Our Summer Bucket List – 94 Activities to Enjoy This Summer

Ninety-four days.

Did you know that’s how long summer is this year?  

Go to a concert at the Pine Hills -- Check!

It most certainly is – from the Summer Solstice to the Autumn Equinox.  And guess what?  We still have about 2/3’s of summer left to enjoy full days, free days, days that we race through and those that we laze through.  Every day this summer can become that much more pleasing by spending time dipping into a Summer Bucket List.  And, I am so thankful for that!

Ride a boat -- Check!

Now, as we reach the third-of-the-way-through-summer mark, I think it is fortuitous that I rediscovered the Summer Bucket List that Luke, Nina and I created last month in a notebook while sitting under the shade of a tree in our front yard.  Looking at our list makes me realize that, just by having written our ideas down, we became more likely to actually experience them.  For, indeed, we have already enjoyed over half the items we had listed, and I know we’ll have opportunities to enjoy a plenty more:

Party before the bonfires -- check!

Our Summer Bucket “Done” List

1.      Giggle at the Splash Pad at Nelson Park in Plymouth (Nina, Luke and Mom)

2.      Go to the beach.  (Nina)

3.      Run at Grammy and Grampy’s.  (Nina)

4.      Jump in puddles. (Nina)

5.      Run around on the beach. (Nina)

6.      Put water in cracks. (Nina)

7.      Go for a bike (trike) ride. (Nina)

8.      Splash at the Wading Pool at the Freetown State Forest. (Luke and Nina)

9.      Go to a concert. (Nina)

10.  Make sandcastles. (Nina)

11.  Climb rocks at the beach. (Nina)

12.  Go to Auntie's house. (Luke)

13.  Have Jack’s birthday party. (Luke)

14.  Go on a trip with Grampy and Daddy (Luke)

15.  Learn about outer space. (Luke)

16.  Make tunnels at the beach. (Luke)

17.  Look for shells. (Luke)

18.  Go to Luke’s first movie for the first time at a movie theater. (Luke)

19.  Go to a concert at the Pine Hills. (Luke)

20.  Go to a waterfront concert. (Luke)

21.  Explore the jungle or the woods or the Blue Hills because they are just better. (Luke)

22.  Catch bugs. (Luke)

23.  Jump on Auntie’s trampoline. (Luke and Nina)

24.  Go to the pool at Daddy’s work. (Luke)

25.  Ride a boat. (Luke)

26.  Watch the leaves dance above our heads in the wind. (Mom)

27.  Listen to the birds singing. (Mom)

28.  Lay and look at the clouds rolling by. (Mom)

29.  Spot airplanes in the sky and track them with our eyes. (Mom)

30.  Inspect flowers in our yard. (Mom)

31.  Eat berries off the bushes in our yard. (Mom)

32.  Picnic for dinner at a playground. (Mom)

33.  Go to White Horse Beach. (Mom)

34.  Watch a thunder and lightening storm. (Mom)

35.  Swim in the rain. (Mom)

36.  Do a Passport Hike. (Mom)

37.  Have a picnic at the Fish Hatchery in Sandwich. (Mom)

38.  Use a library pass for parking so we could enjoy a day at Scussett Beach. (Mom)

39.  Enjoy our front yard during Stay Days. (Mom)

40.  Make a “bucket elevator” over a tree branch. (Mom)

41.  Host a family party. (Mom)

42.  Enjoy a dinner picnic in our front yard. (Mom)

43.  Eat meals on the back deck. (Mom)

44.  Go on a family walk to a playground after dinner. (Mom)

45.  Make juice wigglers. (Luke and Mom)

46.  Meet old friends at the beach over the July 4^th weekend. (Mom)

47.  Party with our extended family at the annual family cook out and auntie’s birthday party over Independence Day Weekend (Mom, Luke and Nina)

