Homeschoolers, Make Math Facts Fun!

I’m pleased to introduce this post by Colleen at Homeschooling Coach.

Learning math facts can be boring and tedious. Here are a few ways that you can make learning them more interesting in your home school. Trying these ideas might motivate your children to memorize those facts instead of counting!

• Teach fact family trees. For example, one fact family tree is 2,3,5. 2+3=5, 3+2=5, 5-3=2, 5-2=3. It also works for multiplication and division – 2,3,6. 2×3=6, 3×2=6, 6÷2=3, 6÷3=2. Remembering three numbers is an easy way to memorize the basic facts. Also have your child write the equations on trees with the three numbers written on top.

• Practice addition facts by playing dice games. Create a game board and game pieces. Roll the dice and add the two numbers together. Move that many spaces forward on the board. Another way to practice addition facts is to play. It is played just like “Go Fish” except you add two numbers whose sum is 10.

• Practice multiplication facts by playing “Circles and Stars”. Roll a die. Draw that many circles. Roll the die again. Draw that many stars in each circle. Write the equation that your picture represents.

Have fun learning basic math facts by making a few simple changes in your homeschool curriculum.

Colleen Felz is the Homeschooling Coach. Visit her blog, Homeschooling Coach, to read about the joys & trials of home education as well as find tips, recommendations, & curriculum ideas. Also visit her mommy blog, Living as a mom, to read about the life of a Christian mom living the life.

A Serving of Shakespeare, Please!

So how do you get kids interested in Shakespeare? Five Penny Nicole shares her experience with us.

Some of my very first dates with my husband were spent listening to him read aloud. He read me short stories by George MacDonald that brought him to tears, a passage about mice & marriage from C.S. Lewis, and assorted fantasy & science fiction. He once read James Thurber’s fairy tale The Thirteen Clocks to a whole dorm room full of college friends.

I loved that as a young adult, someone was taking the time to read to me. It was something I had loved as a child, when every summer my mom would choose a classic–The Wind in the Willows, Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little–and read it to my sister and me. And now I was listening to stories again. What a treat! It was like getting dessert that wouldn’t end up on the hips.

Our reading continued throughout our dating years with Walter Wangerin’s Book of the Dun Cow and Book of Sorrows, plus his pastoral advice about marriage in As for Me and My House, and John Barth’s Tidewater Tales. On our honeymoon we began nibbling our way through The Golden Bowl by Henry James, completing this brilliant, redemptive feast of words shortly after our first anniversary.

Sharing books and stories together was important to us, something we wanted to build into our relationship and into our home when children came along. So when they did, we read all seven Narnia books, nine Little House on the Prairie books, two children’s picture bibles, Anne of Green Gables, Freckles, The Mouse and His Child, The Secret Garden, several Paddington books, Stuart Little, The Boxcar Children, and countless picture books by the time our twins (now 12) were six years old.

All our boys soaked up the words and the cuddles, and our girls are following the same path. As our oldest boys have been reading more on their own, this shared time as a family has to be more intentional. But it often seems this time together brings calm to the chaotic moments in a family of five children. When reading with my children things feel right–for all of us. We are a family of readers, book lovers & sharers of stories.

So it caught me off guard when I was recently asked what type of fresh, creative things I was doing in our homeschool to get our children engaged with Shakespeare. Here’s how it happened:

My husband and I keep our eyes open to our kids’ interests, so we can feed them books that would be appropriate. He found Susan Cooper’s The King of Shadows at the resale shop, in which a boy is taken back to Shakespeare’s time to perform in the original “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and passed it on to our “younger” twin, Monkey-Hawk (12). The book was a hit, and he was inspired to pick up one of several abridged Shakespeare plays (with great illustrations!) that I’d scavenged many years ago before I was married. (I thought they’d be nice when I had children some day…) Before long, he was reading them out loud to his little brother Goldensun (8). It was fun to hear Goldensun’s laughter as he heard how mixed up things were getting between Oberon, Titiana, the young lovers, and the hapless players. (Then we put it down and read the next chapters in Inkspell.)

One reason Monkey-Hawk dove into Susan Cooper’s The King of Shadows so eagerly was that he had read her fantasy series The Dark Is Rising. Both Monkey-Hawk and his twin Shiny-Nail are often immersed in fantasy genres for weeks on end–everything from Lego Bionicle books to Xanth novels to Katharine Kurtz and Orson Scott Card–so we needed to nudge them to expand their horizons.

