Noah Doing Maths

4y27d

Lessons 15 and 16.......... 

where I introduce the usage of the abacus AND touch points together in the same lesson for each question.  As we go further along we'll see the use of the touch points increase his speed for computation greatly remarkably.  So, this is a definite must.  Additionally, the abacus is for concrete and visual representation of the question.

When You Discover What is Actually Taught in Rod and Staff Math 3

Today I looked in the back of the Grade 3 Rod and Staff Math book that Charlotte { 6 } is doing to see what she's learning this year.

I was pretty surprised at how much they were covering.

Addition

Borrowing

Carrying

Counting

Division

Fractions

Measures

Mixed Computation

Money

Multiplication

Numbers

Place Value

Reading Problems

Subtraction

Telling Time

Wow, that's a lot really.... and she's half way through the book already.

Counting in Preschool with Elephants

Noah is moving into school readiness...

and while he can count quite well, he needs to practice writing the numerals too - at some point....

so.... I've started working on these....

I'll let you know when they are done.  :)

Charlotte and Division

Another jump today.  Charlotte has officially started Division.

6y10m

Today's lesson:

I always teach division in the language of a child, ie. using lollies for the explanation. ha ha ha, they get it every time. And then I showed her how it works with multiplication.

The second page of today's lesson - fractions and addition practice.

Homeschool Update Chloe

It's been a seriously long while since I did a straight out comprehensive homeschool catch up.  Nobody knows what my children are using these days, unless of course we're facebook friends and you visit my wall regularly.

I haven't even got a current curriculum list on the blog anymore either.  The years come and go like a blur.  { The baby is 3 already and pretty much toilet trained. }  We swap in new materials, we swap out old materials.

So, Thank you for visiting today.  Let me share with you about what my 12 year old is doing { she's about to turn 13 - and I was blogging about her as a 4 year old - some of those posts may or may not be here on the blog  since I deleted the blog once upon a time ago..... but I digress }:

{ Chloe } 

Bible:

Rod and Staff workbook 7.  At some point this year she'll make the jump over to book 8.  She truly likes it - the series has been a good and solid keeper.

{ English }

Currently using Christian Light Education { CLE } Grade 5.  Don't let those grade numbers fool you - there is some serious grammar in there!  And you seriously can't go wrong if there are quizzes and tests included.  I love that it is entirely open and go.  No prep work needed.

{ Reading }
Mostly at her own leisure, but occasionally I'll put a book in her hands.  She still reads a fair amount, but yeah... 

{ Maths }

This year we made a purposeful choice to allow her to use Maths Quest 8.  It is entirely inline with her grade level should she had gone to any local public school.   Some days are good, some are tough.  She will not give in.  She will not return to a lower grade.

This month she'll be swamped out with Geometry.  We'll be toggling between her main text book, maths online, and a pack of foldables that explains all the formulas.  I highly recommend getting the mathsonline subscription - we are entering our 4th year.  It is brilliant, and worth every. single. penny. spent on it.

{ History }

This year Chloe is using History Alive.  This book also runs current to her grade level.  It's ok.  Not brilliant, but ok.  But at least it lends itself to basic note taking skills.   A couple of paragraphs and it's all done.  So it doesn't tie her up for half the day.


{ Science }

This year we picked up something entirely new - and public school based. ie.  Australian.  It's Pearsons Science for her current grade level.  Read a chapter, look the experiments over, do a worksheet.  

{ Geography }

Ummm, guess what?  Yep, another grade level school text.....

It's serving its purpose, so there's that.

{ Art }

We continue with randoms each and every Monday.  Everything from Australian birds, to flowers, to girl faces.  Next term I have some construction animals for them to assemble.

{ LOTE }

I want them to learn Greek.  She would prefer French.  So, we toggle and somewhere in all of it we also did some Japanese.   We're still using Elementary Greek 1 and First Start French 1.  No serious progress has been made in either book, but we do a little here and a little there.  Sadly, there is no Latin on the table.  It's not even on the horizon.  You may shed a tear for me if you are so inclined.

{ Australian History }

This year Chloe is working from the BLM from a RIC publication book.  I have some gorgeous Australiana in books that I feel would prove to be a better resource though.

{ Literature }

Currently in a BJU Literature book.  She really likes it.  I think it's mostly a good waste of her time though because she doesn't use it the way its intended, you know, with answering detailed questions.  She loves the reading, but the questions don't really do much for her.

{ Randoms }

As you know I also throw in randoms.  This year they've done some stuff on spiders, horses, and salmon.  I just pick up pieces from the lapbooks for them.

{ Extra-curricular }

Chloe does Pathfinders, which is the Seventh Day Adventist version of Scouts.  There is a TON of camping.  She loves it.  Best thing since sliced bread.

* * * * *

All this school text book stuff, I'm starting to feel entirely sorry for the child.  What are we doing?  Just ticking the boxes on the Australian Curriculum Frameworks booklet?

We're definitely moving from Christian American to Secular Public and when I write it all here I am seeing this tragedy unfold. 


* * * * *

And then I had a bit of an internal crash.  Yep, I cried.  I resorted to public school texts because I have a lot of children to juggle, and I am doing it entirely alone.  I don't have the confidence that I should have.  I also do not have the intelligence that I should have.  And of course the season of one's life either enables or destroys you.... right now I'm in a bit of a low.


* * * * *

Then I remembered AO

and I thought, it's not too late, you could do that - well, at least some of it.

So I started building the book list.

I felt overwhelmed.  I felt sick in my stomach.  True story.

I cried some more.

I'll let you know if I get it together - or if Chloe will remain doomed to the mediocre public school education at home.

More Memories of Charlotte

I need to document more memories for Charlotte of her school work, so this is where I'm putting them.  :)

She has now started her last Unit for Grade 2 Math......

