First Grade Algebra Help (easily trasformable for higher grades)

Yesterday we had tears, frustration, and discouragement for both child and mom over simple algebra.  Algebra questions like 3+c=9 were confusing.  Because it was a new concept I expected a little bump in the road.  I did not expect the all out "war" that ensued over making blocks match or dividing numbers into 10+7=17 just like 8+9=17. It just seemed like too much too fast.  As a result, we prayed.  My son prayed for my daughter's day and unprompted, remembering yesterday, he prayed about her math.  When she prayed for him she was smiling because she knew his prayers would be answered.  As we began math, my prayer was simple..."Help me to find a way to teach her so she will have fun, enjoy math, and learn this concept." We started off with drills and I was happy to take the easy out and have her drill her entire math time because if she just memorizes the problems then she can fill in the blank.  BUT, I have always believed it is best to understand the concept behind the math and to learn it early is best.  She did a couple rounds of drills and asked for a break.  I was not about to let her go after 15 minutes of math so I gave her a choice. She could A) Keep doing drills OR B) Take another go at algebra.  To my shock she picked algebra!! Again I asked God for help.  Then the answer came.  It was so easy and I knew it would work.  Dominoes...

Here is the process:
1) Put all dominoes face down on the table
2) Have him/her randomly pick one (this makes the domino the "bad guy" instead of me)
3) The low number on the domino goes in front of the equal sign and the high number goes after the equal sign
4) Solve for "x" (or y, c, d, s, whatever letter you choose)

The dots help save me a lot of time drawing them and they help eliminate mistakes in counting/drawing when he/she is working alone.

Variations:

1) Make it harder by drawing 2 or 4 tiles and put the larger number after the equal and the smaller number before. You can also reverse the tiles and do subtraction.

2) Draw 2 dominoes and and put the 2 numbers of one on top and the numbers on the second on the bottom and add (ie: 42+65=X) and for subtraction put the higher number on top and the lower on the bottom (ie: 65-42=X)

3) Use the numbers on the dominoes for random multiplication (ie: domino with 2 and 4 can be 2x4 or 6 x (other domino).

Have fun with it and see what domino games you can come up with!

Putting it on the Line

It has been a while since I made a post (as if anyone actually follows this or cares).  Blogging about the monotonous nature of homeschooling or as a way to keep records was too insignificant.  In the past months I have been searching for purpose, redefinition of reasons for homeschool, determination of Biblical guidance, promise/desire of God for us to be homeschooling, and appropriate materials to meet the educational needs of the children in all areas of study including the use of classes at our homeschooling school or public school (I know...seems like a contradiction). 

I hope to soon be able to share how God has used *this situation for us to continue homeschooling at a level higher than I even imagined. I also pray that as I blog on homeschooling that I can bring hope, encouragement, and ideas to other moms in how to deal with our SEEMINGLY insignificant duties.  The reality of the situation is that we are doing very significant things in the development of future generations.  We are the building blocks for future productive members of society.  What is required for us to "measure up"?

*this situation-to be shared (or not shared) at a later time as God will determine

Robot Cupcakes!

Bible:
History: listen to audio recordings
English: Wordsmith pages 1-3
Vocab: Level E pages 53-55
Creative Writing: Good Times-Happy as a clam

Science:
Math: Tests 6, 7, 8
Literature: Complete Tom Sawyer activities
Other:

Bible: video
History: Ancient Civ-listen to the first 3 soundtracks for the chapter
Science: Rube Goldberg construction-Mythbusters
English/Literature: Tom Sawyer study guide, and lap book.
Math: 9 B, D, & E

This was one of those mornings that I want to capture in my heart and never forget.  It reminded me of the days when my Grandmother would read to me at nap time and lie down with me until I fell asleep.  My Little Man was working on his Bible study and my Little Bit was in my lap and I was teaching her to read.  It was a warm, comfortable setting-like wearing a pair of slippers under a blankie in front of the fire drinking hot cocoa.  These children are both so special and gifted in their own way.  It is a true blessing to be a part of these learning experience and to see them "grow into their skin". 