48.  Watch the flames dance in a bonfire at the boat ramp on the 3^rd. (Mom)

49.  Participate in a bit of Americana by attending the North Middleboro Fourth of July Parade. (Mom, Luke and Nina.)

50.  Ooo and aaah at the fireworks at the Plymouth Waterfront. (Mom, Luke and Nina)

51.  Read lots of books as we participate in the library’s summer reading program. (Mom)

52.  Follow bunnies, turkeys and other creatures through our yard. (Mom)

53.  Go for a boat ride. (Mom)

54.  Let the kids get up on Seaweed Rock. (Mom)

55.  Look for crabs. (Mom)

56.  Play in our sensory sandbox. (Mom)

57.  Spend a TH night at the Farmer’s Market in Plymouth, enjoying a beach picnic and time at the playground. (Mom)

58.  Go to Organization Day at Daddy’s work. (Mom)

59.  Spend time in water as much as possible. (Mom)

Look for crabs -- Check!

Our Summer Bucket “Opportunities” List

60.  Go to Grammy and Grampy’s for family time. (Nina)

61.  Make cookies (Nina)

62.  Camp.  (Nina)

63.  Make popsicles. (Nina)

64.  Go to a park we have never been to before. (Nina)

65.  Check out a new splash pad. (Nina)

66.  Have a party at Grammy’s. (Luke)

67.  Make a tree house. (Luke)

68.  Do worksheets on rainy days. (Luke)

69.  Eat a crab. (Luke)

70.  Go see Winnie the Pooh at the movies. (Luke)

71.  Learn to swim. (Luke)

72.  Go to the big kid skating park to ride our bikes and trikes. (Luke)

73.  See a dog at a pet store. (Luke)

74.  See a kitty at Uncle and Auntie's house. (Luke)

75.  Sit around a fire in our fire pit. (Mom)

76.  Wash the minivan together. (Mom)

77.  Go berry picking. (Mom)

78.  Ride bikes and trikes at the Cape Cod Canal. (Mom)

79.  Sketch blooms in the yard. (Mom)

80.  Collect starfish and shells at Scusset Beach. (Mom)

81.  Explore Ellisville Harbor. (Mom)

82.  Sing in the rain. (Mom)

83.  Send homemade boats down rain rivulets. (Mom)

84.  Paint with rain.

85.  Attend Elephant Day at Buttonwood Zoo. (Mom)

86.  Explore Center Hill Preserve. (Mom)

87.  Eat popcorn at a concert. (Luke)

88.  Stroll along the Water Fires in Providence. (Mom)

89.  Use our Buttonwood Pass to enjoy reciprocal locations, such as Science Museum. (Mom)

90.  Spend a day at Capron Zoo. (Mom)

91.  Enjoy play dates with friends we have not seen in a while. (Mom)

92.  Picnic for dinner on the town hall lawn on a free concert night. (Mom)

93.  Go whale watching. (Mommy)

94.  Lie on a blanket at night and gaze at the universe. (Mom)

Picnic after the Farmer's Market -- Check!

 (For the record, Daddy was consulted about this list and added that he just wanted to have as much time outside and at the beach as possible.  We’ve been doing the former weeknights and the latter mostly on our Sabbath Days!)

Enjoy the front yard during Stay Days -- Check!

 Perhaps some of our ideas will inspire you to enjoy intentional, mostly free fun over the 60+ days that are still left to Summer 2011.  Or, maybe you’d like to write your own list.  It’s not too late to do so.  You can even click on over to my How-To Make a Summer Bucket List post at Signature Moms for some easy pointers.

Make a bucket elevator -- Check!

Whatever you choose to do this summer, enjoy!  I know we have been appreciating Stay Days, taking breaks between appointments and savoring Sabbath Days with our list.  We’d also love to hear some of your ideas for summer fun.

 

Since I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to slip fun, intentional living in between appointments, home upkeep and the other more mundane parts of life, I am sharing this post at Thankful Thursday.  Please browse the links there to be inspired by what others are grateful for today. 

Stay Days and Jack's First Slide in Our Sensory Sandbox

Chillin' at Home

This summer, I have recommitted the kids and myself to Stay Days.  At least once a week, we do what seems rare in our modern day world where appointments, errands, play dates and other "needs" keep families constantly in and out of the car – we stay home.

