Home Learning Year By Year

Encouragement, Mom Helps, New to Homeschooling, Organization No Responses »

Feb 032012

What’s one of the biggest homeschooling questions you are asked or find yourself asking? I’m not talking about the, “Is this enough?” question, rather the, “What should my child know?” It’s so easy to wonder if you’re teaching your children the right information at the right time, especially if you’re not using standard textbooks.

There are solutions to this problem but my favorite comes in one small book. Home Learning Year By Year by Rebecca Rupp. This book has saved my sanity many times. Really, it has. Home Learning Year By Year breaks down exactly what children will be tested for or are learning in most US based public institutions for kindergarten through 12th Grade. One book. So much information!

How I use it:

I’m sure there are many ways you could use this. The book has an overwhelming amount of information. About once a year, during summer break or before the start of our new school term, I make a list of items I want my child to learn for his grade.

I also go back over the information my child should have learned from the previous grade , just to be sure I covered everything I wanted. You’ll find that much of the standards carry over. For instance, in Grade 2 a child is meant to learn how to use a comma when writing a date, address, or when making a list within in a sentence. By Grade 3 your child will expand their knowledge of commas, so don’t panic if you didn’t teach it in Grade 2. Just teach commas in Grade 3 and expand on it more.

The list making process isn’t complex. I read through the chapter for each of my children’s grade levels. I jot down, in a notebook, the things I know they don’t know or that I’m not sure if they’ll be covered formally in any of our curriculum. From there I type that list out and group things together. All math information, for instance, is tucked under a Math heading. I make sure to make a little check mark box next to each item I put on my list. It’s very simple. I also make sure to put the school year, grade level and child’s name on the top of each paper. I also leave some space for putting notes on my pages. I then print the pages out, and tuck the note into my Teacher/Mom notebook for school. As we go along I can tick off boxes when things are taught or learned.

Not everything has to be taught in a formal way. For instance, I’m really great for making the lists and leaving it laying around so I can bring certain topics up, “Do you guys know what an animal home is called?” If they get the right answer, I tick it off my list. Wrong answer? I plug in a Magic School Bus video and pull out a matching book, then I tick it off my list. Explaining terms like biography and autobiography can happen right at the dinner table. Where as teaching children how to alphabetize is better suited on the living room floor with an alphabet puzzle spread before you.

What I love:

I love that this one small book can guide me through my children’s entire school careers. There’s no need to purchase a new book all the time.

I love the price! Seriously, one book that will last me all 13 years of my children’s schooling and it only costs between $10 – $16 depending on where you purchase it. {Amazon.com has it for $10 + shipping & Book Depository has it for $15.97 with free shipping}

I love that Rebecca Rupp has taken the time to type out resources you can use to teach a variety of the things on her list. From main stream math programmes to lesser known picture books. It’s all right there at your finger tips!

I love that the book is small. I know that sounds silly, but really that’s big! I can toss this in my bag and take it with me nearly anywhere during the summer when I’m making my lists. It’s not much bigger than a typical paperback book!

What I don’t like:

I honestly can’t think of much about this book I don’t like. I think, if you live outside of America, you may not find the book as helpful because it is made to pass the US tests at the end of each grade. I can’t consider this a dislike because I knew that going in. I also don’t teach my kids to pass tests, so that’s not a problem for me.

There’s also the factor that while this explains what US children will be learning for history at different years, there’s going to be huge amounts of US history. Again, not something I dislike about this book for a couple of reasons. First off, I knew that going in. Secondly, my children are both American & Australian so it’s important that they know US history. For those of you not interested in learning US history you could simply substitute your country’s history in it’s place.

Bottom Line:

I love Home Learning Year by Year. I love the treasures inside of it. I love the peace of mind it helps me achieve! When asked what book to recommend to new homeschoolers this is one that’s on the top of my list!

Extra:

Rebecca Rupp has also written a book entitled The Homelearning Source Book. This book is a coffee table type book that is just bursting full of resources for teaching your children anything and everything. It’s very simple to use. And on top of the awesome resources, there’s also notes about which resources The Rupp Family used and how they enjoyed them. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if it’s still in print as neither Amazon or Book Depository seem to be selling copies of it, all though CBD seems to have copies {they do ship overseas as well.} If you can get your hands on a copy it’s well worth it!

