Are Fractions Fun?

Umm...are fractions fun? Well for me personally they were not hard in anyway but I don't know if I ever considered  them fun! But math was the one subject I never had any problems understanding, because you do the formula correctly then your answer always comes out right. Now English on the other hand was the one subject that I would run the other way! ((shutter))I mean really capitalization, quotation marks, spelling not to mention the poetry that never made any sense to me being important, and who really uses that knowledge now anyway. LOL ~ Yes I wish that I had listened better in school when it came to everything English!  Oh well, I am learning it now with the boys! 

Now back to the fraction talk! I talk a lot about my oldest when it comes to fractions because well... he had a lot of trouble with them. Fraction lessons to him were like going to the dentist when you don't brush and floss! Something that had to be done but it was ever so painful! Online math games and just typing "fraction fun for kids" into Google I found several sites that offered free fraction math games. Some were fun while others even bored me to tears, that's why I would go through the sites with him for the first time. Ya know, just to make sure that they were going to actually help him and not damage the ever so fragile fraction relationship that we had nurtured up until that point. We also use Time4Learning.com for a great supplement curriculum which has wonderful animated fraction lessons, which are great for my visual learner.

Some other "hands on" fraction activities that we did for him was cooking. I know pretty simple its right there just find the right measuring cup or spoon. But if you want to half the recipe or make 3 times the amount you have a mini fraction lesson right there. Fractions in this form were easy for him to figure out and who doesn't like a math lesson that ends in chocolate chip cookies?! So that's my take on fractions and how it worked for us, now how about sharing some ideas that helped you??

Kitchen Section 2 COMPLETE;)

This is what I started with, but I didn't get a picture of the two additional drawers under the stove before I started. Notice the stock cabinet that doesn't match the other cabinets and the toe kick/corner round that doesn't even go in front of the cabinet. I assume that there was a trash compactor at some point, due to the fact that there was an electrical outlet behind the cabinet. I capped it before reinstalling the new shelf cabinet. Even thought you can't see the stain or lack there of, just take my word for it they looked terrible!

Finished section;) Well I know what I think but what about you? I replaced the toe kick around all the cabinets that I had finished and extended the corner round to include my revamped cabinet. Added some baskets on clearance from Pier One and Bobs your uncle another section complete. How I made the shelf from the existing cabinet was I carefully snipped the staple on each side of the inside of the frame. Then used a Japanese saw (for fine cuts or thin spaces) to cut the dowel from each side. The cabinet already had the holes for adjustable shelving so I got some heavy duty shelf holders to help hold my new shelf. (which I made out of 3/4" plywood with an oak veneer)

 Now here is the coolest gadget that I bought to help hold my cabinet doors while I stained them. The wooden dowels that are included lift the door or drawer off your surface so that you don't get any of that dripping on the under side on the door. BUT if you use too much stain you will still get drips! (just check before you walk away that you wipe them up for a professional look) I bought mine from the link below, probably could have gotten them cheaper somewhere else. (maybe?) Check out the link below to see more info about these . (I don't get paid for sending you to this site, just trying to share what worked for me;)

http://woodworker.com/wolf-bench-paws-mssu-157-877.asp?search=wolf&searchmode=2

 

 

If you have any questions on how I did something OR what I used just comment below or shoot me an email;) The only way to learn is to ask and maybe just maybe you won't make the same mistakes that I DID! OH yea and if you have helpful hints please let me know that too! 

Have a wonderful day!

Super Powers Activate!

