In searching various options for math for our 3rd grader next year, I came across CTC Math. What a great program! I immediately loved how intuitive it is, very streamlined and user-friendly.
Click here to watch a video about how it works (I highly recommend watching this…it is brief, but by the end I think you’ll see why I wanted to jump on board).
The program provides:
1,367 animated and narrated math lessons
A bank of over 57,000 interactive questions
Diagnostic tests
Instant feedback to students and regular reporting to parents
Algebra, statistics, geometry, trigonometry, probability plus more
I love that this program goes at my speed. Rewind, review, pause if you like. Take lessons in the order listed, or choose specific lessons which are trouble spots for your K-12 student.
Screen shot with Katie’s opening page and “Speed Skills” window.
The teacher, Pat Murray (who’s got 10 kids of his own!), uses a variety of techniques so your visual, auditory, kinesthetic learners can all get a firm grasp on concepts…their way. Students can print lesson summaries to keep in a notebook for review. Lessons are reinforced by online quizzes which increase in difficulty as the student progresses. There are printable worksheets for lessons as well. You can easily view the progress your student is making, and they receive certificates as a reward for their accomplishments.
I’m really looking forward to plugging into this program more thoroughly this coming school year. Wow, how I wish there would have been something like this when I was in Jr. High Algebra. I suffered terribly because I learned one way, and the teacher taught another way…and never the twain did meet. I was too shy at that age to ask questions, so I muddled along, failed the class, and had to take it again in summer school. How different things could have been with CTC math!
In searching for material for electives for our son’s freshman year, I came across a website which immediately caught my eye. Our son is very mechanically-inclined, and is just on the verge of being old enough for a learner’s permit, so this was a no-brainer!
Auto Upkeep is a very thorough program, set up to instruct the student about each automotive system, as well as basics on purchasing a vehicle, insurance, and practical points like automotive safety, care and expenses. There is absolutely no shortage of resources in this complete program! There are plenty of web links and books listed for further research.
Auto Upkeep materials include a student textbook and workbook complete with review questions for your student to answer, as well as practical exercises to perform. If your child is a hands-on learner, he or she will not be disappointed, as they are called upon in each chapter to put into practice what they have learned. You’ll get some fluid level checks, cleaning and general maintenance for free!
Also available is a teacher resource cd, including: course syllabus, PowerPoint slides, lab activities, chapter tests, exams and final, and answer keys. For home educators, there is a special homeschool curriculum kit available as well.
Not only have these materials provided our son with detailed information about the things he *thought* he knew about taking care of a vehicle, but they will also be a very handy resource for the future when he wants to go back and remind himself of what he’s learned.
If you have a potential driver in your family, or a student who has exhibited an interest in a career as an auto tech, the Auto Upkeep course would be an excellent investment! Right now there are some excellent discounts going on…nearly 50% off! Click here to go check it out!
Note: I was given the homeschool curriculum kit in exchange for an honest review of these products.
Our youngest is 9 years old. She is very musical, so I decided to search for some budget-friendly options for her to get some piano and voice lessons started during summer break. I was so delighted when I found Hoffman Piano Academy!
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that all of the actual lessons (100 of them!) on the Hoffman Academy website are FREE! You heard that right. And they are not slipshod or boring!
Our daughter was engaged from the moment I pushed the “play” button. Joseph Hoffman is entertaining and very kid-friendly. Lessons go at a nice, doable pace. Because they are recorded, you can go back and review as many times as you like, you can progress as quickly or slowly as you need to. Lessons are available 24/7, so you can plug in your piano lessons when they fit best in your schedule. All very convenient “perks”!
By the end of the first lesson, our daughter could play a song. What she learned was “Hot Cross Buns”…a very simple tune, but because she could say “I can play a song” it was immediately gratifying to her. A great move on Mr. Hoffman’s part. Even in the very first lessons, children are taught to think in terms of high and low notes and where they will occur on a musical staff later on.
Piano lesson fun!
At the end of the lessons, there is a little fun moment for the children to enjoy. Our daughter looks forward to these, and they serve as an incentive for her to stick with the session until the end. Another great, kid-friendly idea!
