Learning while hearing a UK accent!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ I use this website for my younger tutor (English) students and for my child when she wants to play a game on the Internet.

I think it's always good to 'broaden a child's horizons' and let then hear other accents and this website has grade level practice on English, Science and Math. It also has some History and Geography mixed in. I do recall one Scot game about BOGS being a bit gory and tells about Paganism. Be Aware.

Play Your Way to Multiplication!

I'm teaching my youngest daughter about multiplication. We applied some 'real math' today.

While I was cooking lunch/washing dishes, we talked about the times table. I told her about ZERO and then I asked her what 0 x 0 equaled, then 0 x 1, 0 x 2, 0 x 3... to 0 x 12, then the ONES, then the TWOS, etc.... We ended with 2 x 7.

She couldn't figure that one out ' in her head' (this is a new concept for her) so I pulled out two plates and counted out 7 M&Ms per plate.

I explained that the TWO plates stood for the 2, then the 7 M&Ms on each plate represented the 7 in the equation 2 x 7. Two plates with 7 candies on each. I also explained this is a faster way to add.

I had her count the total M&Ms and then when she gave me the correct answer - I said yes now 'Eat Your Treat !"

She LOVES to 'play cook' so I had her get out her play muffin pan and told her I wanted to "order' some muffins.

I also gave her a bunch of pennies she uses for counting. She LOVES to 'take orders' like the servers at our local cafe'. This is "right up her alley' of interests.

I "ordered" easy items (multiplication problems) to start, but I did NOT tell her what I was really doing. I said " I would like to order 6 muffins. On each one I want one chocolate chip" ( I told her to pretend the pennies were chocolate chips.) She did as I asked and when it was 'ready' I CHECKED my 'order'.

After several EASY "orders" I suddenly I gave her this order : "I want 3 muffins each with 2 chocolate chips (pennies) on top AND I want 2 muffins with chocolate chip(pennies) on top of each of them." Hmmmm, that was a 'double order'!

I suggested she write it down to help her remember. WOW, did she like that.... She was a REAL waitress then.... Watch out world!

I helped her by telling her to write 3 x 2 as I was explaining it, then under it I also had her write 2 x 1 . I didn't make her count for the sums (answers). I just let her "play"with the numbers and the concept of the idea that this was multiplication and it was fun and it was being used for a JOB. (real life)

The very last "order" I made 6 x 10. I checked my 'order' and then pointed at them as I counted by tens. I said " These had 60 chocolate chips on top!

I love math! I love home education!

When It's Quiet...

Some days, when I awake and it's quiet in the house.... I have very intelligent thoughts. I always give thanks to God because I know I'm still half asleep. :)

This is one of my ideas...

Organizing Homeschool Time

In the state of Oklahoma, we are now required a time of instruction to complete. 3 hours per day.

Let's do some MATH!

3 hours per day times 5 days per week = 15 hours per week (assuming you only do school M-F)

We are also required to instruct for 180 days per calendar year.

180 days divided by 5 days per week = 36 weeks. (Sound familiar?)

Public school runs 36 weeks. They have some type of 'break' every 9 weeks.... So YOU can take a day off or have a fun field trip too!

So let's break this down a bit more... ( Do your own math in like manner if you are required more instructing time.)

3 hours = 6 (30 minute) sections of time. (Start drawing a graph.)

Each of those 30 minutes blocks of time can be split into 2 (15 minute) sections of time, a total of 12 sections. Add to your graph. (This will end up looking like a family tree and/ or a dog breed paper.)

I bet you can guess what comes next! Yes, Break those 12 (15 minute) sections down into ~~~ 36 ~~~ sections of 5 minute blocks of time.

SOOOOOOO, you NEED to spend at least 5 minutes per day on one subject for 5 days a week for 180 days per year. BINGO! you're done. That's not so difficult...

For older children, let them decide if they want to study EACH subject 5 minutes per day OR maybe they want to study ONE subject in depth for ONE day..... etc.... Let them do the MATH and then CHECK IT.(They will be adults soon and NEED to make decisions so let them practice now.)l

SAY WHAT? It's not THAT easy, right?

Uh huh....it is or CAN be that easy.

Now that you have a graph in front of you.... you do have a graph, right? (OK, I'll wait on you..........................................................................................................................................................................................)

Ok, now that you have a graph in front of you specifically designed for your homeschool requirements,take a break. WHAT?

Yes, we all need breaks. Go take one. Meet me back here in 3 minutes. GO ~ scoot, now - away with you....

( 3 minutes time span clicking away....)

Okay now, let's finish. Why the break , you say? Well, everyone needs breaks, especially energetic kids. Let's not burn out the learning light with stifling air and BOREDOM. We can let the public schools do that if that' s what we really wanted for our little learners......

( I went to public school for 13 years so I have first-hand knowledge and that's MY opinion.Yes, I turned out OK, but I want more than OK for my kids and I am a lifetime learner - most school kids we are producing now are NOT 'into" learning things...)

