Dec 16, 2008

these are a few of my favorite things...

Do you have any favorite homeschool "things" to share with all?

Here are a few of mine...

1. Flashmaster...a bit pricey ($50.00), but well worth it. My girls struggled for years to learn their math facts (and I won't share all the stories involving tears!). I bought this a few years ago and it was worth every penny. I make my kids use it for 5-20 minutes every day (depending on their age).

2. Apologia's science curriculum for elem/middle school. It's not too "text-bookish", nice and cheap ($35.00), written with a strong Christian perspective and completely do-able for moms like me that end up generally pushing science stuff to the end of the list. Being honest here: My (poor) kids never do most of the experiments. And even without the experiments, it's a good science curriculum. LOVE IT!

3. Reading list...I have my kids write down every book that they read throughout the year. I make a very basic chart for them to fill out (title, author, date completed) during the year. I heard a college professor say that every homeschooled student should keep a log of all the books he/she has read since 8th grade and include it as part of his/her high school transcripts. My kids take guesses at how many books they can read during the year. They love to see their progress. And even though my kids aren't in 8th grade yet, I think it is a good thing to do.

Anything you wish you knew about earlier? Or couldn't survive without? I'd love to hear your things! julia.

3 comments:

trina said...

Julia, I love the book list idea. OUr kiddos use to read a lot but seems like we don't have as much time anymore. Maybe this would encourage them to read more. The math idea is great,too. Love it. We've used Wraps in the past for multiplication and a V-Tech toy. I need to encourage the younger ones to 'play' with those more often..on a regular basis. For Science experiments, the Bob Jones DVDs are great. They zoom in on the science experiment so you feel like you are there. We didn't disect the frog in 7th grade but it felt like we did with the DVDs. The only thing they missed out on was the "smell"....yuck. Not my favorite subject. :) Other ideas that pop in my head are songs. Any songs that help them memorize. I love the Steve Green...Hide 'Em in My Heart series.,...DVDs. I've memorized scripture watching those tapes a million times. Alaina has learned so much this year with singing. I think everything she has learned, has been through song. It really works. I'll try to think of some more things.

Andrea said...

LOVE Apologia "anything".
I have never been disappointed.

Thanks for the tips.

Andrea

Crunchy Momma said...

I agree with all of your choices.

Apologia rules! I like to pair them with Live N Learn Lapbooks. And be sure to visit the Apologia website for the free printoutable (Is that a word?) notebooks. Terrific!

Teaching Textbooks would be my addition to your list. My boys enjoy being independent or nearly so in math.