Thinkwell Courses Sale

Periodically the Homeschool Buyer's Co-op provides access to Thinkwell courses on sale. I'm a fan of Thinkwell for high school and college prep homeschooling.

Maybe it's Professor Edward Burger that makes me like Thinkwell - he's a kinda cute, geeky, math guy and he makes me laugh. Or the fact that their course is so thorough - he obviously just loves his subject and knows it inside out. Either way, if you're looking for high school online software it's worth checking out Thinkwell.

Courses on offer this time around:

• middle school, high school, and some college level math (except for Geometry, which I really wish they had), including college algebra, trigonometry and calculus
  
• high school biology, chemistry and physical science
• American government
• macroecomomics and microeconomics
• public speaking

Prices range from $49.95 to $84.95 with bigger discounts when there are more subscribers.

For some reason it's hard to access the deals if you just go to the Homeschool Buyers Co-op home page - go straight to Thinkwell courses on sale if you want to take a look. The current offer expires February 10th at noon (eastern).

The Homeschooler's Guide to the Galaxy has no connection to Homeschool Buyers Co-op or Thinkwell. I also recommend The Teaching Company Save 70%! Great Courses by America's Top Professors and Elementary Algebra (these are affiliate links).

Thinkwell Announces Classhive for Homeschool Students

On Friday the folks at Thinkwell announced a new feature in their computer-based, online math and science programs specifically for homeschool students called Classhive.

Within the next week Classhive will be released. It will enable interaction with other students taking the same Thinkwell math or science course. Things you'll be able to do include:

• ask questions
• upload notes
• connect with other students
• post web links
• create exam reviews
• organize study groups

It's no secret that I already like Thinkwell courses. This seems like a great addition.

Free Online Math, Science, Finance

Khan Academy is a non-profit website site where you can access free online math, science and finance lectures. When you visit you'll see subjects under group headings like Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, SAT Preparation, and Arithmetic.

Under each subject, such as Arithmetic, are listed all the topics, such as Dividing Decimal Numbers. Click on the link and you'll be taken to a YouTube video, such as this one here.

Khan Academy looks like a really amazing resource. Not only are there all the video lectures, but there is also a curriculum, with exercises to work, for some of the math topics, including Arithmetic and Algebra 1. Here is the link to the Khan adaptive math program. I didn't go in and look to see how the exercises are presented because you have to register for that part, but I recommend you check it out if you're looking for a new way to do math.

Now I'm wondering if I could have avoided some of the $$$ I've spent on math curricula over the last 6 years of homeschooling...

Homeschool Math Examination

I've spent the last couple of days absorbed in an examination of homeschool math options for the middle school and high school years. This is most certainly not a new area of research for me, but each time I take a look at homeschool math options I learn something new. Rather than let this research go to waste, here are a few things I've discovered. Today I'll cover online instruction options.

Computer Based Math Instruction
There are several math instruction methods suitable for middle school, high school, and college level math which are entirely computer based. I'm going to write a few notes on things that seem to me unique about each different program.

