This past weekend I spoke at the FPEA convention in Orlando, Florida. One of my workshops was, “Am I Ruining My Child? What I Wish I Knew When I Started Homeschooling.” I think one of the greatest things about this workshop is seeing the facial expressions on the parents when they are sitting in the room waiting for the workshop to begin. They are looking around and smiling.

I know what they are thinking…

“Wow. I thought I was the only one.”

It makes ME smile. No, sweet mama. You are not the only one. We all feel this way sometimes.

In the workshop, I discuss some of the scariest topics that homeschoolers face. One of these is the pressure to get the newest, sparkliest curriculum out there because everyone else is using it.

I know. Just because everyone else jumped off the bridge, Sherri, doesn’t mean you have to. It’s the classic peer pressure thing – and I fell into it often.

Years ago, my oldest was in elementary school. His favorite subject was math. The curriculum we used was a very good one. He was learning, progressing, and scoring well each year on his assessment tests.

Then….a shiny new curriculum entered the homeschool market. EVERYONE seemed to be using it. Studies had shown that students using this curriculum scored over a hundred points higher on their SAT test. Of course I wanted my son to do as well as he could. And it appeared that THIS was the curriculum to make it happen.

But he was doing very well with the other one. Why should I change? It was like I was in junior high school all over again and hearing my mother saying, “Just because everyone else has an Izod top doesn’t mean you have to have one, Sherri.”

She’s right. But despite the teenage-haunted-echoes going on in my head, that summer I joined the rest of the happy, smart homeschoolers all over the U.S. and bought the new math curriculum.

Well, it was a disaster. Though this was a good, solid curriculum, it didn’t fit my son’s learning style. His enthusiasm for his favorite subject was gone. I remember watching him one morning, facing his math book, and sighing…  He began to lose his love for math. It became a chore.

When I finally realized this, I talked it over with my husband, we bit the bullet, and bought the next level of OLD curriculum. I just couldn’t let my child lose the excitement for a subject he loved just because I wanted to keep up with the Jones’s.

I knew that this is one of the reasons we homeschool. If a certain curriculum or teaching style isn’t working for my child, I have the ability to change course to try to tailor his education to best fit his needs. After all, if we believe that there is one curriculum that is the best and only one that should be used to teach a subject, then we are really saying that all children are alike in their strengths, learning abilities, and giftedness.

If that is true, then why not get that one best curriculum, put them all together in groups taught one way by one teacher and they will all make perfect scores on the standardized exams.

Well, we know that is NOT true. Every child is unique and has individual learning styles, passions and abilities. Our job as parents is to build on those strengths while finding ways to encourage the weaker areas. We can give them the perfect opportunity to excel as they are prepared to do so.

And, no, it will NOT look like every other child’s path. That’s by design. They are different. And that is good.

So don’t worry if you are taking a different direction in your child’s education. Get to know your child and what excites him or her. Figure out the best ways to engage each of them as they are learning.

And know that it’s OK to be different.

Have an extraordinary day!

~Sherri

Today I’ll be sharing more about how to make the triangle flash cards for addition and subtraction along with helps to use the multiplication/division cards. If you missed the first post, you can find it here.

First, if you want to make addition and subtraction cards, you will need to have 82 poster board triangles. I show you how to make the cards in the first post.

Here are the addition/subtraction facts:

1 + 1 = 2               2 + 6 = 8              3 + 12 = 15           5 + 11 = 16           8 + 9 = 17

1 + 2 = 3              2 + 7 = 9               4 + 4 = 8               5 + 12 = 17          8 + 10 = 18

1 + 3 = 4              2 + 8 = 10            4 + 5 = 9               6 + 6 = 12             8 + 11 = 19

1 + 4 = 5              2 + 9 = 11            4 + 6 = 10             6 + 7 = 13             8 + 12 = 20

1 + 5 = 6              2 + 10 = 12         4 + 7 = 11              6 + 8 = 14             9 + 9 = 18

