Amazon Free App of the Day King of Math

The free app of the day, for Feb 11th, 2015 is King of Math.  I don't normally share apps, but every now and then I find one I really like, and must share.  Now, the kids have not even used this yet, but the reviews are very good.  It is rare that an app has reviews without any negativity. 


We have a super busy day today, so this is a short post.  I did not expect it to be this busy, lol.  We are walking in the morning, with our walking friends.  Then, my husband will be going to get the new tub.  DJ will get his first real experience of moving furniture into, and out of a double wide, when we go pick up a dining room table, and hutch.  Friends of ours are moving, and they didn't want to take it with them.  They offered an awesome price, so we bought it.  Then, we have to go look at new bathroom cabinets and sinks.  Finally, while the kids, and I, are at church, the hubby will be going to get a couch, love seat, and chair, from other friends who are remodeling their whole house and asked if we wanted it.  So, for a little bit of money, very little, our little house is getting a make over.  Yay!!!

As long as all goes well, tomorrow we will resume a regular school day.  It will be test day, and experiments.  This weekend, our under house pipes are all getting replaced, and I will hide in the garage to clean it, and pretend I don't know my house is being ripped apart. 

Teaching Your Homeschooler How to Take Notes

One of the things I have tried to get my son to do, was to take notes.  He was very resistant, and didn't think it was necessary.  So, to prove my point, I placed him in a free college level class to see how he did.  He said, Mom this is too much to remember.  I can't remember it all.  So, now he sees my point.  With him going into High School I really think note taking is very important, and studying too.  Below, are two lessons on taking notes.  If I find more, I will share them as well. 

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/03/lp322-01.shtml

http://www.greatschools.org/students/homework-help/323-take-great-notes.gs

Free or Frugal Homeschool Friday

I know last week I missed it.  I had family here visiting, and just did not get to it.  This week, I got half of one homeschool portfolio done, lol and forgot to buy a binder for the second.  I will have to go pick one up today.  The hardest part is sorting through everything we have done, and deciding what I want to put in the portfolio.  This takes a while.  Plus I got distracted by watching Hurricane Arthur, the ding dong Daddy of the year in Georgia, and drawing/painting.  My son turns 14 today, and will be home from camp later today.  He had so much fun, and I can tell you Camp Anderson in Old Town, FL was a huge hit.  Because today is Independence Day, I thought I would share some links for how we got our independence.


http://havefunwithhistory.com/HistorySubjects/AmericanRevolution.html

http://oklahomahomeschool.com/RevolutionwarUnit.html

http://www.123homeschool4me.com/2012/08/revolutionary-war-4freedom-at-last.html

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/american-history/revolutionary-war/

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html

Free or Frugal Friday Homeschool

We have family coming to visit from out of state, this next week.  So, I am not sure I will be able to blog.  I will try. 

This week Caitlin read a book about the Oregon Trail, on We Give Books.  They have a Summer reading program.  We opted to not do the activity, but she did watch a video about the Oregon Trail.  This is of course free, and books are donated to kids in need after your child reads.

Camp Wonderopalis, also free, is giving me the same issue as last year.  We used it twice and now I can not log in.  This is a total annoyance and I probably will not try again. 

If you are someone that uses manipulatives when you teach Math, then you know they can be very expensive.  You can use anything though, that you have a lot of.  For example this week, Caitlin and I used some of the many beads that were given to her.  They are plastic, and a nice size, so they work perfectly.  You could use candy, cut up straws, toys like Pet shops or other figurines.  Anything that are small, but not too small, that you have a lot of .  Legos comes to mind too.  We don't do Legos, I find them more of a pain than useful. 

DJ continues with Introduction to Forensics, on Coursera, free of course.  DJ, and I, also started watching his Math U See videos for Algebra 1 for next year.  These are not free, lol, but they are very useful.  The gentleman is easy to listen to, stays on track mostly, and explains things in a way you can understand. 

