Listen to the Sounds of Birds

Birds make the most wonderful sounds. Don’t we all wish we could identify them. Now with the help of this website you can. There are several different birds to view and listen to what they sound like.

Nature Field guide for Birds with pictures, details and sounds.

Enature Bird Calls audio only several different bird calls.

Bird Songs by Habitat Country, Forest, Cityscapes, and Wetlands.

Listen to the sounds this coo bur makes! 20 different Bird imitations including camera sounds and chain saw sounds. Amazing.

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Museums, History, Art, free Days and Homeschool Days

Find a Museum Close to You

Many of museums offer “free days” or “homeschool days”

Go to museums in the USA All types of museums to choose from. Art Museums, Science Museums and many more.

Visiting and Learning about Ancient Egypt, Greece and Italy is no farther than a click away.

Atlanta, Georgia has Michael C. Carlos Museum said to be one of the best Ancient Egypt Museums in the US. Admission is $7 per person. See Mummies Egyptian time periods. Items from Greek, Roman and Ancient American time periods as well.

Totally Tut Pyramid Game $17.98

Exploring never got better than with the fascinating Michael Carlos online Ancient Greece Museum there is no explaining this one, it a fun way to read and learn all about Ancient times. Enter into a Flash multimedia presentation with lots of features and choices for teaching things such as architecture, living, geography, battles, God’s Goddess’, heroes, names, and Greek Democracy.

Art Institute of Chicago

View an entire multi-media guide to the Ancient World and choose from Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Italy when visiting the the Art Institute of Chicago. Cick the stories button (link) if that option is available that goes along with the images. The story runs a quicktime movie that explains the history surrounding the image. For example, here is a video telling about the Ancient Boats used in the time of Cleopatra in Egypt. Explaining how the boats sailed up and down the Nile River. These would make great history lessons for younger grades as an introduction to Ancient History.

Lesson Plans for the Ancient Studies are also available at the Art Institute of Chicago for teaching Math, Fine Arts, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies. These look like they would make great unit studies. Note: these lesson plans are main focus includes those in 4th and 5th grade.

Then go and learn about Ancient Egypt at the British Museum in the UK learn about hieroglyphics writings.

Vatican Online Museums

You don’t have to go any farther than the tip of your fingers to find loads of Ancient history. Here at the Vatican Online Museum you will find quality Christian history, art history and more.

St. Louis Art Museum

The St. Louis Art Museum is a spectacular Museum if you ever get the chance to go there. It’s free every day and on Friday’s their special exhibits are free too. They have beautiful Ancient Art and quite an extensive collection of religious and Chinese art. They also have educational programs some for free depending on the time and season.

Parthenon in the USA

One of the most awesome things I ever saw in the United States was a life size replica of the Greek PARTHENON – in NASHVILLE, TN!! It was unbelievable. I felt like I was in Greece. Inside there is a Colossal statue of Athena holding Nike It’s located in down town Nashville and at this time it cost $6.00 for adults and $3.50 for kids 4- 17, if your younger than that you get in free. they are open year round from about 9-4 except Sunday it’s 12:30 – 4:30. View the photo gallery

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Free Living History Books and Stories

The following Stories can be found on the Baldwin Project they come from a book called Heroes Every Child Should know. You can click the link to view the entire book online or you can choose one of the titles below and read only that story. Baldwin Project also offers this 379 page book for sale as a reprint. Perseus Hercules Daniel David St. George King Arthur Sir Galahad Siegfried Roland King Alfred The Cid Robin Hood Richard the Lion-Hearted Saint Louis William Tell Robert Bruce George Washington Robert E. Lee Abraham Lincoln Father Damien

Stories about Saints

Can be found in this book called In God’s Garden Once again you can view the entire book free online or just read about the individual Saints. One thing I notices about this online book – while the stories are easy to read their are not many pictures. A suggestion might be to print out the individual stories and make your own book with Saint pictures out of it. Or better yet make a lap book with it. Here are the Saints and their stories. (these stories are in the public domain.) Saint Ursula Saint Benedict Saint Christopher Saint Catherine of Siena Saint Augustine of Hippo Saint Augustine of Canterbury Saint Cecilia Saint Giles Saint Nicholas Saint Faith Saint Cosmo and Saint Damian Saint Martin Saint George Saint Francis of Assisi

