Review: Mathematical Reasoning
June 2, 2009 by Karin
Beginning Mathematical Reasoning by Dough Brumbaugh & Linda Brumbaugh (Bright Minds; 2005) is part textbook and part lapbook. Geared for the 3 or 4 year old child the book focuses on the introduction and beginning concepts of 5 NCTM Standards: Number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement and data analysis and probability.
While the workbook portion of the book involves circling, coloring, drawing, writing, or filling in the blanks, the textbook portion may just involve counting, pointing or discussing the answers with a parent which is certainly age appropriate and helps keep learning entertaining for the young learner.
The illustrations and layout are appropriately sized, colorful and uncluttered. While it is advisable to follow the lessons in order, parents may choose to skip ahead if a child is enjoying a particular skill set since they are repeated throughout to reinforce learning.
There are enough skills and lessons in this 235 page book to cover a prek3 and prek4 year with some supplementation (using manipulatives) by the parent. Though children all develop at different rates, the first half of the book is best for a typical 3 year old, while the last half of the book may be better suited for a 4 year old due to the writing that is involved to complete the lessons.
Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 10 months. You are invited to follow her homeschooling adventures at www.PassportAcademy.com and her adventures as a mother, wife, homemaker, decorator and organizer at www.MommyMattersBlog.com
Review: The Noticer
May 31, 2009 by Karin
Your chance to regroup, take a breath, and begin your life again
awaits in the simple wisdom and heartwarming story of a man named Jones.
It’s not very often that you come across a book that is equal parts self-help, motivational, inspiration and heartwarming tale. But that is exactly what Andy Andrews latest book, The Noticer (Thomas Nelson;2009) is. Filled with common wisdom and uncommon perspective the book captures the lives of characters who are struggling with poverty, failing marriage, lost dreams, old age, business failures, homelessness and more, until an old drifter named Jones comes into their lives. Jones has a gift for seeing what other people miss, and showing up just when you need him, only to leave just as quickly after giving the gift of perspective.
“Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective.“ Jones
The book is a very engaging and manageable read, because of this, The Noticer is an excellent choice for book clubs with its handy “reader’s guide” and discussion questions at the end. Even if you are not part of a book club you will benefit from pondering the discussion questions, which much like the book, will no doubt cause you gain a little better perspective on your life and it’s many blessings.
Those who enjoy the book will want to visit The Noticer Project website, to learn more about how you can participate in a world wide movement to “notice” the five most influencial people in your life.
Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 10 months. You are invited to follow her homeschooling adventures at www.PassportAcademy.com and her adventures as a mother, wife, homemaker, decorator and organizer at www.MommyMattersBlog.com
Review: Teach your children to pray
Teach Your Children to Pray by Denise George is an encouraging inspirational book that provides the WHY and HOW TO’s on teaching your children to pray faithfully. This book is an encouragement for all parents but may be especially useful for new Christian parents or those who may not have had the opportunity to learn from a faithful prayer warrior.
Each bite-size chapter includes several easily implemented (and creative) suggestions that you can incorporate immediately with your children. Denise George’s encouraging tone and concrete suggestions will help you fulfill one of the most important jobs you have as a parent—-teaching your children to pray so that they can have a personal relationship with God.
A few take-aways from the book include:
We must teach our children to pray because:
Children need a lifelong loving relationship with their Heavenly Father. They can accomplish this only through prayer.
The gift of prayer is the greatest inheritance we can give our children.
Prayer education must begin in the home.
Suggestions for teaching your child to pray:
- Time is limited with young children so at first read only from the bible. As your child matures add other sources such as daily devotions…
- List some creative ways you can pray together as a family.
- Explain to your children frequently why teaching them to pray is so important to you.
During your devotional time as a family:
- Prayer should always be geared towards the youngest child make this child feel just as important as the first born.
- Read the Psalms. A different Psalm each evening. Construct a prayer wall in each child’s bedroom
Ideas to put ‘legs’ to your children’s prayer:
- As a family, share what prayer means to you with another family in your church or community. Give your children special opportunities to frequently share their faith with others. This teaches them to witness naturally and easily to those around them.
- Tell your child often that you are proud of who she is becoming in Christ.
Included in the book is a chapter on holiday prayer ideas and a question & answer section on everything related to introducing prayer to your children.
Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 10 months. You are invited to follow her homeschooling adventures at www.PassportAcademy.com and her adventures as a mother, wife, homemaker, decorator and organizer at www.MommyMattersBlog.com
Review: Phonics Pathways
May 30, 2009 by Karin
Appropriate for K-2 emergent readers, Phonics Pathways (Jossey-Bass; 2005 9th edition) teaches students the rudiments of phonics and spelling in a practical well organized manner. Sounds and spelling patterns are introduced one at a time and are then slowly built into words, syllables, phrases and finally, sentences. The sounds and syllables are learned in the same way math is learned—by pattern and order of complexity. This multi-sensory method addresses all learning styles and is also effective for those with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia.