1 + 6 = 7              2 + 11 = 13          4 + 8 = 12             6 + 9 = 15              9 + 10 = 19

1 + 7 = 8              2 + 12 = 14         4 + 9 = 13             6 + 10 = 16            9 + 11 = 20

1 + 8 = 9              3 + 3 = 6              4 + 10 = 14          6 + 11 = 17            9 + 12 = 21

1 + 9 = 10           3 + 4 = 7              4 + 11 = 15           6 + 12 = 18            10 + 10 = 20

1 + 10 = 11         3 + 5 = 8              4 + 12 = 16           7 + 7 = 14              10 + 11 = 21

1 + 11 = 12         3 + 6 = 9              5 + 5 = 10              7 + 8 = 15              10 + 12 = 22

1 + 12 = 13         3 + 7 = 10           5 + 6 = 11               7 + 9 = 16              11 + 11 = 22

2 + 2 = 4             3 + 8 = 11            5 + 7 = 12              7 + 10 = 17            11 + 12 = 23

2 + 3 = 5             3 + 9 = 12            5 + 8 = 13              7 + 11 = 18            12 + 12 = 24

2 + 4 = 6             3 + 10 = 13         5 + 9 = 14              7 + 12 = 19

2 + 5 = 7             3 + 11 = 14          5 + 10 = 15          8 + 8 = 16

(Sorry for the columns being wonky. I am still figuring out this whole wordpress thing!)

Again, notice that when, for example, I made the 2 + 8 card, I didn’t have to make an 8 + 2 card, because they both add up to 10.

These cards are fun to use, but they are also fun to make. If you want, you can have your children take part in cutting and writing the facts on the cards. They won’t realize it, but they will be learning the facts as they make the cards. You can call it a craft activity, and they will likely happily join in (especially if it means they don’t have to do some other work that day!)

I like to give them the facts that are the most difficult to remember, so I gave my kids the 6’s, 7’s and 8’s to make. Now understand that the printing likely won’t be as neat as you may want, but it is a good way to reinforce these facts without making it boring. Also, prepare to have a few extra cards for mistakes.

So what’s the best way to use these cards? Well, you can group them by their families, lining up the cards that add by 5’s or the cards that add by 8’s into a pine tree shape. Then have them see how many they can guess correctly. Have them repeat this process until they know them all.

Once they have mastered an addition family, make a worksheet where the facts are written like a traditional math sentence, mixing up the order of the family. So, if your child guesses all the cards correctly in the 8 addition family, see how they do with an 8 addition worksheet that might look like this:

2 + 8 = ___          8 + 7 = ___          1 + 8 = ___          8 + 10 = ___        …and so on.

There will only be 12 problems on a worksheet, so it won’t be overwhelming and this activity can easily be added to any formal curriculum you are using. You can also then try to do the 8 family using subtraction like this:

12 – 8 = ___        14 – 6 = ___        10 – 2 = ___        11 – 8 = ___        …and so on.

I have found that one of the best ways to reinforce addition and subtraction facts is to play games. Board games with dies are particularly helpful. There is no easier way to learn these facts than to try to figure out what combination of dies you need to roll to get a seven for the win! For the bigger numbers, I had my kids make up their own board game as a summer project. They also made their own dies using blank wood blocks and adding larger numbers to each face.

For the multiplication and division cards, you can also group them by families, having your students work on their 4’s, for example.

But you can group your cards in other ways. Perhaps the easiest facts to learn are the ones, twos, fives, tens, and elevens. I like to keep these card families in small Ziploc bags, marking the family name on the bag with a permanent marker. Once your students have mastered these facts, you can introduce the squares next. These are 1 x 1, 2 x 2, 3 x 3, etc.

When the students learn them in this grouping, they quickly will grasp the concept of square roots when you introduce it later on.

The next grouping is the nines. It is pretty easy to catch the pattern of the answers when you multiply by nine, at least through 9 x 9: the first digit is one less than the multiplicand (the second term in a multiplication sentence) and the second digit, when added to the first will always equal 9.

