stripe Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 What sorts of curricula or other materials have your children found interesting and thought-provoking in your home school? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I'm not going to list the books that I've seen you list, but here's one that Dd loves, Hexa-Trex from Nucleus Learning. I'm not sure if the author is sending more out for the cost of shipping, but her website has daily puzzles. Ok, don't tell me you know about this too! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlight Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 i want to know about the books you've seen stripe post!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlight Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 ellen mchenry's chemistry...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I feel like Stripe probably already knows everything out there too! I'll say Tin Man Press. I think of their stuff as "anti-worksheets" the same way the Anti-Coloring Book series is an anti-coloring book. It's worksheets, they have a purpose, but they're offbeat and the stuff on them is unexpected. We just do a few here and there but my kids enjoy them. Oh, and maybe the Boston Children's Museum Activity Books (though I know Stripe already knows about those!). The science stuff in those allows you to set up science experiments that come at things from such a different place than most of the demo science experiment books. They're like the opposite of Janice VanCleave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 What we're doing lately is certainly 'different' for me. Rosie's Education Unboxed videos and Crewton Ramone videos are offering the deep, conceptual math teaching that my dds thoroughly enjoy. Cuisenaire Rods and MUS blocks have turned our math lessons upside-down. In a good way. :) What 2nd grader doesn't want to learn algebra after watching those videos? Here are a few blog posts highlighting our new math resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 i want to know about the books you've seen stripe post!! :D The most recent one that I noticed is here about math supplements if Beast is monstrously expensive for those living abroad or if you need to explore some concepts introduced in Beast. Or just click on all the links posted by Stripe. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 I'm not going to list the books that I've seen you list, but here's one that Dd loves, Hexa-Trex from Nucleus Learning. I'm not sure if the author is sending more out for the cost of shipping, but her website has daily puzzles. Ok, don't tell me you know about this too! :D No! I didn't -- thanks so much! I wish there were an interesting program for language arts. Besides MCT's, which, I don't know. Hmm. Well. Seems very expensive. I love the look of those Boston Children's Museum books -- I'm hoping to start using them very soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 James Burke's Connections. as a history/science discussion take-off point. Jim Halverson's Grammar etc. puzzles from Scholastic. (note, he was a teacher of mine, back when...but I have no financial connection and haven't seen him in years.) Not expensive like MCT. The Wll Bonsall book I have down in my sig., Through the Eyes of a Stranger as a better source for philosophy discussion than I have found things like philosophy for kids to be, for what I wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I'll add Zoomtool, even though it's hands-on and not a book, but if you look at the manual for Creator 1, it challenges us to build 65 tetrahedra and 65 octahedra, expanding upon the concept we learned from Beast about triangle inequality. I'm still debating how useful this is for DD in the overall scheme of math, but I've noticed DD laying out the struts to have an initial plan, building them, and then looking at how to change the angles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I'll add Zoomtool, even though it's hands-on and not a book, but if you look at the manual for Creator 1, it challenges us to build 65 tetrahedra and 65 octahedra, expanding upon the concept we learned from Beast about triangle inequality. I'm still debating how useful this is for DD in the overall scheme of math, but I've noticed DD laying out the struts to have an initial plan, building them, and then looking at how to change the angles. Dd7 is getting Zometool Creator 3 for her birthday this month. I'm excited to open the box and get going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Wow, you are all so awesome! :D Thanks for the great leads. Farrar, do you have a recommendation for a Tin Man Press book? I'm looking at the "Are They Thinking" and "Looking Logic" but a lot of them look interesting. Any favorite? Off to continue researching... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Wow, you are all so awesome! :D Thanks for the great leads. Farrar, do you have a recommendation for a Tin Man Press book? I'm looking at the "Are They Thinking" and "Looking Logic" but a lot of them look interesting. Any favorite? Off to continue researching... I downloaded Play By The Rules from Tinman last week and my 10yo, 8yo and 6yo are having a lot of fun with it. The oldest and the youngest of that group really like it. We have discovered to our great amusement that my 8yo is a "big picture" kind of guy and he cannot for the life of him follow directions when he can't see the end result. We've been doing one exercise a day and they are begging me for more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Y'all are very bad for my bank account! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 We've done Play by the Rules... I like Wakeruppers and Lettergetters too... The other one we have is Just Write. I like them all - I feel like they don't really have any duds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Five More Minutes Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Y'all are very bad for my bank account! Ain't that the truth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Euclid Geometry in Ancient Greek. Loeb Greek Math My younger son did this. Yes, this is the ultimate Greek geek thing to do :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Numberphile and Geogebra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 My boys also thought the Genevan Psalter was cool. Videos. They said The Legend Of Zelda used some of these tunes, or at least I think that was the video game :-0 I don't remember much, but I know there is something very distinct about this music. It was composed for people to sing while hiding out in the woods with no previous music training. There are also the Amish hymns composed to a SLOOOOOW beat, so the onlookers couldn't dance to the tunes the martyrs were singing as they burned. Those were my nephew's favorite. Somewhere I think there is an OLD hymn about the bear eating the children. I'll try and find it. My boys did NOT like that one! They were singing without paying attention to the words and I played a trick on them, by handing it to them to see how much of it they would sing, before realizing what they were singing. They were REALLY mad at me! :-0 Maybe I shouldn't have done that :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deee Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Console yourselves by thinking about how bad this is for MY bank account: I live on the other side of the planet, Amazon doesn't do free shipping to Australia, and the Aussie dollar has dropped below parity with the US $ for the first time in months. AND I really want that Through the eyes of a stranger book......... D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 5, 2012 Author Share Posted June 5, 2012 Console yourselves by thinking about how bad this is for MY bank account: I live on the other side of the planet, Amazon doesn't do free shipping to Australia, and the Aussie dollar has dropped below parity with the US $ for the first time in months. AND I really want that Through the eyes of a stranger book.........D Cough, it's AUD $15.89 with free shipping at BookDepository.com! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Try teaching geography using A Child's Geography of the World (Hillyer). It is out of print and outdated, but it is still a great book. I just bought The Rainbow Book of American History, which reportedly is a lot like CHOW except for American history. It is out of print, too. I haven't read it FYI. I have been teaching civics once per week. This has led to quite interesting discussions with the kids about current events and recent Supreme Court cases. I highly recommend teaching civics, though I think a lot of homeschoolers don't frequently get to this subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I have been teaching civics once per week. This has led to quite interesting discussions with the kids about current events and recent Supreme Court cases. I highly recommend teaching civics, though I think a lot of homeschoolers don't frequently get to this subject. :iagree: One of the things I like so much about Bedell, is all the social studies topics covered that are usually skipped in other curricula. I often don't agree with the author's slant on the subjects, but I find it interesting nevertheless to read the lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene Austen Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Farrar, do you have a recommendation for a Tin Man Press book? I'm looking at the "Are They Thinking" and "Looking Logic" but a lot of them look interesting. Any favorite? We love TinMan Press here! My girls especially adore Adventures of a Dot--we've done almost all of the card sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 I should have thought to consult this site long ago! I forgot she had organized booklists. http://www.funschooling.net/2011/03/funschooling-booklists-sitemap.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 White's Philosophy for Kids was very thought provoking. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 White's Philosophy for Kids was very thought provoking. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 The Apologia Who is God? Worldview Series has sparked a lot of discussion for us. Story of the World has sparked a lot of discussion as well, but that may be more due to the fact that I love history and I feel it's important to pass along Christian worldview while teaching history. SOTW lends itself well to this, however, because it is more detailed than many other history curricula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 I should have thought to consult this site long ago! I forgot she had organized booklists.http://www.funschooling.net/2011/03/funschooling-booklists-sitemap.html Glad you like my blog stripe! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 Hey, I didn't know that was you! :) How nice. You're a great resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Try teaching geography using A Child's Geography of the World (Hillyer). It is out of print and outdated, but it is still a great book. Yes, I like this book too. I have been teaching civics once per week. This has led to quite interesting discussions with the kids about current events and recent Supreme Court cases. I highly recommend teaching civics, though I think a lot of homeschoolers don't frequently get to this subject. Do you have any civics resources to recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Do you have any civics resources to recommend? My America and My World (A Beka), grade 1 (for young kids). I haven't looked at any of these readers higher than grade 1, though they may also be useful. O Say Can You See? (Keenan). Great for elementary civics. Why America is Free, A History of the Founding of the American Republic (Good for upper elementary, especially in explaining the Constitution) We do a lot of civics memory work, such as memorize excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. I also have the kids memorize three facts about each one. We have learned the major wars of the U.S. and most of the presidents. We will start putting the wars, dates, and presidents together to give the kids a good outline of American history. The knowledge about the founding documents is extremely useful information for life since it is applicable often for current events, particularly when talking about Supreme Court cases (or when Nancy Pelosi says that the healthcare law is "covered" by the Declaration of Independence). Don't forget that Constitution Day is in September and there are many things going on around then (contests, etc.) to help kids learn about the Constitution. You can also use various holidays as your opportunity to teach civics (Memorial Day, Independence Day, etc.). HSLDA has a great article about teaching civics from preschool through middle school with a slew of resources listed: http://www.hslda.org/earlyyears/Civics.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 My America and My World (A Beka), grade 1 (for young kids). I haven't looked at any of these readers higher than grade 1, though they may also be useful. O Say Can You See? (Keenan). Great for elementary civics. Why America is Free, A History of the Founding of the American Republic (Good for upper elementary, especially in explaining the Constitution) We do a lot of civics memory work, such as memorize excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. I also have the kids memorize three facts about each one. We have learned the major wars of the U.S. and most of the presidents. We will start putting the wars, dates, and presidents together to give the kids a good outline of American history. The knowledge about the founding documents is extremely useful information for life since it is applicable often for current events, particularly when talking about Supreme Court cases (or when Nancy Pelosi says that the healthcare law is "covered" by the Declaration of Independence). Don't forget that Constitution Day is in September and there are many things going on around then (contests, etc.) to help kids learn about the Constitution. You can also use various holidays as your opportunity to teach civics (Memorial Day, Independence Day, etc.). HSLDA has a great article about teaching civics from preschool through middle school with a slew of resources listed: http://www.hslda.org/earlyyears/Civics.asp Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Oh, how could I forget-- Every day we say the Pledge of Allegiance and sing a patriotic song from song sheets which I made up. The kids take turns holding the flag to lead the Pledge and to pick out which song we sing. This is extremely geeky, but it is actually very fun. I recommend it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 The knowledge about the founding documents is extremely useful information for life since it is applicable often for current events, particularly when talking about Supreme Court cases (or when Nancy Pelosi says that the healthcare law is "covered" by the Declaration of Independence). Well, John Boehner thinks 'We hold these truths to be self evident ..." is the start of the Constitution... Anyhoo... What are some interesting curricula for language arts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 bump! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Critical Thinking has a couple of Bill of Rights and Constitution books I believe. And there is this site: http://www.usconstitution.net/constkids.html And this one: http://constitutioncenter.org/education/students/ And I can't find my favorite one. I'll have to keep looking. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgrubbs Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 What we're doing lately is certainly 'different' for me. Rosie's Education Unboxed videos and Crewton Ramone videos are offering the deep, conceptual math teaching that my dds thoroughly enjoy. Cuisenaire Rods and MUS blocks have turned our math lessons upside-down. In a good way. :) What 2nd grader doesn't want to learn algebra after watching those videos? Here are a few blog posts highlighting our new math resources. Beth, LOVE your blog! Do you pick a video and your kids do these lessons in addition to their regular math curriculum? They look awesome but my kids just want to get done with school each day....I'm wondering though if I can make these a fun workbox activity for them independently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizaG Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 The Private Eye Those who live overseas could just buy a couple of 5x loupes in a local shop, and read the information on the site to get an idea of the method. But if you can order from the site, I'd suggest getting at least the loupes with lanyards, and one of the pocket