New Book on Kateri

Now that Kateri has been canonized, we are seeing a lot of books about her being promoted. Here is a new one we're carrying on our website:

http://hillsideeducation.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_30&products_id=455

Brenda Nippert did a beautiful job with the illustrations and the text is co-written by homeschool student Bernadette Nippert.

Twenty-Six Letters to Heaven a Hit!!

We've received lots of positive feedback about the preschool curriculum by Sarah V. Park with coloring pages drawn by the author's brother, Cliff Vasko.

Wanted to share this one with you:
http://carrotsformichaelmas.com/2012/10/25/catholic-preschool-curriculum-review-twenty-six-letters-to-heaven/

Having Trouble ordering Natural Science Through the Seasons?

I've been getting a lot of comments about having trouble trying to preorder Natural Science Through the Seasons. We are aware of the problem . . . but we are not sure what is causing it, so we don't know how to fix it.

Here is what to try if you are having trouble (These are things that have worked for some people):
Option A
1. Clear your cache (recent Internet memory under Tools tab of the browser)
2. Enter the website directly, not from a link you got from someone else

Option B
Try a different Internet browser (use IE if using Firefox, etc)

Option C
If you just can't stand it anymore . . . please email me and I will send you a paypal invoice for the book. Please indicate if you want media or priority shipping in your message.

Sorry for the hassle. I sure wish we figure out why it's happening on this book only and nothing else on the website.

Thanks for you interest in the book!

Natural Science Through the Seasons: 100 Teaching Units

We are so excited about publishing this book, we can hardly sit still and wait for the last few production steps. But, I am pleased to announce that we are sending it to the printer at the end of the week and will be able to ship by the end of the following week.

So what did we do in our edition of the book?? We left most everything intact from the first edition, but some of the images needed replacing--and we found some wonderful nature images to include. I think you will love the visual part of the book. We also added new resource listings for each unit. Most of those listed in the 1950 edition are impossible to find. We thought it was important to leave those in, but we added some new books for each unit and when appropriate a few Internet sources.

We will be offering a purchase incentive in the next two weeks - so please check our website to learn about what we're offering.

New Titles for 2012

Well, we have two of our new books for 2012 ready to go . . . sort of. We have a beta version of the Hillside edition of Mondays with Mary by Meredith Henning now available. This is an 8.5 x 11 book with coil binding. The final version will be 8 x 10 and perfect bound. But we think you'll like this current version!! For those of you who are not familiar with this book, it's a series of "tea times" to share with children focused on growing in devotion to Our Blessed Mother. Each tea time includes some thoughts for discussion, activity suggestions, and recipes.

Here is what we added for the second edition of Meredith's beautiful book: child-sized coloring pages at the beginning of each section (these can photocopied and used in your activity sessions); an appendix with the recipes so you can clip them out or reference them easily; and an appendix with the activities listed in chronological order. In the main part of the text, the activities are organized by the Litany of Loreto, so activities for Holy Mary, pray for us come first in the book even though the feast day Meredith chose for that one is the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary on September 12. This could be confusing as you try to use the ideas, so we made a handy list of the activities in order by the calendar year.


 So while this book is available, we are still tweaking it for the final version.


The second book we have ready is Simon Brute and Western Adventure by Elizabeth Bartelme. We have long wanted to bring this title back in print and so excited to finally have it available. Read all about it on the website.

The other two for 2012-- The King's Gambit by John McNichol and Natural Science Through the Seasons by James A Partridge-- are still in the works. We know you'll find them worth the wait!!

Available now for preorder!

You can now preorder a copy of Sarah Park's Twenty-Six Letters to Heaven: A Catholic Preschool Curriculum! Introductory price of $22.99 is available until April 19th. Retail price after April 19th is 29.99.

We've included supplemental coloring pages--a saint for each letter of the alphabet.










Click here to read all about it and place your order!

New Titles this Spring

We have three new titles due out this spring and one scheduled for the summer.

 

First, we are pleased to announce a new Catholic preschool program by Sarah V. Park. Sarah has integrated alphabet awareness activities with arts and crafts projects, poetry, picture books, and saint and virtues study. It's an easy-to-use program for busy moms that can involve the older kids as well. We will be accepting preorders in about a week. Please check the website!

Secondly, we will be bringing Meredith Hennings' Monday with Mary into the Hillside list. This is a revised second edition and will be available at the end of April.

And lastly, we've got a brand new title from John McNichol, the author of the Young Chesterton Chronicles. 

 

It's an action packed science fiction/fantasy story for 10-12 year-olds with a chess-playing theme. Look for this title in early May.

For summer release, we are still working on Natural Science Through the Seasons: 100 Teaching Units by J.A. Partridge. Thanks to all of you have expressed your interest in this title. We will definitely have it out before the start of the school year in the fall.

Winter Issue e-mailed!

Dear Readers,
I apologize for the delay in getting this issue out. It ought to be easier now that we are digital, right? Well, we are still homeschooling families trying to pull this off amid our schooling schedules, sick kids, and stressed out husbands, etc etc etc. So, we are late.

