Quick Review for Summer Grades 1-5

Here is another binder with a great list of websites for your kids to check out if you want them to do a little summer review. This binder has really helpful links on spelling, math and writing. It even has a great article on how math should be taught like art, which I find useful when I talk to my kids about math assignments. What works for me is that my kids work on one tab at a time and one worksheet at a time. So for math, the kids print out one worksheet and tackle a problem on the white board. Then we work on 10 spelling words using some of the spelling tips that we learned from another spelling binder. Finally, we set up a blog at hellokids.com so the kids could practice their writing and spelling. This binder has links to recommended kid blog sites as well.

Feel free to check out the sites by clicking on the livebinder link below:

Grades 1-5 Summer Review

Homeschooling Resources

For all of the home schooling parents out there, this binder is a pretty good resource on material and supplies that are related to the home school community.

If you are looking for community groups, recommendations for curriculum text books and other related material, this is the binder for you.

Feel free to drag the livebinder URL to your desktop so you can quickly access your livebinder for future reference.

Click on the link below:

Homeschool Resources

2nd grade math word problems

I've put together a 2nd grade math word problem binder as an 'easy' review for my 3rd going to 4th grader. These word problems are a great way to have your kids use their creative problem solving skills with math. For those of you who are looking to find some easy and printable math word problems this is a great collection of free websites with word problems specifically for 2nd graders.

2nd grade math word problems

http://livebinders.com/play/play?id=1823

Summer Math Review for Middle School Students

I put together some summer review binders for lower school children, but I've also got a kid entering middle school. So I put together a binder on middle school math word problems and other math worksheets that my daughter can use over the summer. It also includes a great article about how math should be taught like it is art rather than as something to be memorized and dreaded. It was inspiring to read.

If you have a middle school student who wants or needs to brush up on their math skills before September this is a great collection of worksheets to start with. You can put the binder icon on their desktop at home and have them open the binder to the website they want to work on. They don't have to worry about getting lost in a google search or having to type in an address.

Middle school summer math review

http://livebinders.com/play/play?id=1824

Making the Switch to Green, Homemade, Cleaning Products

I made the switch to green cleaning products a month ago and I have to say I am really pleased with the results. I never thought white distilled vinegar could be so useful as a cleaning agent and safe! I have granite counter tops and I've been using Windex or a granite sealer/cleaner. Both are toxic products. When I tried the vinegar and water solution I was amazed at how clean my counter tops were. There was not the usual film on top that I have to keep rubbing to get off. The counter tops were clean and shiny.

If you are interested in trying home made cleaning products that are safe for your family and affordable, check out the great collection of websites that I found that talk about all the different ways in which you can clean your home.

Just click on the binder link below.

Green cleaning products

http://livebinders.com/play/play?id=1834

Helping Kids wtih Homesickness

We weren't very prepared when my daughter went on a 2 week trip with her class to France. Since she went with her classmates and friends, I figured it would be alright, but she has been experiencing homesickness. If you've ever tried to navigate a child's emotional terrain by email, chat or phone you know it isn't easy. You as a parent have to remain calm and positive, while your child is showing extreme signs of weakness. Then you want to collapse from exhaustion.

I went online to search for anything that would help with her homesickness. I found some great articles and tips about what to do. The key is to help your kids feel in control and empowered so that they can walk away from this experience with confidence and the feeling of success. The hugs when you see them again will be that much warmer, too!

You can view these articles in the livebinder below:

Helping your kids cope with Fear

Lower School Summer Review

Only two weeks left of school for us, but summer might have already started for some of you. I just collected a great list of websites that offer summer fun actitivities for the kids - along with free summer review projects for spelling, math and writing. All of the websites focus on kids from 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. With this range you can cater the projects to your child's skill level.

Click on the link below to launch the livebinder.

Grades 1-5 Summer Review