Homeschool Math & Logic (plus a coupon code)- The Critical Thinking Co. {a review}

by Meghan // May 9, 2019 // Comments off

One of the most popular posts on my blog has been about math and logic in early childhood education, so I know my readers are always looking for math ideas! That’s why I was excited about this review-
My 8 year old has been using The Critical Thinking Co.‘s Pattern Explorer Beginning (for grades 3-4) physical book (they offer a digital version) for logic, fun, and developing her number sense. Read towards the end for a free shipping offer + a great coupon code from The Critical Thinking Co.!

What it is

Pattern Explorer Beginning is a book of 40 pattern problems divided into the following 5 themes:

Pattern Predictor
Equality Explorer
Sequence Sleuth
Number Ninja
Function Finder

As the student moves through the 84 page book, the problems get more difficult, building upon one another. This is a book you would have a child complete in order, not pull from randomly for enrichment. Of course if a child is ready to begin in a different spot, they could always choose to start further into the book. The pages are perforated for easy removal and the paper is high quality 9very little shadowing through the page), bright white paper.

Something I was happy to see in the book is the acknowledgement that these books, this whole process of developing, is challenging! I often refer to my teaching degree program here on the blog, but this is one of those times I can attest to what the product is saying- Yes! Moving from the developmental stage of concrete thinker onto abstract thinker is something we can nourish and support, but not something we can force. By giving a child these pattern problems, we aren’t “making them smarter,” we are enriching what is already developing.

I wasn’t an abstract thinker until almost high school, it seemed. I struggled through honors math in 8th grade. I simply *couldn’t* get the abstract thought that was required for the work. Then I hit 9th grade and *boom* I not only loved math, but was finally GOOD at it! It just took time for me; my brother on the other hand seemed to live in an abstract world and was able to understand the harder math younger than I could.

So when the book suggests it is for 3-4th grade, and your 3rd grader is struggling, please know it is normal and the book itself is a process. It is fun, and meant to be like working a puzzle on paper, using numbers. It isn’t meant to judge cognitive ability, or assess a child. It is to be pursued

with a sense of adventure and perseverance. Some pattern discoveries may come quickly, while others may require patience and determination.

Each activity has a companion hints and solutions section towards the back of the book, so students can check their work, but also, when a student gets stuck, they can get a hint for how to move forward. Also I really like that the publisher has provided solutions that may be most common, but emphasizes there is more than one way to solve a problem. Every child’s thought process will be unique to them, and that is not only okay, but just as it should be!

How We Use Pattern Explorer Beginning

My daughter worked on the book about 3 days a week; it was a real challenge for her (in a good way). She is a younger 2/3rd grade level, just beginning multiplication in her 2nd grade math curriculum, so this book advanced for her pretty quickly. But she has loved it so far! Because she didn’t know all her multiplication facts, I printed her a simple multiplication table chart from the SchoolhouseTeachers.com. This gave her the numbers she needed to help her especially with the Number Ninja puzzles.

In the first Number Ninja puzzle, she was given 4 blank boxed-the instructions were something like “write whole numbers in the empty boxes so their product equals the number on the right fo reach row, and the number on the bottom for each column.” Yes, we had to read the directions more than once 😉 haha… mama included! But she did it! She used her multiplication chart for the times tables she didn’t yet know, and she worked through many of those problems!

I love seeing her thought process on paper, how she uses what she knows- using tally marks, addition, making groups, pairs, etc) to solve the problems is so neat to me. During my student teaching internship, I was never surprised by the ability of my students, but it still doesn’t change how in awe I am of children’s minds.

It is even more fun being a part of it as their homeschooling mama. =) I am really appreciative to companies like The Critical Thinking Co. that make math and problem solving fun and challenging in our homeschools!

You can see ample space is provided for writing the answers to this pattern challenge … my daughter squeezed them in above the question, rather than below. Don’t ask me why.

Here is the best part for my readers- you can add this, or any other Critical Thinking Co book to your homeschool, or summer enrichment at a great price! Get *free shipping* + 15% off any size order using the coupon Coupon: TOSCREW19

This offer expires Expires: 12/31/2019. I can’t wait to add one of their other books to our homeschool (and who doesn’t love free shipping?!)

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Homeschool Practice With IXL {a review}

by Meghan // February 21, 2019 // Comments off

We have been using an annual membership from IXL Learning. This included all IXL subjects– math, language arts, grades 2-8 science, grades 2-8 social studies, and intro Spanish.

This has been such a fun supplemental program to review! We do plan to continue using it for the year, and will renew our membership.

How we use IXL Learning

About 3 days a week, each of my older 3 children (8, 6, and 4) work in the IXL program for 20 minutes. The program is very parent and child friendly; each child has their own profile where I customize their learning practice. We really love using the app, but my 8year old used the computer quite a bit to access IXL. Parents are able to select the grade level of practice for each subject, for every child!