So in the problem 9 x 8, the first digit is one less than 8 (which is 7) and the second digit is whatever added to 7 to equal 9 (which is 2). Thus the answer to 9 x 8 = 72.

Isn’t math fun??  😉

Believe it or not, once the facts above are learned, there are only 10 left:

3 x 4, 3 x 6, 3 x 7, 3 x 8, 4 x 6, 4 x 7, 4 x 8, 6 x 7, 6 x 8, and 7 x 8

You see, by breaking these groups down, you have taken a large endeavor and made it much easier and fun to learn!

I hope you and your students have fun using these cards.

Have an extraordinary day!

Sherri

For some reason, math is a subject that creates fear in the hearts of students and parents. I actually believe that some of this is because children look to their parents to see how to react to things. You know what I mean. You are watching your toddler take her first few steps and suddenly she tips over and falls to the ground. Though she is unhurt, she quickly looks up at you to get a cue how to react. If you respond with a terrified look and begin to dote over her with emotion, she will begin to cry, believing that this is a situation that warrants it. But if you gently smile and say, “Oops! You’re OK. Let’s try again.” She will happily begin to pull herself back up and try again.

Yep, that is pretty much the same thing with math. If you begin the morning saying, “Well, let’s get math over with so we can get on with more fun stuff,” don’t you think that you are influencing your children regarding how to think about math?

Photo 1

I know, I know. It is hard to get all excited about a subject we don’t exactly love. But I hope to help you find ways to make this sometimes challenging subject more fun and engaging.

Therefore I am happy to introduce a method that makes learning math facts fun: Triangle Flash Cards!

“Triangle?” you say. “I thought flash cards were rectangle shaped.”

Well the boring ones are. But these are inexpensive, easy to make, and fun to use. They provide tactile ways your students can learn. And they are versatile, enabling you to use a single set for both multiplication and division or addition and subtraction.

The idea is that there are three components to a math fact: the two figures you are adding or multiplying together and the answer. These three parts of the math “sentence” can be put in the three corners of a flash card so that when any of the three corners is covered up, the student can try to solve the missing component.

For example, in the card in Photo 1, I am covering the solution to the problem, 4 x 7. When the student guesses the answer, I remove my hand to see if it is correct.

Alternatively, I can cover up the 4 and ask the student what is 28 divided by 7. Or I can cover up the 7 and ask the answer to 28 divided by 4 (Photo 2). Get it?

Photo 2

When all the flash cards are created, you can group them to best fit your needs. Working on multiplying by threes? Line them up like a pine tree so that the top answers are covered. A student can pull out the ones he knows, “chopping” down the tree as he goes.

Want to work on the doubles? Line up those cards into a tree and have fun!

“How do I make these cards?” you ask. Well, it’s easy. I will explain the steps in this post and will follow up with another post on how to break down the math facts into easy bites, focusing on the multiplication facts because those seem to be the trickiest to learn.

To make the cards, you will need three sheets of white poster board. Alternatively, you can use unlined 4 x 6 note cards, but I find that they are too thin to be handled much. You will also need a pair of scissors, a ruler and a permanent marker.

You want to first cut rectangles that are six inches by three inches. Then, using a ruler, mark along the top of a card at the three inch mark.

Cut from the bottom right and bottom left corners to the central top mark.

You have your first triangle flash card. For the multiplication facts, you will need to make 78 of these for the multiplication/division cards. I know that it sounds like a lot, but once you make your first card, you can use it as a template for the rest and cut them out while you watch a fun video with your kids. It took me about 20 minutes. Then you need to fill the cards in with a permanent marker. Here are the multiplication/division facts (I left out the zeroes because all of the answers are zero, and I find that most students don’t need flash cards to learn those.)