My graph has 36 (5 minute) sections to the far right and 1 (3 hour) section to the far left.

Now, on the middle section for 15 minutes, start writing down your required SUBJECTS and electives. (One subject per line.)

I have these: Math, English, Science, HIstroy/Geography, Arts and Foreign Language(s).

The next section of 15 minute time frames should break these SUBJECTS down into 2 groups. These are mine:

Math - memorization,practice

English - Reading/Phonics, Writing/Spelling

Science - Nutrition, Science (explain later)

History/Geography - History, Geography

Arts - Art, Music

Foreign Languages - Spanish (primary), German/ ASL (secondary)

Now, the fun part! What do you put on the 5 minute sections of time? WEll, what's important to you and the child who will be living life after you INSTRUCT them AND meets your requirements for your state's laws?

Here are a few things I have on my 5 minute sections for EXAMPLE:

math flash cards,math times tables ( I didn't do this for my LD children),worksheets, fun zerox or game, real world example,reading aloud, phonics practice (games, cards, etc FUN),spelling, writing,typing,Home Ec. (age appropriate),food groups, Biology, Chemicals, machines (start with basics), OKlahoma History, USA History... you get the idea.

Now, GO INSTRUCT and PROSPER!

The British Are Coming !

When your child is still young, introduce them to British Literature.

It has amazed me how inexpensively I have been able to build my British Literature resources.

When you see VHS on clearance at a community thrift store, or those dollar DVDs at your local retail store - look for the classic British tales.

I've found animated DVDs of classic literature. Why would I do that, you ask? Because younger children aren't ready to read an unabridged version of a classic tale, BUT they will sit and watch a cartoon! Introduce them to the characters and story-line through animation.

I also buy abridged and children's illustrated classic books, not only for reading levels but also because some of my children have been diagnosed with Dyslexia. It's easier but make sure you also have the unabridged versions on hand for when they are older or able to conquer them.

I always talk to my children about the unabridged books - the 'insider information' that you can only get from reading the original.

When they are watching the animated versions, tell them that there is also a movie and book about this story. Pique their interest! Audio books are good too!

FREE resource for unabridged original stories.

Type the Night Away !!

FREE Typing Lessons

It's much more important to learn typing now then when I was a young girl. I didn't have any interest in being a secretary, so I didn't take it. Who knew the world would be dependent on computers/typing?

Teach your kids to type !

I've posted about a kids animated typing game already - but I own four different typing games and use the ones on the web also so when my kids complete one program , they have another for practice.

Learn together like we are. Make it a game!

Math Inspiration

STAND AND DELIVER is a good movie about the life of a math teacher attempting to teach inner city kids about Algebra etc....

FREE to watch on Amazon Prime Instant videos at the time of this post.

If you're a STUDENT , get a discount on the yearly fee. 'Try for Free' for a limited time. You also get FREE 2-day shipping when you buy PRIME eligible items.

When?

When do we teach our kids certain things?

Depending on your state's home school laws, we are supposed to keep our kids parallel to their public school peers.

I've seen books and own some that 'help' us to figure out what it is that our child is supposed to learn in the ____ Grade. "What your child needs to learn...".

My state of Oklahoma wants us to follow their 'PASS' (Priority Academic Student Skills) book. Supposedly, public school students that can't complete what is in the Pass book of their current grade are supposed to be 'held back'.

I've found that one of the beauties of Home Schooling is this - when an opportunity presents itself - we don't have to let it slip away because it's not the 'right' time.

Today , while my youngest was working on a 'fun' math worksheet, I realized that this project was perfect to explain multiplication. She's in 2nd grade this year. Just so happens that the design of this worksheet allowed me to explain multiplication very easily. She was a bit resistant at first because I was adding to the instructions - she's mine therefore a bit strong willed. But she 'saw the value' of what I was teaching her and was doing multiplication (basic levels with single digits) by the time she completed the worksheet... and smiling! I went on to show her the 'finger game' of multiplying by 9's. It's cool and weird!

If you share my faith, you know what I mean when I say that I was inspired by that worksheet to introduce a higher level of math. It was the 'right' time... for her.

There are opportunities like this all the time if we will look for them. Kids need to learn when they're ready - and that's so individual for every child.

Am I proposing un-schooling or pushing them academically? No, but I do think there is a time for every season and today was the start of her Multiplication Season.

Clarifying - I won't drop her current math and jump her up a grade, but I will continue to look for ways to continue talking about multiplication.

UPDATE : She wanted me to read a bedtime story (as usual) and also brought a little fun flip book of MULTIPLICATION to bed. She's got it!

Vocabulary with a British Twist

The Word Stop with Mr. Duncan

NO TV Week

Every year, we have a 'No TV week'. It started a long time ago when a cousin and her family did the same thing.

It's refreshing to not be tied down to the 'stupid box' as I sometimes call it. Yes, you can find educational shows and watch good DVDs, etc... BUT it's the TIME we spend on watching that's one of the big problems.

