You are doing what? Homeschooling???

Teachable Moments .... Science?

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:15:05 -0600

HomeSchool Learning Lego Style

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:05:51 -0600

Neat Math Resource Page

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:34:51 -0500

I just love it when I stumble across a useful homeschool resource. My little gal is having trouble understand ing the reciprocity concept of addition and subtraction, even using her Math-U-See blocks and an Educational Therapist friend of mine suggested finding triangle flash cards.

Now, I wasn’t sure of how these things worked, and looked for them in the store - then checked online - expecting I’d have to order some. And what did I find? I found DonnaYoung.org Homeschool Printables and Resources . What a wealth of resources! Best of all? Free ones. (I just LOVE free!)

I found the templates I needed to print out the cards on cardstock. As I explored her site, I found templates for many printable files. Going to her home page, I found resources for a lot of other subjects as well.

For me it was like falling into a candy store!

There are so many great resources out there for homeschooling families. One of my favorite ones (though there is a small yearly fee) is Ed Helper.com. They have so many timely activities and great downloads that it can be hard to choose just what to use! I’ve often wondered if you could use that site as a complete curriculum. I wouldn’t be surprised!

Well, I am off to laminate and cut out our new triangle flash cards and so grateful to the internet for all it has added to being able homeschool!

Till next time,

deni

Kidspiration is inspiration for us!

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:26:55 -0500

I gotta admit that I love homeschooling. There are times when I want to pack it all in - those days do happen. (I sometimes wonder how school teachers with a class of 30 stay sane), but for the most part, I am loving this insanity. (Yes, it does get crazy!)

I have found out we are not a “by-the-book” homeschooling family. We started out using a pre-designed curriculum. About a third of the way through I realized they were bored. Oh, they were learning ... but it was boring for them. I also realized it was boring for me! No wonder they were bored!

We have a fair amount of ADD running around through the family (another blog entirely) and things were just not interesting enough for us.

Enter my attendance at a Kidspiration webinar. To be honest, I didn’t do much with the programs at first. Then my kids got REALLY bored. I dug out my Indiana standards (Yes, I have them printed out and try to make sure we cover them all - I know a lot of folks don’t, but I’m more comfortable knowing where we are in case putting the kids back into PS becomes a necessity.) I dug out the Kidspiration handbook. Hey, whatdaya know - the activities line up with state standards. *Light bulb goes off*

My guys seem to learn more when we are “messing aroud” with different things. Kidspiration provided just the avenue to do that. There are so many activities that tie in to state standards (again, important to me) and also allow a lot of creativity and fun.

Our next year’s curriculum is pretty much in place now. Math-U-See, Handwriting Without Tears, Salute to Syllables, the Indiana suggested reading list, the freebie sites I’ve found, and Kidspiration and Inspiration. I am really looking forward to the coming year.

Till next time,

deni

Free Is Good!

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:16:57 -0500

When we first decided to homeschool our kids back in the 80‘s - there was little available for homeschoolers. In fact, our family was the first to pull out of the public school system in our town and they simply did not know what to do with us.

I needed to provide a detailed curriculum plan for “their approval” (not sure if that was the law or their idea) and they tried long and hard to talk us out of homeschooling. We went to a gal who lived a few hours away from us who gave homeschool workshops and helped us to put a curriculum together. It was pricey to say the least.

When we decided to homeschool the grandkids we are raising, I was not at all sure of my own ability so I went the “easy” route and bought a complete curriculum for both kids. That was ... errrr.... ummmm .... pricey.

And for us it was a poor decision. The curriculum just didn’t fit. We needed a different math program (see previous post!). Our first grader started reading so well that she quickly got bored with the program we purchased. The fifth grader was struggling with the language after a nice booster program - Language! 3rd edition. I didn’t like the way they taught handwriting. So much just didn’t fit. It was so scripted - and I like spontaneity - I felt I was missing teachable moments.

We will not be using that curriculum next year. We are piecemealing things together to fit each child and our learning style. We are growing less and less like “school” and more and more focused on hand’s on learning.

Today I got a link from my homeschool discussion list for what is promising to be a great site. Best of all? It’s free. We did the lesson they presented today on Paul Revere as tomorrow is the anniversary of his midnight ride.

We listened to Longfellow’s poem. We watched a YouTube video on the midnight ride. We looked at a website dedicated to his silversmithing. We have a fun art project ahead of us today. The kids love it.

The site is “The HomeSchool Freebie of the Day” and so far I am impressed. I’ve not checked out all the recent postings but they look interesting. We were directed to a number of other sites that have some cool-looking free stuff that I’ll post about as we check them out.

I look at the amount of money we spent last year - and how much I am anticipating for this year, and I am amazed at what we can save. I’m amazed at the quality of free material that is out there.

If you’all have any favorite sites you’d like to share, please do so! I’m thinking of adding a page here on FREE useful resources

Free is good.

Till next time,

deni

Math They See Is Math They Learn

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:26:40 -0500

Our decision to home school was made because things didn’t add up. Literally. We were sitting at an IEP conference, convinced our little guy needed more help than he was getting in the regular classroom. He was in the fourth grade. He still counted on his fingers. No one seemed to think that was an issue except for us. We were spending hours of after-school time trying to help him learn, help him understand.

