Alicia Van Hecke

Easy Latin Crossword Puzzles

Book cover: Easy Latin Crossword Puzzles
Author(s): 
Betty Wallace Robinett
Virginia French Allen

This will make a fun supplement to students in upper grade school or high school who have already studied Latin for a year or two. The words are fairly simple (requiring both English to Latin and Latin to English translations). One feature that makes it quite accessible is a list of words from which to choose the correct word. There are 50 crosswords in all, plus a complete answer key, and a brief introduction to Roman numerals, some common Latin abbreviations in use today and a list of the Latin mottoes of 19 states and the District of Columbia.

CHC Lesson Plans: Fourth Grade

Book cover: 'CHC Lesson Plans: Fourth Grade'

The overall format of these lesson plans is very similar to the 3rd grade lesson plans. Basic texts for core subjects are: Saxon Math 5/4, God's Little Angels, Rare Catholic Stories and Poems, My Catholic Speller Level C, Language of God Level C, Faith and Life 4, A Year with God, My Temple of the Holy Spirit (included in appendices), Catholic Boys and Girls Health, Everyday Science Sourcebook, Our United States (included in appendices)and 1001 Facts for Your Catholic Geography Bee.

Art Fraud Detective: Spot the Difference, Solve the Crime!

Book cover: Art Fraud Detective: Spot the Difference, Solve the Crime!
Author(s): 
Anna Nilsen
Andy Parker

This is an exciting and fun art supplement that kids are sure to love (makes a great gift for Christmas or a birthday). There are three main parts to the book. First is an introduction which explains a problem the art museum is having with forgeries. Several gangs of artists have copied original works, but made very slight changes to them. The object of the book is to identify who is responsible for the various forgeries by looking carefully for very specific clues.

Find the Constellations

Book cover: 'Find the Constellations'
Author(s): 
H. A. Rey

I've always loved looking at the stars, but have never been able to identify anything but the big dipper on a starry night. For many years, I've wanted to learn more, but with the busyness of life, this goal has long eluded me. Enter ... Find the Constellations by H.A. Rey. Over the past few weeks, my two oldest children and I have started identifying the constellations with the help of this book and The Stars: A New Way to See Them (by the same author).

Rand McNally Historical Atlas of the World

Book cover: 'Rand McNally Historical Atlas of the World'
This is a full-color, reasonably priced booklet of historical maps from every major age and civilization. It would be a worthwhile to every library - public or private. Here is a complete list of the larger two-page maps contained in this book (there are numerous smaller maps as well):

  • Human Emergence on the Changing Face of the Earth: Growth of Civilization to 200 A.D.
  • Alexander's Empire 336-323 B.C.
  • Roman Republic 31 B.C.
  • Roman Empire about 120 A.D.
  • Roman Empire about 400 A.D.

Sun Slower, Sun Faster

Book cover: 'Sun Slower, Sun Faster'
Author(s): 
Meriol Trevor
Thirteen-year-old Cecelia Morne was staying at Welston Manor for a time (not long after World War II ended) while her parents were out of the country. This family estate in the countryside near Bristol, England, was owned by her uncle, Ambrose Morne. Ambrose had a great-nephew, Richard, who was also staying there. Cecelia ("Cecil") soon become good friends with Rickie and his tutor, Dominic. One day Dominic showed Cecil and Rickie a small room hidden in a wall of the old manor. A little later, the two children entered the room. It had a door on each wall.

Flash, Crash, Rumble and Roll

Book cover: 'Flash, Crash, Rumble and Roll'
Author(s): 
Franklyn M. Branley
Illustrator(s): 
True Kelley

This simple, nicely illustrated (cartoon-like pictures) children's book explains important concepts of science in a very easy-to-understand fashion. The reader is introduced to the way thunderclouds form and where thunder and lightning come from. The scientific content is substantial and very accessible. The story line is rounded out with tips for staying safe during a storm. My children have been fascinated by the details about the inside of a thundercloud, how fast sound and light travel, how you can measure the distance thunder travels and more.

Lightning

Book cover: 'Lightning'
Author(s): 
Seymour Simon

Seymour Simon, famous for his children's science books illustrated with stunning photography, hits another home run with Lightning. This fascinating book details facts and fascinating statistics about lightning with lots of the "wow!" effect that helps keep middle-schoolers interested in science. Did you know that scientists have discovered new types of lightning within the past ten years? How long would the electricity from one bolt of lightning power one lightbulb? These and many more fascinating photos and facts await the reader of this very nice science book.

Storms

Book cover: 'Storms'
Author(s): 
Seymour Simon

Like Seymour Simon's book on Lightning, reviewed above, this text combines incredible photographs with very interesting text to introduce young readers to some basics of severe weather. The text concentrates on thunderstorms, lightning, hail, tornadoes, and hurricanes. The statistics and little stories about these storms are weird and fascinating and you'll also find lots of solid scientific content.

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