Linda @ Linda’s Lunacy

Our library contains hundreds of entertaining and easily-read history books which were written for students and non-specialists many years ago. Likewise, all the illustrations, maps, and other history-related material on our site were taken from traditional history books and student atlases that are no longer copyright protected and are available to republish without cost.

The mission of Heritage History is to make old-fashioned history books, written for the enjoyment of young people, easily available. The complete text of every book in our library can be read directly off the website, and both printable and e-Reader formats are available at the Heritage Store.

We developed the Heritage website with the intention of helping to repopularize old-fashioned narrative history. We believe that the current trend of teaching Social Studies rather than history to young people is unfortunate, not so much because it is politicized, but because it is boring. Too many students leave school with a vague disinterest in history because it was never presented in an engaging manner.

At Heritage History, we seek to promote, not so much the study of history as theenjoyment of History. By making available old-fashioned history, as it was enjoyed as a pastimerather than studied as a subject, we hope to help reawaken the interest of a new generation.

I don’t recall ever hearing about Heritage History before, but I sure am glad I know about it now! They have five history curriculum choices available. Young Readers, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Middle Ages, and British Empire. Heritage History is a reading based curriculum that uses “living books” and includes biographies, legends, hero stories, and historical literature as well as comprehensive histories.

Everything, as in the entire curriculum, is available for viewing on the website. For free. All the books, there are thousands of Maps and Illustrations available on the Heritage History website. Also available is a Characters List and a Battle Dictionary with over 2,000 battles listed.

You can also purchase the curriculum on CD. I really loved the convenience of having the CD. If you use the CD, you don’t have to be on the internet to access the books. As you can see from the graphic above, all the books on the CD come in 3 different formats. You can easily put the books you want your students to use on the ereader of your choice. Since all the books included are no longer copyrighted, but public domain, you can print any part or all of the books that you want. This makes it so easy to use the same curriculum for all your students, in the format that works best for your students.

I think Heritage History is a perfect curriculum for families with students in different grades. All students can study the same history at the same time, using books at their own levels.

Since it is a reading based curriculum, there are no lesson plans or tests. You choose the books you want your student to read and the pace you want. All of the books are rated as one of three reading levels, grammar school, middle school, and high school. If you want to test, you can easily make your own tests using the information in the Study Guide.

The Curriculum User Guide, shown below, is printable, or you can read it on your computer. It has guidelines to help you use this curriculum with your students. It covers topics such as determining reading level, how to prepare to use this curriculum and scheduling. There are also sections on how to review so you know your student is retaining information and how to combine Heritage History curriculum with other history curriculums.

The Ancient Rome CD includes stories for students of all ages, from legends of early Roman heroes for younger students, to stories of political turmoil in the imperial era that provide food for thought to older students. Stories from Gothic, Carthaginian, and Byzantine history are also included. The CD, selling for $24.95, includes 45 books, over 60 maps, teaching aids, and a Study Guide.

See what other The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew Members are saying about Heritage History.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a CD in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. My opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

TOS Homeschool Crew Blue Ribbon Awards

May 24, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

As the 2011-2012 Crew year comes to a close, we are once again presenting awards to our vendors.

The awards are known as the TOS Homeschool Crew Blue Ribbon Awards.

The following vendors are the recipients of the award this year. Click on their name to check out the Crew reviews!

Favorite Reading Instruction Product: Reading Eggs
Favorite Writing Product: Write Shop
Favorite Language Arts Product: Progeny Press
Favorite Social Studies Product: TruthQuest History
Favorite Science Product: Amazing Science
Favorite Math Product: Math Mammoth
Favorite Online Math Product: Math Rider
Favorite Foreign Language Product: Visual Latin
Favorite Fine Arts Product: Artistic Pursuits
Favorite Christian Education Product: Apologia: Who Am I?
~~~
Favorite Preschool Product: Before Five in a Row
Favorite Elementary Product: All About Reading
Favorite Middle School Product: Write with WORLD
Favorite High School Product: Excellence in Literature
Favorite College or College-Prep Product: Excellence in Literature
~~~
Best Online Resource: Reading Eggs
Best e-Product: Heritage History
Best Homeschool Resource: Apologia: Educating the Wholehearted Child
Best Book, Novel, or Magazine: Apologia: How to Have a HEART for Your Kids
Best Children’s Book: Amazing Animals by Design
Best Game or Toy: Northstar Games: Wits and Wagers and Say Anything
Best Hands-On Resource: Pitsco Education
~~~
Best Resource I Didn’t Know I Needed: eMeals
Best Customer Service: K5 Learning
Most Adaptable Resource: Creek Edge Press
Most Family-Oriented Resource: Northstar Games: Wits and Wagers and Say Anything

~~~
Kids’ Choice (favorite of CHILDREN ages 0-12): Reading Eggs
Teens’ Choice (favorite per the TEENAGERS): Pitsco Education
All Around Crew Favorite: Visual Latin

Each winning vendor has received this wonderful award to display with pride:

Congratulations to our winning vendors! We hope you will sail with us again!

Many Crew Members are blogging about these awards as well. Click below to see what they have to say!

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Click here to see the Crew Blog Posts…

A Gift For My Sister – Book Review

May 23, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

From the book jacket:

Ann Pearlman’s The Christmas Cookie Club enthralled readers everywhere with a heartwarming and touching story about the power of female friendship.