• iPASS - designed to catch up a student who may have gaps in their learning. Covers math through pre-Algebra - math taught in grades 4-8 in most states. This is a comprehensive program which breaks down math into all it's component parts. The student is not aware of which grade level they are working - levels are simply labeled with letters from A-V and moving from one grade to the next is seamless. For each topic the student completes a timed assessment and they can test out of a lesson if they reach the pass rate. Questions are not multiple choice so a student must actually know how to calculate the answer to get it right. Once a student has mastered the topic they pass on to the next topic. If needed the student will be given more questions from a large pool of questions to provide adequate practice. Students who need additional time for tests can be accomodated. Review is incorporated throughout the program so that the student continues to practice concepts they've mastered. iPASS does not have a free trial - I was quoted a cost of $20 per month and you can sign up for one month and see if it works for you. Find out more about iPASS. You need to talk with a sales representative to sign up. The person I spoke with was Kim and she is very helpful.
• Thinkwell Math begins with their Pre-Algebra course. Their courses cover Algebra from Pre-Algebra to College Algebra, Pre-Calculus and Calculus, and Trigonometry. They don't list a Geometry course - I'm not aware of whether geometry is integrated into their other courses perhaps. Each course must be purchased separately. You can save 39-48% by purchasing through the Homeschool Buyers Co-op. The current offering ends on August 21st. I've looked at this course before and I really like the way the teacher covers the work. The software workspace is divided up with the teacher on one side explaining the concept and working the problem, a place to show the math problem being worked on and a key ideas area. It does make for quite a busy screen. You can see the demos at Thinkwell's site and take a look at what the Thinkwell Homeschool Buyers Co-op offering. There is no free trial, but watching the demos should give you and your children a pretty good feel for this program.
• PLATO Learning Math has courses covering everything from Pre-Algebra to Geometry, Calculus 2 and Trigonometry. They do not appear to cover Statistics. This year is the first time these courses have been available to homeschoolers. Homeschool Buyers Co-op is able to make them available through the Kentucky Virtual Campus. While I am not familiar with the PLATO math options I've used some of their science courses in homeschooling my teens and we've liked them a lot. The offering for these courses involves signing up to get access to a very wide range of middle school and high school level courses. At a cost of $299 for the year it would be a really good deal if you can take advantage of several of the courses. The courses cover math, science, social studies, language arts, and job and life skills. The Homeschool Buyers Co-op deal ends on the morning of August 23rd. If you're interested take a look at PLATO demos and Kentucky Virtual Campus then sign up through Homeschool Buyers Co-op. There is no trial period for this software.
• ALEKS Math cover everything from Grade 3 math to college math courses in Algebra, Trigonometry, AP Calculus and Statistics, and Business Math. I'm not very familiar with ALEKS but I've heard good things and they do have a free trial. At the ALEKS site you can see all of their offerings, take a tour and sign up for a free trial. One thing I like about what they are offering is that you have access to all their courses for the one subscription of $19.95 per student.
• Indian Math Online is an online math program I just discovered. It is based on the teaching method used in India. Given that India is now producing some of the leading math and science majors I think it's worth a look. You can sign up for a free trial and then the subscription costs $15-20 per month. Indian Math Online covers grades 1-10 math.

If you are looking for a math curriculum I hope these comments will be of help to you. I also have plenty to say about textbook math, but I'll save that for another day.

Homeschool Buyers Co-op Picks

Here are my picks from the current Homeschool Buyers Co-op offerings. Most of these deals run out at the end of July or in early August so go on over there and check them out NOW!

Thinkwell Online Video Courses
After 6 years of homeschooling I've been through evaluating a large number or products. Thinkwell products are some of the ones that have impressed me the most. If I were to choose math or high school science for myself I'd go with the Thinkwell online video courses. I love the format, the teachers are engaging, and the price through Homeschool Buyers Co-op is very reasonable. My own kids chose to go with CyberEd instead because they found it distracting to watch the teacher - for me that's half the fun! If you need a high school math, science, or social studies program check out Thinkwell at Homeschool Buyers Co-op.

PLATO Learning Online Science (formerly CyberEd)
After evaluating a variety of science courses last year my kids chose to go with learning online science through PLATO learning (CyberEd). I was pleased with how thorough the PLATO courses are. They are just plain learning with no unnecessary frills or games. I particularly recommend them for kids who get easily distracted. PLATO courses make good use of your homeschool efforts and leave plenty of time to supplement with experiments, field trips, and supplementary reading. Check out PLATO Learning online science at Homeschool Buyer's Co-op for Middle School Science and High School Science.

For Kids who need to know how stuff works
Here are a couple of cool homeschool things my son would have loved when he was younger.