But it was finally e-mailed last week! Unfortunately, I had 69 bounce back to me with bad email addresses. If you didn't receive an email with a link to download the issue, please contact me so I can get your correct email. Also, I have about another 60 subscribers for whom I have never had an email on file. I'll be contacting those people by mail over this coming week to get a good delivery address. 

Thanks to all of you who are sticking with us in this new era! We will be offering the coming issues in various e-reader compatible files, but this one is a straight pdf, which I think you can still read on your personal devices.

Hope you enjoy the issue!!
God bless,
Margot

Editor

Book Giveaway Winners

This week during Nancy Carpentier Brown's talk on Chestertonian humor at the MidWinter Refresh Virtual Conference, we sponsored a book giveaway of Nancy's books.

55 people entered the drawing and here are the 3 winners: Maria Nielsen, Kris Ward, and Colleen Arsenault.

Thanks to all who attended Nancy's talk and all who entered the giveaway!

Check out the conference to see the other presentations in which you can participate!

Great New Title for kids- new Mass translation

The Mass Illustrated for Children

 by Susan Bateman

!!!  NEW   !!!

This is an incredible coloring book/illustrated storybook of the Mass. It contains the text of the Mass (Ordinary - new translation) as well as some explanatory text. Perfect for First Communion prep or any study of the Mass. Children can take it to Mass and follow along as well.

I really like it because it fits with the way I teach First Communion prep classes. For example, on the Confiteor page, the text is accompanied by illustrations (to color) of the story of the Prodigal Son. The cover image features the Good Shepherd carrying the lamb on his shoulders. (I have placed on this page the image of the previous cover of this coloring book but will load up the revised cover as soon as I can scan it.) The back cover text says "Jesus is inviting you to share in his life through the Mass. Let the Good Shepherd carry you on his shoulders into the mystery of his love."

5.5 X 8.5 softcover
published by Second Spring and Thomas More College

You can purchase it HERE!

We're having a big sale!!

I mean a REALLY BIG sale!! Please pass the word along.

We've never had a sale this BIG! Everything in our online store is on sale with savings from 20-50%. Please visit our website soon as some quantities are limited. Check out some of the specials below. 

 

ALL NOVELS 50% OFF

CROSS AMONG THE TOMAHAWKS AND SHIPS BOY WITH MAGELLAN BY MILTON LOMASK 

SWORD OF CLONTARF AND THE KING'S THANE BY CHARLES BRADY

WORD TO CAESAR BY GEOFFREY TREASE

CITY OF THE GOLDEN HOUSE,

CHILDREN OF THE RED KING,

 AND CHUIRAQUIMBA AND THE BLACK ROBES

ALL HOMESCHOOL CULTURE RESOURCES 40% OFF

    HAYSTACKS FULL OF NEEDLES: A CATHOLIC HOME EDUCATOR'S
    GUIDE TO SOCIALIZATION BY ALICE GUNTHER
   

    IN HIS IMAGE: NURTURING CREATIVITY IN THE HEART OF YOUR
    HOME  BY MARY GILDERSLEEVE

   

    A LITTLE WAY OF HOMESCHOOLING: THIRTEEN FAMILIES
   DISCOVER CATHOLIC UNSCHOOLING BY SUZIE ANDRES

  Much more!! All on sale now!!

Our newest title!!

Children of the Red King

by Madeleine Polland

Now available!!

This was Mrs. Polland's first novel for children, and it is excellent! In her usual beautiful storytelling style (City of the Golden House, Beorn the Proud, Chuiraquimba and the Black Robes), she tells the story of the last Irish chieftain to hold out against King John and the English conquest of Ireland. While his children are held captive by a Norman knight, Cormac of Connacht battles to keep the land free and retain his kingship against conspirators.

Exciting historical fiction set in early 13th century Ireland.

 
Cover art by Sean Fitzpatrick; cover design by Ted Schluenderfritz.

Website Down

I'm sorry, but our website has been down for a day or two as the cart server owner migrates to a new server. It will be another day, I think, and all will be up and running again.

Thanks for your patience!
I am not able to access it to see what orders were placed over the weekend, but I will get the orders out as soon as possible once the servers are back up.
God bless
Margot

End of Summer

Wow- my last post was in May! I didn't realize that I hadn't posted something in so long. But that's probably a good thing since one goal I had for the summer was to spend less time on the computer and more time looking in my children's faces.

And now . . .  summer is at an end (almost)!

I wanted to post a long and rambling tract about my impressions after the Catholic Marketing Network trade show, but I just haven't had time. I will say, however, that the show never ceases to inspire me and make me feel part of something great and glorious.

Here are a few new things I saw that I think homeschoolers will find interesting:

Lisa Hendey's new book is due out this fall.

This new DVD series will also be ready this fall:

I saw a little clip of it, and it is a beautifully filmed wide overview of the Church photographed all over the world. I will be doing a more indepth review of it for the magazine and love2learn.net after I have had a chance to view the whole thing.

