Rolling Dice - Fun with Math {Sponsored by Education.com}

Ready for a game that's mostly about strategy with a little luck thrown in for good measure? This dice game is a great way for your child to practice all of the basic math facts and get strategic about deciding when he wants to take a risk, and when he wants to play it safe. Make math fact practice exciting and start rolling the dice!

Rolling Dice 

What You Need:
2 dice
2–4 players
White lined paper or ¼ inch graph paper (one sheet per player)
Pencil

What You Do:
1. Have each player rolls a die and explain that the player who rolls the highest number gets to go first.
2. Now the first player should roll both dice and multiply the two numbers rolled to find their product.

3. Have your child write the product down on the paper. For example, if Player One rolls a 3 and a 5 he should multiply 3 by 5 and write 15 down on his piece of paper.
4. Player One has a choice; he can decide to roll both dice again or choose to pass them to the next player. Why wouldn't a player want to roll again? Well...this game has a few catches:
-If a player rolls a one or a three on his second turn, he must find the product of the two numbers he rolled and then subtract the product from his total.

-If a player rolls a one and a three on his second turn, he must divide his total in half and subtract half of the points he's earned so far. If he rolls a one and a three on his second turn he loses all the points earned so far in the game and must return to zero. The dice then get passed to the next player.

5. If he chooses to roll again, have him multiply the two numbers and add, subtract or divide to determine his new total.
6. Now it's the second player's turn. She can decide to roll the dice either once or twice and perform the necessary calculations to find her total.
7. Players continue to take turns and perform calculations.
8. The first player to reach 300 points is the winner.

Disclaimer: This is a guest post that was written entirely by Shannon at Education.com 

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Simple Tips for Cooking with Your Children

Cooking with kids can be fun but it can also be quite daunting if you are not prepared.  Here are a few simple things you can do to make cooking with your children stress free.

Prepare: Before you even call your child into the kitchen, make sure that you have everything ready for a smooth and fun baking experience.  Start the oven (if necessary), have the recipe out and available, and gather ALL of the ingredients needed. 

Measure Ahead: Depending on your child's age, measure and lay everything out in the order they are needed.*  For older children or children just learning their numbers, this may be a great opportunity for them to pour and measure with you, but this is time consuming and requires lots of patience. 

*If you run out of measuring spoons or cups, you can always measure and pour into other containers.

Allow for Mistakes: Mistakes happen (especially when allowing your child to measure) and that's ok.  By leaving extra ingredients aside, mistakes can be easily fixed.  If a mistake is made, make sure your child knows that it is okay and encourage them to try again.

Don't Stress about the Mess

Let your child pour and mix.  There will be a mess, just remember your child is having a blast.  You can always clean up later.  Have your child place the dishes in the sink as they use them.  This keeps the counter clear and makes clean up less overwhelming.  Then while the food is baking the two of you can empty the sink together! 

When you are ready to start cooking have your child wash their hands and explain the first step.  If your child does not like to get messy, be sure to have some gloves handy.  My daughter doesn’t mind getting messy but enjoys wearing gloves anyway.  You can make this experience extra special and super fun by wearing aprons & chefs hats and pretending to be cooks in a fancy restaurant!

IF your recipe calls for:

·        The ingredients to set for a while, maybe play a game or clean up together while you wait.

·        An ingredient to be melt or defrosted, maybe let them push the buttons on the microwave.

·        Eggs and your child is on the younger side I would recommend cracking the eggs ahead of time and placing them in a bowl.

Sometimes it can be hard to let go of control in the kitchen, especially with kids, but once you push past that it is so much fun.   

  

What are some tricks that work for you?

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K5 Learning: The newest addition to our homeschooling curriculum.

Children learn in a variety of ways, which is why I appreciate fun individualized programs such as K5 Learning. K5 Learning is a researched-based online reading and math enrichment program for kindergarten to 5^th grade.  This program helps build reading, math and study skills.  Whether you are looking for a supplemental material for homeschooling, an after school program, or something to help your child with special needs excel in reading or math, this programs may be your answer. As a Homeschooling Mama, I am always looking for quality material to supplement our curriculum.   I am so happy that I recently had the pleasure of trying this amazing program. 