• BrainPop is just full of fun learning stuff about how things work. It's a bit pricey, but just remember that kids learn when they're having fun. Maybe you'd rather they had fun on BrainPop than on video games or in front of the TV. Check out what Homeschool Buyers Co-op is offering then sign up for the trial at BrainPop. Basically you can get a CyberEd course for free when you register at Homeschool Buyers Co-op before signing up for BrainPop.
• Lego Education Kits - again these are pricey. If you just happen to have a little lego maniac on your hands this looks like a great way to do some math and science learning at home. I'm guessing these would have good resale value, if only you can keep the parts from disappearing off into the big lego black hole, otherwise known as the disorganized lego collection in the child's bedroom!
  

Even if you don't see something of interest right now it's worth signing up for the Homeschool Buyers Co-op mailing list so that you can be kept informed.

Learning Stuff Links

I've sought out the best links for learning stuff. There is some great stuff out there, but also a lot you just would waste your time on. Here are my favorite links for learning stuff:

• At How Stuff Works you can learn about everything from bread to pressure cookers, the ocean and gardening. What a wonderful learning resource for all kinds of stuff!
• The stuff at Kids.gov will get you learning about fun things like beaches, the galaxy (NASA), energy and the environment, farming and food and nutrition. There's tons of learning to explore and hopefully we can trust the government as a reliable source!
• The Kids Learning Stuff blog focuses on book reviews with some learning related articles about things such as IQ testing and giftedness. Sarah at the Kinda Learning Stuff blog writes about technology and it's impact on everyday life.
  
• Topscience.org has a bunch of free science activity sheets. I've used their Lentil Science and Electricity programs in homeschooling. They promote a fun and affordable way to do hands-on exploration and learn science and math using household stuff.
• Two more bloggers who write about learning stuff: Will at Work posts research based commentary on learning and Meredith Farkas is a librarian, writer and teacher who calls herself a tech geek and posts about the library profession and the tools used to serve patrons.
  

I thought I was in for writing a really long article here on all the wonderful things that come up when you search Google for learning stuff but this is all I found out of 3 pages of search results! Great, I can go off and get my breakfast and start homeschooling. It's like work got our early for today :-)

In association with Amazon.com, home of the Kindle. Sign up for Kindle alerts at the WiiAlerts site. This site has been used by people I know and I recommend it because it works!

Math With Marshmallows

Free Math Learning Links and Stuff

There are many wonderful websites with free math activities for you to use with your kids. Some of the links are also great if you need, or want, to brush up on, or advance, yourself in math, or maths (as it is called in the UK). All of the links below were sitting in my bookmarks folder - the result of many years of gathering resources for homeschooling. Masses of free math stuff, in no particular order:

• HomeschoolMath.net has a host of free worksheets, interactive tutorials and quizzes, curriculum guides, help on teaching, and links for online games. The site owner Maria also runs the Homeschool Math blog.
• Try Cool Math 4 Kids for a host of very colorful, free, interactive math games. Their companion Cool Math site has activities for the age 13 and up crowd.
  
• At Multiplication.com you can: download flashcards, worksheets and quizzes; find oodles of free resources for teaching the times tables; and find fun, free, colorful math games for kids.
• On the much less colorful front, download a variety of free online graph and grid papers. The variety of papers here is quite surprising - includes celtic knot paper, perspective paper, triangle paper, axonometric paper and tumbling block paper. I'm not sure what you do with all these, but I'm sure your kids will have some creative ideas!
• Personally I enjoy the patterns in mathematics. Boys are often fascinated by codes and ciphers and the accompanying spy stories. Here are some teaching resources for codes and ciphers, or visit Bletchley Park, the home of secret British codebreaking activities during World War II.
• Moving into more advance mathematical concepts, you can find a free online geometry textbook at Learner.org. Mathematics and art are very related. Learn about Fibonacci numbers and the golden section in art, music and architecture, or study geometry in art and architecture.
• Hippocampus has free Algebra courses.
• This Statistics site is not for the faint of heart - see the best and worst of statistical graphics. It's free and you just might learn something. What more could you want?
• Or maybe you'd prefer a little, light, free Calculus. Something new, or indepth and old is good for the brain cells :-)
  
• Last, but not least, Math Forum - dedicated to the teaching of mathematics.

