Educational resource for teachers, parents and kids!

I can't really explain my attraction to the bow and arrow. I can't explain the pull of a camp fire either, or the ocean, or the open hills where you can see forever. It's just there. These things are in all of us I think, some vestige of our primitive past buried so deep in our genome as to be inseparable from what it is to be human. What we think of as civilization is a new experiment in the eyes of Father Time. Experts say that humans have been around for some fifty thousand years. We've been carrying the bow for maybe five thousand (atlatls and spears before that), and pushing the plow for maybe two thousand. We have been hunters forever. We are built to run, to pursue big game on the open savannas, to kill and eat them. With the dwindling of the Pleistocene mega fauna, mammoths and such, the bow became more important and indeed helped to make us who we are today. It still holds that attraction, same as the hearth. When I was a kid I would make crude bows from green plum branches, big at one end and small at the other. A discarded hay string would serve as a bowstring. My arrows were fat and unfletched and would scarcely fly more than a few yards, usually tumbling over in midair. The small creatures around our home were plenty safe. When I was about 12 or so my brother brought me two old Ben Person recurves he'd found at a yard sale. One was a short bow, probably no more than 48 inches and the other was more of a standard size. They both drew about 50 lbs if I recall. That fall happened to be a good year for cottontails around our little farm and I spent countless hours walking the fields and shooting at them as they busted from underfoot. Although I'd get several shots a day I never did hit one on the fly but I remember that fall fondly nonetheless. The pleasure of jumping rabbits and seeing the feathered shaft streaking toward them was a thrill I've never forgotten. I made my first "real" bow when I was in high school, after getting a copy of the Traditional Bowyers Bible in the mail (more on this in a moment). My first bow, a decrowned mulberry flatbow, broke within about 10 shots. The second held together quite well and is probably still around somewhere and capable of shooting an arrow, though it would probably draw about 70lbs. When I first started making bows I used the woods I had close at hand; mulberry, common persimmon, red maple, white cedar, etc. I'd probably made more than a dozen bows of various woods before I ever saw a piece of Osage. People often ask me where they can find a bow stave and, invariably, I tell them to use what they have close by. No matter where you live, you'll have something near that will make a bow. Go cut it down and get started. This book is an attempt to share some of what I've learned over my years of bow making. The Traditional Bowyers Bible series, as mentioned earlier, is still a great source of information. Why write another book on making wood bows you might ask? The simple answer is that there are so many ways of doing and explaining things. There are still unanswered questions and we'll cover many of them here. We will cover all of the most frequently asked questions, and lay out a simple plan that should guide you through the entire process, from finding a stave to stringing your bow and shooting your first arrow. Some of what you'll find here, you'll find nowhere else.

Fire can fascinate, inspire, capture the imagination and bring families and communities together. It has the ability to amaze, energise and touch something deep inside all of us. For thousands of years, at every corner of the globe, humans have been huddling around fires: from the basic and primitive essentials of light, heat, energy and cooking, through to modern living, fire plays a central role in all of our lives. The ability to accurately and quickly light a fire is one of the most important skills anyone setting off on a wilderness adventure could possess, yet very little has been written about it. Through his narrative Hume also meditates on the wider topics surrounding fire and how it shapes the world around us.

With over 300 step-by-step pictures, the Backyard Bowyer is geared for the beginning bowyer, backyard hobbyist, and anyone who has ever pondered building a wooden bow. Easy to read and follow steps go down to even the smallest detail in the design and construction of basic archery bows. Learn to craft fine wooden bows without huge investment in equipment and materials, and without being bound by location and limited workspace. Learn to construct: A classic target flat bow, an English Longbow suitable for hunting, and even your own strings and arrows for traditional and primitive archery.

“Take Glee, toss it in Lincoln Center, shake out the bizarre stereotypes and you get Take a Bow . . . one page turner that has us yearning for an encore.” —MTV’s Hollywood Crush From the award-winning author of Prom & Prejudice and Past Perfect Life comes a story of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a performing arts high school. Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter are getting ready for their Senior Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer, it’s been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn’t sure how to admit that he’d rather paint than perform. The Senior Showcase is going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching, spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform. “This fresh, fun, fabulous read will have you cheering for new beginnings. Five shiny gold stars!” —Susane Colasanti, bestselling author of the City Love series “The cutthroat competitiveness is balanced by quiet, thoughtful moments of soul-searching regarding stardom, the creative process, and doing and sharing what they love. Readers who love seeing underdogs come out ahead will be delighted with the conclusion.” —Publishers Weekly “Realistic dialogue and a healthy dose of teen angst keep the pages turning.” —Kirkus Reviews

Kar-Ben Read-Aloud eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and text highlighting to bring eBooks to life! Rifka's parents are actors in the Yiddish Theater in New York, but one day Rifka finds herself center stage in a special role! A slice of immigrant life on New York's Second Avenue, this is a unique book about a vanished time and a place – the Yiddish theater in the early 20th century―made real through the telling of the true life story of the 96-year-old author as a little girl.

From Field & Stream’s bowhunting experts and the authors of The Total Deer Hunter Manual comes the book that demystifies everything about bowhunting. From crossbows to high-tech compound bows to an old-fashioned recurve find it all, accompanied by tactics for every animal that can be bowhunted, in The Total Bowhunting Manual. With high-quality design and intricate detail, this manual is perfect for your tablet or phone. America’s best hunting guides bring you 261 field-tested tips, tricks and skills from decades of experience: · Shoot Better: With detailed exercises and advice for every kind of bow, this book takes you out on the archery range, into the woods, and onto the water with specialized drills and exercises. · Get the Gear: Bowhunting is a gear-heavy sport, and improvements are being made almost every day, but you need to find the right type, size and fit. Whether you want to hunt like Robin Hood or Katniss with historic gear or take to the trees with a high-tech, carbon fiber compound bow with all the accessories, these authors detail what you need. · Bring Home a Trophy: When people think “bowhunting” they think of deer but any animal that you can hunt, can be hunted with a bow. Find tips for taking down alligators, moose, birds, bears, caribou, turkey, fish and more; all the expert advice you need to go home with a trophy, not an excuse. Whether you’re preparing for trip of a lifetime or just want to extend your season and improve your technique, this is the book you need.

Hello Kitty Crochet is all about cute: the whimsical world of Hello Kitty and her Sanrio friends meets the Japanese art of amigurumi, or crocheted dolls. With easy-to-make patterns for adorable characters and accessories, Hello Kitty Crochet allows you to make all your favorites, new and old, from Badtz-Maru and My Melody to Pekkle, Purin, and Little Twin Stars. Whether you’re a seasoned crocheter or have never picked up a hook, you’ll find helpful tips and how-tos for creating kawaii crafts. It’s the perfect way for crafters and cuteness lovers alike to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Japan’s most famous kitty.

A compilation of violin and viola repertory group lesson ideas, planned to reinforce what is learned at individual lessons at home. This 84-page book is organized according to students' ability levels from pre-Twinkle through Volume 4. Each chapter contains an introduction, suggested warm-up activities, and appropriate ideas for working toward these goals: posture, concentration and coordination, right hand techniques, left hand techniques and musicality. Activities for combined violin and viola groups, and suggestions for the end of the group lesson wrap up each section of the book. This is an attractive and useful book with an emphasis on ideas. Photographs help to illustrate concepts.