MyInfo

Summer 1/2 over

Until school starts

Free Books

These are books are untainted by modern political correctness and are rich in advanced vocabulary. Best of all, because they are in the public domain, they are all free. Many of these titles can be found at various spots online such as Main Lesson, Gutenberg, Heritage History, Archive.org, Librovox.org (audio) and Google Books. Each spot will have a different format, so if you don’t like or can’t use the format which I’ve linked to, simply search for another version of it.
I did not include in this list any of the books that are in the Top Ten Charlotte Mason Must Haves even though there are some public domain books in that list as well. All of these titles are ones that I have actually in our homeschool. They are all highly recommended.

1. Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit

at Main Lesson; at Archive

2. Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb

at Archive; at Librivox
Numbers one and two are both retellings which make Shakespeare’s plays accessible to elementary aged learners. Don’t “save” Shakespeare for high school. Go ahead and enjoy him now with these stories.

3. Alfred Church’s Greek Classics retold for Boys and Girls:  The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid

at Main Lesson; at Librivox
There is a reason these three classics are called epics — they are still as enjoyable today as they were in the days of ancient Greece or Rome. Again, a simplified retelling makes these easier to grasp than the more advanced translations your children might read in high school or college. (Heritage History sells attractively formatted and affordable eBook versions of these as well as providing the entire texts, free online.)

4. Thornton Burgess’s Nature Stories

at Main Lesson; at Librivox
Sheer delight. Burgess’s animal stories have a beautiful way of weaving in facts about nature in a way that is not distracting from the tale but rather enhances it.

An Excerpt from Famous Men of the Middle Ages

5. John H. Haaren’s Famous Men Series:  Greece, Rome, Middle Ages, Modern Times

at Main Lesson; at Librivox
These four volumes can be used as history spines or supplements. They take a biographical approach to history, telling narratives of men from the time period. This is the interesting way to learn history. (Heritage History sells attractively formatted and affordable eBook versions of these as well as offering the entire text free online.)

6. Poems Every Child Should Know by Mary E. Burt

at Main Lesson; at Gutenberg
If you need a poetry spine for daily poetry study or for a unit of study, this free book is a good option. Of course, there are no funny poems from Jack Prelutsky, but all of the classics are included.

An Excerpt from Grammarland

7. Grammarland by M. L. Nesbit

at Google Books; at Librivox; PDF at Homeway Press
This may be the single book that takes a narrative approach to grammar. In Grammarland, children meet the parts of speech as they are personified in unique characters. The book includes grammar exercises to reinforce each chapter. This book sounds strange, and it is, but it is also interesting and engaging.

Illustration from Number Stories of Long Ago

8. Number Stories of Long Ago by David Eugene Smith

at Google Books; at Archive
Like Grammarland, Number Stories takes a narrative approach to an topic that rarely gets that kind of treatment –math. It is really a math history primer, taking the reader through the major civilizations of history and finding how each one dealt with numbers and computation. This was one of those books that my daughter was always happy to listen to.

9. The World’s Great Men of Music by Harriette Brower

at Google Books; at Many Books
I like to add a biographical sketch to our composer studies, and The World’s Great Men of Music is a free alternative to a book like The Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers (without the Christian content, of course).  I keep this one on my Kindle and refer to it occasionally.

An Illustration from Pilgrim's Progress

10. Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

at Archive; at Many Books
Of course, I assume that your home has a Bible. That is the supreme public domain book that you can use in your homeschool and life. But it really goes without saying, so I didn’t include it in the top ten. Instead I will remind you of a spiritual classic that has stood alongside the Bible for centuries –Pilgrims Progress. Read it for literature, for discipleship, or create an entire unit study. It should be included in your homeschool schedule at some point in the 12 years of education.

Fancy Smancy Classroom

 Chemistry lab

for us, the reality is that we needed an organized way to collect our goodies, we are where the DVR is.  We watch a lot of Nova, History Channel, and BBC.  We do not spend $ on traditional home school decorations. Life is our school, school is not our life.

Weekly Lawn Cut

Weekly Lawn Cut –

• How quickly can the lawn be mowed? The cheapest prices are given to flat, open properties on the smaller size. 
• Any obstacles on the property? It takes longer to make stripes if there are trees, beds, and outdoor furniture all over the lawn. Also, backyards littered with toys take time to cleanup before mowing. 
• If there is a gate, is it wide enough for a mower? Narrow gates require a smaller mower to squeeze through. Smaller mowers take longer to finish cutting. 
• Proximity of your property to the company’s other customers or shop? Houses close together get cheaper prices, while scattered houses get higher prices. 

Avg Price of Lawn Cut - Ex: 1/8th acre = $20; 1/4th acre $40/cut.
Based on Harris County Land Office 
11,427 SF property - $35 / mow
9,705 SF property - $30 / mow
8,407 SF property - $25 / mow

Pet Sitting / House Checking

Services & Pricing

For Your Pet

• Fresh food and water at scheduled visits
• Brief walks, playtime, brushing, love
• Scoop and change litter boxes
• Pick up after pets
• Maintain your routine

For Your Home

• Pick up mail, newspapers, flyers and packages
• Alternate lights and blinds
• Water plants
• Overall security of your home

Other Services Available

• Daily dog walks (midday walk while you are at work)
• Overnight sitting (I stay in home 10pm-6am, includes morning and evening potty breaks)
• Pet taxi to transport to vet or groomer (or anywhere they need to go)
• Return/Pick up Key

Rates
Visits: 

• $8 per visit one pet (approximate length of visit is 15 mins)
• $15 per visit up to 3 pets (approximate length of visit is 30 mins)
• $3 extra per dog per visit
• $2 extra per cat or other pet per visit

Daily Dog Walks: between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm

• $15 per visit
• $2 extra per dog

Other Services:

• pet taxi............................$30 per hour (1/2 hour minimum)
• house checks....................$12 (no pets)
• extended care...................$30 per hour beyond 30 min visit
• overnight stay...................$65

6th grade Social Studies

Class Zone
 If you were bored this summer, here is what you could do:

Afghanistan
Brazil
Burma
Canada
Caribbean islands
China
Cuba
Egypt
European Union
France
Germany
Greece
Guatemala
Haiti
India
Israel
Italy
Japan
Maldives
Mexico
Mongolia
Nepal
Nigeria
North Korea
Pakistan
Panama
Peru
Poland
Portuguese
Russia
Sahara
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
Soviet Union
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Sweden
United Kingdom
United States
Vietnam

Resources