Blue Thistle Books - Homeschool Curriculum & Bookstore

Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes...in You and Your Kids

2008-07-20T20:08:00.002-04:00

This Monday, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes...in You and Your Kids by Scott Turinsky, is 30% off. Adding honor as a factor in raising kids ...and parent-child relationships. Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller offer a thorough program for establishing honor as a basis of family life -- not just children honoring parents, but parents respecting children and children honoring each other. Even if honor seems a long way off in your household, you will find practical suggestions here to bring that goal a little closer -- suggestions for kids of all ages. Honor is the biblical value that will bring about good behavior. It's more than just changing what kids do; it's changing the deeper issues of the heart that triggered the behavior. 256 pgs. · Softcover. List Price $13.99 Sale Price $9.79

Monday Markdown!

2008-07-13T21:09:00.002-04:00

The New Answers Book: Over 25 Questions on Creation/Evolution and the Bible by Ken Ham, is marked 30% off this Monday. In today's world, Christians find challenges to their faith every day. This new resource gives answers for some of the most difficult questions that modern Christians face and provides a ready defense against the attacks of evolutionary thought. Softcover · 384 pages List Price $14.99 Sale Price 10.49

Monday Markdown!

2008-07-07T11:12:00.002-04:00

This Monday, How to Get Your Child Off the Refrigerator and on to Learning by Carol Barnier, is 30% off. How do you teach a child with an impossibly short attention span? Why does 20 minutes worth of homework take 3 hours? This home schooling mom of a supercharged, highly distractible child shares the practical tips that turned their home schooling from an exercise in pain and frustration to one of pleasure and success.
Topics include, putting motion into learning, making math fun, the unique difficulty with writing and decreasing distractions. Also a thought provoking commentary on “What was God thinking?” when he put such qualities in your child. Filled with practical ideas used by public school districts, Sunday School teachers, therapists homeschoolers, and parents helping with homework. It's a resource you'll put to use immediately and come back to again and again. Softcover · 112 pgs. List Price $16.99 Sale Price $11.89

Monday Markdown!

2008-06-29T21:39:00.005-04:00

This Monday, Trial And Triumph: Stories From Church History by Richard M. Hannula, is 30% off. Family stories are so important, and stories from our Church-family may be even more so. In this collection of brief biographies, Hannula sketches the stirring trials and triumphs of many famous and lesser known fathers and mothers of our faith-including Augustine, Charlemagne, Anselm, Luther, Bunyan, and C.S. Lewis. Written for ages 5-12. · 290 pgs. · Softcover. List Price $21.00 Sale Price $14.70

Monday Markdown! Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Jr.: Teaching Kids About Money!

2008-06-22T22:16:00.003-04:00

Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Jr.: Teaching Kids About Money!, is marked 30% off this Monday. Your job as a parent is not just to keep your child happy. You're raising a future grown-up who needs to be able to deal with grown-up matters. Teach your children how to handle money while they are young, and they won't make costly mistakes later in life. It’s never too late to start!
Financial Peace Junior is the power of Financial Peace tailored for children ages 3-12. It is a fabulous way to teach children the value of earning money. What's Included in Financial Peace Junior:

Commission Worksheet (dry-erase board)

Savings Worksheet (dry-erase board)

Envelope System (save, spend, give)

Clip-N-Carry Coin Case

Cool Calculator

Save, Spend, & Give Magnets

Instruction Manual

Instructional Audio CD

List Price $19.95 Sale Price %13.97

Monday Markdown!

2008-06-15T21:38:00.002-04:00

The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World Geography with Complete World Atlas, is marked at 30% off this Monday. You will find an extensive overview of all aspects of world geography, exploring our unique planet and looking at the relationships between plants, animals, people and the world they inhabit.
It includes:

A stunning, modern world atlas with 60 pages of maps

Continent-by-continent accounts of peoples and their culture

Gazetteer of facts about the countries of the world

Stunning photographs and detailed explanatory diagrams.

Hardcover · 400 pages. List Price $39.95 Sale Price $27.97

Monday Markdown!