Bible: It All Begins With Genesis-Continue breaking down Genesis 1/Inductive Reasoning, Lesson 4, & Devotional
History: Mystery of History: Stonehenge
Science: Rube Goldberg planning
English/Literature: Tom Sawyer study guide, and lap book.

Math: 8 D&E and 9 A-grading and corrections

There is No Chaos Like Snow Chaos !

The Feb. 1st blizzard drifted snow above the bottom of the window

I can not believe how much this snow has thrown us off schedule.  There is something about knowing that the world outside is out of order that throws the household out of order as well.  I am thinking that, in the future, I should keep the external chaos to myself and just keep the kids plugging away as scheduled.  The up side is that laundry is now caught up and the kids have been playing well with minimal sibling rivalry.  The goal today is to get school done early enough to clean rooms and play outside in the snow.

Summary of School Work:
Bible: It All Begins With Genesis-Continue breaking down Genesis 1/Inductive Reasoning & Devotional
History: Mystery of History through: Abraham & Ur
Vocab: Tom Sawyer Lap Book words
Science: Rube Goldberg planning
English/Literature: Tom Sawyer puzzles, study guide-4 more pages, and original cover art for lap book.

Math: grading and corrections

Simple Machines Project: Rube Goldberg Machine

DUE: MARCH 7th

Create a blueprint or flow-chart of a Rube Goldberg machine using all 6 simple machines to complete a final objective (7 total steps).  The 6 simple machines are: levers, wheels & axles, inclined planes, screws, pulleys, and wedges.  You may use 2 machines in one step but you must have 7total steps still. You must include a description of each step and indicate which machine it is. 

Tom Sawyer Lap Book

This assignment is due next Friday and will be considered a book report.


All activities listed must be included.  Design (10%), thoughtfulness (20%), creativity (10%), neatness (10%), and accuracy (50%) will all be considered in your final grade.

Activities:
1. Write an alternate ending to the book before you start reading the final 2 chapters.
2. Create an original cover art for the book
3. Write a letter to Tom telling him how you are like him and not like him
4. Write a newspaper article on one major even of the book (ie: when the boys ran away and were thought dead, when Muff was on trial, When Tom and Becky were found, When the boys appeared at their own funeral, etc)
5. Include the completed puzzle activities
6. Learn about epitaphs and create an epitaph for a character in the book.
7. Vocabulary: Make a Fence shaped book including a vocabulary word with the definition on each page.
8. Main idea, main characters, setting, and  comprehension activities. (paint brushes and paint cans)
9. Treasure chest: Tom and Huck became rich but what is the true treasure the boys have? (think about what is really important in life and what we can learn about biblical concepts in the story)

Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Today our primary focus is the Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  We are going to finish reading the boook and begin a Lapbook, Book Report, and Alternate Ending.

Assignments:
1. Read Chapters 14, 15, and 1/2 of 16
2. Write an ending to the story
3. Watch the animated movie of Tom Sawyer on Netflix
4. Finish reading Chapter 16 and also read Chapters 17 & 18
5. Read the first 4 pages of the Study Guide: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/pdf/tom_sawyer.pdf
Math: 7 D&E and grade
Vocab:
Bible: Continue Inductive Study of Genesis 1 and Devotional
Science: Simple Machines school assignment

Snownami Blankets the Area! (and another 1/3 of the US)

Many homes were buried in snow yesterday as the biggest storm of the year settled over the area. Some drifts measured more than two feet high.  Many small dogs were unaccounted for as soon as they went out for "walkies" only to appear at the door covered in snow and icicles.  Kids plastered faces to windows and marveled at the "white out" conditions from the massive amounts of sideways flying snow and forty mile per hour winds.  Official reports of accumulation indicate that 12+ inches of snow accumulated as a result of the blizzard. Reports were pouring in about debates on if tongues would really stick to flagpoles in the extreme temperatures.  No reports of tongue amputations as of yet.