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A Wise Woman Builds by Meredith Curtis

Bible, Mom Helps 7 Responses »

Jan 112012

A Wise Woman Builds
Author: Meredith Curtis
Format: ebook
Pages: 365
Cost: $30.00

A Wise Woman Builds by Meredith Curtis is a massive Bible Study tool weighing in at 365 pages. Yes, you read that correctly…3.6.5. pages. WOW! This puppy covers IT ALL – at least when it comes to growing the house of God. Unlike most studies with this title, this study is about growing to enable building the church, not so much the home.

Here is a quote directly from Meredith’s site that describes this study better than I ever could:

Proverbs 14:1 tells us that wise women build and foolish women tear down. The passion of my heart is to build my family, my home, my local church and the Kingdom of God! I long to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the Great Commission, making disciples and teaching them EVERYTHING Jesus commanded! All 25 lessons talk about the process of building others up for the glory of God. We look at Jesus model of making disciples, wisdom, spiritual gifts, motherhood, hospitality, leading a Bible study, counseling, and passing the baton! This workbook takes you to the Scripture passages that set the direction of my life, mothering, worship leading and homeschooling. I live my live by these principles and stand firmly behind them with all of my heart! Prepare to be challenged by this Bible study to go deeper and live passionately for the purposes of God!

This study is not for the faint of heart and will not be “a quick read”. If you try to sit down and “flip through it” you will totally miss the point. (Ask me how I know. LOL) This study is meant to cover all aspects of the life of a Christian woman as she relates to the building of the Church – and that is a lot (hence the whopping 365 pages!).

Personally, I cannot read nor do a Bible study while looking at the computer – so I had my copy printed. Check it out!

To show you the actual size, I placed a normal roll of tape next to the binder:

YOWZA! Threatening? Probably. Worth it? Yep!

This study walks you through topics like:

The Great Commission
A Servant’s Building Tools
Speaking Truth in Love with Wisdom
Evangelistic Lifestyle

The entire study uses a lot of scripture as the base, which I love. After the scripture study portion of each lesson, the author gives her particular thoughts on what was just studied. There are several pages of both scripture study and opinion for each lesson.

So far, in my study of A Wise Woman Builds, these are some of the things that stuck out to me:

The unique thing about the Body of Christ is that those being repaired are also repairing. It is as if Mrs. Hammer drives Miss Nail into Mr. Wall who then later cleans Mrs. Hammer with paint remover spilled on her by Mr. and Mrs. Paint while they were redecorating the Bedroom family. (pg. 23)

A Titus 2 woman exudes reverence for God that permeates every aspect of her life: marriage, ministry, mothering, job, physical appearance, and conversation. Everyone in her life knows that she loves and obeys God. She is modest in her dress, respectful of her husband, diligent in her job, and faithful in her ministry. (pg. 57)

God’s Kingdom is an upside-down kingdom with those who rule and lead, bending low and serving more than anyone else. Serving is never something that you do to get to a higher place. A higher place in Jesus is marked always by greater servitude. It’s the only Kingdom where you will hear: “The Pastor is taking out the trash!” “The worship leader is cleaning the toilet!” (pg. 69)

As you can see, there is plenty of humor mixed in too.

You can view the Table of Contents along with a sample chapter: The Great Commission.

If you would like more information on where to purchase a copy of your own, click HERE.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Come visit Dawn over at her blog, Guiding Light Homeschool, on Facebook and on Twitter…friends are ALWAYS welcome!

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Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners Review and Giveaway!

Encouragement, Mom Helps, New to Homeschooling, Organization 31 Responses »

Dec 052011

Our very own friend and fellow review author, Cindy West has written this book, Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners! You’ll want to learn all about it below, plus enter for a chance to win your own copy. This book is…

A resource for those considering homeschooling
Inspiration for meeting the needs of a gifted and advanced learner
A tool for determining your child’s learning style
A source of encouragement for parents

I’m not sure how Cindy was able to cover so much in 160 pages but she does. She’s a mother with 14 years of homeschooling experience and a background in education. Cindy is also an author of the creative NaturExplorers curricula, has written many reviews for us here at The Curriculum Choice and knows first hand about adapting and preparing for her own learners.