I hope you find something of interest among these free math resources. Of course I do know of a few more links, which I will have to save for later.

Got a favorite free math resource link? Please let me know.

Find math stuff and homeschool math stuff at Amazon.com.
See the award winning Usborne Illustrated Dictionary of Math, multiplication wrap ups, learning palette 1st grade math manipulative center. Please ask if you need help or advice on something I've mentioned here.

Artist Girl on Homeschooling

I thought it would be fun to ask Artist Girl for her take on homeschooling. I made up some questions for her, which she has answered for us below. If you are curious, and have another question to ask of a homeschool teen, feel free to post it in the comments.

Q. What is the best thing about homeschooling?
A: I would have to say the ability to plan your own schedule, whatever works for you. Of course, sleeping in is nice too!

Q. How do you imagine your life would be different if you didn’t homeschool?
A: Definitely a lot more stressful. I also wouldn’t have as much time or energy for my hobbies, like art and pets.

Q. What would you say to a parent who is thinking of homeschooling, but is worried they can’t do it?
A: I think they should try it before they give up, even if it’s just for a few days during summer break. Believe it or not, I hated the idea of homeschooling when it was first suggested to me.

Q. What is the worst thing about homeschooling?
A: It’s harder to see your friends that are still in school.

Q. What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned this year?
A: I’m not sure I could answer that question, as I learn plenty interesting things every day. However, I really enjoy learning how chemistry affects our everyday lives on the atomic level.

Q. Do you think everyone should homeschool?
A: Some people aren’t home enough to homeschool, through no fault of theirs. I’m certain there are also kids that enjoy school. Homeschooling isn’t for everybody, although there are probably a great many people who would do better if they were homeschooled.

Q. Which subject do you enjoy the most?
A: I enjoy all my subjects in different ways; but if I have to pick favorites, currently I like Math, Japanese, and Biology. Not necessarily in that order.

Q. Do you think there is a limit to what can be done with homeschooling, or with what you can teach yourself? Is there anything you are missing out on by homeschooling?
A: Sometimes it’s hard to tell if I’m behind where I should be (to prepare for college). That’s why I rely on my parents to keep me on track.

Q. What is your favorite learning resource (software, book, textbook, video series, website etc)?
A: I am pleased with the methods I chose for learning my different subjects. I have to say though, the cake goes to Teaching Textbooks. I think I’ve come further in math with them this in-complete school year than all the rest of my life put together.

There you have it, a teen take on homeschooling. It's nice to have confirmation that the benefits of homeschooling are not just a fantasy of mine! Now, what is your kid's take on homeschooling?

Here's another homeschooled kid interview - a interview with a homeschooled 11 year old.

Grumpy Today

I'll admit it, I'm a little grumpy today. I don't consider my blog to be my favorite place to vent, but I'd like to know what you think. Maybe this does even have some relevance for homeschooling, at least my kids and I are certainly learning stuff here!

As the owner of a small business I need to find ways of getting out into my community and meeting new people who may be interested in working with me. If you are in sales one of the established ways of meeting new people is to do vendor events - fairs, festivals, bazaars and marts. Yet the more I do this the more I'm realizing that there are a bunch of folks out there who feed off the fees of small business owners like hungry sharks sneaking up and taking bites. The question is, is this reasonable, and if not what should small business owners do about it?

I'll give you an example. Last night I paid $85 ($60 table fee and $25 donation to a PTA auction) to attend an event which I was led to believe was established and had PTA support. I was quoted estimated sales of $500-1,200 per vendor for the previous year's event. I don't expect any kind of guarantee on my sales at an event like this, but I do expect the organizer to be responsible for generating traffic. Needless to say attendance at this event was far below what I'd been led to expect and there are plenty of clues to convince me that it wasn't a whole lot different the year before. My loss from this event turned out to be $63, and that's before I event count mileage or business overheads. Now the thing is that this event was a success for the organizer. There were 15 vendors there, which generated around $1,275 in fees for the PTA. I can't imagine that the PTA put out more than $275 in costs for photocopying and signage, therefore they made a nice little profit of around $1,000, meaning that for the organizer this was a success and they'll be happy to do it again next year, assuming they can find vendors.

