Ari Armstrong, Author at IndySchooler

Brook, Gorlin, and Girn on Parenting

Yaron Brook recently hosted psychologist Gena Gorlin and education attorney Rebecca Girn to discuss parenting from an Objectivist perspective.

Horwitz on Economics

In my view, Austrian economics is a great place for students to start because it focuses on the logic of economic activity rather than on mathematical modeling or statistical analysis. And most of what goes by the name “Austrian economics” just is economics and is compatible with mainstream economics.

Steven Horwitz has written a short (and free!) book on the subject that would be appropriate for advanced high school students (as well as for adults). (You can also buy the book from Amazon; paid link.) And Horwitz recorded seven short lectures to accompany the book.

Steve Spangler’s Science Effect

I love Steve Spangler‘s science shows. More importantly, my five-year-old loves them. Recently I had a chance to talk with Spangler about his work, his views on science education, and his professional response to the pandemic. (My child joined for a few minutes!)

See also Spangler’s DIY Sci show (broadcast or streaming) as well as the Spangler Effect, and Sick Science on YouTube.

For more details, see the podcast show page for the episode.

Shafik on Socialization

Michael Shermer hosted a fascinating discussion with economist Minouche Shafik, mostly about welfare policy but partly about parenting and education. (I won’t address the political issues here.)

Sum Swamp with a Twist

Sum Swamp (paid link) is a great game for young children just learning to add and subtract. There’s just one problem: Because, as written, the outcome depends completely on luck, the game isn’t very fun. But there’s a simple way to modify the directions to add an element of strategy and make it a vastly better game.

The Heinemann Science Series

I really love the Heinemann “InfoSearch” science series; unfortunately, the books are no longer in print. You might be able to pick up some of them used, though, as through Amazon or eBay.

Each book is 32 pages and filled with solid information, simple experiments, and historical context. The pages are laid out nicely in full color.

If I find another in-print series I like as well I’ll write about it; for now I feel fortunate that I was able to collect ten books from this series. My five-year-old loves them.

Reading Life on Earth

David Attenborough’s 1979 Life on Earth (paid link) takes readers on an amazing journey through the history of life and its varieties today. The book (of which many used copies are available) contains many remarkable full-color photos of living creatures, making it accessible even to younger children.

Free Gutenberg Ebooks for Young Readers

Project Gutenberg makes available, at no cost to users, an extraordinary number of out-of-copyright books in various ebook formats. Here I round up links to famous works suitable for young (and older) readers.

The Boyhood Adventure of Stone Fox

Ten-year-old Willie has a heap of problems. His grandfather and caregiver, distraught over the likelihood of losing his Wyoming potato farm, is bedridden. Willie’s doctor friend urges Willie to leave his grandfather to the care of others and abandon the farm. The local banker sees selling the farm as Willie’s only way out.

But Willie is not ready to give up hope. Can he work the farm himself? And can he raise the funds necessary to save the farm? That is the adventure that John Reynolds Gardiner takes us on in his 1980 short novel Stone Fox (paid link).

Fall Leaf Colorings

My wife did a very simple and fun leaf coloring project with our son. Gather up some Fall leaves, put them between paper, and use the side of a crayon to capture the outline and texture of each leaf. The colorings make great seasonal cards.