Math Fun With Affordable Math Manipulatives

September 10, 2016 by

How do we make Math fun in Camp Espino? We play!

Among the academic subjects we study here in Camp Espino, Math along with Araling Panlipunan is the most challenging one.  My two little ones’ love for Math is indirectly proportional to their love for Reading and Science.  This is why one of our major academic goals this year is for them to learn to appreciate and to love the beauty of numbers. 🙂

One way we’re doing this is by making them realize that Math is part of our everyday life.  At home, they measure ingredients when we bake or cook.  They learn the concept of division when they share toys or candies. When we go out to eat or to buy groceries and other stuff, I ask them to place their orders or to pay for their purchases. This makes Math “real” to them.

Another way we’re trying (trying is the operative word here!) to make learning Math more fun is by using manipulatives during our study time.

Our Math Manipulatives

Before we started homeschooling, I bought the Gigo Linking Base Ten set from Learning Plus.  It’s a great tool for helping kids learn place values and other basic Math skills.

photo PhotoGrid_1466945746831_1.jpg

This has been very useful during the first part of our lessons this quarter but as we progressed, I realized we needed other manipulatives when dealing with bigger numbers.  Since, I can’t afford to shell out thousands more for a Place Value Discs set, I opted to improvise using poker chips and stickers!

photo PhotoGrid_1469310515375.jpg

I bought a set of poker chips from NBS and wrote the values on them using permanent marker.  The chips set only had three colors I covered the others with pre-cut round stickers which is also available in bookstores.  This entire set just cost a little over a hundred pesos!  We’ve been using these chips for our lessons in addition and subtraction.  We’d most likely need to add another set of chips when we start studying multiplication.

For their Math bonds practice, I got some inspiration from the Fact Family Blast Off game. I printed templates on regular bond paper then inserted these into card cases.  Now we’ve got an easy wipe-erase activity board!

photo PhotoGrid_1469311186439.jpg

photo PhotoGrid_1468153351178_1.jpg

Aside from these, we also use their Legos and other building blocks to study Math.  Since my son is highly kinesthetic, we incorporated some games into our learning.

Games Make Learning Fun!!!

For one of our games, I just wrote different activities to do on strips of cardboard.  The activities are a mix of lessons from different subjects including PE and Music.  We call this game “Ready, Get, Do!”

photo PhotoGrid_1469310841368.jpg

Math – kids have to finish one Blast Off card, skip count, or do Math operations; PE – kids have to do a locomotor/non-locomotor activity; Music – kids have to name notes on the staff or play them on the keyboard; English – make a short poem about the word; Filipino – think of a rhyming word and make a two-line poem. 

When I attended Milona Barraca‘s workshop on How To Make Learning Math Fun At Home at the Learning Plus last June, I learned that even something as ordinary as playing cards can be used to make learning Math fun.  I taught the kids how to play “Go Fish! The Tens Edition” to help them master their 10-bonds.  🙂  They don’t even realize that they’re actually learning while playing!

(playing cards with kids)

Instead of making the usual pairs, the kids have to make pairs of tens. No one loses in this game!

Do the kids love Math already? I wish!!!!

Oh well, it may be far from being their favorite subject but at least they’re having fun learning it!

How about you? What Math manipulatives do you use at home? Would appreciate your sharing your ideas with me so we could try them out in Camp Espino. 🙂

Filed Under: Busy Bees, Homeschooling, Kids At Work, PLAYhouse preSCHOOL

Acquiring Materials to Help Students Learn Better

March 10, 2016 by

Math is a subject with which many students struggle. They fail to understand material that they must know in order to move onto the next grade level. When you want to help students learn complex math lessons better, you may use a variety of resources like base ten blocks worksheets and other materials that outline the subject and also show various ways to working out the math problems. You can order these teaching supplies and other educational resources online.

In-Depth Explanations of Mathematical Theories

As a skilled tutor, you may find it difficult to reach students who have an obsessive fear of math. The traditional methods of teaching that instructors use in public schools fail to produce the results that students need to succeed on tests. Rather than utilize those same methods, you may find it more helpful to use materials that you can buy online. These resources may show a different way to work math problems and also walk students through the problem solving process step by step until they catch onto the concepts.

The books for sale online are illustrated so that students have the visual cues they need to understand complex math topics. Many students, even those in college, are visual learners. They need illustrations to refer to when learning multiplication, factoring, and other theories in math.

By seeing the pictures in the book, students can associate abstract terminology and solving mechanisms with illustrations that show them step by step how to solve a math problem. These visual clues also can help them learn the concepts that they need to pass standardized tests and to be promoted into the next grade level.

The book also comes with worksheets that you can copy and provide for your pupils. The worksheets give them extra practice mastering skills they need to learn as required by the state.

Other Subject Matters

Along with math, students often struggle when it comes to learning science as well. The site offers teaching resources for science subjects like zoology.

You can also order three-dimensional visual aids designed for hands-on learning. These visual aids come at prices that any teacher or tutor should find affordable.

Students sometimes struggle to learn complex subjects like math and science. They learn faster with illustrations and visual cues. You can buy teaching materials that provide a new way of learning when you shop online.

