September 23, 2004

Progressing with Courage Grade-Level Adjustment

In the last section on page 343, we recommend the Rod & Staff book Progressing with Courage for seventh- or eight-grade students just beginning formal grammar. We incorrectly note it as the fifth-grade text, when it is, in fact, the sixth-grade text.

May 17, 2004

Story of Painting Out of Print

Usborne's Story of Painting has just gone out of print. Although we haven't had a chance to review it, many parents are fond of Usborne's new Introduction to Art. It is 144 pages, and is Internet-linked.

May 4, 2004

New Saint Andrews College (Idaho, Not Iowa)

Classical and Christian college, New Saint Andrews, is located in the lovely state of Idaho (not Iowa, as we noted in the book). Their address is as follows:

New Saint Andrews College
PO Box 9025
Moscow, Idaho 83843

They also have a very nice website, at nsa.edu.

July 6, 2002

VISUAL FACTFINDERS

The Visual Factfinders, recommended for second grade science, are out of print. You may be able to locate a used copy at http://www.abebooks.com, but an equally good resource is the Usborne Starting Point Earth and Space book. This covers the same topics and is simpler, but more child-friendly.

April 2, 2002

HIGH SCHOOL WORLD HISTORIES

A Short History of Western Civilization, recommended for high school, has become increasingly difficult to find. Several readers have found copies on ebay.com for very reasonable prices. You can also substitute John Morris Robert’s History of the World, revised in 1993 and published in the United States by Oxford University Press. For additional English and American history, consider Paul Johnson’s History of the American People and the Oxford History of Britain, edited by Kenneth O. Morgan.

DAVIS TITLES

Both A Day in Old Athens and A Day in Old Rome, by William Stearns Davis (recommended in the high school reading lists) can be read online.

YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO MUSIC

A Young Person's Guide to Music has (sadly) gone out of print, but A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra covers many of the same themes and can be used instead.

August 14, 2001

HOME EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA

Janelle Hardy, the Publicity Officer for the Australian group HEA, Inc., writes, "I believe that the Australian contact you have (on page 702 of the book) is no longer involved in home education. Can I point you to the recently incorporated Home Education Association website at www.hea.asn.au? The details for contact are: The Secretary, 4 Bruce Street, Stanmore 2048. Australia. Phone: 02 9500 7664. Email: secretary@hea.asn.au."

MIND BENDERS UPDATE

As of this year (2001), Critical Thinking Press has revised all of the individual books in the Mind Benders series (except the Warm Up book). They now contain the instructions, detailed solutions, information on how to use the charts, and teaching suggestions. The "Instructions & Detailed Solutions" book is no longer in print.

ADDITIONAL SOUTH CAROLINA SUPPORT GROUP INFO

In addition to the South Carolina groups listed in our book, parents can register with the Carolina Foothills Homeschool Association, P.O. Box 1137, Inman SC 29349 (864)-472-3471; e-mail cfha2@juno.com. In South Carolina, home schoolers are required by law to register through one of the associations or to register through the local school district.

DELTA EDUCATION (SCIENCE IN A NUTSHELL)

Although Greenleaf Press no longer carries the Science in a Nutshell kits recommended in The Well-Trained Mind, Delta Education still sells them directly through their new website, www.delta-education.com. They can also be purchased at a discount from The Joshua Company.

July 31, 2001

T.S. ELIOT'S CLASSICS AND THE MAN OF LETTERS

Eliot's book Classics and the Man of Letters, cited on our bibliography page in The Well-Trained Mind, is out-of-print. However, the essay is included in another book: T. S. Eliot's To Criticize the Critic and Other Writings (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, Reprint 1992).

CHEO CHANGE OF ADDRESS

The new new address for CHEO is 117 W. Main St. Suite #103 Lancaster, OH 43130; phone (740) 654-3331.

June 28, 2001

CHRISTIAN HOME EDUCATORS OF KENTUCKY

On page 691 of The Well-Trained Mind, the Kentucky group Christian Home Educators of Kentucky is listed incorrectly as being in Hodgenville; the organization is actually located in Hopkinsville. In addition, the area code has also been changed to 270.

April 16, 2001

MODERN CURRICULUM PRESS

While the phone number for Modern Curriculum Press is still correct, MCP materials are now sold by Pearson Learning and can be found on a new website: Modern Curriculum Press.

OF COURSE GERMAN ISN'T A ROMANCE LANGUAGE!

We suggest that Latin be studied because it makes Romance languages such as French, Spanish, and German easier to use. Yes, we know that German isn't a Romance language. Susan wrote this chapter, and her fingers were apparently typing independently of her brain. (And the manuscript then went through two edits without anyone catching the error.) Sorry!