I challenge you and your family to a 'NO TV Week'.

Many years later, I now prefer to NOT watch much TV. I have it, we own many movies and being that we live in 'Tornado Alley' - we use it for weather updates of course, but it's no longer part of my daily life.

Things we have done in this week - read aloud, board games, quiet reading in bedrooms, listening to music with or without dancing and singing, singing A-Capella, crocheting, knitting,making gifts... The boys had pickle eating races. We made cookies, popcorn balls and many other things from scratch. My daughter started writing her first novel in NO TV WEEK. HAVE FUN!

How DO We Clean Our House?

When your children are younger, you need to be very active cleaning and putting things away as the kids are working on their papers. I remember walking a LOT. I would start them on their lessons then be cleaning near them. Dishes and cooking were for very early or during lunch - or after school. Homeschooling is HARD work BTW. Some 'people' have NO CLUE how hard it can be so when they say or ask something stupid... just smile and say something cute. :)

As my kids had a question, I would go to the table. I always made trips from one place to another PRODUCTIVE. If I have folded some laundry, I would grab the pile that belonged nearest to that child and go. I would hold the laundry as I was answering their questions. Then I would complete my laundry trip. think of it as a form of 'car-pooling' but with housework chores. You do more than one thing as you are going by to check their papers or answer questions, that is unless you can afford a maid. I couldn't, especially after I divorced (I had Biblical reasons).

I still do this sort of 'chore-life pooling'. It's now what I call 'being organized'. It's even helped me when I do work outside the home. I was an excellent crew member at McDonad's one pre-Christmas season! For example - I would need to go to the stock room after cups or what have you, so I would think about what else I needed to do ON THE WAY while I was empty-handed. I would do it too. I worked BOTH ways not just one way. If I had to wait on pies to cook , I would restock all the things around me - not just stand there like a bump as some (most) of the other workers did. Be productive and who needs an exercise gym!

As my children grew older, I would start teaching them how to do the chores. Not all of them, but the 'age appropriate' ones. This is something that ALL kids need to learn. They need to learn to WORK AT HOME. The ones that don't learn have a crappy house or must make enough money to hire a house cleaner. Job security for the cleaners!

'LIFE SKILLS' and 'survival skills' are so important. I don't mean how to 'hide and shoot enemies in the woods' survival skills though.

Imagine this scenario: It's winter and we had a terrible snow storm. The storm downed the power lines and the water pressure is off because of it also (it's pushed by electrical pumps). You have central heat and so now your family will freeze if something isn't done CORRECTLY. ALL PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS! Weather is DEADLY! The 'Old Timers' knew this so now why is everyone so ignorant? They / we are SPOILED and it's going to 'hurt us' one day.....

Teach your children how to cook, clean and care for animals - stock animals (preferably chickens,rabbits because they are small enough to butcher for one meal). Then teach them how to collect water from SAFE sources and how to CLEAN IT. Teach them about hypothermia and such things. It's a dangerous life we live, so teach your children to survive.

When my older children were all 'old enough' to wash dishes, cook simple meals, do laundry, feed the livestock etc.. I made a schedule for CHORES. It's like' pre-work' skills. They learn who does what chores on what days and ROTATE. I would also rotate through seasons too. When my oldest son wasn't mowing the lawns he would be helping bring in firewood. We all helped unload and stack though. 'AGE APPROPRIATE CHORE' is the key to this working. Don't let little kids do the laundry or you may have colors messed up but do teach them to sort by colors at younger ages. Then you SHOW them what to do after that. They learn by watching FIRST - even cooking but from a safe distance.

My kids always wanted to DO it first instead of WATCH. I told them that their JOB was to 'watch and learn' then ,when they could answer some key questions AND be old enough for that chore, they would start 'leaning by doing'. It's amazing how quickly chores are accomplished because they become part of the lessons. Many of these chores can be labeled as HOME EC., so count them as lessons... because they are!

They will be ready for the work force. SO MANY PEOPLE 'worry' about home schooled kids not being social but many public school kids don't know HOW TO WORK - let's show them how it's done!

My preacher once said - "In this world if you show up on time and do your work, you will excel because so many other workers don't want to work or don't know how to work well". I agree.

We are raising the Cream of the Crop!

Play A Game With Me!

Kids LOVE to play games and why not?

They can learn from games and not even realize they are 'doing school'.

Invest in File Folder Games. I bought the ones that you must color, cut and assemble... wow, that takes a lot longer than I ever thought it would. Now that my older kids are, well... older, they like to help 'make' the games also.

I buy the 100 box of manila file folders (regular size not legal). I also buy CLEAR contact paper to adhere to both sides of the game board (aka file folder - AFTER I have attached the colored cut-outs). I also cover all playing pieces with contact paper (both sides). This makes them last longer and semi water proof.

Then I put the small pieces in a cheapy sandwich zip close bag and put it in the file folder. I store the 'games' in a regular office file storage box with lid.

