Making the Most of Your Summer Break: Homeschool Families Share their Best Ideas and Tips (PDF ebook)

We’re bringing back this excellent resource because of numerous requests, and also for the benefit of our many new readers who did not get a copy last year.

Are you thinking about taking a short/medium/long break from homeschooling during the upcoming summer months? Or are you not sure how to juggle your summer plans with your homeschooling? If so, you NEED this collection!

We surveyed over 250 homeschool families to find out their own “summer break” experiences: How long a break they normally take… what they like (and dislike) most about “summer vacation”… their very favorite summertime learning activities… AND their best tips and advice to YOU for keeping the learning going all summer long. The result is this compilation full of practical, “real life” advice that any homeschool family will find both helpful and inspirational. DON’T MISS IT!

To download this PDF ebook, RIGHT CLICK HERE and “save” to your computer. Mac users, hold down the “control” key and click the link, then save to your computer.

Here’s a fun math treat for you… Journey through the wonderland of Mathematics with Donald Duck and discover how math led to music, the Golden Rectangle, and much more! (I remember watching this in my high school Algebra class. THAT was a fun class day! While I’ve since forgotten most of my Algebra, I can still remember what I learned that day from this classic cartoon!)

PART ONE:

PART TWO:

Two amazingly fun and creative vintage activity books for you today — both filled with the stuff of summertime adventure dreams are made of!

On The Trail: An Outdoor Skills Book for Girls by Lina & Adelia Belle Beard (PDF ebook)

First up today is this superb old-time activity book by the authors of The American Girls Handy Book!

This time, we re-discover outdoor hiking and camping skills, as the authors offer tons of neat projects and activities in Trailing, Woodcraft, Camping, Handicrafts, Identifying friend & foe in the woods, knots, camp games, water games & much more! A fascinating outdoors “idea book” for adventuresome girls, boys and the whole family too!

To download this PDF ebook, RIGHT CLICK HERE and “save” to your computer. Mac users, press the Control key then click the link and save to your mac.

PRACTICAL THINGS WITH SIMPLE TOOLS (PDF ebook)

Next: How about some neat old fashioned “kid stuff” projects your kids can build this summer?

This classic book includes instructions on making:
 Tool boxes, kites, doll houses & furniture, stilts, water wheels, slings, optical toys, bow & arrows, wagons, flying machines, wigwams, camp seats, paper boxes, 
bookshelves, picture frames, scooters and more! If that sound fun & educational to you, then your creative & handy kids will need this classic “how to” book.

To download this PDF ebook, RIGHT CLICK HERE and “save” to your computer. Mac users, press the Control key then click the link and save to your mac.

Here we are with three more wonderful volumes in this classic children’s book series!

The Junior Classics Library (PDF ebooks) – Published in 1907, the multi-volume Junior Classics Library was meant to give young readers a “taste” of just about every classic legend, story and tale that a well-read young person should be familiar with. Today we have three more volumes from this wonderful collection in PDF format for your reading or “read aloud” pleasure. There are over 1200 pages of classic “living stories” in this six ebook library.

Today’s collections are:

“Stories That Never Grow Old” (Stories from the Arabian Nights, Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver’s Travels, Shakespeare, Pilgrim’s Progress, Ivanhoe, and more)

To download this PDF ebook, RIGHT CLICK HERE and “save” to your computer. Mac users: Press the Control key and click the link, then “save” to your mac.

“Animal and Nature Stories” (Dozens of classic short stories about dogs, cats, horses, pets and wild animal adventures)

To download this PDF ebook, RIGHT CLICK HERE and “save” to your computer. Mac users: Press the Control key and click the link, then “save” to your mac.

“True Stories of Courage and Heroism” (Tales of real life heroes & heroines throughout history, including tales of ancient history, early settlers & pioneers, the old west, the Napoleonic wars, firefighters and more)

To download this PDF ebook, RIGHT CLICK HERE and “save” to your computer. Mac users: Press the Control key and click the link, then “save” to your mac.

(Psssttt… Yesterday’s volumes are also still available if you missed them.)

By popular demand, today and tomorrow we bring back this wonderful story collection for your kids summer reading enjoyment!

The Junior Classics Library (PDF ebooks) – Published in 1907, the multi-volume Junior Classics Library was meant to give young readers a “taste” of just about every classic legend, story and tale that a well-read young person should be familiar with. Today and tomorrow,  we’re bringing back all six of the currently available volumes of this wonderful collection in PDF format for your reading or “read aloud” pleasure. There are over 1200 pages of classic “living stories” in this six ebook library.