February 13, 2001

GLENCOE WRITER'S CHOICE

The Glencoe Writer's Choice Grammar and Language workbooks recommended in The Well-Trained Mind can now be purchased on an interactive CD; the CD's are 49.98 each, but are self-grading. Glencoe unfortunately will not sell teacher's editions of their workbooks to parents, so if you want answers, you'll need to name your home school and order them as if you were a regular school customer, or use the CD's. Thanks to Barby Mouring for this update!

NEW CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CHEC

The Christian Home Educators of Colorado (CHEC) has moved to 10431 South Parker Road, Parker, Colorado 80134, phone 720-842-4852; the website is still www.chec.org.

November 30, 2000

CIVIL WAR LITERATURE PACK, AGAIN

Below, we noted that the Civil War Literature Pack recommended for fourth grade history is no longer available from Rainbow Resource. Apparently the teacher's guide accompanying the books that make up the pack is no longer being printed, so that the pack cannot be purchased as a single unit from either Rainbow Resource OR from the Elijah Company (as we suggested below). HOWEVER, Rainbow DOES sell the books included in the literature pack, so you can still use these texs to study the Civil War! (And you can also buy them from the other vendors listed below.)

JACKDAWS

Jackdaws can again be purchased from Rainbow Resource Center.

October 13, 2000

CALIFORNIA HOMESCHOOL NETWORK

The California Homeschool Network (page 688) has changed its address and website. The new address is PO Box 55485, Hayward CA 94545. The new website address is www.cahomeschoolnet.org.

July 24, 2000

CIVIL WAR LITERATURE PACK

The Civil War Literature Pack recommended for fourth grade history (pp. 140-141 of The Well-Trained Mind) is no longer offered by Rainbow Resource Center. It can, however, be purchased from The Elijah Company. Remember also that the pack is simply a collection of seven books, listed individually on pp. 140-141, which can still be ordered separately through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or Greenleaf Press.

July 12, 2000

NEW ADDRESS AND PHONE FOR WRITING STRANDS

The Writing Strands publisher, National Writing Institute, has moved to this address:
National Writing Institute
624 W. University #248
Denton, TX 76201-1889
Phone: 800.688.5375
Fax: 888.663.7855
e-mail: info@writingstrands.com
webpage: www.writingstrands.com

HOW NATURE/THE BODY/THE UNIVERSE/THE EARTH WORKS

This series, originally published by Reader's Digest in association with Dorling Kindersley, is being reprinted by DK alone. Availability varies (although the books should be easily available soon). Reader Nancy posts this information about obtaining How Nature Works: "I contacted a DK consultant directly in the United Kingdom where the book is readily available. If you go to the www.dk.com/ukwebsite, you need to paste in "UK25192Q" for the Advisor number (yellow box on the left hand side). This will allow you to do a detailed search on all of the "How" books. If you don't put the Advisor number in, you will not get be able to access this book. The ISBN number for How Nature Works is 0-86318-641-6. I received a hardbound copy in a week (they also have softbound available). When I ordered mine (May 25), the website was offering a free book of the same or lesser value with the purchase of one. So, I also received Steve Parkers "How the Body Works." Both books are excellent!"

June 6, 2000

NEW WEBSITE FOR HOME EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION OF VIRGINIA

HEAV, the biggest Virginia home school organization, now has a new website: HEAV.

THE EDUCATION CONNECTION

Home school supplier The Education Connection has moved from the Tehachapi, CA address listed on p. 715 of The Well-Trained Mind; phone calls do not go through, and letters are returned undelivered. However, they are alive and well at:
P.O. Box 910367
St. George, UT 84791
phone 1.800.863.3828 or 435.656.0112
Visit their website at The Education Connection.

May 28, 2000

CHANGE IN INDIANA ASSOCIATION OF HOME EDUCATORS INFORMATION

The address for the Indiana Association of Home Educators has changed; the correct address is:
8106 Madison Avenue
Indianapolis IN 46227
317.859.1202
iahe@inhomeeducators.org.

April 6, 2000

CHANGE IN TEXAS STATE ORGANIZATION

A reader sends us this update: "In February of 1998, HOPE for Texas merged with the Texas Home School Coalition (THSC) in order to provide a more efficient state organization. At this point, THSC also became responsible for helping new home schoolers across the state as well as maintaining a network of information and communication between and among the leadership of regional home school organization, local support groups, and individual home schooling families" (taken from The Handbook for Texas Home Schoolers).

The correct contact information is:
THSC
PO Box 6982 Lubbock, TX 79493
806.797.4927 fax: 806.797.4629
email: staff@thsc.org
http://www.thsc.org/

1066: THE YEAR OF CONQUEST

The author of this book, recommended in our Rhetoric reading list, is NOT Howartz Dand, burt rather David Howarth. Check out the correct listing at Amazon.com. Sorry for the error!