2008-06-08T21:57:00.002-04:00

This Monday, Carschooling by Diane Flynn Keith is marked 30% off. Your children's education and future are two of your primary concerns. Combine that with the fact that you spend loads of time in the car with them going from here to there, and your family is perfect for carschooling! Carschooling is all about turning travel time into learning time. Created especially for kids ages 4 to 7, inside there's something fun for everyone with games, group activities, suggested resources and audiobooks, journaling ideas, and more.
Kids will love the countless road-worthy games, such as:

Dashboard Decimal Drills and Rock 'n' Roll Multiplication Tables

Eighteen-Wheeler Chemistry, Windshield Entomology, and Road-Cut Geology

Drive-By History and Glove Compartment Geography

Rest Stop Olympics and Car Seat Calisthenics And many other fun and educational activities! Softcover · 360 pgs.

List Price $16.95 Sale Price $11.87

Monday Markdown!

2008-05-25T20:22:00.002-04:00

The Children's Book of America by William J. Bennett, is marked at 30% off this Monday. Where did America come from? What does it mean to be an American? What makes America great? No volume will provide more compelling and inspiring answers to our children's questions than William Bennett and Michael Hague's marvelous new treasury, The Children's Book of America. Filled with history and folktales, songs and poems, heroes and everyday Americans, this indispensable book is a classic collection of great Americana, accompanied by wonderful paintings that bring to life in rich detail the story of our nation's heritage.
Like its bestselling predecessors, The Children's Book of Virtues and The Children's Book of Heroes, this beautifully illustrated collaboration will provide children with a marvelous introduction to such virtues as compassion, perseverance, ingenuity, and hard work. As William Bennett and Michael Hague show, these traits have shaped American history and lie at the heart of our national character.
Martin Luther King has a dream -- and racial justice in America will never be the same. Walt Whitman listens -- and weaves poetry from the lilting music of Americans at their labors. A great Indian chief mourns -- and the path to his wife's side opens up the Grand Canyon.
From tales of national heroes like Abigail Adams and Robert E. Lee, to stories of adventure and ingenuity such as Lewis and Clark's explorations and Thomas Edison's inventions, to songs and poems about American life like "Home on the Range" and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," The Children's Book of America is a marvelous celebration of our nation's history and spirit for the youngest Americans. Ages 9-12 · Hardcover ·112 pages. List Price $22.00 Sale Price $15.40

Monday Markdown!

2008-05-04T21:05:00.007-04:00

Quick to Knit Scarf Kit for Beginners is 30% off this Monday. A perfect knitting kit for beginners! Contains enough yarn to make a finished Scarf approx. 4” wide and 58” long. Available in teal or purple. Ages 7+
Includes:

Step-by-Step Instructions

2 Wooden Knitting Needles

100% Pure Wool, Spectrum Dyed Yarn

List Price $17.95 Sale Price $12.57

Monday Markdown! My Responsibility Chart

2008-04-27T21:26:00.002-04:00

My Responsibility Chart is marked 30% off this Monday. Learning and scheduling chores for little tykes have never been easier. The wall chart comes with a full set of icons for easy placement. List Price $28.00 Sale Price $19.60

Monday Markdown! The Art of Soap Making Kit

2008-04-20T21:45:00.005-04:00

This Monday, The Art of Soap Making Kit is marked at 30% off. The Art of Soap Making will make you the Chagall of Clean, the Botticelli of Bubbles, maybe even the Warhol of Wash - and if it doesn’t, at least you’ll smell nice. This kit contains everything needed (except the lye) to make 15 “sweetly scented bars of exfoliating almond-oatmeal soap for a most delicious bathing experience”. Good clean fun!

Includes:

almond oil

rolled oats, olive oil

coconut oil

palm oil

reusable wooden mold

complete instructions

List Price $26.95 Sale Price $18.87

Monday Markdown!

2008-04-13T20:16:00.006-04:00

This week, Monday Markdown is featuring The Lap Loom at 30% off. Learn the ancient art of weaving with this high quality lap loom. Create bags, pillows, purses, wall hangings and much more. Made of sturdy hardwood, this lap loom will provide years of enjoyment for any age.
The Lap Looms include:

1 ounce of Cotton Warp String
100% Pure Virgin Wool Weft Yarn(enough to complete 1 project)

1 Tapestry Needle

2 Wooden Shed Sticks

6" Wooden Stick Shuttle

Illustrated Instructions

Winner of the Teachers' Choice Award · Dimensions: 12" x 16" · Recommended for ages 7 and older. List Price $39.99 Sale Price $27.99

Monday Markdown!

