book in the hammock and Serona and I read on the deck. Then the kids moved to the swingset, Serona to the hammock and I laid on our patio furniture. It was perfect temperature and a lovely Minnesota summer evening.

I've just begun thinking about next school year, scheduling field trips and the like. Not ready to pull the books off the shelf quite yet. Pretty sure this will be a late start school year for us since we have had such a different school year. I think we will enjoy summer until the weather turns and brings us indoors. This year Rhia will be in 4th grade, Ciaran 2nd and Sirah will start some Kindergarten work as interested. Enjoy the summer before it flies by~

The Upside of Adversity

"The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that it is painfully won, and it has been worth more to me than any qualification I ever earned." - J.K. Rowling

This is from J. K. Rowling's commencement speech to Harvard 2008 graduates. I enjoyed the read.

Rainy Baseball Days and Other Things

Ciaran is enjoying baseball this year and that is important because I can't imagine the rest of us could tolerate this season where during the first week of June we are wearing sweatshirts, raincoats and wrapped up in blankets still cold! 5 games this week, all either played in the rain or under the threat of cancellation due to rain. The only thing that makes a game stop is lightning, never did I think I would be hoping for lightning, but some nights I really am.

We recently went to the Bakken museum of electricity. Not really knowing what to expect I went in with fairly low expectations. It was a nice place to spend two hours with friends and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves. I don't think it will be a place we have a family membership but it was fun since we used free passes from the library. The strengths of some of the electrical shocks surprised us and the heart exhibit was really interesting.

Trying to get back into the habit of walking and hiking with the kids each day and it is really nice to be out in nature with them again. For my birthday we went geocaching at a fun park that has a nice wildflower garden. It was nice to take a walk as a family and Ciaran and Rhiannon caught the first toads of the season! They were very excited and had a toad jumping contest (they can't touch the toad just cheer their toad on) and we found 4 caches. My birthday ended with dinner on the porch that was interrupted by a hailstorm and severe weather. I'm starting to wonder if we moved to Ireland and are just missing the 40 Shades of green since it rained every day we were there and it feels like it is raining every day here too.

Overall things are going well here and I am so thankful to be recovering very nicely and feeling much better, looking forward to camping and bike riding again soon.

State Capitols

Wii Fit

This made me laugh. I'm not denying we may still end up buying it at some point but it is very funny to me.

Chutes and Ladders Math

Over summer break we tend to play more board games. Sometimes I try to make them more interesting. One of my favorite modifications is to play Chutes and Ladders with dice. You roll two dice and you can move any number that you can get from a mathematical operation (the final answer must be a whole number but can be negative). So for instance you roll a 5 and a 3. You can move either 15, 2, 8, or backwards 2 (-2)whichever is most advantageous to your game play. You would be surprised at how often moving backwards is useful to get to a big ladder.

This morning I played several games of Chutes and Ladders. One with the spinner with Sirah age 4. One with two dice - only allowing addition or subtraction with Ciaran age 7 and Sirah age 4 and one with just Rhiannon allowing any mathematical operation. To encourage Rhiannon to keep playing I told her when she beat me should could have a piece of chocolate, highly desirable since it was before noon! It took her 3 games. There is still an element of luck and randomness but you have more control and it is a fun and sneaky way to get them to do a variety of math operations in their head quickly and without feeling like they are doing math.

Now outside to enjoy the beautiful, albeit still chilly May day here in Minnesota.

Serona's New Toy

Of Turtles and Frogs

The season is upon us finally. Ciaran was beginning to feel it was never coming with the crazy weather and my surgery. Today we went to a nearby favorite pond to look for frogs and turtles. As I expected we did not see any frogs but we did see many turtles. We walked along the pond watching them sunning themselves on branches and diving into the water, stopping now and then to watch them or examine some other interesting thing we saw.

We found a spot they seemed to really enjoy about a dozen swimming around. I sat down on the ground and watched the kids watch the turtles for about a half hour. They managed to catch one believe it or not and carefully we examined it and carried it home. They will release it tonight but it is fun for them to care for one for a day or two and they are very careful filling a bucket with pond water and setting things up for the turtle to have a nice mini habitat. They named this turtle FireStripes for the coloring on the inside of the shell. They have been excited observing it and I think they might sketch the turtle later this afternoon.

While I still wish it was about 10 degrees warmer here the sunshine feels glorious so I can't really complain. After rain, clouds and cold weather we will take what we get.