Summary of School Work:
Today we are deviating from the normal format and learning about extreme cold temperatures.
History: Abraham & Ur-Library book
Science: -Library book
OTHER:
*Building shelter in the snow: http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/how-to-survive-the-freezing-cold.htm/printablev
*Everest Beyond the Limit: Episode One
*How to Build a Snow Cave: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOJQPz1s-1c&feature=relmfu

This is a nice day! The sun is up and nodding it's head toward me. The rays are embracing me in a warm hug. School is going well because the kids love Friday (since they get tomorrow off). I discovered that if we start the morning off by snuggling in my bed and reading Tom Sawyer and the Bible first the kids are more willing to get on with the day without complaint. I quite enjoy it myself after working out!

Summary of School Work:
Bible: It All Begins With Genesis-Begin breaking down Genesis 1 with Inductive Reasoning.  Also, devotional
History: Ancient Civ & the Bible :Abraham & Ur
Vocab: Vocab in Action E: chapter 7 p. 78-81
Creative Writing: NONE
Prima Latina: NONE
Science: Leavers-Library books
Math: Tests: Chapters 3,4,&5
Literature: Tom Sawyer Chapter 10&11

The day started off poorly but the kids quickly changed droopy attitudes around when we started reading "Tom Sawyer". Little Man is ready to write a second novel and Little Bit was excited to do her reading lessons. Creating zigs out of Legos was a great way to play, take a break, and reinforce the lesson at the same time! Since we got a little late start today, we did not review Latin (I may be able to sneak some review in later!). Now that Little Man has had his own idea of writing again Monday will bring Creative Writing back to the schedule! Praises to God that it took less than a week to get joy out of doing school again.

Summary of School Work:
Bible: It All Begins With Genesis-lesson 3 and Devotional
History: Ancient Civ & the Bible :Archaeology and Digging to the past (library book)
Build a Lego Ziggurat
Vocab: Vocab in Action E: chapter 7 p. 73-77
Creative Writing: NONE
Prima Latina: None
Science: Simple Machines-Library books
Math: Rule of 4-fractions D&E
Literature: Tom Sawyer Chapter 8 & 9

This day is not going well. So far the kids just want to read Tom Sawyer and fight with each other. I am thinking I may have a fence to whitewash...

Summary of School Work:
Bible: It All Begins With Genesis-lesson 2
History: Sumerians-Library research
Vocab: NONE
Creative Writing: NONE
Prima Latina: Lesson 2
Science: Simple Machines
Math: Rule of 4-fractions
Literature: Tom Sawyer Chapter 7
Reading: Wiley & Grampa's Creature Features: Monster Fish Frenzy
Other: NONE

Salve! It has been hard to get back into the normal schedule of school after the holidays, snow storms, and being sick. We are slowly building back up to our regular work load. It does not help that my copier broke! Until we figue out a replacement option the kids will have to go "old school" and write on lined notebooks just like I did "back in the day".

Summary of School Work:
Bible: It All Begins With Genesis-lesson 2
History: Sumerians
Vocab: NONE
Creative Writing: NONE
Prima Latina: Lesson 1
Science: Simple Machines homework
Math: Adding Uncommon Fractions
Literature: Tom Sawyer Chapter 6
Other: Playing a game of Risk (Geography and Crit. Thinking)

Summary of School Work:
Bible: The Christmas Story (Luke)
Creative Writing: Work on Novel-Due December 31, 2010
English: Tom Sawyer Chapter 5 and 6
Science: Robots
Other: History of Christmas and Christmas Symbols

Crazy Days

So much has happened since my last blog. Two holidays have passed and one is a few days away. Recently we finished our Brighton science project on Newton's Laws of Motion (see top picture). Please note in the bottom right corner we did build a Newton's Cradle! We are doing well on our school hours so this week we are "playing" school. Yesterday we built robots and started our "Aquasaurs" aquarium so it will be ready when we return to regular school programing after the holiday. Today will be another relaxed and fun learning day. Finishing the novel we have been writing is on the "TO DO" list as well as planning the next 3 months! I am looking forward to keeping our blog more up to date that I have been. We are starting with the Ice Age and moving forward from there using history as our framework.