Divided into 4 basic lessons, this program is designed to keep your child on engaged. Their reading lesson covers phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, vocabulary and reading comprehension.  The spelling lesson is an advanced vocabulary program, which improves language skills one word at a time and consists of over 150,000 words.  Next is the Math lesson, which covers numbers and operations, geometry, measurement (including time and money), algebraic thinking and data analysis.  Last but not least K5 offers a Math facts lessons that use adaptive technology to help kids develop instant recall of basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. Progress on each and every math fact is monitored until mastery is obtained.

Both parent and student have their own individual sign on and cannot be sign on at the same time.  In the parent portal you are able to view brief or detailed reports, Assign Lessons, Add Spelling Words, and print FREE worksheets. The worksheets that I have printed and used perfectly complement their lessons!  Although it would be nice to have to option to "print all" instead of one by one, I love the corresponding worksheets.  Switching between students on the progress page is simple.  The whole program is very user friendly!

What I love most about this program is that they offer an assessment test for placement in both reading and math.  With the results an individualized learning program is automatically created.  The lessons depend solely on your child’s skill levels, not grade levels. If your child is stronger in certain areas (e.g. arithmetic) than other areas (e.g. phonics) the program will automatically adjust to ensure instruction at an appropriate level in both topics.  

I also love that the sequence of the lessons are controlled and do not jump around. Kids cannot select lessons at inappropriate levels or continually repeat “fun" lessons they have already mastered. The student dashboard is ‘perfectly’ simple.  They have minimal navigational choices, are given no access to external links or online ads and basically have to focus on the task at hand.  

View of Student Dashboard

Overall, we both enjoyed this program and plan on purchasing an annual subscription in the near future. What's not to love? The price is right, the content is great, and the program is super easy to use. I appreciate that this program allows for academic freedom and builds confidence by allowing you to customize the lessons.  K5 gives you the freedom to remove and assign different lessons to best it your child’s individual needs.  Being able to customize each lesson to complement each student’s individual learning is one of my favorite things about K5 Learning.   

While no single teaching approach will work well for everybody, K5 Learning may help your child.  For those not convince that a supplemental multimedia curriculum is right for you, multimedia learning may be particularly effective for visual and auditory learners and offers flexibility in meeting the needs of a variety of learners.  And with their no obligation 14 day free trial (no credit card necessary), what have you got to lose?

**The K5 annual subscription is $199 and $129 for each additional child which is a much better value than the monthly subscription.  If you prefer to pay monthly, the monthly cost is $25 and $15 for each additional child.  

Disclosure of  Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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Tinker with Tinker Toys!

Play is the main way children learn and develop ideas about the world. It helps them build the skills necessary for critical thinking and leadership. It’s how they learn to solve problems and to feel good about their ability to learn. K’NEX Playsets  are a great way to learn through play. 

As part of the K’NEX fall campaign, I was sent the Tinkertoy 150 piece Essentials Value Set. Since we have the Tinkertoy 30  Model Super Building Set, I was very excited to expand our play and see what new things we an create. And bonus, Little Miss M is at the perfect age to really enjoy them.

K'NEX offers you an awesome array of block designs for kids ages 2 and up! I really believe that blocks are a great way to help develop different skills like imagination, pretend play and construction of different figures.

150 PIECE ESSENTIALS VALUE SET

Whats included:

·        150 "essential" Tinker toy pieces; spools, rods, flags, washers, end caps and more!

·        Instruction sheet with building tips and ideas

·        Sturdy box for storage and portability

When the Tinkertoy Essentials Set arrived Little Miss M immediately ripped open the package and starting  “Tinkering”.  She said that she wants to be a tinker like Tinkerbell (one of her favorites right now).  With this Tinkertoy set, the building possibilities are endless.  Since all K'NEX sets are interchangeable we pulled out her other set and built some really cool things!   These are so fun to play with, even adults will enjoy. I know I did (and so did Hubby).  I think the first day we ended up playing for 2 and a half hours!!!  The main thing that I noticed is that the pieces not only fit together perfectly but they stay together.  So if you build a car with wheels you can play with it and not have to worry about it falling apart.  

