Math Videos YouTube Channel ***

So like I mentioned I love math yesterday. Often I find those that love math or rather love teaching math often come up with the most creative way to make math fun! I hit the jackpot when I found this YouTube channel.

I think the channel belongs to two or three teachers. I think they teach 3rd grade although their videos cover tons of topics.

My Favorite video and the first one I discovered was their cheer about fractions. Take a look

So cute I just love it.

Another neat one is their Math fact video

 

I haven’t seen all their videos but I haven’t seen one yet that I didn’t like. I think you can tell that these teachers are really passionate about teaching math and other subjects. Best part it is free!

Enjoy!

Multiplication.com ****

I love math and I love teaching textbooks but sometimes, especially, in those years where the kiddos are learning the math facts, I wanted a more fun way besides flashcards and math drills, to help them memorize them. That is when I came across multiplication.com. At first look, it doesn’t seem that spectacular. However, after digging around this site is a gem when it comes to all math facts and fun.

They have all kinds of games not only multiplication, but also addition, subtraction, and division games. They are very basic but the kiddos enjoy the computer time and practicing facts in a more fun way!

But that is not all they have they also have resources that are Free to print and use and some online stuff too! Some of the things they have are:

• Flashcards
• Worksheets
• Printable Tests and Quizzes
• Online Tests and Quizzes
• Mini Books
• Animated Videos

I rated this **** because it is awesome but a bit basic and eventually the coolness wears off or at least it did for my kiddos.

Enjoy!

 

Homeschool Share *****

I love, love, love lapbooks! If you have never heard of them you have been missing out till now! Lapbooks are basically unit studies that you put in a file folder. There are all kinds of pockets and things that go in the lapbook.

Additionally, there us usually a good amount of cutting and pasting; the worst part for my son. But I usually help him with that because the point of the lapbook is not the cutting and pasting, it’s the fun and learning!

There is one site that I think is superior, when it comes to lapbooks for two reasons: The quality of the lapbooks are great even though they are free and they have a huge selection.

Check it out here. Notice they are in alphabetical order and they have pages and pages of them. There are some on different units like the cooking one in the picture above. ( If you want a link to that specific one you can find it here.) They also have one on countries and different geographical places. Additionally, they have some on books. There really are tons.

Don’t find one you are looking for? No problem make your own lapbook. They have tons of templates! These ones you can type on. Plus there are more that you can write on here.

They also have an area broken down by grade and after you click on the grade level they organize them in groups like literature based, games, Lapbooks, and more; if the opportunity is a possibility, they organize it. You can check out that section here.  These people speak my love language…organization!

If I may add my two cents in suggestions:

• Cut them out ahead of time and organize them for the kiddos, especially the first one. Sometimes all the cutting takes away from the fun of it.
• Spend the money and get manila folders.This is a great price right now at $8.89. I buy them in bulk and stock up when they are on sale. Manila File Folder (aff link)
• Also, cardstock is easier to work with and will last better in the long run. This is a great price on cardstock (aff link) as well for $9.75. It is comparable to Walmarts cardstock they have typically on their shelves. Don’t go cheap and get the thinner cardstock; in my opinion, you might as well use paper.
• Make sure to read ahead. If you’re like me and try to go last minute with things, your kiddos may be disappointed if they have to wait till you go to the store or library. 🙂

Enjoy!

For those who already do lapbooks…What are some of your favorite lapbook sites?

DLTK’s Growing Together ***

This is another site I used when my kiddos were little. I think it is closely related if not from the same creators of the KidZone site, I shared yesterday. They actually have a lot of worksheets linked to each other but some different.

This is the same simple format. You can check them out here.

The reason I am sharing this with you is I love their Tracer Pages. They also have a cute template for writing checks here. Oh, they also have an okay selection of mini printable books here.

It’s worth checking out and seeing what other things you may find useful. You can’t beat free:)

Enjoy!

 

Art- NGA Site ****

 

I love Art! My girls love Art! My son would tell you he doesn’t love art but he enjoys it once he gets going. I don’t mind the mess butI know some do. This is by far the best of both worlds; creative, crafty art and mess-free!

This is by far one of the coolest sights when looking for free art projects and resources. It has interactive things but you need adobe flash (it’s free).

It can actually be a bit tricky or at least it was for me and I consider myself NOT technology challenged, to get things up and running but once you got it your good.  Also, there are a lot of cool things on here one can get lost for quite some time…unless you cannot find it. Additionally, if you find something cool go ahead and print it out or just save it to your desktop because I have found things and lost them. All the above is the reason for the loss of a star in my rating.

If you want you can dive in and check it out here. However, if you want to wait a couple moments longer I will show you my favorite sections I have discovered thus far.

So this is the part the kiddos love especially the creative crafty ones. The Kid Zone

They have the option to borrow their materials. I personally have not done this yet because I keep getting lost on their site and then forgetting to look into this. More info about borrowing can be found here.

Here is where you can search their catalog. My favorites are hidden in the PDFs. Out of all the PDFs, I really enjoy the family guides, there used to be a long list of them but I cannot find them anymore so I am guessing they clear them out. Finally, here are some examples of planned lessons that they have for Art/History.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Post it Notes

So the other day I decide to do something out of the normal for my husband. The idea came from this book; Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World. (aff link)

Which has been one book I cannot get enough of currently; it is soo good! Tons of ideas which I may share with you from time to time.

Anyway, as homemakers, one of our biggest jobs or at least mine, is to make the hubby happy. I am blessed with an easy-going man; I don’t often make him feel special enough, in my opinion.