No doubt I was not the only vendor who was disappointed with this event, but the thing is that there are a seemingly unlimited supply of small business owners, many of them in their first year of business, looking for events to do. Where's the incentive for an organizer to change their behavior when they can just go out and find a whole new set of businesses who will take part?

Well, the lessons my kids are learning from this may not be the ones I'd had in mind when I started up in business, but it's certainly learning. What do you think? Should a vendor expect a fee that is in line with the traffic for an event? Should organizers get away with raising funds at the expense of a different set of vendors each year? Is there something I should be doing to change this?

Start Here Obama - Abominable Math Textbook!

If the book I'm referring to has anything to do with it, no wonder America is far behind in producing engineers!

A couple of years back Handyman Hubby asked me to find a math textbook to provide an outline of what he should cover when tutoring one of our kids on math. He kinda needed the scope and sequence. One of my friends very kindly supplied a 5th grade math textbook she'd picked up at our local free textbook store. Now, don't get me wrong, a free textbook store is a wonderful idea. They probably even had a ton of math books to choose from - I don't know because I saved gas and didn't make the trip there.

Anyway, with said textbook in hand I began to read how to teach math to a 5th grader. Half a page into reading I had to stop and think. Here was a book that was teaching math using English. Something didn't seem quite right. Here's an extract from the first lesson: "There are billions and billions of stars in our galaxy. How big is one billion? Work with your partner to find out how many sheets of grid paper it would take to draw one billion stars." On that two page spread there are more words than there are numbers. Maybe it's not clear yet what I'm talking about.

Let's take a look at the inside of some math textbooks. Boy, are these hard to track down. I just spent over 30 minutes trying to find inside views of math textbooks from major American textbook publishers. McDougal Littell are kind enough to show some inside pages for the middle school math textbook. For comparison, you can take a look at some sample pages from from a UK math textbook publisher. Scroll down until you see Year 6 pages 49-53 or Year 6 page 21 and page 128. Personally I think the non-color approach is least distracting. However, maybe you'll get an idea what I'm talking about.

I don't know, maybe I lost you somewhere. It seems to me there is something fundamentally different between math teaching in America and what I experienced in Scotland. Is it any accident that Scotland has a tradition of producing good engineers while America is importing engineers from around the world? Maybe someone who actually knows about math can explain this for me!

BTW I'm proud to report that yesterday both my kids told me that they are enjoying math this year. I don't know if either will be an engineer, but at least they are using decent textbooks.

When Homeschool Starts There's No Time for Fun

Just kidding - there's always time for fun here! Sometimes people get curious and ask me how I homeschool. They're not usually that interested in the details of the materials we use - maybe it's more of a rhetorical question. The ones who do want to know what materials I'm using are other homeschoolers. Since our official homeschool hours for this year start tomorrow, here's a list of the stuff we're using. Sounds kind of eclectic and school at home. By philosophy I'm child-led. Go figure!

• Foreign language - Rosetta Stone supplemented with reading and writing exercises
  
• Social Studies - free online high school textbook on American Government (we also plan to cover the election process) supplemented with TV and additional research and reading
  
• Science - CyberEd online - high school biology for my daughter and middle school physical science for my son - purchased through homeschool buyers co-op
  
• Math - Teaching Textbooks Algebra for my daughter and a British textbook for my son
• Reading and Writing for my daughter - reading choices from the Blue Valley schools curriculum, Writing Strands and additional materials for writing with possibly an online tutored class in the second semester
  
• Reading for my son - free choice
• Writing for my son - no official writing, more language arts - we are using software from The Critical Thinking Company which covers things like word roots, punctuation, grammar, and quizzes that are similar to what you'd see in standardized tests

You'll notice an emphasis on computer based learning. That's what has been working best here.

What are you using, why, and did your children help you to pick it out?