2.06.2015

How I Plan Homeschool Days with LifePacs

I have found a successful planning technique and because it is working so well for us, I thought I'd share it with you. I am a planner (I'm working on a post for that, too) and I like old school paper-style planning. I love pens and paper, so this is best for me.
Nikolas uses LifePacs from Alpha Omega Publishing for second grade. I don't have him do a set amount of pages per day or week. I look at the pages and plan it out by they day, some days are heavier in language arts, some in history... But it is usually about the same amount of time it takes every other day. When he finished a LifePac and does well on the test, I let him skip that subject the next day.


This is the way I was doing it and it was working out really well. I just wrote out each day's work on a sticky note and he'd cross it off when he finished it. This was a 4-day week. I just wrote the page numbers next to the subject, easy. I kept these in his notebook where his handwriting practice also is.













This is how we started planning. Instead of sticky notes that just get thrown away, this is more of a record as well. I list out each subject just like before and he crosses them off as he finishes them. I make notes at the bottom for the book he needs to read for the week.
The book is a super cheapy composition notebook, that I already had. So there was zero investment. LOVE IT.
Alpha Omega Publishing
LifePacs
These links are for reference only.


2.04.2015

Our TOP TEN Fun and Educational Apps for Android


These are in no particular order.
1. Minecraft may seem like a fun game but my kids have learned so much about building and working together (on wi-fi they can connect to each other's games). [Minecraft is -hands down- my boys favorite game on any platform.]
2. Stack the States is amazing for US geography. My second grader knows every state, most of the capitals and its location because of this app!
3. Stack the Countries is more challenging that Stack the States but both of my boys have learned so much world geography.
4. Presidents VS. Aliens works a lot like the Stack apps, but you will learn the presidents and fun facts about them.
5. Tower Math is strategy and math put together. You can choose which operations and have fun learning.
6. Bible for Kids is worth its weight in gold but they give it away! The graphics are beautiful and there are new stories available all the time. My boys love to interact with the app and learn about the Bible.
7. Math Blaster 2 is a lot of fun and you can also choose operations. My boys will play this for a long time and not realize they are learning.
8. Cubes vs. Spheres is all strategy. It is a brain game that takes critical thinking.
9. Gus on the Go is available in many languages and is a great introduction to language learning. We are starting Portuguese, so that is what I have linked above. It is great for adults just starting out, too.
10. Second Grade Learning Games (aka Owl Learning) has a great variety of different learning activities and is also available for other grade levels.

  • Please note that the links above are for the Amazon App Store. They are affiliate links, so I might make a little profit if you buy them through my links. 
  • Some of these apps are available for free but we choose to buy the upgraded versions without ads, this helps protect our children, as well as our credit card. 
This is an affiliate link to the tablets that we chose for our children, it has a Kids Mode feature that also protects them and limits their access to things. We can also control in-app purchases. We've been using these for about six months are very happy. We got them keyboards, so they can use them for school as well.
PLEASE ALWAYS BE AWARE OF WHAT YOUR CHILDREN ARE DOING ON THEIR ELECTRONICS! 
The internet can be a scary place.