Wednesday, May 30

Imaginary Friends

Honor, the 8 year old, has created a journal full of imaginary friends. She let her dad and me look through it tonight, which was quite a treat. While browsing through page after page of pretty princesses, we ran across this guy. When asked about him, Honor said, "Oh, that's George. He lives off of dirt and lima beans. He sleeps in a cardboard box next to a coffee shop because he likes coffee." 
Where does the child get it??

Thursday, May 24

Heritage History

I love history. I love reading. I really love reading about history. I'm a cheap frugal woman and I rarely spend money on a book if I don't have to. I enjoy library books, free kindle books, and great yard-sale finds. When I purchase a book, it is nearly always a book about history. I love seeing God's hand in the events and actions that have preceded us. I stand in awe of His plan unfolding throughout time. The kids share this love of history books with me and we spend many lessons on the couch, reading together.

A few times, we've run across books that seemed to rewrite history. More often than that, we've run across books that seemed to spend a good deal of time pushing a worldview that didn't fit outs. We tend to avoid newer publications for this reason. Our favorites are old favorites. I mean oooooold favorites. Most of these were written between 1880 and 1950. Thankfully, many of these gems have been republished and are easy to find. But there many others that are out of print and not so easy to come by. 
Which is why I was so excited to discover bundles of these old favorites, sorted by time period. Heritage History is a company that has compiled five libraries into complete curricula that include stories rich in history, biographies, comprehensive histories, study aids, timelines, historical maps, and era summaries.
These libraries are on CD's that you can transfer to your Kindle, Ipad, read on your computer as PDF's, or print and bind. I love this! We have multiple devices in our house and this allows us to load the CD's contents on all of our devices without purchasing multiple copies. 
Heritage History offers 5 different libraries to choose from. While their website offers more in-depth descriptions, here is a brief introduction:

Young Readers - Includes 86 books for grammar school ages, Teacher's Guide, and Recommendations
Ancient Greece - 46 books covering Greek History, 50+ maps, teaching aids, and study guide.
Ancient Rome - 45 books, 60+ maps, teaching aids, and a study guide
British Middle Ages - 55 books about the 5th-17th centuries, 60+ maps, teaching aids, and a study guide
British Empire - 57 books about the 18th & 19th century, 50+maps, teaching aids, and a study guide.

My family chose the British Empire because it best matched our history studies. It is full of incredible stories set in the midst of tumultuous moments in history. The CD also comes with hundreds of pages of study aids which include timelines, summaries, maps, vocabulary, mini-biographies, battle dictionaries, and more. These are perfect for building a lasting notebook of our studies. If you prefer not to print your own guide, these are available pre-printed in color for $24.99. The study guide is very helpful for any history approach you might take and can be purchased separately for families who prefer to read different books and not purchase the CD. The cost of this downloadable study guide is $12.99

The guide is incredible and helps you outline your year for your family. This brings it all together and rounds out the year's studies nicely. While suitable for high school level studies (and the rest of the family,) Heritage Histories suggests combining it with another Living Books based program to make it a complete curriculum. They even help you figure out how to do that!   

Each CD is only $24.99, which is less than $0.50 per book and an incredible deal. If you purchase all 5 sets, the entire collection is only $99.99, which saves $25. They are very easy to load and include complete instructions on how to install onto your device. I am completely sold on this program and it will continue to be a favorite part of our history studies every year. 

For more reviews of this and other CD's in the set, be sure to check out The Crew Blog. 

Disclaimer: I received this material in exchange for my honest opinion as a member of the TOS Crew, and received no other form of compensation. For whatever they're worth, the opinions are mine and mine alone, as stated in my disclosure policy.

Tuesday, May 22

Making Math Interesting

Yesterday, I shared my family's favorite online math drills. For extra reinforcement that does not include computer games. These interactive activities really seem to solidify math facts, helping students to visualize how math works rather than just memorize facts.  I'm of the mindset that math doesn't need help being interesting; it's a beautiful part of God's creation. Often, we can point this out in nature and sit back in awe of the mathematical beauty of the world around us. Don't believe me? Do a google image search for the fibonacci sequence and I bet you'll agree.

My kids will often agree that math itself is beautiful, but the daily drill isn't always so appealing. If yours agree, here are some engaging activities to inspire some fun learning:

The Positive Engagement Project is a non profit organization that shares lots of free pdf downloads.
What the Teacher Wants shares some math activities for the kinetic learner.

Absolutely LOADS of great addition games at First Grade Schoolbox.

Domino Math PDF from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

For a fun way to practice telling time, One Extra Degree shares the idea to use a hula hoop for a blank clock. This could also be done outside with sidewalk chalk.