After some experience, I've found out that crayons are not he best things to color with if you will be covering with contact paper. It tends to look messy and the colors turn weird after a year or so, use colored pencils instead.

I also did NOT like the laminate paper. Wrinkled easier and not as sturdy. Contact paper can be a bit tricky since it's like a giant piece of tape - DON'T let he kids do this part until MUCH older. PROTECT TABLE TOP! If the contact paper sticks to anything - it may damage the finish..... Once you have a game piece on the sticky stuff, don't more it! It will remove colors or worse.

Really... the fun and learning is worth this trouble. IMHO.

The contact paper can be found in the house wares area of your local Wal-Mart near the storage boxes and it's called Shelf Liner. - CLEAR!!!

All different grades and subjects are available for file folder games - last I looked....Have fun!

Travel Around the World - for FREE !

Today, I took my child around the world in 80 minutes.... Well, close enough. We visited the Great Pyramids, The Eiffel Tower, Machu Picchu, The Statue of Liberty, The Taj Mahal, Leaning Tower of Piza and other various places that are family places. FREE !

No security checks at the airport, no jet lag, no terrorists, no crowded tourist queue lines. We traveled by GOOGLE MAPS. Wow that's cool and FREE... did I mention FREE and SAFE.

My 7 year old informed me that it's not free because we have to pay for the Internet - gee she's sharp! :) It's really , really cool, but it's also really , really scary that we no longer have a thing called privacy. Find your own house.... BTW, you can't get very close to Disney - that you must pay to see. :P

Life Trips are Field Trips

Home schooling is a way of life for us, it's not just about the required amount of instruction.

What I mean by that statement is this...

Every day there are learning opportunities. If you get in the habit of looking for them, they happen all the time. For example, My youngest and I were walking to a local cafe' for a quick lunch on one of the days I wasn't feeling very well. As we stood in the crosswalk and NOT ONE car stopped for us, I talked to her about Driver's Education.

These 'opportunity lesson' discussions usually start off by me saying "Did you know..."

I will paraphrase what I said to her.

"Did you know that when you are learning how to drive, there are certain rules you must follow? One of the things you must learn is that pedestrians (yes , I used that word with a seven year old - then I followed it with a synonym),people that are walking, have the right-of-way. The driver's are required to stop and let the pedestrians pass if they are in the walk way. When people cross outside of the walkway, it's called 'jaywalking' and is not only illegal, but dangerous."

I was quiet for a moment, waiting.... for driver's to remember this tidbit and to see what my child would say. You never know.... she is like me after all. :) She said "We are in the crosswalk, so why aren't these cars stopping?" Out of the mouth of babes!

Another one of my 'catch phrases' is "That's a really good question!"

So the conversation continued even after we FINALLY were able to cross the street (in the crosswalk). Small town charm isn't all it's cracked up to be~

The point I'm trying to make is that almost every situation can be a learning opportunity. Sometimes I think we forget that these young people haven't learned everything we know, so we just go on about living. I have four kids and have been a homeschooling parent for 16 years and counting. I've repeated myself, no doubt, but maybe my kids have learned more things. Hopefully, I've instilled in them common sense, which doesn't seem all so common anymore, and to really examine the situations that happen to them.

When you go to the grocery store, teach the kids the names of all the produce items. You might learn something new too! Then later, (after you have learned them - or learn WITH them) teach the kids how to say the food names in a foreign language!

Teach the kids how to compare prices with unit pricing and budgeting.

I also think it's very important to help children learn about LIFE (not the game but we own that and it's not a bad idea to play it a few times on bad days to liven up the mood).

LIFE is NOT ' 9 to 5 '... Homeschooled children will realize this very quickly when they start mixing with peers and soon be thankful that they have a superior way of looking at life. One of my GOALS is to teach my children HOW TO LIVE without me and the world. ALONE.

They need to be able to make it without another human telling then what to do 24/7 be it me, their dad, a boss, the President, whomever.... Life doesn't come all wrapped up in a beautiful fancy bowl for every person.

Teach them to "go with the flow" of life. If life hands them a jumbled mess one day, teach them how to swim through and harvest the necessities and climb out safely. Don't forget to share the knowledge you have not just help them learn what's required.

Homeschooling can be beautiful!

Need some worksheets?

http://www.abcteach.com/ Some items are free, others are for paying members...

Lions, Tigers, and Books ! Oh My!

The local library had it's annual book sale yesterday! Fill a brown paper bag for $2.00... 'kid in a candy store' to say the least.

I'm so proud of my kids! My daughters have inherited my love of reading a bit more than my sons. Both my girls found a sack full of books yesterday. My youngest even wanted to pay with her own money and carry the sack!(We walked...)

I'm glad they cherish books. In a world full of technology, I still think it's very important to hold on to the love of books - not just reading.

I inherited my love of reading from my mother also. My mom read all the time until she started having vision problems. She's since had surgery so I'm wondering if she will pick up her books again. Time will tell.

