About a month ago, Mrs. Haskins emailed my mom about sending a copy of her recently published book THBL (The Homeschooler’s Book Of List) to review. We received the book, and though it was intended for my mom to review, I had to share how much I enjoyed it myself. This book gets two thumbs up!

This large, almost 600-page book is simply stuff full of a vast variety of information. This book includes lists on topics such as History, Government, Mathematics, Religion, Science, Geography, Great people, Quotations, Speeches, Arts, and much more. As a homeschooler, I have grown up viewing learning as an every moment, everyday activity, and this book is like a piece of candy. Being a big history-geek, I immediately flipped through the pages and began to read. This is a rich book; one that you can go back to over and over again to find information.

Since this is such a large book of so much information, I will go ahead and give a little information on the chapters as I see them. If you really want to know how truly wonderful this book is, you’ll have to purchase it for yourself.

The first chapter, History & Government, contains over 15 lists, and the first list starts off with Important Dates in History.

“Although there are some wars and “Christian” dates listed here, this is more of a general timeline to use for reference with your studies. Additional dates are included in more specific lists (military conflicts, scientific discoveries, inventions, etc) throughout the book”

A few of my favourites were Rulers of England, which gives the House from which the ruler descended and their rule span. The Seven Wonders of the World, which have a paragraph each written about them. Up until recently I had never really knew what the seven wonders were. This book has enlightened me. There is a list of Native Indian Tribes, Presidential Assassinations/Attempts, and The Thirteen Colonies, the Battles from the Revolutionary War, which give the date of which the battle took place. One last list in this chapter that I enjoyed learning about was the Lists of Holidays in the US and Around the World.

Since this is a new book, it includes recent information (ie: Lists of US Holidays), and is very reliable.

The second chapter, Language Arts, is very useful for new homeschool moms who need some direction in what sight words their children should know and when. Mrs. Haskins includes lists of Sight Words for grades preschool through fifth. She also has lists for the Eight parts of Speech, Linguistic Terms, Capitalization Rules, Commonly Misspelled Words, Phonetic Alphabet, How to Write Letters (Business & Personal), and book reports.

Not my most favourite subject in school, but Mrs. Haskins certainly listed everything nicely and simply in her third chapter, Mathematics. I enjoyed my time reading through this chapter, especially World Currencies. She also included some games that are useful for helping your children learn mathematics/finances.

The fourth, Religions, starts off with a list of Major World Religions, and gives who founded it, what year, what guiding text they follow, and what the main premise is. It also lists the Major Christian Groups in the US. This is an excellent way to understand how people believe a certain way and how they differ from your own beliefs. It also lists the estimated number of followers for that group. There is a Biblical timeline, Old Testament Books and what category they’re in (ie books of the law), New Testament books, days of creation, the Ten Commandments, ten plagues on Egypt, Tribes of Israel, Kings of Judah, Kings of Israel, Judges of the Bible, Prophets’ writings (includes appox. Date composed, meaning of prophet’s name, prophesied to/about, theme of book, sins addressed), twelve apostles, women of the Bible, children of the Bible, the Lord’s prayer, miracles of Jesus, parables of Jesus, fruit of the Spirit, key Bible verses, and the plan of Salvation. This part of the Book is really nice if you’re writing anything about your beliefs. It gives verse references and info about people (ie Women of the Bible).

You’ve always heard about Albert Einstein and Galileo, but why were they so great? Chapter five, Science, is yet another chapter simply stuffed full of historical information. It lists all the renowned scientists and includes their life-span and what they were acclaimed for. What about significant scientific discoveries? Mrs. Haskins lists those too and discovery dates, dating all the way back to 2540 bc. Ever wondered about paper money, eyeglass, weighing scales, the lead pencil, or the telescope??? How about the dates they were invented and by whom? If you check List #86, you’ll soon find out. This list stretches eight pages long and doesn’t miss a thing. There is also the list of Fields of Science, Definitions of “-ology” words, Rainbow colours, Temperatures, periodic elements table, planets and their moons, space flight histories, space missions, constellations, and mohs mineral hardness.

