Curriculum For Sale

Abeka Reader Books - such as those above.  $5.00 each

Also I have the following Abeka Readers:

Grade 4:
Adventures in Other Lands
Song of the Brook
Flags Unfurled

Grade 5:
Beyond the Horizon
Adventures in Nature


Grade 6:
Message of the Mountains
Billy Sunday (book report book)
Adventures in Greatness
Mountain Pathways
Of America II
Voyage of Discovery

Addition, Subtraction and Multiplication flash cards.  $5.00/per set.

BJU English 4 Teacher's Guide.  $15.00

Also have BJU 6 English And Workbook - $25.00 for the set of 2.

Also have Switched on Schoolhouse/Computer based learning:

Language Arts - 6th Grade level - $15.00

Language Arts - 7th Grade level - $15.00

English I - $15.00

Bible -8th Grade level - $15.00

Alaska State History (I had a child that wanted to learn about Alaska!) - $5.00

Each boxed set comes with the log in codes, CDs to download everything on to the computer.

Montessori Materials for SALE

All of the items below are genuine Montessori Materials - made of wood so they are sturdy and   have an appealing feel for the child.  This appeal is an important part of the whole Montessori experience.

 

These items are all just like new.  My children knew these were not toys, but tools for important "work" that they would do during our "school time"  - so you will find them to look as though they are new!  In most cases, I have the original boxes that they came in which will be included.

 

 

 
Large Fraction Skittles, with wooden stand - Original Paid: $60.00 / Asking Price: $35.00

 The Algebraic Binomial Cube:  Original Price Paid: $28.00 / Asking Price: $15.00

Long Division (sometimes called "Test Tubes Division" or "Racks and Tubes")

Original Paid $150.00 / Asking Price: $75.00

Boards pictured to the left, beads and tubes pictured below.

(Includes skittles and cases as well - not pictured)

Multiplication Checkerboard: Original Price: $58.00 / Asking Price: $40.00

Checkerboard Beads: Original Price: $50.00 / Asking Price: $35.00

 

 

Wooden Fraction Circles: Original Price: $54.00 / Asking Price: $35.00

Cutout Labeled Fraction Circles Original Price: $45.00 / Asking Price: $30.00

Addition Strip Board - Original Price: $35.00 / Asking Price: $20.00

10 Wooden Square of 100 - Original Price: $15.00 / Asking Price: $7.00

 

Reading / Sentence Analysis Full Set / Original Price: $60.00 / Asking Price:  $40.00














Bead Decanomial Original Price: $120.00 / Asking $65.00
(Also have Decimal Board - photo and price coming soon.)
 

Favorite Resources

Once a child learns to read, you can scarcely keep him from learning... just keep him interested and learning will come with ease!

We use many resources beyond Montessori in our home school.

Whether you home educate or not, these are resources we highly recommend.

Abeka phonics, language and reading books from Kindergarten through 2nd grade were a joy for us.  Also, Hooked on Phonics made phonics more interesting for the younger kids.

Story of the World history series, found here

 - Interesting for all ages even the young ones!  The CDs are priceless as the storyteller is a master at his craft and all the stories are told in an exciting way.  History comes alive and is typically the first thing they want to do each day.

Math U See math curriculum, found here. 

- It is the first series we've found that is close to Montessori style learning.  It has seen us through from addition all the way to Trig and we're still going.

Wisdom Booklets, found here.

- You do have to be a member of ATI to get this curriculum.  But you can see examples online.  This resource has been invaluable to us.  I don't know what we would be doing without it.  Children from young ages all the way to adults are challenged by this curriculum as the Bible is the main textbook.  God does it better than any of us!

Anything Montessori - too much to explain here, but Montessori is what we have loved the most about learning - particularly the younger ages.  Learning comes alive with all Montessori Materials.
Learn more here and here.  Find materials at a variety of sites, here and here to start.

History Resources -
We have found that most history curriculum miss the learning and adventure that the history of our world presents.  Many are filled with names and dates, but little about the "why" and the "how" it all happened.  This tends to make history dry and meaningless.   We are blessed to have found many resources that help us truly understand how the world became what it is today - both the good and the bad - by reading real accounts by people who were actually there.  The best way to learn history is to read these biographies, autobiographies and the like.  Here are just a few we are thrilled with:

 The War Between the States, by John J. Dwyer.  What a comprehensive, well-illustrated book with dozens of biographical features of politicians, theologians, soldiers, inventors, spies, nurses, musicians, journalists, artists, and many others from that generation.  A vivid account of the wartime experience for those on the home front.  The amazing story of the savage cold war that occurred after the Confederacy surrendered.  Things you don't see in typical school books today.