Building with Daddy

We had a lot of fun creating different mechanisms and seeing how they maneuver.  I love toys that not only bring fun and excitement to our home, but bring an element of creativity as well.  You can’t go wrong with classics, right?!  These building sets are great for using your imagination, but if your child is not feeling particularly creative they can use the included building guide.  The possibilities are endless with the fun of K'NEX Tinkertoys. 

Tinkertoys are available through K'NEX, Amazon, and retailers nationwide.

K'NEX can be found on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube.

Tinkertoy can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure of  Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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Time4Learning Review

As a Homeschooling Mama, I am always looking for quality material to supplement our curriculum.  If you homeschool you can understand how nice it is to have someone else create a curriculum every once in a while.  I had the pleasure of taking a few weeks off from lesson planning to try an online program called Time4Learning.

Time4Learning is a student-paced online educational tool covering preschool through high school. It can be used as a homeschool curriculum or supplement, an after school alternative to tutoring, or for summer skill building.  Their lessons cover all major subject for PreK all the way through High School.  Not everything has to be done online, they also provide printable worksheets and answer keys.

Before trying this program M was doing Kindergarten studies.  However, the Kindergarten LA and science material offered through Time4Learning was not challenging enough and the First grade math was just a tad advanced. The grades may not have totally matched up but I easily changed them from the Parent Dashboard.  It is great that Parents can set the grade level independently for each subject.

What's so great about it?

• Interactive, Project-Based Activities
• Detailed Reporting for Easy Record-Keeping
• Lesson Plans & Teaching Tools for Parents
• Lessons Correlated to State Standards
• Detailed lesson plans available for parents who wish to review lesson contents
• Gives students access to an online playground that rewards and motivates
• An automated system grades lessons and keeps reports

M absolutely loved the playground and I loved it too because she did not even realize that she is still learning.  And although you can set limits to the time spent in both the lessons and playground, as long as she was learning, I gave her no limits.   I would like to see this program compatible with our Android Samsung Tablet in the future, but for now we may invest in an inexpensive Notebook so I can regain control of my laptop :) .  

My daughter and I noticed a few hiccups regarding some test answers, but they became great teachable moments.  Not necessarily a hiccups but more of questions that were open to interpretation.  One example was a science question.  The question was, “Do non-living things move?”  My daughter answered yes which was marked wrong.  Technically some non-living things do move.  Her 5-year-old response “Cars are non-living and they move, right Mama?”  She was 100% correct.  

As a parent, Time4Learning offers so many helpful tools.  I found the parent community and forum especially helpful.  It was nice to be able to ask for advice, share success stories, and bounce ideas with other parents using this program. 

Overall, we both enjoyed this program and plan on purchasing  a monthly subscription in the near future. What' not to love? The price is right, the content is great, and the program is fairly easy to use. I appreciate that this program allows for academic freedom and builds confidence by allowing you to create and customize the lessons.  Being able to customize each lesson to complement each student’s individual learning is my favorite thing about Time4Learning.  

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Time4Learning

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• I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. They offer an elementary curriculum, middle school curriculum, high school curriculum, and plenty of curriculum information. Find out how to write your own review!

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Back to School with I See Me! Books +The Ultimate Back to School Giveaway!!

Why not celebrate Back-to-School with the wonderful gift of a personalized book?  Personalized books are a perfect way for children to recognize and learn their names.  With M just starting to read and spell her name, I was so happy to have been given the opportunity to review one of I See Me!’s wonderfully fun personalized books.

I See Me! creates personalized storybooks that feature your child’s name.  Each book is totally unique and made special for you child.   In a matter of minutes, you can create your own personalized storybook (and keepsake). The books take about two weeks from the date of order to arrive.  To make choosing a book easier you can actually go on a virtual tour of each book.  This gives you a chance to see what you are purchasing and what is  more awesome than that?!  

Great Back to School Gifts

ABC What Can I Be! 

Award-winning author Jennifer Dewing and illustrator Colin Jack have created the perfect book for teaching children that they can be whatever they want to be. From an Astronaut to a Zookeeper children can explore different careers while learning the alphabet. The story has rhyming verse and fun illustrations that feature your child’s name.

The Very Important Preschooler (V.I.P) Storybook

Celebrate your favorite little preschooler with this adorable new personalized storybook, The Very Important Preschooler (V.I.P.)! Your child will learn that being a “V.I.P.” means making new friends at preschool, sharing, helping out, cleaning up, learning new things and more. The Very Important Preschooler is filled with lots of great messages for your little preschooler and is personalized throughout the story and on the cover with his or her name!

1-2-3 Blast Off With Me

The 1-2-3 Blast Off with Me! personalized board book teaches your child basic concepts of letters, numbers, shapes and colors in an exciting new way! This adorably illustrated book comes personalized with your child's name and photo on the cover and throughout the book. 1-2-3 Blast Off with Me! is a board book made with thick, durable pages perfectly suited for young, curious children.

My Very Own Name

My Very Own Name is a beautifully illustrated personalized children's book that helps children to learn to recognize letters and spell their names. In this hardcover, professionally bound book, animals bring letters one by one to create the child's first and last names in rhyme. A jackal brings a J, an ostrich brings an O, and so on. At the end, the animals celebrate because they've created the perfect name. 

Personalized Lunch Box

Our personalized lunch boxes make your child feel special every day! Each one of our lunch boxes features your child’s name on multiple sides. On the inside lid, there’s a chalkboard where you can write a personalized note to your child each morning!Safe for storing food, our lunch boxes are made of tin and contain no lead. They’re also great for storing toys and other treasures!

I recently received a copy of  My Very Own Name to include in my Back-To-School series.  With M just learning to read, she insisted on reading this book as soon as it arrived.  Since she already has a "name" book of her own she was excited to learn her baby sister's name.  The rhyming text and beautiful illustrations are printed on thick glossy paper, making the books both fun to read and durable.  

On the title page you have the option to include a dedication and a photo!  Its 30 beautifully illustrated pages encourage us to recite letters of the alphabet, rhyme, laugh, and bond throughout the whole book!   It is certainly going to become a family favorite.  I cannot wait to give this book to Princess A for her first birthday this October.  I See Me! never disappoints.  Definitely high quality.  

As an added bonus, I was also sent one of  I See Me!'s uniquely designed personalized lunch boxes.  Again, very high quality.  Not only is this lunch box super adorable on the outside but it has a neat chalkboard on the inside so you can write your child little notes.  A nice lunchtime surprise for your child and an added chance to say I Love You.  Even us homeschoolers like to make "brown bag" lunches and eat them in the park.  We sure do! And now those times can be extra special with Miss M's new lunch box!

We have several I See Me! products and everything single one has surpassed our expectations and will be cherished by my girls forever. I highly recommend these to anyone looking for a special personalized gift for their little loved ones!

I See Me! not only has a huge variety of personalized books, but they also have coloring books, placemats, and gift sets you can create especially for your child.  You can shop for Christmas a little early and order one of their  placemats or coloring books; they make great socking stuffers! 

To learn more about their wonderful products you can connect with I See Me! on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Buy It

Your child can own their very own I See Me! personalized book for as low as $24.95. 

Giving a gift and not sure which book to choose?  Don’t worry I See Me! also has gift certificates available!

Giveaway Time!!

Over $3,300 in Prizes.  10 winners will receive an ultimate Back to School Bundle.

Each bundle is valued at $333.76 and contains:

·         A gift certificate for two I See Me! personalized books ($69.98)

·         A Portrait Package from Picture People ($54)

·         A 3-month subscription from Little Passports ($41.85)

·         Gift Pack from Chronicle Books ($51.97)

·         Little Kid Combo from Mabel's Labels ($42)

·         Demolition Wrecking Ball from SmartLab Toys ($29.99)

·         Craft Kit, Sticker Roll and Puzzle from Mudpuppy ($43.97)

Disclosure of  Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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