Children and their inventible love for animals will enjoy chapter six…Animals. This chapter includes everything from animal (and plant) classification to the deadliest animals. We just recently watched a program about sea animals, and every one of the kids sat starring and listening intensely at the screen. Kids truly love to learn. They are curious creatures, and this chapter is excellent for a read aloud. This book is a great resource for daily schooling. I could easily see using this chapter to use for lapbooks for any age.

So what exactly does “Zygote” mean? Mrs. Haskins shares the 14 stages of human Development in chapter seven, the Human Body.

Isaiah 44: 2

This is what the LORD says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

What about the difference between Fraternal and Identical twins? Not only am I a big history-geek, but I enjoy learning about complex systems, like computers, html, and the major organs systems. God made each person different, but all the same. List #108 explains. List #109 Main Bones in the Skeletal Systems gives facts about the human body, such as did you know that the human skull has 30 bones? Or that when a baby is born it’s skull is not fused together? This happens progressively. I actually knew this because one time when one of my siblings were born you could see the dip down the top of their head because the bones were not yet fused together. Weirdy.

There is the list of the Human Teeth, and then the next list is Good Health Habits. Very good. You could even make a chart out of this for younger children to learn “Good Health Habits”. You could also print out the Healthy Snacks listed on #112. From fruit to vegetables to bread to dairy to popcorn! There actually is a chart, MyPyramid Worksheet, for kids in there. Need a list for learning the basics for first aid? Fire safety? A “family box supplies”? Lists #116-118 has it all.

I run a blog called States & Country Exploration, which is designed to help you in the exploration of your state and country. I try to have the participants look in books, rather than just search online. THBL is an excellent resource for this sort of thing. Chapter eight, Geography, does not go too much into depth on each US State but gives a lot of info on weather phenomena, states capitals, state facts, which include key industries, state song, etc. There is also Geographical terms and words, with their definitions. This chapter is something like the animal chapter, only about the world. If you’re going on vacation somewhere, this chapter also includes US National monuments and parks.

There are literally thousands of English words of Greek or Latin origin, but since there are so many, Mrs. Haskins only listed a hand full. She says, “hand full listed here to show you how you can study words with a similar derivate and to interest your student in language roots”. I just realized this as I was looking through the list of Foreign Origins of English Words and saw that, in fact, the English words listed under are from each foreign language. Very interesting. Have you ever wondered about the word “fiancé”? It’s a English word, no? No, in fact it’s a French word, adopted by the English.

We all know where the origins of the title of the Days of the Week, Years, Animal names, Food names, and geographical words of Native American came from, but here is in depth information about. There is also a three page list of Similar Words in Seven Languages.

Cogito ergo sum. You might wonder what that means, huh? Well, I found the meaning in List #146: Common Foreign words/phrases in English. The above was “I think, therefore I am” in Latin.

I really enjoyed List #147 Greetings and basic Phrases in Foreign Languages. Do you know how to say thank you in Dutch? Dankjewel. If you say that word fast enough it does sound like “thank you”. This list includes Greetings and basic Phrases in German, Dutch, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Hebrew, Irish, Swahili, Japanese, Basque, Esperanto, Finnish, and Indonesian. The next list gives information about the Origins of the English Language.

Do you know the most commonly spoken language in the United States? You said English, didn’t you? Well, if you did then you need to take a look at List #149 Major Languages Spoken Around the World. Btw, Spanish in the most common spoken language in the US. The next few lists talk about meanings of words and then onto game to learn in any foreign language.

At this point I only have five more chapters to review, and I am just getting to the best part. You’d think, after reading the above, that I’ve given you most of the information out of this book, but I am just scratching the surface.

Chapter ten, Great People, is really beguilingly???????. The lists of great people start from Ancient times (Aristotle, Julius Caesar) to Early Explorers (Queen Elizabeth, Leonardo da Vinci, Christopher Columbus) to Early Native Americans & Pilgrims ( Pocahontas, Squanto, John Smith) to Colonial America ( Sir Isaac Newton, Johann Sebastian Bach) to American Revolution (Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington) to Westward (Hans Christian Anderson, Lewis & Clark, Queen Victoria, Sacagawea, Laura Ingalls Wilder) to Civil War Era (Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson) and end with the Progressive Era (Helen Keller, Annie Oakley, Teddy Roosevelt, Beatrix Potter, Martin Luther King). Then it goes on to list the birthdays of great people and their profession. Let’s not forget the Philosophers, Great Explorers, and the Native Americans.

