You won’t want to miss my interview with JK Mergens, creator of the Learn Math Fast System, on The Homeschool Sanity Show.
You’ll learn why your child struggles with multiplication, tips for keeping math simple, and more!
See LearnMathFastBooks for more. Get $5 off with code DRMEL.
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I continue to be amazed by the talents God has blessed homeschoolers with. It’s a pleasure to look through these wonderful resources each week. Hope you enjoy them!
Learn Math Fast’s big math bookmark was a huge hit, so this week the site has another freebie for us. Quickly and easily determine what grade level your child is working at in math.
13 Questions to Help You Determine God’s Will (Great for Making Curriculum Decisions!)
Last week I had to make an important decision and my friend, Barb, directed me to her decision-making post for the second time. It was SO helpful that I realized it could help us homeschool moms decide on curriculum and other schooling issues as well. Pin it so you’ll have it when you need it.
It’s been a while since I’ve taken the kids to the library (my husband took them this summer), so I love No Twiddle Twaddle’s idea of sending them on a scavenger hunt. I think they will, too.
20 Activities for Tween-Age Boys
Can I ever use these ideas! I have a tweenager who is incredibly creative in imagining reasons he should be allowed to have more game time. Fortunately, Frugal Fun 4 Boys is just as creative in giving us these game-free activities.
Make Your Focus-Challenged Child His Own Cubicle
I was SO excited when I saw this idea because I was thinking like a psychologist. These homemade room dividers are not only attractive, but they are just the thing for a child who is easily distracted. Thank you, Organizing Made Fun!
Activities to Develop Fine Motor Skills
I have five boys and none of them have had the motor skills that my daughter had. Fine motor skills are what enable a child to dress himself, tie his shoes, write, and draw. Hands on as We Grow has a wonderful list of fun ideas for developing fine motor skills that work for all ages.
This week I have a bonus tip that I shared on my Facebook Page that is for homeschoolers only. Be sure to visit the Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network page and “Like” it to hear about the launch of these podcasts. You just might recognize one of the hosts. More later!
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We are back to school and so far, so good! This week I’m excited to share some hot math, history, language arts, character, and organizational resources with you. Be sure to follow me on Pinterest and you won’t miss a single hot resource. I scan Pinterest so you don’t have to!
JK Mergens has shared her wisdom on teaching math fast with my readers before. Now she is sharing a free bookmark that has the basics of math condensed on one form. It makes a great cheat sheet for moms, too. Be sure to take a look at her no-nonsense curriculum. We use it and love it.
YouTube Videos for Mystery of History Volume I
I love Mystery of History and have no affiliation with it. Wish I did! This year we are using Volume I for the second time. We don’t take time to do the activities because we do hands-on activities during our homeschool co-op. But I would like to make the material come alive in a less time-consuming way.
I have always thought we would watch the recommended videos as a family in the evenings, but it just never seems to happen with sports and other activities. I decided to look for short videos on YouTube that could accompany our lessons. I have created a playlist of them for you, but a few warnings. First, I haven’t watched every video in its entirety. I cannot promise you that they will be appropriate for your family. They may not even be appropriate for my family, but I will be watching with my children and can stop the video and offer explanations if needed. Some videos mention millions of years which we don’t agree with, for example. In no way is this playlist endorsed by Mystery of History. Second, the videos are frequently deleted. Because that is the case, I have only added videos through the first semester of Volume I. I will complete the playlist as that time gets nearer so I don’t have to redo the work. Finally, the videos may not be appropriate for your children’s ages. I included a number of Bible cartoons which may be too young for some kids and documentary material which may be boring for younger kids. The basics are there, however, saving you time if you’d like to look for a few alternate videos or just not watch any videos at all. I pray these videos will be a blessing to your family.
Few things are as disconcerting to a homeschooler as having a child who doesn’t like to read. These 25 ideas will give you hope that can change.
I love this idea for the character it teaches and I know my kids will be crazy about it. The animal you use is up to you!
This project is absolutely on my to-do list as it’s perfect for a homeschooler, scrapbooker, and organization junkie like me. It’s pretty and practical.
One of the questions I am most frequently asked is how I teach many grade levels at once. Jill of Blessed Beyond a Doubt has six children like I do, but apparently has more time to answer the question properly on her blog. Now I don’t have to!
If you’d like to get some of these great ideas early or you want to see the pins of top homeschool bloggers, be sure to follow the What’s Hot in Homeschooling board.
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After teaching my daughter the Learn Math Fast method for subtracting single digit numbers, my daughter came up with this slightly different approach. Of course, we want kids to have these math facts memorized, but in the meantime, it’s helpful for them to have a quick method for solving the problems.
Without any prompting from me, my daughter started teaching her younger brother and her friend “her method” for subtracting single digit numbers. She was so excited about math! Why? I would argue that she feels competent. We are always more motivated to pursue activities we feel capable in. If your child is struggling in a subject, have him teach someone who is behind him in ability. Or consider letting your child make a YouTube video!
The added benefit of letting your child teach is the learners get motivated, too. My daughter’s friend was very excited about this math method and the video they made of it. You still have time to enter the Learn Math Fast giveaway!
I think I have tried just about everything to teach my kids their math facts–flash cards, repetitive curriculum, electronics, games, pictures, and software. The problem isn’t so much teaching them as it is the kids retaining them.
While I am happy with my current math curriculum, I decided to give Learn Math Fast a try. The basic setup for book one is:
My children are competitive. While I know many homeschoolers aren’t wild about competition, I have seen the value of it in teaching–even when the only way you are competing is with yourself.
I time each of the kids with my iPhone (it’s my version of a Swiss Army knife). They know when their siblings have completed the test under the time limit. They also know how much time they have to shave off to come in under the time limit set in the book.
Yep! Learning is self-motivating, but offering my kids a small reward for passing the timed test has them begging me to learn their math facts. Not even the math video games they’ve played have had that effect. The combination of competition and rewards has been a winner for me.
My kindergartner and second grader know their addition and subtraction facts cold. The upper elementary kids are making progress on multiplication and division. I expect them to really get them down when their younger siblings start learning them.
When it comes to motivating kids, timed tests, competitions, and rewards can be very effective!
Do you want to give Learn Math Fast a try or could you get the same results using your current curriculum or flash cards? Do you have any tried-and-true tips?
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
-Dr. Melanie Wilson