Also for telling time, Mrs. Nielson shares a fun technique:


I found lots of fun ideas for reinforcing the basics over at Serenade to Second Grade:

One of the best techniques for memorizing addition facts is to practice skip counting. Here are some skip counting activities shared from First Grade Parade.

This one is so simple it seems silly, but sometimes those simple things are the most incredible ideas. Old Shoe Woman shared a picture of a great tool for studying place value and expanded form:

More Place Value activities at Kindergarten Crayons

Also from First Grade Parade, some fraction fun:

I Speak Math has lots of great helps that integrate technology. For math vocabulary, a poster:


A crazy-awesome shortcut for Long Division at The Math Page:

For Geography, have some fun with tape graffiti:

For a twist on Prime Factorization, visit Math in the Middle:

The good old standby, worksheets, are still just as effective as ever.



My absolute favorite way to reinforce basic math skills is to use a morning board. Morning boards are just basic bulletin boards/poster boards that we spend five minutes on every morning to start our day. We go over the calendar, the days of the week. We count school days. We skip count. We add money. We also go over artists, poems, and basics like our address, phone number, etc. Here is Joyfully Domestic's fun example. Do a search for morning boards and you'll find lots of great ideas and free templates to help you create your own.

The more we stress about them learning math, the more difficult we make it for them to learn math. They will learn those basics before college. I promise! The child who struggles with fact families in 2nd grade can still go on to excel in calculus later. Or perhaps he'll be the child who has little need for math and is content to stop after algebra. Regardless, he has many years to get there and plenty of time to enjoy learning.


Monday, May 21

Math Helps

After writing a less than favorable review of a math drill program, I thought it would be helpful to share some of the drills that my family does enjoy.

Online Drill
Our absolute favorite is Khan Academy. Khan Academy is completely free and completely amazing. It covers many subjects, but we've only used it for math so far. It includes a great drill section that let's you start at the basics of addition and work your way down a "tree" to more complicated material.

In addition to the drill practice, Khan Academy also offers free video tutorials that really help explain concepts from the most basic of addition to linear algebra. My boys BEG to visit Khan Academy. No flashy lights, no annoying sound effects, no advertising. Students can log in under individual accounts so that you can track their progress. It is very simple to follow. Easy and impressive. I would be willing to pay quite a bit for access to this website, but it's completely free.

Sheppard Software has fun math games for Kindergarten through 6th grade. The games have an almost arcade game feel to them. There are some ads on the pages, but nothing too obnoxious. It's free and fun and makes a nice "reward" for finishing math lessons, even though it's a math lesson in itself.

IXL Math is another site offering games for Pre-K through Algebra. There are no ads and it's design is very tasteful. You cannot save progress unless you become a member. There are other perks, but membership is not free. We just enjoy the free games and forget tracking progress.

Math-U-See has a great drill page. No frills, down-to-business. Teachers can choose which facts or skills are drilled. If you have something specific that you know your student is struggling with, this is especially helpful.

Math Drills Homepage is another with some interesting drill subjects. It covers the basics as well as more complicated topics, like loan amortization. The sound effects are annoying (applause for every correct answer, buzzer for mistakes,) so be sure to turn down the volume.

These are all online drill lessons. For a more lasting reinforcement, I have some great (free) resources to share tomorrow.

Sunday, May 20

Summer Reading Programs

Warm weather is here and shaded trees are beckoning us to curl up under their branches with a good book. Here are some great summer reading programs to get your kids started:


Be sure to check out your local library. Last year ours gave fine waivers, entries for ipad drawings, and coupons for free food at lots of family friendly restaurants. 

Reading Resources
Find books that match your historical studies - http://www.abookintime.com/
Early Reader Online Game - http://readingeggs.com/

I love browsing some of my favorite vendors for book lists. Sonlight suggests some of our favorite books. So does Living Books Curriculum.

What are some of your family's favorite books? I'd love more ideas for books to add to our list!

Saturday, May 19

CapJax Math Fax

While not always fun, drill is an important part of fully learning basic math skills. A helpful tool for drill is to use computer games. These are much more fun than your standard drill worksheet and seem to get the job done. My family was recently given a program called Cap Jax Math Fax to review.  What is Cap Jax Math Fax? Obviously not a spelling program. No, CapJaxMathFax is a math program that takes students through the four basic skills of addition, subtractions, multiplication, and division. 


As you can see from the screen shot, the program is a little busy. And the graphics are, well, you can see them. Most kids don't really mind these things though, so let's discuss what they have to offer. From the website: 

Does the program address the full range of computation from addition to division?
Does the program address computation with negative as well as positive values?
Will my student clearly understand the objectives of the program?
Is there positive feedback for my student to enjoy working with the program?
Is feedback immediate?
Does the program allow me to monitor my student's performance over time?
Will the program work at my student's best pace for learning?
Will my student succeed at a rate that is challenging, but not frustrating?
Does the program allow time for my student to reflect on his or her work?
Does the program use timing in a way that that minimizes pressure?
Does the program provide printed reports of my student's success?
Does the program provide graphical reports of success and progress?