Ciaran is still looking forward to the first frog of summer. We hear them at night and at certain marshes we pass by but he has only caught glimpses of them as they dive into the water. I remind him the season is not upon us yet but will be soon enough and to enjoy the one we have now.

We have been making weekly trips to the local arboretum to see the progress of the flowers and trees. Each year the kids pick out a rose bush to study. We draw sketches and watch their rosebush from winter through fall. It makes the best project because the experts care for it and we get to see the full transition and all the information we want is available to us. We also have our favorite places we go each time we are there. Right now the daffodils are in full bloom, the tulips are coming along and will likely be in full bloom this week. We look forward to the irises which usually bloom around my birthday time. The Magnolias and rhododendrons are in blossom and the other trees are starting to bud. The crab apples still don't have any buds to speak of and it seems as if overnight many trees grew their leaves!

Baseball is still cold. Was wearing my winter coat, mittens and a fleece blanket for last nights game under the lights. We left the field at 9pm and I wondered when it would ever be a warm great ball game night? The kids don't seem to notice though they just run and jump up and down in place to keep warm. Of course if this was the weather in January we would all probably be wearing shorts :)

Trying to spend as much time outdoors as we can especially now while the neighborhood is still quiet and I can enjoy being with just my kids. Soon enough all of school will be out and my kids will be off to play with the neighbors more and more. I am glad they get along with the neighbors but it is also nice when it is just the four of us enjoying our neighborhood parks and paths. As we watch the school buses leave and return from the day I think my kids appreciate more and more that they worked to get their school done in time to have off most of the month of May. Especially on glorious days like today.

Off to spend more time in the yard with the trampoline and bikes. Might even be brave enough to try a small baseball catch with Ciaran. Just a few more weeks until my recovery is complete. Seems it gets harder to wait each day as the mercury rises.

Tenniel

Mother's Day

Last year I took some time to reflect on my mother and my other mothers. I don't think I can match the work I put into that right now so please take a moment to read those if you never have. Or if you are one of my mothers please reread that and know how much I love and appreciate you!

My table is full of flowers, my heart is full of joy and my children are being unusually cooperative and calm (of course it is only 7:45am), even the sun is shining in Minnesota and there are no signs of snow! What a perfect start to my day.

We do not get the blessing of seeing any of our mothers and grandmothers today as they live in New York, Maine, Illinois and Florida and we live in Minnesota. Still we will call and we will talk and we will try to bless from a distance. We reflect on them and all they do for us and how much they love us.

Enjoy your mother today, bless her in a special way. Enjoy your children and the privilege you have of being their mother. Realize there is beauty in simplicity and love in the gift giver. My children color me cards, draw me pictures, pick me flowers, find the prettiest rock. They give me more hugs and kisses, they try harder to not fight with their brother and sister. They simply want to share their love with me and I am so very grateful and thankful for that.

Happy Mother's Day!

For Mothers and their Children

Minnesota Little League

I remember when my brothers played in Little League. I remember playing softball growing up from the time I was around 8. They are good memories for the most part. I do remember needing sweatshirts and blankets from time to time but I don't remember a 31 degree opener - after the first one being snowed out. I don't remember practice being canceled due to snow or the need to keep my winter coat in the car in May!

Little League in Minnesota is a whole different game we open the season with freezing temperatures and often intense windy days and we end the season with mosquitoes and a heat wave that makes you all want to fight over the very small square of shade near the field. Ciaran is still at the age where we attend everything including practices and we make our girls come with us.

Last night we decided to have a picnic dinner because the timing of baseball games makes it difficult to get Serona home, everyone fed and to the field on time in our one car family lifestyle. The picnic fare was good and there were no bugs which is a wonderful upside to a picnic. We only felt a few occasional raindrops and the girls ate their meal huddled underneath fleece blankets in their jackets. Something makes that an odd picnic I think.

Still we are enjoying watching Ciaran learn to play baseball. He spent one season in t-ball and is now playing in a machine pitch league. He is one of the youngest on his team if not the youngest as his birthday was the week before the cutoff that put him in the 7-8 year old league. We realized this league runs from first grade to third grade when one of the boys got up to bat and Serona was like "how old is he?" I pointed to our very tall Rhiannon, who is eight and said that is what people would say about her, a third grade tall eight year old.

