Wednesday, August 19, 2009 Switching Math Curriculum
We are huge fans of Veritas Press . All of the literature books they recommend are big hits with our children. We've taught the kids to read and write using the workbooks from their Phonics Museum and it's an easy, fun, and lovely way to teach these things to a kindergartener and first grader. But last year, midway through the year, we finally put away the dreaded Saxon Math and switched to Math-U-See!
Saxon was taking up at least 45 minutes per level per day to complete. Honestly, I don't have that much sit-down time to devote purely to teaching MATH! We were never able to complete the year's level. I dreaded it every day and that is not a great attitude for a teacher to exhibit. My boys did very well with Saxon as they have natural math brains. My daughter is more like me when it comes to math, and even after three and half years of Saxon, it just did not CLICK. She was still using her fingers to count simple addition.
I have heard so many positive things about Math U See from so many different sources that I decided to try it out. I found a used copy of the classic material and we jumped in mid-year. Literally within just a few days, math was not only clicking for my daughter, but for the first time in my life, I was able to "see" math. It's hard for me to describe the hows and whys, but I can tell you that I am much better at math because of Math-U-See!
If you don't start with MUS from the beginning, you need to get hold of the earlier levels and skim through them, teaching the concepts the way Steve Demme has designed it or else the child will be confused in later levels. I strongly advise anyone just starting out homeschooling to START with Math U See! You won't regret it! We were able to "catch up" after 2-3 months of review and then I ordered all the new books/dvds at the right level for their ages.
I don't dread teaching math anymore. The kids and I watch the lesson on DVD and then I oversee the worksheets as they apply what they learn from the lesson. (I'm told that older children can do all of this themselves.) A lesson takes as long as it needs to until the concept has been mastered. This could be a day or a week or more. But you don't move forward until you KNOW what you're doing. The pressure is off, the concepts are clicking, and we are all enjoying math these days!
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Friday, August 7, 2009 Cool Computer Games for School (and they're free, too)!
We have found some computer games online that are a daily part of our school day. The kids have a blast, learn a lot, and it's all FREE.
I cannot say enough how COOL Timez Attack is! The graphics are amazing. It is an action-packed video game adventure that teaches kids their multiplication facts. We officially start it in second grade, but I have to share my amazement that my FIVE YEAR OLD is currently navigating his way through the dungeon and blasting ogres as he learns his multiplication facts! You can see a demo and download it FREE here: http://www.bigbrainz.com/ It is so much fun!
Also starting in second grade, the kids begin learning to type. Another great free program online is Dance Mat Typing from the British school system. I love the British accents on the characters and the kids have fun, too. You can play online FREE here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/
For your preschooler (or even kindergartener) you can download the Zac Browser. It was designed to be a safe place for autistic children to play helpful games and watch kid-friendly short video clips. The child is never presented with advertisements or unwanted pop-ups and there is no possiblity of linking to any other website from the browser (unlike www.pbskids.org which we also like). The Zac Browser fills the computer screen with an aquarium scene that has links to safe games, music, stories, and videos, and an adult has to toggle "CTRL + L" in order to get back to the internet. Safe, Fun, and Free for your littlest ones to play online, whether they are on the spectrum or not! My little ones (as young as three) love it and so do I! Download it FREE here: http://www.zacbrowser.com/
School can be so much FUN (and free, too)! 
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Thursday, November 6, 2008 Bugs, Bugs, Bugs
| Our science experiments lately have been ordering kits to watch bugs! Right now we have Harvester Ants and are watching them dig tunnels. We also did "Ladybug Land" once and watched ladybugs grow through all their stages of life. Both kits are from Insect Lore and are a lot of fun for the kids (not to mention educational!) if you can stomach "bugs" for a few weeks (then they die..yippee!). Also found at www.learningthings.com which is a great catalog to have for ordering supplemental school supplies. |
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Tuesday, November 4, 2008 Netflix Origami Thursday, October 16, 2008 Taking Transformers to Math Today
For the younger boys' math lesson today, they were acting out "some, some more stories and some, some went away stories". They lined up Transformers and acted out stories with their favorite toys getting on and off a bus. This simple math lesson grew more and more complex as my dramatic six year old went into a story about the "Night Watch Decepticon looking for bad guys and walling out the intruders while shooting them with his laser eyes".
