Life is Full

I am currently reading aloud Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The boys are really enjoying it! This evening, at the end of the 3rd chapter, they were clamoring for more. But alas, it was already past bedtime. I am surprised at how much I am enjoying reading to them. We have really learned a lot about life in the late 1800's. So tonight I am feeling very blessed to be in my centrally-heated, cozy home instead of the 40 below weather in Almonzo's era with wood-burning stoves. We are trying a new approach to our homeschooling. It's more of a Charlotte Mason approach. I need something I can involve all of the children in; something that accommodates everyone here. Otherwise it can be crazy! In addition, we are using Remember Me Pockets for February from CurrClick. This is a fun and inexpensive "unit" study to do this month. We enjoyed doing some Groundhog Day activities today and learning about Laura Ingalls Wilder. There's more than we can do this month and it was only $4.99!

Also, a fun announcement: My good friend, Chris, had her 8th baby on Friday! She's a girl and so beautiful. Hop on over to Joyful Mother and take a gander. Congratulations to Chris, Donnie, and the whole family!! Jesus has surely blessed you!

Math Helps!

Today we used 2 wonderful math helps. In order to practice his times tables, Dan likes to go to Multiplication.com. He really enjoys playing the trial version of a game called Timez attack. This is a free download. There are many other games to choose from on this site, also.

Then, today, Max was learning subtraction with borrowing. We found this short little video that really helped him to understand it. Base ten blocks would be wonderful to have. I may have to get some soon! It's going to take a lot of practice, but I think he'll get it.

Homeschool Science Help

I am always searching for resources that will help me teach my children about this amazing world that God made. Recently, I received a free publication that is "top notch." The Institute for Creation Research has been doing some awesome work. They publish some free publications, namely Acts & Facts magazine and a devotional called Days of Praise. You can sign up to receive these free at the ICR website. While some of the language in Acts & Facts may be too grown up for young homeschoolers, it is helpful for me to explain to my younger children and is age appropriate for older middle to high school students. There is a wonderful article on the human ear (and it's wax!) this month. You can read this issue online, but if you're like me, you just LURVE books and want to have something concrete to peruse. I hope this will encourage you in your pursuit to raise a generation that marvels at God's creation!

Useful Educational Tool

Recently, I purchased the Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD for my 4 year old son, Tommy. He has had a hard time learning his alphabet. At first, he wasn't that excited to watch it, but now he is even asking for it. The exciting thing is that he is really learning his letters now! We are also using Rod & Staff's Early Learning Workbooks. I highly recommend the Letter Factory and these workbooks for your little one. Tommy loves to color and the workbooks have a lot of that. I find that Tommy needs more review with each letter and number, so I make my own worksheets for this. Gluing beans to each letter is a fun little activity Tommy likes. If you have an Aquadoodle mat you can practice writing letters over and over. I hope this is helpful to someone! I wish I had had this video with my older kiddos.

Teaching Textbooks Math 5

I am soooo excited!! This Math program is the one we are going to be using this year (for Dan, my 4th grader) and it SO rocks! You can try the demo at the Teaching Textbooks website. If you have a child that's self-motivated and enjoys using the computer, then this curriculum is for you. It is my opinion that TT blows Saxon away. I have used the upper level math--Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry. My daughter passed into college level math as a junior in high school after taking TT Algebra II.

**Update: This recently arrived in the mail. Dan loves it so much he has done 3 lessons in the past day. It makes math fun and does the grading for you! It's looking good so far!**

My Favorite Math Curriculum

Three years ago I was at the end of my rope. My daughter had tried 3 different Algebra 1 texts with lots of confusion and frustration. Finally, I asked the MOMYS what curriculum they would recommend. Many kind ladies highly recommended Teaching Textbooks. This has been a lifesaver for us. We have used Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry texts from this company. The fabulous thing: you don't have to remember how to teach upper level math, this program does it for you! Each level consists of a lesson book, answer key with test booklet, CD's that include course lectures on each topic and solutions for practice, homework, and test questions. This curriculum is designed for the independent learner, and so, functions like a tutor for your student. Each lesson includes previous material so that the student is reviewing previously learned concepts. This increases concept retention.

In format and method, Teaching Textbooks is very similar to Saxon Math. I believe it explains this upper level material more clearly than Saxon. Your children will enjoy the funny illustrations and word problems. Also, Teaching Textbooks is geared toward homeschoolers and Saxon is not. We have only found one weakness in Teaching Textbooks. If you are a Saxon user, you are familiar with each homework question having a lesson number in parenthesis out to the side which refers you back to the lesson where the problem was taught. TT does not have this and it would helpful if it did. What do the kids like best? My 13 year old, when asked, says he prefers Teaching Textbooks. Both of my teens have a B+ or better math average. Also, Celeste passed into college level math and begins this January. This is enough testimony for me!

FYI, we use A Beka workbooks for grades Kindergarten thru 2nd grade, Saxon for the middle years, and Teaching Textbooks for the upper grades. TT has just come out with lower level math texts and we may be looking into switching over to those, too! It is an investment, but I figure that I have so many children coming up from behind that these books will pay for themselves. Also, resale is almost full price when in good condition. I hope this review was helpful to you! Happy New Year coming up!