Math U See Alpha Review

 In my post about what had and hadn't worked last year, I talked about how Saxon was the one bit of curriculum that simply didn't work with Little Man. I made the decision to switch to Math U See, and I am so glad I did! I chose the Alpha to begin, and Little Man has been flying through it. Today I am sharing my thoughts, pros and cons with you. This isn't sponsored or gifted, I am just wanting to share with you my experience. And that is what it is...my experience. Just like with Saxon, you may have a different experience. Every child and situation is different, and so curriculum needs will be different as well!

Math U See is math...that you see! It comes with not only the Workbook, teacher book, test book, and DVD, but also with manipulative blocks to help the child see the different numbers units-tens-hundreds. Math U See uses the blocks to build numbers, and the workbooks to write, and the child also says the numbers as well. Each lesson concentrates on a certain topic and repeats the topic until the student fully understands what is being taught. This has helped my son so much! By the time the week is over, he has a full grasp on what is being taught. 

I actually have a 'hack' for that-when doing a lesson, if your child understands the material first try, you can skip to the review, and if your child is able to do that with no problems then you can go straight to the enrichment and then test. Going through the 'easy' lessons quickly allows extra time for a student to spend in the lessons that might be harder for them to grasp. 

Something that my son has really enjoyed about the curriculum are the Enrichment lessons. These are often dot-to-dots, 'coloring by number', drawing word problems, or doing silly word problems. My son refers to these as the 'fun' lessons. I love when fun is mixed with learning! 

One con I see with this curriculum is that it doesn't focus on things like days of the week, months of the year, etc. It does teach telling time at the end, but the other things I have to go over with him myself. This is a small thing though, and we go over dates and things often. 

Overall, I highly recommend Math U See Alpha! My son doesn't dread (actually he quite looks forward to it!) math any more, and it is something he can do almost independently. Having a couple of subjects that don't take all of my attention, really help as I navigate the whole 2 under 2 thing! Do you have any questions? Let me know!

All About Spelling 1: A Timberdoodle Review

 

This past summer we did very little school work. With preparations being made for Itty Bitty's arrival, and trying to enjoy both the summer and the projects we worked on, it just always seemed to get put on the back burner. I was worried that Little Man would forget all the reading progress we made last year. I was eager to to try All About Spelling and see if it would help Little Man. I was very blessed to be gifted this curriculum from Timberdoodle Co. While it may have been given to me, my opinion is entirely my own! 

When our package arrived from Timberdoodle it was almost like getting a Christmas gift with all the pieces, boxes and books that came with the curriculum set. A teacher book, card box for words the child will master, 2 sticker charts, stickers, magnets with the tiles to go with it, and a big bag to put it all in. While the set may seem pricey at first, it comes with so much!

I was a bit overwhelmed with all the punching out and prep work needed to start. Even though the prep work was a bit extensive, once you have the prep work done, doing spelling each day is a snap! Little Man brings me the bag and everything we need is in one place. Not only that, but the teacher book is AMAZING! It tells you every little thing you need to know or do. 

Inside the teacher book there are hints and tips for not only ways to teach, but methods to teach. All About Spelling is a multi-sensory spelling curriculum, that doesn't bombard a student with writing spelling words a hundred times, but in helping them master sounds that will in turn help them spell. This has helped my son so much with review and helped him get right back into school when we started back. He very quickly went to where he was before in reading, even though I was worried that level 1 would be too easy (turns out it was greatly helpful for the transition we needed). 

Something else that I love about this curriculum is that each lesson is called a 'Step'- not lesson or weeks. This helps a student go through it at their own pace. I'm not worried at what 'week' we are on, I just worry about mastery instead. 

After my son gets done with each step, he gets to put a sticker on that step. This is extra encouragement as he accomplishes each level, and also helps him see where he is in mastering the curriculum. He looks forward to spelling each day, and has done really well through it. I've seen it help him in other aspects of learning, as well. 

In conclusion, if you've been on the fence about this curriculum, I want to say that I recommend this 100%! Don't let the prep-work overwhelm you, or the price deter you, I promise it's worth it! In just a few weeks, I saw my son start being able to pick apart words by sounds, which in turn helped him not only spell but read. I plan to re-approach this curriculum at the end of the year to give you an update, but right now it gets two thumbs up!

Note: links are affiliated. 

Learning With Littles: My Homeschool Journey

 

When Little Man was born, I quickly learned I never wanted to miss any of his 'firsts', which made homeschool an easy decision for me when it came time. What was not easy, was how I would homeschool and what curriculum I would use. Choosing how to homeschool can be such an overwhelming thing, I thought I would share my journey through the years. 

There were a few things I knew I wanted in a homeschool curriculum:

I didn't want a stuffy workbook.

I wanted lots of books.

I wanted things to be hands-on.

After researching (and doing a lot of Pinterest searching) I found Simply Learning. It was everything I had looked for! Great books, hands on learning, and most importantly-Fun!! I decided to use the books I had or could get at the library, and I filled in the rest of Little Man's 3rd year with my own unit studies using the same outline as Simply Learning's. You can see more about what I did for that year, in my older post How I am Homeschooling my Preschooler for *almost* Free.