Now, in A Gift for My Sister, she once again explores the depth of the human heart, and this time it’s through the eyes of two sisters. Tara and Sky share a mother, but aside from that they seem to differ in almost every way. When a series of tragedies strikes, they must somehow come together in the face of heartbreak, dashed hopes, and demons of the past. The journey they embark on forces each woman to take a walk in the other’s shoes and examine what sisterhood really means to them. It’s a long road to understanding, and everyone who knows them hopes these two sisters can find a way back to each other.

Ann Pearlman, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award Nominee, is the author of Infidelity: A Memoir, The Christmas Cookie Club, and The Christmas Cookie Cookbook. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Tara’s father died when she was young. Her mother remarried and had another girl, Sky. Sky’s father left when she as just a baby, and was never involved in her life. Now there were two fatherless girls. Tara was never close to her little sister, however. They each went their own way and lived their own lives.

Tara is now married with a daughter, and Sky is traveling with a rap band and her young son. Until tragedy strikes, and Tara’s husband dies. She needs the help of her sister and her band to move cross country, back to where the family lives. While traveling cross country with their young children, Tara and Sky are finally able to come to terms with their childhoods and what life has dealt them. They develop the sister relationship they had never had before.

A Gift For My Sister is a great story line. I did enjoy reading about the sisters, their relationships, their children, and their mother. However, this book uses swear words and crude language. I understand how the author felt that some of the language was necessary, because of the characters being involved in rap music. As a reader, however, I found it totally unnecessary. Because of this, I can not recommend this book. I’m not happy about that. As I did think the story line was a great one.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free book in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Gluten Free Oat Crackers

May 21, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Since I’ve stopped eating wheat, I’ve had such a hard time finding crackers to eat. Gluten Free crackers are really expensive. And the taste leaves a lot to be desired. Most are also lacking in nutrition. So I’ve been researching how to make my own crackers.

I’ve been making GF Oat Crackers lately. To insure they are gluten free, use gluten free oatmeal to make your oat flour. Or purchase GF oat flour. I find it just as easy to make my own. It’s so simple. Place oatmeal in blender. Blend until the flour is the consistency you want. It just takes a few minutes. I then put my oat flour in a canning jar for the next time I’m baking.

These are yummy little crackers. I eat mine plain, with dips, and I’ve even eaten them with tuna fish.

(Pretend there is a picture here. lol I forgot to take pictures the last time I made them. I wanted to share now instead of waiting to make them again. I’ll post a pic later. )

Gluten Free Oat Crackers

1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour

1/2 cup oat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons water

Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or two knives. Add water. You want your dough to be similar in consistency to pie crust. So use more or less water as needed.

Roll dough out on GF floured surface to approximately 1/8 of an inch, or desired thickness. Transfer rolled dough to greased cookie sheet. If desired, brush top of crackers with butter and sprinkle with a little salt. Score the crackers with a pizza cutter to desired size.

Bake at 400* for 15 minutes. Cool, then break crackers on score lines. I store mine in a canning jar. Any air tight container would work.

*Tip – When your ready to transfer your dough, roll it around the rolling pin, then unroll onto the pan.

For more tips and recipes, visit:

[Read more…]

My Stubborn Heart – Book Review

May 21, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Kate Donovan is burned out on work, worn down by her dating relationships, and in need of an adventure. When her grandmother asks her to accompany her to Redbud, Pennsylvania, to restore the grand old house she grew up in, Kate jumps at the chance.

Upon her arrival in Redbud, Kate meets Matt Jarreau, the man hired to renovate the house. Kate can’t help being attracted to him, drawn by both his good looks and something else she can’t quite put her finger on. He’s clearly wounded–hiding from people, from God, and from his past. Yet Kate sets herstubborn heart on bringing him out of the dark and back into the light…whether he likes it or not.

When the stilted, uncomfortable interactions between Kate and Matt slowly shift into something more, is God finally answering the longing of her heart? Or will Kate be required to give up more than she ever dreamed?

About Becky:

Litfuse

During her childhood in California, Becky frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She’s been a fan of all things romantic ever since.

Becky and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas. It was during her years abroad that Becky’s passion for reading turned into a passion for writing. She published three historical romances with Avon Books, then put her career on hold for several years to care for her kids, then recently returned to writing sheerly for the love of it. She felt led to move to the genre of contemporary Christian romance and couldn’t be more thrilled with it.

These days Becky can be found failing but trying to keep up with her housework, sweating at the gym, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, eating chocolate, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.

Learn more at: www.BeckyWade.com

I enjoyed reading My Stubborn Heart and following Kate. Kate has prayed for years that God would lead her to the man He wants her to marry. While working on her grandmother’s house, Kate meets Matt. They spend a lot of time together while he is restoring the house. She falls in love with Matt, and thinks that he is “the one”. However, sometimes when we pray, God answers not with a yes or no, but with not now. You’ll see how “not now” plays out in Kate’s life.

My Stubborn Heart is a good read. It’s entertaining. We also learn waiting for God’s best, in God’s time, is worth the wait!

To see what others are saying about this book, visit the My Stubborn Heart Blog Tour.

Celebrate with Becky by entering her My Stubborn Heart Giveaway and
connecting with her during the Author Chat Party on 5/24!

One fortunate winner will receive:

A Brand New Nook Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™
A $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Certificate
A copy of My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway
ends at noon on May 24th. Winner will be announced at the “My Stubborn Heart”
Author Chat Facebook Party on 5/24. Becky will be hosting an book chat, testing
your trivia skills and giving away some great prizes!

So grab your copy of My Stubborn Heart and join Becky on the evening of the
May 24th for a chance to meet Becky and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read
the book – don’t let that stop you from coming!)

Don’t miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends
via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your
chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 24th!