Such a Time As This ~ Page 36 of 76 ~ Faith, Hope, & Love

08/01/2016

Are you looking for an online math curriculum?

Are You Looking for an Online Math Curriculum?

CTCMath Homeschool Membership Review

For the past month, I’ve had the opportunity to try out a new math curriculum for a couple of our kids. My son and daughter love the math lessons and I love that she access to all grade levels with the Homeschool Membership from CTCMath.

What is CTCMath?

CTCMath is an online math program which can be used as a math tutor or as a full math curriculum. The Homeschool Membership includes student log-ins for all of your children from grades Kindergarten up through high school math. It includes Kindergarten through Grade 6, Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, Pre-Calc, Geometry and Calculus.

$online math$

This online math curriculum features pre-assessments, lessons, video tutorials, online questions and a printable for each lesson so that the student can use to study or to easily remember that lesson.

In addition to the lessons, it also comes with some “fun” math games. There is a speed skills section which allows the student to do a 60 second speed drill of whatever math level they are working on. For instance, Level 1 is just addition and subtraction, Level 2 includes those along with multiplication and Level 3 adds in Division.

Another game that CTCMath has is one that allows the kids to recount their times tables. The game is set up to be used with a mouse. It shows a little rocket ship and a multiplication question at the bottom of the screen. At the top are multiple numbers. As the game begins the student is supposed to point the little rocket at the correct number and click the mouse at it. With each wrong answer the numbers come closer and closer to the rocket ship until time runs out – the point is to get as many right until you can’t shoot your rocket anymore at the numbers. This is a highly fun and entertaining game which my 11 year old son thoroughly enjoyed.

There is a third game that is called Swap Pieces which is more of a logic puzzle and would be good to use on a lighter math day or after a lesson.

How Did We Use It?

I have been using this with my 9 year old daughter and 11 year old son. I plan to start using it with my 5 year old very soon. We were at first confused on how to start. I thought it would be a good idea to start by completing an assessment. I was a little overwhelmed at first because this includes so many grade levels and within the grade levels there are multiple areas of study. This feature is great if you are using this as purely a tutoring program. You could then pick and choose what your child is struggling with and then work on that. However, when you are using this as a sole curriculum, it would be good to know exactly where to start.

$online math$

What we ended up doing, is taking the first week and running several assessments to see where the kids were and then starting on the lesson that they didn’t do well in. For example, if they scored 95% on the assessment – we skipped that section and moved on to the next section. If I knew for sure it wasn’t something our kids had studied or wasn’t sure if they were comfortable with it, we started there as well. Once we found our starting point, I’ve let them move through the curriculum at their pace. This curriculum is a mastery approach to math, which is different than our previous curriculum. Once the kids do well enough to “pass” per their scores on the lessons, then they move on to the next lesson.

They start the lesson by watching a video tutorial which is around 5 minutes a piece. Then the work their online questions which feature multiple choice and fill in the blank. I like that the students (and parents) can easily see if they are getting their questions right or wrong and they can get positive reinforcement in the form of an immediate grade as they work. There is no guess work regarding how they are doing or if they are understanding the material.

I love that each section of questions comes with a read-aloud feature. This allows the student to be able to have the instructions and questions read to them. My 11 year old son struggles with Dyslexia and so this is a HUGE plus for him. Having someone read to him his story problems helps him understand them so much better. He can even have it read again if he didn’t quite understand it them first ime.

I love that there is a summary section which shows the dates the student logged in, what they worked on, how they are doing, any awards earned, and how their assessments have gone. It even shows how well they did on their speed drills!

I have to say, that even though we got off to slightly a rough start, we’ve decided to make this our primary math curriculum starting next month when we start back to our formal school year. With three homeschooled children, a preschooler, a toddler and a soon-to-be newborn I need all the help I can get and using online math and other programs which rely more on technology is a huge blessing to me during this season of life. CTCMath fits the bill of what I was looking for with easy to understand small lessons, plenty of review, and built in speed drills and fun exercise which engage the kids.