Not a lot going on today. We are in the final prep of NaNoWriMo which starts on Monday. Freeboy has almost completed his story board/comic guide for his novel. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to have a 50,000 word novel by the end of November. This will be a challenge but Freeboy can do it! He seems very excited to begin writing on Monday.

Summary of School Work:
Bible: Memorize the OT Books
History: Build a clay model of the Ark and Flood
Vocab: (will have to check)
Creative Writing: Story Board chapts 7&8
English: Holes Book Report
Science: Energy
Math: Roman Numerals
Other: FT to the Farmstead

Really, Seriously?! Yes, Forever...

One of the many home project going on is the remodel of my bathroom. Without going into TOO much detail, which would be boring and not interesting, the builder of our home did not prepare the walls correctly and then applied wallpaper to them without trying to do it right. This left the walls needing to be completely covered in mud and consequently needing every inch to be sanded. Just to give you an idea of the endeavor the room is big enough to house a family in a 3rd world country and the ceilings have a gorgeous 13 foot vault. As I was on the ladder sanding and shop vac-ing the dust, my son tried to yell something at me. At first all I heard over the noise was, "blah blah bla blabitty blah blee." So I turned off the shop vac and asked what he was saying. It was really confusing at first because he was asking about numbers and something about a cup. The It dawned on me that it was Monday. Monday was the day the museum was drawing the deeds to the "Forever Cup" we saw last week. When my son was getting a drink (in a cup, hahaha) the museum called and was leaving a message that he was drawn to be a recipient of a Forever Cup! I was shocked but shouldn't have been because I had been praying that he win a cup. I am very thankful that he was privileged enough to be entrusted with a valuable piece of art. Here is a link for the Forever project: http://www.nelson-atkins.org/art/Exhibitions/twomey/index.cfm

Simply Add Boiling Water

We had an amazing trip to the museum last week. Our busy schedule and defeat of Mathmonster took us away from the computer (not a bad thing). Our adventure started in Egypt where Little Bit discovered the first of her many favorite things..the MUMMY. There was a picture of what the museum believes the mummy looked like in real life. They used scans to compile an image. More information can be found at this link: http://www.nelson-atkins.org/art/mummy_facts.cfm

The continued tour took us through the ancient art collection ( http://www.nelson-atkins.org/art/Ancient.cfm ). Amazing statues, painting, suits of armor, stained glass, and painting surrounded us. Freeboy was still on a mission to find something he liked and identified with.

As we left the ancient art we entered the painting galleries. Among the great finds were a Renoir, The Clock Tower in the Piazza, and a painting of a cat with fish. Here is an interesting tidbit of information about the Clock Tower painting, the artist took out an image of a man but didn't take out his shadow!

As a kid I visited the museum. However, in the 5 years we were gone from the area the museum expanded and added a huge new wing. We decided to venture through the new, contemporary area and on to the photography exhibit. In the contemporary area we viewed an amazing display of 1000+ cups. The cups were a replica of an ancient cup in the museum. As we were walking through the display a museum worker informed us that we could fill out a deep for a cup and put our name in a drawing to receive ownership of one. Knowing we had little chance to get one I stifled my thoughts and dutifully filled out deeds for the kids and myself. Upon completion of our deeds we descended the stairs to the photography exhibit where Freeboy found the item he identified with! There, in the small corner of the great hall was a photograph depicting a fire. The fire was a night blaze and the "old time" firemen were drenching the tall building with water. The tiny, important detail that I missed but was not lost on my son were the ironic words printed on the middle of the building..."Simply Add Boiling Water". Never one to miss a play on words or irony in any form, Freeboy found his treasure of the day!