The abilities in this league vary considerably from the brand new ball player, to the inexperienced to the ones who understand both what a double play is and how to make one. We have hitters who make it just past home plate and hitters who make it over the outfielders head. It is very interesting to watch but so far the kids are all good sports about it, encouraging one another and understanding each others different abilities. The league does have an x amount of runs per inning rule which helps when we face some of these challenges and they typically only play 4 or 5 innings to a game.

I really like community ball and am thankful for it. At opening day we saw so many families from the community. Some we knew from homeschool, some from our neighborhood, or other sporting events and many we have never met before. Little League provides a great service to our kids and I am thankful for it. I am also very thankful for the volunteers who make it possible. We do not volunteer for Little League with Serona's travel schedule and other little ones not involved it is difficult to follow through on a big commitment like that which does not offer much flexibility. So we are so thankful for the fathers and mothers who give of their time and abilities to provide these opportunities for our kids.

If you are a volunteer in Little League or any other sport in your area I want to say thank you! Thanks for giving of your time and providing opportunities for so many kids to enjoy sports and grow and learn team skills. If you volunteer in Minnesota or any other crazy weather state and experience the wide temperature ranges of 30-95 in your baseball season I give you a standing ovation!!!

Sirah rides a two wheeler!

Sirah learned to ride her two wheeler proficiently this summer! At the end of fall she practiced a few times with Serona but never got fully comfortable. This summer it only took one session before she was riding like a champ with complete confidence! She is whenever and wherever we let her now. It is such a freedom to her - I imagine it is like learning to drive a car and get your license for a teenager. Serona took all the kids on an extensive bike ride on trails and through streets in our neighborhood and she was riding right along with them, at a slower pace of course.

Then just this week one of her little friends who is a year older than her watched Sirah ride her bike and was surprised she could and she wanted to learn to ride one as well. Sirah lent her the bike and by the end of the day this girl had learned how to ride a two wheeler as well. The excitement in their faces was great to watch.

I am still amazed that all three of the kids learned to ride two wheelers when they were four years old! I think I was nine when I learned to ride a bike - how much easier for them now. They are so confident and sure of themselves.

I am not really involved with teaching them to ride their bikes, Serona takes care of that. His one rule - NO TRAINING WHEELS EVER! I have to say that was a hard one for me to swallow when they were three and I watched these kids get to move to a two wheeler with trainers and ours were still riding their trikes. It was important Serona said so they never learned to rely on the training wheels and then they really WANT to learn to ride a two wheeler and it is easier to teach them balance. I conceded because I did not really want to run behind a bicycle and be the one to make them get right back up and start again when they got hurt. So no training wheels and three kids who learned to ride their two wheelers proficiently at age 4. I'm glad I listened to him and thankful they all know how to ride now.

Rhiannon and Ciaran would like to do a 15 mile family bike ride by the end of the summer around the lakes. We will see if I recover and if they really can make that. We certainly wouldn't have Sirah peddling for 15 miles though :)
I

Coming back to life

Well while I hesitate to write this it appears spring has sprung in Minnesota! After snowflakes fell the last two weekends I am happy to see it is just going to rain this weekend :) The flowers are beginning to be brave enough to poke their heads out of the ground, the daffodils are in full bloom at our local arboretum and everywhere we look the tulips appear to be getting ready to spring forth. The evening brings the sounds of frog calls and the morning the songs of the birds - it is good.

My kids favorite moment of spring has arrived - the end of school. We work our schedule so that we can be finished by the first or second week of May each year in order to enjoy one of our favorite months in Minnesota. We try to spend as much time as possible outside enjoying the weather before the bugs come.

This May has been strange, it feels more like March or April than the warmth that usually brings May flowers. We have had snow twice, freezing temperatures often and have been warned to not start gardening yet. I think this weekend will bring the go ahead for many of those activities. We still have the winter coats out and have used them a few times this month, sweatshirts and raincoats stay in the trunk of our car and nearby for outdoor play. Yet sandals, flip flops and shorts are standing by ready to be used and thankful for the few moments they have been used already.

Still we have pressed on and tried to get out into nature several times a week at least. We have had several visits to the arboretum, the local nature center and a favorite marsh and meadow area where as soon as you leave your car all you can hear are the calls of frogs. As you walk down the dock it gets louder and louder until you can lose yourself in the sounds. This is Ciarans favorite place to go and it is one of his favorite times to go since you can hear so many frogs. He has yet to catch one and has only seen a handful so far.

