If you homeschool, you know the feeling: the lesson plan says "quiet reading time," but everyone's restless, the baby's fussy, and what the day actually needs is five minutes at the park. This is the case for why a deck of cards belongs in your bag, your glovebox, and your diaper bag at all times. No time to read now? Click here to jump straight to the list of games. Sometimes the best "curriculum" is a deck of cards you can pull out at a picnic table, in a waiting room, or o

Early readers don't need to wait for "real" history class. They need history written for them — short sentences, big trustworthy pictures, and true stories chosen because they're genuinely interesting to a 6-, 7-, or 8-year-old.