If you have ever tried working with your kids and trying to get all of the basic math concepts down to no avail you are certainly not alone.  Each year parents find that math is one of the hardest subjects to teach successfully and yet it is one of the subjects with the greatest amount of resources to help!  Knowing that it is a difficult subject to teach can certainly help, but it is also important to use the proper tools.

Math for Children is a DVD series that features short 23 minute long videos on a total of 12 different topics.  These are designed for kids in Kindergarten through 4th grade and are entertaining as well as educational.  Sold either seperately or in the complete set through Library Video you too can provide these great videos for your children.

While the price tag is a bit steep at $29.95 each, you can frequently find these at your local library as well.  This is actually how I stumbled upon them and have been extremely happy with the opportunity to incorporate them into our lessons.

With a total of 12 videos you are covering topics such as:

Addition

Subtraction

Decimals and Percents

Division

Fractions

Gathering and Graphing Data

Geometry

Measurement

Money

Telling Time

Number Sense

Multiplication

As you can see, there is a great selection of videos.  I use these almost daily with my 4 year old and 5 year old and they really enjoy them a lot.  They are quickly starting to pick up the concepts taught in the videos and are really learning.  Feel free to check these out for yourself to see just what is possible.

Tags: curriculum, math, videos

There is nothing worse than working with a math progra that you hate.  Even if you child loves the program you actual impression of the program will play a huge role in just how successful it will be.  Additionally if your child hates the program but you love it, then it is going to be extremely hard to actually make it work.

If you are lookig for a complete program that will cover years you need to look to some of the major publishers of them such as Saxon and the Math U See curriculum.  I personally use Saxon and while my kids love it and I enjoy it as well, we are only in the Kindergarden book presently.  I can give a much better opinion on the program once we are much further in, but right now only a few weeks in we are almost half-way through the book.

The kids love the manipulatives and I really love all of the lessons laid out neatly in the teacher’s book.  For us this works wonderfully.  Some families do not enjoy Saxon quite so much, before you go invest in a curriculum though you need to spend some time flipping through books.  Not all publishers teach the same material in the same order.  Ensure that you are comfortable with all of the materials, additionally if your child does not enjoy manipulatives then a curriculum such as Math-U-See or Saxon is not likely to be suitable.

Always follow your own personal preferences as well as your child’s personality and learning style before you buy any curriculum that you might end up regretting.

Tags: curriculum, getting started, history, math, science

If you are a homeschooling parent you know that you have a great deal of flexibility that is available to you.  This extends to your children as well.  Day like today we will be taking things easy, why you ask?  Simple, it’s my birthday and I am determined to teach my children that birthdays are special because the person who is having a birthday is also very special.

Take advantage of the time before birthdays to do some simple art projects that can be given as gifts.  Many take a trip to a fabulous place that is really special and spend some time enjoying the experience with everyone so that the birthday is a truly memorable experience.

Tags: birthdays, history, math, science

Who ever knew that when we were kids ourselves the toys that drove our parents crazy would actually turn into the best educational resources available.  If you own a Nintendo Wii or a Nintendo DS then you should be aware at this point that there is a huge assortment of titles that are fabulous for injecting a bit of educational value into the games that were typically only good for wasting time.

Taking advantage of these game systems is not hard.  Search at yard sales, pawn shops, flea makets and even online at places such as CraigsList and eBay to find great deals for huge discounts off the typical price.  Games are also available from these sources for a fabulous deal which makes it really easy to take advantage of the educational value that is offered.

Games such as Brain Age, Big Brain Academy, My Word Coach and lots of others all make great additions to your standard curriculum and if you are buying a Nintendo DS and the DS version of the game you can easily take them with you on trips, running errands and even just sitting around at the doctor’s office.  Take advatage of these spare moments with a few of the great games that are available and if you want to try before you actually buy, places such as GameFly are fabulous for saving money by renting rather than buying.

Tags: history, math, science, technology, video games

Perhaps there are times when you really start to question why you are homeschooling.  This is perfectly natural and to be expected.  If you are able to read over the reasons that some other people have, you are often able to reinforce your own reasons as well.  Waiting until you are completely exhausted to start looking for reassurance will find you thoroughly run down, which creates huge problems in your schedule and routine.

1. I am able to control exactly what my children learn and how they are learning it.

2. We can move as quickly or as slowly as we want.  There is no huge schedule that we have to stick to aside from our own.