HOME EDUCATION HELPER

Canadian supplier Home Education Helper, listed on p. 675 of The Well-Trained Mind, has gone out of business.

March 27, 2000

OUR MISTAKE: NEUTRONS

On page 387, we say (illustrating the writing out of science definitions): "Neutron: small particle in the nucleus; has a negative charge." Of course, neutrons have no charge at all — they are neutral. Our mistake!

March 15, 2000

A COMPARISON OF THE OLD AND NEW KINGFISHERS!

For those of you still wondering what the difference is between the old Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World (now out of print) and the new Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (which has replaced it), reader Tammy Lizbeth has written a wonderful review and comparison of the two and has given us permission to link to her site. Click here to read Tammy's detailed essay.

February 21, 2000

BOB BOOK UPDATE

Reader John Pinto sends us the following update: "We had a hard time finding the 3rd set of Bob Books called 'Even More Bob Books.' Every store told us it was out of print. We tried Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble Online, they also came back with the same story: Out of Print. Then we called Scholastic directly and they said they have plenty of them! So we ordered the 3rd set directly from Scholastic with no problem. We asked them why we were being told it was out of print. They said it probably has to do with Scholastic getting ready to re-issue the series in a new format. Probably the company does not want to send any more of the old format to stores. For the time being, you can still order the old series format directly from Scholastic until they also run out of them.

February 7, 2000

GRAMMAR-STAGE SCIENCE: HUMAN BODY

An alert reader has pointed out that we got confused on pp. 176-177, where we recommend The Human Body: A First Discovery Book as a base text for the study of the human body. This book does NOT contain experiments and games, as described in the text; it is simply the text that you use to "springboard" into the study of different body systems, using library books and other resources. The experiments and games resource is Everybody Has A Body, described two paragraphs down. We apologize for the confusion. Incidentally, any good book on the human body could serve as a base text for first-grade study; so if you already have one that you like, you can certainly use it instead.

November 19, 1999

CLASSICAL MUSIC: A NEW WAY OF LISTENING

This book by Alexander Waugh — recommended as a good introduction to classical music for high school students — is now out of print. It can still be purchased through Barnes & Noble online for a bargain price ($10!). The companion volume, Opera: A New Way of Listening, is NOT out of print. If you can't find the Waugh book, we suggest Phil Goodings' Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1000 Greatest Works (Ballantine, 1995), which contains composer biographies as well as a guide to musical forms, specific works, the elements of the orchestra, etc. No CD is included, but Gooding gives buying (or library-borrowing) recommendations for each work.

November 1, 1999

TOTAL MARKETING WEBSITE

Total Marketing Services, the video company listed on page 439 of The Well-Trained Mind, has changed their website address from www.wsi-marketing.com to www.totalmarketing.com. The mailing address remains the same (Total Marketing Services, 400 Morris Avenue, Long Branch, NJ 07740).

EXTRAORDINARY PLANTS/INCREDIBLE PLANTS...

On page 187, we recommend the book Extraordinary Plants by Barbara Taylor as a first-grade science text. This is a misprint -- the title should be Incredible Plants! We've received the following helpful e-mail from Lisa Kjeldgaard of Salinas, CA: "I am a Dorling Kindersley Family Learning rep and want to alert you to a possible update for your update page. I have been unable to find a DK book by the name of Extraordinary Plants like recommended in your 1st grade science program. There is a book by the title Incredible Plants: An Extraordinary Look From The Inside Out. This book is by Barbara Taylor and is part of the Inside Guides series which shows cross cut images of plants, leafs, stems and much more. The item number to order with a DK rep. is #: 15054 with the full ISBN number of: 0-7894-15054. Because I am thrilled with the program you outline and would like to help others educate this way as much as possible, I would like to offer a 15% discount and free shipping to anyone who tells me they're ordering because of the Well Trained Mind book. This would apply to any DK book recommended by you as well as other DK materials I've found to be great additions to your program." Lisa can be contacted at Born2Bmom@aol.com.

EVALUATING WRITING

Barb Froehling from Illinois sends us this note: "Evaluating Writing from Writing Strands no longer comes with an IBM PC program."

LATIN HELPS

Barb also writes, "Logos School (208-883-3199) expects to have a Latin II video ready by January or February, and a Latin III video sometime in spring 2000. Logos School also has a video that goes along with the Logic course by Canon Press." These videos are valuable supplements to the Canon Press Latin and Logic courses that we recommend in The Well-Trained Mind.

September 30, 1999

ZANER-BLOSER, AGAIN

Zaner-Bloser has just changed their policy for selling to home schoolers. Home school parents WILL receive the discounted prices for handwriting materials! (Thanks to all those who protested!) Individual purchasers, however, will continue to pay the non-discounted prices, so make sure that you identify yourself as a home school parent when you place your order.

