Laundry, we were folding laundry and I was lamenting how little 'schoolwork' we had been doing lately. Then I thought about it, to fold towels we have to take a square and fold it in half to make a rectangle, then in half again to make a square. That is a great way to learn some simple geometry.

Then there are the hand towels, they need folded in thirds, again great practice.

The big towels I fold still. But yesterday I tried something different, we counted towels and raced. There happened to be 8 hand towels (for GMC) and 8 big towels, so we counted out 8 washclothes and raced to see who could fold them the fastest. Mommy served as commentator, slowing my own work down to keep more in pace with them. (that and I helped rescue JCs washclothes from UE!) THere was a great math lesson.

Then we switched to 'sportsmanship' when I finished my big towels I helped JC with her washclothes (there were 17!) And when GMC finished his handtowels he helped as well. I figure this lesson went over very well, since when Daddy asked who won, GMC replied 'we all did'!

Kids are like sponges, they soak up information whether you want it or not, we can only chose what information is available.

"Nose"
"Nose"

*giggles*

"Nose"
"Nose"

*giggles*

I know you think I went crazy, honest I didn't. I was just playing with UE. I touch his nose, then mine, saying nose. He giggles, we do it again. (and again, and again) right now it is just fun, but later when I start asking him where his nose is and he has the hand control to get there he will remember the game and find his nose. (right now he can get somewhere in the general vicinity, but a nose is pretty small!)

Teaching kids should be a way of life, not a 'sit down and learn what I said' session. Teaching babies is often automatic as we live life, teaching older children should be too.

Kids are like sponges, they soak up information whether you want it or not, we can only chose what information is available.

I used to just buy what looked cool, but now I look at the toys/books I get for my kids as investments. I want to be able to read the same books, and play with the same toys, with all of them, and better still with my grandkids. Many times I realize that I don't need to get them a toy or book, they have plenty!

I have several DR seuss books from when I was a kid, classics that I love to re-read. We also have some from when PapPap was a kid (recently retired if that gives you an idea on the age of the books)

I love those old battered well loved books more than a thousand newfangled fashionable ones! (not that we have no new books....we love books!)

I have the set of books I taught kindergarten to read with, I used them to teach GMC to read, and am currently using them to teach JC. I have my old prealgebra book, and several of my readers from when I was a kid, including one that was my mothers in third grade. Why spend a thousand on new programs to teach reading or math when I have a perfectly good books right here, with sentimantal value to boot! Not to mention the childcraft books covering so much history and science, plus a dictionary covering lots of etimology. (all from my childhood)

I have a set of shapes I used as a kid, a set of 'self checking books' and a tupperware tea party set. A collection of legos and a collection of small figures (callded manipulatives in education books) All with sentimental value, plus great educational toys. I also have a couple stuffed animals, dolls, a cradle, and a doll bed.

Could you imagine the riches in my house comapered to any third world country? I am rich in things as well as love, My kids don't need more toys, they need more chances to see the world.

That is what I want to give my kids, not the toys I never had (I still have plenty!) but the chance to see the world, that was beyond my youth, and that is what I want to save for my kids now. No game boys or fad figures for us. Just lots of simple fun toys, and some saving for a trip or 20.

(BTW my parents did a great job not only supplying my needs but also finding so many great toys that have lasted, course that means they now have not much to buy the kids...sorry!)

So while eating green beans I asked what green bean in french was..I only know Vert is green, I forgot bean, so I looked up free translation. came up with

Just Ask! - Geography

Ever wonder the capital of Canada?
Or just where Iraq is anyway?
Or what the 'ring of fire' is?
Or why Hawaii gets a cut out on an American map?

These are all questions my son has asked in the past year or so.

Todays question came from a neighbor, sporting a 'Catalina Island' shirt she asked where Catalina was. Since I never heard of it, I said we would look it up.