This is perfect for customizing learning for homeschool children, as many students work on different levels in different core subjects. Parents are also able to customize what “standards” they would like their child to work under. This is of no concern to me, as we don’t teach according to anyone’s standards, (most curricula cover the same concepts, regardless of “standards,” but it is an option for those parents in states that require certain standards!

I found what worked best for us was having 1 child work in IXL on the ipad or computer while I did 1:1 school work at the table with the others. We continued this rotation through, until I had done our reading and LA with each child, and they were all ready for their independent table work.

My 8 year old saw the Spanish section and wanted to practice learning Spanish; this and spelling are her favorite subjects in IXL. Where my son is a natural born speller like his mama, my very intelligent oldest child struggles in that area, so I am excited that she is excited about practicing spelling concepts in IXL.

For my 6 year old, math is the favorite subject, but he has enjoyed working in each one. I like that I can also receive an email letting me know what they completed and has well they did. A quick glance at their profile under any subject tells me what they have completed in each category of that subject.

My 4 year old used the app on the iPad while working in the PreK level. She mostly worked in the Language Arts section, and worked slower than the others. She is still learning about using the ipad, but she truly enjoys IXL.

Here is an example of the 2nd grade language arts subject- you can select any category for practice as seen below: reading foundations, reading strategies, writing strategies, vocabulary, and grammar and mechanics.

What I Think

We don’t use many computer or online learning activities, choosing to limit screen time, but I knew I wanted to try IXL and I am so glad I did! We are diligent about our core studies- reading, language and math and reading aloud (which covers everything else, right? haha)- and IXL is a wonderful supplement for extra practice and learning.

Children can have instructions read to them, as well as having words/problems pronounced aloud. This is a huge help for beginner readers like my 4 year old, or children with learning differences, allowing them to practice independently.

Each time a child misses a question, IXL gives an explanation of how to correctly solve the problem in subjects such as math, or explains the language arts concept for the child. See the example below:

While IXL is wonderful for review and practice, it is not a substitute for teaching. I would say my 8 year old could learn independently with this program, though. If she didn’t understand what was being asked of her, and she missed a question, I feel the explanation would be adequate for her to learn from her mistake. This would work because of her ability to learn independently and her grade level … much lower or much more difficult levels would be better suited for practice only.

It is complete in the subjects covered, and the explanations when answers are incorrect are simple but effective.

Math with Reading Eggs & A Coupon Code {a mathseeds workbook review}

by Meghan // September 5, 2018 // Comments off

It has finally happened, that my almost 4 year old is ready for more “table work.” She is a hands on learning kind of girl, but more than anything she loves to write and do school like her older siblings; coloring, blocks, and puzzles just won’t do all the time. She wants to be big. So we have been using the 200 Essential Math Skills for Kindergarten, a Mathseeds workbook from Reading Eggs.

Reading Eggs (and Mathseeds team) is a trusted online literacy and math program; they also have beautiful, fun workbooks to go along with their online program. These can be used without the online program, or right along side it for added comprehension. We received both the K math workbook, and an online subscription; these compliment each other perfectly! The online program allows your student to take a short placement test to determine the level at which they should begin online; it is much more customized than I expected. My daughter will be 4 next week, and while she can identify numbers, count very well, knows colors and shapes, and understands 1:1 correspondence, she cannot identify number words, and needs more basic foundational number sense. The online program is great for solidifying these concepts.

$Math K Reading Eggs Mathseeds$

200 Essential Math Skills for Kindergarten: How We Use It

Our homeschool may look a bit different than yours (most likely a lot different), but chances are if you are teaching a child math at the kindergarten level you have scoured the internet and homeschool websites looking at every math workbook, textbook, and curriculum on the market. Ask me how I know …

But really, y’all- this is the real deal! The 200 Essential Math Skills for Kindergarten workbook is a solid program. Not only is it solid, it is easy to use, simple, comprehensive, and includes:

Year Planner at a glance map- this is so convenient, easy to follow, and takes off any pressure you may have for checking boxes
Hands on Learning Activities to help reinforce concepts and add more fun for young learners
FULL color but clean pages-my favorite part of this workbook is how tidy the pages are. You know what I mean! It is beautiful, high quality, and colorful, but the pages aren’t so full they’re distracting. Each question is clearly labeled with a highlighted number making it easy for children (and adults) to find the next question on the page.
The Mathseeds K book covers:
- numbers
- operations
- patterns
- geometry
- and measurement

I also really like how the entire page is used for learning- the top corner of each page has a picture of the learning focus, for example-the number 8 with 8 dots, a short pattern, shapes, 3D shapes, etc. These are simple, small learning cues for my daughter but they give me reminders to talk about what we have been learning- That may be as simple as asking, “what shape is this?” “what letter sound does that begin with?” “read this pattern to me!” It is a fun way for us to connect before and after a page has been completed.