Here are some free resources that I have been saving, and maybe you would like to use too.  I am trying to clean up my favorites, so sharing them here makes more sense as a filing source.

Virtual Eye Dissection:   http://www.eschoolonline.com/company/examples/eye/eyedissect.html
Writing Exercises:   https://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/2/
Pond Life Microscope:  http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/pond/index.html


Come back for more free ideas next week.

2013/2014 Mathematics Curriculum

OK, so normally every year I document on this blog my curriculum specifics, for both kids, for the year. Last year I didn't do it. Guess I just didn't want to take the time. So, now that I need it to do our portfolios it is literally no where to be found. So, I had to find and print it again, and fill it all in for what we did and did not do. What a pain. So, this year I am doing it again here on the blog. I am doing it a bit different though. I am breaking it down by subject for each child. There will be supplemental websites at the bottom of each post. These are websites we already use, or I have tested and will be using. Since I adapt a curriculum from a typical course of study, it really does not cost me anything, except time. I use a baseline curriculum found at about.com/homeschool and adapt it to suit my needs. This curriculum is only what we will cover, not how it will be covered.  DJ will be doing FLVS for Math, but not until January, and will be doing other Math exercises until then.  Caitlin will be finishing Saxon 3, using EP and a variety of other Math websites and games.

Caitlin- 4th Grade Mathematics:

Reading and writing numbers
Numeration systems
Subsets
Decimals and fraction equivalents
Addition and subtraction facts to 7 places
Multiplication and division to 144
1 and 2 number multiplication problems
2 and 3 digit dividend and 1 digit divisor problems
Meaning of mixed numbers
Finding simple averages
Geometric concepts
Customary and metric measurements
Time to second
Problem solving methods
Charts and graphs

these are maybes
Prime numbers less than 100
Prime factoring

DJ- 8th Grade Mathematics:

Maintain skills and fundamental operations
Fractions and products
Sets and simple sentences
Numeration systems
Ratio proportions and percent
Inequalities and equalities
Simple formulas and equations
Graphing an equation
Powers and roots of rational numbers
Polynomials
Metric and non metric geometry
Probability and statistics
Statistical terms
Mathematical of insurance banking and taxes

these are maybes
Pythagorean Theorem
Scale drawing
Right triangle trigonometry
Permutations


Extra Math Resources:
http://www.purplemath.com this website is a personal favorite of mine for Math
http://easypeasyhomeschool.com
http://funbrain.com
http://www.coolmathgames.com
http://www.factmonster.com
http://wwwmathplayground.com
http://www.mathdrills.com this is another personal favorite

Math Playground

It is summertime. That means it is time to clean up the educational links I have posted, and share new awesome ones I have discovered. I am always searching for new, interesting and educational websites especially free or very affordable ones. Math Playground, is just what it sounds like. Math games, interactive flash cards, plus puzzles, and math videos. Check it out and see if you can use it in conjunction with your other lessons.

Take A Journey To The Earth's Core

History.com has sent me an email alert to let me know that on April 2nd at 8 PM Eastern, they are airing a new show called A Journey to the Earth's Core. Be sure to Tivo it or watch it, if this is something you or your child would be interested in. I will be Tivoing it for sure. Here is the description they sent me.

Journey to the Earth’s Core
Saturday, April 2nd at 8/7c

Humans have mapped nearly every corner of the globe--from jungles and deserts to the depths of space. Yet we have gone only seven miles below the Earth's surface which is only 1/500th of the total distance to its center. Journey to the Earth’s Core travels 4,000 miles down into the heart of our planet. Scientists, engineers and explorers encounter the underground world where strange life forms are able to inhabit deadly environments and trees force their way through 400 feet of rock to find water. Viewers will learn about mines the size of cities and about the ways electric shocks to the Earth can help reveal the location of oil. Throughout the program, students will learn new information about the mysterious underground forces that shape life on the surface of our planet.

Curriculum Links:
Journey to the Earth’s Core would be an excellent contribution to Science and Technology, Geography, Environmental Science, Politics, and History Courses. It is appropriate for high school and college students.

Discussion Questions:

1.	What methods do the scientists in this program use to analyze their findings as they explore the layers beneath the earth’s surface?
2.	How do you think information about the earth’s core can help us understand life on our planet?

Why I Homeschool

This is a weekly meme that I joined for every Wednesday. Oh wait, it is Thursday. That is right I forgot yesterday, so I am doing it today. If anyone would like to join let me know.

One of the reasons I homeschool, there are many, is because I can sign my kids up for cool classes that I think are good for them to take, as part of their education. Like this free 30 minute First Aid class, that DJ will be doing today. I have to give credit where credit is due, I found this link on Homeschool.com two years ago, and have been saving it until now. Your child must be in the fifth grade to take the class.

Coins In My Hands

Caitlin is learning about money denominations, identifying money, and adding money. This cute video has a catchy tune to help your children learn about the amount each coin is worth. It is much cooler this week, here in FL, so I am hoping to get quite a bit of yard work done. It is a bit of a challenge with a new puppy in the house. It is just like having a new born baby, except way louder. We had been having laid back Monday's, but now I am picking it up a bit, to be sure nothing gets left off the curriculum by the end of the school year. Next week we go on Spring Break, so there will be plenty of time to relax then. Have an awesome Monday, everyone.



Lesson Plans For 03/07/11:

DJ:
Head of the Class: 30 minutes
Math: Saxon 54
Reading Comprehension: With worksheet
Writing: Fishy Monday blog post
Language Arts: Simple sentences
Sign Language

Caitlin:
Head of the Class: 30 minutes
Money Identification
Language Arts: Describing words, suffixes
Word Search: Weather
Phonics: Letter G
Reading: Happy and Max
Math: Subtraction, spacial figures
Animal Coloring Page
Following Directions: Worksheet
Printing Practice

Whew What A Week!

It has been a very busy week, this week. We were able to catch up on all our lessons yesterday, book lessons that is. We did a lot of fun, non book related activities this week. We still need to sign up for the Great Backyard Bird Watch, I will do that this morning. We missed the big count in February, but we can take part in that next year. We can still participate by logging birds we see everyday in our yard. We get lots of birds throughout the year, at different times. We always have Cardinals, Mocking Birds, and Morning Doves they nest in our trees. They are quite loud and vocal in the morning and evening, then we don't hear too much in the afternoon. You can sign yourself or your kids up as well. I wanted to do the bee one, but Caitlin is petrified of bees, so not a good idea. If you get a chance, please read my post from yesterday and rank my review I did on a book. I would love some feedback for the next one I do. That was my first book review.

I almost forgot, Anne at Small Town Mommy, has a new series on Fridays all about being dairy and gluten free. If you have to follow a dairy and gluten free diet, you need to check out her blog. She was very helpful when I asked her for a cupcake recipe, for a St Patrick's Day party. She repeats the series every Friday, so be sure to bookmark her site.

A quick note. I just went to sign up for the Great Backyard Bird Count, and if you want to enter daily bird reports, you need to sign up at Ebird. There are lots of great activities on the Great Backyard Bird Count website as well.

History of Australia

Today for History class we continue our trip around the world in Australia. If you would like to see our other stops you can visit the archives. Below is a video and a brief history of Australia. The book shown is the book we have been using in our adventures around the world. It gives you lesson ideas for each geographical area.



Lesson Plans For 02/23/11:

DJ:
Social Studies: Australia, Chapter 20 Ancient Times, Map Skills
Math: Saxon 54
Spelling: Review
Sign Language
Head of the Class: 30 minutes

Caitlin:
Social Studies: Australia, family tree lesson
Math: Subtraction
Language Arts: Naming words, the big idea, prefixes
Phonics: Letter D
Clothing: Word Search'
Printing Practice
Clock work, calendar work, sight words, skip counting

Parts Of A Plant, and How To Grow Watermelon

Today is Science class, and today we are learning about parts of a plant, and growing plants from seeds. Speaking of growing things from seeds, next month in Feb. for a 4H contest we are going to attempt to grow the largest watermelon. The winner wins some kind of a prize. So I thought we should start learning how to grow a watermelon. I do OK when I grow fruits and vegetables, and then poof something eats it. So pest control will be our biggest issue. Lucky for me I did a review for Ecosmart and have the gardening pest control to use.

Lesson Plans For 01/18/2011:

DJ:
Science: Flowers and seeds, recycled air, gazing at the sky
Spelling: Chapter 13 write each spelling word three times each
Math: Saxon 54
Sign Language
Writing: Pure description

Caitlin:
Science: Parts of a plant, flowers and seeds, dinosaur lapbook
Printing Practice
Math: Addition, telling time
Language Arts: Words to know, consonants
Find and color words in a group
Calendar work, clock work, skip count to 40 by twos, sight words

Clouds, Clouds, and More Clouds

Tomorrow for Science, we are studying clouds. Types of clouds, what makes clouds, etc. The video below is cool, and describes the different types of clouds. In addition you can have your child draw some clouds, using the following descriptions for each type of cloud.

Cumulonimbus: Clouds have a flat bottom rising up into an anvil shaped top. These are class thunderheads.

Cirrus: The clouds mean fair weather, and are high wispy clouds, that look like swirls in the sky.

Nimbostriatus: These are dark clouds that are spread out like a blanket, layered, and bring light to moderate precipitation.

Cumulus: These are white, fluffy, cotton ball looking clouds. They very often have spaces of clear blue sky in between.

Altostratus: Middle height clouds that are grayish blue, and cover the whole sky. They mean widespread storms.

Altocumulus: These clouds look like fuzzy bubbles, that are connected in long rows. They may be white, or gray. They usually mean a cold front is coming.

Lesson Plans For 01/12/10:

DJ:
Science: Name that cloud
Math: Fractions, division, multiplication
Spelling/Vocab: Use each word in a sentence
Language Arts: Writing, suffix review
Sign Language: Colors
Cursive Writing
Art: Draw clouds, according to the descriptions given above

Caitlin:
Reading: HOP Hip O Gets a Pet
Following a pattern: Worksheet
Math: Follow the dots through 30
Alphabet Book: Letter T
Site Words
Flash Cards: Number to word identification
Printing Practice

Animals Of The Past: Cats

We finished our experiment on digestion, from last week, and what did we find? The meat barely digested at all. So meat takes a long time for the body to break it down, and digest it. Tonight we will be doing the same experiment, with two slices of apples. Follow the same procedure, and in a week see what the results are, then discuss your findings. Tomorrow is Science, and this week we are studying animals of the past, the history of cats, to be specific. The cute Disney video below, is great for younger learners.

Tomorrow is a half day.
Lesson Plans For 10/20/09:

DJ
Science: Animals of the past, history of cats
Math: Greater than, and less than, numbers to one million
Language Arts: Apostrophes, prefixes, homograph review
Spelling/Vocab: Look up the definition for each word
Cursive writing

Caitlin:
Printing practice
Science: History of cats, three little kittens nursery rhyme
Math: Number comparison, bigger and smaller
Reading: HOP Ann's Hat
Alphabet book: Letter V
Site words

Last Friday was the end of the first grading period, and I will be posting DJ's grades as soon as I calculate them up. Caitlin is not graded at this point.

What Your Child Should Know By Years End

This is helpful to both public school children, and homeschooled children. If you want to know if your child is on track, and what they should have learned by the end of a particular grade, then these can be helpful to you. I use these to make sure my curriculum is complete, and I don't miss anything. I have for kindergarten, and fourth grade shown, but you can Google search for the grade you need to know about. I got this information here.

By the end of kindergarten, you can expect your child to:

• Follow class rules
• Separate from a parent or caregiver with ease
• Take turns
• Cut along a line with scissors
• Establish left- or right-hand dominance
• Understand time concepts like yesterday, today, and tomorrow
• Stand quietly in a line
• Follow directions agreeably and easily
• Pay attention for 15 to 20 minutes
• Hold a crayon and pencil correctly
• Share materials such as crayons and blocks
• Know the eight basic colors: red, yellow, blue, green, orange, black, white, and pink
• Recognize and write the letters of the alphabet in upper- and lowercase forms
• Know the relationship between letters and the sounds they make
• Recognize sight words such as the and read simple sentences
• Spell his first and last name
• Write consonant-vowel-consonant words such as bat and fan
• Retell a story that has been read aloud
• Identify numbers up to 20
• Count by ones, fives, and tens to 100
• Know basic shapes such as a square, triangle, rectangle, and circle
• Know her address and phone number

By the end of the year, you can expect your child to:

• Begin to make more decisions and engage in group decision-making
• Want to be part of a group
• Think independently and critically
• Have empathy
• Show a strong sense of responsibility
• Be able to memorize and recite facts, although he may not have a deep understanding of them
• Increase the amount of detail in drawings
• Work on research projects
• Write a structured paragraph with an introductory topic sentence, three supporting details, and a closing sentence that wraps up the main idea of the paragraph
• Use a range of strategies when drawing meaning from text, such as prediction, connections, and inference
• Understand cause-and-effect relationships
• Add and subtract decimals, and compare decimals and fractions
• Multiply multi-digit numbers by two-digit numbers
• Divide larger multi-digit numbers by one-digit numbers
• Find the area of two-dimensional shapes
• Have a greater awareness of fairness

Revising and Proofreading: The Writing Process

You can find the first two steps in my archives. Steps three, and four kind of go together, so I am putting them in the same post. They are revising, and proofreading. In step two you did your rough draft. It was probably slightly messy, maybe disorganized in thought, with spelling, and punctuation errors. So now comes the time to revise your work, into your final product. To revise correct any disorganized thoughts, or themes, spelling, punctuation, and other errors. Once you have completed revising your work, you can proofread it, or better yet have someone else proofread it for you. Others can very often notice something maybe you missed. For school purposes, I teach my son to proofread sample writings, as well as his own, before turning them in. This helps him to notice mistakes, in areas he has already learned. Below is short video on proofreading for kids, but can be applied to anyone who wants to improve their writing skills.

Here are a few pointers to remember:

Do my sentences make sense, and are they in a logical order?
Is info missing, do I need to elaborate, or explain more?
Have I checked my spelling, punctuation, and grammar?
Have I used the right verb tenses.

Follow these simple rules, and you will have your writing skills down to a science.

Unit Study On Feelings, Homeschool Resources

This week, on http://www.schoolexpress.com/ they are offering a free unit study on Feelings. I have checked it out, and it is a good one. I save these, and add them to my curriculum, usually at the end of the year, or where there is an empty slot. They are free, and they will send it to your email every week, so sign up if you need some new curriculum ideas.

I am a day behind, so there will be two days worth of lesson plans listed, as I posted about the contest yesterday. Dont forget to enter, the prizes are great. Last months contest was a dog cake, and it is being made, and pictures should be up soon. I am a little behind, as my youngest is sick. She is very rarely sick, so this is kind of traumatizing to her.

Here are this weeks Homeschool Resource Freebies, for this week, you must sign up for their newsletter at http://www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com/ to receive these great freebies. Most are PDF files, and they have some great ones this week, check them out:

Monday, Sept 29: Autumn Studies Classic collection of Nature, Literature & Art Lessons for Primary Grades. Lots of simple Q&A studies, poems, examples and more.

Tuesday, Sept 30: How To Make Your Children Obey Great little ebook on how to teach your children to be obedient from Kathy Brodock

Wednesday, Oct 1: Lessons from "The Thinking Toolkit" Two lessons from this excellent book: Learn the differences between a discussion, a disagreement, an argument & a fight. Also, learn when to shut up!

Thursday, Oct 2: Way cool Science Experiments videos! Fun collection of "hands on" science experiments for kids, courtesy of GreatHomeschoolVideos.com

Friday, Oct 3: First Things First How to start your day with simple Family Devotions - great guide by Penny Raine

I particularly like Monday and Fridays resources.

Due to my husbands new work schedule, yes they have changed his hours yet again, our school day will now be from 9AM, until 2:30 PM. Here are our Lesson Plans, for 9/29/08, and 9/30/08

Monday
Writing: Write directions, for how to ride a bike
Math: Multiplication, addition and subtraction
Language Arts: Phonics review, prefix, suffixes, verbs
Spelling Lesson 5: Write each spelling word 2 times each
Vocabulary Lesson 5: Look up the definition, for each vocabulary word
Art- Draw Spongebob Squarepants shown above, and paint a Ocean related painting
Reading: Read chapter 5 of The Knight At Dawn

Tuesday
Writing: Draw and write what your home is like
Math: Multiplication, addition, subtraction, greater than and less than
Language Arts: Phonics Review, synonyms, antonyms
Spelling Lesson 5: Write each spelling word, and circle the vowels
Vocabulary Lesson 5: Use each vocabulary word in a sentence
PE: 30 minutes
Reading: Read chapter 6 of The Knight At Dawn
Science: Sea Creatures- Dolphins

Lesson 5 spelling words: alive, grind, pint, drive, diet, size, rise, died, tried, dial, five, pies, inside, cried, and island

Lesson 5 vocabulary words: alive, grind, pint, drive, diet, size, rise, dial, inside, island

Monday August 11th: Homeschool Freebie of the Day

Today on Homeschool Freebie of the Day, is a Ebook, called Grammar Land. It is a old book that tells a story of Grammar. It is free to all homeschool freebie of the day members. Not a member of Homeschool Freebie of The Day, then go here, and sign up for their free newsletter http://homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/ It is that simple, and bingo you are a member. Every Monday they will send you a newsletter with 5 days of different freebies. This week there is a bonus freebie, for members only called How To Teach Phonics: The First Four Years. It is again a completely free ebook. I have checked both of these out, and have kept them both. So go sign up for your free newsletter, and start getting these great freebies, every week in your email inbox.

Long Leaf Pine Forest Virtual Tour/Field Trip

Take a field trip, to a Pine Forest, without even leaving your home. As I have stated previously, I spend lots of time, looking for interesting, and cool things to enhance mine and your homeschooling experience. Check out this free site and take a virtual tour of the Long Leaf Pine Forest. This could be integrated into a science lesson plan, about Forest's. Go to http://www.auburn.edu/academic/forestry_wildlife/longleafalliance/ecosystem/virtualtour/tour.htm There is a slideshow option, or automated tour. Be sure to check out the links at the bottom, they take you to info about the various plant and animal life that live in the forest.

Free Theme Unit Study On The Olympics great homeschooling site

Tomorrow 8/10 school express's newsletter, will contain a free theme unit for the Olympics, and a free Olympic e book. They send a new themed unit every Sunday, in their free newsletter. I have already received several, and as I stated they are free. I cant share the unit with you, so you have to go to their site and sign up for the free newsletter. Once you supply your email address, they will send you a confirmation email, which you will need to click on. If you miss this weeks themed unit, they will have a new one next Sunday. So go to School Express, and sign up for their free newsletter, and by the way they have free educational games, and other free resources right on their website. You can sign up for their Deluxe Unit Membership, and receive even more benefits.