Shameless Plug

Ok if I've said it once, I've said it a dozen times. Investing $35/year for a membership to Starfall is a wise choice for any mom who has toddlers, preschoolers, K-2nd graders, or even older children who may struggle with reading or math skills.

Toddlers who are capable of using a mouse can learn colors, shapes, the alphabet, simple addition and subtraction, and more.  Samuel (3yrs) loves the interactive games and songs that this site offers. Since Samuel already knows his colors and shapes, he has moved on to the alphabet, letter sounds, and math skills. I am impressed with the amount of games the membership offers for everything from patterns to puzzles, from addition and subtraction, to multiplication and division and so much more. Just yesterday my son was playing a matching game that was teaching him multiplication! His favorite ditty was "8x5 is 40... I am feeling sporty." It's never too early to begin teaching children to love math and reading, and Starfall is a great tool to do just that!

Yes, they have some great FREE resources, but the membership gives you full access to their entire site and to my favorite: The Teacher's Lounge. The Teacher's Lounge is only accessible with the membership and it offers you Reading & Language Arts generators, and Math generators to create printables for your child. I use these for both Samuel and Savanna. It also offers projectibles and a kindergarten teaching guide. Each generator has pre-made worksheets for up to 13wks and also have an option for you to fill in your own words.

The Reading & Language Arts generators offer:

Letter Formation

• ABC Rhymes
• Letter Searches
• Pictures Sounds
• Find the Letter
• Writing Practice
• Multi-Letter Practice

Blending Practice

• Word Families
• Puzzle Searches

High Frequency Word Practice

• Word Shapes
• Writing Practice
• Color by Words
• Word Searches

Vocabulary Cards
Word Cards
ABC Cards
Number Cards
Picture Cards
Graphing
Blank Writing Pages

The Math generators offer:

• Calendar Practice (which includes number tracing)
• Numbers
• Counting

Projectables including:

• Writing Rubric
• Animal Kingdom Posters
• Historical Figures
• Decodable Books
• 64-page printable curriculum book for Listening & Writing
• 64-page printable curriculum book for Reading & Writing

Kindergarten Teacher's Guide

So again, I give this shameless plug for Starfall and highly recommend it to all homeschooling families with early learners! A $35/yr membership is definitely homeschooling on a dime!

Bye for now,
Kristina

Fun with Phonics

My 5 year old is learning to read (fun, fun, fun...and a little frustrating) and we have been using a combination of online tools, phonics worksheets, books, and flashcards. Here's some of the resources we have used:

Starfall has some GREAT phonics games and books for free and they also have a $35/yr membership that is really worth the price. They have printables as well that are really helpful. Savanna likes to print the booklets and put them together.

Phonics Word Graphing- These graphing activities combine reading, math, and thinking skills and Savanna really enjoys it!  

Phonics Graph -an
Phonics Graph -et
Phonics Graph -ig
Phonics Graph -at








Color by Phonics - This is a fun way to learn phonics words! Savanna loves to color and it combines her passion with learning. I made these and it's so simple, anyone can do it. Even if you're not handy with a computer, you can take your child's favorite coloring book characters and write the words in on your own. If she likes Hello Kitty, use Hello Kitty! If he likes The Avengers, use The Avengers! Make it something they will enjoy (just don't forget to give her a color key).

Color by Phonics- Butterfly
Color by Phonics- Beach
Color by Phonics- Safari







  
Phonics Word Search - These are just fun little word searches that you can use to help your child not only practice phonics but also sharpen her problem solving skills.

• Phonics Word Search- at, -an
• Phonics Word Search- et, ig

Phonics Hidden Messages- This was a little difficult for Savanna to grasp at first but these can be a very neat resource and can be increased in the level of difficulty as your child matures.

• Set 1
• Set 2
• Set 3

Flashcards- Flashcards are a must!! Repitition is key :) I took blank business cards and wrote on them the phonics words my daughter is currently learning. We go through them daily and we also make a game of it. We plan "Seek & Find" with her words and she loves it. Place the cards in 3x3 rows. Call out a random word on the cards and encourage her to find it. Once she finds it, she keeps the card and replace it with a new one. Keep going until she has all the cards in her possession. Fun :)

(We have since added MANY more words!)

Well, I have more resources but I'm tired right now. More later :)


Bye for now,
Kristina

Let's Get this Party Started!

As a newbie to homeschooling, I was a little overwhelmed at trying to figure out what to teach, how to get materials, what things would be required of my children (and for that matter, required of me), and how to go about getting started. I've done some research and after seeing the curriculum out there I've decided that homeschooling does not have to be something that breaks the bank! I've started creating some of my own materials to use in teaching my daughter, Savanna (5), and my son Samuel (3). Not that I won't use store bought curriculum at some point, but for now I think there's plenty of things I can do on a dime that will work just as well!

So with that, I will be posting my ideas and include instructions, PDF's, Word Docs, and pictures as often as possible. I hope you find them useful and I'd love any feedback or resources you have to offer. I'm looking forward to this homeschooling journey with my children and I am so thankful to the Lord for giving me this wonderful opportunity to teach them.

Bye for now,

Kristina