I admit I own too many books....

Why then go to a library book sale? It's a huge temptation to buy more books, isn't it? YES. And I want my youngest child to inherit my love of books. I personally found these books: Timeline, Through Gates Of Splendor, How To Get into the Bible, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, a book on how to play tennis (we've been faking it),and several vintage classics. For the kids , I found books on the Alamo, A. Lincoln, Miss Jan Austen and various readers/novels. I SAVED A TON OF MONEY!

My married daughter found several books for building her own family's library including a Dear America (I bet she reads that one first!) I believe she and my son-in-law will instill the love of reading to their kids. They both read for pleasure.

My youngest found many readers and just some fun books. She also found a small collection of Cabbage Patch Kid books. She has a doll that's used. She must like it more than I thought and especially now that she has found the doll in a book!

Encourage your kids to read! They just may become lifetime learners! As I write this, my youngest is looking at one of her "new" books!

Over a new Milestone....

Well, my oldest is now a married woman!

WE have ALWAYS started home school on the 1st Monday in August. It's hot and so outside play is limited so why not? This year, however, a wedding was approaching - my daughter's wedding and dad (my X) didn't offer to help until 4 days prior......

So, do I start AFTER the wedding or before ? I decided to play it by ear - We began lessons as usual and took days OFF as wedding shopping trips and "work" happened. My mother stayed over several nights (her days off) so us girls could work on wedding flowers, etc. Since some of her days off are during the school week - we had a few days OFF again.

I'm so glad I decided to start school before the wedding though I thought we would miss some days here and there. Wouldn't you know it, the day after the wedding I had a terrible headache. That night, I was awakened by the local virus.... I was absent from school the entire week! What a messed up schedule... but all is well and in full swing now.. and my eldest had a lovely wedding.

My state of Oklahoma is very home school friendly... I must instruct for 3 hours each day for 180 days per calendar year. I keep records though not required.I'm divorced and thought my X may make trouble some day regarding home school. I was right..... BTW Home School Legal Defense didn't help in custody issues when I needed it... I have no idea if they do it now.

TYPING for kids? Dance Mat Typing ! FREE

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

Nothing better than FREE STUFF, except maybe free home school stuff!

https://www.educents.com/national-deals/deal/language-activity-ebooks-and-audio-lessons#.UfG5v-TMCSo 6 days left for free downloads

I'm an italki Community Teacher - ESL EFL tutor

http://www.italki.com/teacher/1116417 Have you thought about teaching/ tutoring in your spare (ha yeah right) time? You make your own schedule/prices... You can also search for you or your students to find a free language partner. Spend half the time practicing your language then the other half for their language.

ONLINE BOOKS AND AUDIO BOOKS FREE

Other languages available http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/ You can read online - download to a device and/ or listen to the audio online as you read. all copyrights have expired so these are the oldest UNABRIDGED texts.

THE COLORS video in Spanish for beginners

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQNSU0x3cHo

Days of the Week video in Spanish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdLuT_P0OzE

Numbers in Spanish VIDEOS

http://www.123teachme.com/learn_spanish/numbers_videos_for_children

ART ANYONE?

http://artzooka.com/ My daughter loves this show!

Months of the Year in Spanish VIDEO

SPANISH videos for beginners ! https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/IKznbHvPFwc&source=uds

Cheap or FREE Amazon Shipping for College Students!

Get free 6 months trial membership on Amazon.com for PRIME. Free two day shipping on elgible orders, $3.99 for next day shipping ....see website for full details and rules. If you decided that you want to view FREE PRIME instant videos then upgrade to paid student account for $39.00 a year ! Well worth the price . lot of educational tv shows/ movies. http://www.amazon.com/gp/student/signup/info?ie=UTF8&refcust=QD572FZNFIHEKYXIWI2EWY76S4&ref_type=generic%3C/div%3E

Internet UPDATE

My apologies for regular readers. My Internet has been out, again...

Problem found ... and it wasn't me!  LOL

Get good value for trial period ATT u-verse

It's Gonna Happen...

This is my sixteenth year home schooling and it still happens...That time of the month, someone not feeling great, animals creating havoc, kids bickering.....
My youngest child has been diagnosed with ADHD and winter time can give us both Cabin Fever.

Some days will just suck raw eggs, no matter what you do.
 My advice, just give everyone a ten minute break and separate... Literally go in separate rooms , or outside if weather allows. Have a small snack. Come back to the school table and start all over again.
 Give hugs, say "I love you" and begin again.

Mondays = Montag

I believe I mentioned that I changed up our schedule a bit because my youngest is catching on with the foreign languages so well. Anyway, today I have assigned for German Language Studies. I will speak as much German as I know and so will my child. When the regular subjects have been completed, we will study German and new words. I'm guessing probably more cognates will be the main focus.

