Are you on the verge of burnout? Looking for a fresh start? Are your kids longing for a little variety in their school day? Maybe, you just need a little FUN spelled W-i-l-l-i-a-m-s-o-n P-u-b-l-i-s-h-i-n-g! This fine company offers so much good stuff that you might even just want to make a day out of narrowing down your choices. As a family, you could make some selections, go to the library to do a little follow-up research, decide on a budget and time frame, and design a little unit study of the kids' choosing! How's that for a different school day? With so much involvement from the kids, it seems almost sure to be a success. Perhaps the only problem you will run into is trying to narrow down those choices from Williamson to fit your into budget (You will want to do quite a few of them)!

The following are the books I received from Williamson for review and my catalog is quite dog-eared! These books really do scream "Fun for Kids!"

Kids' Easy Bike Care (Tune-Ups, Tools & Quick Fixes) by Steve Cole

This book is all about the delights of riding a bike. It covers everything that a kid would want to know from the"Top Questions About Biking," safety, accessories for bike and bikers, to the "Rules of the Road," descriptions of various types of bikes, and general bicycle maintenance. This is like a car manual for kids. It could be easily subtitled, |everything you want to know about bicycles and then some!"

Almost Instant Scrapbooks by Laura Check

What kid doesn't enjoy collecting things or collecting everything for that matter?! If you are looking for a neat and organized way to care for those collections (one that even Mom will approve of), this is your ticket to happiness. Beginning with supplies, progressing to mounting options, moving into sorting and labeling, and ending with instant scrap booking ideas, Almost Instant Scrapbooks is sure to have something to appeal to everyone. You know all those old photos you have stored in boxes? Why not enlist the kids to organize them? Turn it into an art project. With a little text, it could easily double as a writing assignment!

Make Your Own Christmas Ornaments by Ginger Johnson

Some very different ornaments are featured in this little book. Ornaments like a "spinning bead spiral" a "hanging seed mosaic," "raffia snowflakes," "starfish snowmen," and a "feather bird." There are even instructions for "shimmering garland." Templates are included for quick and easy Christmas constructing!

Fizz, Bubble and Flash (Element Explorations & Atom Adventures for Hands On Science Fun)
By Anita Brandolini, PH.D

Designed for ages eight and up to discover, make it happen, investigate and get the inside scoop on science! And you thought that Chemistry was BORING. Not anymore. If your high school chemistry class had a dose of this book - well let's just say that this is a wonderful and exciting introduction to the periodic table! It is practical chemistry, including science fair ideas, wrapped up in a please-touch, hands-on approach to teaching. I can't wait until my son is old enough to get into this one!

Awesome Ocean Science (Investigating the Secrets of the Underwater World)
By Cindy A. Littlefield

Every summer our family takes a trip to the seashore and tries to begin school in the summer. Each year I try to design a unit study that we can do without taking too much time away from the vacation side of things. This is a great book to begin any time of the year, but oh how wonderful to do a little each day or so, when you return from that fabulous beach trip. Combine this with the scrap booking project above (using all those vacation pictures) for an easy kick-off to the new school year! Again, throw in a few library books and some good literature and you are set for a trip down summer's memory lane in your unit study. I like this approach. It's like kind of "tricking" the kids into school while they think we are just basking in the family's summer fun!

Some other exciting offerings from Williamson Press include: Create a Year-Round Wildlife Habitat for Urban and Suburban Small Spaces, Early Learning Skill-Builders, Real Life Math for Hands On Fun, The Kids Wildlife Book and oh, so much more! There are even books for mom and dad like: Sugar-Free Toddlers, Summer in a Jar, and Building a Multi-Use Barn. As I said earlier, the only problem you will have is trying to decide what to do first! Take a look at what they have to offer and put a little EXCITEMENT into your day!