The heading above this chart says to "Use this checklist to compare CapJax to the alternatives".  Please do. There are several alternatives to compare, such as drill worksheets and dozens of free math programs found online. 

The following paragraph on the website discusses the price:

For some, the question still remains - Is CapJax worth the money? It's the wrong question. A better one is - Is one more day of struggling with math studies worth the cost of a couple of movies. [sic]


Or if the learner is just getting started, you could ask - Is this the time to gamble on getting my student off to the best possible start in math? Won't a solid investment now get paid back over and over as success feeds success from one year to the next?

The stakes are high. Isn't it worth giving your students the best chances available?


And if reading that doesn't make you laugh out loud, you might need more coffee. The stakes are high, people. And if you don't make the gamble and purchase this program, your student will be relegated to flipping burgers and never allowed to work the checkout counter because his mom didn't think his math struggles were worth the cost of a couple movies. 

It's taking some self-control, but I'm going to refrain from poking fun at the website propaganda and go on with this review.

Aside from being visually distracting, the sound effects are terrible. Each time you answer a question, you hear a loud ding. This ding is the exact same annoying sound our computer makes when we hit a wrong key. It's an obnoxious noise that is generally associated with making mistakes, making the student somehow feel bad for getting the right answer. Or the wrong answer. It doesn't matter. It always makes the same noise. 
Teachers can choose parameters for the game (skills covered, time for answers, etc.) but I don't know that it matters if you can't get your student to ever play the game a second time. If they do continue playing, they can earn merit badges (an extra $4.00) as they progress through the program. It is very easy to install and start "playing". 

The gamble cost for this program is $29.95. And if you're still wondering if it's worth it, you're asking the wrong question. You can sample CapJax for free using a free trial version. I'd really love to hear what you think of it. 

My family will not be playing the game anymore, but we will definitely be spending some time on the company website as we continue our entertaining studies of logic and fallacies this summer.



And if that doesn't sell it...you might have had a few logic lessons yourself. For kinder reviews of this program, be sure to check out The Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I received this material in exchange for my honest opinion as a member of the TOS Crew, and received no other form of compensation. For whatever they're worth, the opinions are mine and mine alone, as stated in my disclosure policy. 


Friday, May 18

Library and Ed

The website's real name is Library and Educational Services, but it's URL refers it to LibraryandEd.com and it always makes me chuckle. When I need a new book, I "check with Ed" first. My family has used this website for years and have always been able to find some great deals with them. I signed up for the email newsletter so I could get notices every time there is a great sale going on. There are some incredible sales several times a year, but even without the sales, the prices are very nice.
Sometimes, I add too many items to my cart and have to hold them in my wishlist folder so that I can wait a few days to determine whether or not I really neeeeeeed the books. Other times, I only find one or two items that thrill me and I leave those in a wishlist folder while I wait for some other great finds to come up and combine orders to save on shipping. Because I pinch pennies till they cry.

Just Do It

Completely unplanned part of this post, but totally necessary - Reason #5347 not to procrastinate:

My son went to a youth group party at the youth pastor's house while I went to church to teach a class. As we were all getting ready for bed, my son mentioned that they did a scavenger hunt and that he led a group to hunt for items in our house while I was gone. He let them into my bedroom. He let them into my bedroom bathroom.

Aren't they a sweet and innocent looking group? Little did they know that their innocence would be stripped away as they viewed my grimy bathroom and tripped over my skivvies later that night. I really can't describe to you they mess that they encountered, but it's bad enough that I cried when I found out. I sobbed, actually. I felt like throwing up. You see, my room is always the room that gets packed full of whatever oddball mess is sitting around the house. Where does this go? Put it in my bedroom. Pile it on. I'll go through it later. 


I can tell you, it's looking considerably better now. Complete humiliation seems to be a good motivator for me. Which is why I felt the need to share this story, today we're discussing ways to plough through and get things done.


The best way to get something done is to begin. -Author Unknown


Through this five-part series on Procrastination, we've recognized:

  1. what procrastination is
  2. our potential for distraction
  3. temptation for what it is
  4. the opportunities we're missing

And now we're going to do something about it.  Just like with a diet, it helps to "jump start" things to encourage us with immediate results. I recommend inviting someone over for dinner. Tonight. The adrenaline rush is invigorating and it's amazing how many projects you can complete with a deadline like that. Of course, that's a key reason that my bedroom is the disaster that it is. We've had several people over the last few weeks and the fastest way to clean a living room is to shove its contents into my bedroom. This does not explain the condition of my bathroom, but really, there is no explanation for that one.