Comprehensive History book called On the Shores of the Great Sea

You can read this book free on line thanks to the Baldwin Project. It has stories in it that include everything from the home of Abraham to the rise of Carthage and more. Some of these stories may be a bit too advanced for 2nd and 3rd grade learning. The Home of Abraham Into Africa An Old Trade-Route Joseph in Egypt The Story of the Nile Flood In a Strange Land The Children of Israel Back to the Fatherland The First Merchant Fleet Conquerors of the Sea Early Pioneers Hiram, King of Tyre King Solomon’s Fleet The Story of Carthage Out of the Shadowland The Story of the Argonauts The Siege of Troy The Adventures of Ulysses The Dawn of History The Fall of Tyre The Rise of Carthage Hanno’s Adventures Some More About Greece A Cloud in the East The Battle of Marathon King Ahasuerus How Leonidas Kept the Pass Victory for the Greeks Some Greek Colonies Across the Blue Waters The Beauty of Athens The Death of Socrates Retreat of the Ten Thousand The Story of Romulus and Remus How Horatius Kept the Bridge Coriolanus Alexander the Great King of Macedonia Conquest of the East Conquest of India Alexander’s City Back to Rome Again A Great Conflict The Roman Fleet Hannibal’s Vow The Adventures of Hannibal The End of Carthage The Triumph of Rome Two Young Romans Julius Caesar The Flight of Pompey The Death of Caesar The Empire of Rome Pax Romana

Also included in the Baldwin Project resources is this Catholic history book on

Saints to the End of the Middle Ages

It includes a host of well know Saints. Here is the table of content list from the book. When you click on the link you will go directly to that saints history story. Cyprian, 200-258 Athanasius, 296-373 Ambrose, 340-397 Chrysostom, 347-407 Jerome, 340-420 Augustine, 354-430 Benedict, 480-543 Gregory the Great, 540-604 Columba, 521-597 Charlemagne, 742-814 Hildebrand, 1020-1085 Anselm, 1033-1109 Bernard, 1091-1153 Becket, 1118-1170 Langton, 1170-1221 Dominic, 1170-1228 Francis, 1182-1226 Wycliffe, 1320-1384 Hus, 1373-1415 Savonarola, 1452-1498 Here is another book on Saints from the Baldwin Project call

Stories of Saints

Here are titles from that book. Click the link and go directly to the story. The Palace of Gondoforus St Mary of Egypt The Gentle Giant St Patrick St Bridget of Kildare St Elfleda’s Ale The Saintly Friends of Assisi St John Gualbert’s Crucifix St Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgins St Edward’s Smile and the Seven Sleepers St Zita’s Pilgrimage St Nicholas St Herman-Joseph’s Apple St Louis of France The Patience of St Frances the Roman St Margaret of Scotland The Silence of St John of Nepomuk St Charles Borromero St Ruadan’s Protection St Gudula’s Lantern St Anthony of Padua The Roses of St Rose The Good Almoner’s Hat St Gonsalvo’s Bridge Saints Stephen, Lawrence, and Hippolytus St Clothilde’s Banner St Bernardine of Siena St Raymond’s Boat St Elizabeth of Hungary The Dedication of St Francis Borgia St Jeanne D’Arc St Francis and the Birds St Roch and His Dog St Rigobert and His Goose St Deicolus and the Wild Boar St Giles and the Hind St Corentin’s Fish St Oringa and the Hare St Spiridion’s Mules St Umiliata and the Weasel St Felix and the Spider St Luanomar’s Cow St Kentigern and the Robin The Friend of St Gerasimus Chronological Order of the Saints

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Ancient History

Here is a simple Ancient history link on Teacher’s Vision secular based on the 7 Wonders of Ancient History.

Good link to a fun Hieroglyphics site. Get as detailed as you want with Egyptian writings, numbers, fractions, downloads and links.
Totally Tut Pyramid Game $17.98
Good site, claims to be a kids site on Mummies of Ancient Egypt but I think it may be a little advance for 2nd and 3rd grade without parental guidance and interpretation. It includes a timeline, what mummies are, who they are and how they are made. Even includes what they thought about afterlife. With your guidance through this site it definitely has potential.

Another fun site I ran across are mummy projects; one is, How to Mummy a Chicken!