There are printed materials available for each Unit of study (for instance, Lessons 1-20 would comprise the first Unit). These printable materials support the concepts learned, and review important ideas. I highly recommend purchasing them to accompany the free lessons. They are extremely reasonable, at only $19 per Unit (or you can purchase the materials for all five units for just $85.50 by clicking here). Students learn in this first set of materials how to think in terms of note values, high and low, notes on a scale, and more.
Our daughter looks forward to every lesson with Mr. Hoffman. Click here to get started with Lesson 1!
Click here to sign up for their free newsletter which gives weekly Piano Parent Tips, as well as to receive the 5 Piano Parent Boot Camp emails. You’ll also get some Bonus Materials for Lesson 1, free!
Enjoy!
Note, I received a copy of the printed materials for Unit 1 free in exchange for an honest review.
Grammar is one of those things that most students find pretty boring. So, as homeschooling parents, we look for palatable ways to accomplish what we know needs to be done…covering the basics of grammar so that our students can express themselves well. I’m going to tell you about a tool which can help you reach this goal!
I first heard about Daily Grams from a missionary friend who had used it for her children. When we hit a road block with our current program, I decided to finally look into it.
I chose to use the Junior/Senior High version for our son, who is a freshman. He had battled with some reading disability through his earlier school years, so I was looking for something that would keep things fresh but without being cumbersome. Daily Grams did just that.
This level of Daily Grams is set up more as a review of what is learned in earlier grades. There is a worksheet for each day, featuring reviews on basic concepts like capitalization and punctuation (often requiring a re-write of a given sentence which includes some errors). There are also some simple exercises to remind students of the various parts of speech, as well as sentence combining sections which help with composition skills.
The information on a day’s worksheet is challenging enough not to be tedious, and varied enough to keep all of these aspects of grammar well-groomed. The workbook has 180 daily lessons in it…enough to carry a student through an entire school year. The answers are included in an index in the back of the workbook.
In doing these daily review pages, the teacher/parent can make note of skills which are a bit rusty and may require a bit of refreshing. I’ve found this to be a well-rounded, thorough (but concise) review workbook which reminds students of types of letters, types of sentences and clauses, subject/verb agreement, active/passive voice and more. It is not designed to teach a lesson (although some questions may provide a little “retrieval cue”) as much as it is to keep things sharp for the larger papers and projects which will be written during the upper level years.
I would recommend this product for students who have had a solid foundation in grammar. It will be frustrating for a teen who can’t define terms such as gerund or predicate nominative. A good grasp of more than just the basic parts of speech is a prerequisite to using this particular workbook. Check out the earlier levels of Easy Grammar by clicking here!
Note: I received a copy of the featured workbook in exchange for an honest review.
I am an affiliate with The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, specifically their Schoolhouse Teachers site, which is a fabulous value, and a wonderful help to any homeschooler, but especially those just starting out.
There are over 100 classes available from preschool to high school. Point. Click. Teach. Get planners, ebooks, book keeping resources and great freebies as well! Discounts for HSLDA members and military.
Join monthly for $12.95 each month. GET YOUR FIRST MONTH FOR ONLY $1! One fee serves your entire family. Anyone living in your home can use the site 24/7. There are no per-class or per-child fees and you can cancel anytime. Go to this link to join!
This link provides a video and great info about the services and benefits!
There is so much new interest in homeschooling right now, with more and more things happening in our school systems and more demands and restrictions placed upon them by the government. I really think we are entering the “Golden Age” of homeschooling right now!
I’m a very busy mom this month. Numerous special events coming up at church, out of town visitors coming, our daughter’s graduation to plan, VBS to organize…the list goes on. I want to tell you about my journey to the land of Slide Show Happiness!
I wanted to put together a little slide show for our daughter’s graduation party. I started gathering photos…hunting through Facebook albums, scouring various folders on my computer, editing, formatting, downloading. All very time consuming things. Then came the equally time consuming quest to find a tool to help me put together this slide show…I’d never done one before. **Cue the ominous music.**
I experimented with downloading programs (and then uninstalling them) in what seemed like an endless, disappointing cycle. Why couldn’t I find a tool that was reasonable, had the features I wanted, and didn’t require a manual and an associate’s degree to get it to work?