Lastly the Didache religion course series has now come out with semester courses which focus on particular aspects of the catechism. Some of them are condensed versions of the full year courses and some have new information. There is one just on the Sacraments and one on the Blessed Trinity. I think having the option for a smaller book will be great for homeschoolers, both for the pocketbook and for the schedule.

Hillside news in the next post!!

Catholic Summer Reading Program

The folks at Aquinas and More are sponsoring a Catholic summer reading program. Click on the green widget to your right to go to the page. Several of our books are in the finals for the voting, so hop on over and cast your votes! You will see some other great books listed.

Here are the books of ours that are nominated: City of the Golden House by Madeleine Polland (one of my all time favorites) and Word to Caesar by Geoffrey Trease (adventure story set in Roman empire).
I agree that they are both wonderful for summer reading!

Conference Schedule

Here are the conferences we have booked so far:

April 29-30th
ARCH in Houston
http://www.arch-homeschool.org/index.php?page=curriculum-fair
You can meet Cindy Kelly, one of the authors featured in A Little Way of Homeschooling, at our table on Friday night. Then chat with Maria Rioux, regular contributor to mater et magistra magazine on Saturday.

April 30
CHAPLET in Southern NJ (I will be attending this one)
http://www.chaplet.org/Conference.html

May 20-21
Buffalo Catholic Home Schooling Conference
http://www.quietwatersproductions.com/index.cfm?load=page&page=7

May 27-28
North Texas
http://www.ihmconference.org/northtexas/
Visit with Charlotte Williams

June 10-11
IHM in Virginia (I will be attending this one)
http://www.ihmconference.org/national/

June 24 and 25
We would attend the Cleveland OH conference if we could find someone to cover the table.
http://www.ihmconference.org/cleveland/

July 22-23
Tampa, Florida
http://www.ihmconference.org/tampa/

New Titles

We are please to announce that our latest title, A Little Way of Homeschooling: Thirteen Families Discover Unschooling by Suzie Andres is available for preorder. Please visit the Hillside Education website for more information.

People often ask me what "program" I use, or whether Hillside provides a full curriculum. Well, we don't provide a full curriculum, we publish resources that we think will bring enlightenment and beauty to home education. But the answer to the first question is more complicated. What program I use is not as important as the program that YOU use and that you have found to work with your particular children and your particular situation. I believe in supporting home educators no matter what style of teaching they employ. I fell in love with this book because the stories related by the homeschooling moms are given honestly and humbly and Suzie's connection with St. Therese is irresistible. I think you will be uplifted and refreshed by reading it.

We also have reprinted a version of Fabiola by Cardinal Wiseman that was originally published by the Daughters of St. Paul. This is the version recommended for MODG families. It has taken us years to bring this to print, so I heave a great sigh as I announce it. Please visit the What's New page on the website to see all of our new releases.

We have a few more books in production that will be available for the next school year. We'll post them as we finish them.
Blessings,
Margot

Winter weather causing delays

I heard from the printer that the winter issue of the magazine (boy-themed) has been delayed because of winter weather. This weather system is affecting all of us in one way or another. We're snowed in here today with promises of accumulating ice overnight (I hate ice!). I've been so impatient to get this issue out and God in His wisdom has other plans -- for me keeping me depending upon Him and teaching me humility, and for you, giving you yet another way to practice charity by sticking with us even though our issues are late. Thanks for sticking with us!!

The good news is that we are well ahead on our spring issue and it will be mailed in advance of Easter. That issue has ideas for the Liturgical Year celebrations of Easter as well as the theme of "relationships" in homeschooling. It will also include the first part of an article on motivation by Andrew Pudewa (second part to come out in the summer issue). Thinking about Easter being later--really in spring here--is helping me get through this winter slog.

Feast of St. Brigid February 1

The Feast of St. Brigid is coming up! I find it so satisfying that her feast falls within the Christmas season, the last feast before the feast of Candlemas on February 2, since St. Brigid is said to have mystically visited the manger in Bethlehem to see the Christ Child. You can read Amy Steedman's telling of it in this narrative. The symbol of fire has also been associated with St. Brigid, again, so fitting to be honored so close to the feast of Candlemas.

You can celebrate the feast with Irish treats and the making of St. Brigid's cross (directions here). You might also like to read Brigid's Cloak with your children. You will also find some other ideas at the the Catholic Culture site.

Chuiraquimba and the Black Robes

by Madeleine Polland

Now in print!!

I am a great fan of Madeleine Polland - in fact, I think I am her greatest fan. I would love to reprint every one of her books for children!


Chuiraquimba and the Black Robes is the latest installment in what I hope to someday call our "Polland library." Set in 1600s Paraguay, it tells the story of the Jesuit missions there and the incredible faith and devotion of the Guarani people. In addition to being a beautiful story about finding the Faith, it sensitively portrays the Guarani and the exploitation of them by the colonizing Spanish and Portuguese. It's a great addition to any historical study of the age of exploration and colonization. Original cover art by Sean Fitzpatrick and cover design by Ted Schluenderfritz.

Visit the website for ordering information.


The next book by Madeleine Polland that we plan to publish is Children of the Red King, her first book for children.