Mind you, we don’t always do this.  Like so many, we have periods when we get caught up in the “normal” routine of buckling into a vehicle to run from one thing to another.  Then, an epiphany moment hits:  We’ve been on the go too much.  We need some "breathing out" time between busier days.  We need to schedule time to simply be present with one another, doing what was once commonplace for many in our society -- working and playing at home.

Stay Days Are In Order

I Get to Stay Here

For me, that epiphany came one day not too long ago when my daughter woke up and the first words out of her mouth were, "Where are we going today?”, only to have my son in with, "Who are we going to see?"  I wanted to answer, “nowhere and each other,” but the calendar told me otherwise.  Commitments were penned into block after block.

Ugh!  We had been (and would be) spending far too much time in our minivan.   

All Smiles and Shaving Cream

Despite choosing to live a life that seems to some to be outside the boundaries of "normal" –homeschooling, maintaining no satellite or cable connection for out TV, working to live instead of living to work, etc., we somehow had been swept up in a very typical tide of "to do's" that were requiring us to be buckled in for a fair portion of our daily lives.  And, the kids queries evidenced that our young children were becoming more accustomed to days punctuated by an errand here, an appointment there, an event over there than ones appreciated simply at home.

So, I decided to revert to a rhythm of life that includes Stay Days.  (I had done this once before for a practical reason – gas prices!, but had slipped away from the commitment somehow.)  And, now, instead of speeding about in our minivan every day of the week, we sometimes simply smile at home!

Planning Our Stay Days

How do I do it?  It’s simple.

Each week, I take a look at our calendar each week to see if there is a day without a health/therapy appointment or prior commitment and set that day aside as our weekly Stay Day.  If there is not a day like that, I see if any of the pre-scheduled things can be moved.  I also think ahead when scheduling things for future dates – grouping errands and appointment and ensuring there are “blank spots” on the calendar for breathing out.

Once I have selected which day will be vehicle-free for us, I think of a an extra home-chore that has been being pushed aside and at least one or two "special" at-home activities for the kids and I to enjoy.  With these as touch points, I just let the day unfold...

Sensory Sandbox -- Jack's First Slide

Central to some of the activities that we’ve enjoyed during our Stay Days over the past few weeks has been one of our best freecycle scores ever: two ubiquitous green plastic sand – or for us, sensory—boxes.

Water.  Boats.  Ice.  Sand.  Mud.  Beach toys.  Shaving cream.  Soap suds.  You name it, we explore it in our outdoor sensory boxes.  And, I do mean “we”.  Jack even gets into the fray, albeit sometimes with a face more pensive than pleased, as was the case with his first shaving cream experience.

Hmm... Do I Like This?

 Yep, our youngest child was not quite sure how he felt about slipping and sliding in shaving cream with his siblings. Undoubtedly, he'll enjoy it more over time.  For all things take getting used to – even the idea of staying home.  

Stay Days can be so much fun!

Get Your Hands In!

I'm Skating!

I'll Help You, Jack

Together, But Into Our Own Explorations

Onto the Next Thing...

Do you enjoy regular time at home together?  What activities do you enjoy?  Have you got any great ideas for our sensory sandboxes?  Do share in a comment.

And, if you’re looking for some ideas yourself, please hop on over to my post at OJTA to read a handful of great ways to enjoy sensory summer fun in a sand-turned-sensory box.

Sleep Interview with 5 ½ Year-Old Luke Who Can’t Shut Off His Brain

On a hot summer night...

The kids stripped not only themselves, but one of their pillows, down, before finally crashing in Luke's bunk.

“Just like sea otters, children love to play all day…   

God knows that all animals and people need rest.   

He wants us to get sleep so we can be healthy and happy.   

When we sleep, our bodies grow and get stronger.   

Playing and resting are both important.”

