Week 18 – Done

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And that’s a wrap – Semester One has come and gone. We have learned so much through it all. The biggest change from last year was that we dropped violin lessons and orchestra. The kids did not feel they wanted to practice anymore than they usually did. Therefore, we did not see much progress. Why bother? Besides, orchestra would have put us back home at 10pm every Monday – not exactly ideal.

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls I make from scratch – the bread machine makes the dough, so I don’t have to work that hard.

One other big change: both children take Saxon math and we love it. We have even discovered that we can work through two lessons per day. This helps with making up for co-op days or hiking days. Continue reading »


Weeks 9 and 10 – Done

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Somewhere along September and October, I lost track of time. My blog lagged behind but, you know, we still homeschooled. The biggest change for us as far as school was that we switched math curricula for 8th grade. My daughter was finishing up Math Mammoth 7B this semester when I realized we were just going in circles.

Black bear on patio

One of the black bears who venture onto our patio

She needed more pre-algebra concepts but Math Mammoth 7B was starting her on Statistics and Probability. Those are great topics, but not what my daughter needed. We bought Saxon Math 8/7 and liked it a lot. It gives her step-by-step more pre-algebra practice and we can advance quite fast. Continue reading »


Math Options – Facebook Live

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After our camping trip, I found I had no time for the weekly Facebook Live event. Sorry I missed my weekly rendez-vous live with you all last week. So this week I spent over 20 minutes talking live. The topic? Math options.

Math Mammoth

Our favorite math curriculum, Math Mammoth.

Love it or hate it, math is essential. I happen to love it. My kids like math. Like reading, the more you do it, the more you love it. Continue reading »


“Math Island” – Book Review

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Math Island is a book written by John Koller and Gillian Singler for children of all ages. It helps if they are past third grade though, in my opinion. That way, they get more of the math content. The book has two main characters, Lily and Tad, who are siblings. A host of supporting characters joins them from chapter to chapter.

Reading Math Island

Our son reading “Math Island”

Together, Lily and Tad discover – by chance – that they can travel to a magical location called Math Island. A crab named Carl functions as their guide, while other animals also help explain math concepts to the visitors. Continue reading »