Math Idea: Visual way to understand multiplication and division

Using a few simple items, you can help your student "see" exactly what it means to multiply or divide.  Now this is not a new idea by any stretch of the imagination-but a different way to do it...and a great one for the workbox.

*Please note-unless you want the equations to be on your cards permanently -do not use a Sharpie-use a Vis-a-Vis wet-erase marker.  I accidentally grabbed the wrong pen for the photo op.  You will need a few bags of marbles, or [like I chose] those glass gems from the dollar store. I will need to snag a couple more for the higher level mult./division problems-but 2 are a good start.  I found the Post-It note look alike room decor thingies at a Dollar Tree. But since you never know if you can find them or not-just choose something you feel your child will enjoy, which has a surface large enough to write out the equations. Laminate as many as you think you'll need, so that you can reuse them over and over again.  Pre-fill your target multiples or divisibles in the Ziplocks.   I was able to get enough bags made for 2,3,4,5,6,and7 X7 before running shy of the gems. The beauty is that I can reuse the stuff to create a new set at any time.

The object is to have the appropriate amount of gems in a Ziplock bag. They then move the gems into groups per the card's instructions.  So for the multiplication-the bag has 14 gems.  The rule is the child is to group them according to the number listed first (so 2 sets of 7) then the next one (7 groups of 2). They can then add up the sets to get the answer. I think I will have the boy use a reg. sheet of notebook paper, to write out the equations then the answer.  For whatever reason, he seems to not be "getting" why one would multiply or divide-it eludes him.  Being that he is a visual/tactile learner-this little project will hopefully "show" him the why/reason/results.

For Example:

Now I could have easily done this with a multitude of items [I did use matchbox cars with my oldest son], but knowing this particular student will easily get side tracked-that is not going to work.  And if I didn't have them in bags-they'd end up all over the house being used for various things such as a track outline for his cars. This way-they are contained. That is also helpful for those with little ones around-not that they couldn't open the bag, but it is somewhat corralled. I wouldn't suggest having the student do more than 5 at a time-to avoid over load.  Also-I think doing just multiplication or division is better than mixing it up which would also prevent confusion. I do think they suggested writing it out like, "Separate these into 5 sets of 2" or something like that-but with the little cards-there is no way I can scribble that on it.

UPDATE:  Found this in the book, Math Wise: Over 100 Hands-On Activities that Promote Real Math Understanding by Jim Overholt and Laurie Kincheloe. Pages 109-111, labeled "Ziplock Division".

Ask Sheri: Dana asked about the Geography Centers

A fellow blogger, Dana, wanted to know:

How did you find all the post cards? What exactly did a child do at this center for 15 min.?

This is a two part question, so I will answer it as such:

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As for where I found the post cards-I joined the Yahoo group Postcard Kids to get most of the ones I needed for the 50 states. [I haven't been on this group in eons, so not sure how well the exchanges are working now-you'll have to investigate that to know for sure]. I did run into a couple of issues tho: 

#1:  I couldn't find folks that had the cards for the "challenging to find states"; or who could find a few of the cards I needed [not there fault-they just were not available] so, I solved that issue by getting some when I traveled, or by finding a picture of one online and then copy/pasting it to my Paint program to make a postcard. But I believe I only had to do that for a 2 or 3 and that was after about a year of trying to find em via the group. 

#2-some folks are not [well, how can I say this nicely?] uh, "mindful" of returning the agreed upon card(s) in exchange for what I sent.  I got burned on a few in the beginning, but the group moderator was great at bumping those postcard bums outta the group.  So do be mindful of this problem-but usually folks are very, very good at exchanging.  Also, give folks time to get yours to ya...like a couple weeks is fair (after all life goes on and sometimes getting the cards out has to be delayed due to stuff happening).  All in all it was a great experience. 

As to what the child does whilst at the center-now that is totally up to you and what you want to accomplish.  But around here that usually involves a few things:

1.  Coloring in the states we have covered on the laminated sheet of the US.

2.  Opening the mailbox to see what new cards have arrived and filing them when done (into a plastic card box).  Examine the Circle with the State names and Capitals too.

