Reading and Learning While Little

Recently I have been part of a few discussions about how hard it is to find non-fiction books for young readers. I can say here in the NerdFamily house it has always been a challenge. With our oldest we struggle with a child who can read quite well for his age but at the same time the non-fiction books at that level contain such advanced data that it is hard for him to really comprehend the information. With NerdPie she wants to learn real information but is still really developing her reading ability. Then we have our 4 year old. He can't read but he loves to be read to. I want to encourage him to understand what I am reading so I don't want books that are to hard. With all of these kids it would be a shame to lose this sponge like time.

At my local library I have found a few different series that we have used. Typically what happens is that I find 1 in a series, like it, and then request every other book they put out. So in order to help others, in a way I wish someone would have helped me, here are a few series that I have found. I am not going to really talk about math because I have already posted a bit about some good options here and here.

History:

Spirit of America, Our People Series

Time for Kids Series (they have great history and science)

Headlines from History Series

Science:

Our Galaxy and Beyond Series

Let's Read and Find Out! Series

So there are just a few. What do you use with your early elementary school kids?

MathStart!

I have talked to a few of my friends about reading books about math with my kids in the preschool, kindergarten and the early elementary years. I really like Stuart J Murphy'sMathStart series. They have them coded by level so you can slowly work yourself into more difficult material. You can start just working with basic number concepts and then do groupong, money, probability or more! These books are great because they are colorful and entertaining. It is just a great book that happens to teach math! Is there anything more you could ask for a book than both reading and math?

Keeping Parents and Kids Happy!

I recently received a copy of JumpStart 3D Virtual World 1st and 2nd grade to review. My kids and I love it! For those of you that aren't familiar with JumpStart, it is educational software. It has always been fun but wasn't as always something kids would choose over video games. With the incarnation of the 3D Virtual World they have found the secret to kids hearts.

The kids start out creating their own characters, or jumpees, by picking out forms and then they personalize them by choosing all the characteristics. My oldest is excited that he can be a robot and NerdPie got to pick all her girlie things;). Then they cruise through the world that the conquering and earning jewels by completing academic missions. These are are in all different areas from sentance formations, charts, logical thinking, patterns, and lots more. There is also an entire online world! But that is another review;).

Then comes the parts for parents. First off I can register up to 3 kids, I love that. JumpStart will track each one separately. Then JumpStart sends me a progress report. They tell me what areas the kids have worked on and if they have completed it or if it is in progress. It is great because I can see areas the kids have mastery in and the areas they might be struggling in.

The kids seem to love this and I like that they are learning during their computer time without just doing drills. This would make an awesome gift the kid in your life if they are very familiar with computers or even just learning because it is so intuitive. So run out and buy a copy! Then let me know what you think about it!

Math Tutor Review

I recently had the opportunity to review a couple of videos from The Math Tutor. I have to say that I am not a fan of these. I tutored math for years and I was looking forward to videos but they just didn't hit the spot with me. The math seems solid but they are boring. If you have a student who has never dealt with the subject matter and you are looking for a teacher, they might do. But if you have a kid whose is already having an issue, these will bore the student and cause them to tune out. They have many dvds in various areas of math. I could totally be off but that is my opinion.

A plus, I may have been inspired to create my own videos!

Times Tales Review

We recently received Times Tales to help the NerdBug learn his times tables. This is a cute mnemonic based system that is full of illustrations to help kids memorize their upper times table. Everyone I have talked to loves it. Well, we aren't those people. For us, this system is harder than just memorizing the facts themselves. Because we are focusing so much on teaching him the theory, by the time he understood the concept he memorized it. This would be perfect for the person who isn't working on the concept but is just trying to memorize. I am just not sure what kind of recall speed you would have if you have to recall the picture and translate it to numbers. At $29.95 you really have to figure out if you have the kind of child who would benifit from this system.

Amusing Math Module

I recently got my hands on The Old Schoolhouse's November module, Amusing Math. It correlates with their awesome planner (you may recall my review of that back in September) but you don't need the planner for this 48 page module.

Basically this a lighthearted math unit that would work across quite a few grades. This has sections on math games, multiplication, math jokes, shapes and telling time. It not only has activities in the module but it also has links to other free and fun resources. I love that it even has different levels of copy work and word searches so you could make an entire unit from it.

With the holidays coming up, and the crazy schedules, it is a perfect time to take a little break from the normal routine and spend some fun time learning. Go check it out because at $7.95 it is a deal!

Base Ten Blocks Rock!

I got these Base Ten blocks a few weeks ago and love them (you can read my piece on the Manipulative Myth here). What I like better is the deal I got on them! These are 3 different sets of blocks and I got them in 3 different colors/finishes so they would be easy to differentiate. We needed a little extra help in borrowing and carrying but we also have already used them to show number concepts to the 3 year old and adding for the kindergartner.

They are still on clearance over at Learning Express (and no I don't make any money on this post but if you want to send me some;). The 3 sets are flats of 100, rods of 10 and single units. They all lock together and that was something (and the price) I couldn't get locally. So if you need them, run over and get them because we love them!

Math Literature

Recently I discovered a few math story books that the kids loved. The first was Fraction Action. It dealt with simple fractions in real life situations. It dealt with groups and life. Then we read Subtraction Action. This was a great book that dealt with simple subtractions, chain subtraction (10-5-3) and borrowing. The stories and illustrations are quite entertaining and engaging. There are more books by this author that I will be checking out soon. These are books we can read again and I will be using for ever kid!

Frugal Homeschooler: Math

Hey fellow educators, we meet again! This time I have some great math resources for you.

First up is is AAA Math. It has real time problems and evaluations. One of the best things is that it has a little explanation or lesson and then the area you work. It has a start button and as you do the problems it evaluates you. It starts at addition and goes all the way up to Algebra and Geometry.

Then there is NLVM. It has a variety of on screen (Java driven) manipulatives and games. This is perfect as a help while doing other homework, reinforcement, or conceptual learning. It says that it is for grades 3-5 but I see stuff I will use for my preschooler and my first grader. So look for yourself to see if it something for you.

For those who like paper and pencil I give you the Math Worksheet Generator. They have a variety of elementary math subjects and types of sheets to choose from. These are great for drills because they even give you specific 3 and 5 minute drill sheets.

So here are some great math resources. Look, explore, use and if you have any great resources please share with me. As always remember homeschooling doesn't have to be hard or expensive!