Chapters cover:

Why Homeschool Gifted Children?
An Overview of Homeschooling
Choosing Curriculum
Teaching All Learners
Technology and the Gifted Homeschooler
Individualizing Instruction
Organizing Your Homeschool Day and Record Keeping
What About Socialization?
Thinking About College
Frequently Asked Questions
Plus a compilation of extensive resources and references

Practical. That’s the impression Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners gives me. She shares not only a wealth of examples for teaching gifted students and developing talent but also ideas and illustrations for day-to-day homeschooling. This inspiration includes…

Highlighted sections throughout the book which offer a bonus nugget of wisdom on almost every page!

Homeschool Hints – simple helps for your homeschool

Real-life Examples – answering the how to of applying the concept shared. The ‘this is how we did it.’

Homeschool Toolbox – book lists, website listings, integrating technology and more

Visual charts offer examples at a glance (e.g. the types of gifted learners)

I found a bonus in how the Teaching All Learners chapter is broken out by school subject. The author shares advice and learning ideas for both:

students who excel in a subject AND
students who struggle in a subject area

In summary, this book was eye-opening. I learned the definition of giftedness. The different types and areas of giftedness. Plus, Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners armed me with the tools and ideas needed to meet the needs of my gifted learners. Maybe you know that your student is gifted in a particular area but aren’t exactly sure how to foster that giftedness. Cindy’s book will encourage and inspire you as well as offer the practical strategy to put in place for learning!
A personal example? My daughter was struggling with her computer-based Teaching Textbooks math the same week I was reading this book. Because I read in one of the Real-Life Examples about Cindy’s daughter learning by reading, a light bulb went off in my head. Yes, yes. My daughter learns this way too. Here I was offering curriculum with a lecture for her to listen to. So we pulled out the accompanying textbook. Guess what? Reading the lesson was just what she needed. And Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners was just what I needed to be reading to be aware of the answer for our own homeschool!
Who is the book for? This resource is great for the new homeschooler, the homeschool geared toward the gifted and even one like me – having homeschooled ten years. Can’t all of us teachers benefit from continuing education and encouragement?

Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners is available from Prufrock Press Inc. for $24.95 HERE – where you can also click to look inside the book.

Now, for the giveaway! The rules are as follows:

Comment suggestions (not required): In what area do you feel your child is gifted or advanced? or How do you hope this book will encourage you?

~Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting, frugal living and homeschool sites as well as her own daily Hodgepodge.

Hands And Hearts Curriculum

Elementary, Hands On, High School, History, Middle School, Mom Helps, Preschool 2 Responses »

Nov 282011

It’s a well-known fact that we learn best by immersion. When we’re studying a foreign language, it’s recommended that at some point, we fully immerse ourselves into the language and culture to learn and absorb more. But, when it’s time to study history, learning by immersion can be a little tricky. We don’t always have the resources (or, time!) to re-create a version of the past to immerse ourselves in and most history textbooks leave much to be desired.

So, what’s a family to do?

Recreating the past has just gotten easier with Hands and Hearts. When I stumbled across Hands and Hearts History Kits, I was sold after reading what came in the kits. Each kit is jam-packed with everything you’d need to do projects from the past as well as a CD with printable instructions and background history – making learning so much fun!

For example, the Early American History Kit included everything I needed for the following activities:

(as stated on the website…)

Dip candles: This kit contains 100% pure beeswax and natural wicking. Your child is sure to enjoy creating his own hand-dipped candles, then eating or studying by candlelight.

Craft an apple pomander: After reading about the importance of fragrant herbs in early America, your child will enjoy creating a spicy-smelling apple pomander.

Make and play the Bowl Game: The Bowl Game was a favorite game for many Indian tribes, and it was a favorite for our testers as well!. Your child will paint the wooden playing pieces, then enjoy playing the game with others. Comprehensive math tie-in projects are included.

Prepare and drink black brick tea: Think you know about the Boston Tea Party? Think again! We don’t want to ruin the surprise, but you may never look at tea the same way after trying a cup of this brew!

Create a talking feather: No, this feather isn’t going to start chatting with you. A talking feather was a decorated ceremonial feather used by Indians during gatherings. Only the person holding the feather was allowed to talk. Your child will be delighted to create his own talking feather using an imitation eagle feather, real buffalo bone beads, genuine rabbit fur, leather, artificial sinew, and more. You will be delighted with the lessons he will learn about social graces!