We picked up a few titles at the library book sale: The Year’s Best Science Writing 2006 (edited by Brian Green, whose Nova show we’d watched online), George Marsden’s The Faith of Barack Obama, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. We put them on the shelf in their bedroom, and told them that when they finished their current books, they had to read from one of these–at least two plays or essays–before (NOT instead of!) going on to the next fantasy title.

Monkey-Hawk had had a taste, and dug in with a will to “Much Ado About Nothing.” His brother Shiny-Nail refused to be outdone (or to hear any spoilers from dad & brother’s conversations!) and is now cruising through the play as well. Our next movie night will probably feature Much Ado with Kennth Brannagh & Emma Thompson.

We offered Shakespeare as part of the main course in our family’s reading diet, not as some sort of literary pill to be choked down because “it’s good for you, and it’s on the List.” We have created a culture of reading together, and honestly that is our only “secret” and whence our creativity stems. We haven’t done a lot of elaborate “learning activities.” Perhaps we’ll dig more deeply into these texts in the months and years to come.

But meanwhile, I will not be surprised if Puck or Prosperpo or perhaps even Henry V shows up in the superhero games they play with the neighbor kids, or if they end up reading aloud to their friends as well as siblings. Because we are what we eat, not just food, but words as well. And how cool would that be, to have our kids socialize their peers with Shakespeare? So I’ll continue to read with my children no matter how old, serving up wonderful helpings of words to live by and memories to hold on to (saying, “Oh, you must try this!”) so that someday Shiny-Nail’s kids might say, as he did, settling into the back seat of the mini-van at Wendy’s,

Ahh–two bacon cheeseburgers and Shakespeare. Mmm…

photo credits: kirtaph, chelseagirl

Nicole Wetzel homeschools five children in Wisconsin. She captures snapshots of her life at Five Penny Nicole. Please head over for a visit. I think she would enjoy the conversation, since she missed this one.

Letting Go and Holding On

I’m pleased to introduce stargardener, a friend who encourages me with her thoughtfulness. I trust you will enjoy her post as much as I do. I need to hear this perspective often…

It has been said that life events occur in threes. Apparently that is the case for me regarding the crafting of family memory books. I am in the midst of organizing my photos as well as sending selected photos to my daughter as she compiles her scrapbooks and helping my mother sort through over 60 years of photographic memories as she and I create a visual and written history of our family.

photo credit: steepways

My own photo collection beckons me from a linen cabinet. Its size and scope seem a bit overwhelming at times — but alas, mere words cannot begin to describe the precious memories! Amid these boxes of years-in-pictures are trinkets and calendars, journals and fading handwritten notes of affection and discoveries from my three beloved children. The confines of that cabinet comfort me with evidence of the mother I wanted to be, but doubted too many times. It is visible reassurance that God was faithful to provide His Grace!

But for some reason, each time I take a run at sorting and (attempting organizing) this quasi-shrine of family memories, not much is accomplished. Oh, I pull out sections of photos and sort for a while, making notes regarding order and arrangement. Then, my mind wanders, lingering over the memories of family times, learning quests and so many special moments — and the presumed goal of the task loses its priority.

Another goal begins to surface, a much more important goal — beyond tangible organization. The desire to gather these memories in my heart for safe – keeping, enjoyment and encouragement for my children and grandchildren — and their children!

It just may be that the lingering part is the goal! Especially since the days of motherhood are brimming with activity, chores and pure adventure. Thus, once the full-time aspect of that role begins to diminish, a mother can revisit and savor days gone by. Just in time to make new and special memories as she celebrates her grandchildren! ;-)

Motherhood is a unique calling. Unique because even as we embrace our children — the memories and the opportunities to nurture them — we are also letting them go just a little bit at a time. Releasing them to the LORD according to the plans He has for them. (And sorting, lingering and organizing the memories within our hearts!)

stargardener currently enjoys semi-retirement from full-time motherhood and 18+ eclectic years of learning-at-home with her three children (and anxiously awaits the birth of her first grandbaby in July!). She delights in the country life with her husband as they feather their empty nest and make sure their three dogs (and one very independent cat!) get plenty of attention.

She blogs her “recipes” for sweet inspiration, treats of creative planning and pieces of dark-chocolate humor as she savors her Dessert Years!

Paper, Glue, and Scissors Craft

This is a guest post from Connie Smith of Six in the Northwest.

As a home educator I try to attempt one type of creative activity each day, especially for my 7yo who is still exploring the world. At this age they can still be quite occupied with the process of ‘doing’ as opposed to the project’s final outcome…something I had to learn to be content with. Therefore, open ended projects can be more satisfying at this age. But that doesn’t mean we don’t attempt something that has a final purpose as in this project we did together today.