As determined by the National Reading Panel, children who learn to read through a systematic,k sequential, and explicit phonics-based approach make more progress than children who learn to read without such instruction.
One of the features that sets Phonics Pathways apart from other Phonics programs is that reading and spelling are taught as an integrated unit. Accuracy in reading and spelling is taught in the very first lesson! Author and educator Dolores G. Hiskes believes that teaching them together enhances and reinforces both skills.
If we are limited to reading only words we know, and guessing at new words through context clues, we are confined within the boundaries of our current vocabularies and thoughts, interpreting things only from within our own shallow perspectives.
Phonics Pathways page xiii
Fun (reproducible) learning games are sprinkled throughout the book and help reinforce concepts in a way that seems less like study work and more like entertainment. Additional supplemental games are available for purchase, but are not required. Although it is advisable to follow the lessons in order, they are not numbered so that the teacher and student(s) may progress at their own pace. The book’s layout is attractive and uses 24-point letters in its lessons for easier reading by both teacher and student.
Lower case letters are primarily featured as that is what the child will see most on the page as they begin to read independently. It is recommended that students progress at least to page 49 before attempting to read Early Readers for the first time. This will give them the most practice with the sight words they are likely to encounter and reduce frustration.
In my opinion this is not a book that you finish in a school year but rather one that you progress through over 2 or more years, depending on your child. It can be used as an entire reading curriculum or a supplement to an existing one. There is no written teaching script, teachers guide or workbook and the text varies between addressing the student directly and offering random Teaching Tips to the instructor. Parents who prefer detailed instructions or lesson plans should consider this before purchasing.
Spelling strategies are detailed on pages 238-243 and a variety of manipulatives such as magnetic or tile letters, chalk boards, or individual white boards are suggested and encouraged. Eclectic homeschoolers or those who love to piece together their own curriculum or supplemental activities will find many opportunities to do so while using this guide.
For more information download the FREE Guide to Phonics Pathways and Reading Pathways.
Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 10 months. You are invited to follow her homeschooling adventures at www.PassportAcademy.com and her adventures as a mother, wife, homemaker, decorator and organizer at www.MommyMattersBlog.com
Review: Dinah Zike’s Big Book of Math
May 30, 2009 by Karin
Educational consultant, lecturer, and author, Dinah Zike has invented hundreds of educational manipulatives and created over 150 supplemental educational books and materials that are used in homes and classrooms nationally. In her book, Big Book of Math (Dinah-Might Adventures; 2003) Dinah provides instructions and templates to create over 35 foldables in addition to reproducible math graphics and activities.
Included in the book are graphics & activities on:
- Currency
- Clocks
- Calendar
- Rulers
- Systems of measurement
- Liquid measurement
- Cylinders & Flasks
- Thermometers
- Fractional Parts
- Music Notes
- Two and three-dimensional shapes
- 3-D models
- Tangrams
- Protractors & rulers
- Place value graphics
- Student Addition Table
- Student multiplication table
- Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division flash cards
This is a wonderful resource for parents and teachers of elementary age students.
You may also visit Dinah Zike’s website for more information including seminar dates.
Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 10 months. You are invited to follow her homeschooling adventures at www.PassportAcademy.com and her adventures as a mother, wife, homemaker, decorator and organizer at www.MommyMattersBlog.com
Review: My Calendar Book
May 29, 2009 by Karin
My Calendar Book by Christian Light Publications can be used as a math supplement for grades 1-3.
This consumable book includes the following activities:
Calendar Pages
Students track weather in a variety of ways each monthly, write the dates and year on each calendar page, color a seasonal picture and answer brief questions regarding their findings that month.
Graphs and Charts
Students create a variety of graphs and charts.
Calendar Facts
Students learn calendar facts such as the days of the week, seasons, months, etc.
Ordinal numbers
Students are taught ordinal numbers 1st-100th
Clock
And a very brief illustration is included on the the clock. It is not enough to teach telling time but rather just an introduction to the parts of a clock.
7 pages of teaching tips and instruction is included in the back of the workbook. Priced at only $4.90 (at time of publication) this workbook is a wonderful supplement to any existing math program or is a good study in itself of the calendar.
Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 10 months. You are invited to follow her homeschooling adventures at www.PassportAcademy.com and her adventures as a mother, wife, homemaker, decorator and organizer at www.MommyMattersBlog.com
Review: McRuffy Press’ Letter Practice Sheets
May 29, 2009 by Karin
If you are looking for a way to extend your child’s handwriting practice or even handwriting curriculum, look no further than McRuffy Press’ Flip and Draw Traditional Handwriting Letter Practice Sheets. These reproducible or reusable spiral bound workbooks are affordable ($4.50 from Rainbow Resources) and easy to use. The surprisingly simple, and yet ingenious design of including a clear plastic sheet bound on the right-hand side of the page, makes it possible for the child to practice multiple times using a dry erase marker to trace the letters and complete the exercises, in addition to completing them with pencil directly onto the worksheet. If your child is reluctant to practice his or her handwriting I can assure you that an opportunity to use this workbook with a dry erase marker and eraser is all the motivation they will need!
Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 10 months. You are invited to follow her homeschooling adventures at www.PassportAcademy.com and her adventures as a mother, wife, homemaker, decorator and organizer at www.MommyMattersBlog.com
Review: Language Lessons for Little Ones
May 28, 2009 by Karin
Charlotte Mason devotees will enjoy Language Lessons for Little Ones by Sandy Queen. This informal course in language arts is appropriate for young learners ages 3-5 years old. The 62-page workbook includes 180 lessons. Lessons cover picture study of fine art, narration, copywork, creative expression, poetry appreciation, and an introduction to the alphabet in both upper and lower case letters. Instructions are clear and concise without twaddle or fillers. Lessons can be completed in as little as ten minutes a day, or extended to fit the attention span or interest of your child. This is a wonderful way to introduce preschoolers to your homeschool. In my opinion the copy work portion is better suited for older students while the majority of the book is well suited for 3-4 year old students. We chose to use the copy work portion as a chance to discuss the letters and the sounds they make. Next year we will go back through the book and complete the copy work when our child is ready.
Language Lessons for Little Ones is part of a series. Also included is:
Language Lessons for Little Ones 1-3
Language Lessons for the very young 1-2
Language Lessons for the Elementary Child 1-2
Language Lessons for the Secondary Child 1-2
Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 10 months. You are invited to follow her homeschooling adventures at www.PassportAcademy.com and her adventures as a mother, wife, homemaker, decorator and organizer at www.MommyMattersBlog.com
Review: Duck! Rabbit!
May 15, 2009 by Karin
Or, is it a rabbit?
Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichetenheld (Chronicle Books;2009) is a playful picture book for young children that takes a creative spin on the classic visual puzzle and turns it into a wonderfully captivating story for preschoolers and young readers.
Amy Krouse Rosenthal is the author of the series Little Pea, Little Hoot and Little Oink and fans of her books should also check out her website for short films, animated versions of her children’s books and other entertaining distractions.
Fans of Rosenthal’s sense of humor will not be disappointed in this latest offering, although the writing is more conversational in this picture book.
Watch the animated book here:
Review: Brainpop.com
May 14, 2009 by Karin
Today’s home educator has many more options available to them than earlier homeschoolers did. Certainly computers and the availability of the internet has added more exciting options and multi media learning opportunities. One exciting option available on the internet is Brainpop (grades 3 and up), Brainpop Espanol and Brainpopjr (K-3) which offer animated educational content, lesson plans, games, quizzes and downloadable worksheets through their respective websites. Ideal for both group and singular learning, Brainpop can be used in a variety of ways from introducing a lesson or topic, to illustrating complex subject matters and reviewing material. No downloading, special hardware or software installation is required. Simply log on through the member sign-in and begin. Navigating the website is both quick and easy. Older children may enjoy navigating the website and activities themselves. There are a variety of online activities and downloadable materials.
In our homeschool I use Brainpop to introduce a topic. I have found this is a wonderful way to grab my children’s attention and I’m amazed at how much they pick up from the animated shorts. In addition to the animated movie there are a variety of supplemental activities available for each topic titled: Game, Activity, Belly up, Pop a joke, Word wall, Quiz, Read about it, draw about it, write about it, and talk about it, in addition to an easy or hard quiz. Though I am not a fan of Belly Up or Pop a Joke, I can see why it would be entertaining for children, and it certainly isn’t harmful.
Please watch the animated video tour here for a more detailed introduction.
Online Features include:
Educators Activity Pages
Graphic organizers
Curricular tie-ins
Posters, bookmarks, stickers, certificates, and clip art
If you are interested in learning more about Brainpop and how it can help you in your homeschool, sign up for the free trial membership and test it out yourself! If you have used Brainpop previously or are signing up for the free trial membership, please leave a comment below!
Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four. As the 7th of 8 children, Karin feels blessed by her average size (in her mind anyway) family and wouldn’t mind a few more – God willing and her husband notwithstanding. Her biggest homeschooling dream is to one day homeschool across the United States in an RV. Please visit her blog Passport Academy.