I think Miss’s favorite part of this program are the fun illustrations- they’re so clear, easy to understand (if you’ve used workbooks of any kind you know what I mean-what are some of those pictures supposed to be?!), colorful, and cheerful. She is a very happy girl and would be 100% bored to death with a black and white sheet of paper.

I really do appreciate how easy the pages are for both of us to glance at. Without overwhelming the senses, each page brings delight to learning math using color and pictures. All this, while using large blocks of background color to separate sections and make looking at the page easy for young learners (and tired mamas).

At the end of each lesson is a section that allows you and your child to mark off what they have accomplished! (see image below)

I *love* this feature because often times as homeschool parents we feel like we are just going through the motions. We don’t want to give tests or kill our young children’s love for learning and growing, but we also want to see some progress. This section at the end of the lessons give you a chance to acknowledge what they have accomplished in their lesson, and sort of recap everything.

I take this opportunity to go over what we have been learning by allowing my daughter to narrate what she has done, learned, and enjoyed in that math lesson- it is surprising the details little children can remember! It is sort of our Charlotte Mason spin on a math workbook.

We also enjoy acting out some of the lessons using manipulatives; we will place blocks on top of the page once it is completed and she can “teach” me all she has learned and done. We are really excited about this program; it is so simply, straight to the point, and takes no time at all to complete a lesson! I appreciate the easy transition it has given us into a little table work. While my 4 year old begs for table work like her older siblings, you may know that sometimes that can be very short lived, but not with the Mathseeds Math K workbook. She would work in this book as long as I would let her (I think we will have to pick up their reading workbook, too).

There are also “just for fun” pages, and certificates of completion for each map (focus) section. They have really thought of everything!

Click HERE to purchase your workbooks! Use the code: WK10GSD6TMB to get 10% off your purchase. Click the banner below for 4 free weeks of online learning from Reading Eggs!

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Online Reading and Math with K5 Learning {a review}

by Meghan // June 7, 2017 // Comments off

Reviewing the Online Program by K5 Learning has been a lot of fun for my daughter. We don’t do a lot of work on the computer (if you read my blog, you already know that …), because I just feel like she is still very young for the computer screen. But a few days a week while the littles nap we have been enjoying doing K5 Learning on my laptop together. And man, has it been a great experience!

What it is

K5 Learning’s Online Program is a supplement to any education program. An account is good for up to 4 students, and allows parental and separate student accounts. This is an online reading and math program for grades K-5. Students take placement assessments which allows them to work at their own level and at their own pace through a personalized program of reading and math lessons. Each lesson also has a corresponding worksheet for extra practice and understanding.

Included are lessons in:

Reading– phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, vocabulary, & reading comprehension
Math– numbers & operations, measurement, geometry, data analysis, algebraic thinking
Spelling– advanced spelling and vocabulary, adaptive instruction, 150,000 word database

Each subject has lessons that help build foundational skills, confidence, and fluency, as well as independent and interactive learning.

There is an entire library of worksheets (that are great to use with manipulatives) to focus more in depth on different topics. I especially like the looks of the math worksheets that use base ten blocks.

What We Thought and How We Used It

We have explored all of K5 Learning. The spelling has been fun for my daughter; we just started a spelling program a few months ago, and she is enjoying the challenge (she is SO my child …) of spelling words. I *really* like that when she misses a word in the K5 program, even after correcting the error, the word comes back up so she has to respell it correctly a second time! This is good for “muscle memory” so to speak, which outside of learning rule breaker spelling rules, is how we typically learn to spell.

The reading placement assessment was a bit tedious at first, but between each section is a really fun learning video about animals, or another topic that is interesting to kids (and even me). This was really nice, and made the placement test much more enjoyable! The reading lessons are relevant, and because she doesn’t need phonics lessons, are a great help for her in the department of vocabulary and reading comprehension. I would also say the reading comprehension selections are a really nice challenge!

Mostly, we have focused on math, because she has been having a tough time with math facts. At first, she was hesitant to use the K5 math because she had a sense of failure in regards to math facts.

But it wasn’t long before she started asking to do it! This made my heart so happy; K5 Learning has helped her feel successful while also having fun, and actually learning. I like that it has helped her with number fluency, and I can see that fruit! It has made her more confident with numbers in general and that’s important- because that seems to be a BIG hold up with kids and math.

The assessment placed her appropriately; though she scored above first grade level overall in math (she is in K, working mostly on a 1st grade level), the program doesn’t put students more than one level above the grade level assigned by the parent. But if your child finds it too easy or too hard, you can easily email them to have it changed.

the ninja and the toddler learning alongside big sister

Speaking of email- I felt like the communication with the company was definitely personable! It gave me a feeling that I could trust them as a company, and always contact them if I had any problems or questions. *Sometimes with online companies you don’t get this type of customer service, and that is a huge problem- but NOT with K5 Learning* I feel confident in their service!