New Christian Education Resources

Through the Bible in a Year: 52 Lessons for Ages 8 to 12 - Bev Gunderson
This is a one-year Bible survey for children. Fifty-two reproducible lessons and activities teach the major events and themes of the Bible.

Growing Up in Christ: 52 New Testament Lessons for Ages 8-12




The Big Book of Kid Sermons and Object Talks

New DVDs

The Anansi Collection - books by Eric Kimmel
This is a collection of four popular African folktales about the master trickster, Anansi the spider: Anansi and the magic stick -- Anansi and the talking melon -- Anansi goes fishing -- Anansi and the moss-covered rock

The Holiday Collection
Three favorite holidays--Easter, Halloween, and Thanksgiving--are explored and celebrated in this joyous collection: Easter egg farm / by Mary Jane Auch -- Halloween / by Gail Gibbons -- Thanksgiving day / by Gail Gibbons

The Favorite Fables Collection
Three favorite fables are told using original art graphics: The gingerbread man / retold by Eric A. Kimmel ; ill. by Megan Lloyd -- Ouch! / retold by Natalie Babbitt ; ill. by Fred Marcellino -- Snow / Uri Shulevitz

Science Videos

Bill Nye the Science Guy videos:

Bones and Muscles
Cells
Genes
Life Cycles
Magnetism
Simple Machines
Water Cycle
Atoms
Animal Locomotion
Atmosphere

New Audiobook

Caps for Sale - Esphyr Slobodkina
A band of mischievous monkeys steals every one of a peddler's caps while he takes a nap under a tree.

New Audiobooks

Whistle for Willie - Ezra Jack Keats
A little boy wishes so much that he could whistle.


A Pocket for Corduroy - Don Freeman
A toy bear who wants a pocket for himself searches for one in a laundermat.

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters - John Steptoe
Mufaro's two beautiful daughters, one bad-tempered, one kind and sweet, go before the king, who is choosing a wife.

New Teaching Aids

Noah's Ark
Flannelgraph figures representing the story of Noah's Ark. For ages 3 and up.

How a Butterfly Grows puzzle
This 20-piece puzzle showing the life cycle of a butterfly consists of four layers demonstrating how a caterpillar grows into a butterfly. For ages 4 and up.

How a Frog Grows puzzle
This 20-piece puzzle showing the life cycle of a frog consists of four layers demonstrating how a tadpole grows into a frog. For ages 4 and up.

Africa and the Middle East puzzle
65 piece puzzle of Africa and the Middle East, with puzzle pieces shaped like the countries. For ages 4 and up.

Latin America puzzle
50 piece puzzle of Latin America, with puzzle pieces shaped like the countries. For ages 4 and up.

Rainbow Fraction Dominoes
Teaches fraction values of 1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, and 1/8, with multiple levels of play. For ages 6 and up.

New Puppets

From Folkmanis:

Mini Eagle Puppets
Set of four eagle finger puppets

November 2007 CMC Newsletter

CMC 40th Anniversary

The first monthly drawing was held on October 15. The winner of October's prize of a $25 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble was Nicole Normandeau. Congratulations to Nicole! There is still time to enter November's drawing for a $25 gift certificate to United Art and Education.

Well-known children's author and illustrator Jan Brett's latest book is The Three Snow Bears. She asked area bookstore Book & Co. to select five libraries to receive an autographed copy of the book. In recognition of the long relationship between Books & Co. and Cedarville University and in honor of the 40th anniversary of the CMC, Books & Co. selected the Centennial Library to receive one of the books. The Three Snow Bears is a re-telling of the story of Goldilocks and takes place in an Inuit village.

Website of the Month

If you are interested in the history and production of pop-up books, take a look at the website Pop-Up and Movable Books: A Tour Through Their History. The books highlighted on the website are part of the Weaver Collection at the University of North Texas, and cover the development of pop-up books from the 19th century to the present day. Click here for a list of the CMCs collection of pop-up, toy, and movable books.

Books into Movies

A lot of controversy has surrounded the upcoming release (December 7) of the movie The Golden Compass. The movie is based on the first book in a young adult trilogy by Philip Pullman called His Dark Materials. Pullman makes no secret of his atheism and the anti-religion themes of his books, and has been severely critical of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. At the end of the series, Pullman's main characters, two children, defeat and kill a senile God. Thanks to Ruth Hess for the link to this website that discusses the background of the controversy.

New Resources

During October, the CMC added a large number of new K-12 textbooks, in addition to many trade books and a number of new teaching aids. See the complete list of the 159 new items during October.

Newsletter Archives for the 2007-2008 Academic Year

New Teaching Aid

Food Pyramid Pocket Chart and Card Set
This hanging chart shows current USDA nutritional guidelines, with brightly colored sections representing each of the 6 food groups. Clear card pockets sewn into rugged, coated nylon disply the 95 Nutrition Pocket Chart Cards (included). An additional clear pocket stores cards. Includes suggested activities. For ages 3-10

New Graphic Format Book

The Arrival - Shaun Tan
In this wordless graphic novel, a man leaves his homeland and sets off for a new country, where he must build a new life for himself and his family.