After well a billion kid things (lunch, nap, food on the floor, a baby in need of a nap) I finally remembered to look it up, well it wasn't there...It was just a kids atlas.

In the process of looking it up we found some states she had been to, checked out where Turkey was, looked at a couple neat flags, like Venezuala, and Zimbobwe.

Hopefully they got more of the spelling than I did!

Then we headed online, I can almost always find the answer online! Unfortunatly I hardly ever learn anything but what I asked when I do a netsearch, Yahoo is pretty good at comming up with exactly what I need, oh wait I did learn that when a native species changes one it is called

Most parents tell their kids to turn off lights and close the fridge, but most of the time a kid can't see the difference in the electric bill.

I know when I was a kid I had no idea how much electricity cost, nor what benifit I would see in turning the heat down, or remembering a light.

Maybe if I got to keep the difference (or split it) I might have been interested. Makeing a game out of reducing the electric bill with tangible monthly rewards is a lot mroe fun than listening to moms dreaded lectures.

It would be a great math lesson to average a years electricity bills (or whatever you have handy) and then a nice fraction problem to share the savings (if any). Not to mention the pursuasion tactics of convincing younger siblings to join it!

Right now my kid is still young so I just tell him "more money spent on electricity is less for steaks" (his favorite meal) but as he grows I want him more in on the budget and looking at how much more expensive it is to run the AC, or leave a computer on.

Come to think of it mid June I might need to do this for myself to help keep the air off a few more days! (I'd use the ingredients for a nice bowl of icecream!)

"You don't need that you want it" -GMC, April 06

I heard that comment from my son the other day and I swelled up with pride. One of the first steps in avoiding debt is to stop buying what you don't need and can't afford. That can be pretty hard if you think every whim is a need.

Back when I started trying to seriously straighten out my finances (couldn't have done it without www.savingadvice.com!) I started looking at my own needs/wants. I came up with quite a few splurges that I was taking for granted.

Then I started to notice how often my kids said they needed something. When it comes to a potty or food, they often did need it. But toys? Nope those were wants so I started telling them.

When I heard a whine of "I need that part to build my whatever" I corrected the need phrasing first("you don't need it you want it"), then I worked on the sharing. (how about you get that part in 2 minutes while your sibling has a turn, or try this part it is almost the same)

It is never to early to start, and someday my kids will be 20something looking at a brand new gizmo and hearing Moms voice, "You don't need it you just want it" maybe they will get the gizmo anyway, but hopefully they will appriciate the ability to fill wants, not chalk it up to a 'need'.

Kids are like sponges, they soak up information whether you want it or not, we can only chose what information is available.

Working thru a maze is great for logical thinking, and honestly old fashioned try again. Very important for my perfectionist.

but most online mazes come in two formats, easy enough for a 2 year old and hard enough to challenge me. Not what I need for my kid!

I finally found a site I like!

(pre meaning from able to sit up to able to write circles and lines)

Coloring
Coloring is a great way to encourage creativity, but it can also be a way to learn colors, shapes, counting, and more.

My son was never really into art, still isn't, so he would get bored with scribbling, and ask me to make things with his crayons. Sometimes he wanted shapes (I am much better at proper squares and circles thanks to him!) Sometimes it was numbers, sometimes it was names. (Momma, Daddy, his name, friends names)
Somedays we would count the shapes he asked me to make. Most days he would specify "make a green circle" He learned all his colors and most of the numbers very early just be coloring!

Some things I would ask/say:
"Can I have the blue crayon?"
"..the short fat black crayon?"
"Can you make a spiral?" (most early circle attempts are spirals or lowercase es or ovals)
"Can you make a line/one?"
"Check out my tiger with the oval eyes!"
"I put my name on my paper, would you like your name on yours?"

Kids are like sponges, they soak up information whether you want it or not, we can only chose what information is available.

(pre meaning from able to sit up to able to write circles and lines)

By far the cheapest game for teaching I have ever played is 'clean up' I am serious, cleaning up is sooo educational, and can be more educational if you want it!

