The following is from an email from Lee Binz, the HomeScholar:
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Author: admin
while he was on the faculty at Ball State University. Over the years, he has followed the academic and professional literature to see how others have evaluated homeschooled students, and the results are clear: homeschooling works very well. On average, homeschooled students are academically superior to their peers, and they are also socially well-adjusted. In this talk, Dr. Wile reviews some of the studies that demonstrate these facts, and he also discusses why homeschooling works so well.Homeschool Hikers!
Chicagoland Homeschool Hikers Fall/Winter 2010-2011 Hike Schedule
To join their group, just show up for a hike! All hikes are “drop-in” –
you don’t need to register! They meet at 10 am and usually hike until
around noon. Most families bring a lunch to enjoy following the hike.
All ages are welcome. To follow their group and get messages, photos, details
regarding upcoming hikes join their online community:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chicagolandhomeschoolhikers
Friday September 17 – Hammel Woods, Shorewood Illinois
http://www.reconnectwithnature.org/preserves-trails/Hammel-Woods
parking lot on Black Road (Crumby Recreation Area)
Friday October 1 – Indiana Dunes State Park, Chesterton Indiana
http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/files/dunes_trail.pdf
parking location TBA
Friday October 15 – Sag Valley/Swallow Cliff Woods, Palos Park Illinois
http://www.fpdcc.com/downloads/swallow_cliff_pg.pdf
park in lot near 96th & 119th (see bottom of map)
Friday November 5 – Channahon State Park, Channahon Illinois
http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/i&m/east/channaho/park.htm
park in lot off of Story St.
Friday November 19 – Fullersburg Woods, Oakbrook IL
http://www.dupageforest.com/media/files/cms/District_News/Multimedia_Gal\
lery/Maps/Preserve_Maps_PDFs/Fullersburg.pdf <http://www.dupageforest.com/media/files/cms/District_News/Multimedia_Gallery/Maps/Preserve_Maps_PDFs/Fullersburg.pdf>
park off of Spring Road near the Visitors Center
Friday December 3 – Rock Run Preserve, Joliet IL
http://www.reconnectwithnature.org/preserves-trails/Rock-Run-Nichols
Use Paul Nichols Access – Essington Road & Ingalls Ave.
Friday January 7 – Plum Creek Nature Center, Beecher IL – SLEDDING HILL!
– let it snow! http://www.reconnectwithnature.org/visitor-centers/pcnc
parking at the Nature Center
Friday February 4 – Monee Reservoir, Monee IL – SNOWSHOEING! Snowshoes
are available to rent –
http://www.reconnectwithnature.org/preserves-trails/Monee-Reservoir
park near the visitor center
For more information go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chicagolandhomeschoolhikers/
and join the list to receive info on all of the hikes, including the next 6 month schedule.
TOS Crew Review — I See cards
We love games in our house, especially when they tie in academic subjects and can legitimately enhance our school day.
And, we also have found that speed drills rank right up there with folding laundry for activities most desired to be avoided.
Pyramath cards attack both these issues in one hit. Kids can practice their math facts in a fun way, competitive or solo with this creative deck of cards.
Product: Pyramath
Details : Pyramath is produced by I See Cards and offers a fun, easy to learn card game for one or two players. Players must use a variety of math operations and thinking skills to complete their pyramid of numbers
Price : $6.95 for one deck, also comes in various bundles with their other products
What we loved . . .
- Fun, fun, fun. Some educational games are a bit of a stretch in the fun department. Not in this case. Pyramath is simple, really does help build math skills, and is downright fun. My kids liked playing and watching, while trying to bite their tongue so as not to give away any moves that the players missed.
- Easy to learn. About all you need to do is open the box — okay, and spend less than five minutes reading the basic rules. Deal out seven cards and the game begins. Players simply flip over one card at a time from the pile and try to find a place for it by adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing any pair of numbers next to each other.
- Online version available. Don’t spend too much time there, but they do have an online version that you or your kids can play. This was a great hold-me-over while I waited for my deck to arrive.
- Reasonable price, and a discount! These cards present an affordable addition to any math curriculum, and a discount is available if you join their fan page on facebook and use the code provided there.
- One or two player. This is great for kids to pull out during a little dead time during the school day. Maybe they are waiting for you to finish with another student to give them a hand with their work, or they want a change of pace for their speed drills, or maybe they are motivated by a little competition. Pyramath fits the bill in all those situations.
Some considerations . . .
- Sometimes the cards don’t work out right. We have played MANY times and every now and then you just get stuck. Just the way the cards are dealt as the saying goes, but in this case it is literally so. No problem, just pick them up and start again. We’ve never gotten stuck twice in a row.
