Great Homeschool Readalouds: Sideways Stories from Wayside School
it’s full of hilarious moments that, on reflection, critique everything from stereotyping to the education system in some pretty spot-on ways.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
In brief: Wayside School is definitely not normal. A dead rat infiltrates the third grade classroom in a dirty raincoat. A particularly nasty teacher turns her pupils into apples. Maurecia eats people-flavored ice cream. (It’s not what you think.) Leslie tries to sell of her toes. Poor Todd gets sent home on the kindergarten bus every day. Kathy hates everyone. And what really happened to the 19th floor?
What makes it a great readaloud: You might have trouble finishing sentences because you’re laughing so hard, but that’s just part of the fun. It’s easy to see this book — a collection of interrelated stories—as a precursor to satirists like Vonnegut or Heller — it’s full of hilarious moments that, on reflection, critique everything from stereotyping to the education system in some pretty spot-on ways. Mostly, though, it’s just plain fun to read, full of silly adventure and memorably odd characters.
But be aware: Some of the humor might seem a little mean or old-fashioned to modern-day readers.
Quotable: “Dameon had hazel eyes with a little black dot in the middle of each of them. The dots were called pupils. So was Dameon. He was a pupil in Mrs. Jewl’s class.”
Summer Reading: If You Liked The Fault in Our Stars
Love and life get complicated in these young adult novels. Bring your own tissues.
Love and life get complicated in these young adult novels. Bring your own tissues.
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Misfits Park and Eleanor fall in love in high school, but both of them are smart enough to know that first love never lasts forever.
Zac and Mia by A.J. Betts
Stoic Zac meets fiery Mia in the hospital, where they’re both undergoing treatment for leukemia.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
A suicide attempts lands anxiety-ridden Craig in an institution, where he meets a motley crew of residents who help him face his fears.
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
Ponyboy isn’t sure where he fits into the sharply divided social castes of his 1960s Oklahoma town, but when trouble strikes, he’s forced to choose sides.
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
It doesn’t pay to be different in Standish Treadwell’s world, where a Nazi-like government keeps everyone living in fear and hope is hard to find.
My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi
One bad decision changes Lucy’s life forever. Now she—and her friends and family—must deal with the fallout.
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
Social outcasts Sarah and Eric forge a deep friendship, but when Eric’s life takes a different turn and Sarah ends up in a mental hospital, refusing to speak, everything they think they know about each other will be challenged.
The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Grieving the loss of her universally beloved older sister, Lennie finds herself in an unexpected love triangle: drawn to one boy who shares her grief and one boy who pulls her toward joy.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
When the world’s population is decimated by a global pandemic, a small troupe of Shakespearean actors travels between far-flung communities, bringing art and music with them.
Holiday Gift Guide: Something to Wear
As I’ve said before, we follow the “something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read” guide for holiday giving, and nerdy t-shirts are our favorites for something to wear. All of these witty tees made my short list this year.
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As I’ve said before, we follow the “something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read” guide for holiday giving, and nerdy t-shirts are our favorites for something to wear. All of these witty tees made my short list this year.
Our Favorite Campfire Readalouds
Inspired to try a family campout? Yes, you need the sleeping bag and that cooking fork, but we all know the really essential item is the book you bring as your family camping readaloud. Any book makes a good camping trip story, but we especially like books that tie into outdoor adventure.
Inspired to try a family campout after reading “Camp Like a Homeschooler” in the summer issue of home/school/ life? Yes, you need the sleeping bag and that cooking fork, but we all know the really essential item is the book you bring as your family camping readaloud. Any book makes a good camping trip story, but we especially like books that tie into outdoor adventure.
Twelve-year-old Sam isn’t that interested in hiking, much less surviving in the wild—but when his dad is injured on a day hike, Sam has to summon all his wilderness knowledge to get them home alive in Blind Mountain by Jane Resh Thomas.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is the outdoor adventure classic: Stranded alone after a plane crash in Canada’s north woods, 13-year-old Brian survives with nothing but a hatchet and his wits for 54 intense days.
My kids would listen to The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford over and over again, and the story of three family pets determined to find their way home across hundreds of miles of Canadian wilderness, makes a pretty thrilling campfire read.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe is a different kind of wilderness survival story: Crusoe survives a shipwreck with a handful of supplies and manages to create a civilized, if lonely, life on a desert island.
In The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare, Matt’s dad leaves him alone to protect the family’s homestead in 18th century Maine while he travels to Massachusetts to bring the rest of the family home.
Sam in My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George has serious homeschooler appeal: After learning about wilderness survival at the public library, he sets off to his grandfather’s abandoned farm in the Catskills to put his knowledge to work in the wild.
If you want a picture book for your readaloud, Curious George Goes Camping by Margret & H.A. Rey is delightful fun as George tries to help the man in the yellow hat on their camping trip.
Some books just sound better outdoors, and I think The Call of the Wild by Jack London is one of them. The sounds of the woods at night are the perfect background soundtrack for this story told from the point of view of the dog Buck.