The other morning when the kids and I read this portion of the “Playful Sea Otters” devotional in our Five-Minute Devotions for Children, Celebrating God’s Word as a Family book, I was reminded of the S-O-S Best of the Best topic for this month:  Sleep and Children with Invisible Disabilities.

This topic resonates with me since I have been living with interrupted sleep– and sometimes outright lack of it – myself for the past five years due to the usual mama stuff of nursing babies and attending to the night wakings of three young children, compounded by the challenges of having a child with an “invisible disability” whose sleep is definitely affected by his uniquely wired brain.

A  5 1/2 Year Old Explains Sleep

Truly, Luke’s take on sleep is a bit different than most kid’s.  Here it is, in his own words, with Mom commentary in italics.

Mom:  What is sleep?

Luke:  Awake time. 

Luke has gone through periods where he has outright fought going to bed and other periods where he got up and up and up and up.  He is currently able to rest in bed, but will often not fall asleep for hours, calling out to us randomly when we think he must already be asleep.

Mom:  What do you mean by that?

Luke:  I mean I stay awake every night.

Mom:  Why do you stay awake every night?

Luke:  Because I can’t shut off my brain.

When Luke was quite young, we thought it was light that prevented him from sleeping.  Once he became verbal, we realized his trouble sleeping had a lot to do with his mind.  He continued to have trouble calming down to sleep, and, also, began to pop up with the most thought-provoking, is-he-really-thinking-about-that-at-his-age questions and comments after we thought he was sound asleep. 

In recent times, we have been able to help Luke calm his body and mind a bit by:

• using our 5 T’s routine
• allowing him to sleep with others
• giving him things to focus on – such as a space mobile of late since he loves space
• listening to stories and music on CD’s
 

 A current favorite bedtime CD of his is Essential Sound, Calm, Music for Healing and Wellness, which we were lucky enough to win from Pediatric Occupational Therapy Tips some time ago.  As Dr. Zachry suggested in her giveaway post, the soothing classical music on the CD seems to “naturally slow down the heart rate and relax the mind through simple harmonies and slowing tempos.”  It has not proved a full-proof panacea for Luke's ever-active brain syndrome, but it sure seems to help!  Thank you, Dr. Zachry.

Mom:  Why?

Luke:  I just can’t.

Thankfully, although he thinks he can't, he eventually does.

Mom:  Do you ever sleep?

Luke: Ah.  Never.

Mom:  Truthfully?

Luke:  Never.

Mom:  So, when it looks like you’re sleeping, what are you doing?

Luke:  I am pretending.

We believe that Luke knows that he actually sleeps, but he has insisted for years that he does not.  Even when we have showed him pictures of himself sleeping, he has claimed – sometime playfully, at other times, quite willfully – that he was just pretending or that he was simply resting.  We know his claims actually are true at times, because there have been times when we have thought he was definitely asleep, only to discover he was not.  But, we also know that he does, in fact sleep, of course.  The  floppy arm test, moving him, etc. prove it. 

Truth aside, we have discovered that if we persist in trying to prove that Luke does, in fact, sleep, as opposed to just resting or pretending to sleep, he  tends to get so wound up that he takes longer to get to sleep.  So, we play along with his declared “I am pretending” perception for now...

Mom:  Do you feel better after you pretend to sleep for a long time?

Luke:  Yes.

Mom:  Why do you think you feel better?

Luke:  Because I shut my eyes.

Mom:  What does it do when you shut your eyes?

Luke:  Helps me.

Mom:  How?

Luke:  It makes them not watery.

Just recently, Luke has begun to notice his body’s tired cues.  When he complains of different physical feelings at night, we explain that these are ways his body is telling him it needs to rest.  Understanding “sleepy cues” is something we are working on making Luke more cognoscente of.

Mom:  When you get up in the morning, do you feel better than the night before?

Luke:  Yes.

Mom:  Why?

Luke:  Because I pretended to sleep and I started to, but I didn’t really. 

Again, for some reason, Luke prefers to believe that he doesn’t actually sleep.  We can deal with this as long as he is, in fact, sleeping better.