Take a toy, any toy you have been playing with. ask your kid to 'sort' as you pick up. Whatever you ask for don't get mad the first billion times when your kid doesn't get it (eventually they will, and will ask you for the toys!)

Now you know your kid wont start out having a clue what sort means, so we start with simple questions:

"can I have the short skinny block?"
"the square block?"
"the doll with brown hair?"
"with blue eyes?"
"all the big trucks"
"all the green dinosaurs"
"the A piece/book"
"the number 5"

If you allow more than one toy out at a time back up to 'all the blocks' or 'all the cars' move on to more specific when the room has only one type out (or only a few).

Kids are like sponges, they soak up information whether you want it or not, we can only chose what information is available.

We are on our way yet again. I have a list of things to look for

-reading material for DS, he still needs reduced number of letters per page, he gets frustrated looking at the same page for more than a paragraph..

-books on paleantology for DS, he is majorly interested in dinosaurs right now.

-books on counting/math to spark more interest in DD

-books on anything they like, cause I hate reading the same thing over and over, I have a once a day limit!

-Oh and maybe something for me to read, in caase I have time and no kid listening!

I am sooo proud of myself, I made a box for books! Now to understand what on earth I am talking about you might need to have seen the Saxon lil readers...

Which I doubt you have, but they are small readers perfect for little hands, and with a few words per page (building up to more of course) I love them, though they are really to slow of a progression for the grades, but thats beside the point, I homeschool I can use them when my kid is ready!

Anyway what on earth am I going to do with all the advanced readers while JC gets them one at a time, answer a book box, just like the Saxon one, only for the 'unearned books' I just copied the pattern of the built one (or best guess) and made a construction paper one for the books. (and of course I am reusing the ones GMC used, no way am I buying a new set!)

Have I mentioned how proud I am that JC can read

Well since I commited to ten a day, I find myself sticking with the

Well after deciding to not bore DS with the spelling papers he had been doing, I learned he really didn't know much about making sentances (capitalization) or nouns, so I decided to make some work for him, a bit of research online, and I had lots of ideas. a bit of time and I

I am having nightmares that making my sons math is not good enough, I have been doing lots of research both online and at the library, and of other programs. In everything he is exceeding expectations do date, but I am still having nightmares!

I think I will start pestering teachers I know to see what sort of thing they think I might be missing.

I formulated a plan of what he at least aught to know by the end of the year, it is mostly things he tends to know already! except for rounding, borrowing he already has the concepts down. He just needs to work on speed, and a bit of vocabulary (addend, product, etc)

"I like Firetrucks" GMC thinks I need to put that in here today.

"everybody likes buffalos, trucks and cars. Well not everybody likes buffaloes."

He is cute! And he finished all of his level one math today so I get to venture into the world of making things up for level 2, which I am actually looking forward to, and so is he, he wants to learn how to write the date with numbers, and how to cube, or square numbers. I figure in the process I aught to teach him how to multiply and divide!

Doing it myself is not only frugal but fun. Course it is also scary, so I am getting 'what your kid needs to know' out of the library to make sure I cover what other people think is important too.

That is what GMC told JC today while playing with coins!

They are so cute!

Later he tells her "some of that money is for taxes, some is for church"

Then while cleaning up I discovered he was 'socking some away for later' - literally in a sock!

I love hearing what my kids say all the time!

Actually we did the math yesterday, but it was for church. I sent GMC, my son, off to find a dollar in coins, any coins except pennies or quarters (we use the quarters for JC, she can count to 4).

He got practice counting out a dollar and we got rid of some small change. Now when JC (my daughter) is getting better at counting, we will set them to rolling the penny jar!

I finally know what I am doing for my son when he finishes the last 8 lessons. I will make it up! I must be crazy! But honestly he learns more from us sitting down with a blank sheet making up things than from the worksheets.