The main thing I want you to notice is that when we home school, we don't ever really leave school. I 'm not talking about our house, I'm talking about how we live. It's a way of life. The first thing I will say to my child today is "Ich liebe dich, Guten Morgen." That means-  I love you , Good Morning. The last thing I will say to my child is " Ich liebe dich, Gute Nacht." Can you guess what that means? See it's not that difficult.

BTW I write everything down so I'm practicing writing German during my child's lessons!

We learn TOGETHER and I make sure I tell my kids this. I want them to know that people can still, and should learn all their lives! I've always said "Once you stop learning, you start dying."

Everything I've ever really needed to know, I leaned by teaching my kids home school !! 

When we first started learning German, I said the English words first, then I followed it with the German. (same for Spanish and sign) now that we both understand these phrases, that's all we use now.

Have a look on goodreads.com for my bookshelf for the books I'm using

ElainaMc

Guten Morgen!

Got Books?

Reading... it's the other white meat. Who can live without either, right?

 I was invited by a Facebook friend to join goodreads.com so I did!

 If you want to see what I'm currently reading check out my bookshelf Elaina Mc

FREE ONLINE GERMAN GAMES FOR KIDS AND BEGINNERS

http://www.digitaldialects.com/German.htm

Again, I'm not responsible for the content of the Internet..

ALWAYS check out websites before you let your kids use them. Talk to them about Internet safety.

This site is really cute and we just found it ourselves.... Have Fun !

UPDATE : found a new site !
http://www.chillola.com/at/german%20starter.html

I joined italki to learn a language, and you should too! You can find online teachers from around the world. It's free to sign up!

I joined italki to learn a language, and you should too! You can find online teachers from around the world. It's free to sign up!

SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK!

My cousin's wife bought my kids a set of these videos many years ago.
I remember watching these cartoons on Saturday mornings when I was a kid.

 Boy, kids now are SO spoiled! I had to wait weeks sometimes to catch my favorite schoolhouse rock toon.

Anyway, My older kids have said that they did INDEED learn something from these toons.

We also had a cdrom of Grammar Rock that somehow got cracked.... Who KNOWS how that happened? Anyone willing to fess up yet? It was good also...

School ROCKS!

FREE Spanish ONLINE games for kids and beginners

http://www.123teachme.com/learn_spanish/spanish_for_children

Again, I'm not responsible for the content of the Internet.. call Al Gore! LOL ! Just kidding about Al.

ALWAYS check out websites before you let your kids use them. Talk to them about Internet safety.

This site is really cute and we just found it ourselves.... Have Fun !

FREE PICK FRIDAY !

I love FREE PICK FRIDAYS, and so do the kiddos!
This is my way of rewarding good behavior during school time.If the child has completed all work and been a nice, polite student, he/she gets to pick what they want to do for the school subjects.

Examples:
Biblical Lesson - Child picks to watch a video with biblical teachings or lessons.
Reading - reading on starfall.com with associated learning games
Home Ec. - making favorite snack or learning to crochet a potholder

You get the idea... FUN! School and learning SHOULD be fun.

I kid you not, my kids have usually completed MORE work on Free Pick Fridays than I would have assigned.
Fun makes the learning go down!


Suggestion: Limit each school subject to 30 minutes or at least a set time and USE A TIMER! The kids have had so much FUN that they thought I was cutting their time short! LOL !

Today is Spanish Day.... Buenos dias!

Calling All Cognates!

What is a Cognate? Really good question!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognate

Now, here's my definition: Words in a foreign language that look and/or sound like the words in your language.

example: English- Hamburger = Spanish - Hamburguesa
 These words look very similar but sound a bit less alike.

example: English - Milk = German - Milch
I think they sound and look alike.

example: English - No = Spanish - No
same word

I LOVE to use cognates to learn and teach a new language. If you can put hope into a person that this new language they are trying to understand is similar to their own, they can understand many cognates. I believe success will follow.

My Wee One = youngest child (prefer to keep my kids names off the Net until they are older) and I learned, TOGETHER, several German cognates today while she was doing artwork. I DO love to multi-task. I also think that our brains learn better while utilizing more than one sense. I think it's called Kinesthetic learning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinesthetic_learning

 You'll soon notice that I say, 'I THINK" fairly often because my resources leave me and now that I'm over forty,this memory recall thing SUCKS!!!!  Okay sorry, venting...

I even own a BOOK of cognates. OKAY okay, yes I have a small itty bitty book fetish/habit/LOVE. I've lost count how many books that I have. I AM SELLING SOME OF THEM......Sorry, both my exes hate books. Guess whose going to college??  yeah.....BOOKS. I can live with out the exes but NOT the books, (sigh of satisfaction)...

 I've reviewed a lot of books on Amazon  under the user name elainaxyz then somehow ( you know that look) got locked out of my old account. So now I'm ElainaMc and I think I've reviewed ONE WHOLE BOOK on my new account.

This book I own, use, and buy used when I find it for my kids to have......