3. I have never failed a state inspection of my home, nor has it ever been needed because children are being mistreated, failing, abused, or harmed while at school.  I’m not quite sure that the public schools in my area can ALL say this without lying.  Several in my area are on probation with the state for poor performance, and many others see police officers and lockdowns on a typical day.

4. We are able to enjoy some time away from school whenever we want, we can also have school whenever we want.  Reading lessons at 8p.m. anyone?

5. Rigid schedules have never been my best friend.  Often I find myself up working into the wee hours of the morning. Homeschooling allows me to adjust my schedule to easily accomidate these occurences withouthaving to worry about the kids being late for school.

6. There has never been a gun pulled in my home that results in dozens of people running for their lives.  This is occuring in far too many schools, and frankly schools are not responding appropriately.  The occurances of guns in schools is increasing, rather than decreasing after all of this time.

These are only a few of the reasons that I am choosing to homeschool, I will likely share many more as time goes on.  Deciding the exact reasons you homeschool as well is important to actually structuring your goals as well though, which is critical to a successful homeschooling experience.

Tags: getting started, history, math, reasons why, science

With money getting tighter and tighter for many households it is important that some free resources appear.  If you find that the idea of a free spelling program sounds great to you then this is the perfect post for you.  I have two different sites that you can use and they are both wonderful.

The first is Spelling City and they are great for allowing parents, teachers and students to all use the spelling lists that are available for free.  All you have to do is just sign up for an account and enjoy using the service.  There is nothing overly complicated about this, and everyone is sure to find a great spelling list for their needs.

The second option is Super Teacher Worksheets and if you look under the spelling area there are complete spelling lists and activities for a lengthy period.  These list do have the disadvantage of being for much younger children however they are fabulous if you have a child in the 1st to 3rd grade level.

Save the money from an expensive spelling curriculum and instead look to these fabulous resources that are free to help you stretch your budget, while still providing a great spelling curriculum for your children.

Tags: curriculum, history, math, science, spelling, web resources

Most people who are considering homeschooling really start out with no clue about how to get started.  It is extemely important to start your homeschooling journey with a clear idea of where you are going, rather than simply trying to head towards a blind goal.

With this in mind, it is extremely important that you take some time to really plan on your intentions with homeschooling.  Many people start the journey for religious reasons, others homeschool to provide a more personalized education and others decide that they want to have the joys of teaching their kids themselves only.

Regardless of the reason that you choose, knowing exactly where you plan to end up when you are finished is critical.  You need to make some specific goals for the long term, as well as the short-term.  Venture to the local bookstore and buy some books to help you determine the exact items that your child should know if you feel best doing this.  It is important though to realize that this is not necessary.  Simply teaching your child what you think is best can go a very long way.

Tags: getting started, history, math, science

I would just like to take a moment to extend a heartfelt welcome to everyone who is homeschooling, thinking about homeschooling or just trying to decide if the people they know who homeschool are really crazy or not.  I like to think of myself as a very freeflowing person, I allow my kids to lead the way most of the time and frequently there are plenty of ways that we incorporate learning that has absolutely nothing to do with typical textbooks.

I encourage you to come along with us as we venture on the path of successful homeschooling.  From the triumphs of our 4 year old daughter starting Kindergarten to our 5 year old starting 1st grade it is going to be a long journey filled with plenty of great experiences.

Tags: history, math, science, welcome

I suppose that everyone is rather interested in exactly who am I and what gives me the right to sit around and talk about homeschooling.  The answer is sometimes surprising, but frequently the true answers are surprising in many situations.

I am a 25 year old mother of two young children.  My daughters are named Zoey and Angel, they are 5 and 4 respectively and both thoroughly enjoy learning at home with the freedom that homeschooling affords.  I work from home as well as their father so we are all able to enjoy an extremely flexible lifestyle and enjoy sharing a lot of experiences together.

As a parent I have always wanted to homeschool. This was not a situation that was up for negotation when I was pregnant, much less now.  As a child, I have experienced private school, public school and also homeschooling.  I enjoyed my time in public school due to my attendance at a performing arts school studying dance extensively but my favorite times were at home.

Due to my previous personal experience as the student, and my experience now as the parent/teacher I feel that I have quite a bit to offer to others who are getting started and those who need a bit of reassurance.

Tags: history, introductions, math, science