Stitch a lavender sachet: Your child be so proud of making this fragrant and beautiful sachet made with lovely dried lavender and attractive calico fabric. The time spent stitching it will give him or her a glimpse of the work that went into creating clothing and linens long ago.

String a bone cross necklace: This amazing necklace is made from a hand-carved bone cross and authentic glass tile beads.

Decorate and play a bamboo flute: This simple toy was enjoyed by many children long ago, and your child will enjoy decorating his own bamboo flute with leather and genuine glass crow beads. He will enjoy playing it even more!

Learn about the importance of beads in early American history: You and your child will be fascinated by our section on beads. We include a bag of genuine imported lampwork beads, trading and valuing information, and several bead projects from which to choose.

Create a wonderful keepsake notebook: We include a packet of reproducible notebook pages, information on notebooking, and specific notebooking suggestions.

Learn timeless language lessons: Our copywork section draws from classic sources such as The New England Primer, the founding fathers, and more.

Study the geography of early America: Our Early American History Discovery Kit includes maps from Knowledge Quest, Inc., and comprehensive, easy-to-implement lesson plans co-authored by Terri Johnson of Knowledge Quest, Inc. and Kate Estes of Hands and Hearts.

Hide God’s Word in his heart: Our exclusive Bible Truths Cards will help your child discern important Bible truths drawn from the KJV and the New England Primer.
This kit includes a comprehensive instruction manual containing full background information for every project, and clear step-by-step illustrated instructions. Everything you need to do all of these projects is right in the box – *you need only to provide an apple and two empty metal cans (like soup cans). All materials are of the very highest quality and are extremely historically accurate. Your child won’t just be learning about history – he will be living it!

Each kit – whether you want to learn about Ancient Egypt or Ancient Greece and Rome – are full of learning possibilities and everything you would need for the activities. Most kits are between $39.95 and $69.95, which is well worth it when you consider the contents are provided as are the CDs with instructions and history lessons – and, the gas you didn’t have to waste while trying to find similar items.

Bottom Line – Would I Recommend It?
Yes! It’s a great time-saver and packed full of fun ideas. Of course, you could put your own kits together, but in my opinion – these are reasonably priced and make things a lot easier and faster!

-Written by Ashley. Find more of Ashley’s writings and reflections on motherhood, marriage and life on her blog.

How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. For Your Children

Encouragement No Responses »

Nov 022011

Product: How to Have a H.E.A.R.T For Your Kids by: Rachael Carman

Target Audience: Homeschool Moms

Format: Book

Publisher: Apologia

Cost: $13.00

After being a homeschool mom for nine years I can tell you all about the ups and downs. I can share the tears and the joy. I would tell you that my homeschool is based on God, excellence, and academics. I would tell you my focus is on family and training up young soldiers for God’s army. While I mean every word of it if you came to my house on a trying day you may not see it. The time I need to maintain focus the most it seems just out of my grasp. I pray that God minimizes the damage to my children caused by my lack of focus . I know many other homeschool moms have similar stories. Many are overwhelmed and struggle at times. The important moments are sometimes lost during times of discouragement. I look at my oldest and I take pride (maybe too much) in knowing that I taught her to read, I taught her add and subtract, I taught her how to find her state on the map and I am teaching her how to love the Lord. Wait…am I discipling properly?

How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. For Your Kids is a little book with a big impact. The lessons taught are not new yet they resonate. The author makes things simple while she is transparent about her own challenges and how she achieved victory. The book is divided into five chapters using the acronym for heart.

H- Have a heart for the things of God
E- Enrich your marriage
A- Accept your kids
R-Release them to God
T-Teach them the Truth

The beauty of the book is found in the simplicity. As mentioned the lessons are neither new nor ground breaking. However that was not the point. The manner in which she presents this information is the key. It is transparent, clear, heartfelt, and easy to refer back to during those times you need a bit of a boost. A great book to add to your homeschool library on your “for moms” shelf.

Richele is an eclectic homeschooling mom to four reflections of God’s love whose greatest accomplishment thus far was teaching physics, folding laundry, and playing Candyland simultaneously. Find her blogging at Under the Golden Apple Tree.