NTC's Dictionary of Spanish Cognates  Hardcover ISBN 0-8442-7961-7

Hey, If you head on over to Amazon then drop by my itty bitty MarketPlace store. Thanks !

Another Class Bites the Dust!

Sadly, I dropped my remaining ONLINE classes just a few moments ago. That makes three... Sorry professors. My Internet service was down for so long that I just keep getting further and further behind. I hate being late and behind. I was also having a software issue from a required download. Hopefully, everything will be up and running and I'll be more familiar with the BlackBoard by March. I'm disappointed but a bit relieved. I HATE to be behind in assignments.

German Animal Words Game FREE

http://www.digitaldialects.com/German/Animals_simp.htm

So far, I really like this site for supplementing my German language resources... BUT, I did notice that most Americans might not like, that in the FOODS section and Game, that BEER AND WINE are included. Europeans look at alcohol differently then Americans do. I had four relatives killed by a drunk driver so trust me, I'm not a fan myself. People here are too extreme with alcohol and have no respect for the safety of others. I wonder why things are different in Europe? Hopefully, I'll be finding out soon...I have family overseas and would love to know them better and just see my ancestral stomping grounds.
 OHHH and I do play these games BEFORE I let my Wee One play them.
Guten Abend!
Good Afternoon!

Ich Spreche Deutsch = I speak German

We are having German Language lessons today and I popped online to find some free games....
Googled it...

Die Farben auf Deutsch = The Colors in German
http://www.digitaldialects.com/German/Colour.htm



Of course with all inks in this BLOG, I am not responsible for error of any kind of problems. I just use the internet, I don't own it and am not responsible for it. :)

MY home school of a different breed

I'm back with a cup of hot Earl Grey Tea... I had a piece of pecan pie chasing Chicken Alfredo - from a box. I didn't tell you that I'm also going to BLOG about my own home school , mainly because I just thought of it! :)
I'm enrolled in my first all online HOME college courses. I've taken classes at the college but gas prices have just made me change a lot of things. I also live about 75 miles away from their door, so here goes! My home school!
I am recently a non-working, SAHM ,WAHM mother again. Did I say that I'm divorced so therefore also  a single mom? For those of you who don't understand, I'm recently no longer working outside of my home. I am a STAY AT HOME MOM aka SAHM and a WORK AT HOME MOM aka WAHM. I'm doing everything I can do to save money - see my Facebook Group" A Penny Saved...."(future BLOG).
I find myself with more time on my hands and this is one reason for the online classes.
I wanted internet at home to be able to "work" at home without having to drag my daughter to the local library to use the free internet (1 hour limit per day/ 6 days per week) in all kinds of bad weather just to try and get MY homework completed. I've had all kinds of trouble getting the newly installed internet service to work. Found out today that there was trouble under the main road a block and a half away....?? Anyway, it's now fixed and I'm behind in my new class NUTRITION since Monday!!! I'm currently up late waiting on a download from my college that's required for me to actually submit my homework. Did I say the tea is decaf?

 YES, I'm reading my assignments and trying to get acquainted with these new- to- me online classes, but I have been surfing around on SwagBucks, LinkedIn (work), Twitter(Non-Profit),Hotmail (BOTH),my other blogs, checking how much child support was deposited, checking my bank account on a mistake someone else made and finally corrected YEAH!, Kindle Direct Pub.(WORK), myAvon mistake - not mine again (WORK), Turbo Tax (WORK)... Bored to tears yet? Where's that tea....with sugar..?  I had so much trouble getting this internet working that I actually dropped two classes. I didn't want to try being several days late on a Tech. Math or Legal class. No way! I'm not that crazy.
 SO now I'm a Home School College Student. Let's hope this goes well....
Thanks for reading ...
Goodnight
Gute Nacht
Buenas Dias
(waving)

post script

hopefully see you early in the morning.... AFTER I do my homework!
3 hours left on that download....

SO what did we do today?

First Grade is wonderful... I don't remember much about my first grade experience so I'm thinking maybe my youngest won't either but anyway....

I use a curriculum ! GOSH, isn't that horrible? NO. It's a time saver. I used to make Thematic Units and Lah Dee Dah... and the kids do have their fondest memories about those units.. but realistically I don't have the time to do that anymore. I could, but I actually want a life. I'm now enrolled in college and have homework myself. I'm also finally writing.. BLOGS , children's books, trying to run my non-profit organization and find some time to have that life before I'm too darn old to do anything but knit. Yeah , I finally taught myself to knit. Bucket List here I come!

Let me say this... My older children all have L.D. That's the politically correct way to say that they have learning disabilities. My youngest child is showing some signs (inverting numerals and letters - reading some words backwards) but thus far has only been diagnosed with ADHD. We take breaks often so that she can bounce around, especially on winter days when it's too cold to go outside. That's okay though, because that's the time I use to do chores.

