Tag: crisis schooling

crisis schooling, Homeschooling

Free Math Workbooks!

thelearningmentor

Amazon has free Math Workbooks for ages 5-10. These are a great way to keep kids learning. Colorful and a variety of topics. Here’s the workbook for 5-6 https://amzn.to/2xIqGzK You will see links to other books on this page.

Many of these pages you will want to write on. I personally would do this in the following way:


1) a Kindle reader on my laptop

2) My Window laptop’s “Snip and Sketch” app. Once the page I want to cut is open, you push the Windows key + shift+ s. Then you drag to highlight what you want to copy. It could be one problem or the whole page. Screen shots work too!

3) Open Bitpaper.io and paste (Ctrl + V) the picture and then write on! Save it as a PDF to show mom. See my video on using Bitpaper. Super easy to learn. Hint: Do not use the erase function…it will erase the worksheet too. Use “z” or the undo button to undo the last mark instead. This can also be done in word.

NOTE: In just a few days, bitpaper will become a paid platform, but the free student account can create one free paper per month, with many tabs (over 30) and that can be erased/reset.

One advantage of Bitpaper is that you could have a grandparent or friend watching their work and commenting from across the country. If they are bored and you have to work from home…it’s win/win!

It’s not to complicated for seniors! Have them call on a phone and then at the same time, get on their e-mail and click the link you send them that opens up a webpage. They might need to login, but I don’t think so. They can just watch if that’s all they know how to do, or they can write on the paper too with a bit of tech skill.

oliTo my American grammar police friends: I learned today that “practise” is the British English word used as a verb, while they use “practice” as a noun. Also, “Maths” is appropriate in England as well. There may be other differences in the book as well, but for the most part, math is math (or maybe “maths” is “maths”!)

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links (through Amazon) and if you go through them to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something and if you buy it there is up to you.

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Organizing Weekly School Work

thelearningmentor

I’d like to share my newest freebie: a weekly schedule planner! It’s designed to be filled out in two colors. One is due dates. The other is planned work time. Some classes have all the work due at the end of the week, so students need to plan daily time to work on assignments. Fill in the boxes at the top with your color system and then fill in assignments! Cross off each box as it’s completed.

There are places for 8 classes plus chores and personal goal. Download here:

learning-mentor-school-work-planner-2Download

Want to say thanks? Come back and let me hear, or even better see, how you use this tool! Share in the comments or on my Facebook page.

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Minimalist Education at Home

thelearningmentor

So your child is learning at home (either crisis schooling or homeschooling or doing summer learning) and you know you aren’t going to be able to accomplish much, but you want to feel like you hit the educational basics and make sure your kids don’t backslide. Here’s how to hit the 4 essentials in as little as an hour and some resources to make it easy:

1) MATH

Practice Math Facts. Here’s a site you can do that easily (and for free): https://www.factmonster.com/math/flashcards And here’s the log I created so you and your child can see his or her progress (free to download): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fact-Monster-Math-Fact-Practice-Log-5373801 Remember, seeing progress is great motivation! Facts should be practiced if they are not automatic, which means even high schoolers may need practice!

Bonus: Practice 10 math problems on https://www.ixl.com/ (10 problems free in each subject/day).

2) READ

Pick up a book and read from 20 min to 1 hour (depending on child’s age and attention span). Too hard? Listen to a book on audible, free as long as schools are closed: stories.audible.com Studies show listening to stories light up all the same parts of the brain as reading them.

3) WRITE

Write in a journal. It can be a story, a list of goals, or a diary entry. Younger kids can write letters or draw or doodle. I suggest setting a timer for 15 minutes and requiring only moving the pen or pencil for that length of time with no checking on what they wrote unless they ask you to look. Tell your kids that you have never lived through this before and they may never live through it again, so a diary might be something to pass down to future generations who will ask what it was like.

Or make a mini book each day. Here’s how to easily make a mini book with only one sheet of paper and a pair of scissors: www.youtube.com/watch?v=21qi9ZcQVto

4) MOVE

Send your kids to play outside or go for a walk or have them dance to music, a video game, or a Tic Tok dance (not recommended for young kids independently).

**STOP HERE and congratulate yourself! You have hit all the basics!**

BONUS ROUND:

Learn something…Do an internet search on a insect seen outside, pick up an Usborne-type non-fiction book, watch an instructional video, or watch an episode of Magic School Bus or a TV show in a foreign language. See my previous post for LOTS more ideas.