A very nice 4 volume collection of World History books is called “The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child” they deal with all types of history from Ancient to modern. These books are not free however, you can find them on Amazon.com for really good prices. This collection even offers test books for each of the volumes with the answer keys

Volume 1, Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the last Roman Emperor Volume 2, The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance Tests and Answer Key (2: The Middle Ages) Volume 3: Early Modern Times Volume 4, From Victoria's Empire to the End of the USSR

On to the Free Books and Stories online

Greek Mythology:

Looking for a Greek Mythology book? Here is one to investigate. It was written in 1896, yes, 1896. It claims to be the best introduction to Greek mythology for children and it is free to read online. The book is called Gods and Heroes It includes all the prominent gods of mythology such as Neptune, Mercury, Isis and heroes such as Hercules and his twelve labors. Done very well as a narrative.

Book with a mix of Greek Mythology with historical stories of the Ancient Greece

Book is Called Stories of Ancient Greece

The Gods of Greece
The Fire from Heaven
The Magic Box
The Voices of the Gods
Deucalion’s Flood
In the Woods
Under the Waves
In the Moonlight
Among the Stars
The Kingdom under the Ground
Sowing Dragon’s Teeth
The Race of Atalanta
Men Turned to Stone
Black Sails or White
Wings of Wax
The Good Ship Argo
The Golden Fleece
Lost by Looking Back
The Horse with Wings
The Singer and the Dolphin
A Fiery Runaway
What a Strong Man Did
A Golden Girl
How Death Was Conquered
The Shepherd Prince of Troy
The Trojan War
The Wooden Horse
The Giant’s Cave
The Enchanted Island
Dangers of the Sea
A Friendly Land
The Wanderer’s Return
The Splendid City
The Boy and the Fox
The Olympic Games
The Great Lawgivers
The Ring of Polycrates
“I Will Be the Greatest”
The Poets
The Three Orders of Architecture
With Chisel and Pencil
The Battle of Marathon
The Greatest Army
The Brave Three Hundred
The Wooden Walls
The Seven Wise Men
The Richest King
Glorious Days
The Wise Man with the Snub Nose
A Wasted Life
The Retreat of the Ten Thousand
False and Cruel
The Theban Pair
Philip of Macedon
The Man with the Silver Tongue
The Man Called “The Broad”
The Faithful Friends
The Wise Man Who Lisped
The Man Who Was Called “The Good”
Alexander the Great
The Wise Man Who Lived in a Tub
The End of Glory
The Great Mechanic
Conquered by Rome

Stories from Greek History:

Alexander the Great Free to read online book.

Lapbooking on the subject of Ancient Greece Videos

Part 1 on Lapbooking about Ancient Greece

Part 2 Ancient Greece homeschool Lap Book Explained.

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History Links vs Catholic Faith Comes to the Americas

As if the decisions were not hard enough to find just the right curriculum – here is a history curriculum that comes highly recommended by both Cathy Duffy and Maureen Wittman who are both home school curriculum reviewers if you are not aware of that.

History Links I thought, was really intended for older middle school grades however, after recently checking through their website again I have discovered that you can begin this curriculum as early as preschool. It is set up so it covers information by different age levels. So a 2nd grader may not get as in depth as an 8th grader would. Sounds quite interesting, and very hands on.

Each History link book can be found at Sacred Heart Books for less than you can buy directly from the publishers website. Sacred Heart books sells these unit studies for 12.95 per unit.

Catholic Faith Comes to the Americas by Seton Press

All in all after careful review of several history books that blend Catholic history with American history I have noted that several of the home study programs have opted for Catholic Faith Comes to the Americas by Seton Press for those entering 3rd grade. They even note that some of their second grade history material is overlapped in this 3rd grade book. The books is a good price at $15.00 and gives an introduction to American history with short biographies on missionaries, such as Elizabeth Seton, and discoverers such as Christopher Columbus. It covers converting Mexico, South America, Catholics in the war of independence, friends of the Indians – Rose Duchesne, sisters in the Civil War, and many more. You can view the content page of this book and order it by going to Seton Press

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Catholic History

Great Moments in Catholic History.

Text can be found on Catholic Canada website written by Father Jacques Monet, S.J., the President of Regis College, Toronto, is one of Canada’s leading historians.