1 x 1 = 1               2 x 6 = 12             3 x 12 = 36           5 x 11 = 55           8 x 9 = 72

1 x 2 = 2               2 x 7 = 14             4 x 4 = 16             5 x 12 = 60           8 x 10 = 80

1 x 3 = 3               2 x 8 = 16             4 x 5 = 20             6 x 6 = 36             8 x 11 = 88

1 x 4 = 4               2 x 9 = 18             4 x 6 = 24             6 x 7 = 42             8 x 12 = 96

1 x 5 = 5               2 x 10 = 20           4 x 7 = 28             6 x 8 = 48             9 x 9  = 81

1 x 6 = 6               2 x 11 = 22           4 x 8 = 32             6 x 9 = 54             9 x 10 = 90

1 x 7 = 7               2 x 12 = 24           4 x 9 = 36             6 x 10 = 60           9 x 11 = 99

1 x 8 = 8               3 x 3 = 9               4 x 10 = 40           6 x 11 = 66           9 x 12 = 108

1 x 9 = 9               3 x 4 = 12             4 x 11 = 44           6 x 12 = 72           10 x 10 = 100

1 x 10 = 10           3 x 5 = 15             4 x 12 = 48           7 x 7 = 49             10 x 11 = 110

1 x 11 = 11           3 x 6 = 18             5 x 5 = 25             7 x 8 = 56             10 x 12 = 120

1 x 12 = 12           3 x 7 = 21             5 x 6 = 30             7 x 9 = 63             11 x 11 = 121

2 x 2 = 4               3 x 8 = 24             5 x 7 = 35             7 x 10 = 70           11 x 12 = 132

2 x 3 = 6               3 x 9 = 27             5 x 8 = 40             7 x 11 = 77           12 x 12 = 144

2 x 4 = 8               3 x 10 = 30           5 x 9 = 45             7 x 12 = 84

2 x 5 = 10             3 x 11 = 33           5 x 10 = 50           8 x 8 = 64

Notice that once I made a card that said 2 x 8, for example, I didn’t have to make one that said 8 x 2, because one card covers both facts.

In the next post, I will include the addition/subtraction facts, plus include fun ways to use the multiplication cards to group the facts so that students will more easily learn them.

So for your homework today, you are charged with approaching math with a happier outlook, knowing that your attitude is easily copied by your children. It’s gonna be OK. Learning math facts doesn’t have to be scary…or boring.

Have an extraordinary day!

Sherri

Well, this last week was a crazy one, filled with the flu going through our house, along with lots of activities. So needless to say, my planning was pushed aside for a bit.

I have been wanting to share with you all how I kept track of my children’s school attendance each year. In some states there are mandatory attendance laws, requiring you to document how many days your children are “in school.” And even if you live in a state where the homeschool laws are not as stringent, you still need to be prepared and diligent to keep records; state laws are always changing…you may be facing a family move to a different state…you will be encouraged to see progress as the days go by in the year!

As homeschoolers, we tend to have school days and play days mesh together, so it is a bit difficult to keep track sometimes.

We need a way to log our school days that is easy, quick and can be checked at-a-glance.

I love all the new planners that are available for homeschoolers; they make lesson planning much easier (and neater). However, it is very hard to make sure we are marking our attendance days when we have to page through a thick calendar and count everything up.

So I keep a one page at-a-glance School Attendance sheet. I can circle each day we are officially in school, and I have a gauge on where we are each year.

Now, the pages I use are blank with the months and numbers typed out on a Word file, but I decided to make one for you that is much prettier to look at. Everything is more fun when it is pretty!

You can print this out each year, keep it in your planning book, and always know where you are in your school year. Easy, simple, and beautiful!

Get Your PDF here
Have an extraordinary day!

Image credit – Education Possible

I’m excited to be guest-posting over at Education Possible today. I’ll be sharing about seven important skills you should build in your middle school-aged students. These key experiences and skills will better prepare them for entering high school. Now, did I do ALL of these with each of my children? Well, not completely. But as I have looked back over our high school journey, and I have taught a bunch of classes to homeschool students, I realize that these abilities are so helpful to their development and their preparation to excel not only in education but in life!  HERE is the link. (Note: link is not active unless you have opened this post  😉