Archives

Online Math Games

May23

imgres

Reviewing math facts can be tedious to both student AND parent! Can I get an amen? 🙂

Is it necessary? Yes!

Why? Automaticity only occurs when you know something so well that you don’t even have to think about it; you just do it! In order for that to occur, a new skill first starts out as short term memory. It hasn’t been mastered and therefore cannot be done without reviewing what has been taught.

Next comes reviewing. Okay, you might be thinking, we will review for a week and the concept will be remembered. Some things are like that, but unfortunately, most things are not.

For instance, how many times did you sing the ABC song with your little one and have your child recite the alphabet until  it became automatic? How about counting to twenty? I would say more times than you care to remember. The same applies with math facts (all basic operations: +,-, x, /). In order for something to go to long term memory and be automatic, the brain must have a “rut” along which that information travels down.  This comes from repeating the same information again and again and again and… Students falter in multi- digit multiplication and division if they do not have the math facts memorized.

How do you keep your patience and sanity while they are still in the process of repeating these facts? How about some online games? I have made a list of websites with free online games that have games for all operations.

ixl has games and activities from preschool all the way through pre-calculus. Of course, high school doesn’t have games, but they do have sample problems. Rats!

Math Playground This has more than just addition and subtraction. There are fractions, decimals, ratios and percents from grades 1-6.

Sheppardsoftware Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division as well as fractions, money, algebra, and place value are topics that can be reviewed here.

Interactive Sites for Education  There are more games on this website than you would want your child to spend on the computer!

Have a great week!

~Lisa

Google Docs

Feb8

docs_2x

I took a class this fall on Google Apps for the classroom and will be sharing some of the apps I think will be useful to you as a home educator. Today I wanted to share an app for that can be used for Language Arts, but can actually be used for every subject area when writing.

Do you have a child who needs guidance with writing? Perhaps they are just beginning to write independently or perhaps they just need you to come alongside and offer some help with organizing their thoughts. Google has a free educational app called Google Docs that you will find useful for your student for creating a document.

The document is stored in the cloud and can be shared and edited if you so choose. This is a terrific means to offer suggestions to your child and also have accountability in meeting deadlines. There is a comment feature so that your suggestions are written on the side and can be resolved by the writer. I have had my students copy and paste the document so that we can see the progress that has been made throughout the course of the time spent on it.

The app can also be used if your student is collaborating on a project with someone else. The document can be shared and the other person can make changes if needed. The wonderful thing about that is if your child has been assigned a project that requires a document to go along with it, you can share it from the convenience of your home and do not have to drive across town to work on the paper together.

You can look at this amazing app for yourself by clicking HERE.

Andi Unstoppable

Dec21

url

If your child is interested in mysteries, then I have a book by Amanda Flower that will be perfect. A camping trip to look for a rare bird, rumors of a mother-in-mourning ghost,  and holes that are appearing all over a Civil War cemetery combine to make a great adventure for Andi Boggs and her two classmates, Colin Carter and Ava Gomez. Do any of these events have anything in common?

Andi and Ava have not been on friendly terms before, so why are they voluntarily going on a camping trip together? Hopefully, the girls be able to work out their differences to be the first from their science class to spot the elusive bird. They, along with Colin, might even be able to solve the mystery that they have come upon. Andi Unstoppable is a great read for your 8-10 year old reader that I would recommend.If you are  interested in previewing this book, CLICK HERE

There are also two more books in the Andi Boggs series for your young readers, which I find is a terrific benefit for children who will enjoy this book and want to read more. Book one is called Andi Unexpected and book 2 is Andi Under Pressure. I received this copy of Andi Unstoppable from the book look bloggers program for my honest review.

blb_badge

Using Board Games for Math Skills

Nov23

monopoly-junior-600771_640

Math can become tedious at times with memorizing facts and completing rows of computation. How about getting out some board games to reinforce concepts?

Farkle is a game similar to Yahtzee where you roll dice and need certain dice combinations in order to win the game. For instance, you need  a combination of dice to get three of a kind or a small straight  (1, 2, 3, 4). But, unlike Yahtzee, you have to be careful or you will Farkle! This fun game teaches addition, subtraction, and critical thinking. Here is a  Free Resource from Teachers Pay Teachers that is a worksheet to keep track of your score. Do you have extra dice from other games? You can make this game yourself by using or purchasing 6 dice instead of acquiring the commercial version. Here are two more FREE worksheets to use that teach regrouping. CLICK HERE

Monopoly or Monoply Jr.  is a multi-grade level game with teaching children to count money, add, subtract, strategize, learn about monopolies, and economics as well as decision making. Teachers Pay Teachers has a list of free and inexpensive worksheets  to purchase if you are interested. CLICK HERE

Go Ape is similar to Go Fish, but instead of “asking”, you must pantomime what is on the card. This game is great for those that can’t sit still and for those who have  language deficits, not to mention how fun it is! Skills that can be reinforced by playing this game are matching and decision making. Acting and movement are part of the game too!

Uno is a classic game where you must match colors and/or numbers. This is a multi-grade game where older children can play this game with younger children. You can purchase the classic game or you can buy various versions such as Uno Attack.

Spelling: Does it Matter?

Aug17

With all of the subjects that need to be covered when you are homeschooling maybe you are wondering if spelling really matters. Well, if you don’t know how to spell correctly, things could turn out different from what the writer intended. For instance, look at this sign. According to this, it pays to be towed. 🙂

themockdock

I believe spelling is intended to do the following:

  • clearly communicate~ (Do you mean their, they’re or there?)
  • provide a standard for our language~ Things get mixed up quickly if words are not spelled correctly. For example: I was reading a book or I was reeding a book.
  • demonstrate you are an educated person~ I once saw a billboard that said “_____’ s Toeing Service” I wasn’t inclined to have my car towed by that company due to how their misspelling of the word made me wonder if they knew what they were doing. I know that sounds harsh, but that was my thought.

So, here are some recommendations for spelling curriculums I have reviewed this past summer. Here are my top three picks:

  • All About Spelling While this is teacher-intensive at first, it is a terrific program and has been proven to work. It uses the Orton-Gillingham method of phonics and reading. If you have a child that is a kinesthetic learner it would be a great program since letter tiles are used. The whiteboard is also utilized for students who do not like to use paper and pencil.
  •  Spelling Workout focuses on phonetic patterns with vocabulary being introduced at higher grade levels. It has crossword puzzles to reinforce skills as well as a short editing exercise to incorporate spelling and grammar. I like the idea of incorporating other disciplines of language into related subjects.
  • Sequential Spelling Patterns of words are studied instead of lists of unrelated words. (tall, fall, ball, taller, tallest etc.) This also uses the Orton- Gillingham method.