Mom:  Is sleep important?

Luke:  Mm hmmm.

Mom:  Why is it important to sleep?

Luke:  It helps you grow…  That’s all I know.  Please stop.  I’m tired.

Hoorah!  It has taken years to get Luke to recognize that sleep is important.  But, as his answer hints, he does not like admitting it. 

Mom:  If you’re tired, why don’t you go to sleep?

Luke:  Because I don’t like to.

Honesty is a good thing.  Finding ways to make going to sleep something Luke likes to do would be even better!  We’re open to all tips.

Mom:  What are some things that help you rest at night?

Luke:  Thinking about outer space…  The 5 T’s…Telling stories…

Luke often latches onto a specific theme or topic for months or even years.  His current passion is space, so we encourage him to think about it when he is in bed as a way to relax or at least keep relatively still,  Thus, we sometimes hear him telling stories about the space drawings he has decorated his bedside wall with or find him looking at or reaching up toward the planet mobile we hung near his bed.

The 5 T’s is our bedtime routine, which both Luke and Nina follow.  We posted about it with a printable here. 

Admittedly, we have periods where we get lax with our 5 T’s – especially when Daddy is in charge of bedtime and the kids manage to get him to lay in bed with them for the “talk” portion.  That's when the "telling stories" comes in, too.  The 5 T's get elongated into a Luke-can-outlast-Daddy fest.  Daddy enjoys talking with the kids about their days.  They beg him to teach them some German and to tell them made up stories.  Then, after Nina drifts off, Luke cons Daddy into staying longer, chatting about all manner of things until Luke outlasts Daddy in staying awake...

Luckily, the 5 T's seems to be the easy enough for us to get back into.   In fact, of all the things we have tried to make bedtime more peaceful for us all – and we have tried MANY – our 5 T’s for Bedtime seem to work best as a wind-down cue for our children.

Mom:   Is sleep a good thing or a bad thing?

Luke:  Good.

And, with that, I will close.   

Sleep is a good thing, and, if nothing else, we consider it a victory that Luke knows that it is.  We all seek what is good!

How has sleep been at your home lately?  Do you have a child or know a child that is sleep-challenged?  

“Invisible Disabilities” or not, learning effective sleep hygiene is important for all children.  What routines and resources have you find most helpful for this?

Timberdoodle and An Evan-Moor Beginning Geography Rich Resource Review

Summer may have just begun, but as I think ahead to fall, I cannot help but to salivate over my Timberdoodle Co. 2011 Homeschool Resource Catalog.  (Get one for yourself here.)  If money were no object, I think I would not only purchase the Baby, Toddler and Kindergarten Core Curriculums (because I simply love the way they combine hands-n learning and literacy), but I would also be stocking up on:

-          a Peanut Ball, or Tandem Space Hopper, and a Gibbon Funline Slackline for sensory break time and plain old fun

-          Once a Pawn A Time for Daddy and Luke to enjoy some special thinking skill/bonding time together

-          Lego Duplo Tech Machines for my construction-loving kids (and possible a pre-engineering class at co-op!)

-          Space Exploration for our space nut Luke (and Daddy, too!)

-          And Imaginets for convenient imaginative and thinking skills fun during roadtrips to Nana and Papa’s.

Indeed, the more I read through the Timberdoodle catalogue, the more I want.  (Yes, I actually read the Timberdoodle catalogue.  The descriptions in it are that good, with personal opinions intertwined with facts and regular PR and a selection of products, which provides a fantastic balance between core learning materials, educational “toys” and items that can fit wonderfully into home OT) 

Alas, our family budget belts are cinched very tightly right now.  So, I guess I will have to wait until the holidays before indulging in any of the great products that Timberdoodle hand selects for homeschooling families like mine.  (Hint to any family reading:  Think Timberdoodle Gift Certificates, not the usual Toys R Us or Borders gift cards for upcoming birthdays and holidays.  Thanks.)