Supplies are simple. You can use whatever you have on hand:

• two sheets of paper
• glue or glue stick
• scissors
• pen or pencil

Take the sheet of paper that you wish the name to end up on and fold it in half lengthwise.

Placing the fold at the bottom, lightly trace or have your child write their name. Cursive provides a more interesting final project but printing will work. I have an example of each method here. Should you have a name with a trailing letter, just bump it above the line as we did here with the final ‘y’. Unfortunately my pencil marks do not show up well in these photos.

The next step is to create dimension from the letters by tracing along the outside of the letter to create a block-style writing. There is no need to be exact here and the side with the pencil marks will be glued down in the end.

Using scissors cut around the outside of the letters being sure to leave a continuous fold of paper along the bottom. This is more difficult if you are using printed letters. Just keep a small strip of paper intact between the individual letters. If you are using cursive letters, you may cut out the interior of hollow letters as well. Anything goes here.

Unfold the paper and lay it face down with the pencil marks underneath. It will look absolutely fascinating, and I guarantee your kids will ooh and ahh. Using a glue stick or glue, adhere it to the second piece of paper and then it can be embellished with glitter, stickers, markers, or even turned into a totem pole or alien as my 7yo decided to do.

Older children will enjoy this as well as they can appreciate the symmetry and the final flow of the project. It is definitely unique depending on each child’s name and their style of writing. Enjoy for awhile on your refrig and then mail off to relatives who will in turn enjoy this unique paper, glue and scissor craft.

Connie is a wife, mother of four, homeschooler, hobby farmer, and gardener who loves it all. I’ve enjoyed reading about her life on the farm and implementing the frugal tips she shares at her new blog Six in the Northwest. Please stop by and welcome her to the homeschool internet community.

Colored Pencils in Homeschooling

Today’s post is from Maddie Kertay. This preview of her upcoming book The Crafty Homeschooler (available Fall 2009) adds another dimension to my enjoyment of colored pencils. Visit her blog, Homeschool Confidential, for tips to enhance your homeschool.

While nice beeswax crayons are great for the 5 and under set as soon as some serious homeschooling is going on I suggest colored pencils. But before you run out to the dollar store let me take a bit of time to convince you to shell out a bit more money for a better quality pencil that in the end will make your homeschooling arts, maps and miscellaneous drawings better and brighter.

photo credit: Shahrokh Dabiri

Like most things colored pencils come in a range of prices and while you don’t need a set made (and priced) for a commercial artist you cannot go wrong with a basic set of Prisma Color pencils. There are more expensive brands but this one is many rungs up the ladder from what you will find marketed for children without making you kack over from the cost. Thick creamy leads with good color and smooth application are the key points of this brand.

As to care of your pencils, the people at Prisma Color advise:

When first getting your colored pencil set, it is best to sharpen all of your pencils and from then on, keep them sharpened. Since the “leads” are colored pigment in a wax base, care should be taken and one should not use excessive pressure or “force” when sharpening. Some members of the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA) suggest keeping your pencils extremely sharp. Using an electric sharpener quite frequently shaves off only a bit of wood each time (as compared to letting the pencil get extremely dull and then grinding it down about a half an inch).

photo credit: guillermopdc

Another suggestion is to use an electric sharpener initially and then afterward, sharpen your pencil manually with a hand-held sharpener. Cosmetic sharpeners (the kind used for pencil eyeliner, for example) can also be effective. If you decide to use a hand sharpener, it is less stressful on the pencil to hold it vertically in the hand sharpener. Please note that the more common method of holding it horizontally with a natural wrist action causes stress on the colored core and thinner wood near the top.

If your pencil splinters when sharpening, evaluate the force you are using, how you are holding the pencil when sharpening and check that you are using a sharp sharpener. If a particular pencil is breaking, you may want to try a larger opening sharpener, which can be a little gentler.  Also make sure that your child is not using the pencils to bang out a drum solo on this desk top since even light tapping of colored pencils can shatter the inner lead.

I grew up with a father who was a commercial artist and access to many wonderful art products that were suppose to be “hands-off” and yet my dad turned a happy blind eye to my fooling around with his very precious artists markers and drawing tools in pursuit of my own artistic muse. All of those years paid off in cultivating my personal love of arts and crafts that carries over to my life has a homeschooling mom and consultant. I approach most subjects that I teach my children by looking at how we can expand our learning with cool, quality projects that highlight the subject we are talking about. This adds a tactile experience to learning that can be lacking for children who need more than just words on a page for facts to stick in their heads. I stress the need to be flexible in homeschooling as well as art and think the quality of the products you use make a direct difference in the outcome of the project.