We have resumed Nature Notebooking. We bring our nature journals and colored pencils with us and try to sketch at least one thing at each destination we go to. Some days the kids are very excited and sketch everything along the way. Other days they will do their "obligatory" sketch and then move on to just enjoying being outside. Unfortunately they never seem to share their moods so one wants to stop and sketch while the other two are itching to move forward. Always a balancing act we work out as peacefully as we can.

We are having to relearn how we explore nature this fall and it has been a frustrating process. My recovery from surgery is still only about halfway done and I have good days and bad days. I am very limited in what I should and can do and I am learning how to balance that with our need to be outside exploring. We are trying to explore more places we can drive to and limit our walking distances and time on my feet. I am trying to rest more as we go along and the kids are great about carrying things and understanding that our time has to be shorter. It is hard to only go to a wonderful place for an hour instead of all day like we prefer - still it is better to go for a little bit and soak it all in then it is to forgo going all together. By June I should be ready to resume things like geocaching, hiking and our regular outside activities. For now we are taking baby steps and making the most of the time and places we have.

It seems appropriate that this is my recovery time as I watch everything coming back awake from a long winter and I myself feel that way in many ways. Just as we need to be patient for the flowers to come in their time when it is warm and safe enough for them so I need to be patient and let my body recover and resume activities when it is appropriate and safe for me. I may sound optimistic but I have to be honest this is hard for me. I want to be outside biking, hiking and geocaching. Soon enough, soon enough....

Locks of Love

Sweet Sirah has been growing her hair out for nearly a year now with the entire intention being to donate it to Locks of Love. Last year Rhiannon donated her hair and it gave Sirah the idea. She began growing it out - since she is just 4 years old and has thinner hair it took her longer but she finally finished! This week she was finally able to donate it, 10 inches, she was very excited.

She donated at an all day event where they were collecting many hundreds of ponytails to send in all together. That morning the only thing she wanted was to have her hair in a waterfall braid just one more time. So Serona put her hair in a braid one last time when she was four as she said. Then she went and got her hair cut - she was oh so serious the whole time, barely cracking a smile.

When she was done - she loved her haircut and keeps telling everyone that she donated 10 inches of hair for locks of love. Her face looks so different after she finished, she looks older somehow. When Rhiannon donated her hair I thought she looked younger. She has since been growing it back, she was glad she donated it but likes long hair better and will likely keep her hair long for awhile.

I am glad my kids have a heart for others and come up with creative ways to share that love with people, even those they will never meet.

Tea Party

Last week Sirah had some little girls over for an afternoon tea and dress up party. It was really a sweet and lovely time. We had 6 little girls all in various dress up costumes. Rhiannon and her friend agreed to help out with the party and they began by giving each girl a "makeover" where they painted their nails, added some lip gloss and some body glitter. The little girls could not have been more delighted, especially the younger ones. Then they danced with play silks, switched costumes many times and prepared a little dance to perform.

We served tea, cookies and fruit. We had both a dairy and nut allergies to contend with so our cookie choices were more limited. To my amazement Oreos meet both of those standards and ended up being the favorites over the tea cookies. Strawberries and pears were also popular. No one asked for a drink other than tea to my amazement and they seemed to enjoy having it with cream and sugar.

Sirah was beaming and it was great for her to have some time that was about her and her friends. Being the youngest I think it makes it all the more special for her.

All in all it was a wonderful afternoon and while it tired me out some, having the older girls there was a tremendous help to me and Ciaran even helped out with making the tea and cookies and setting the table. It was well worth the effort to see the joy in the girls and see Sirah so happy.

Surgery Results

Well I am home and recovering from recent surgery. What we thought would be a simple 5 day recovery has turned into something much more as the doctors discovered something unexpected during my procedure. I had a spontaneous tear in my peritoneal wall and the recovery for that is actually 6-8 weeks not 5-7 days.

Still it is good to know both that they have discovered and fixed the problem, even if I am still sore and have several weeks of really limited activity ahead of me. In some ways the most frustrating part is that this time will cover some of my favorite time in Minnesota, namely the month of May. Oh well at least I will be better for the summer.

I am very blessed with a community of support around me. We have already received meals and offers of help with our children and even laundry from neighbors and homeschool support group friends. Our families are all far away so this local support is so helpful to us. We feel very loved and supported from the friend who went to the hospital with us, to those watching our kids, to those who sent flowers and prayers and just notes of encouragement and reminders they are there for us. We really appreciate all of you!