But, one thing I won’t have to wait for is enjoying Evan Moor’s Beginning Geography with the kids.  In fact, Luke and I have already begun using these great resource that Timberdoodle was kind enough to send us for review.  (I also reviewed Daily Word Problems 6+ here.)

A Review of Evan-Moor's Beginning Geography

* * * * *

A * READABILITY

Beginning Geography is one of those resources you can take off the shelf and begin using ASAP.  It is split into four easy-to-navigate sections:

1. Map Skills
2. Landforms and Bodies of Water
3. Continents and Oceans
4. Around the World with Animals

The first three sections each begin with a page that highlights connections to the National Geography Standards and offers notes on reproducible practice pages as well as assessments.  Each of these sections also contains an at-a-glance contents page, which allows you to quickly ascertain which activities teach which concepts, making it easy to match the book to other studies your children might be involved in. The final section contains reproducible maps of each continent, including animals on the continent.

There are also two full-color fold-out maps (one for Landforms and Bodies of water and one for Continents and Oceans.)

Whether you intend to use Beginning Geography as a core part of your K-2 curriculum or as a supplement, it is formatted in a way that makes it easy to access.

A * for RELEVANCE:

I don’t know about your children, but mine love learning about the world around them – from their neighborhood to the entire Earth and beyond.  Well, Beginning Geography keys into this, teaching the concepts below through child-friendly activities that stand on their own or can be expanded through the use of manipulative, games, etc. (as my family tends to do.)

-          What Is a Map

-          Positional Words

-          Cardinal Directions

-          Compass

-          Map Symbols

-          Map Keys

-          Distances on Maps

-          Borders on a Map

-          Map Grids

-          Hills and Mountains

-          Islands and Volcanoes

-          Deserts and Plains

-          Canyons and Valleys’

-          Oceans, Lakes and Rivers

-          Landforms and Bodies of Water

-          The Seven Continents

-          The Four Oceas

-          What is a Globe

-          North America

-          South America

-          Africa

-          Europe

-          Asia’

-          Australia

-          Antarctica

-          Your World Address

As an example, when I realized recently that Luke does not have good command of Left and Right, I pulled out Beginning Geography to help him while capitalizing on his desire to do some coloring and studying one night.  He eagerly completed several pages (with my help as “reader”) and, then, we extended the impromptu lesson into a guessing game with some figurines, where we used “left” and “right” clues to try to guess which figurine the other person was thinking of.

Finally, regarding relevance from a child's perspective, the directions for activities within the book are clear and concise and the topics are interesting.  My kids loved that some of the map pages had to with zoos and with treasure hunting!

In fact, Luke drew his ideal treasure after doing one of the pages.

Yep!  That says a rocket.  I definitely need to add Space Exploration to his birthday wish list come December.

A * for PRACTICALITY

I love a resource that makes teaching easy.  And, I have to say that is exactly what Beginning Geography does. 

With both activities intended to help you teach specific geography concepts to children as well as ones designed for review and assessment, the book is very homeschool-teacher friendly.  In my opinion, the skills and concepts included in Beginning Geography are broad enough that they would suffice as a stand-alone geography curriculum, providing a solid foundation for geography literacy.

But, that is not my style.  I prefer a more eclectic approach – following my children and weaving together curriculum based on their interests and needs and my own proclivity toward embracing such philosophies and approaches as Montessori, Reggio, Classical and Charlotte Mason.  Beginning Geography works for that, too.  It seems like

-          a perfect fit for the Montessori continent boxes I have on my homeschool prep task-list.

-          a worthwhile supplement/research resource for child-led projects inspired by Reggio (even if a bit too “workbooky” for real Reggio).

-          a good tie-in/supplement for teaching geography through literature with a Classical Approach.

-          an easy way to reinforce short, Charlotte-Mason style lessons, especially with the map work

 Not only that, but because the pages are reproducible (and perforated for ease of use), the book will fit nicely into daily workboxing, should I ever get things together for that.