We had even gone so far as to have a professional educational evaluation done. There WERE problems. He had language issues. Math issues. Handwriting issues. However, he is also a highly intelligent child. He was “getting by”. As I sat listening to the “experts” telling us that things were ok, I began to formulate a plan. If I was spending 3 to 4 hours a night trying to reinforce teaching - why not just do the whole shebang. I had previous homeschooling experiences and they were good. Did I think we’d be doing this again? Nope. Was there any other real option? Not if I wanted him to learn. Really learn.

Enter homeschooling and the recommendation for using Math-U-See. Our educational evaluation showed he had a second grade understanding of math. The big problem? HE HATED MATH. I mean HATED math. It was with skepticism that I ordered the appropriate level of the Math-U-See program. We received it in an amazingly short time and I was eager to try it.

I looked through the teacher’s manual - and I have to admit - I was a bit lost. We sat down to watch the video together - and I was still lost. I saw questions in my little guy’s eyes. I called our Educational Therapist advisor and said, “What do you think about our starting from scratch with this program?” She agreed it might not be a bad idea given the slim grasp he had on math. So, I ordered the Primer material.

He got through it in 30 days. He was ASKING to do math first. He wanted to do more than one lesson in a day. We then ordered Alpha - then Beta - then Delta - Gamma. He was up to grade level in one year. We are now doing Epsilon and he is so enthusiastic I am amazed. He doesn’t count on his fingers. He knows. He UNDERSTANDS. Word problems were his nemesis - now he loves them. I am dumbfounded - amazed - and gratified. We have just ordered Zeta and Pre-Algebra. By the start of the next school year he will be above grade level and consistently getting his problems correct. He has learned to find his own mistakes.

Can you imagine? A child who HATED math - asking to do math first. Asking if he can do an extra page. The look on his face now, when you mention math is PRICELESS.

We are so indebted to the Math-U-See program.

If you have a child who is struggling with math - you might want to investigate the program. If you child learns “differently” - it might pay to investigate the program.

We now have a first grader who is following in her brother’s footsteps and asking to do more pages than I assign. (She also thinks the manipulatives make good blocks for building!) They ASK for me to make them worksheets from the online worksheet generator. It’s simply amazing!

(Just so you know, I have NO vested interest in this company other than that of a VERY satisfied consumer!)

For us, Math-U-See turned into Math-They-Learn.

What a Godsend!

Till next time,

deni

A Good Place To Start

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:11:20 -0500

Are you homeschooling? Are you thinking about homeschooling? A good site to know about is the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). This is a blurb from their website:

“Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is tens of thousands of families united in service together, providing a strong voice when and where needed.”

Translation - if you need legal advise HDSLA is there for you when you are a member.

I underestimated this site. There is so much information. State guidelines can be found on the site. Multiple resources are available. They have a GREAT section on “struggling learners” and what you can do to help them. The site gives recommended reading, checklists, suggestions, etc. There is a wealth of information just waiting to be found.

Knowing you have knowledgeable legal assistance a phone call away is invaluable. The membership fee is less than that of a one-hour legal visit.

Take a look at the site, meander around and look at all the resources available - and if you have a special needs student - check out those resources!!

Till next time,

deni

Kidspiration Webinars

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:23:57 -0500

I recently attended a webinar put on by the company who makes Inspiration and Kidspiration software. I love this software. I am a “mind-map” right brained person and was thrilled to find a software that was kid friendly. Well, not only is this “kid friendly”, but they have activity books that tie into state standards (if you are in to that kind of thing” and the webinars are free - with podcasts available on the website. Tons of information here! This is a description of the webinar I attended:

Their next webinar has to do with a kid=friendly data analysis software than I am excited to learn about. Inspiration.com has all the info you would need plus a 30-day free trial of the software that is not crippled software. Such a deal! And no - I have no interests in the company and am promoting it simply because it’s such a great program. (Not to mention the fact that I AM an information junkie!

Till next time,

deni

Fun Saturdays!

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:04:51 -0500

I stumbled across a great site http://www.edhelper.com/ that has a lot of interesting homeschooling type materials to print out and use. Our favorite section is the logical reasoning section. Word searches, logic problems, complete the patterns - all types of visual-spatial and reasoning worksheets that the kids are ASKING to do cuz they are fun. We have decided to incorporate “Fun Saturdays” into our curriculum.

Many of these tasks are VERY similar to the types of problems you will find on standard I.Q. tests and it’s my belief that exposure to these types of thinking skills is vital. Our learning disabled g’son has found out that he excels at logic problems. We can print out any level we want from kindergarten to 12th grade - so it’s perfect to find their skill levels.

More than anything, I want my kids to know how to think and reason. I believe that problem-solving is a key ability for any child. I don’t want to be raising a “spit back the answers” child. I have no investment in this site - only think it is really cool - pretty inexpensive for a years access and am enjoying it along with the kids.

Who said learning had to be boring?

Till next time,

deni

My Child Has a Learning Disability - Can I Consider Homeschooling?

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:04:07 -0500

Parent’s might be intimidated by the thought of homeschooling a child with learning disabilities. Here is a great article from the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) that you might like to read if you are considering homeschooling a child with learning disabilities.

We are homeschooling a child with Learning Disabilities and he is doing so much better than he did in traditional school. He learns best one-on-one and we have the opportunity to spend as much time as we need on areas where he has trouble. When in school - he hated it. Now he loves it. He had particular dificulties with Math. We tried the Math-U-See program and he is catching up and loving math like there is no tomorrow.

Each child is different. What I appreciate most about this article are the homeschool links they provide. While homeschooling a L.D. child can be challenging, it is also rewarding when you see the “Aha!” light bulb go off when they finally “get it.”