Plenty of carrying and borrowing....

And because the above Math curriculum is American and we are in Australia, I just swapped out the currency in the book for an Australian currency activity center instead.

Doing more work with SOTW II....

Her spelling notebook....

A compare and contrast for her Horse lapbook.

A life cycle story as well....

The story glued in underneath in the correct order.

And the princess herself coloring in...  :)

A lot changes while their little... a lot.... 

Maths Fact Family Memory Games - Addition

Today I have an awesome fun freebie printable for you!

Have you ever played that game called 'Memory' when you were younger?   Yep, well, I have my own little version of that today for you, Math Fact Families - Addition.  

Here's how one of the games look while in play.  If you add additional games it could get quite large, interesting and heaps of fun!

Click the picture directly below to download the FREE addition pack.  It's hot linked directly to googledocs for direct access.

Now that we have a copy of all the games.........

We need to pick out some really nice scrapbooking paper that has the pattern on one side and white on the other.

Let's print the games out.  I printed out 3 games to get me started.

Just print them all up on the white side of the patterned paper.  I dug around in my scrapbooking supplies and found some really nice ones.

I put all of them on the same patterned paper.  That way, at a later point in time I could increase the difficulty and time for the game playing.

Ok, let's get the games happening!

Just cut all the cards up and separate them out into their fact families.  Play one or more games at a time.  When you're finished playing just keep them in a small plastic baggie for later use. 

If you are going to use them with a lot of children, or for a lot of games - I also highly recommend laminating each game set before cutting them into the little cards.

If you'd like to see a video walk through, surprise, I have one!  :)

Thanks so much. See you again soon.  

Starting the School Year With.....

{ Chloe }

This year I figured that we could read some serious books, and read some fun books.  So I took the liberty of choosing the serious books.  I'll let Chloe choose the fun ones as we go along.

I'm actually sitting on the fence about her Science.  What I have is good enough, for sure, but I dunno, thought we'd actually start the year with a serious detour - that may or may not set a precedent for something else, since I just can't commit to starting our previously organised Science curriculum.

So yes, we are detouring with this:  an interactive foldable on the Digestive System.

Can't wait to see how it all looks when it's completed.

And as it turns out, Chloe decided that she didn't want to work on Saxon anymore - she was entirely happy to work from Maths Quest instead.

Then we finished up our first day at the beach....

This is Chloe and Noah.

Fact Family for 11

I decided to make a couple of worksheets as extras to go with the Fact Family of 11 for Charlotte.

Just click either page to download.

I've actually put 2 sets in there.

Just cut and paste.

Thanks for visiting.

Charlotte Math Update

The last 15 days have been a complete Math blurr.  Charlotte my fresh 6 year old started her Grade 2 Math books.

Rod and Staff Grade 2, Unit 1

Her first lesson.

Last lesson in the book.

Tomorrow she will begin Unit 2.

How does a fresh 6 year old take 15 consecutive days to romp through 40 lessons?

Currency.

That's my secret.  Each school day she is required to do a single lesson, and whatever lesson she does thereafter in the day she is given 20 cents.  Yep.  Money talks people.

Other Items We Traveled Through In August

Chloe worked on finding midpoints with x,y co-ordinates.

Phebe got through this little collectable beauty.

A bat craft.  Yes, I know we already finished our Bat lapbook but.... it was too cute a project to pass up.

Chloe finished Bible 6.

And I gave her the next book in the series.

What I saw in Chloe's Geography this week.

Week 11 Catch Up

Week 11 is now done and dusted.  Yay!!

We've been super busy making more progress in the writing department.  We've done a lot of work on outlining and draft work in the form of notebooking, but now it was time to start working on those Final Drafts - hence a typed up essay.  It did take about 3 weeks { 3 sittings per week } to get this particular project completed from beginning to end, but hey, precept upon precept, line upon line.

Essentially, we're using an old 1923 History school text book - since it lends itself exceptionally well to the oultining process.  Each section is conveniently divided up into manageable topics with which to outline and write a couple of paragraphs.  Once the whole chapter has been notebooked, usually with hand drawn pictures as well, we then go back to typing up their writing, fixing their grammar and spelling as necessary.

Here is Hannah's { 7 } essay on Thomas Wolsey.

In other news Charlotte { 5 } has now finished Book 1 of Rod and Staff Math.

And I still throw activities in there like this one as well.

Just wanted to document the transition to the writing and Charlottes Math to date.

I hope you are having awesome educational success at your home too.

Thanks for visiting.

When You Realize You Shouldn't Hold a 7 Year Old Back

Yep, I had one of those days.

I woke up and realized that I shouldn't hold my 7 year old back just because:

She's 7

She'd be at the same grade level as her sister who is 4 years older

She is lazy

She plays like a 7 year old

* * * * *

The truth of it is that she has the aptitude to do greatly in this area.

Sooooooooo..............

I took off { MY } shackles and started her up on this:

So each morning she'll get up and listen to the lesson instructions via the CD and then go on and do the lesson.

Yep.

Then we'll deal with the lesson like usual.

For my reference:  24th January, 2017

Roman Numerals

Well, as it turned out I needed a little something extra for one of the girls in the Roman Numeral Department, so I made some cards.

There's actually TWO different sets in the pack.

Just click on the cards to download. 

Thanks for visiting.

Week 22

The colder months are now upon us.  It's even started snowing up on the hills.

What better time to enjoy savoury cheese scones on those cold, wintry wet afternoons.

Noah loves to have me take photos.

Charlotte loves to do her maths on her own.  It makes her feel accomplished.

Here she is with her Touch Numerals.

The girls are growing as well.  

Phebe 9

Chloe and Phebe

Chloe and Phebe

Thanks for visiting.