I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in adding to their current math or starting from scratch with a brand new one. The cost is extremely affordable at $118.80 for your whole family (especially if you are homeschooling multiple kids, like we are), it is easy to implement, it produces independence in the students, and it is so easy on mom (in my opinion, this is one of the best reasons!).

If you want to connect with CTCMath Online please see below:

CTCMath (US and Canada)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ctcmath?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ctcmathofficial

Periscope: https://www.periscope.tv/ctcmathofficial

Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/ctcmath/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWn5e6974bpIEAe46VnovZw

Maths Online (Australia Only)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathsonline.com.au

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MathsOnlineAU

07/27/2016

Orphs of the Woodlands – The Perfect App for Your Homeschool {Review}

Orphs of the Woodlands at Tangletree: The Perfect App for Your Homeschool {REVIEW}

I’ve written before how I’ve tried to include more technology into our homeschooling, but I sometimes struggle with which apps, websites, and curriculum… not knowing which to trust as worthwhile for our kids and which ones will be easy to implement. I found an app recently that fits the bill and has been a true blessing to our family. My 11-year-old struggles with being engaged with reading time because of dyslexia which causes it to be a challenge to read as fluently and with the understanding he wants to have. This new app has been helping him more than I knew! My son has been improving his reading comprehension with the new interactive book, Orphs of the Woodlands at Tangletree, from Star Toaster.

Orphs of the Woodlands at Tangletree is a cute book and game filled with adorable little animal characters. It is an easy download found in the App Store. I quickly downloaded it onto my iPad. I had no idea what to expect, so I was blown away when I realized it is a very cute “book” with chapters and pages that are easy to read on the tablet but it is so much more appealing than an ordinary book for my son.

You need to get supplies for your orphs to help them survive! Each time you do a job and complete it, you will earn more gold stars to help the orphs. You will always know how many stars you need and how many you have at the bottom of the screen.

While the student is reading their chapter they will notice highlighted links. Some of these links are their “job training” which they can check up on after the complete their current chapter. Once they complete certain job training they can also complete all the “help wanted” on the same page of the app. Each click under help wanted is an opportunity to earn more stars. Each click is one quiz question. If the child gets the question right they get a certain number of stars in their bank. The goal is to complete tasks to help the orphs.

Language Arts

Because it includes interactive links, my son is learning vocabulary words which might have posed a challenge without this interactive feature. He is also getting ahead in his grammar. So far this App has covered similies, nouns, common and proper nouns, plural nouns, and types of sentences. Also, in addition to “vocabulary” in the form of definitions of unknown words, it also features other vocabulary study tools. For instance, they include lessons on compound words and homonyms. Though I’m ecstatic with the amount of language arts that is covered in this app, this is more than a language arts program.

Character

Studying character is also part of this program. My son is being taught certain key ideas which reinforce what I’m teaching in our home. Some of these ideas include: learning to listen, writing it right, and helping others.

Math

Orphs of the Woodlands at Tangletree also includes math lessons! Some of these were a little young for my son (who is in 5th grade), but I’m sure younger kids would benefit from this. Some of the lessons include counting by fives, hundreds and using tally marks.

Science

I was very impressed with the amount of science included in this app. My son has studied predicting the weather, understanding lightning and thunder, what flying squirrels are, hedgehogs, rats and squirrels, the water cycle and much more! He’s a science loving kid and he really loved this part!

There is a progress list which is easy for parents to check on their child’s work. It shows the lessons completed and “jobs completed” within the program, starts earned, pages read and goals achieved. This is a quick glimpse to make sure your child is completing this if you are using this as part of their schooling.

I want to stress how much I encourage you to try this app. It is such an easy and low-cost way to help your student with their reading skills, grammar, math, science and so much more. We love Orphs of the Woodlands at Tangletree and will definitely be looking for other interactive book apps by Star Toaster in the future!

