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Electives

We're not exactly sure who determines what are electives and what are "core" subjects, or why. Okay, maybe math is more useful than tracing your family tree because you can't balance your checkbook using scions and second cousins. But what about your family history, and the history of, say, Guam or Haiti? Is there something inherently better about reading "the classics" than learning Mandarin Chinese? Why are physics part of the main coursework for high school students, while robotics is optional?

Unfortunately, we aren't qualified to answer those questions, but we can defend electives on another level. Electives are essentially those subjects best suited to a student's personal interests, talents and abilities. In that sense, they're almost more important than core subjects, though we aren't going to make an argument that you should learn French before mastering English grammar (as long as you live in an English-speaking area, that is). We are arguing for advances beyond the necessary "standards," however, and for a broad curriculum that is child-specific.

Some electives are more important than others. Learning to manage one's money, how to interpret the Bible, and (these days) how to operate and understand computers are all more important than taking an acting class (though the acting class will be very important for some on a different level altogether). Technically, none of these are required courses, though for Christians particularly the first two are essential for a proper education. There are plenty of similarly important topics as well, though each family will need to prioritize.

There seems to be a move toward less specialized education. As our society becomes increasingly homogeneous, we spend less time focusing and more time absorbing "the big picture." We ignore either one at our own risk. We must have a larger framework in which to fit the smaller pieces, but take away the framework and you're left with relativity and chaos; the smaller pieces, and you have only an impersonal and meaningless ideology. Electives are a way to assert the need for both, and to have fun doing it.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.
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20 Exciting Plays for Medieval History Classes
by Dean Bowman
from Walch Publishing
for 7th-9th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$25.00
ABC's of Handling Money God's Way
for Kindergarten-6th grade
$4.80 (1 in stock)
All New Square Foot Gardening
by Mel Bartholomew
3rd edition from Cool Springs Press
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$21.24
Art of Interpretation
by Nicholas R. Elledge
from Institute for Cultural Communicators
for 9th-12th grade
in Speech & Debate (Location: SPEECH)
$10.00 (2 in stock)
At Play: Teaching Teenagers Theater
by Elizabeth Swados
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 7th-Adult
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Backyard Homestead
by Carleen Madigan
from Storey Publishing
for Adult
in Self-Sufficiency (Location: SS-Self)
$16.11
Bankruptcy Of Our Nation
by Jerry Robinson
from New Leaf Press
for 10th-Adult
in Economics Resources (Location: ECON-REF)
$15.99 $8.00 (2 in stock)
Better Homes and Gardens: Annuals Perennials and Bulbs
from Meredith Corporation
for Adult
in Flower Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Botanical Gardens - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Dot Barlowe
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)
$4.24
Child Star
by Lydia Weaver
from Viking Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Great Depression (1929-1939) (Location: HISA-20GD)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
City Gardener's Handbook
from Random House
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Colour Schemes for the Flower Garden
by Gertrude Jekyll, introduced and revised by Graham Stuart Thomas
1983 revised edition from The Ayer Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Flower Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Common Weeds - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Stefen Bernath
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)
$5.09
Contained Garden
from Viking Press
for 10th-Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Country Flower Drying
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
David Hicks Garden Design
by David Hicks
from Routledge & Kegan Paul
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Film
DK Eyewitness Series
by Richard Platt
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
DK Ready Set Grow!
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Down & Dirty
by Ellen Zachos
1st edition from Storey Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$16.96
Earning Excitement
Money Marvels for Kids
by Paul Nourigat, illustrated by Natalie Nourigat
from FarBeyond Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences - Full Set (old)
1st edition from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th grade
in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)
$24.65 (1 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences - Lab Manual with Recipes (old)
from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th grade
in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)
$7.23 (1 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences - Quiz/Test Key (old)
from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th
in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)
$1.70 (3 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences - Student Book (old)
1st edition from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th grade
in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)
$12.75 (1 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences - Student Set (old)
1st edition from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th grade
in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)
$16.15 (4 in stock)
Favorite Roses - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Ilil Arbel
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)
$5.09
Favorite Wildflowers - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Ilil Arbel
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)
$5.09
Financial Literacy Lessons & Activities Grade 2
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 2nd grade
$9.80 (1 in stock)
Floral Bouquets - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Charlene Tarbox
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)
$3.39
Flower Garden - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Ruth Soffer
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)
$4.24
Fruits & Berries of the Pacific Northwest
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Garden Flowers - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Stefen Bernath
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)
$5.09
Gardener
by Sarah Stewart & David Small
from Sunburst Book
Realistic fiction for Kindergarten-4th grade
1998 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.49 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Gardening With Children
from Brooklyn Botanic Garden
for 3rd-8th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Gardening with Emma: Grow and Have Fun
by Emma Biggs, with help from her dad, Steven Biggs
from Storey Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Give Me a Hand! History Skits 1942-1945
by Rebecca Locklear
for 8th-12th grade
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$10.20
God of the Garden
by Andrew Peterson
from B&H Books
for 10th-Adult
in Creating Culture (Location: XCU-CRE)
$15.29
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
by Laura Amy Schlitz