I am posting picture results from my surgery here as you can see what they discovered and how they fixed it. If you are squeamish about human anatomy or medical stuff you will want to skip them. If not you can even enlarge them by clicking on them. What you are looking at is the shots taken from my laproscoopic surgery of my peritoneal wall and the organs around it - you can see the scar that resulted from the laser treatment. My kids think it is pretty cool they used a laser inside my body. Right now it hurts enough to realize they did.

Family Themes

I have realized over the years of parenting that from the time they are born and so far through our homeschool years certain things define the way we parent, teach and interact with our kids. Some themes that seem to continually reoccur over time. Blogging has helped me realize a lot of those themes because I tend to write about similar things often.

1. Reading
We read to them all the time. We encourage them to read. We demonstrate to them how much we read. Reading is definitely a central theme in our family. We are readers and we are raising readers. We all spend a good portion of our days reading. We read books, magazines, comics, websites really anything. We talk about what we read, we talk about what we want to read, we read after dinner as a family. I think they will all grow up remembering reading.

2. Nature
Exploring, discovering and enjoying nature is an important part of our family. We spend lots of time outdoors but also indoors at locations like nature centers, zoos, and arboretums. We hike, we camp, we geocache, we bike, we play lawn bowling and frisbee together. We often just walk together as a family around our neighborhood and around different area parks. We really encourage exploring and loving nature like Ciaran's love of frogs, Sirah loving owls and their desire to touch and examine all of nature around them. We encourage nature note booking and free exploration.

3. Faith

We are raising our kids with a strong faith. We try to live out our faith, we try to give them examples of what that means and to model it for them. We teach them about God and morality. We do our best to live according to our beliefs, we offer them materials to learn from and experiences and activities that support and encourage their own faith. We answer tough questions and are trying to raise them to have a faith of their own not just a "because my parents said so" faith. Our faith is often expressed and lived out in the small everyday details of our lives.

4.Experiences
We try to offer a lot of experiences to our kids. Our favorite family saying "One never knows what this crazy clan will do!" We bring them along with us to a wide variety of places and to meet a variety of people. We take them campaigning and to political rallies, to the art museum and book signings, to the orchestra, Irish and Scottish festivals, caving, to all the museums (not just the zoo and childrens), petroglyphs, farms and skyscrapers. Basically if we would go there they will go there with very few exceptions. And we take them to all the possible crazy places you can think of to take a child on a field trip. We always try to make it fun and often, though not always, educational. If we have read about it I will try to find a way to bring it to life for them in a more tangible way.

5. Travel
We travel a lot. We have family scattered throughout the country and many in wonderful vacation spots such as New York, Maine, Chicago and Southern California. We take them to visit relatives and see the sites. We take them places we want them to experience. I think if we were suddenly to become millionares this is the piece that would increase the most. When we were learning about the pharaohs and we talked about the exhibit in Texas Rhiannon asked if we could go there on a field trip as if it was around the corner. Ciaran piped up and said wouldn't it be better to just go to Egypt? How nice it would be! Ciaran and I have an agreement that when he is older we are going to travel to the rainforest and jungle together even if no one else comes with us. Sirah really wants to go to London because that is where her special bear is from. Rhiannon would love to visit Rome and Ireland. All of them want to go explore caves around the United States and the world. I suppose we have taught them to dream big and that travel is a wonderful thing. I did however sit Rhiannon down the year she was 7 and explain that this is not "normal" life to get to travel to the beaches of Southern California, New York City, Walt Disney World and the retreat of Maine all in the same year. We talked about how privileged we really were. I think we have given them all travel bugs much like our own since we have not stopped traveling because we have kids.

6. History/Philosophy
We have a love of history and philosophy. While they may seem an odd mix in a lot of ways they are not. If you looked at our home collection of books you would see a ton of philosophy, history and political books, along with a smattering of science books. Serona has a passion for philosophy and I have a passion for history. We will watch family movies and documentaries that show this love along with our love of nature. We take field trips and family outings to places of historical significance or places that bring alive history. We talk in ways that promote philosophy, logic and argument. We even are beginning to see it in the communication and choices of our kids. This has led to a lot of inquisitiveness in our kids and that is a wonderful thing even as we answer Why or How for the millionth time. Those two subjects I think really inform us of who we are and how we got here both in experience and in our minds and choices. I am glad that is an important theme for us.