Orphs of the Woodlands at Tanglegate Review

To connect with Star Toaster online click below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/startoaster4kids

Twitter: https://twitter.com/StarToaster

To read more reviews of Orphs of the Woodlands at Tangletree, please click below:

07/24/2016

Summer Schooling – What We are Up To {Homeschooling in Summer}

Although some years we school year round with the same curriculum – this year we’ve decided to keep on keeping on during the Summer months but just mix it up… a lot. I wanted to do a little bit of “lighter school” including some field trips and some fun crafts and other activities. My main hope is that they don’t forget everything we’ve worked so hard in for math and language arts this year! I try to keep this to just in the mornings and mix in some fun non-school stuff, too. Homeschooling in Summer can be lots of fun. So, what are we up to?

Homeschooling in Summer

We’ve been enjoying a few old and a few new to us curriculum:

Drawing and Art time

Piano & Singing practice

The Nature Connection: An Outdoor Workbook for Kids

CLE Math

We’ve been doing our school work in the mornings and then in the afternoon enjoying a board game with the kids. We had recently added in a new game to our line up, called “Timeline“. We have really enjoyed this one!

The kids are enjoying spending time at the pool, library, and planning some field trips, too! What have you been up to this Summer? Do you school year round or in a more traditional school schedule? I’d love to hear from you – leave a comment below!

07/18/2016

Pregnancy update – 17 weeks {Baby Number 7}

Pregnancy Update – 17 Weeks

Well, it has been three weeks since my last pregnancy update! I’m now closing in on 18 weeks and getting bigger by the day. I reached the point about two weeks ago where people who don’t know me aren’t afraid to ask me all about the pregnancy and even what I’m having. I’m showing at a much earlier rate. The baby has been measuring a bit bigger than dates, as well.

I’m feeling pretty good but have been gaining weight a little more quickly than I’m used to. I’m up 19 pounds already, but I started off at a much lower weight than I typically would, so my doctor was quite pleased I was able to put on a few pounds.

Speaking of weight, my appetite has been fairly large and that probably has a huge part of the weight gain. I usually don’t feel hungry, but this time around I’m craving some high-calorie food. I decided that I couldn’t stand the Summer heat, and needed a change so I got my hair cut off, too.

It has been a busy couple of weeks and I wanted to do a pregnancy update before now. We got to have a 3D ultrasound a few weeks ago and we were able to find out that the baby is a boy! The ultrasound was done a little past 15 weeks but seemed quite clear. We will be going in for a full anatomy scan in a couple more weeks.

We decided to decline all genetic testing on the baby. Because the baby is a boy, we do have a 50% chance that the baby carries the same gene our oldest has. We just ask for prayer for our family. I’ve gotten used to the idea of having another boy and I even started making a quilt for our little guy. I was trying to figure out how to place everything and decided I really want to have a Bible verse embroidered on part of it. I wrote out the verse from Jeremiah which I have clung to for several weeks … ever since we got the news on our oldest son’s condition:

Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I chose you.
Before you were born I set you apart.
I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5

So that is all for week 17 Pregnancy Update! I hope to be back in a couple of weeks with our next update!

07/13/2016

15 Totally Awesome Frozen Treats & Popsicles

Frozen Treats for Summer

So Summer is upon us and so is the heat! I don’t love these heat waves … I would much rather be snowed in and making snowmen in the back yard with the kids. However, I do love frozen treats! Enjoy these fun and unique popsicles and frozen treats from across the web! Stay cool and have a wonderful Summer!!!

Lime & Mint Popsicles – by A Beautiful Mess

Cherry Limemade Popsicles – by Lil’ Luna

Peaches & Cream Popsicles – by Bless This Mess

Blueberry & Spinach Popsicles – by The Soap Queen

Coconut Mocha Pops – by Home Cooking Memories

Fresh Fruit Yogurt & Granola Popsicles – by the Idea Room

Brown Butter Butterscotch Oreo Popsicles – by the Flavor Bender

Watermelon Chia Pops – by Real Food Whole Life

Black Raspberry Cherry Popsicles – by the Last Ingredient

Red White and Blue Pudding Pops – by Simply Designing

Popsicles with Fruit and Coconut Water – by Your Modern Family

Root Beer Float Popsicles – by Rachel Cooks