Now I prolly will want a formal program for him later, but for now we have exponents, division, multiplication, greater than less than, perimiter/circumference, and so much more! It helps that he is a math brain kid...

Today we also wrote a

My son hates handwriting, he loves being creative, loves drawing, loves reading. But hates handwriting, mostly I go easy on him because I didn't write for years do to my dislike, not till we accuired a word proccessor and my hands grew did I 'write' for fun.

But I hit on an idea for some subtle weekly practice, the grocery list. Kid wants my to buy burger buns, he needs to help make the grocery list! Plus it will help with spelling, though many foods are 'weird' (sugar?)

My husbands poker challenge is actually working, he just got our kids three educational games with a gift certificate he earned (we might have bought one without it, but not all 3, so we can't add the money to the challenge or anything), and his original investment is up to around 200, pretty good for a hobby!

I had my first grader review his new Computer game and just today a new CD of his, I think it is helping him with the 'complete sentences' and expressing himself. I put it all up on our website and I want to move it to the BBA website so that I can let other people read it. (I am fanatical about letting people see our real names and address, and such.)

Mainly becaue I want to know if it is reasonable from a first grader! This is such a frugal way to get English practice, and help me remember what is on the computer games in a couple years when my daughter is ready for them.

edit, I did it!

I found several math games for DD that are awesome!

http://www.goodschools.com/test.htm

wonder if I can even pass this test! I will have to keep it around for when my kids are around 8th grade to see how my teaching skills measure up!

Ok so I was stuck in alliteration mode, We pick a letter a day to help DD work on 'what starts with p' or whatever, and well it stuck, sorry. I don't actually make anytihng so it isn't perfect. I also don't buy much unusual stuff, oh well, I am not all that great at this stuff.

Though I was thinking that a name makes a huge difference in how I feel about something, not neccessarily the name but the connotation (or is it denotation?) how I feel about the word. Like a hot shower, it is either a hold out I wont give up, or a splurge. 'Splurge' is fun, a 'hold out' is well, not so fun.

My kids found directions for puckered moccasins in one of my old books, so I said I would make them some, I figured it couldn't be that hard, well my machine keeps stopping! not cool, and the material my mom sent me, which I very much appriciate, frays so I have to hem it for the one part, which is a bit of a pain to say the least.

I hand sewed one of them since I couldn't get my machine going, It was really quick, but my finger hurts! I can't imagine having to do this to keep my kids feet warm and dry! (not to mention leather is a bit harder to sew than cloth)

The machine is back working, for now.

If I get them finished right I might make a pair for a couple nephews for Christmas.

I am putting this here cause of the nifty categories, I can ship anyone to BBA category, and have them find all my frugal teaching stuff (plus eventually the stuff I do, which stalled out due to lack of time!). I hope that is ok.

I use starfall.com site with both my kids, DS is about a first grade reading level, and still likes it. DD is back on the letters. It is a great site lots of fun, and pretty easy to use the mouse on.

I found a great website with coloring pages of all sorts of things, including DS's favorite the presidents! I love finding work for him.

I know later never came yesterday, I will get there, honest!

Ok so I have no ideas that I have the ability to do that will earn my money now, but I have always wanted to build a preschool program. I made up the stuff for my oldest and I am making more for DD, I want to put it all together in an easy format to search and print (not all kids need the same thing at the same time, nor do they pick it up at the same rate, which is why I hate the standard everyone do this at this rate programs)

Anyway I decided that I will challenge myself to work on one thing every week that is actually able to be used by anyone, not just my kid. If I get it finished I will see about selling it, or at least sharing (My mom will be homeschooling her adoptee). It prolly wont make any money, but it is about time I did it. (been thinking about it since I taught preschool)

Today I started a new game for my two to play with shapes and some math. I still need to finish all the questions but I will get my Mom and DH to help. I have lots of time sitting at a computer while nursing my newest.