If your procrastination resides primarily in housekeeping, I strongly recommend the book Organized Simplicity. I have read 500 books about the topic and this is the only one that has worked for me. Yes, my bedroom is still a disaster, but I haven't applied it to my bedroom. With this book, you work through one room of your house at a time. A year ago, I went through my living room and applied this book to it. A year later, it still only takes 5 minutes to clean my living room. A year later, I still haven't applied this book to my bedroom. I'll get to it. #ihaveissues


But if your procrastination is more widespread, let's cover some more techniques. One small, but revolutionary piece of advice that a friend once shared with me is to make yourself finish any job that is going to take two minutes or less. As procrastinators, we are often afraid of finishing (for whatever reason,) and will leave a small task unfinished....to get to later. Before walking away, ask yourself, "Will this take less than two minutes?" If so, DO IT. It's amazing how many of those small things take less than 30 seconds. It's also amazing how much time you would be piling up for yourself if you counted all of the things you put aside until later. 


If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.  - Olin Miller


Limited
Another simple piece of advice is to set limits for yourself. If my coffee pot didn't have a shut-off timer, I'd continue reading in the mornings until the entire pot was gone. This way, the pot is getting cold by 8:00 a.m. and not nearly as appealing. I have to start my day. 

  • Set up appointments with friends so that you know you must be finished with projects by a certain time.
  • Shut down your computer between the hours that you need to be most productive so that it doesn't tempt you. 
  • Refuse to leave a certain room until the job is done. Stay and clean the bathroom while your younger children play in the tub.
  • Refuse to go on to a new task on your list until you've completed another item already on the list. 

Start a timer. 
Certainly, this helps limit how much time you spend on a fun project, but for the procrastinator, it's even more inspiring to set a timer for the work itself. If you know the clock is ticking and you have 15 minutes to work on your budget, you know you don't have time to dilly-dally. 


Reward yourself. 
This isn't so you can feel good about yourself, it's so that you can separate your work from your play. Rather than sit down and scroll through your list of preferred distractions before you work, save items on your distraction list as rewards for finishing projects. DrawSomething helped me clean my house a couple weeks ago (minus my bedroom) as a reward I used after every finished task. Load of laundry = DrawSomething. Load of dishes = DrawSomething. Made my bed = DrawSomething. It was fabulous. Those simple jobs seem so much easier when Adam Baldwin's latest tweet is dangling before my nose.  


Be careful how you word things
I read this article, which had some good points and some very bad points. It certainly describes our tendency to jump around on our To-Do lists to choose the most pleasurable or easiest tasks and it offers tips on manipulating our lists to make us more productive. But it also makes it sound like a casual option to blow off our responsibilities. Procrastinators put things off until later, but the later DOES come. People who do who make commitments and blow them off have more to work on that just procrastination. Procrastinators know a week ahead of time that a project is coming up yet wait until the night before d-day to finish it. They are aware that it would probably have been easier to tackle the job Monday afternoon rather than Thursday night at midnight, but it's part of their nature. When you shrug and say, "Well, it looks like I'm going to miss that one," you also have commitment issues and that's another issue that needs dealt with. Let me clear, THINGS HAPPEN and a missed deadline does not make you a loser, it makes you human. Shrugging at a habitual irresponsibility makes you a loser. 

Please care. When you tell someone you are going to be somewhere at a certain time, be there. They have schedules and responsibilities as well and sitting and waiting on you for 20 minutes is not what they were planning for their day. Again, occasionally it happens. It's the not-caring that makes it bad. I think it's a hard thing to understand until you've been let down yourself. You know how it feels to not have enough time in your day to get it all done? Well, the people you make commitments with have lives of their own and they also need every minute they can get. Consider the phrase "Thou shalt not steal" and remember that time is money. If this is something you struggle with, give yourself some grace and then work on it. Procrastination is part of the problem, but there is more to deal with as well. A great place to begin is to stop saying, "Yes, I'll be there." Just say, "I'll try to be there." Practice saying "Maybe." It will be a nice surprise if you're able to show up rather than a disappointment if you don't. 


Consider the Ant
There is so much that we can't change about who we are, but we can work with what we've got. God gives us instructions, so we know it's possible to obey even if it doesn't come easily to us. We also know that we can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us. It hurts to face it, but the title "procrastinator" isn't in the bible. Instead, scripture uses the word "sloth". Blech. Proverbs 12:27 says "The slothful man will not roast his game", meaning the dude had a blast doing the hunting, but finishing the job and cooking it seemed like a job that could wait until later. Raise your hand if you can relate. I see that hand, brother. But there is hope! We know that where we are weak, He is strong. It can be done. And the verse goes on to promise that "the diligent man will get precious wealth." Time with our families is pretty precious. An completely worth it.


Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.


How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you gt up from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - 
and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
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