So I decided to implement one of the ideas I read in that book. The idea was to put post-it notes all around the house for him to find in the morning. I’ll admit most of my notes were not crazy inspiring; truth be told most of them said I love you. But I figured since this wasn’t my norm they would be special to him.

I carefully and thoughtfully placed post-it notes where he would travel to in his morning routine and see them as he was getting ready and leaving for work.

Sometimes, it’s the simple things that can help relationships stay strong. So go grab ya a bunch of post-its and start writing them and then one day bomb your house and your spouse with post-its. There on sale right now here (aff link) or you can check out your fav store to stock up!

What do you do that is simple to show your loved one you love them?

 

Rosetta Stones Reading Program ****

I mentioned yesterday I would share with you what we are currently using for reading help. So when I found out my daughter had dyslexia it was overwhelming and a relief. I was ready to do the work we needed but felt helpless.  You can purchase it

So I started looking into different programs. None of the free versions seemed to work long-term and some of the paid programs were so expensive. In my search, I came across Lexia Reading Core 5.

It is a bit repetitive but that is just what my daughter needs. So while it can be a bit much at times. It is so worth it. In 3mths, I could tell the difference in her reading. She was gaining confidence and is enjoying it more because she is seeing the fruit of her labor.

I first found about it was here. However, it won’t take you long to realize it is marketed to public schools, not the homeschool family.

When I called them they sent me here. The price tag while pricey was better than some of the ones I had seen. However, I didn’t quite seal the deal there because I wanted to do this for both my girls. It can be used for a remedial or a new learner.

Thankfully, I came across it cheaper and did sign the girls up. The difference it has made in my daughters reading skills is awesome and makes me want to give it ***** but there are some things I am not too fond of, like the way it repeats lessons; the kiddos can be on the same exact problems, if they are struggling with a topic which can be frustrating doing it over and over again.

The difference it has made in my daughters reading skills is awesome and makes me want to give it ***** but there are some things I am not too fond of, like the way it repeats lessons; the kiddos can be the same exact problems, if they are struggling with a topic which can be frustrating doing it over and over again.

It appears to be a time-based thing rather than completion which would be good if the screen stopped when the time was up but it doesn’t; it could just go and go, and go if you let them or rather if they let you.

I do love that they have a behind the scenes grading system with more detail than teaching textbooks. Also, there are printable lessons if I need to teach the concept they’re struggling with to give them a better understanding.

Overall, the proof is in the pudding, and it’s working. So whether I like certain things or not if it works, it works.

This is where I found the best deal. You can purchase it here. Additionally, if you purchase it from the link I shared I will get a bonus as well through Homeschool Buyers Co-op.

Enjoy!

Teach Your Monster To Read ****

If your stumped and looking for a freebie to help your kiddo with reading. This is a good one that is free. We now use a paid version from another company; I will tell you more about tomorrow but this is where we started.

It covers the basics of sounding out letters and moves kiddos up to blends in a fun interactive game for kiddos. Warning, we were in a hurry to try this freebie and we didn’t pay attention to the game rules and suggestions. My girls ended up hoping there would be a point that told them they were done for the day and kept playing and playing and playing. The eventually burnt them out on it after a while. There is a spot where you save your progress.

If you want to find out more specifics, go here and check our what each level covers. They also have some demos you can try out before you sign up and you can find them here. If you already know that is what you would like to get here is their home page.

It’s FREE online!

Enjoy!

 

Grammarly ****

So as I mentioned in the post yesterday I am going to share with you Grammarly.

I do love Grammarly. We only use their Free Version. It has been a life saver for my kiddo and me too! I am not the best at spelling and grammar, as you may have already noticed. Grammarly is like a spelling and grammar checker you can take with you to a lot of places on the internet. I use the Google Chrome extension.

However, I give it only **** because it doesn’t catch everything but it does come very close and better than spell checker on Word.  Also, because they have a premium account but I understand, they wanna make money too but the premium is pricey.

So without further ado… Grammarly. ( I do want to note this is a referral link and if you sign up for your free account, it will allow me to have a week of the premium account.)

Enjoy!

Google Docs *****

We love google docs. My son is not especially fond of writing, even though he is a great writer. My daughter is not very good at spelling, but she loves to write. I was desperately searching for a way that would work for them both.

You may hear me talk from time to time about my daughter having dyslexia. That was part of the reason the school system was failing her but that is for another time.  But Google docs helped me, help her.

First, I should probably tell you what Google Docs is… Well, simply put Google docs is Google’s version of Microsoft Word Suite, but different and in some aspects a cooler. It has a version of Word (docs), Powerpoint(slides), and Excel (sheets).

One of the things that I love the most about google docs is multiple users can work on the same sheet at the same time. That is how I got my son to actually write. He and his friends started writing Minecraft stories online together. Sometimes, they would write the same story and sometimes, they would edit each other’s stories.

My daughter also got interested in it too!  She and a friend would write poems, short stories, and she even created her own little magazine.

They have a great editor view; that allows me to make corrections but not change it until she sees it. Remember all those red marks on our rough drafts in English class? Yeah, that’s editor mode.  Plus it saves on paper!!!! Like I need any more paper piles in my house…no thank you!

On a side note, we discovered a free grammar editing program that we use with google docs too. I will write about tomorrow and share with you but that helped her tremendously with spelling and grammar. ( And me too!)

Even more than that, though, I have used the sheets to share a budget with my husband. Create a game plan for my school year. Also, I have used it for power point presentations! It’s a keeper!

You can check it out here.

Enjoy!