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
YA Bookalikes for Summer Reading
Not sure what to recommend next for your teen? These in-the-adult-section novels are great follow-ups to classic kid favorites and great YA books to read this summer.
Not sure what to recommend next for your teen? These in-the-adult-section novels are great follow-ups to classic kid favorites and great YA books to read this summer.
IF YOU LOVED: The Giver
CHECK OUT: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
There’s a reason utopia means “nowhere.” The perfect world always comes at a cost. Lowry’s starkly beautiful dystopia reads like a little sister to Ishiguro’s lyrical science-fiction novel about an idyllic English boarding school where special children are groomed for a bleak future. The same questions resonate through both books: Who decides how the truth is revealed? What does it mean to have free will? What makes a person alive? And in both books, the answers are complicated.
IF YOU LOVED: The Harry Potter series
CHECK OUT: The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Just like the indomitable Mr. Potter, Brooklyn teen Quentin Coldwater finds himself enrolled in a school for magicians. But he quickly discovers Brakebills Academy is quite unlike Hogwarts and that being a magician isn’t a cure-all for dissatisfaction with everyday life. Quentin doesn't share Harry's likable heroism, which makes him a more complicated protagonist.
IF YOU LOVED: Sideways Stories from Wayside School
CHECK OUT: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Heller takes a darker view of human nonsense in his World War II classic, but there’s plenty of similarity between characters like the major who never sees anyone in his office when he’s in his office and the teacher who sends herself home on the kindergarten bus for (temporarily) turning evil.
IF YOU LOVED: The Hunger Games
CHECK OUT: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Panem is an equal opportunity dystopia—young men and women are equally at risk in the country’s annual battle-to-the-death games. But in the republic of Gilead, a totalitarian Christian theocracy, women like Offred must play an even more dangerous game. Atwood’s dark imagined future is ripe for rebellion, but rising up against an entrenched government in The Handmaid’s Tale is not as easy — or dramatic — as taking on Panem’s President Snow.
We’re reprinting some of Amy’s summer reading series favorites from home/school/life magazine. This list appeared in our 2014 summer reading guide.
11 Reasons We Love the Summer Issue of home/school/life (And You Will, Too!)
11) I had to teach my spellchecker some new words this issue, including nerdiest (as in, the nerdiest museum gift shop we can imagine); turny (as in, twisty-turny mysteries that will remind you of The Westing Game); mixtape (as in, literary songs you should download for your road trip mixtape now); and Pemberley (as in, the most Jane Austen fun you can have outside of Pemberley).
10) Outdoor art projects that you can start doing right now. Today. Really. What are you waiting for?
9) Shelli managed to round up some genuinely useful financial advice for real homeschooling families. If you are ever stressed out about the financial side of homeschooling, you will not want to miss this one.
8) Ideas for learning more about everything from the Creek Nation to the Civil Rights Act to the Panama Canal to the U.S. flag to ... well, you get the idea
7) Patricia's lovely, lovely (did I already say lovely?) column about all the questions homeschoolers ask. (I already have this one pinned up by my desk!)
6) You are not crazy for feeling lonely sometimes (or a lot) in your homeschool life. We have proof. And a little help.
4) You will want to immediately start planning your next road trip, whether you are in the mood to boldly go where science leads you or determined to dig into the past.
3) Marcy has figured out an inspired way to cheat on high school Latin. (It's not what you think!)
2) We tracked down a gadget so ingeniously brilliant that you will wonder how you ever lived without it.
1) It is the most excellent poolside, beachside, back porch, backyard, swingset reading we could put together.
(Subscriber copies are out today! Get your subscription here. Single-issue copies for the summer issue will be on sale soon.)
Free Secular Science for Homeschool: Forensics Illustrated: Step Under the Tape
Kids who love crime shows will love the chance to dig into real forensic science and you can't beat the price on this free science program, but be aware that lab work requires a lot of specialized equipment and there are some careless errors you'll want to keep an eye out for.
Many of you have asked for a high school level science curriculum that is fun, challenging, and inexpensive. This complete curriculum is free. The only charges you will incur will depend on the lab supplies you purchase. If you are looking for something completely out of the box then this is the course for you and your teens.
THE FACTS
Developed and utilized by Brennon Sapp during his nine years teaching forensics to high school students, this complete curriculum in its entirety has been published on-line at www.bsapp.com free of charge. If you are so moved, he lists a PayPal address for donations.
The curriculum includes:
Student Text
Presentations
Photos and Sketches
Worksheets
Posters
Labs
Tests
Answer Keys
Additional Web Resources
The curriculum begins with a short introduction of the origins of forensic science and quickly moves to the collection of various types of evidence and the manners by which they are processed. It is important to note up front that the curriculum includes some information of a more graphic nature-- in-depth discussions of drug use/paraphernalia and autopsies, for example-- and may not be suitable for younger students.