After the last attempt, I decided to search one more option, called PhotoSnack. I’d never heard of it before, but I liked it immediately. All I had to do was plug in my email address, and I was ready to play with all the tools and options.
I selected a title and description for my project. I found it was super easy to download photos, either by clicking the “Browse” button, or dragging and dropping.
I just had to click and drag photos to rearrange. On the Customize screen, I chose what type of template I wanted…how I wanted the presentation to look when moving from one image to the next. I chose “Simple Fade.”
Next, I selected a color as background (nice patterns and textures are also available). I could include my own background music or choose from those offered on the site. All of this is tweakable, to get it just right.
The free version of the tool allows you to make a presentation with 15 photos, and you can share your final product on Facebook and Twitter.
Here are the packages they offer:
You can check out examples here. You can “Like” their Facebook page here for special discounts and contests!
In addition to the slide show tool, look at this extensive list of other “Snack Apps” which are available! This is literally your “one stop shop” for online, easy to use apps, for sure!
I don’t have a lot of time to play with all these wonderful options at present, but I did go explore snackwebsites and “pretend” I was setting up a blog. It was very intuitive, with immediate response time, and I had this set up in less than ten minutes:
Pretty neat! You really need to go explore this site!
My graduation slide presentation was very easy to put together, and it has a nice, personal feel to it. Inside of an hour, I had everything customized the way I wanted it. I showed it to our daughter, and she just sat there, hugging the laptop, grinning from ear to ear. It was an effortless gift of time and thoughtful organization to me…to her, it was a loving journey of her life, capturing precious memories that can be shared with all the special people at her celebration.
Thursday I was in military mode for our schooling. In case you wondered, this journey is not as easy as it seems. By itself, the concept of schooling at home is daunting…I mean, you are trying to teach your own kids, all day. Enough said. 😉 I share today’s skirmishes to perhaps give someone hope, who is plugging along wondering if they will survive. You will. I’ve been at this over a decade, and I’m still kicking. I was sharing this adventure with some fellow homeschool moms at Schoolin’ Swag today, because being transparent is how we learn, and how we receive the help and support we need:
1pm (after repeated stops and starts): “This has been an uphill, both ways, through molasses in winter kind of week. Lots of “I was just…” excuses for not following through, for walking away from lessons, for getting a million drinks of water, for sharpening the pencil down to a ridiculous nub. Oy. So, I decided to use the spiral notebook approach today and give her more control over her own destiny. lol Handed it to her this morning, with a folder containing her worksheets. And, since it is in print, there is no question about what is being asked of her. If she neglects her work, it’s all her. Yep, it’s “Mean Mom” Day. I’ll letcha know how it goes.”
1:30: “I’ve also resorted to having her raise her hand to step away from her work. Even so, a drink of water is requiring time for digestion, apparently. Yes, I’m trying to keep my sense of humor…though I don’t feel very funny. Ordinarily I am all about having a relaxed atmosphere, being spontaneous, having the cat on her lap for reading etc., but “Today is not that day!”
2:00: “She is eagerly checking off boxes. I have Vivaldi playing for her writing/copy work time, which always makes things happier and more productive. And she got 100% on her spelling, which is a huge milestone for her. So grateful to be finally conquering my insomnia/chronic pain issues so that I can have more stick-to-it-iveness, and focus!”
3:00: “And, for those continuing this journey with me…she’s jumping to check off boxes, but still positively dragging her feet with things she knows how to do, just choosing not to do them. So, we had a discussion about choices…that this is a matter of “I won’t”…not “I can’t”. I apologized that part of this has been my fault…I was so tired, so distracted by health issues, that I got lazy, and she learned to respond accordingly. This is a new day. She was rested, and had a good, balanced protein breakfast. She is hydrated. I have my Jeddy’s Blend in the diffuser. And, we delay lunch yet again (for both of us…she needs to see that her actions affect others), until an item is expedited in a timely and excellent fashion, with a right attitude. These are bigger lessons to learn than times tables…these are life lessons which will shape her adulthood. I’m in it for the long haul, and thankful that I get to do this.”