September 29, 1999

A SHORT HISTORY OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION

Apparently the paperback version of A Short History of Western Civilization (recommended as a history text to supplement the high school Great Books course) is no longer available. The hardbacked text of this book IS still available (click here for the Amazon.com listing), although it's quite expensive (around $70). If you divide this by four years, it doesn't seem as unreasonable — but we'll keep our eyes open for a paperback world history that we can recommend instead!

BUYING USED BOOKS

If you're looking for used or out-of-print books (unfortunately, this includes some titles we've recommended!), try the Advanced Book Exchange (www.abebooks.com), which is a database of over 14 million used books offered by hundreds of booksellers.

September 15, 1999

NEW AREA CODE FOR PHONICS PATHWAYS

Dolores Hiskes, publisher of Phonics Pathways, writes, "Our area code has changed from 510 to 925. Worst of all, when people try calling on the 510 area code they get a message that the number is no longer in service, as opposed to a message that there is a new area code." The information number is now 925-449-6983, NOT 510-449-6983 (which is the number on p. 714 of The Well-Trained Mind). The 800 number remains the same (800-852-4890). Ms. Hiskes adds, "Also, my name is spelled Dolores, not Delores." We apologize for the misspelling!

TYPO ALERT!

On p. 201 of The Well-Trained Mind, the text reads, "Here's what you have to know to get all the way through Martha Wilson's Latin Primer, Book I (see page 000)." This should read, of course, "see page 205." Sorry!

September 3, 1999

KINGFISHER HISTORY OF THE WORLD, Continued

Good news! We've just received a copy of the book Kingfisher is publishing to replace The Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World, which went out of print the very month our book was published. The title of this new history book is The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (click here to see the Amazon.com listing). It is very similar to the Illustrated History in layout and contains all the same great features — a running timeline, lists of important dates, and good narrative text describing historical events in chronological order. You can easily substitute it for the Illustrated History in middle-grade history. At least one supplier, Rainbow Resource Center, is carrying this book under the same product number as the Illustrated History.

Modern Curriculum Press website

Reader Lynn Bruce has just sent us the web address for the Modern Curriculum Press online store — something we didn't include in the book! It's http://www.mcschool.com/. Thanks, Lynn.

August 19, 1999

ORDERING FROM OUR SOURCES

We're hearing occasional reports from parents: Sales representatives at some of the larger curriculum companies may tell you that the company doesn't sell to home schoolers / requires proof that you're a home schooler / doesn't sell to parents / charges parents extra. We selected the sources in The Well-Trained Mind because of their willingness to sell to parents! But the person taking your order MAY NOT BE AWARE OF THE COMPANY POLICY. If a sales rep tells you that you can't buy materials, ask to speak to his or her supervisor, and explain the situation.

ELEMENTARY HISTORY

On pages 140-141 of The Well-Trained Mind, the Civil War Literature Pack is listed first under "Basic Texts" for history in grades 1-4. The Kingfisher History of the World is listed second; The Usborne History of the Twentieth Century third; and The Usborne Book of World History fourth. Apparently this has been causing some confusion; these books are listed alphabetically, not in order of use. The basic text for grades 1-4 is The Usborne Book of World History. The Civil War Literature Pack and the History of the Twentieth Century are for fourth grade use. The Kingfisher History is supplemental.

AMERICAN HOME-SCHOOL PUBLISHING

We recommend purchasing a number of books from American Home-School Publishing, which somehow got left off our "Sources" list. They ARE listed in Chapter Forty-Six, "More Stuff: The Annotated Catalog List," on p. 670. The address is 5310 Affinity Court, Centreville, VA 20120; call 1-800-684-2121.

July 19th, 1999

MATH-PLUS

The phone number listed for Math-Plus (p. 719 of The Well-Trained Mind) is for VIRGINIA CUSTOMERS ONLY! Customers from other states should call the national number, 888-854-6284.

KINGFISHER HISTORY OF THE WORLD

We have just learned that the Kingfisher History of the World (recommended for middle-grade history) has been revised and will be reissued in the fall! The page numbers in our book match those in the 1993 edition (which you may be able to find used). We haven't seen the revision yet, but we'll post our reactions as soon as we get our hands on a copy. 1993 copies may still be in some bookstores and resource catalogs.

ZANER-BLOSER

A reader e-mailed to tell us that Zaner-Bloser has just changed its policy for selling to home schoolers. The company now charges home schoolers a slightly higher rate. Please call, write, or e-mail Zaner-Bloser and ask them to change this policy! Many of these large educational companies are not aware of how large (and vocal) the home school market is. The contact information is:
1-800-421-3018
8:00-4:30 Eastern Time
(Voicemail after hours) 614-487-2699
Zaner-Bloser Educational Publishers
2200 West Fifth Ave.
P.O. Box 16764
Columbus, OH 43216-6764