Living Memory: A Classical Memory Work Companion

Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, High School, Middle School, Mom Helps, Uncategorized 1 Response »

Oct 262011

If you have read many of my other reviews you already know that I like for things to be easy. If they aren’t easy, I at least don’t want them to be a ton of work for me. After all, my inner educator proclaims, this is their education, not mine! This of course is true to a point. We all know, I reply to my inner educator, learning never stops; least of all, perhaps, for a home educating mama.

In addition to easy, I want things to make sense, for them to be logical. Timely, too, in that when they are presented with new ideas, those new ideas make sense to my little learners. I want to be developmentally appropriate, and I want to cover material that will be useful and necessary.

We ascribe to a sort of Classical, sort of Charlotte Mason, very literary-based education for our children. The idea of a lot of rote memory work does not fit into my idea of practical or useful. The idea of memorization for the purpose of reviewing and cementing ideas, though, is another story. If memory work is one of the tools–like reading and writing and listening and drawing–that we use to gather and corral ideas, that is something I like and want to use.

I have found a great resource by Andrew A. Campbell called Living Memory: A Classical Memory Work Companion that has removed some of the burden of memory work from my shoulders.

It is simply a book of lists. The lists, derived from academic subjects, contain organized information for the purpose of memorization. Dr. Campbell includes an essay detailing the how and why of using memory work as one of the tools of learning. The remainder of the book is comprised of lists of information in the following broad subjects: Latin and Greek, arithmetic and mathematics, grammar and composition, literature, religion, geography, world history, United States history and civics, and natural sciences. Each section is broken down into more specific categories and into lists. There are speeches and portions of documents. There are formulas. There are charts. All of this is intended to be used over the academic lifetime of a student–from Kindergarten to graduation.

The book has been helpful to me in two ways. First, it has given me ideas. Sometimes the question of what to memorize has been overwhelming to me–so overwhelming that I have thrown up my hands and provided nothing for my kids to concentrate on retaining. Now, I can open Living Memory, find a science list that fits with our studies, and put my little learners to work.

Second, Dr. Campbell has assured me that memorizing something is better than memorizing nothing, that I can start small and build, and that memory work can and should be in the context of our studies. I like that. It makes sense to me, because it is orderly and timely. It is developmentally appropriate. Also, it is simple and easy. And you know that I like easy.

Living Memory: A Classical Memory Work Companion by Andrew A. Campbell provides comprehensive lists in a variety of pertinent subjects to be used for memory work. It can be found on Lulu.com in both digital ($14.95) and paperback ($22.46) versions.

Susan S. is a home educating mama of three in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Her days are wild and lovely, full of chattering, learning children. In all of the mess, she learns the most, taught by the Master Teacher Himself.

History Through the Ages Timeline CDs

Classical, Elementary, History, Mom Helps 1 Response »

Sep 062011

Timelines appeal to me. They aid visual, kinesthetic, spatial, and logical thinkers. What’s not to love?

Well, the work of putting together a visually appealing, cohesive, historically-accurate timeline, for one. How about the time it takes to find all of those little pictures? What about deciding which dates to include? What about figuring out how to put the thing together? What about figuring out where to put it?

The details of the timeline were dragging me down, threatening the reality of creating one in our home.

It seemed to me that some sort of timeline was a foregone conclusion in our home school, but there were several burdens to bear. Although I could have done the work myself, it is more likely that the timeline would have fallen by the wayside without a little outside intervention.

I found the help that I needed to make the timeline happen in our home at Homeschool in the Woods. Their History Through the Ages Timeline answered many of my questions, solved some problems, and simplified everything else.

I purchased the CDs, which include over a thousand historical figures. The figures represent people, places, and events throughout time. It is truly history through the ages, encapsulating a variety of different realms—political, military, social, art, music, and literature. Likewise, both secular and biblical and church history are included.

There are two CDs in the case. They contain the same figures, but one CD presents the figures in PDF format, the other in GIF format. Both CDs contain the figures with only a name and a date, as well as the figures with a short text summarizing the importance of the person, place, event, people group, or time period. There are two sizes of PDF files—wall and notebook size. These files print in pages of figures; they are arranged chronologically. The GIF files can be chosen and sized to fit specific needs, and are easily accessible using categories that serve as an index.

