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The Adventures of Plimoth Plantation

The Adventures of Plimoth Plantation As Told by the Mayflower Mouse

In Celebration of the 400th Anniversary of the Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving in 2021! 

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Watch Hannah's video...

 

Parents, Our First and Lasting Teachers

A rich resource of more than 100 easy, timeless ideas on building strong families, developing the academics, supporting the schools, and more.
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NEW in 2021

In Search of the Great English Writers: An Imaginary Journey Back in Time with Intrepid Reporter Nellie Bly

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First in the series

In Search of the Great American Writers: An Imaginary Journey Back in Time with Intrepid Reporter Nellie Bly

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John Adams: The Voice Heard 'Round the World

"This is an important work! It's a great story; I love it!"

Jean Fritz, award-winning children's author
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David McCullough & Hannah Carlson


Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough narrates Boston Landmarks Orchestra recording, “John Adams: The Voice Heard ‘Round the World” CD accompanies richly-illustrated children’s book. See more...

 

 

American Genius: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The life story of Longfellow is full of drama, romance, and tragedy.

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Yankee Doodle’s Pen: Wheatley, Washington, and Longfellow

Step back in time and discover what a slave, a general, and a poet have in common.

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Children’s Springtime of Discovery

“Spring hyacinths make me happy!”
“Spring hyacinths make me happy!”

“The world is so full of a number of things,
I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.”

Robert Louis Stevenson captures the essence of childhood in this short verse. With a keen awareness of their environment, including an eye for detail, many children take in what adults often tune out. Once struck by the joy, they are self-motivated to discover more.
Now that the winter is bowing out to fairer weather, perhaps we can join in our children’s discoveries in welcoming spring. Here are some activities which promote springtime observation for the little ones in the family.
Bring in early shoots of pussy willow, forsythia, or other flowering fruit trees to open in the house. See if your youngster can discover what makes the shoots open indoors faster than if they stayed outdoors. This can lead on to other questions such as what do plants need besides warm temperatures?
Take frequent walks, whether in the woods, a park, or just around the block, to observe the subtle changes in nature. What plants and trees are among the first to bloom in spring? As the new leaves appear, learn to identify the telltale shape of the maple, oak, willow, sweet gum, etc. (depending on your location). If you find a cut tree stump, your child can discover how many years old the tree was when it was cut down by counting the circular rings on it.
The distance between the rings tells something about the stages of the tree’s growth and the climate of those years. Observe new growth on evergreens by looking for the lighter colors at the end of the branches. These nature walks provide an excellent opportunity for children to do the exploring which leads to discovery.
At home, your child might like to find a spot in the yard that gets at least a half day’s worth of sun and would be suitable for a small vegetable garden, a flower bed, or both. Aided by books from the library, children can plan their garden and perhaps start some seeds in flats indoors. Like other new activities, gardening gives children the chance to learn by experience new words such as evaporation, heliotropic, and mulching.
Identify the different birds returning in the spring, and listen to their songs. Children can offer the birds building materials for their nests by hanging pieces of string on a fence. And, of course, supplying birdseed and water will invite birds to your yard.
Finally, in between the spring showers, join your child in one of the most popular of all spring activities – go fly a kite.
Indeed “the world is so full” … it warms the heart as well as the spring. This is the time to encourage our youngster’s curiosity and watch it grow along with the

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