Sometimes the monumental task of homeschooling seems too much to handle. But then we have the occasional lesson where the boys get to learn a math concept as their Transformers shoot each other with laser beam eyes. And then I sit back, have a good laugh, and think "How cool is THAT?!" |
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Friday, September 12, 2008 Day Planner for Homeschooling Families
Several moms of many have recommended Amy Knapp's Homeschooling Organizer for the best all-around family organizer/day planner.
Found on Amazon for around $15:
Many homeschooling families find they have to buy more than one planner to meet all their organizing and record-keeping needs. Amy Knapp's Family Organizer has been helping busy families for years and now this Homeschooling Organizer provides one source for lesson planning, meal planning, record keeping and organizing with plenty of space and easy-to-use reproducible forms and grids. |
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008 33 Weeks
33 weeks down, seven to go . . . until baby number seven makes his or her debut! We were surprised by the first three, found out the gender with the next three, and this one is a surprise, too. We think it's going to be a boy, though all the kids want a girl ("because we already have a baby boy").
We don't have much time to think about how close we are to delivery because we are trying to finish school before the new arrival. Looks like we'll be doing math lessons until July in order to finish the curriculum. The plan is to take July, August, and September off, resuming schooling in October for the new year.
Other major goals before delivery are to "Toilet Train in Less Than a Day" our 2 1/2 year old and move the baby (16 month old) into a room with a big brother.
Busy, busy, busy!!!
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Saturday, April 19, 2008 A Negative Review of the GA Aquarium
We took all six kids on a "field trip" to the World's Largest Aquarium in Atlanta, GA today. It was not what we had hoped. Granted, we went on a Saturday when the crowds are the worst. But no one had warned us that you are not supposed to take strollers into each exhibit area. There were so many people it was difficult for the kids to get close enough to the glass to see well. It was hard to keep up with our children in the midst of such a dense crowd (and most of the areas are dimly lit). And it was very tiring to have to carry the two youngest ode to the "no stroller" rule. Our five year old got "lost" for a couple of heart-stopping minutes, too. Hubby and I were not impressed, but the kids did enjoy themselves.
Advice to those wanting to visit a nice aquarium . . . go to Chattanooga, TN! The Aquarium in Chattanooga has wide open spaces for seeing all of the exhibits and strollers are convenient throughout the building. It's a wonderful place to take even very young children. I bet they won't even notice that it doesn't have a Beluga whale. |
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007 Hilarious Homeschool Video Wednesday, October 10, 2007 Homeschooling Under the Weather
A minor cold can take nearly a month to circulate through six children and two adults. The children are tired, more fussy than usual, and are constantly needing tissue (and several need help wiping noses). This can sometimes make mom tired, more fussy than usual, and when she is also sick, needing tissue for her own tears of exhaustion. Back in the days before marriage/children I could call in sick and recover in peace and quiet. But now (unless I'm really ill and "call in sick" with hubby at work which I try not to do unless I am really unable to function) the work goes on!
Before homeschooling we could all watch movies and rest. These days we still watch movies on "sick days" but we keep schooling as much as possible. Maybe when my head is pounding I can't handle teaching a new concept in math, but I can still read (or listen as my 2nd grader reads) literature books. We can also use sick days to listen to geography songs, watch a Latin/art/or music lesson on DVD, and practice penmanship.
Some good work can still be done. But it ain't easy being sneezy.  |
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About Me
My faith teaches me that the calling of Christian homemaker, wife, or mother is just as holy as one to "full-time ministry."
I am a mom of seven children ages nine and under (plus one on the way!) seeking and sharing helpful tidbits learned during this season of life. May we glorify and enjoy Him each day!
:o),
Moms4Psalms
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