- Limited with younger kids. If your kids are only learning their addition or maybe subtraction facts, you will find fewer options for card placement. You can still play with them and they will likely enjoy it, but it is best used with kids already using all four math operations.
Pyramath brought us a simple solution to the continuing issue of solid math computation. The fact that kids enjoy it makes it a keeper. Loving this handy little deck of cards!
For more TOS Crew reviews on this product, check out the TOS Crew blog.
Disclaimer: This card game was provided to me free of charge through I See Cards as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.
Horse lessons in Antioch
Christian Based Home School Equine Program
Let us share your child’s passion for horses with a safe, fun-filled, equine program. Use our program to meet your home school PE requirements.
Sharon says, “The primary goal for my program is to introduce and instruct adults and children of all ages in the wonderful world of Horsemanship. I want to share my passion and open the world of horses to my students to share one of God’s most magnificent blessings through lessons, summer camp, trail rides, horse shows and all of the other special events that Heavenly Horses offer.”
Lesson Program:
Mon ‐ Thurs: noon ‐ 4:00pm
Purchase 6‐week package for $165 (new students only)
save $45 or $35 per lesson
Additional lessons:
- 5 for $165 (a savings of $10)
- 10 for $330 (a savings of $25)
Please feel free to contact
Sharon Casares for more information.
Phone: 847‐867‐6656
Email: Sharon.casares@yahoo.com
Website: www.heavenlyhorses.biz
TOS Crew Review– America’s Math Teacher
“I got a new math teacher this year.”
Kind of an odd thing to hear from a homeschooled student, but it is true. My girls get to listen to someone else during math class, at least for now. We didn’t join a co-op or enroll in an online math course, we found America’s Math Teacher.
They use this site to work through their math topics at their own pace. They watch brief instructional videos, complete worksheets, and even take speed drills online as part of their daily math assignment.
Product: America’s Math Teacher
Details : America’s Math Teacher is produced by Math Essentials and offers online math instruction through videos, worksheets, and tests. The one year subscription allows a whole family to use the site as much as they would like at any or all of the four levels which span fourth grade through Algebra.
Price : $195 for a one year subscription to the site
What we loved . . .
- Broad use. Students from fourth grade through Algebra can take advantage of this website for one annual fee. They can move around as the parent directs rather than being tied to one level of work. Multiple students can use the program, even at the same time if you have multiple computers.
- Easy to navigate. The kids can find what they need, or the parents can help them through it, but either way, they can easily find the worksheets, teaching videos, and tests that they need to complete their work.
- Proven results. Rick Fisher has taught math for many years and has used these same techniques and lessons to bring about dramatic improvement in struggling students. He works primarily with older elementary students to get them “Algebra ready.”
- Free Sample. On their website you can watch some of their videos and view some of their worksheets (which come with the answer key once you subscribe) even before paying. Definitely take a look and see if this program might be what you are looking for.
- Good balance of computer and paper. Some programs rely too heavily on computers, but many students enjoy a change from just pencil paper work. Here they print off worksheets that have a reasonable amount of work on them, and also have speed drills they can complete online.
Some considerations . . .
- Still getting established. The site is still fairly new, having just gone live a few weeks ago. However, despite its newness it packs in the information and has lots to offer. Parts of it are still experiencing glitches, so it might be best to wait a bit before considering this as a viable option. You can definitely use it for teaching and worksheets, but the evaluation portion of the site (tests and quizzes) was still not working for me at this time.
- May not be usable as a comprehensive math course. It covers a lot of topics, but says of itself, “This award winning program compliments all basic math textbooks, so it is a perfect partner program for schools.” Presumably it is best used in conjunction with a main text, not in place of it.
- Still math. I can’t say that this program made my kids love math. It’s still math. They still don’t enjoy worksheets and speed drills and listening to lessons. But, it does make it easier, and they definitely have found it easy to grasp the concepts that he presented in the videos. It is still math, but it is math well taught.
- Doesn’t record or track info. You must keep records of what your child is doing. Since you have a family log in, there are not individual records kept online at this time.
America’s Math Teacher has taken what they do well and put it in a new package that is more easily usable. This is a well designed program for homeschoolers to make sure their students are ready to succeed in high school and beyond.
For more TOS Crew reviews on this product, check out the TOS Crew blog.
Disclaimer: This web based subscription was provided to me free of charge through Math Essentials as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.