3.  Looking over any new maps I put in or worksheets that I added.

4.  Doing a puzzle of the US.

5.  As for the added worksheets-I have failed a bit there but my big plan is to have ones that use the little compass and ask him to do something (like go outside and stand on the porch-which way does the front of our house point? Or What corner of the back of the house points W? Things like that.  I can also do Long./Lat. pages where he has to use the mini-help guides [in the pocket] to answer questions.  Things like that).  

6.  Read a book on the state we are covering.

These are merely suggestions.  Remember too-we do NOT do the center everyday nor do we even do it once a week (yep, I could but usually don't).  I try to set it up once we have covered 5 states, then ask him to do the above #1-4 and any additional stuff I find to toss in there.

Again-use what you have laying around the house.  Find simple games, puzzles, projects that you could toss near the center for the child to do and set the time according to the amount of activities you want them to accomplish.  I am sure other folks have some awesome ideas too-and if you know of some, please share.  I have been looking at the shower curtain {just trying to justify that cost! Eww} with the world on it for when we do the world geography-thinking of games and such we can do using that.  So there are tons of ideas-just depends on what you want to accomplish! 

HTH ya out a bit!  Thanks for asking too!

Funny tie in for our workbox on insects

So yesterday, I loaded a box with a worksheet on insects (from Considering God's Creation worktext) and the needed goodies to complete it, for our science lesson for the day.  It pertained to knowing how to identify an insect and then the back has a section on the metamorphosis of several insects-one being a BEE.

As we were about to discuss the stages and glue on the sections for the bee, my hubby came in the front door and left it open (as he was going to turn around in just a few mins. to go back out) and wouldn't you know-a giant, giant bumble bee decided he would present himself as a living example of his species.  There he was, buzzing around and making a bee line for the fruity-flower scented candle in the dining room.  I mean he was a big bumbler!  The boys (meaning son and dad) grabbed the handy dandy bug catching nets and quickly snared him in it.  He was then swiftly hustled out the back door and left to figure out where he was in the world [which was our backyard].  Now, sure, we could have placed him in a container and spent some time examining him. To look over all of his bumbly body and 6 legs, 4 wings and massive head, thorax and abdomen.  But we didn't.  We figured he was already discombobulated enough.

Mind you, this is the very bumbler who buzzed around me all day on Easter, as I sat outside trying to absorb some vitamin D.  He has a real liking for our front porch area and I suspect he decided it was time to take a look about the insides of this place.  So I am sure he will present himself again somewhere down the road.

I love how little things like this happen and tie in perfectly, exactly as we were studying the very subject.  Just a funny BEEdazzling way the Lord presented a great moment for our homeschool science class.

Hey if you don't visit my other blogs-you may wanna to see this cool art project

I have all the instructions and pics there for ya.  It was a fun one to do-just remember that it will take several days b/cuz you have to allow for drying in between.  But the results are well-keepsakes!

First post

Instructions
I will be moving this post to my main blog soon (2014)

Enjoy!

I told you I would get creative~eventually~My Artist Memory Game

So, I purchased those dollar store bulletin board packs way back, just knowing I could make something from them (this one has 5 each of an artist palette, glue bottles and packs of crayons) and then a pack of 25 little easels.  What I thought I could use them for, I had no idea.  But I could see the potential.  Finally, it came to me-we study at least 3 artists a year.  So why not make a matching project/game that my son could do, to help retain the artist styles and typical art work?

I visited Olga's Gallery for Mary Cassatt's and Winslow Homer's images; and for J. J. Audubon's art to create these little gems!  I had fun-and I was able to get 8 different easels for each artist palette.  I will grab some more when I go to the local Dollar Tree, and hopefully find some more of these packs so I can continue with this (adding artists as we go).  I have yet to laminate them, but was so excited to show them off. 

This is a very easy project-simply size the pics [on your MS Word or similar program] to fit the easel and type the title (I didn't put the year for 2 reasons-wasn't sure I could fit it all on, and the pics dates were not listed, so I have to search each one to get that...so they remain dateless..but you could do that if you wish), and on the back put the initials of the artist in a corner (this serves as a self-check, but don't tell your student if you want them to really work at it. This is a Montessori trick...it allows you to say, "Check it", if you don't have time to come and do so yourself.  You need to be careful with children who will simply flip it to get the answer, and not sit a moment and ponder the picture to make a guess. My son knows the "trick", but also knows I expect him to be honest about trying to figure it out first-which he will).