Titles content include:

Preface: The Creative Hand of God
1 The Council of Jerusalem
2 The Great Fall of Jerusalem
3 The Martyrdom of St. Ignatius
4 The Battle of the Milvian Bridge
5 The Baptism of Clovis
6 The Travels of St. Columban
7 The Way of Santiago of Compostela
8 The Abbey of Cluny
9 The Beginning of Gothic
10 The Opening of the Sorbonne
11 St. Catherine of Siena and the Pope
12 Michelangelo Paints the Sistine Ceiling
13 The Martyrdom of Edmund Campion
14 Matteo Ricci’s Chinese Adventure
15 Mozart’s Music for the Church
16 The Return of Pope Pius VII
17 Japan’s Hidden Christians
18 Leo XIII Issues Rerum Novarum
19 Paul VI at the United Nations

The website link is Catholicanada.com

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Latin, Greek, Root Words

PharmaOmega Learn is designed for school-aged children who need omega-3 to help them focus and do their best in school.

Trying to decide on a homeschool curriculum for learning Latin can be difficult. Maybe you just want your child to learn what the root words mean.

I have discovered English from the Roots Up It’s a very easy conscept for children to pick up. It’s set up by using a 3X5 card system. Red borders around the cards mean Latin based word, green borders around the card be Greek based word. On the back of the card you write words that are associated with your root word. It seems easy and fun for even the most finicky child.

Memorare website also offers free interactive educational flashcards and lists associated with English from the Roots Up.

English from the roots up interactive activities

Don’t give up looking for great deals; search for used books on catholic swap group too. I was able to find my book for $5.00.

Also try Sacred Heart books for English from the Roots up.

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Find Catholic Curriculum with Free shipping

Looking at Catholic Curriculum for next year. I would like to recommend a company called Sacred Heart Books and Gifts.[singlepic id=17 w=320 h=240 mode=web20 float=right]

I found this company last year when I was looking for Saxon Math 2. I really like them, maybe it was because I have a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that drew me to the Sacred Heart Books website or maybe it was where they are located, having come from the Midwest. I recently discovered that they are now carrying materials for Catholic Charlotte Mason users. They also have curriculum supplies available for Mother of Divine Grace and many others. There website is dedicated to families and especially one single income families; they keep their prices low! You can find discount prices on Catholic Curriculum from their website all year long. They offer FREE SHIPPING on orders over $25.00 and less than $5.00 on all orders under $25.00. That is a pretty awesome deal for those concerned with purchasing books yet still having funds enough to cover the sometime high cost of shipping.

Before going to Amazon to buy your books check Sacred Heart Books and Gifts out. Their prices are very reasonable. You know the books are new and the best part is FREE SHIPPING with orders over $25.00. You are also helping a fellow Catholic Servant who is to helping Catholic home schoolers.

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“Story of the World” History Books Review.

These history books were recommended by Cathy Duffy’s 100 best picks. It was is recommended by several sources as a very hands on book.
Your child will be engaged in the history process through these books. There are 4 volumes and they are recommended for grades 1st through 4th grade. Prep time for this is rated at a 3 from 1-5. It is very easy to use. however the teachers manual is necessary to experience full success with the program. They also sell these is audio books which can be purchased individually or as the entire 4 volume collection.

It may seem a little confusing at first to decide which one do I buy. Each volume has about 3 or 4 different choices. Their are really just 2 essential books you need. One choice is Hardback or Paperback of the text. The other book is the Activity book which includes a complete curriculum guide within it. Their is a third option and that includes purchasing the audio version of the text. It can be purchased in one or all of the volumes.

Be aware some of the cheaper Story of the World History Volumes that are selling the a really reduced rate are the original edition and not the revised editions. Does it matter? You decide, the revised edition include map updates. If you can work around that you may just save yourself $10 – $20.00 per book.

The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child: Volume 1: Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor, Revised Edition (Paperback) and The Story of the World. Activity Book 1: Ancient Times

Find these books on Amazon.com
Story of the World Ancient Times Volume 1 The Story of the World. Activity Book 1: Ancient Times (Revised Edition) (Bk. 1)
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To my knowledge Angelicum Academy also offers a Lesson plan for Volume 1 only. The cost of the Lesson plan is $10.00 you can find it through this link.