2008-03-30T19:58:00.002-04:00

Monday Markdown is featuring A Biblical Home Education: Building Your Homeschool on the Foundation of God's Word, by Ruth Beechick.

An immensely respected leader in today's homeschool movement, Dr. Ruth Beechick encourages families to center all aspects of their children's learning on God's Word in A Biblical Home Education. Beechick begins by showing how the subjects of worldview, science, and history have been pulled apart from the Bible and how they can be sensibly reconnected. In the author's words, "Since the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, that anti-God teaching can lead only to foolishness."
Also included are chapters on thinking, reading, writing and study skills, learning methods, curriculum tips, and extensive teaching helps. Softcover · 214 pages. List Price $14.99 Sale Price $10.49

Monday Markdown!

2008-03-16T21:44:00.002-04:00

The Homeschooler's Book of Lists, is 30% off this Monday. With more than 250 lists organized by subject, home educators, private school teachers, and other instructors will find important facts and essential information in one easy-to-use resource. The book and CD cover material for elementary-age grade levels in eight academic areas, including science, geography, history, the Bible, and more. Softcover · 560 pages. List Price $19.99 Sale Price $13.99

Protecting Your Parental Rights

2008-03-11T21:45:00.002-04:00

Today I received this from Mimi Rothschild, founder of Learning by Grace.

California families are now engaged in the biggest crisis to hit homeschooling ever! And if this ruling passes through the appeals process, over 160,000 homeschoolers will be forced to go to public schools, move out of the state of California or be labeled as truants and have their parents potentially face criminal charges.
At http://www.ReverseTheRuling.com, you can learn more about this shocking issue gaining momentum throughout California, spread the word to other concerned families, retrieve information on how to e-mail your congressional representative, and practice your civil right to oppose this ruling by signing the petition and having your voice heard!
Parents, children, homeschoolers, public and private school students; this pertains to all of us. We hold certain rights guaranteed to us in the Constitution of the United States that our forefathers fought for – now it is our turn to participate in the fight for freedom!
If you value family rights, such as your ability to decide on the well-being and education of your child, click on http://reversetheruling.com/signthepetition.htm and sign the petition that acknowledges your civil involvement in righting this horrendous wrong.
Learn more. Be heard. http://www.ReverseTheRuling.com

Please take the time to sign the petition. This ruling may not only affect California homeschoolers, but could have far reaching implications. It will only take a minute to sign and remember, it's not just an issue of homeschooling, but an issue of your parental rights.

Sign the Petition to Keep Homeschooling Legal in CA

2008-03-09T23:40:00.002-04:00

Important News From HSLDA:

Sign the Petition to Request Depublishing of California Court Case In re Rachel L. and get more information.

Please Sign this Petition to Support Homeschool Freedom in California.

A California Court of Appeal recently decided that homeschooling is illegal in California unless a parent is a certified teacher.

The case arose in a confidential juvenile court proceeding. The family was represented by court-appointed attorneys and HSLDA did not become aware of the case until the Court of Appeal case was published on February 28, 2008.

The Court could have restricted its decision to the facts before it, but instead, it issued a broad ruling that effectively outlaws home education in California. The Court also certified its decision for publication, which means that the decision can now be cited as legal authority by all other courts in California.

The family and their California counsel are planning to appeal to the Supreme Court of California, which could result in reversal.

Another option to keep homeschooling free in California is to petition the Supreme Court of California to “depublish” the opinion. If the opinion is “depublished” then it cannot be used by other California courts and this threat to homeschool freedom will be neutralized for other California homeschoolers.

HSLDA will be formally petitioning the California Supreme Court to depublish the opinion. We would like to show that many other people, both in California and across the country, care deeply about homeschool freedom in California.

Please show your support for this effort by signing the petition today.

Monday Markdown!

2008-03-09T21:32:00.003-04:00

Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Jr.: Teaching Kids About Money!, is 30% off today.