7. Music
We all have an appreciation for music and Serona can play music. Music is a part of our daily life. We often listen to some classical music, show tunes but mostly now we are listening to Christian music we all like as a family. We have music streaming on our computers, the kids each have their own cd or mp3 player in their room, we listen in the car and on the go. We sing songs together, we in general enjoy each others music and we all like listening to it. Music has been a unifier for our family and given us yet another area of shared experiences as a family both for educational and mostly just for fun purposes.

8. Video Games
This one is harder for me to admit but it is reality - we are a video game family. I grew up playing video games. I have more limited taste in the types of games I enjoy. Nintendo Wii is a good fit for me personally and for our family. We also have an Xbox 360 system that Serona mostly uses. We play together as a family, the kids play together and Serona or Ciaran will play alone. I used to be really hesitant about this screen time but I realize how many more hours in a day my kids really have with homeschooling, they really do have more free time and when chores, school, reading, outside/exercise time is over if they want to play video games that is fine by me. So they get more video game time than people might think they would get in our house. It is social and fun for them and sometimes even for me. I really am a fan of the Wii system - it is a great family console.

9. Board Games
Not only do we enjoy video games but we play lots of board games. We play as a family and often I play with the kids. The kids will play certain games on their own as well. We have a TON of games, card and board games and I do manage to purge every few years but I amazed at how many different games we really do play. We have certain favorites we come back to time and time again but in general we play a lot of games. I see Ciaran have my competitive nature and Rhiannon having Serona's "It's just fun to play" attitude which sometimes makes it difficult to play all together a game like Blokus. I like that we play games together I think it promotes a lot of good things and offers lots of great life learning experiences.

10. Activism
We are an activist family in a lot of ways. We have been politically involved as families and individuals for a long time. We try to stay on top of important issues and participate in the ways we can. We are raising our kids to see the importance of being an involved citizen and they get to see the frustrations that go along with that involvement as well. We are volunteers in different areas of our lives, advocates in others and activists in still others. The commonality of this is teaching our kids they need to be aware and informed of what is going on in the world around them. They also need to be ready to stand up and defend their beliefs and those things that are important to them. We are trying to equip them with the necessary tools to be an involved and active citizen in all areas of their lives by teaching them and demonstrating them for them.

Together these themes often come out in our parenting and homeschooling choices with our kids. While they don't encapsulate everything about us and we are not consitent that we live all of these all the time - they give you a fairly good picture of the way we exist as a family and some of the things important to us all.

Peace,
Tenniel

Coming Out of Hibernation

I feel like I have been in hibernation for a long time now. I suppose to some extent most Minnesotans get like this because of the long winters, even as I type we still have some snow in our yard! This year though has been even more so as we have mostly been housebound due to my health. We are used to museums, field trips and much more being outside than we have had this year. We have still gotten out a bit, enough for many people I would say but I have felt cooped up.

Yesterday the kids and I went to a nature center and our local arboretum and spent the day at those locations. It felt wonderful to be out exploring nature, wildlife and beautiful plants and flowers with my kids again. At the nature center we saw frogs, toads, snakes, lizards and explored various nests, shells, bones, furs and many other items from nature. We looked at stuffed owls, birds and small animals. It was fun to connect and talk about nature and the coming of spring. The kids put on puppet shows and colored pictures, we read some books they had and walked around and explored some. The temperature was in the low 30's and it was actually snowing while we were there so we spent more time indoors but at least it wasn't at our house. We had the entire place to ourselves with just the naturalists there. We watched her clean the turtle cage and talked about various reptiles and amphbian care with her. I think the naturalists enjoyed that we were there - it was good all around. One of the beautiful benefits of homeschooling, you often get educational facilities all to yourself!

On the way home Ciaran really wanted to visit the arboretum so we did. They have a wonderful Children's Learning Center with a hands on, touch and smell everything greenhouse. It felt so good to be in the warmth surrounded by color and green. We just walked around for a bit smelling and pointing out our favorite things to one another, discovering what the plants and flowers were named. Some volunteers were working on cuttings and the kids asked questions about how and why they were doing it. They made a cutting of an Artillery plant for the kids. We finished up our time there with the kids each sketching their favorite things. Ciaran sketched several cacti and some bamboo. Rhiannon made an involved sketch of the orange and lemon trees and Sirah walked around making sketches of all the pink flowers.

It felt good to be out exploring the world and nature with my kids. I think in some ways that has been one of the hardest limitations on the family this year. Looking forward to that all changing soon and of course to the good weather.