instruction books. (We have the full teacher's guide, but it's not essential to get started IMO. The "curriculum" is very simple. So simple that it apparently takes pages and pages of verbiage to convince school administrators that it actually works. ;)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Love the 'Private Eye' material. The book is full of wonderful ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 I don't think I quite am getting what you mean by "different" simply because I am exhausted. But here are a few less well known programs. Language arts: http://www.design-your-homeschool.com/language-arts-lesson-plans-the-hobbit.html Composer/Artist/Inventors: http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/025648/43f0fe16f63c9f32a88ef301 This link is to the teacher's guide for the Artists' Specials, but there are ones for composers and inventors too. Math fun: http://www.mugginsmath.com/store.asp Scroll down to the bottom and look at the Geometry and Pollywogs to Polygons. Music: Someone linked a music history class on another thread. There is a sample and I think it might be over my kids heads at this point, but I found it very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share Posted June 17, 2012 I don't think I quite am getting what you mean by "different" simply because I am exhausted. But here are a few less well known programs. My definition is pretty vague to non-existent. It kind of began as a spin off of another thread (begun by someone else) I appreciate everyone's suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Adventures in Fantasy is a neat resource to help teach creative writing. It isn't exactly a curriculum per se but I use it with the NaNoWriMo workbook to help DD with her fiction-writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Practical English by Madeline Semmelmeyer I've shared this book before...and it wouldn't work for everyone...but it has been the perfect grammar book for my older dd and I. We both love it. It has very straightforward explanations with plenty of exercises with 4 review exercises at the end of the chapter and a test. All of the answers are included at the end of each chapter, all grammar concepts are taught and diagramming is included. Be careful when buying because this is a 2 volume set. There are 27 chapters all together. It looks weird with the Career Institue label and adult self-correcting label, but don't let this scare you away. My dd really appreciates the explanations and non-confusing approach it takes. It doesn't use sentences from real literature, which would be my only complaint, but I needed something inexpensive that would teach my older dd all grammar concepts with lots of practice and with diagramming included. Here is a link to looking at it: http://openlibrary.org/works/OL15710360W/Practical_English Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Practical English by Madeline Semmelmeyer Here is a link to looking at it: http://openlibrary.org/works/OL15710360W/Practical_English Link won't work for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 It is this book: http://www.worldcat.org/title/practical-english/oclc/1166287 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Yes, I think that's it. The link works for me, but I'm in Okinawa...I don't know if that has anything to do with it.... Here is a set at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Practical-English-Complete-Self-Correcting-Course/dp/B001UNUEQ6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 (edited) okay, just saw this thread and Must Share: Junior Great Books. !!! :):):) Button is asking for more stories from them. This is astonishing. We're previewing one of the K-1 series and plan to do more; I'm working them into our schedule for the fall. I actually have some gripes with the original program for grownups (as in, book discussions from abridged texts) but the elementary looks marvelous. BTW, homeschooling with that program is seriously off-label use, it relies on a very specific sort of group discussion. And Button is incredibly introverted right now, so forming a local group is not an option. Undaunted, we carry on ... Also currently have a curriculum crush on William and Mary's CFGE Language Arts materials, I'm reading through the Beyond Words guide for fall (that's what twigged me onto Jr. Great Books). Was particularly charmed by references to development of character via literature in a non-religious curriculum! The target audience is "high-ability learners" but the units can be used in inclusive classrooms and differentiation tips are given. -- Kendall Hunt's website has samples, tables of contents, and resource lists for these, if you hunt around a bit or I can PM you a link (am running behind on everything here, must log off!) ETA: I'm LA crazy at the moment -- but have y'all seen the Great Books Academy list for 4th and 5th? Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Princess of Mars" books in the latter, "Tarzan" series in the former. Be still my beating heart ... Edited July 9, 2012 by serendipitous journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deee Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Hi Pen, thanks for the recommendation for Through the Eyes of a Stranger. I succumbed to temptation. I'm really enjoying it. I'm a permaculture teacher, so its right up my alley. I think it'll do the rounds of my permaculture group, then I'll use it for a read aloud with DS11 Cheers D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 (edited) n/t Edited July 10, 2012 by Poke Salad Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.