Search Results for: blog what your first grader should know science

How Do You Feel About Hand-Me-Downs?

“Mommy, what is fungus?” Not exactly the type of question you want to hear from your second grader at the end of the first day of the new school year. Actually, it’s not the type of question I ever want to hear from my kid unless she is reading a Science book. Yet, it was exactly the question my daughter lobbed my way as we drove home last week. “It’s a kind of spore… like mold that grows on… well… it feeds on materials like…” I stopped myself. “It’s really gross, icky stuff that you don’t want to touch.” “Why … Continue reading →

Let’s Play! How to Bond with Your New Stepfamily

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Not being much of a bowler myself, I was a little surprised when my then-boyfriend suggested that he take my daughter out for a few frames one Saturday afternoon. It was one of the first weekends I had invited him to visit when my daughter wasn’t with her Dad. (After many years of single parenthood, I continued to be very wary of involving her in my romantic liaisons when I wasn’t yet sure where they were headed). This weekend had been discussed between us at length; our relationship had become serious, and we were starting to talk about a future … Continue reading →

The Magic School Bus: Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! (1994)

If you’re looking for a fun and entertaining way to teach your children about bugs, “The Magic School Bus: Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!” is a great way to go about it. Our intrepid and joyful teacher, Miss Frizzle, takes her class on three amazing field trips. First, we go “In a Beehive” and see the children become bees. They learn all kinds of amazing things about bees, including how to care for bee larvae and help them grow up to become adult bees, how nectar is turned into honey, how many trips from flower to hive it takes to make a … Continue reading →

The Magic School Bus: Space Adventures (1994)

We love watching “The Magic School Bus.” It’s a combination of science, physics, and entertainment the whole family can enjoy together. I admit, I’ve learned quite a bit myself. “Space Adventures”” is a collection of three flight-related episodes put into one. Our first selection, “Lost in Space,” features Arnold’s cousin Janet as a visiting know-it-all who’s determined to prove that her school is the best. Arnold wants to show her how cool it is to take a field trip with Miss Frizzle, and when an outing is mentioned, he’s sure he’s about to make Janet eat her words. But when … Continue reading →

The Magic School Bus: Creepy, Crawly Fun (1994)

I can’t think of any other children’s television show that illustrates science so creatively as “The Magic School Bus.” You can get most of these awesome episodes on video and DVD to watch whenever you like. Today my children and I took a look at “Creepy, Crawly Fun.” It was creepy. It was crawly. And it was fun. The DVD contains three episodes. In the first, “Inside the Haunted House,” Carlos is trying to invent a new musical instrument that will really knock the socks off the competition at the band tournament. But no matter how he tweaks his invention, … Continue reading →

Fifth Grade Homeschool Basics

For the fifth grade, I like to move homeschoolers from passively learning to actively learning. This means I like to move from learning games to books and research. This of course can be done slowly over time. This following list details what a fifth grader needs to know. Fifth Grade Math Curriculum builds upon lessons learned in previous years, but with greater difficulty. In this post I listed websites that can help you teach important fifth grade concepts. In Fifth Grade Language Arts Curriculum Part 1, and Fifth Grade Language Arts Curriculum Part 2 , I discussed important grammar, reading … Continue reading →

Second Grade Homeschool Basics

Previous homeschool bloggers have given curriculum guides for the second grade according to subject. The purpose of this guide is to put all of the suggestions in one place allowing homeschoolers to build their own curriculum around the basics. You can use these suggestions which include website links and books your children should read to map out the second grade year for your homeschooler according to national standards. For a simple no frills guide for second grade mathematics, read What Your Second Grader Should Know: Math by Valorie Delp. This guide covers second grade math basics such as counting to … Continue reading →

First Grade Homeschool Basics

Some time back, Valorie wrote What Your First Grader Should Know: Language Arts. If you follow this guide, you will be able to map out a first grade reading curriculum for your child. She also wrote: What Your First Grader Should Know Math. This guide will easily take you through the first grade with little more than a workbook from the dime store and the knowledge in your head. What Your First Grader Should Know Science: teaches first grade basics like animals, pets, plants, habitats, and more. You can follow the lessons outlined in this guide with the help of … Continue reading →

But What am I Supposed to Teach?

This is one of the first questions new homeschoolers ask. How are we supposed to know what to teach? Some homeschoolers will turn to the public school system and some systems are very happy to lend texts and materials. Other districts are not so accommodating to homeschoolers, but I have to posit that if what the public school was doing, was working, then perhaps one wouldn’t be homeschooling. In any case, there are several places to look for information on standards and what you should be teaching. Remember that in the younger grades, it is better to look at the … Continue reading →

5 Tricks to Get Your Kids to Memorize Math Facts

I have written before about my son who is intuitively “smart” in all things math and science. He is the type of kid who frankly, doesn’t need to memorize his math facts. He just ‘gets it’ and the extra reinforcement isn’t necessary. However, my daughter needs the reinforcement of drilling through math facts in order to gain ‘number sense’. Unfortunately, I think it goes against every grain in my being to do rote drills. I don’t even like workbooks because I think they are too “rote”. Just because you want your kids to learn their math facts though, doesn’t mean … Continue reading →