from Candlewick Press
for 5th-9th grade
2008 Newbery Medal Winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$11.04
Green Thumbs
by Laurie Carlson
from Chicago Review Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Greenhouse Gardener's Manual
by Roger Marshall
from Timber Press, Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Growing Roses in the Pacific Northwest
by Nita-Jo Rountree
from Sasquatch Books
for Adult
in Flower Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades
by Steve Solomon
6th edition from Sasquatch Books
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades
$3.20 (2 in stock)
Homeschool Psych
by Dr. Timothy S. Rice
2nd edition from Rocking R Ventures, Inc.
for 9th-12th grade
in Psychology (Location: XWV-PSY)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Homesteading
by Abigail R. Gehring
2nd edition from Skyhorse Publishing
for 9th-12th grade
in Self-Sufficiency (Location: SS-Self)
$23.76
How Not to Lose a Million Dollars
by Sheila Bair
from Albert Whitman & Company
for 6th-12th grade
$16.99
Interpretation of Dreams
by Sigmund Freud
from Basic Books
for 12th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$13.59
Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick
First Edition from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
2008 Caldecott Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$25.49
Jesus of Nazareth
by William Barclay
from Collins
for 3rd-7th grade
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Junior's Adventures - 6-CD Audio Set
by Dave Ramsey
from The Lampo Group
for 2nd-5th grade
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Language of Flowers
by Kate Greenaway
from Dover Publications
for all ages
in Poetry Anthologies (Location: POET-ANTH)
$6.95
Language of Flowers - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by John Green
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)
$3.39
Lifepac: Accounting - Book 10
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 11th-12th grade
in Consumer & Career Math (Location: MATR-CON)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Accounting - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 11th-12th grade
in Consumer & Career Math (Location: MATR-CON)
$26.75 $12.00 (4 in stock)
Lifepac: American Literature - Book 1
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in American Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-AM)
$11.50
Lifepac: American Literature - Book 2
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in American Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-AM)
$11.50
Lifepac: American Literature - Book 3
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in American Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-AM)
$11.50
Lifepac: American Literature - Book 4
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in American Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-AM)
$11.50
Lifepac: American Literature - Book 5
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in American Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-AM)
$11.50
Lifepac: American Literature - Boxed Set
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in American Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-AM)
$74.25
Lifepac: Art - Book 1
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 7th-12th grade
in AOP Art & Drawing (Location: ELEDRA-AOP)
$11.50
Lifepac: Art - Boxed Set
LIFEPAC Electives
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 4th-12th grade
in AOP Art & Drawing (Location: ELEDRA-AOP)
$108.00
Lifepac: Art - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 7th-12th grade
in AOP Art & Drawing (Location: ELEDRA-AOP)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: British Literature - Book 1
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in British Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-BRI)
$11.50
Lifepac: British Literature - Book 2
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in British Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-BRI)
$11.50
Lifepac: British Literature - Book 3
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in British Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-BRI)
$11.50
Lifepac: British Literature - Book 4
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in British Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-BRI)
$11.50 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Lifepac: British Literature - Book 5
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in British Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-BRI)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: British Literature - Boxed Set
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in British Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-BRI)
$74.25
Lifepac: Civics - Book 3
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Government & Civics Curriculum (Location: GOV-CUR)
$14.50 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Consumer Math - Boxed Set
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Consumer & Career Math (Location: MATR-CON)
$69.00
Lifepac: Essentials of Communication - Boxed Set
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Speech & Debate (Location: SPEECH)
$74.25
Lifepac: Essentials of Communication - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Speech & Debate (Location: SPEECH)
$26.75 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Foundations for Living - Book 10
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Health - Boxed Set
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$74.25
Lifepac: Health Quest - Book 1
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50
Lifepac: Health Quest - Book 2
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Book 3
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Book 4
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Book 5
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$26.75 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: High School Health - Book 1
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50
Lifepac: High School Health - Book 2
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50
Lifepac: High School Health - Book 3
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50
Lifepac: High School Health - Book 4
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50
Lifepac: High School Health - Book 5
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 10
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 2
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 3
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 4
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 5
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 6
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 7
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 8
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 9
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$26.75 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Little House Cookbook
by Barbara Walker
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-8th grade
in Little House Materials (Location: LIR-LHM)
$14.99
Lola Plants a Garden
by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
from Charlesbridge
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Man's Search for Meaning - Young Readers edition
by Viktor E. Frankl; foreword by John Boyne
from Beacon Press
for 6th-12th grade
in Holocaust (Location: HISW-20WW2H)
$10.19
Mathematics of Budgeting
by Kay Johnson
2nd edition from Meridian Book
for 9th-12th grade
in Consumer & Career Math (Location: MATR-CON)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
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