I have used the timeline figures for two major purposes in our academics.

We have begun a paper timeline that is stored in a binder. It is simple, but effective, visually presenting history through the use of Amy Pak’s intricately drawn figures. We add figures as time allows, which generally means a marathon session with the binder and a glue stick. We also add a little bit of color coding, just to help us remember who and where go with what and when.

I have also made a set of timeline cards—people, dates, and events with which I hope for us to maintain familiarity. I used a glue stick to adhere the appropriate timeline figure onto an index card, and voila, instant and cost effective timeline card! We study a fourth of history at a time, but we are able to easily review material from previous years. As an added bonus, I could choose the dates, which means that we review events from all through time and all over the world, customizing the cards to our studies.

My children are in elementary school, so a lot of the work of the timeline falls to me. As they get older, I will expect them to be more involved in the preparation, decisions, and details of our timelines. I foresee lots of mini-timelines and personal timelines and subject-specific timelines. It will be a timeline extravaganza! All brought to us from Homeschool in the Woods and their History Through the Ages Timeline CDs!

The Historical Timeline Figures come preprinted and in CD form. The preprinted sets contain figures that are 2.5” by 3.5” and are sold in historical groupings: Creation to Christ, Resurrection to Revolution, Napoleon to Now, and America’s History. They cost $22.95 each, with the exception of the American history set, which costs $32.95 due to its larger size.

The CDs contain the same figures found in all four sets plus a bonus set of additional figures. The CD allows for multiple printings and for resizing of timeline figures. The CDs contain 1,260 historical figures in both PDF and GIF formats, as well as the timeline information found on the website. It costs $74.95.

There is also a handy, dandy Timeline Placement Guide that I have found useful as I tried to determine placement of figures. The $11.95 has been well worth it, because it contains a sample timeline in miniature that includes all of the timeline figures on the CD.

The History Through the Ages Timeline CDs were a major investment for our homeschool. I have been pleased with both the figures and their use in our home, and believe that they will continue to be a benefit in the years to come. I bought them early in our homeschool journey so that we could suck all of the use out of them in multiple years and in a variety of ways. So far, so good!

Are you in need of a little timeline help? The History Through the Ages Timeline CDs may be answer!

-Most days find Susan on the couch reading to her children, in the floor “playing” math, and generally in the middle of a good-sized mess. A love for the Lord, a love for her little ones, and a love of learning have led Susan and her wonderful husband to an educational philosophy that is Well-Trained Mind-inspired classical and Charlotte Mason, with a touch of the traditional.

Loving Living Math

Grammar, Hands On, High School, Home Economics, Logic, Mathematics, Middle School, Mom Helps 4 Responses »

Sep 012011

“From the time my children were in kindergarten, I have followed the same basic weekly schedule for math. We typically complete three textbook lessons per week and two living math lessons per week.” ~ Cindy West

Cindy West’s Loving Living Math has given my family permission. Permission to learn and enjoy the real life stuff of math. See, I admit I am not a math type mom. But I do thrive on the practical. That’s why Loving Living Math speaks to me. I can see math all around us now.

This ebook also opened my eyes to the fact that we were already enjoying many living math opportunities in board games, Snap Circuits, Saturday morning trips to the store and simply setting the table! Our favorite game, Blokus? Check!

Dear Parent – Loving Living Math is for you! Most often curriculum is for the student. This is for you. To teach you. To encourage you.

Coaches the parent in how to:

teach outside the textbook. You don’t have to complete each and every textbook lesson!
add living math to your homeschool. Practical ways for working your schedule.

Offers lengthy lists of resources for:

Logic
Problem solving
Favorite skills and drills
Making the most of website links
Using manipulatives

Includes worksheets with math puzzles (e.g., popcorn puzzler, Valentine math, coordinate candy graphing) to mix in. (Complete with the answer key at the end of the book.)

But there’s more! Did you know you can teach math through literature?? Through hands on projects?? Yes! In the photo above, my son is enjoying both a Tapestry of Grace assignment and living math.

Loving Living Math even shows the parent ways to incorporate writing into math and infuse math into other subjects. The latest, greatest technology? How about Excel spreadsheets, balancing the family online bank account, designing a graph for the science fair project? All math.