3:30: “And now we are working on the flash cards…each one requires a fan fare prior to the answer…and periodically it is essential to count the “done” pile and the “to do” pile to ascertain how many are finished and how many are left. Oh, and on occasion there is a little monster in her pocket who needs to converse with her about the problem. And then there is the shuffling. I didn’t pray for patience today… 😉 “
Precocious, curious, bright, passionate, with a strong sense of resolve. Our Katherine. Love her so much.
3:45: “Katie is very bright, a quick study, memorizes like crazy, does educational stuff for her play time. Some of this is tedious to her, I know…but that is the stuff of real life. We all need to discipline ourselves to push through things which are not fun. I think we’ve seen a not-so-great trend in recent years, where kid’s school stuff has to involve stickers, prizes, incentives, and fun fun fun every day. Those kids make lousy employees.”
4:30: “The end of today’s story. We finally finished school, at nearly 5pm. She got all her boxes checked off, and I asked her to draw a picture at the bottom of the page, depicting what the next school day *could* look like with a right heart attitude. She liked the idea…it seemed to give her hope. She finished it, handed it to me in tears, apologized, and sat here in my lap for some time. I explained to her the potential I see in her, but she needs to choose wisely. Reminded her that her school matters to God. All of her choices do. Told her I want so much more for her than the direction her current choices would take her in. Made sure she knew that I want her best work…which may or may not be “A’s”. She’s smiling. All’s right with the world.”
These are teachable moments. Her tender heart always wins out in the end, and I am so grateful that I know that. The Holy Spirit in her life eventually helps her sort things out, when she puts her bellowing emotions aside. So true of all of us, right?
Truly, this is messy parenting. But I would much rather have a child who struggles and understands what it looks like to face and conquer self (for another day, or hour, or moment) , than have a kid who conforms out of sheer fear of discipline, tows the line without any friction, but is not aware at all that there is a battle for her soul going on, even during the mundane responsibilities of the school day.
I’m a homeschooler, and creator of the Facebook group, “Schoolin’ Swag”. This past Monday, we hosted a huge giveaway event called the “Planner Palooza”, featuring over 25 prizes. It was a great event!
Well, I’ve been investigating planners for at least 3 years, and in preparation for the Palooza, I did research all over the web, looking for the best products I could find to offer. I thought I’d seen it all. Then I got an email from the Homeschool Buyer’s Co-Op and my life took a new turn!
The Co-Op offers “Homeschool Planet” (click <– that link to see a video!) exclusively. Right now there is an offer to check it out for free for 30 days. It looked interesting, and was totally non-risk (they didn’t even ask for a credit card), so I thought I’d take a peek. I’m sure glad I did!
Now, prepare yourself…because I took a lot of screen shots so you can see what this looks like instead of just reading my descriptions. Ready? Click the images to enlarge:
I love all of these features (and there is SO much more)! I’ve only been using “Homeschool Planet” for a short time. I was going to wait a few weeks to do a review, assuming I’d need to figure things out first. There was very, very little “break in” time for me, so I decided to do the review now so folks could see it in July, before the planning crunch hits! I’ve decided it is definitely a keeper for me!
This planner is pretty much a no-brainer…extremely easy to use and navigate. I do like the fact that there are pretty theme options…if I’m going to look at something as much as I do a planner, I love for it to have visual appeal!
The widgets and different organizational options help me to have my “whole life” in one place…I can schedule classes, appointments, reminders, as well as a to-do list, shopping lists, search options and more via the optional widgets.
I really like that my students can access this via their own logins, and I can choose what they are able to view, and also what they are allowed to edit. They can check off assignments as they complete them, and attendance will be kept.
The data you enter can be shared with smart phones and tablets, using the mobile version.
I especially like that you get *real* people, and prompt replies when you have questions. I saw another blog post in which the writer sent these folks a message about something she wished to see as a practical feature…an improvement…and within a day or so it had been added!