And, our recent life proves that it can be a Godsend during “difficult times”, like we faced in the late spring, when Mama Homeschooler does not have the energy or impetus to get on the computer to research, plan and implement creative, project-based lessons.  In fact, I found having Beginning Geography on hand helped me get snippets of “studies” in a playful way.  The kids enjoyed working through parts of the map section, working not only on their geography skills, but also on their ability to follow direction, some early reading skills and fine motor skills (through coloring, cutting and pasting.) 

Without hesitation then, I offer that Beginning Geography is quite practical with a breadth of topics touched upon in its 93 reproducible activity pages.  The book can tie in easily to project work, unit studies, etc., or stand on its own.

A  * for LONGEVITY

Beginning Geography is aimed at students in grades K-2, but has some pages simple enough for even younger children (like my pre-K Nina) to enjoy with help.  Plus, it is reproducible for one classroom (or family)’s use.  So, I know it can be a staple in our home for years yet to come.

  
From maps and directions to coming to animals around the world, Beginning Geogaphy has already begun to help teach my young ones about the physical and cultural world around them and I know it will continue to.

A * for VALUE

At the economical price of $10.75 on the Timberdoodle website - and $9.75 this week only as part of Timberdoodle's great online convention -- Beginning Geography definitely earns a star for value.  It offers three years of geography foundation that includes:

-          93 reproducible pages to engage students in skills and concepts aligned to the National Geography Standards

-          2 full-color fold-out map posters to hold students attention

-          Geography content vocabulary easily woven into lessons

-          Cumulative review pages that can work as formal assessments

-          Activities that can complement any social studies curriculum

And, it does this in a reusable/reproducible format so it can be passed from one family member to a younger one or used with different age levels (with older students working independently while younger ones get help.)  A resource geared to K-2 students, that is inherently multi-level, making it effective for families with more than one child in the early learning grades?  That’s quite a bargain in my opinion.

Want a taste of the book yourself?   Click to flip through the first 24 pages of Beginning Geography and, then, if you like it, head on over to Timberdoodle to order.

NOTE: Please see my initial Rich Resource Review post to read more about my rating criteria.

DISCLAIMER: As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team, I received a free copy of Evan Moor Beginning Geography in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.  Though I have been compensated by the free product, I received no cash for my review.  The opinions I offer are mine alone and are not influenced by Timberdoodle nor the receipt of a complimentary resource.

Daily Word Problems, A Rich Resource Review with Thanks to Timberdoodle

One thing I love about the nexus of homeschooling and blogging is that I am constantly introduced to new resources.  As a former classroom teacher and current tutor and homeschooler, I am a bit of a resource hound. Thus, I was thrilled when Joy, from Timberdoodle, offered our family a chance to review two curriculum workbooks.

Today, I am happy to finally have a few moments to share about one of these resources, Evan-Moor Daily Word Problems, Grade 6+.

 

* * * *

Since my own children are still too young for this book, I opted to use it with students that I tutor.  That is not to say that my own children did not enjoy the book, however.  In fact, they had fun paging through it while I lesson planned, and Luke even did some finger tracing practice on one of its pages. (Never overlook a spontaneous opportunity for fine motor practise and visual tracking.)

What are my thoughts on the book?

A * READABILITY

As any workbook-type book should be, Daily Word Problems  Grade 6+ is quite easy to navigate.  It begins with a “How to Use This Book” page that describes ways to present the lessons, important considerations when using the book and guidelines for doing matrix logic puzzles (which happen to be my students’ favorite problems in the book.)

Then, there is a Scope and Sequence chart which allows one to see at a glance, which week of lessons contains which target math concepts/topics:

-          Addition and subtraction

-          1, 2 & 3-Digit Multiplication

-          1-Digit Divisors

-          2 & 3 Digit Divisors

-          Fractions

-          Decimals

-          Percents

-          Time

-          Money

-          Linear Measurement

-          Weight and Capacity

-          Interpreting Graphs

-          Geometry

-          Probability

-          Logic Daily Word Problems

-          Averages, mode, Range

-          Area, perimeter & Volume

-          Integers

After that, there are 36 weeks worth of daily word problems, with each week focused on a specific theme, such as Swim Meet, Hiking Trails and Pancake Breakfast.