Baking. Oh I can see this area expanding even more. All that Cooking Fun we do during our week? It can all count as math. And Loving Living Math gives examples for doubling, tripling recipes, sorting candies…

For my family, Loving Living Math cued up the fun. Added in the logic that was lacking. My children are traditional math textbook learners. But this approach throws a bit of delight into math learning. I can see Loving Living Math being a successful tool for families that might have difficulty learning the traditional textbook way.

Loving Living Math taught me, the teacher, how to see the everyday math learning opportunities. It helps answer the practical question, “How will I use this in the real world?”

Loving Living Math is a 48 page ebook. Excerpt from the book description: “Loving Living Math will answer all your questions, ease all your fears, and bring skeptics at least closer to the idea. This is a book for parents who would like to learn more about living math – a “how-to” book of sorts. In 46 straightforward pages, you’ll understand what living math is, learn why it can be so effective in your homeschool, and consider various ways to incorporate it into your homeschool schedule. Don’t get the impression that Cindy wants you to get rid of math textbooks! Although some parents use living math exclusively, this book encourages you to supplement textbook lessons with living math lessons and shows you how to effectively do that.”

What age/grade is Living Math designed for? All ages. What you, the parent and teacher will learn will help students of all ages.

View a sample on the NaturExplorers site: Loving Living Math

Loving Living Math! So many children (and parents) struggle with math during the school day. Whether you’re hoping to learn how to ease the whining, add some new lessons to the regular textbook schedule or overhaul your math curriculum, this workshop will inspire you. Learn how to add “real” math lessons that make sense to your child. Questions will be answered very practically! What is living math? How will it help my child enjoy math again? How can I add it to my textbook curriculum without overwhelming my child? Why would I want to add living math to our schedule? What are some super ideas and resources for living math? ~ Heart of the Matter session description

But don’t take it just from me. I had the privilege of hostessing Cindy’s Heart of the Matter Online winter 2011 conference session. I heard directly from the author how simple it is to incorporate living math ideas in our homeschool. And you can too. The mp3 of her session is available for purchase HERE.

I’m off to oversee children tripling some recipes…

Before you leave, here’s a special note from Cindy West…Please enjoy $3.00 off Loving Living Math through the month of September! Use the code “livingmath” (without quotes) at checkout.

~Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting, frugal living and homeschool sites as well as her own daily Hodgepodge.

Educational Apps

Language Arts, Mathematics, Mom Helps, Nature Study, Online, Preschool, Reading, Science, Spelling No Responses »

Aug 102011

Technology continues to advance, and with it, comes many opportunities to learn. Today, cell phones have become much more than just a way to call someone. But, did you know that beyond Facebook and Angry Birds (a game), there are some really great learning gems available for smart phones?

5 Great Apps For Education

Super WHY!

Originally just a TV show, Super Why! has transitioned to a kid-friendly App! This app features the four main characters from the TV show as they teach the alphabet, rhyming, spelling, writing, and reading. Our family uses this app often as its graphics are great and the games make learning fun! $2.99* See More.

TEACH ME

TEACH ME currently has three apps out – toddler, kindergarten, and first grade. The kindergarten version teaches Math (addition and subtraction), Spelling, and Sight Words. However, my FAVORITE part is that it allows for multiple users and tracks their progress. That, and it’s really affordable! $.99* See More.

Project Noah

For kids of all ages, Project Noah is a great app for citizen scientists everywhere! With this cool app, you can add a photograph of an interesting creature you’ve found, or you can access the database to learn of and about different organisms in a specific area. You can even help track migrating species or document endangered wildlife! This great app takes learning to a whole new level and gets kids excited about exploring nature and teaches on the go! FREE* See More.

PBS

PBS.org now has apps for ipad, iphone, and ipod. You can now preview or view full episodes, as well as check out your local station’s schedule! While not quite as an impressive app as the previous ones, this app could still be invaluable to your planning time if you’re constantly on the go (or someone is using the computer)! FREE* See More.

Storyrobe

Use photos and videos from your library to create and share stories! This interactive app lets you record your voice through the microphone or you can use the 3rd party mic to get the story going. From telling the story of an event in history to tracking the growth and development of a butterfly to teaching Kindergarteners parts of a story…this app has unlimited potential! $.99* See More.

So, tell me… What are some of your favorite learning and education apps?

*Prices at time post was written.