This makes a great workbox activity.  Just store in a Ziplock or envelope and let em at it. :0)

And without much further ado-My Artist Study Memory Game

 3 artist palettes with the individual artist's names and DOB/DOD

with 24 art easels (8 each)

So when the child plays, they look thru the mixed up pile, 

and place the correct image under the correct artist!

~Have fun~

Ultimate Blog Party

It is that time of year again-the Ultimate Blog Party is up and running! If you haven't joined the fun yet-please do so!  You can meet many new bloggie pals and even enter to win oodles of awesome prizes!

If you are linking in from my main blog, Homeschooling on a Wing and a Prayer, I thought I would take a moment to explain the main purpose of one of my favorite blogs I have in my collection. 

The What's in the Box? blog is designed to highlight ways to implement the Workbox system, and use it to streamline and organize your schooling adventures (hey-you don't have to be a homeschooler to use this system!  It has been used very successfully in PS/PS settings-esp. with children who have special needs.  It would be a great addition to any preschool or day care too!)~it is easy and fun and let me tell ya-makes your days much more productive~

sample ideas on what to put in the boxes

You don't have to use the system exactly how Sue tells you too-in fact, I am a bit of a rebel as I make sure to tell folks to tweak and rework it so it fits your family to a "T".  After all, no two fams are alike and neither are your students.  The beauty of this program is that is centralizes the child's material in the "boxes" (could be folders, drawers and whatever else you can find that serves you best) so that there is no longer that "What do I do next?" or "But I can't find my pencil." or "I dunno what I am suppose to do." or the dreaded dawdling that turns a 15 min. math lesson into a 3 hour nightmare of a struggle.  By placing everything they need for that lesson in their box, you create a stress free zone.  Each box gets a new lesson (different subject and be sure to add some "just for fun" ones in there too), and with anywhere from 3-12 boxes per child, your day will be much less stressful. When the material in the box is done, the number card goes onto their chart and they move to the next box until they are all done! :0)

Space Center Idea

This system brought the spark back into the way we do school (and yes-I slip and don't always use it but let me mention here-when I don't use it, our days are lame and not nearly as productive as they could be).  Sure, it requires more work on my end because I have to get myself organized and pack the boxes-but man-it is so worth the extra hour or so per week (more time usually when you have more kids-and if you read my posts regarding how to get a bunch of pre-work done and scheduling ideas-you will save time too) so that our days run smoothly and the kids are motivated and finish their studies much more efficiently.

Do spend some time trolling thru here-I have lots of links to other great workbox pals, ideas and ways to implement this system.  I haven't been able to post much of late here-but as the school year comes to an end, I will have more time to dedicate to new projects and ideas that I will be sure to post about!

Enjoy!

Busy as a Bee

Ok, so I am here penning this due to my inability to find my post writings on how to get your prep work done to save you time down the road.

The short of it is this-anything, I mean anything you can do ahead of time (esp. during your school breaks) to be prepared down the road will not only ensure a much smoother and more organized year for you and your students.

What do I mean by that?  Well, if you have a project like I do, covering the states-that requires much printing and cutting of components to be sure it is ready to go into the box as I pack them (nothing more frustrating and annoying when you go to fill it, only to find you have to stop, hunt down the resources, print, cut and then load them into the said boxes! Talk about a time stealer and big reason why folks stop using the WKBX or any system-they get overwhelmed and slowed down by the details) you need to be prepared...so by being PRO-active in your planning-you can save your sanity with just a few dedicated hours BEFORE you get anywhere near that point of the lesson.

That means you will have to some pre-planning of the things you will want to cover (I say do the first 1/2 of your year-don't get crazy-as it will be too much to figure out).  Then decide what you will need for those projects, find your resources and print anything you need (cut/label and put into Ziplocks-then file in a safe place) so that when you come to that point in your studies-all you do is pull out the goodie bag and place it in the workbox.  I did the first 15 states and all their little pieces we would need for my son's project.  I then kept them in a safe place and pulled out the parts I needed as we went along-HUGE time saver and it kept us on track with our lessons. Talk about a major blessing.  Yes, I had to devote a good couple weeks of my summer vaca to this but in the long run it kept my schedule in the fall flowing beautifully.  During the Christmas holiday, I did a bit more of my cluster planning/prepackaging so that we could continue on in the new year seamlessly.