TOS Crew review — Math Tutor DVD
I distinctly remember pre-algebra. It was eighth grade and a small class. I don’t particularly remember the material, but I remember the boredom of it all. I also recall giggling over the students that fell asleep in that class. The drool, the nodding heads, etc.
Now, my kids don’t sit in a traditional classroom, and they have not yet fallen asleep on me in class, aside from the four month old. We do now and then struggle with the boredom of a particular topic, and I am always on the lookout for new approaches and materials.
Math Tutor DVD offers a helpful resource for either parents that struggle with the teaching or students that struggle with the learning of some of the more challenging math concepts.
Product: Math Tutor DVD — Pre-Algebra and the calculator tutor TI83/TI84
Details: The Pre-Algebra offers 5 hours of instruction on important pre-algebra topics including real numbers, absolute value, working with integers, and the order of operations. The Calculator tutor takes you through 8 hours of how-to’s from a basic overview to matrices and interest calculations. These calculators do far more than most people are aware of or know how to use them for.
Price:$26.99 each DVD set
What we loved . . .
- See it before you buy it. On the site you can find recorded testimonials and sample videos so you can get a feel for the teaching style and format of the videos.
- Thorough. These video sets are long, but they pack in the information. He starts basic and grows from there to explain complex topics easily enough for most upper elementary students (and most middle aged non-math minded students) to grasp.
- Not stuck in his topic. Clearly, the teacher, Mr. Gibson, has a vision for teaching beyond just a video series. With a background in engineering and working for NASA he understands the real need to master math. He teaches not just to get through a subject, but for real life learning.
- Broken down into good sized segments. The bite-sized chunks these lessons come in are just right for a daily math lesson or to pull out when you need a little help.
Some considerations . . .
- No-fluff. These videos involve a math teacher and a white board (albeit with many colors of markers). No flashy movies or cartoons, just real life, teach ’em how it is math instruction. Some kids might view this as boring, since you can make any school subject only so exciting.
- Not a complete course. And not priced or marketed to be. These products can help you with targeted areas in conjunction with your regular math program.
- Long. Eight hours of calculator instruction is a lot of teaching. I never knew all you could use this for, so it isn’t wasted time, but WOW, that’s a lot of time spent on a calculator.
Math Tutor DVDs cover many topics with the same solid teaching. If you are looking for a supplementary help for some tricky areas in math, check out these and other videos that they produce.
For more TOS Crew reviews on this product, check out the TOS Crew blog.
Disclaimer: These DVDs were provided to me free of charge through Math Tutor DVD as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.
Wikki Stix guessing contest
Enter a contest that could boost your art supplies! Guess how many Wikki Stix are in the photo and you could win them.
While you wait to see if you won, check out some of their great craft and educational ideas. If you already own Wikki Stix, I would guess you aren’t utelizing them as much as possible. Have you thought of using the for maps, diagrams, models, prewriting activities, and phonics games?
Their website offers ideas that touch many different academic subjects. Your child will be glad you took a look.
Homeschool sports
I stumbled on this site recently that lists homeschool sport activities by state — Homeschool SportsNet.
They don’t have a lot listed, but they may have some in your area. And, if you run a homeschool sport group this would be a great place to let others know about your group to help them find you.
Team sports are difficult to teach on your own, so they are one of the few activities that we “outsource” in our homeschool experience. This website could be a great place to connect with others doing the same and help gain some experience in developing good sportsmanship skills.
Check ’em out!
Labor Day
Whether you school or not today, take time to learn about the holiday. So often holidays simply mean another barbecue, a relaxed schedule, or time with extended family. If you want to learn a little more behind this “end of summer” final fling, check out these links:
The Department of Labor shares some of the history behind the day.
Or, check in with History.com for some videos and more visual background of this holiday.
Create some labor related crafts — collages of people performing different jobs, a thank you card for a community helper, or make a life size outline of your child and decorate them in a favorite uniform.
The popular way to celebrate is taking some time to rest from the normal labors of everyday life.
Whether you are laboring or not today, enjoy the day. This year it is truly our end of summer as we head back to “the books” tomorrow with our first official day of school in over a month.
Writing mini-workshop
Last year I met Sarah through the writing of Jim Baumgardner and now he is helping others in their endeavor to write well or teach their children to write well. This is the third and final installment of the series ‘Fundamentals of Story Writing” by Jim Baumgardner of the Sarah Books Series, hosted over at Creative Learners.
Mr. Baumgardner, an award winning author, has shared with us over the last 2 months free lessons in story writing for our homeschool students of any age! Thess articles have blessed my family, and many more! You can see the original articles by clicking here for #1 and here for #2.
For today’s third and final installment in the series, check out Creative Learners.