OUR EXPERIENCE
I decided to teach forensic science in order to tie together the information gathered in our previous science studies. I wanted to show my son how biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and astronomy all came together in a real life application. To that end, I found Forensics Illustrated fit the bill perfectly. I was able to gloss over or skip altogether the information that I considered too graphic for his age. I loved the worksheets and the review sheets that are provided for each chapter, and the tests were certainly challenging.
We were not able to use the majority of the labs because unless you have access to a complete science lab, it’s just not realistic. Now, I know this is going to sound nitpicky, but when I use a curriculum, I expect the spelling and grammar to be perfect and that was not always the case with this curriculum. I also found that the answers to test questions did not always properly correlate to the text; this is particularly evident in chapters eight and nine. It was not difficult to make these few changes myself, and when a curriculum this complete is free, who am I to complain? Although there were obstacles to overcome with this curriculum, both my son and I enjoyed it a great deal. It really was a perfect way to tie together all of our previous science classes and jump-start the high school science experience.
ADAPTING THE CURRICULUM TO MEET SPECIFIC NEEDS
This curriculum does not allow for a great deal if wiggle room. It cannot be used without a great deal of alteration for kids below the eighth grade as the subject matter is mature and sometimes graphic. As a homeschooler, I found that I needed to make sweeping changes to the lab work. Obviously, I do not have access to the plethora of materials available in a high school lab. This made conducting some of the experiments impossible. It is also evident by the content that Mr. Sapp used slides to supplement this course that are not available on the website. I got creative and found my own solution to the lab problem. Home Science Tools is a phenomenal company that specializes in providing homeschoolers with science supplies. I was able to find a crime scene science kit and a blood typing kit at a very reasonable price. This meant I was able to tie in my own experiments to the chapters in the text. To deal with the lack of slides, I simply eliminated those questions from the tests and inserted photos from the text for identification.
Content Rating: 5/5
Adaptability Rating: 2/5
Ease of Use Rating: 4/5
Peek Inside Our Spring Issue!
Take a sneak peek inside our first issue of home/school/life magazine.
Curious about the spring issue? You can get a little taste of what's inside with our preview. (If you want more, you can subscribe to get the full issue.)
Around the Web: Worth Reading
Mentoring a kid with big ideas that may be too big, why all high school classes should be electives, and more links we like.
This week we: published sneak peek at the cover for our premiere issue of home/school/life,, picked up some new Minecraft goodies, read a lovely little biography of Alice Roosevelt, who could arguably be called the first unschooler, cleaned up and refilled all our backyard bird feeders.
Project-Based Homeschooling || How to Mentor a Kid with Big (Possibly Unrealistic) Dreams Great post about giving kids the space to succeed and the freedom to fail
Washington Post || Why All High School Courses Should Be Elective I reread this when I was cleaning out my 2013 bookmarks, and it inspired me all over again
The Unschooler Experiment || Video Game Businessman Yes, Virginia, you can work for Nintendo even if you didn't go to high school
NBC News || First Americans May Have Been Stuck in Beringia for Millennia Fascinating
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Around the Web: Worth Reading
John Green and PBS team up to teach art, teens and social media, the ultimate Disney animation field trip, and more links we like.
This week we: soaked up the sunshine, edited and edited and edited for the first issue (which is seriously going to be so good—see some of what you can expect here), made a batch of lavender-chamomile tea, had a Mythbusters-knitting marathon, read The Very Persistent Gappers of Frith (which we adore), did not do any laundry
Daily Dot || PBS and John Green team up to give you an Art Assignment This new web series, focused on teaching kids (and grown-ups) new ways to look at art, seems awesome
PBS || Rushkoff’s ‘Generation Like’ Explores Space Where Social Media, Teens, Brands Merge This study of consumerism, social media, and teens is queued up on my DVR
Mashable || 52 Disney Animated Movie Locations Mapped Around the World Field trip?
The Millions || 28 Books You Should Read If You Want To Possibly my favorite reading recommendation list ever
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Around the Web: Worth Reading
Project ideas for not-crafty kids, the British Library online, preschool applications that will make you glad you homeschool, and more links we like.
This week, we: played in the snow and froze snowballs in the freezer; watched all the snow melt; explored an exhibit about whales at our local natural history museum; made lots of knitting progress; made Fig Toasties for Olympics viewing; read (and loved) a big chunk of the Pals in Peril series, thanks to Suzanne's recommendation.
Wonder Farm || Infographics Genius project idea for not-so-crafty kids
Open Culture || An Online Gallery of 30,000 Items from The British Library, Including Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebooks And Mozart’s Diary So ridiculously awesome—and free!
Apartment Therapy || 10 Simple Things to Make You Happier at Home If you must have cabin fever, at least you can love your cabin
Motherlode: The 13-Page Preschool Application Fascinating or horrifying? I couldn't stop reading
(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)
Need a new series for winter readaloud season? We have a few ideas.