Want to hear a loaded question? Well this is one I hear a lot when we go out and people find out that I homeschool my boys. They are usually talking to me about something that their child is doing in public school and I try to act interested really I do ( as my eyes glaze over, like when my teenager talks about video games!).  I was there once and it didn't work for my family but more power to anyone who thinks its right for their family. Of course, that's usually not the case! BUT once they find out that I have turned to the dark side and GASP pulled my boys out of public school they always say/ask " I wouldn't know how to homeschool my kids in all those subjects. Aren't you afraid that they won't learn anything? I mean it's not like you are a qualified teacher or anything, are you?" OK here is where I use my SUPER HOMESCHOOL MOM POWERS and resist to the urge to reach down their pretty throats and rip out their tongue out, there I feel better now! too much? Yes, I have issues, I know, I know -but this was said to me last year at our neighborhood swim team practice and it haunts me to this day. This is where I calmly say" Well.... I do feel like I am qualified to do what is best for my boys, and they were not getting the education in public school that I can give them at home. And furthermore, ( stepping on my soap box here and no I didn't say furthermore but its what I would have said if I would have thought of it at the time!) I have a great support group both online and locally that can help me anytime I need it!" (So take that!)" Most of the time, this allows them to walk away in the cloud of shame that I just put them under or they come back with "Oh well, I couldn't do it anyways, I couldn't stand to be around my kids that much!" Sad huh?

Every once in a while, I get someone who was listening in come up to me later and confess that they are thinking of homeschooling too. Imagine that! Then the questions start, like, "Where do you start?" I have a bookmarked online guide( for those new to homeschooling or thinking about it)  that I send them, for just this occasion that gives them a jumping off point. For the rest of the time, they usually ask all kinds of questions, like what do you do for spelling lists, or what is the best way to teach science at home? That's when I usually tell them everything that I do right down the the breaks and outside the home classes we take. Also saying in the same long winded breathe that this is what works for my family but it might not work for yours. It is trail and error to find what can make your kids love to learn again, and the rest of it will come.  Whether they take the next amazing step or not, I usually have another person to call a friend. Homeschooling to me (most days anyways) is the precious time I get with my boys while they are young. Learning or re-learning (for me) History, science, Math and even English ( by far my worst subject in school) with them has made my life fuller (and busier too) but I won't change it for a million bucks.

SO am I crazier than the Mad Hatter? Maybe, I am not telling, you have to decide that one for yourself!

Worksheets or Online Games- What works best for you?

How do you help your child get a new concept? Do you bang your head into the wall until you just think that they understand? (tried it- doesn’t really help) I have two boys with two very different styles of learning. One has a difficult time with new concepts, fractions and spelling. The other is gung-ho about learning anything new, he devours anything that I put in front of him! So my need for extra work for both of them is one that I find myself searching for every morning. My youngest always seems to need help with handwriting, it’s terrible! So for him I have found some nice handwriting worksheets, that he can work on while I am working with his brother. I also have several sites that I go to for any and all the homeschool printables you could ever want or need. I do try and mix things up with my youngest so that he has just the right amount of work and activities to do through out the day.

Now for the oldest, I am always torn between what is age appropriate and what he needs to learn. We have struggled with fractions forever, it seems like, I mean he gets the concept of how to do the different functions involving fractions. And quite honestly does well when working with them right after an example is given. BUT when he goes to actually do word problems for instance, he totally blanks out how to add or multiply to get the answers needed. Finding the right homeschool printable worksheets for him to practice on, is sometimes difficult, he can always find a way around writing out how he got his answers. (and I know I hid the answer key!) This doesn’t present a problem until he gets something wrong, then I have him go to the dry erase board and work it out in front of  me (so I can see where he went wrong- or at least I hope that i can figure that point out!)

So tell me what do you use to help with re-enforcing new concepts? Is it a mix of online games and work sheets or do you refer to the second sentence of this post?

