Discovering the world of Narnia a little bit at a time

I recently discovered an interesting vendor of homeschool products. Cadron Creek has three very specific literature-based studies on series of books that I just loved. If you love the stories of Laura Ingalls, Anne of Green Gables or Narnia, you will be delighted to see what Cadron Creek has for you and your students.

I was given a choice of which curriculum I wanted. I selected the one that I thought would speak more for my oldest son. And I was very surprised to see what I got in my mailbox a week later. Further Up and Further In gave me goose bumps as I was scanning the pages of this study. What is Further Up and Further In you wonder?

Further Up and Further In is a full-year curriculum based on the study of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. It brings together English literature, social studies, geography, Bible and character building, cooking, and art with a bit of science and history at times. However, to complete this curriculum, parents are strongly advised to supplement with more history, math, grammar and spelling.
Specifically aimed for readers of grade 4-8 level, Further Up and Further In can easily be adapted for younger children. Each book of the Narnia series is covered in this literature study. You will find recipes, directions for activities, other books to read, and poems. I personally used it with my 2nd grader and he enjoyed the time we spent together reading The Magician Nephew and learning new words. I must admit that I too learned interesting things while using Further Up and Further In the past few weeks. We took it slowly as we were discovering this together. We had discussion about scriptures and about we had read in the chapter, we learned new words and their definition, we applied these new words in a different context to make sure we understood them, and so on. I must admit that I skipped some acitivities that I found too advanced for a 7 year old but generally speaking we had fun. We are both looking forward to continue reading the Narnia books and to learn more new words. Too often I find that we don’t stop to look at the words when we don’t understand it. This study helps us to slow down and discover new vocabulary.
Cadron Creek also have other products including a literature-based unit study on all nine books of the Little House on the Prairie called The Prairie Primer (grades 3-6 )and one that brings the student in the Victorian Era and the world of Anne of Green Gables called Where the Brook and River Meet (junior high and high school students). If you are interested in reading reviews about the other two literature-based unit study that other members of the crew were able to used, please feel free to check out the TOS Crew blog at your earliest convenience.
Further Up and Further In is available for 56$ US in paperback or 62$ US in spiral-bound. However, please remember that you might have to buy other resources to help you with this study. I personally recommend ROAR! A Christian Family Guide to the Chronicles of Narnia which is out of print but you can still find it in sale sections of at Christianbook.com and also a book from Paul F. Ford titled Pocket Companion to Narnia. The author also suggests other books for older students as well.