More to come.... stay tuned as I will add to the list as I have time!

To Train Up a Child

I have been reading a wonderful book called “Home-Making” and have found such wisdom in it; I thought I’d post a few excerpts here and encourage others to read it.  It’s really about the glory of the Christian home – in all areas.  From moms and dads roles, and even to the role of the child and most of all, the great love, joy and sweetness that should fill our homes.

Just one of the many areas that I found encouraging (and challenging!) has to do with our children's roles and what God calls each of us to do to shape those roles.  If you've ever thought of homeschooling, but felt you were not capable - read this for some encouragement!

A Parent's Role

So far as children are concerned, the part of the parent is to train them for life, to send them out of the home ready for whatever duty or mission God may have ready for them.  Much more important than any way of teaching or training is the way the parents lead their lives.  They may teach the most beautiful things, but if the child does not see these things in the life of them he will not consider them important enough to be adopted in his own life.  To quote here the words of another,

"You cannot give your child what you do not possess: you can scarcely help giving your child what you do possess.  If you are a coward you cannot make him brave; if he becomes brave it will be in spite of you.  If you are a deceiver you cannot make him truthful; if you are selfish you cannot make him generous; if you are self-willed you cannot make him yielding; if you are passionate you cannot make him temperate and self-controlled.  The parent's life flows into the child's life.  One angry word from your lips will outweigh a hundred rebukes of anger.  One selfish deed, one social deception, will do more to mar than a hundred homilies can do to make."

OUCH!

The Child's Role

We know little about Jesus’ childhood other than one line that tells us that at 12 years old he was subject to His parents and for eighteen years longer he remained in their home.  This was Jesus!  It was over His birth that the angels sang their song: “Glory to God in the highest…”  He had made all the worlds.  He had adorned the heavens.  Him all the hosts of glory obeyed.  Yet he humbled himself, veiled his glory and dwelt in a lowly home of earth for thirty years.  He wrought himself with his own hands to help and support the home.  He submitted himself to earthly parents and obeyed them.

He obeyed them, not by constraint, but cheerfully, all these years.  He did his part well in the making of that home.

So what is the great duty of children in our homes?  To obey. 

Although He was the Son of God, he learned obedience to human parents.  He did their will and not his own.  He had entered upon the affairs of his heavenly Father.  He was here on earth for the greatest mission of all yet his preparation for that mission was not in any of the fine schools of the world, but in a lowly home; not at the feet of rabbis and philosophers, but with his own mother for his teacher.  What an honor does this fact put upon home!  What a dignity upon motherhood!

Most would not argue that the job of a child is to obey and honor the parents.  We know that God proclaims “Honor thy father and they mother…”

But nothing proclaims this louder than when Jesus, the Son of God, for thirty years in a lowly home on earth, submitted himself to human parents and obeyed their commands.

So does the thought ever arise, “Is it manly – is it womanly – to yield to my parents, to have no will of my own, to do their bidding in all things?”  Behold Jesus till thirty years of age yielding to the control of his human parents, asking them continually what they would have him to do, referring every question to them.  Was it manly in him?  Surely then it cannot be unmanly in any son of earthly parents in this world.  Where shall we learn manliness if not in the life and from the example of Jesus?

There is nothing manlier in all Christ’s life than his quiet subjection to his parents in that cottage at Nazareth, though conscious of his divine origin and nature and of his glorious mission.  There is nothing manlier on this earth than a man in the prime of his strength and power showing deference and love to a humble parent and yielding obedience and honor as if he were a little child.

Does some evil spirit suggest that such subjection to parents keeps one down, puts chains on his freedom, keeps him under restraint and hinders him from rising into grandeur and nobleness of character?  Did it have such effect on Jesus?  Did the thirty years of submission in his home cramp and fetter his manhood? We know well that it did not.

No one is fitted for ruling others who has not first learned in his place to obey.

 

Teaching at Home

And let’s remember who Jesus was.  Was there ever any human parent in this world who was really worthy or capable, in this sense, to be his teacher, to guide and control his life?  Was there ever, in any home on earth, such a distance between parents and child as there was in that home at Nazareth?  Yet this Son of God, with all his wisdom, his knowledge, his grandeur of character, did not hesitate to submit himself to the training of that peasant mother and that peasant father.  Should any child of this world assert that he is too far advanced, too much superior in knowledge and culture, too wise and intelligent, to submit to the parents God has given him?  If Christ could be taught and trained by his lowly parents for his glorious mission, where is the true parent who is not worthy to be his own child’s guide and teacher?

 

So this is the way in which children can do the most to make the home true and happy.  It is the part of the parents to guide, to train, to teach, to mold the character.  God holds us responsible for this.  We must qualify ourselves to do it.  Then it is the part of the children to accept this guidance, teaching, training and shaping at the parents’ hands.  When both faithfully do their part in the home life will be a sweet song of love; where either fails there will be discordant life, and the angel of blessing will not leave his benison of peace.

This home-life that is depicted is ruled by love; the parental authority is exercised in love; it seeks only the highest good of each child; it asks nothing unreasonable or unjust.  If it withholds things that a child desires, it is either because it is not able to grant them or because the granting of them would work injury rather than benefit.

When faced with the fact that Jesus was trained at home, it makes the homeschooling of today less daunting.  But more importantly, it creates a more humble thankfulness to have the opportunity… to do what God called me to do.  To create a home that has so much love in it that the children want to stay much longer than today’s children usually do.  To stay under this umbrella of protection while they seek to build their own homes and families!. Only by God’s grace will our family do this!

May we lean into the Lord as we seek to live a life of love and harmony with our children in spite of our many faults!  May we have a home in which we are all growing healthier and happier each day.  Where there is never any discord, any wrangling, any angry words or bitter feelings.  Where the home life  is a harmonious song without one jarring note, day after day.  Our home, no matter how humble or plain, may it be the dearest spot on the earth to each member of our family.  May it be made so happy a place and so full of love that no matter where one may wander in after years, in any of the ends of the earth, may this home still hold its invisible lines of influence and draw us ever near.   Amen.

Proverbs 22:6

 

⁶ Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Montessori Long Division (aka Test Tubes or "Racks and Tubes")

Prerequisites for this work include:
- Use of the single-digit division board
- Use of the large bead frame (we didn't use this since we do not have one.)

It is advisable to only introduce this material after the child has a full understanding (from the prerequisites) of what is happening in the division process. 

The "racks and tubes" or "test tubes" are materials which build upon previous Montessori materials.  After working with single-digit division this is a good next step to work with a really large number!

I also presented the stamp game division (I'll post about stamp game soon!) before introducing this material.

Children love to work with large numbers and it's exciting to finish a problem this big!

Presentation of materials:





Above:  Millions is represented by the black bowl, then down the line to the hundred-thousands,
ten-thousands, one-thousands and so on...

1. Write a number (dividend) for the child, such as 3,957,246.

2. Set up materials as above, with the millions positioned on the left.  The child should already know that, in division, we always start with the highest number. 

 3. Explain as needed, that, "there are always ten beads in each tube."  Count them and show how to skip count by 2's as you take them out.



 



 4.  Now begin setting up the problem with the dividend.  In the problem, the dividend is 3,957,246.  First, the child will take out "3" of the beads that represent the millions and place them in the corresponding dish.

5.  Continue with the remaining numbers - 9 beads for the hundred-thousands dish, 5 beads for the ten-thousands dish... and so on.

6. After all the dishes are filled with beads representing the dividend, look at the rest of the problem.  Ask the child, "What is the divisor?" (Answer:  3!)

7.  Place three of the skittles (see below) in the place holders.

8. Remind the child, "Each skittle gets an equal amount." as you take the appropriate amount of beads out of each tube and put them in the bowls. 

9.  Take the millions bowl with the millions beads in it, and divide them up among the skittles.

10.  Write the answer on the sheet with the problem written on it.  The answer is "1" - each of the skittles get "1" million.

11. Clear the board by putting the beads you've counted from the bowl back into the tubes and moving the millions slightly over to the left.

12.  Bring forward the hundred thousands and divide the quantity in the bowl in the same manner, writing the partial quotient when finished and clearing the board again.

 13.  Bring down the 10's thousands (5) and notice that they cannot be equally divided - there are two left over. (See below)

14.  Take the two that cannot be distributed and put them in the NEXT LOWER CATEGORY BOWL (thousands)

15.  As needed, help the child realize that we can change the 2 ten thousands for 20 1,000s (this should be easy to understand if the child has worked on division with the stamp game!)