Filed Under: PLAYhouse preSCHOOL, Resources

Gelatin Art: Treats That Wiggle And Jiggle

December 7, 2015 by

When you’re looking for something to do with your children at home, you might be tempted to use construction paper, markers and other supplies to make crafts. You can also create gelatin art and other items using the colored powder. One of the things about using gelatin is that it often leaves a delightful smell if you use scented varieties, such as grape or strawberry. The gelatin that is used is the same that you would find in a store when you want to make Jello-O in a bowl or in molds.

Using colored gelatin and condensed milk, you can create cubes that look like broken glass. Make each color that you want to use, and cut the finished product into small pieces that are then added to the condensed milk. When the mixture has set up, you can create blocks that look like they have broken pieces of glass inside.

Another fun idea for children is to create a fish bowl. This is easy to do with blue gelatin and a few colored gummy fish. Make the blue Jell-O first, putting the liquid in a fish bowl before it sets. Add the fish before the mix has completely stiffened. Items that you can add on top are Nerds candies to look like rocks or gum drops to looks like decorations at the bottom of the bowl.

A parfait is an idea for a warm day. Layer various colors of gelatin with softened cream cheese for a beautiful and delicious treat. You can always pour the mixture into molds to create fun shapes. Jelly pops can be made by pouring layers of gelatin into a cup before placing them in the freezer. This helps to get the Jell-O hard so that it can be held by a stick.

There are a few crafts that you can make that aren’t edible. Draw a picture on a piece of sturdy paper. Instead of coloring with crayons or markers, use different colors of gelatin with a Q-Tip. When you are finished, the picture will have bright colors and the smell of the powders that you use.

Image from https://www.cakeconnection.com/gelatin-art/

Image from https://www.cakeconnection.com/gelatin-art/

Filed Under: Arts & Crafts, Busy Bees, Kids At Work, PLAYhouse preSCHOOL Tagged With:

Teen Scene: Advanced Printing Projects for Fun and Learning

November 12, 2015 by

Craft projects are a fun and easy way to keep children entertained during the school holidays. Younger children are easily pleased with simple craft projects such as card making or playdough, but older kids and teenagers require something a little more challenging. Getting older children interested in crafts is a worthwhile endeavour as they can create useful items for the home or beautiful keepsakes that the whole family can enjoy. The following projects are ideal for teenagers and require little more than a digital printer, photo paper and some creativity. Although some people prefer to use a professional digital printing company (you can simply search “digital printers near me” to find one), doing these projects at home is a way to get the family together. It’s really amazing to see what teenagers can do sometimes in terms of using the creative side of their minds.

Calendar

A personalized calendar is a fantastic project for an older child as it gives them the opportunity to try out their photography skills at the same time. Start by asking your teenager to take 12 photographs to use for your calendar or you can choose images online. Most word programs offer a free calendar template or you can use an online calendar creator. Once you have formatted your calendar, you can print it out using a digital photo printer. For a more professional result, use high quality ink cartridges such as those available from Stinky Ink.

Board Games

Board games are a fun pastime for all ages, and creating them at home allows you to really use your imagination. You can download board game templates online complete with illustrations and game rules and print them out at home. If you are feeling really adventurous, then you can have a go at creating one from scratch and include trivia questions that are related to a subject your teenager is interested in.

Books

Making your own book may sound like a huge task, but you do not need to print an entire novel. Ask members of your family to write short stories, poems, songs or even add drawings and illustrations. You can ask your teenager to organize all the material together in a scrapbook and print out any corresponding photographs or images to make your book even more special. If your relatives would like to send you their write-ups online, compile them into a word document, Convert doc files on Soda PDF or similar software, and get it printed into a personalized novel!

Wood Print

Printing an image onto wood is a wonderful way to display your most treasured photographs and would make an ideal gift for friends and family. Start by selecting a clear photograph that does not have too much clutter in the background or shadows. Trim a piece of baking paper to A4 size and load it into your printer so that the image prints on the shiny side. Print your photo onto the baking paper, and then immediately press the paper onto the wood with the image facing down. Slowly peel off the paper, taking care not to smudge the ink. Protect your image from fading with a spray of clear sealer.

Getting your children interested in crafts from an early age is a great way to help them save money and express their creativity. Digital photo printers are a great tool for those wishing to create personalised gifts, and you can purchase them relatively cheaply if you are prepared to shop around online. If you weren’t so successful at getting them into arts and crafts, you may want to visit pixaprints to get all of your personalised gifts.

###

This article was written by John Sollars. He is a business owner of many years. When he gets the time, he likes to sit down and share what has worked for him. Look for his informative posts on a number of websites and blogs today.

Filed Under: Arts & Crafts, Busy Bees, Kids At Work

Raising Game Changers with iACADEMY

October 19, 2015 by

I am envious! So very green with envy.  I envy the youth of today whose lives are made more convenient with all the advances in technology.  I envy them for the vast opportunities they have to make their lives better.  What triggered this feeling?  A tour and an orientation of a school which I found sooooo amazing.  It made me want to wish that I were born several years later.

So, what’s the school that made me want to wish I were a teenager again?  iACADEMY!

iAcademy Logo

Aside from being the official partner school of Project Runway Philippines, here are the reasons why iACADEMY has me yearning to go back to the future.  These are also what sets them apart from other institutions:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Press Release, Resources Tagged With: ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »