Adventures of a Catholic homeschooling family in Alaska.
Two years ago, the boys enjoyed themselves on the computer solidifying their basic math facts with Math Rider. When this program came up as a vendor for the Schoolhouse Review Crew, D was eagerly awaiting word on whether we’d have the chance to review it again. Lucky for him, we made the list. [Read On]
For many of my friends, when their children reach the age of 3 or 4 they are enrolled in a preschool program where the foundations of learning are laid for future educational experiences. My boys have not really experienced this structured learning as preschoolers (although D had a preschool class complete with circle time when [Read On]
When a homeschool parent reaches the high school years, they can tend to get a little nervous about teaching math to their child unless they have a strong math background. Even for those of us who took upper level math through college, it is nice to have other resources available to help reinforce learning for [Read On]
We’re back again to share about another resource for teaching your child math. For many, this particular subject is scary for them to teach, yet parents know just how important it is to learn for pretty much any career option out there. High school level math is where it typically gets scarier for the homeschool [Read On]
As much as I don’t want to admit it, I have one child that is currently struggling with math. He ‘gets’ a concept and seems okay for a while. Then, a few weeks later the same concept appears on a review page and he acts as if he never saw it in the first place. [Read On]
Math is one of those subjects that some people dread. And, I’m not always talking about the kids when I saw that! Personally, I love math and the very orderly way you can explain things through the patterns found. But, there are times when I dread teaching it as the boys have hit [Read On]
It seems like we tend to forget drilling those basic math facts for a while during the school year. Honestly, the idea of the boys sitting down to do a time ‘test’ on paper almost fills ME with dread. Yet, I could already see earlier this year that we needed to spend some time doing [Read On]
For some children, you can not simply teach them in a conventional manner some of the foundational aspects of arithmetic. Seeing page after page of problems can put a fear through their system as they dread the work ahead. I’ve had kids that even a few years after learning addition and subtraction needed to double [Read On]
Math is one of those subjects that everyone is doing, yet there seems to be little fun in many of the core curriculums being used by homeschoolers. While there are many ways to bring the subject to life, I also recognize that there are not enough hours in the day for me to come up [Read On]
Math is one of subjects that helped to drive us towards homeschooling. P struggled greatly with it during 3rd grade and went from being ‘okay’ at it to receiving low scores that had him convinced he’d never ‘get it.’ When making the decision to homeschool, I took a decent amount of time investigating how [Read On]
When you think about math and your child, do you get tense or shudder over the challenge. As important it is to master those math facts, it can present a problem when a child is struggling and shuts down when faced with another math worksheet. For most younger students, learning through hearing explanations and [Read On]
Today, I wanted to share really quick about an online resource for students needing a bit more help in high school level math and science. Educator offers streaming video for several subjects that you can watch from the comfort of your home any time of the day or night. You can see the long list [Read On]
Math seems to be a challenging subject for many homeschool parents. We sometimes bop around looking for the magic curriculum that will have the kids learning without complaint. And, for those lacking strength in math, the materials need to be easy to implement.There are times when the main curriculum you’ve chosen still seems to fall [Read On]
If there is one subject area where so many of us on the TOS Homeschool Crew have spent our time, it is math. Of all the subjects taught, this one has most families in search of something to help them through the whole ordeal. It could be the student who is struggling and just not [Read On]
I’ll admit it. There are times when I like to utilize DVDs in our homeschool. Typically, it is in subjects like history or science where we do most of our supplemental learning through a DVD.Math is an area with some DVD instruction, but it is not that often for the younger kids. Usually, we talk [Read On]
Last year, we had a LOT of math products for review on the TOS Crew. So, I find it a bit ironic to start off the year with another set of DVDs from Math Tutor DVD. Not that I’m complaining as P really can use the extra help. This year they sent us the Pre-algebra [Read On]
Looking back at the list of TOS Crew Reviews this year, you might notice that there are a LOT of math products on the list. For one of my boys, math is a subject to love and he can’t get enough of it. Another boy has the flip opposite idea and tries to avoid math [Read On]
The more I see of the products that The Critical Thinking Company has, the more I want to use in our homeschool. Receiving a copy of Balance Benders, Beginning (Grades 2 – 6) just opened up another door of learning for our family. As someone who loves puzzles, this book was real appealing to me. [Read On]
Last year, we had the opportunity to review three different levels of Math Mammoth’s Light Blue Series. You can find that review here. This year, two of the boys are working with different levels of the Light Blue Series (grades 2 and 5) and one is using a topic driven workbook (Introduction to Fractions) from [Read On]
On some of the Yahoo Groups I have belonged to over the past few years, I have heard mention of Ray’s Arithmetic. For some of those posters, a return to materials used years ago when emphasis was placed on core curriculum and not the agenda based material you can find in school systems is appealing.But, [Read On]
Math seems to be a sticky subject at times for my boys, so I am always eager to try out something new to bring a little spark to our math studies. This year, I have had ample opportunity to test several math products as a member of the TOS Crew. The latest of these is [Read On]
Having been on the TOS Crew now for over a year, I have to say that I am amazed at just how many resources there are available for homeschoolers when it comes to tackling the ‘scary’ subject of math. Interactive, on-line programs are practically multiplying as each tries to meet a need out there. MathScore [Read On]
While the boys are currently doing okay in their primary math curriculum, there are times that a bump is hit in the road. Even when things are going smoothly, it is nice to have some variety of learning reinforcement to help ‘spice things up.” Given that they enjoy spending time on the computer, I was [Read On]
For the most part, our physical education component of homeschooling has included time at the pool, hiking with dad, and just being a boy (riding bikes, running around outside.) But, occasionally things seem to get into a rut and the boys have little desire to do the usual things. When that happens, it is great [Read On]
Last December, we were given the opportunity to use ALEKS for almost 2 months as part of the TOS Crew. The boys really enjoyed using the program and R has often begged me to subscribe. Rather than rehash why we liked ALEKS, you can read last year’s reviews (Part 1 and Part 2.) This August [Read On]
Talk to just about any educator out there and they’ll say that drills on the basic facts are important for kids to do well in math. I have found that my kids are in definite need of the ‘drill’ format for their basic facts. Otherwise, I see them stare off into space on more complicated [Read On]
Our family was blessed with the opportunity to review another product from The Critical Thinking Co., Mathematical Reasoning Level A. D was excited to have his own product to review since many of the others we have been sent were for his older brothers. Mathematical Reasoning Level A is part of their core curriculum line, [Read On]
As I have mentioned before, math is a stumbling block for my eldest son. He started falling behind during third grade in parochial school and quickly decided that he stinks at math with destiny having determined he’ll always fail. The other boys have a more natural affinity for math and love to tackle different problems. [Read On]
Growing up, I was probably the exception to the rule. I LOVED math class and found problem solving quite interesting. I even considered a second major in college for math, but wanted to finish in 4 years. Two of my boys have a head for math as well, while the other one suffers from both [Read On]
Dear readers, I just got an email from ALEKS today allowing me to share a FREE one month trial to the site. Click on this link: http://www.aleks.com/webform/eb3-104, and you should be given the option for one month free instead of the 48 hour trial normally offered. As I posted before, this program has been a [Read On]