Written by Ashley. Find more of Ashley’s writings and reflections on motherhood, marriage and life on her blog.

Comprehensive Record Solution

Encouragement, High School, Mom Helps, Organization 1 Response »

Jul 112011

The prospect of getting homeschooled kids into university can seem quite frightening. I was recently talking with a mom who is going to do online public school so that her children will have ‘the right courses’ to enter university. She was cheerfully determined to follow this course, so I didn’t try to dissuade her, but really, it’s not necessary.

Instead, she could have continued the excellent home education she was giving her children and added a few standard tests such as SAT’s or AP’s, whatever her chosen universities required. Using the Comprehensive Record Solution would have enabled her to document her homeschooling so that universities would have been eager to admit her children.

I go to great effort to choose rigorous, quality curriculum for my children. I consider the worldview of each curriculum, its goals, how easy it is to learn from, and the amount of time and effort it will demand from me. As a reviewer, I love to evaluate curricula, and I’m excited when something exceptionally good crosses my path. Of course we want to use these excellent resources to provide the best individualized education for our teens. We don’t want to settle for public school standards and values just to be able to get into university.

And that’s why I love the Comprehensive Record Solution. It gives me both the confidence and the tools for keeping track of my teens’ high school learning. It’s clear, organized, effective, and professional looking. It helps me translate my ‘mommy courses’ and ‘mommy marks’ into something admissions officers can understand and get excited about.

I think this resource will help families continue to homeschool though high school Because it builds parental confidence and provides the tools to justify that confidence, it’s such a valuable resource that I’m posting a review of it here on the Curriculum Choice in addition to the preview and review posted on my blog.

First of all, the Comprehensive Record Solution is a parental confidence builder. Lack of parental confidence is one of the main reasons for sending homeschooled kids to public school. “If I keep homeschooling them they won’t be able to get into university,” I’m told over and over.

Lee Binz, mom, author, and successful homeschool high school coach, asserts that the quickest and easiest path to college admissions and scholarships is to focus on helping the student become the person God created them to be. She does not advocate a rigid, stressful style of high school at all. In fact, she says that a big advantage of homeschooling is the opportunity to enjoy life-defining experiences during the school year. This is our family’s style, too. Although we encourage thorough and rigorous courses, we also allow ample opportunity for exploring personal interests. Knowing that Lee’s philosophy is similar to ours makes me feel more comfortable with her suggestions.

Furthermore, the Comprehensive Record Solution provides helpful tools to prepare high school records. It consists of four modules:

Module 1: Encourage, in which we meet Lee and her family, understand the importance of record keeping, and see the records of her sons and of some other homeschooled students.
Module 2: Equip, in which Lee shares a thorough record template as well as all you’ve ever wanted to know about course descriptions, including many examples.
Module 3: Educate, in which Lee gives wide-ranging video and audio advice to help prepare your teen’s comprehensive record.
Module 4: Empower, in which Lee will personally help you, hands-on, with four individual course descriptions you develop.

The backbone of the program is the Comprehensive Record Template from Module 2. This well-designed document includes transcript forms to help organize and record students’ work in a format which universities and colleges appreciate. It has prompts to record textbooks, grades, course descriptions, and more. Because of the template, I could focus on just one step at a time, and that really reduced my stress level.

The program also includes a wealth of helpful information in E-books, audio downloads, videos, templates, and documents. I loved Lee’s course descriptions, and used them to make my own…and I really enjoyed her empowering and helpful input on four of them.

We used the Comprehensive Record Solution for Miss 18 who is entering her chosen university in the fall, and I am also using it for Mr. 16 and Miss 13. Although the thought of preparing adequate high school records used to keep me awake at nights, I’m now confident and relaxed about it. Of course, there’s still work to do, but the stress is now gone. I am pleased to be able to homeschool right through high school using our own style and top quality resources…and still get my children into university.

As mentioned, more information is available in my earlier preview and review, as well as on the Comprehensive Record Solution webpage. You can purchase the program there as well.

Disclosure: I received The Comprehensive Record Solution in order to review it and give you my honest opinion. I do not receive any compensation for any of my reviews, and my opinions are entirely my own.

-Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five, who reviews and blogs at Tea Time with Annie Kate. You can read her other Curriculum Choice reviews here.