Kitchen Cabinets Project Section 1

Wow finally finished with completely stripping ,sanding, staining and sealing the first section of my kitchen cabinets. Boy does that feel good to say! I can't tell you how many projects I have done over the years but this has to be one of the ones that I dreaded starting the most. One because after doing the same treatment to our bathroom cabinets about a year ago, I said "Never again!". Fast forward to last month when I was soooo tired of looking at the cabinets in their current condition and decided "well its too cold to go outside and do too much so lets get this party started!" Hearing the sigh from the other room,( DH chiming in here) I took the doors and drawers out and started working on getting off years of grime and old stain/polythene (well what was left of it!) I tried to find a stripper that worked but didn't stink up the place and give us all headaches. An orange wood stripper is what I found through some online research and asking at the local hardware store. ( I will put up the link in the bottom of this post so you can see everything that I used, so you will know when you go out to get it)

Well I used the stripper and it work good, but I found that for the doors and drawers it was just easier to take them outside and sand them (with my palm orbiter sander). Definitely going to continue to use the stripper inside on the cabinet bases, because it is just less of a mess than sanding. Then doing the drawers and doors outside, just a good system for me.

Now for the pics;) ok so bear with me the pics are not the best but you get the idea. What I didn't get was just how bad the finish was and I did try a different darker stain before that I had to re-sand/strip off again.Finally happy with the results and the pics do not do it justice.

This is the Before Picture~ Notice the lighter color and the vinyl mismatched paper on the island.

Section 1~ finished complete with bronze hardware

Section 1~ Made a new end panel(other was contact paper) bronze hardware

Section 1- best picture I could get of what the finished product looked like

Great stripper for indoor use- hardly any smell, just a light orange smell. It is cheaper on Amazon but shipping could push it to the same price as locally bought ($19.95 is what I paid locally)

Trying for some PE

Well we have decided that the boys need some extra physical activities planned so what's a mom to do? Why throw her youngest into rock climbing of course! A little back ground here, my youngest DS doesn't really like heights sooo this class doesn't quite make sense to me either. BUT it is something free that he could try at the gym we just joined so why not right? I let him make the choice (or at least he thought he did;) so he just climbed his little heart out for an hour or so and by the end he said what every mother wants to hear " I am tired".  Wanna see some pics well when he gets older he is gonna kill me for putting these up but at least one will make you smile I promise!

Being silly

First attempt

With a little help

YEAH after a hour!

 Not bad for only an hour, huh? He did a great job and I am so proud of him for giving this class a shot. So his verdict was.... he liked  it, he really liked it and even says he wants to go back. Bonus for mom!

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling

For anyone thinking of homeschooling, you must weigh the pros and cons of homeschooling for your family needs and lifestyle. No one call tell you to homeschool or that you can't homeschool, if they do kindly tell them to mind their own business! I have heard a lot of stories moms (usually~ sorry dads) being the only one who wants to homeschool their child. It is usually from trouble that their child is experiencing in school whether its being bullied, struggling to keep up or being totally bored. For anyone who has made it to the step of considering homeschooling, you should write a list of the pros and cons for yourself and any doubters that are in your life! For my family, it was because after moving around so much and thinking that we were in a great school district.Where we could stay until the end of time, then getting redistricted to a school (after checking it out of course) that would have swallowed my boys up whole with fights, where a police present was required and basically being so over crowd I would feel claustrophobic myself!  For me that was the end to "regular" school for my boys, BUT I was very lucky my husband was on board (well after a couple of "Are you serious?"). Since we had moved around from state to state since my oldest was 2, I didn't feel the need to "get" approval from our families. They didn't sound to worried, I guess because we had done everything on our own for so long they had faith in me/us. ( I am not going to lie about that, I didn't need any approval but I liked the fact that they thought that I could do it!) They did worry about socialization or where I would be able to get all the homeschool resources that I would need. However, I assured them that I had already looked into that and my boys would not suffer in anything ever again!

Feeling pretty good about my decisions still today, in the first years I posted everything on Facebook (mainly for family) so they could see the experiences that the boys were getting being homeschooled. Even now I find myself posting things here and there more as a record for our family. I am not going to lie there are days where I feel like I am doing everything wrong but my youngest can always bring me back by asking to play with him or read  him a story. My homeschooling story is one that is filled with wonderful memories of my boys growing up with me and my husband, being a closer family than I would ever believed possible.