The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas: 500+ Fun and Creative Learning Activities for Kids Ages 3-12


Linda Dobson - 2002
    Look no longer! Inside this innovative helper, you'll find kid-tested and parent-approved techniques for learning math, science, writing, history, manners, and more that you can easily adapt to your family's homeschooling needs. And even if you don't homeschool, you'll find this book a great teaching tool outside the classroom. You'll discover fun and educational activities for kids ages 3 to 12, including how to:·Create maps based on favorite stories, such as Treasure Island or The Wizard of Oz ·Make letters out of French fries as an alphabet learning aid ·Explore architecture by building igloos, castles, and bridges with sugar cubes and icing ·Review spelling words by writing them on the sidewalk with chalk ·And many more!This comprehensive collection of tried-and-true—and generally inexpensive—ideas provides the best-of-the-best homeschooling activities that can be done anywhere, anytime, and by anyone.

His Name was Wren


Rob Winters - 2020
    Was it a secret Nazi weapon, as some locals suggest? Or just a downed plane? Evacuee George Moss finds an otherworldly explanation, then tries to keep it hidden.Years later, Max Cannon moves to town. With help from his new friends, Ellie and Isaac, he learns of the secret that some residents have guarded for over seven decades.When that secret is threatened with exposure, strange things occur, and the army descends on Hurstwick. As does a visitor from much further afield, leaving Max and his friends in the middle of a deadly struggle…

Laravel: Up and Running: A Framework for Building Modern PHP Apps


Matt Stauffer - 2016
    This rapid application development framework and its vast ecosystem of tools let you quickly build new sites and applications with clean, readable code. With this practical guide, Matt Stauffer--a leading teacher and developer in the Laravel community--provides the definitive introduction to one of today's most popular web frameworks.The book's high-level overview and concrete examples will help experienced PHP web developers get started with Laravel right away. By the time you reach the last page, you should feel comfortable writing an entire application in Laravel from scratch.Dive into several features of this framework, including:Blade, Laravel's powerful, custom templating toolTools for gathering, validating, normalizing, and filtering user-provided dataLaravel's Eloquent ORM for working with the application's databasesThe Illuminate request object, and its role in the application lifecyclePHPUnit, Mockery, and PHPSpec for testing your PHP codeLaravel's tools for writing JSON and RESTful APIsInterfaces for file system access, sessions, cookies, caches, and searchTools for implementing queues, jobs, events, and WebSocket event publishingLaravel's specialty packages: Scout, Passport, Cashier, Echo, Elixir, Valet, and Socialite

Tools of the Mind: The Vygotskian Approach to Early Childhood Education


Elena Bodrova - 1995
    Key changes to this edition include a new chapter on dynamic assessment, separate and expanded chapters on developmental accomplishments of infants and toddlers, preschool/kindergarten, and primary grades and on supporting those accomplishments, and elaborations of Vygotsky's ideas from neo-Vygotskians from Russia. FEATURES Written for the beginning student, the book provides a clear discussion of Vygotskian principles including...a historical overview and a complete chapter on the "Zone of Proximal Development," (ZPD). Each section of the book builds on the other...framework, strategies, and applications of the Vygotskian approach. The work of Vygotsky is compared in a fair and balanced way with the work of Piaget. Examples and activities have been class-tested in a variety of classroom environments including a Head Start program, private preschool, and in the Denver Public Schools.

See You at the Campground: A Guide to Discovering Community, Connection, and a Happier Family in the Great Outdoors


Stephanie Puglisi - 2020
    Whether you're new to camping or a seasoned pro, hit the road with Stephanie and Jeremy, hosts of the popular The RV Atlas podcast, as they show you the different ways that camping can lead to a happier, healthier family. From hiking with infants to navigating RV camping in state parks and camping in national parks—these outdoor lovers have tried it all, and See You at the Campground is a beautifully illustrated camping book for adults packed with personal anecdotes, packing lists, site recommendations, and recipes that will help you create a one-of-a-kind vacation on a family-friendly budget.Tips include: Reasons camping vacations are better Buying an RV Trip planning tips Road trip tips Campground etiquette Camping with family and friends National park adventuresThe perfect resource for parents—and a great gift for campers at any level—this is the ultimate family vacation book to bring the family closer every time you set up camp—whether it's in a cabin, tent, or RV.

