Search Results for: blog for the love of math

Making Math Fun

Just because your child doesn’t easily makes sense of math now, doesn’t mean he’s doomed to fail as a future number cruncher.  There are plenty of kids, who struggle with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in their early years, and then something finally clicks, and they end up as successful accountants or actuaries. To ensure that your homeschooled student achieves success in the world of mathematics, don’t rely solely on memorization.  Having children memorize math facts without teaching them why the answer is correct often leads to future problems. Kids will be much more receptive to learning math if you … Continue reading →

Mia Love Wants to Eliminate the Department of Education

Mia Love is a Republican in Utah who is running for Congress. She wants to eliminate the Department of Education and the funding that states receive from IDEA. Her opponent, Democrat Jim Matheson points out that doing so would decimate Special Education. Jim Matheson and Mia Love are candidates from Utah who are running for Congress. Whichever one of them wins the election will have the ability to make an impact upon not only their state but the entire nation. Parents who have children that have special needs, or who are enrolled in Special Education, should pay close attention to … Continue reading →

Great Math Apps for Primary Kids

It’s the time of year when outside becomes a lot more focus than inside, and so it should. It’s a beautiful time of the year, and the kids need to be outdoors. However, when they’re looking for down time on the computer, and they love math, where can you send them? Here are some of the top math apps that I’m looking at as teaching tools for the summer. My daughter and I both love Math Drills and Math Drills Lite. The lite version is free, and the paid version is only $1.99. While the app is not beautiful, it’s … Continue reading →

For the Love of All Things Not Math

My daughter is officially done with second grade. School is out for the summer and I couldn’t be happier. It was a rough year, but my daughter survived and even managed to score a perfect 4.0 on her report card. Straight “A”s, including in her least favorite subject-—math. When I congratulated her on the impressive accomplishment, my daughter noted that she was surprised that she had received an “A” in mathematics. “I hate math, Mommy!” she exclaimed. Translation: Math doesn’t come as easy to her as reading, spelling or Social Studies. It actually requires working a little harder to master … Continue reading →

Math Mammoth

Math Mammoth offers affordable, yet quality math worktexts and workbooks for grades 1-8, available as both downloads and printed books. These books concentrate on conceptual understanding and are strong in mental math. The directions in the worktexts are written directly to the student, and are often self-teaching, thus requiring little preparation and involvement from the teacher. ~From the website The Product Math Mammoth: 6th Grade Full Curriculum Cost: Download $34.00 (Please check site for more options.) Included in the Full 6th Grace Curriculum Two student worktexts, a separate answer key for each, chapter tests and an end-of-year test, cumulative reviews, … Continue reading →

IXL: Math for the Left and Right Brain

When I find something that I think is an amazing way to teach a child I cannot keep it all to myself. I am bursting at the seams to tell you about a website called IXL. I thought I knew what to expect from IXL Math since I have used several online math programs in the past. What drew me in was the colorful and whimsical design of the site. What else would draw a jaded homeschooling mom into a site she was sure was just like the others? Well, you guessed it, this site is not like the others. … Continue reading →

Mathitudes

My daughter is unintimidated by math. Why should she be intimidated by it anyway? Math is just numbers, and numbers are everywhere. (Ok, yes, I know that there is a little more than that to math, but not in the primary years). The other day she was watching a video from the library and I was sitting there with her. The video turned out to be about a math contest, and the prevailing message of the entire 30-minute long segment was that math was something for brainy people, not for the general population. I don’t get it. We assume that … Continue reading →

Home School Blogger Spotlight: Ready. Set. Read!

Teaching a child how to read can be a daunting task. As a homeschooler and writer about homeschooling topics, one of the most popular questions behind teaching math is teaching how to teach a child to read. Many are intimidated by the task. It does not make things easier that a student is to reading as a leaf to the wind. I had one child who taught himself how to read, one who struggled and currently one who gravitates to numbers, and one more who can “read” her name at two. So where’s a homeschooling mom to turn for advice … Continue reading →

Aromatherapy for Depression

There are a lot of reasons you can get depressed. You can lose a loved one, a beloved pet, or your job. You can get divorced, be physically or emotionally abused, or be under a lot of emotional or financial stress. Some people get depressed when they retire, because it is a major lifestyle change. Some people are just depressed because they are lonely. No matter what the reason for the depression, whether it is chronic or acute, aromatherapy may help. What can you use to help your depression? Room diffusers, air fresheners/room sprays, massage oils, and skin and hair … Continue reading →

Aromatherapy Massage

What’s better than a massage? How about an aromatherapy massage! Aromatherapy is the alternative medicine practice of using essential oils (made from volatile plant materials) to help your mental and physical health. Examples of essential oils include tea tree, sandalwood oil, lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint, clove, and sweet orange. Aromatherapy message is the practice of using essential oils during a massage. While you can perform this at home, there are also professionals that can use just the right essential oils to help improve your attitude and maybe even your health. If you try it at home, don’t apply too much pressure. … Continue reading →