Brook Farm Books

Pocket Oxford American Dictionary and Thesaurus. This won’t fit in your regular pockets. It’s packed with more than 150,000 entries, synonyms (listed very conveniently under the main entry), and hundreds of new words and meanings. It’s not as thorough as Roget’s Thesaurus, but I think it’s perfect for high school and college students. Handy to have the dictionary and thesaurus together. 928 pages. Cover price $13.95. $12.50 from Brook Farm Books.

The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science, by Sean Connolly. This book progresses historically, touching on the greatest scientific developments, who did the work, and the ramifications of this new knowledge; then comes an experiment. Written with engaging language for the age group, each of the 34 chapters gives a clear explanation of the science involved, and there are 50 experiments for “daring young scientists” related to each scientific principle being explored. Experiments include proving atomic theory with food coloring, launching a soda bottle, extracting DNA in the kitchen, demonstrating how germs spread, and making a Jell-O earthquake. Each experiment is rated to indicate the amount of risk involved, from “Low: No risk of catastrophe” to “Guarded: Slight risk of mess, paper cuts, stained clothes” to “Elevated: Involves use of heavy or sharp objects. Adult supervision recommended” to “High: Involves use of fire, hot liquids, or hazardous substances. Adult supervision required.” Directions are good. Most materials are things you’ll have on hand (believe it or not), or are common, inexpensive, and easy to find. A lot of fun packed in 306 pages. Ages 9 to 16. $13.95. Just $12.00 from Brook Farm Books.

A HISTORY OF US, a set of 11 volumes, by Joy Hakim. You can use these books with your beginning U.S. history studies right though high school if you make use of the Study Guided and extensive reading list that comes with each book. These very readable books don’t resemble “schoolbooks.” Hakim presents history as the story of people, which is as it should be. You meet ordinary people, not just the presidents and well-known figures, and discover how they lived. These engaging books, with excellent color illustrations, will ask you to think and form opinions. Hakim makes good use of original sources, newspaper excerpts, cartoons, diaries, drawings, maps, and the original artwork of the time. You’ll find yourself spending more time thinking about the people and the issues than memorizing meaningless names, battles, and dates. While this series of books is not cheap, it will be all that you will need from about third grade through junior high. If you have younger children, I suggest that you can take your time going through the books, concentrating on one historical period at a time, or you can go through the books more quickly, returning for a more in-depth study when the children are older. Hakim’s inclusion of an extensive list of related reading material in the back of each book is a real boon to those who like to explore in depth. While the original set was 10 volumes, the newly revised set is 11 volumes. This most recent addition to the set contains a complete index for the series, a good glossary of terms, essential documents and speeches that have shaped the country, and commentary about why each is important. The price per book is $15.95 if bought individually. The current price for the whole set is $219.45, but we are setting our price a bit lower — at $150.00 — because we think everyone should have this set. We’ll also include UPS shipping. This is one of the best investments you’ll make. My only regret about these books is that they were not available when our kids were still at home.

Vol. 1, THE FIRST AMERICANS (prehistory – 1600)
Vol. 2, MAKING THIRTEEN COLONIES (1600 – 1740)
Vol. 3, FROM COLONIES TO COUNTRY (1735 – 1791)
Vol. 4, THE NEW NATION (1789 – 1850)
Vol. 5, LIBERTY FOR ALL? (1820 – 1860)
Vol. 6, WAR, TERRIBLE WAR (1855 – 1865)
Vol. 7, RECONSTRUCTION AND REFORM (1865 – 1890)
Vol. 8, AN AGE OF EXTREMES (1880 – 1917)
Vol. 9, WAR, PEACE, AND ALL THAT JAZZ (1918 – 1945)
Vol. 10, ALL THE PEOPLE (1945 to present with election of Obama)
Vol. 11, Index, commentary, documents, and glossary

TEACHING GUIDES: one for each volume. You don’t need these guides, but if you want to extract the most from these wonderful books you will find them useful. Each guide has more than 50 pages of chapter summaries, reading suggestions, vocabulary to learn, and — best of all — activities, projects, and ideas for discussion. The regular price for the guides is $9.95 each, or $99.50 for the complete set, plus $2.50 shipping. Our special price is $70 for the complete set of guides, with no shipping charged if you order these with The History of US. If you question the usefulness of the guides, send an SASE and I’ll be happy to send sample copies of a few pages.

*** This series has extensive reading lists. If you can’t find the books listed, email us for help.

Note from a happy mom: “… I love the teaching guides. … They help my son to focus in on what he will be reading, and the study guides … will prove very useful for his end-of-the-year portfolio that I have to show the school system.”

MARBLE GAMES. I always had marbles that I loved, but I never knew what to do with them. Now I do. This is a collection of 50 marble games. Line drawings illustrate the text. Ages 6 to 12. $4.50.

PARLOR GAMES. A collection of 50 unique parlor games that are played cooperatively. Amusing and challenging games for small and large groups. Little or no equipment needed, for a quiet evening or lively party. Ages 12 to adult. $4.50.

SPORTS MANUAL. Features 60 co-op sports games for ages 10 to adult. Detailed manual for athletics, gymnastics, team sports, stick and ball events, co-op billiards, and horseshoes, plus suggestions for running a co-op field day. 36 pages. Illustrated. $4.50.

***GAMES MANUAL*** Many times when we didn’t have a birthday to celebrate and the kids wanted a party, we would have an “unbirthday party” and invite everyone’s friends. Each person brought a small gift costing less than $5 that would do for a girl or a boy. We played games and had ice cream and cake — complete with lots and lots of candles. Everyone helped to blow out the candles (picture it!). I wish we’d had this collection of games to use. This book has 170 co-op games and activities for ages 3 to 12. Little or no equipment needed; good for small or large groups. Most games can be played indoors or out. You’ll never do better than this for price or value. $4.50.

ZEN BLOCKS is a cube game for thinking and intuitive players. Easy games for the young and tough games for teens and adults. Many solutions to this puzzle. A good logic game. Play alone or with as many as 13. Ages 6 to adult. $29.00. Click on the image to see it enlarged.

MAZE. A cooperative form of chess. An intricate strategy game that is different every time you play. Wizards can make a veritable study of this game. Beginners can play an easier game. Basically a two-person game, but can be played alone. I find it fascinating. Ages 12 and up. $35.00. Click on the image to enlarge it.

UNTRIVIA. Finally! A game that asks practical questions about child-rearing, gardening, everyday law, travel, health, and more. It’s fine if you think you have the answer and maybe better if you discuss it before deciding. This is more the way our family always approached Trivial Pursuit. This game has “goof” tokens! A relaxing conversational game for older teens and adults. Highly recommended. Ages 12 to adult. 2 to 12 players. $24.00. Click on image for a larger view.