Your job as a parent is not just to keep your child happy. You're raising a future grown-up who needs to be able to deal with grown-up matters. Teach your children how to handle money while they are young, and they won't make costly mistakes later in life. It’s never too late to start!
Financial Peace Junior is the power of Financial Peace tailored for children ages 3-12. It is a fabulous way to teach children the value of earning money.

What's Included in Financial Peace Junior:

Commission Worksheet (dry-erase board)

Savings Worksheet (dry-erase board)

Envelope System (save, spend, give)

Clip-N-Carry Coin Case Cool Calculator Save, Spend, & Give Magnets

Instruction Manual

Instructional Audio CD

List Price $ 19.95 Sale Price $13.97

Wordless Wednesday - The Break We Needed

2008-03-04T23:51:00.003-05:00

Monday Markdown!

2008-03-03T00:02:00.007-05:00

Monday Markdown is featuring, What the Bible Is All About by Frances Blankenbaker & Henrietta C. Mears.

A discussion of the origin, significance, and contents of the Bible, with a book-by-book analysis of events, as well as timelines, photographs, and maps to pinpoint when and where they happened. Ages 9-12 · Softcover · 366 pages. List Price $16.99 Sale Price $11.89

Monday Markdown!

2008-02-25T09:15:00.002-05:00

Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef, is marked 30% off today. This coral reef is a marine nursery, teeming with mamas and babies! In the age-old way of kids and fish, children will count and clap to the rhythm of Over in the Meadow while puffer fish "puff," gruntfish "grunt" and seahorses "flutter." The colorful art is fresh and fun - constructed entirely from clay-like material - and invites young fingers to fashion fishy forms. Hardcover · 36 pgs. · Ages 9-12. List Price $16.95 Sale Price $11.87

Monday Markdown!

2008-02-17T21:58:00.002-05:00

This Monday, Saxon Homeschool Math K-3 Manipulative Kit is 30% off.

Saxon Homeschool Math Manipulative Kit 450 objects and counting games for "hands-on" learning, Used in all Saxon Math K-3 programs, Includes a convenient storage container, Usage instructions included in Teacher's Manual. List Price $69.50 Sale Price $48.65.

Monday Markdown!

2008-02-10T20:06:00.001-05:00

This Monday, the U.S.A. Floor Puzzle is 30% off.

Geography comes to life in this jumbo-sized floor puzzle by Melissa & Doug, featuring 51 shape-cut pieces of the states. Heavy-grade cardboard pieces are coated on both sides for added durability. Kids will have fun learning the states on this colorful, informative map puzzle.

List Price $9.99 Sale Price $6.99

Monday Markdown!

2008-02-03T21:03:00.000-05:00

This Monday Markdown is featuring The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle, at 30% off.

One night a very lonely firefly goes off in search of friends. Each time he sees a flicker of light he flies off toward it, but none of them turn out to be fireflies. He sees a lantern, an owl's eyes, even headlights shining in the darkness. Will the lonely firefly ever find creatures like himself? Board Book. List Price $11.99 Sale Price $8.39

Wordless Wednesday - Tea Party

2008-01-29T23:08:00.001-05:00

The Monday Markdown!

2008-01-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm a little late, but I'm a busy girl. So now that my excuse has been made, here is the Monday Markdown for this week.

Today only you can purchase Around the World in 180 Days by Apologia Ministries for 30% Off!!! That is a huge savings, so don't miss it because it will turn back into a pumpkin at midnight.

Around the World in 180 Days teaches geography and history on a continent-by-continent basis. The student learns about the major countries on each continent, as well as the basics of the continent’s history, geography, and culture. This is not a textbook. It is a series of questions that the student must research in order to answer. Plenty of resources (available in most public libraries) are listed to help the student in his or her research, and the teacher’s edition has all of the answers. Thus, even if the student cannot find the answer, you will not be lost. The pages in the student book are all three-hole punched and perforated so that the student can fill out the worksheets and compile a notebook which will document his or her work.

The great thing about this curriculum is that it written with a multilevel approach. There are questions for students of all levels, and those levels are clearly marked in the curriculum. As a result, the youngsters can do some of the research, the older students can do different research, and the oldest students can answer the most challenging questions. This is truly a curriculum that your whole family can study at once! Today only $28.00! List price $40.00.