I encourage you to check out this planner while the 30-day free trial is still available! Run! Better yet, grab a friend or two or twenty to come along!
Note: I received a free 1-year subscription to Homeschool Planet in exchange for an honest review of the software. All opinions expressed above are my own.
Getting back into the groove…maybe…perhaps…by next week? Any other home schoolers who took a Spring Break feelin’ this? Ugh. Slow as molasses starting today, and each subject for the little girlie was backwards. Just so you know, homeschooling life is not perfect, even for those who have been doing it in excess of a decade.
Love her.
Today, we forgot what direction our numbers go in. Today in handwriting, we decided to make up our own cursive letters…in orange marker. Today, we were helpless in all ways in navigating on the computer. Today in grammar, the knowledge that any such thing as “opposites” might exist mysteriously vaporized. Today, in an assessment, we felt the need to become a mime, and do all answers without words…except when we needed to ask when we would be done. Today, we ran around the house like a banshee, in our continuing role as “Sooper Katherine”, providing profuse narrative for every action, thought, gesture, and facial expression.
I ask for prayer in our schooling, and people just don’t seem to get that I’m serious. They see these snippets of this spirited, clever little girl, and think it is entertaining, engaging. They have never tried to teach her.
So, no…things aren’t perfect. We had more to do, but we’re done, because I’m done. Any more effort to persevere I think will cause brain cells to selectively begin to wave their little white flags…for both of us. The synapses are twitching.
And no, I’d never consider sending her to school. She’d never be able to be herself there…it is simply too time consuming for a group setting. Secondly, she’d end up being sent home as a disciplinary problem more often than not, so why not just keep her here in the first place? 😉 Third, I can give her patience (most days) and the scriptural instruction that she needs to hone all of this quirkiness into the woman God wants her to be one day. They’re not allowed to do that at school.
School is not about getting done. It’s about getting US done. Not just the students, but the Mom, too.
Katie’s orange handwriting page today said, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” We are learning Psalm 23 by memory now that she’s done with her A to Z verses. I shall not want. He has all the grace, patience, creativity, ingenuity, organizational skills, ability to interpret and discern, prioritize and triage…He has all I need.
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isa. 40:28-31
I’m getting my ducks in a row for tomorrow. I want to remember to ask Him for all I need. I dare not do this on my own. The Mom, with God’s grace, will prevail!
“My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.” Prov. 23:26
Our second grader has been learning a Bible verse for each letter of the alphabet. Above is her verse for M. She writes it a few times a day, and recites the whole set every day, adding on the new one for the week.
I’ve been thinking about this one. For a while. It does not say, “give me your music standards” or “give me your clothing preferences”. It says “give me your heart”.
Out of our hearts (our innermost beings, what makes us tick) everything issues.
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Prov. 4:23
The word “keep” is a military term, and it means to guard. Protect it. My kids will tell you that I often admonish them to guard their hearts when it comes to friends, music, viewing, reading, and thinking habits.
What do I want from our kids? Three young people who have given me their outward standards and appear “good”? Children whom everyone praises for their conformity?
Nope.
It’s a messy business, but I want their hearts. It’s sort of a triage. That means that there may be some things people observe in our kids, about which they may shake their heads and “tsk, tsk”. But, you know what? I’m starting to be okay with that. Because I know that although not everything observable is perfect, I am aiming at a deeper target. A higher priority which will govern it all, in time. What do I want for our kids?
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8
I refuse to play the “you’re a pastor’s kid” card. Their accountability transcends far beyond what people may expect of them. I want them to know it. I want them first to consider God’s opinion. He looks beyond the outward appearance, and into the heart. He sees it all.
“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” Heb. 4:13
This is what I want them to pay the most attention to…El Roi, “thou God seest me” (which is another of Katie’s memory verses).
So, you’ll see our kids behave imperfectly. They are sinners, just like you and me. They are individuals who have to learn to discern. We are attempting to teach them. 🙂 We are triaging.
In searching various options for math for our 3rd grader next year, I came across CTC Math. What a great program! I immediately loved how intuitive it is, very streamlined and user-friendly.