With my older children, I introduced Sign Language and Spanish to them and then let them have a choice which one they wanted as their Foreign Language in High School. Now, I offer German as I am teaching myself this language. I'm going to post some of the days records so you can get ideas what to do.... You will get into your own groove though and won't need anyone else to guide you. Have FUN!

TODAY - 1st grade (This can be adjusted for other grades)
****************************************************
My daughter starts the school day with her calender. I call this Calender Days.
She places a cutout of something that I bought pre-made (Snowman) with numerals 1-31 written on them. Today she placed snowman numeral 16 on the calender in the appropriate place. I've already taught her how to find the place. A calender can help with many things! Get ONE! I bought mine at Mardel's Office Supply - yep that one in the news about Obamacare !! I had it laminated. I use that blue tacky stuff that looks like gum... is it really gum?... to attach the snowmen. Just put on pea size bit of blue tacky stuff on each space and you will use that space eventually.  Once your child learns to count to 31, then start a new language. The trick is to ONLY go to TEN with the new language for several weeks until the kid knows it, knows it then proceed to twenty, etc....I think you get the idea.
Teach the days of the week, the current month, and year. I also have posters for those and we repeated them , or sang them, until memorized. I've yet to hear any kids say them in their sleep....yet. THEN, yep you're on the right track... start teaching them the current day in first foreign language, then current month, etc....
She counted 1-16 in English with ASL Sign Language, then in Spanish, then German. It really can happen fast with these young minds. The key is to do it DAILY!! use it, or lose it... trust me I don't remember half what I learned of Spanish in school because I had no regular usage.

I record the date, day in English, Spanish and German in my record book. It HELPS ME learn to spell in these languages! I also record how many days of school have been completed....trust me just get in a big habit of recording EVERYTHING. FYI, Home School Legal Defense doesn't help people in family court... DIVORCE means one parent just decided home school isn't the way... I've been down that road. Cover your rear and record, record, record, If you can afford yearly testing, DO IT. Check with your insurance.... even if it's a free kind, it might be covered.
 Okay back to what we did.... sorry about that run down a rabbit hole.

1-16-213
 DAY ___
Wednesday - miercoles - Mittwoch

A Beka Book curriculum is great for a Christian Home School family... Very organized but, it wasn't great for my kids with learning disabilities. It was just too fast paced. I love the phonetic structure though and the colorful fun work pages.

Phonics test today...
Review Spelling list from Monday.
 Letters and Sounds wkpg,
Language wkpg,
Social Studies wkpg,
 321 Penguins  movie during lunch break - moral/ biblical lessons
Arithmetic wkpg
I've just recently started doing just one Language per day. She's learning so much that I've adjusted her schedule. A MUST to do when the kids are ready for a new level .. just do it!
Sign Language on the computer. A new site that I just Googled... KiddieSigns.. I think. Interactive games with ABC's
Then when school is finished.. and I mean FINISHED... ART or computer time. She had PC time today. PbsKids.org  for educational games.

FYI check out Home School Legal Defense website for your state laws and other information.They couldn't help me during my divorce but they did point me in the direction of a good lawyer.

Kids Say The Darndest Things... Today, Wee One was singing about how she loves school and wants to learn everything and do school everyday including Sunday.... I realized what she said so I asked, " Really, you want to do school on Sunday? " She said  "unt uh". LOL
One day, in the recent past, she was singing about how it's not fun to do spelling, she'd rather be playing.

Home What?

Everyday, I write down all the things my kid does that's educational. I don't do this because it's the law in my state of Oklahoma. I do this because my ex has caused me grief, in court mind you, over homeschooling. I won, but I continue to record daily activities, just in case... It takes more time to record than it does to teach. I've literally saved everything since my eldest child was in preschool and she's now 19.

 So... I was recording my 7 year old's business today when I thought, why not BLOG about this. Maybe it can help someone else until they find their own way. This is my 16th year doing the home school thing. I'm either crazy, really love to teach, or maybe I just wanted to do what I thought was best for my kids.

 I really don't care what other people think about why I home school. I've been called crazy, stupid, fanatic, and what ever else you've heard others say about people like me. THEY aren't my bosses and I'm not responsible for their kids' education. THEY sometimes consisted of strangers, public school teachers, and yes friends and family. I forgive you and NO I don't take my kids' tests for them.... do you??? If I'm not talking to you, Maybe that's your clue that I didn't appreciate you judging something you obviously don't have a clue about... and right there in front of my kids. Gee, if I wasn't a nicer person I might ask you something really rough in front of your kids. You're not perfect bucko!

 Anyway, I'm ranting now so here the BLOG goes.... I figure if I BLOG instead of tweeting and FBing then maybe someone who cares will read my thoughts and ideas. I hope that you can glean some insights to daily homeschooling and what I learned that may just help you in your journey, and boy is it a journey! BTW, I'm not an English major and I'm also not a typist. Learn to live with that and don't send messages correcting me. Perfection is for God.

If you are not a fan of homeschooling, I don't want your opinions. This BLOG is FOR HomeSchoolers.... enuf said?