Messy Minimalism: Realistic Strategies for the Rest of Us


Rachelle Crawford - 2021
    Then she found minimalism: the messy, real-life kind, that is less about perfection and more about purpose. Thus began a journey toward decluttering her home, calendar, and soul.With empathy, grace, and humor, Crawford--who curates the popular Abundant Life with Less site--shares doable ways to own less and live more fully. Laying out practical strategies for reducing waste, curbing consumption, decluttering, and finding lots more joy, Crawford offers no-nonsense solutions for the rest of us. Learn to become a more conscious consumer, create a capsule wardrobe, inspire family members to join you, free up more time for the things that matter, and create a tidy(ish) home. The messy minimalist way is a no-judgment zone, one in which we learn sustainable habits and grace-based practices. It's about living lightly on the earth and making room for purpose.Becoming a messy minimalist is not about turning into someone else; it's about clearing away clutter and expectations to unearth who you really are. It's about carrying fewer things so that we find ourselves holding onto what truly matters.

Be Kind: You Can Make the World a Happier Place! 125 Kind Things to Say & Do


Naomi Shulman - 2019
    Be Kind offers children aged 5 and up simple, actionable things they can do in their daily lives that help them cultivate kindness toward others and grow into people with the capacity to make the world a kinder place.In Be Kind, kids learn that kindness is a quality that can be expressed in ways other than merely being “nice,” including standing up for someone or something, engaging in a community, showing compassion toward other beings, and expressing gratitude. With joyful illustrations and kid-friendly writing, this idea book serves as a delightful, easy-to-read collection of 100 concrete activities kids and their families can pick and choose from and act out in their daily lives, whether it’s being the first person to say good morning, offering compliments, shoveling an elderly neighbor’s driveway, learning to say hello in different languages, or sending a card to someone — no special occasion required. On every page, Be Kind empowers kids to make the world a better, kinder place, one action at a time.

Fit Men Cook: 100+ Meal Prep Recipes for Men and Women—Always #HealthyAF, Never Boring


Kevin Curry - 2018
    No one enjoys cookie-cutter meal plans, bland recipes, or eating the same thing every day. Instead of worrying about what to eat and how it’s going to affect our bodies, we should embrace food freedom—freedom to create flavorful meals, but in a more calorie-conscious way; freedom to indulge occasionally while being mindful of portions; and freedom to achieve wellness goals without breaking the bank. In Fit Men Cook, Kevin Curry, fitness expert and social media sensation with millions of followers and hundreds of thousands of downloads on his app, shares everything you need to live a healthy life each day—from grocery lists to common dieting pitfalls to his ten commandments of meal prep—as well as his personal story of overcoming depression and weight gain to start a successful business and fitness movement. This guide also includes 100+ easy and flavorful recipes like Southern-Inspired Banana Corn Waffles, Sweet Potato Whip, Juicy AF Moroccan Chicken, and many more to help you plan your week and eat something new and nutritious each day. With Fit Men Cook, you can create exciting, satisfying meals and be on your way to losing weight for good. After all, bodies may be sculpted at the gym, but they are built in the kitchen.

It's Never Too Late to Sleep Train: The Low-Stress Way to High-Quality Sleep for Babies, Kids, and Parents


Craig Canapari - 2019
    Craig Canapari became a father, he realized that all his years of 36-hour hospital shifts didn't even come close to preparing him for the sleep deprivation that comes with parenthood. The difference is that parents don’t get a break—it’s hard to know if there’s a night of uninterrupted sleep anywhere in the foreseeable future. Sleepless nights for kids mean sleepless nights for the rest of the family—and a grumpy group around the breakfast table in the morning.   In It's Never Too Late to Sleep Train, Canapari helps parents harness the power of habit to chart a clear path to high-quality sleep for their children. The result is a streamlined two-step sleep training plan that focuses on cues and consequences, the two elements that shape all habits and that take on special importance when it comes to kids’ bedtime routines.   Dr. Canapari distills years of clinical research and experience to make sleep training simple and stress-free. Even if you’ve been told that you’ve missed the optimal "window" for sleep training, Dr. Canapari is here to prove that it's never too late, whether your child is 6 months or 6 years old. He's on your side in the battle against bedtime, and with his advice, parents and children alike can expect a lifetime of healthy sleep.

Three Steps to a Strong Family


Linda Eyre - 1994
    The methods described in Three Steps to a Strong Family aim to help parents give children a sense of security and stability and prepare them for the adult world.Linda and Richard Eyre's Three Steps to a Strong Family shows how to create a family legal system, a family economy and a sense of family identity which work together to provide rules, limits and goals.

