Newbery Awards- My favorite, Your Favorite, Nobody’s Favorite

The 2009 book award winners were revealed yesterday by the American Library Association. You may read about them at the NAIWE NewsWire blog.

As a counterpoint, I’d like to share a thoughtful piece from the School Library Journal, “Has the Newbery Lost its Way? ” by Anita Silvey. After you read it, please come back and leave a comment here, sharing what you think and answering the following questions:

My all-around favorite book when I was child was Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are.” I loved the adorable monsters, and as a quiet child, I was enchanted by the idea of a “wild rumpus.” My boys enjoyed Sendak, but had other books for their ultimate “read it again, mommy” favorites.

SAT* Score Reporting, FAQ, Essay Workshops, & EIL 1 is HERE!

Beginning with the March 2009 administration of the SAT, the College Board has implemented a new policy that should make a lot of people very happy. According to the website, the new policy “will give students the option to choose the SAT scores by sitting (test date) and SAT Subject Test scores by individual test that they send to colleges, at no additional cost.” Read more

Drawspace: A Review

The Internet is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be happy as kings (with apologies to Robert Louis Stevenson). My son recently came across a website that offers detailed drawing instruction. Read more

SWOT Analysis for Homeschools

In January, I like to look back at the previous year and consider what worked, what didn’t, and what I can do to make the new year better. One analytical strategy is I’ve borrowed from the business world is SWOT Analysis. It’s actually a very useful tool for homeschoolers, so here’s a brief overview. SWOT stands for:

To apply it to your homeschool, write statements or ask yourself questions in each area. For example: Read more

Wishing you a Joyous New Year!

An old French postcard from my collection. Enjoy!

Two Brief Announcements

1- Third Anniversary Celebration for the Carnival of Homeschooling! Henry Cate of “Why Homeschool?” will be hosting the third anniversary celebration edition of the Carnival on January 6. If you blog about homeschooling or related topics, or know anyone who does, please follow the instructions at the Carnival Submission instruction page. We want this Carnival to be the biggest and best ever!

2- Enter to win delightful things in the Winter Bundle at “A Pondering Heart.” Miss Jocelyn has put together a wonderful collection of books and other items to bless homeschoolers, and she’ll be giving them away over the next few week. Stop by her blog and enter to win!