Even if you work on it a day here and there, in the long run you will have a nice pile of material all set and ready to go.  Heck if you know another mom who is going to be doing the same/similar study, why not turn it into a group effort?  You can make it more fun and interesting when working together, the time will go much more quickly and you will have some bonding time too.  I suggest that you get yourself a mother's helper to keep the kids busy so that you can devote chunks of time "focusing" on the projects at hand.

There is my wisdom on being "Busy as a Bee" in preparing for your future studies.  Planning doesn't have to be a chore and it most definitely will save you much more time and energy down the road!

Jump start to our Blue Diamonds study

So for Christmas, my son received the Smithsonian Rocks and Gems kit

and he couldn't wait to dig in, so he spent quite a bit of time chopping away (and don't cha know the area he started on had hardly any gems in it. He literally found all but 3 during the final section chop fest-but hey, he was diligent and worked and worked to unearth his little gem stones, so that is a good thing.

I used this opportunity to get him interested in the up coming unit we will start this week- The Curiosity Files: The Blue Diamond (the link is to my review of it).  This week, we will work on the going thru some of the info in the study guide, reading the books I have gathered up from the library (many are on the suggested list, and even though a couple are a bit below his age level-I wanted to read them so I can offer a better review of the suggested books) and we'll watch the DVD too. 

I will have him do a couple of the worksheets during the week, and we'll end by working on the mini-booklets in the Fact File part.  I am also going to take him on a mini-field trip to the local jewelers to allow him to see a variety of diamonds; and perhaps the jeweler will be friendly enough to discuss how they look for the 4 Cs of a diamond and such-

so that is our plans with that.  I will post updates after we are into it, and when we finish it too.  

**Oh and I purchased the kit for a great price at Micheal's using a coupon, so look for deals-it should be cheaper at a local store/craft store.  And I am saving all the tools to use with digging extensions (I have come across some recipes to create the goop to cement in treasures to dig up)-so we'll do that for our dinosaur study and just for fun digs this coming spring/summer.  

Good ole George

In our history studies, we are starting our George Washington unit.  We are very excited, because we toured Mt. Vernon a summer back (09) and we've always been somewhat fond of our dear first president.  We have been anxiously waiting to get to this section in time...

The books I bought whilst at Mt. Vernon-to add to our collection.

He'll start coloring the pages from the Mt. Vernon coloring book and GW one as we work through the unit.

So in the workbox today-I placed his copywork book on George's Rules of Civility; read more of the wonderful D'Aulaire story-George Washington, and the Fritz book-George Washington's Breakfast. After reading the breakfast book, we decided to give it a go and have ourselves a GW snack.  Off to the kitchen we went to make some hoe cakes, and have some tea.  Now I don't think George ever had Goji Berry Pomegranate Tea (I dunno even know for sure what a "goji berry" is) like we did, but it was fun to recreate a similar experience.  We invited daddy to join us, and the kids even tried to sip a bit of tea (we are not big tea drinkers and the kids could barely swallow a sip or two-but they tried) whilst we nibbled up some 'hot off the griddle' hoe cakes.

 We tried to make these (at first) in great grannie's cast iron skillet-but because it has seen so many days of an open flame, the bottom was chipping/flaking...and don't cha know a big chip broke off and caught on fire (briefly-put out immediately) to set off the smoke detectors for a bit of time there-ah, always something.  Sadly, we had to toss that well used beast...and use our modern day pan instead.

We even used the real china for this.  The table cloth was pretty wrinkly, but we weren't going for looks here-just taste and experience.

Up close of it.  The cakes were not real pretty looking (ascetically) as I was just kinda plopping them in-and we used the basic version of a recipe...next time we'll try Paula Deen's b/cuz it sounds wonderful and more tasty.  Not real sure why the boy thought we'd need 3 sugar packets though-LOL.