The Tiny MBA: 100 Very Short Lessons about the Long Game of Business


Alex Hillman - 2020
    Please find the Paperback or Kindle-compatible Ebook at stackingthebricks.com/tinymba/You don't need an MBA or fancy investors to succeed in business. Use the 100 ideas in this tiny book to evaluate your current situation: your advantages, your relationships, your potential choices, and the most likely outcomes.BONUS! If you enjoy The Tiny MBA and want to go deeper on the topics lessons and themes in the book, check out the Tiny MBA Podcast Tour with the author! In each episode, Alex visits with the host of a different podcast or livestream to dig deeper into that hosts favorite pages of the book, and explore specific examples or stories rooted in these lessons.Check it out now at stackingthebricks.com/podcast/ and subscribe to get new episodes every week.

Children Who Are Not Yet Peaceful: Preventing Exclusion in the Early Elementary Classroom


Donna Bryant Goertz - 2000
    In each case she describes a child's transformation from destructive troublemaker to responsible citizen of the classroom community. Readers will learn how to apply Montessori methods to virtually any early elementary environment.

Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times


Mark Bittman - 2007
    For Bittman's millions of fans who regularly pore over their clippings, here is reason to rejoice: A host of Bittman's wonderfully delicious and easy recipes, 350 in all, are now available in a single paperback.In sections that cover everything from appetizers, soups, and sauces to meats, vegetables, side dishes, and desserts, Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes from The New York Times showcases the elegant and flexible cooking style for which Bittman is famous, as well as his deep appreciation for fresh ingredients prepared with minimal fuss. Readers will find tantalizing recipes from all over, each requiring little more than basic techniques and a handful of ingredients. Cold Tomato Soup with Rosemary, Parmesan Cups with Orzo Risotto, Slow-Cooked Ribs, Pumpkin Panna Cotta--the dishes here are perfect for simple weeknight family meals or stress-free entertaining.Certain to appeal to anyone--from novices to experienced cooks--who wants to whip up a sophisticated and delicious meal easily, this is a collection to savor, and one destined to become a kitchen classic.

SEO 2013 & Beyond: Search Engine Optimization Will Never Be The Same Again


Andy Williams - 2012
    Panda was designed to remove low quality content from the search engine results pages. The surprise to many were some of the big name casualties that were taken out by the update. On 24th April 2012, Google went in for the kill when they released the Penguin update. Few SEOs that had been in the business for any length of time could believe the carnage that this update caused. If Google's Panda was a 1 on the Richter scale of updates, Penguin was surely a 10. It completely changed the way we need to think about SEO. On September 28th 2012, Google released a new algorithm update targeting exact match domains (EMDs). I have updated this book to let you know the consequences of owning EMDs and added my own advice on choosing domain names. While I have never been a huge fan of exact match domains anyway, many other SEO books and courses teach you to use them. I'll tell you why I think those other courses and books are wrong.The EMD update was sandwiched in between another Panda update (on the 27th September) and another Penguin update (5th October).Whereas Panda seems to penalize low quality content, Penguin is more concerned about overly aggressive SEO tactics. Stuff that SEOs had been doing for years, not only didn't work any more, but now can actually cause your site to be penalized and drop out of the rankings. That’s right, just about everything you have been taught about Search Engine Optimization in the last 10 years can be thrown out the Window. Google have moved the goal posts. I have been working in SEO for around 10 years and have always tried to stay within the guidelines laid down by Google. This has not always been easy because to compete with other sites, it often meant using techniques that Google frowned upon. Now, if you use those techniques, Google is likely to catch up with you and demote your rankings. In this book, I want to share with you the new SEO. The SEO for 2013 and Beyond.

Striped Pears and Polka Dots: The Art of Being Happy


Kirsten Sevig - 2018
    She paints rainbow-colored rooftops, striped pears, birds in hats, teacups, cats, and more—all drawn to bring joy to anyone who views them. When the weather is rainy and gray, Sevig paints herself some sunshine. When she feels sad, she paints something colorful to cheer herself up; when anxious, something soothing and repetitive; when overwhelmed, she makes a series of small decisions about what to put on the page and begins to feel empowered.In Striped Pears and Polka Dots, Sevig invites readers into her cozy, sunny world of snail mail, patterned socks and knitted sweaters, ice cream and flaky croissants, and dachshunds in sweaters. This perfect gift book will inspire readers to look around and notice all the little happy-makers that surround them in their daily lives.