Here’s a fun note about the Junior Classics sent to us by Karleen M, when she heard we would be featuring these volumes this week:

“Years ago, when my brother and I were young, and people still bought a set of encyclopedias, my parents also bought us The Junior Classics Library. I still have all the volumes. I never ‘regulated’ when my own children could read those books — they were just there on the bookshelf. And then in our homeschool when I’d searched for some really wonderful translation of The Iliad, or a great biography of Daniel Boone, or the story of El Cid, etc. I would get so frustrated (in a good way!) because my daughter or my son would say, “Yeah, Mom, I already know about all that!” I would reply “What? How could you — I just got the book!” and they would say “It’s in those old books of yours! I’ve read about (fill in the blank) several times!”

I laughed out loud when I read this, but Karleen is right: These volumes are full of great stuff. Terrific summertime reading!

Today’s collections are:

“Fairy Tales and Wonder Stories” (Tales of the American Indians, Tales of India, Tales of the Norseland, France, Spain, Poland, Russia, China & Japan, Fairy Tales and Aesop’s Fables)

To download this PDF ebook, RIGHT CLICK HERE and “save” to your computer. Mac users: Press the Control key and click the link, then “save” to your mac.

“Heroes and Heroines of Chivalry” (Tales of King Arthur, Tales of the Mabignonion, Tales of Early English, French, Italian and Spanish Chronicles, excerpts from Robin Hood & Don Quixote)

To download this PDF ebook, RIGHT CLICK HERE and “save” to your computer. Mac users: Press the Control key and click the link, then “save” to your mac.

“Old Fashioned Stories” (Many excerpts from classic “living books” such as Hans Brinker, Little Women, Dickens, Hawthorne, great short stories, and Alice in Wonderland)

To download this PDF ebook, RIGHT CLICK HERE and “save” to your computer. Mac users: Press the Control key and click the link, then “save” to your mac.

Two wonderful nature study classics today for your summer time learning!

Leaves & Flowers (PDF ebook)

Today’s first resource is this great vintage book of short nature studies on plants for young readers. Engagingly written, fully illustrated, and perfect for summertime exploring & learning! Check it out!

To download this PDF ebook, RIGHT CLICK HERE and “save” to your computer. Mac users: Press the Control key and click the link, then “save” to your mac.

Little Wanderers by Margaret Warner Morley (PDF ebook)

In this second great book from the early 1900s, we learn how plants propogate and “travel” by scattering their seeds in a multitude of ways: Some are wind borne, some travel by animals, and others travel in even more ingenious ways. Great illustrations and a concise, easily-read text make this a great “read aloud” for younger students.

To download this PDF ebook, RIGHT CLICK HERE and “save” to your computer. Mac users: Press the Control key and click the link, then “save” to your mac.

EDUCATIONAL SONGS JUKEBOX

Here’s a site full of children’s songs that teach ideas and basic concepts in  Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Foreign Language, Geography, Geology, History, Language Arts, Life Skills, Math, and Physics. These cannot be downloaded, but can be listened to freely online. Lots of fun!

Click here to go to the site!

ADVENTURES IN ELECTRICITY! (PDF comic books)

Produced by General Electric in the 1940s, these educational comic books explain  how electricity has changed and improved our world. While these are somewhat dated, they contain lots of interesting history on how things were done in a pre-electric age, and many neat facts and science concepts are demonstrated in this series of 16 page comic books.

Click here to go to the download site.

Tip: There are four issues of the comic book on this site. To download each issue, click the link and you’ll be taken to a page where you can either view the comic book online, or download it using the “Download” button on the right hand side of the page.

CLASSIC CHILDRENS’ RECORD ALBUMS

Here’s a huge archive of downloadable vintage children’s albums, featuring “Tale Spinners” dramatizations of classic living books and stories, Let’s Pretend, Golden Records and many more.

This is primo, wonderful audio material for your kids! Don’t miss it!

Click here to go to the site!

(Note: Since these are large mp3 audio files, and we have lots of readers, it is possible there may be traffic problems with this site. If you experience that, please just bookmark the site and try again later.)

BEAUTIFUL GIRLHOOD by Mabel Hale (audiobook & online ebook)

The transitioning years between girlhood and womanhood are an exciting time for a girl, as well as tumultuous and confusing. Beautiful Girlhood by Mabel Hale is a lovely guide that will help the young girl understand the changes she is going through emotionally and physically and also guide her in the proper behavior befitting a young woman.

Here is the much beloved, original edition of this classic book by Mabel Hale in an easy to read online edition, along with a great audiobook version read by Laura Caldwell.

“Girlhood is the opening flower of womanhood. It has charms all its own. The wonderful change from the child to the woman, the marvelous blossoming of young, healthy girlhood, will ever be God’s great miracle in life’s garden. Like a half-open rose is girlhood.”

CLICK HERE to go to the online ebook version

CLICK HERE to go to the downloadable audiobook version