Pouring two of the thousands bead tubes (10 beads in a tube) replaces the two
ten-thousands beads that were returned.

16. Distribute those beads into the board, write the partial answer (9) and clear the board and place it to the left.

17. Bring down the hundreds beads into the board and notice that you cannot even give one to each skittle. 

18.  When there is no sharing possible, write zero on the answer sheet and put the beads into the ten bowl. (below)

19.  Exchange and continue as before.

20.  When finished, place commas in the right place and review the problem with the child.

21.  If there happens to be a remainder (not equally shared beads in the 1 category), show the child how to write r=(n) on the paper to the right of the quotient.  (My child knew how to do this already from her work with the stamp game division.

Aim of this exercise is to introduce the child to long division!



  

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

-Psalm 90:12

See This for Another Example

Workboxes

When homeschooling, it doesn't take long to figure out that if we're not organized, our home school feels like a sinking ship!  I had done some research on Sue Patrick’s Workbox system (See her website at http://www.workboxsystem.com/) via some other home schooling blogs and thought they would be just the thing for us.

So far they are working great!  It’s a little more challenging for me than some of the other moms because I use so many Montessori materials rather than worksheets and text books alone.  So I tweaked the system to work for us.

It takes some up front planning, but it will be well worth it.

Here’s a snapshot of how we are using the system so far.

I chose to buy some scrapbooking drawers when they were 50% off at Michaels Craft stores. One set for each child.  I believe these can also be found at JoAnne’s Fabrics and possibly at Sam’s Club.

I made some numbers for each box and added them with velcro dots so they can be removed as work is completed.

I plan out the content of each drawer based on my goals for the week which I map out on a spreadsheet.  I’m still tweaking the spreadsheet as I see how it works.

The subjects on the spreadsheet for the workboxes include:

-          Geometry, math, language and grammar assignments. reading and associated assignments, history, botany, zoology, science (Jan and May are our science months), geography, phonics (for my 2nd grader), spelling, Rosetta Stone Chinese, handwriting, Bible and Commands of Christ.

Art, PE and Music are covered in home school co-op classes.

Of course, not every subject is covered every day.  And I do allow my kids to continue work on a topic as long as they are concentrating.  So if History and timelines take all morning, so be it.  I’d rather have them dive deep into the material than to watch the clock and stop them just for the sake of getting to the next topic.

Once I have the work planned on my spreadsheet, I break it down into days and fill up the workboxes with instructions for the children.  They can open a workbox and see exactly what they need to do.

If they have a card in the workbox that says “WORK WITH MOM”, they know they need to get a “presentation” from me, or work with me to complete the entire assignment.  I try to stagger the “work with mom” boxes so that both children don’t need me at the same time.

Some subjects are done with all of us together, such as science and history.  For those, I plan them to fall at the same time (usually at the beginning of workbox time, or right after lunch.)

The top of the boxes holds a basket of each child's personal belongings.  Booklets for geometry (they write their own geometry textbooks), VFL - their "verses for life" from the Bible, Art sketches, Botany book with their own documentation, etc.

In this box, my daughter already knows she needs to mark the nouns, verbs and adjectives because she’s had several presentations on how to do it.  So this is follow-up work and does not require my assistance.  In the box, I provided the sheet she needs to complete as well as the appropriate color of pencils to complete the work.  (In Montessori, nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc., are all symbolized with different shapes of different colors.  These are established by now for any child who has been in Montessori from an early age.)

In this box, my son has pulled out his maps and he then goes to get appropriate materials rather than my putting them in the box.  He knows he can use any maps we have around the room, or the atlas books we have, to complete the labeling work.

In this box, Kailyn has several math problems – addition and multiplication.  (Subtraction isn’t taught until addition and multiplication are nearly mastered.)  She knows that she will need to get appropriate Montessori materials to complete the problems she can’t do in her head.  She might choose the “Stamp Game” for the addition and the “Checkerboard” for the multiplication. 

The beauty of Montessori materials is that once I’ve given a complete “presentation” of how to do the work, I can then assign follow-up work that the child can work on alone for the rest of the week or even as long as a month, depending on the level of difficulty and the various follow-up assignments available.  This makes it easy to fill in the workboxes with follow-up work.

