Homeschooling has become very common in our society. If you homeschool, there are groups for your children so they can get different perspectives and connect with other children. And if the home-school teacher does it right, there are many great ways to educate and engage — and satisfy the curiosity of — a student.
Author Deanna Holm is a homeschool teacher. But first, let me tell you about her book, “An Adventure in Tropical and Temperate Rainforests.” This book covers five continents, seven rainforests and hundreds of extraordinary animals and plants. It has pictures and maps and explanations of plants that can be found in some of these exotic places.
I learned about the Ylang-Ylang plant that is used to make essential oils and perfumes; and about the poison dart frog that , from its secretions, provided poison for blow darts. And did you know there are more than 40,000 different plants in the rain forests that are used to make medicines or provide food or for a variety of other things?
This book is full of beautiful photographs and includes a glossary of terms to explain some of the difficult or unusual words found in the book.
I think this book was written with students in mind, but I found the maps and explanations under the picture of the flora and fauna and animals especially interesting. I would recommend the book to adults and children who are interested in the world. You can find it at Amazon.com and KitsapPublishing.com.
The author of this book has also written a teacher’s manual and a student workbook to help with studies. These books are aimed at the second- through sixth-grade audience.
The teacher’s manual offers connections to videos about subjects that can be shown to the student, and gives teachers the corresponding pages in the students workbook. It helps the teacher teach the curriculum.
The student workbook has pictures to cut and paste in boxes; images to color, such as the hummingbird on page 57; and several animal and flower pictures in the back of the book. It also has places for the student to write stories or essays about what he or she has been studying.
The student workbook and the teacher’s manual are available at Discover UnitStudies.com. This website is full of information and supplies for the homeschooler, or for anyone needing charts or lesson plans.
Now, on another note, Alaska author Kate Troll will be at Eagle Harbor Books on Bainbridge Island at 3 p.m. Oct. 22 to talk about her book, “The Great Unconformity: Reflections on Hope in an Imperiled World.”
At Eagle Harbor Books at 5 p.m. Oct. 24, author Albert Flynn DeSliver, a poet, writer and teacher, will show readers how to use meditation to cultivate true depth in their own writing.
At 7 p.m. Oct. 26 at Eagle Harbor Books, James Osborne will discuss his book about fitness, “Will Your Way Back.”
Author Robin Gainey will talk about her novel, “Light of the Northern Dancers” at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 at Eagle Harbor Books. It is about the perils and pleasures of taking a novel to the screen.
At 6:30 p.m. Oct. 26, at Liberty Bay Books in Poulsbo, Irene Skyriver will talk about her new book, “Paddling with Spirits — a Solo Kayak Journey.”
Quote for the day: “The book to read is not the one that thinks for you, but the one that makes you think.” Harper Lee
— Donna Lee Anderson writes about the literary scene in Kitsap County. You can email her at well toldtales@aol.com.