New PE Book

Teaching Sports Concepts and Skills: A Tactical Games Approach - Stephen A. Mitchell
Tactical Games Teaching -- Using This Book -- Tactical Games Teaching: Explanation and Review -- Transfer of Tactical Learning -- Lesson Plans for Tactical Games Teaching -- Soccer -- Basketball -- Lacrosse -- Rugby -- Volleyball -- Badminton -- Tenis -- Softball -- Cricket -- Golf -- Bowling -- Tactical Games Curriculum -- er 15 Tactical Games Curriculum Model -- Assessing Outcomes -- Getting Started With Tactical Games Teaching -- Final thoughts

New Health Curriculum

World of Wellness Health Education Series
Student and teacher editions for Grades 2-5

New Children's DVDs

From Answers in Genesis:

Six Short Days, One Big Adventure
Buddy Davis and the Creation Adventure Team help a student with her science report. They reveal the wonders of the six days of Creation as they use amazing new inventions.

A Jurassic Ark Mystery
Buddy Davis and the Creation AdventureTeam travel the world in a fun-filled quest to uncover the mysteries of the dinosaurs.

A Is for Adam
Based on the popular children's rhyme book of the same title written by Ken & Mally Ham.

Dinosaurs: Genesis and the Gospel
Kids learn that God created animals, including dinosaurs, on Day 6 of creation week.

D Is for Dinosaur
A colorful animated DVD teaches children about Biblical creation, dinosaurs, and salvation.

New YA Books

Epic - Conor Kostick
On New Earth, a world based on a video role-playing game, fourteen-year-old Erik pursuades his friends to aid him in some unusual gambits in order to save Erik's father from exile and safeguard the futures of each of their families.

The Entertainer and the Dybbuk - Sid Fleischman
A struggling American ventriloquist in post-World War II Europe is possessed by the mischievous spirit of a young Jewish boy killed in the Holocaust. Author's note details the murder of over one million children by the Nazis during the 1930s and 1940s.

Rat Life - Tedd Arnold
After developing an unusual friendship with a young Vietnam War veteran in 1972, fourteen-year-old Todd discovers his writing talent and solves a murder mystery.

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village - Laura Amy Schlitz
A collection of short one-person plays featuring characters, between ten and fifteen years old, who live in or near a thirteenth-century English manor.

I Am Not Joey Pigza - Jack Gantos
Joey's father returns, calling himself Charles Heinz and apologizing for his past bad behavior, and he swears that once Joey and his mother change their names and help him fix up the old diner he has bought, their lives will change for the better.

I Am Rembrandt's Daughter - Lynn Cullen
In Amsterdam in the mid-1600s, Cornelia's life as the illegitimate child of renowned painter Rembrandt is marked by plague, poverty, and despair at ever earning her father's love, until she sees hope for a better future in the eyes of a wealthy suitor.

The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School - Candace Fleming
An unlikely teacher takes over the disorderly fourth-grade class of Aesop Elementary School with surprising results.

Bringing Ezra Back - Cynthia DeFelice
In the mid-1800s, twelve-year-old Nathan journeys from his farm on the Ohio frontier to Western Pennsylvania to rescue a friend held captive by the owners of a freak show.

When the Wall Came Down: The Berlin Wall and the Fall of Soviet Communism - Serge Schmemann
Recounts the fall of the Berlin Wall.

New Children's Books

When Gorilla Goes Walking - Nikki Grimes
In this collection of rhyming poems, Gorilla the cat enjoys answering the telephone, eating soul food, and sharing mischievous adventures with her young owner.

The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing - Helen Lester
Clothing is important to Ewetopia, but her carefully-chosen wolf outfit fails to impress the other sheep at the Woolyones' costume ball until a real wolf appears dressed as a sheep, mistakes her for his mother, and throws a tantrum when she outsmarts him.

Piglet and Papa - Margaret Wild
When Piglet's beloved father chases her away after she plays too rough, all of the barnyard animals try to make her feel better, but Piglet is still afraid that her father no longer loves her.

Nothing - Jon Agee
When Suzie Gump, the richest lady in town, walks into Otis's empty antique shop and insists on buying nothing, she starts a fad that has everyone buying nothing and emptying their homes and stores to make room for it--until Suzie realizes things have gone too far.

Toy Boat - Randall de Seve
A toy boat gets separated from its owner and has an adventure on the high seas.

Jabberwocky - Christopher Myers
Reinterprets Lewis Carroll's famous poem about the dreaded Jabberwocky.

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain - Peter Sis
Artist Sis Peter describes what it was like growing up in a Communist country and discusses how Western culture influenced his life.

Do Unto Otters: A Book about Manners - Laurie Keller
Mr. Rabbit wonders if he will be able to get along with his new neighbors, who are otters, until he is reminded of the golden rule.

I Loved You Before You Were Born - Anne Bowen
A grandmother tells all the things she thought about before her grandchild was born.

All in Just One Cookie - Susan E. Goodman
You won't believe what it takes to make one cookie!




Living Color - Steve Jenkins
Red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, pink - animals can be amazingly colorful.

The Edible Pyramid: Good Eating Every Day - Loreen Leedy
Animal characters learn about "good eating everyday" in a restaurant called The Edible Pyramid, where the waiter offers the foods grouped in sections of the Food Guide Pyramid and customers learn how many servings they need each day.

Heroes of Baseball: The Men Who Made It America's Favorite Game - Robert Lipsyte
Meet the men who were and remain the heroes of baseball. These are men who did more than hit home runs or pitch perfect games--they changed the way our society perceives itself, and the goals we set for ourselves and our nation.

Fred Stays with Me - Nancy Coffelt
A child describes how she lives sometimes with her mother and sometimes with her father, but her dog is her constant companion.

Diary of a Fly - Doreen Cronin
A young fly discovers, day by day, that there is a lot to learn about being an insect, including the dangers of flypaper and that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.