The challenge with Montessori materials is just learning all of the best ways to use them and the proper order.  Since I’m not using a set textbook or curriculum that tells me what to do next with a worksheet for everything, it takes a lot more planning and time to educate myself.  But once I get over the hurdle of proper use, it’s a thing of beauty to fill up the boxes and then watch my children enjoy their work (most of the time), challenge themselves, and problem solve without mom having to tell them every time make a mistake.  They typically figure out errors on their own since the materials are self-correcting in most cases. 

The workboxes also eliminate any wondering how much more they need to do.  The kids are able to quickly see their progress as they take the number off the workbox and put it inside when they have completed that work. 

Another benefit is that they seem to find it fun to open the next box and see what is in there.  It might be a fun follow-up work or something they haven’t done before, or maybe their favorite subject.  I’m working on adding some fun craft items in the middle of the day to break things up a bit, too.  I’m not naturally “crafty”, so this will take some work!

I’m also considering letting them work in any order they want, rather than in the order the drawers are numbered.  That would be the Montessori thing to do.  But I’m not sure how that would go just yet.  I’ll do some trial runs to see if we can make that work.  Working in the order they choose might be a great way to keep motivation higher.  Then they could choose a fun craft, or favorite work, once they have completed their workboxes. 

We’ll see how this next week goes as I focus on staying flexible and upbeat.  No matter how good the system, I know if I am not excited about the home school day, my children definitely won’t be!  And if I do not keep a pleasant demeanor, my children will certainly not.

Colossians 3:20-21 ESV Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.  Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

Lord, help me to train up these children in your Word and teach them about all of your wonderful creation.  It is only by your Grace that I will be able to do it.  Amen.

Chore Packs

Chore Packs
Now, I can’t take credit for any of this, the idea was created by the Maxwell Family, see “Managers of their Chores” at www.chorepacks.com

I originally heard about this idea from several other homeschooling families and I was impressed with the results they seemed to get. We’ve been using them for nearly 2 years now, and it’s been such a life-altering sucess, I thought it would be worth sharing with other weary moms!

Here’s how I implemented it in our home:

First, I came up with a list of items that need to be done around the house. Things that are done daily as well as bigger jobs that might be done only one time per week or month. Then I sorted through the lists to identify which items were appropriate for the ages of my children and which I would need to continue to do myself.

Second, I made detailed instructions for completing each task or chore. This is a critical step because mom’s idea of a clean room might not be the same as the child’s idea of a clean room. ;-0 These instructions might look something like this:

Clean your room
o Make bed (a presentation is provided by mom the first few times, on how to do this and how it should look when finished)
o Pick up all unapproved items from floor and shelves (these are items that are not approved by mom to be on the floor or out on shelves)
o Put away clothes, ensuring that all drawers will close properly (no clothes hanging out of half-closed drawers!)
In the beginning, we had a detailed list for everything – even brushing teeth!

Brush teeth
o Wet toothbrush
o Put small amount of paste on brush
o Brush for 2 minutes, until timer goes off
o Rinse mouth
o Dry brush and put away toothpaste
o Rinse the sink out so no toothpaste can be seen
o Wipe counter

Yes, we needed that much detail in just about everything. This way, everyone has expectations set properly.

Third, I began to provide “presentations” on how to do each chore properly so the child knows exactly the steps that are needed in order mark that chore as “completed.” It is critical to always check the child’s work after completion! For the first month, we had the detailed steps posted in the appropriate rooms so they could check the list and ensure they didn’t miss any steps.

Fourth, once the child knows how to complete a chore properly and completely, this chore card can be added to his chore pack without mom’s help. It's a nice little clip-on packet and each chore card can be moved from front to back as the chore is completed. Over time, new chores can be presented and added to the chore packs.

We started with smaller things, but now my children can clean the bathroom (minus the toilet), clean bedrooms, clean the basement, clean the blinds in various rooms, empty trash cans and sort laundry, unload dishwasher, set table and dust. The kids like knowing exactly what they need to do and seeing their progress as they move cards from front to back in their chore packs. The last card in their pack says “Report to Mom” so that I can see they are finished and/or check their work if one of their chores is a bigger or new job for them.

 

No longer do I have to run around telling everyone what to do. I just say, “Grab your chore packs!” and off they go. They get their work done and I get my chores done without interruption. It is such a wonderful thing to spend just 30 minutes to 1 hour on chores and then stand around looking at our clean house and rejoicing in the work we accomplished together. I really don’t know how I ever survived before using these.

But even more importantly, my children are seeing that they are an important and needed member of the family. And, they are learning life skills they will need to have when they have their own family someday.

        

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. -Proverbs 13:4