Category: Homeschool

My 7 year old son is a very intelligent first grader who is full of endless energy. Some might say he is hyperactive or that he has one of the ABC disorders like ADD or ADHD.  All I know is that he has a hard time being still unless it involves toys or the computer.  Since we have tried several rewards and punishments to keep him in line and medication is not an option right now, I was excited to try the Jungle Rangers computer game.

When we first started our homeschool journey, I wasn’t quite sure where to start. I mostly purchased packaged curriculum, and we used that until I found a good rhythm, and then I felt more comfortable to branch out and use other things for our lessons.

When you live in a small city though, it’s sometimes hard to find the things you need. A lot of books that are on reading lists aren’t available through our local library. There aren’t a lot of enrichment activities to take part in. And manipulatives, can often be expensive, especially if you can only find them at a “teacher’s” store.

Using the iPad or and iPhone/iTouch for education is such a great way for kids to have fun while learning. Many times they don’t even view it as “work” because of the way the apps present the material.

I recently had the chance to review the free app iTooch Elementary School on my iPad (you can use it on your iPhone/iTouch as well) and want to share a bit about it with you. iTooch is a cute little orange cartoon character that will help your child proceed through the app.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I sort of have a thing an obsession with my Apple products.

I get a little giddy thinking about ALL the things these little powerhouse electronics can do for me. Then, I talk a little too much about it to people who probably could care less.

I’m sure though for every 10 people that tune me out, there is one that wants to know all the neat things I can do. And if they ask a question or two, I’m happy to go on for hours.

Shakespeare’s works are some of the archetypes of classics, for both reading and performing. Whichever way you choose to take it, 60-Minute Shakespeare helps you do it. We read the newest edition in the series “Taming of the Shrew,” and Cass Foster has condensed the play so that it’s shorter and easier to read. If you want to act out the play, the abridged version helps the performance to keep to an hour (hence the title).

Classic literature is a staple of reading and language arts classes across the world. People fondly claim that reading old literature enhances your knowledge and gives you a better appreciation for ‘real’ writing. This might be true, but it is also an honest fact that most students find ‘classics’ to be boring and confusing. By the time they’re done reading, most of them will have no idea, or understanding of what they’ve just read. Including my 16 year old daughter as bright as she is.

That’s where Providence E-Learning’s e-books shine; explaining these classic literature pieces and their seemingly unrelated morals to today’s culture.

Regular readers of my blog will know that our family is trying to move to Texas. I say trying because we’ve had our home on the market for nearly seven months now, and we can’t move until we sell it. Besides that though, things are going great.

To catch up those of you who may not know about this ongoing saga, our daughter wants to attend UTD next year to get an arts & technology degree, and since my husband can just switch his location to one in the DFW area and we have no family or roots here, we decided it would be a good time to move South.

One of the reasons we personally love homeschooling is because of the way we can adapt our curriculum to our daughter’s particular learning methods. As a gifted learner who prefers not to read, we’ve seen proven academic results from using multi-media products such as computer software, CDs, DVDs and tablet apps when it comes to her education.

We recently had the opportunity to use Disney’s American Presidents App & DVDs in our American History course and this is what Amber has to say about it:

The holidays are right around the corner, and with them come countless opportunities for parents to engage their children in math in festive and entertaining ways, says Laura Overdeck, mother of three and founder of the popular Bedtime Math national online community.

Below are three of Laura’s best winter holiday math tips.

1. Geometry and snowflakes. Making paper snowflakes is a favorite winter activity for kids of all ages. When your little ones are cutting out their