Finally, there is an Answer Key.

A * for RELEVANCE

Not only did I find a handy resource for tutoring, but my students also found it relevant to their interests and abilities.  The range of weekly themes in the book is great enough that most students could easily find some aligned to their personal interests. 

Also, as a side note, I found that the book was a great way to get some basic reading practice and comprehension in with tutoring students who prefer Math to English Language Arts.  Because each problem in the book ranges from a few sentences to a couple paragraphs long, one of my ELA-shy students was not “threatened” by it and eagerly read through and solved more than a week’s worth of problems in one sitting.  The word problems in the book are written in a concise, not overly complicated manner, which I found helped my students build confidence with both reading and math as they progressed from the easier problems at the start of the book to the more challenging ones later on.

A ½ * for PRACTICALITY

I found Daily Word Problems practical on two levels:

1. It helps students connect math to life.  Too often, math becomes just numbers on a page to students.  Daily Word Problems Grade 6+ overcomes this unpleasant fact through presenting problems that students might face in real life.  My students appreciated this and, more than once, seemed to connect problems to situations they are familiar with. 
2. It builds skills in a cyclical fashion.  The earlier problems for each week are “easier” and help students build skills for more advanced problems at the end of each week.  From week to week, familiar skills are applied to new themes.  By offering math practice in this way, the book follows a favorite learning guideline of mine:  Use it or lose it.  Specific math skills are not simply touched upon in the book; they are used for multiple applications. 

What I did not find practical about the book was:

1.      its difficulty level.  Rated at 6+, I would expect the book to be on the more challenging side for a sixth grader.  However, one of my students, who is a fifth grade that struggles in school with both Math and English, found the problems we did fairly easy.  This could indicate that on-grade level students or advanced ones might not be as challenged by the book as they could be.  Thus, I might recommend checking out a sample of the book to see if it’s at the right level for your child.

2.      its lack of solutions.  Although the problems in the book are not too difficult for a layperson to solve, some may find solutions, as well as simply answers, a helpful addition to the Answer Key.

A 1/2  * for LONGEVITY

Each of the problem pages in the book is perforated to make them easy to tear out for such things as photocopying, handing in when finished, assigning in, say, a workbox.  While this is helpful for daily use, it might not do much for long-term wear and tear on the book.  So, if you’re intending to use the book for a while, putting pages in protectors in a 3-ring binder might be helpful.

Also, since this book is geared toward one grade level only, it inherently does not have much long-term staying power.  However, because I am a tutor, as well as a homeschooler, I can see how Daily Word Problems might serve me for years to come. 

A * for VALUE

At the economical price of $12.25 on the Timberdoodle website, Daily Word Problems Math, Grade 6+ definitely earns a star for value.  How often can you find a book that provides a year’s worth of well-laid out and relevant math practice with such a doable price tag?  And, since the book’s copyright allows copies for a single classroom (or home) use, traditional educators, homeschoolers and homeschool co-op teachers alike can get a lot of bang for the buck.

In fact, Timberdoodle offers many reasonably priced materials for your homeschooling, (tutoring or classroom) needs.  Check out their website or request a catalogue by clicking, here.  Also, if you’re a full-curriculum type of person, take a peak at their complete curriculum packages.

NOTE: Please see my initial Rich Resource Review post to read more about my rating criteria.  Also, stay tuned for an upcoming review of the other fantastic resource Timberdoodle sent us, Daily Geography.

DISCLAIMER: As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team (if Timberdoodle is kind enough to forgive my tardiness in getting this post out due to the need to take a break from blogging to concentrate on home and family recently!), I received this free copy of Evan Moor Daily Word Problems in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.  Though I have been compensated by the free product, I received no cash for my review.  The opinions I offer are mine alone and are not influenced by Timberdoodle nor the receipt of a complimentary resource.