Ask Sheri: part II of Kelly's questions

So, finally I am back in business with my own computer, so I am now able to focus on a few things, and answering the second part of Kelly's question is one of those.

Kelly asked:

I also was wondering the time commitment with "coming up" with the boxes and activities. With my 19mo. old we are going all the time and makes time management a HUGE thing at our house. I really want to try to start incorporating workboxes with our classical style. Do you think that will work?


This is a toughy really because I cannot see what really goes on in your home. But I once was there with a toddler, preschooler and 2 elementary children-with a husband whose job had him (and still does) on the road more often than not-so believe me when I say, I "understand"-because I do.

I suggest first off, that you decide what exactly you want the children to accomplish each day, for the week and month.  Then break that down into what you feel you can handle per day.  That should give you an idea of how much material, and planning you have to aim in organizing and carrying out. [time commitment? depends on how many students you have, and the projects you are trying to cover. Even 15-30 per day of prep time is sufficient. If you keep a note pad by your side to jot down stuff you want in the workboxes-whilst doing other things-you won't notice any real time commitment at all]. Not knowing your other children's ages too-makes this somewhat a "shot in the dark" but I will do my best to give you hope and ideas to try.

Once you get into your workbox flow-you could conceivably fill a set of boxes in less than 15 mins-BUT (and this a big one) you have to have your prep work done [again time depends on your particular curriculum and student load-this can range from a several hours spread throughout the week to only a few].  So that is going to require some assistance from dad, granny or a mother's helper.  Once per week, with you goal list in hand-figure out what things need to be copied off, items collected, books gathered, and so forth.  Take your prep time and get those together and then file them accordingly.  I place pre-printed lapbook material, notebook pages and such in file folders in a large file box. Then as the week progresses-I simply pull the needed item and toss into the box. This is a HUGE time saver in the long run.  IT takes you getting yourself into the habit of doing this-and it can be a bother from time to time...but the effort spent putting forth direct focus on prep time, will bless you in the end with "quick as a wink" workbox filling.  I actually put a lot of time in this past summer getting several things pre-done (seriously, if I could print, cut, organize and get it done-it was done)...the dedication has allowed me to stay the course through unplanned vacations, illnesses and a divulge of "unplanned" situations that have done their best to knock us off course.  You may have less work depending on what you use. I honestly cannot give a time frame-some but not so much that you drown.  I also know that once I got into my flow, I found I could move quickly from task to task and get the materials and boxes done in short order.  So practice makes perfect!

Now, I understand many families who use a particular curriculum or method have decided to only have boxes for each child-that they can do on their own, while keeping the first part of the day (or times throughout the day) to work on group items/projects together.  That is a wonderful way to provide the much needed family time (which means toddler can sit right there with you and learn too) and then perhaps when baby goes down for nap (I hope you have that pleasure of a napper) you can focus on more one on one with the older children.  So only fill those boxes that are individual to each student-so probably not more than 6. Esp. if the child is 7 and younger.  I do not advocate having the youngers doing long, drawn out work at those early ages.

Step into it slowly. Perhaps only having 3 boxes per child with 2 reg. subjects and one with a fun, activity/craft project/game/puzzle, etc.  Once the children (and you) get into the flow, slowly add a couple more until you find your perfect wkbx number.

I know I haven't exactly answered your question-as I stated before, I don't think I honestly can.  But generally speaking this is a good rule of thumb here: start small, with a couple per child-mainly on their individual type work.  Have one set for baby; and allow some time somewhere in the week to put forth focused thought on your goals for that week only.

HTH

I hope this helps. I suggest reading through the other blogs out there to glean more ideas, and thoughts regarding prep time and introducing your family to workboxing.
Also-create workboxes for the toddler to keep the busyness down.  I read recently that someone created a box for each day and the child may only do/play with those items on that day-period.  That is genius!  By keeping those toys/activities for just that day, one alleviates boredom, and provides mother with a much needed "break" to address the other children.

YES, workboxes can be used, but you will have to tweak it to fit your current needs.  Do not expect to do the level of wkbx activities, and individual time like I have (as my youngest is 9 and I am currently not watching my preschool aged nephew).  If your toddler is more content in the morning then strive to school then (the main stuff) and allow for a quiet time with the others where they need the help for the afternoon.