During that amazing year of preschool, the lady at Simply Learning, started using a company called The Peaceful Press, and recommended it for those who enjoyed her material. After researching, I fell in love with The Peaceful Press curriculum. We used The Peaceful Preschool literature based learning, with emphasis on building motor skills for little ones. I talk all about how our preschool went here. When it came time for Kindergarten, I knew exactly where I wanted to go next. 

Do you know that scene in the 1994 Little Women where Jo lovingly strokes a volume of Shakespeare and notes that 'some books are like going home'? That's how I feel about The Little House books. When they are read, I am transported back to my childhood with my mom reading while we ate lunch, and us begging her not to stop. I longed for that same experience with Little Man, so I jumped at the chance to use this amazing curriculum. 

The Playful Pioneers is also literature based, with the curriculum being all including-Bible, Art, Language Arts, Science and History are all included, with the need to only purchase your core subjects (Math and Phonics). I go into more detail about our year with the Playful Pioneers here.

Here I am in our 4th year of homeschooling-teaching Little Man 1st grade. I knew I wanted to wait a while to do another Peaceful Press curriculum, so I was quite sad to see our amazing year end. Thankfully I have found some wonderful things through Timberdoodle! Many of you know I have been working with Timberdoodle on their Blog Team, and I have absolutely loved the products from them. My favorite thing-almost everything is hands on and fun! I can add the literature elements of curriculum, and use Timberdoodle as our hands on learning. Here is my most popular post on this blog, showing one of our favorite thinking skills game. 

In a few years I'll go back and do The Playful Pioneers again when Baby Girl and Itty Bitty are ready for it. I love how we will be able to learn as a whole family. They also have a Chronicles of Narnia themed curriculum (one of my favorite series!) that I am excited to do when Little Man is a bit older. 

I hope you enjoyed this look back into my homeschool journey. If you've been here a while, you may know all this, but I wanted to share for those who are new, or new to homeschooling. If you are feeling overwhelmed with boxed curriculum, know that there are beautiful hands on curriculum out there that help foster a love for learning. I would love to hear about your favorite literature based curriculum! 

How to stay Sane as a Homeschool Mom

I am 7 weeks into the adventure of being a mom to a 6 year old, 21 month old, and a, well, 7 week old. As I type this, I am sipping my afternoon cup of coffee, and sighing at the messy living room, but also loving the view of my sleeping baby in the swing. The house is relatively quiet, due to it being our 'quiet time' but outside of that time, the house seems rather wild and chaotic. 

I am struggling with sibling rivalry with Little Man and Baby Girl, Itty Bitty is still needing frequent feeds, and the laundry and chores seem to pile up a mile high with every passing day. This doesn't even include fitting school between feeds, diaper changes, and tending to my older Baby Girl. Even with all that being said, I have found joy in the chaotic, and peace in the my role right now. How does a mom stay sane in this crazy role of both mom and teacher? Hopefully I can help someone today, or at the very least help you not feel alone!

Remember why you are here

What caused you to want to homeschool in the first place? You may be questioning things if your reason was 'to be with your children more' haha (it's a normal thought. You can be so thankful to be with your children all the time, and yet yearn for some alone time now and then!). Sometimes it's for Biblical teaching, better academics, time with your children, or all of the above. Reflecting on that can help ground you and help remind you of the calling to homeschool. I will actually be talking about my journey to homeschool next week, but I want to encourage you to remember why you started your journey in the first place, on those days when you are having a hard time. 

Set a time to be with the Lord

I almost said 'set a quiet time to be with the Lord', but I realize that having quiet cant always happen. However, starting my day in God's Word helps set my day in the right direction. Reading the Bible isn't something to just check off a list, but should be something habitual. Hebrews 4:12 says 'For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.' 

If you need some grounding for your life, parenthood, and your homeschool, God's Word is the way to go! More than any self help book or blog post, it will both convict and encourage you on your journey. A good place to start for someone needing help in the parenting department, is Proverbs. There is a chapter for every day of the month, and it offers so much wisdom and guidance for a homeschool mom! (And anyone, of course).

Establish a quiet time

I was really sad when Little Man no longer took naps. He still will go to sleep on an occasion, but for the most part, naps are a thing of the past. My mom suggested letting him look at books in his room for a set time, and it has really helped! I do it at the same time as Baby Girl's nap, and it gives me a breather. I don't really like the idea of calling it 'me time', but it does help recharge batteries! This is the time, Itty Bitty allowing it, I am able to do a bit of housework, and drink a little coffee (I feel like coffee is also a sanity saver! haha)

Have a community

Having a homeschool community is not just for my kids' socialization, but mine too! Having people around you that share your passion for teaching children at home can be a great way to keep a reminder of your purpose in homeschooling, but it can also help knowing there are others on the journey with you. My homeschool group is a Christian one, so the wonderful people there, often help me in my Christian walk as well. 

Homeschool is this wonderful journey, but it can also be overwhelming at times. I heard someone say that we aren't just the teacher, but the parent as well during school. Being with my children 24/7 can often bring out anger and frustration. Remembering why I'm homeschooling, staying in God's Word, having a quiet moment in the day, and having an encouraging community help in not only staying sane, but also in me having the desire to have joy and peace.  It's one of my big goals-for my home to be one of peace. Part of it is having an orderly home, obedient children, and a Godly environment, but also a mom who is at peace herself!