To help my five-year-old understand basic math better, I made up a little math learning game entitled "Hide-and-Guess" that Joely really enjoys playing. We use our Math-U-See blocks when we play it, but you can use any kind of manipulatives or objects that you'd like (pennies, cheerios, paper clips, etc.) This game also helps illustrate […]
Archives for February 2015
How to Memorize the Names of the Great Lakes
Learning the Great Lakes and their locations can be difficult. The kids and I came up with a catchy mnemonic to memorize the location of the Great Lakes. First we memorized the names of the Great Lakes (Superior, Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie) and then we used the mnemonic SHO ME (pronounced "show me") to remember […]
Learning Basic British Geography and Terms
I've always been frustrated that I haven't entirely understood the difference between the terms Britain, Great Britain, British Isles, and United Kingdom. I'm not sure if I was ever taught the difference in school; but even if I was taught, I apparently never really learned it. I obviously want to make sure my children understand […]
Online "Accelerated Reader"-type program
If you desire to encourage reading then this free online Accelerated Reader program may be for you. When Jaden went to public school, he had the opportunity to participate in the school's Accelerated Reader program. (If you aren't familiar with how AR works, this is a basic run-down: the student reads a book, takes a […]
Learn how to differentiate between the letters "d" and "b"
Joely's been learning to read, and as is typical for children her age, she was having trouble differentiating between lower-case "b"s from "d"s. I'd been trying to figure out a good way to solve the problem, so I came up with this little illustration to help her remember which way "b" and "d" face. Associating […]