Learning about our government is very important, starting with one of my favourite times in history: the American Revolutionary War. It is my favorite for a lot of reasons, but mainly because of what the founding fathers of our country stood for. Mrs. Haskins lists the influential people of the American Revolutionary War, then other Americans to know, and then onto the list of Founding Fathers, including which state they were representing. Then there is the list of the presidents of the United States. Ever wonder who the Presidents were married to? Who was Mary Todd? Mrs. Haskins didn’t forget them. List #166 First Ladies, includes name, life-span, and their children. Learn about the Supreme Court Justices, Leaders of the Abolitionist Movement, Pioneers of Flight, brave Christian Missionaries, and foreign heroes. And, ending the chapter with all the Nobel Prize Winners in each category starting from 1901 through 2006.

Chapter eleven, Quotations, Speeches, and other important documents, is a doozey. I relished in List #180 Proverbs From Other Countries. A few of my favourites were as follow.

“No one says his own buttermilk is sour”
“A wise man learns at the fool’s expense”
“A clever person turns great troubles into little ones and little ones into none at all”
“Listen to what you say about others and you will know what they say about you”
“Begin to weave and God will provide the thread’
“A lean agreement is better than a fat lawsuit”
“He who lives without discipline dies without honour”
“God grant me a good sword and no need to use it”

“To be or not to be: that is the question” and this quote is in List #181 Famous Quotes from Shakespeare. After this there are lists containing great speeches and the Bill of Rights.

Chapter twelve is right up my alley… Computers. Though already knowing a lot of the info listed, there was still some I hadn’t. From terminology to safety and maintenance. It’s a short chapter, but still useful.

Some friends of mine would really enjoy chapter thirteen, Art & Music. From explaining about the Greek & Roman iconic columns to art styles and periods to a list of art supplies. What about renowned artists like the Italian artists Leonardo da Vinci & Michelangelo? These list includes works, nationality and life-span about these great people. Then the chapter goes on to music: instruments, notes, musical terms, music in nature (a waterfall, cicadas mating, bees buzzing). How about Patriotic Songs to Renowned Composers (Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin), and then poetry & poets. Learn about them.

The last few chapters of THBL is about schooling in itself. There are many ways today you can be educated. One of my favourite authors, J. R. R. Tolkien, was sent to boarding school, which is a “setting where students receive meals, lodging, and educational instruction”. I am personally in favour of homeschooling, which I believe to be the best way to educate any child. If you are a homeschooler, there are many methods to use in your homeschooling. Methods like Charlotte Mason to Classical to Eclectic to Unit Studies, and Mrs. Haskins gives a good paragraph about each so to understand in full about each method. Mrs. Haskins also took a great deal of time writing on curriculum information and extensive reading lists for each age. Mrs. Haskins also included Homeschool Method, written by Paul & Gena Suarez, in her list of homeschool resources.

Ever find a list like this in a book: “What to do when you are having a bad day”? As homeschoolers, we all have bad days – whether it’s students frustrated with their work or moms frustrated with their children. Mrs. Haskins gives a whole list with things to help you calm and rely on God and other homeschoolers for strength.

And now we come to the last chapter of this incredible book, chapter fifteen, Organizational & Reference Lists For Teachers, Parents, & Students. Lists of supplies you’ll need in your class room, tips on book bargains, tips on field trips, and tips on bartering. Then it’s off to helping keep your children in order and your house. There are chores ideas for toddlers to young adults. Encouragement in ways to keep your home tidy and check lists. Information about programs, such as Boy Scouts & Five In A Row Books (FIAR) to Cornerstone of Freedom books & Landmark books, and a LOT more, including Newbury Medal Honour Books.

Did I mention this book comes with a companion cd that is interactive and includes every list for easy access on your pc? You can print off ANY list you choose with this cd, and when you’re not using it, it fits perfectly in the back of the book in the cd case.

This is a book to motivate you to learn. You will find your children picking it up to read. My dad even got it out to read after mom kept saying what lists were included. It’s a history book. It’s a curriculum resource. It’s a chart book. It simply is something you MUST have in your homeschool collection. You won’t be sorry. You won’t.

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Posted By Miss Jocelyn Tzahala on December 16, 2007 | Category: Homeschooling, Reviews

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