Guess what? Children do better with strict parents.

Duh!

Children are more likely to grow into well-adjusted adults if their parents are firm disciplinarians, academics claimed yesterday.Traditional 'authoritative' parenting, combining high expectations of behaviour with warmth and sensitivity, leads to more 'competent' children.It is particularly important for girls, who can suffer from a lack of confidence and may turn to drugs if care is merely adequate, said researchers from London's Institute of Education, a body widely viewed as Left-wing.

H/T Henry Cate at Why Homeschool.

Where does your water come from?

Alison over at Homeschooler's Guide to the Galaxy has a great post up on where water comes from and taking water for granted. Check it out!

Also, if you are in need of any of the great books offered by Usborne, be sure to check out her online store!

Charlotte Iserbyt on the "Dumbing Down of the World"

Contest at The Homeschool Classroom!

You have to see this beautiful web site - and enter the contest to win a $25 Amazon gift card! It's The Ultimate Blog Party and everyone's invited!

Hurry! The deadline for entry is March 27th!

Dividing Fractions

Last year I found that dividing fractions was one of the most difficult concepts to get across to my student. I have found a few resources from the web to help make the concept a little more clear. I am so thankful that some math experts are putting their talents to good use and making YouTube a little more worth while.

Recently, Maria Miller, author of the Math Mammoth curriculum, has started putting videos on YouTube. I especially liked the ones explaining division of fractions. The Math Mammoth teaching texts and curriculum are available from www.homeschoolmath.net and www.Currclick.com.

Comparing integers game

Here is a game to help you work on your skill comparing integers. The game is on the very helpful site www.basic-mathematics.com. Check it out!

Prime Numbers

A prime number is a number whose only factors are itself and 1. Here is a game to help you practice your skill recognizing prime numbers!

Adding and Subtracting Integers

There are videos at this link (http://www.math-videos-online.com/) which show you the rules for adding and subtracting integers. Check it out!

Divisibility Rules Game

There are certain things you can try to determine whether a large number is divisible by numbers 2 through 9. There are some shortcuts to help you when you're trying to tackle a problem where you're dividing a large number.

To determine the divisibility of a number, you can follow these steps:

1. If a number is divisible by 2 the last digit will be 0,2,4,6,or 8.

2 If a number is divisible by 3, the sum of its digits is divisible by 3. Just add the digits in the number, for instance, 432. 4+3+2=9 - therefore, you know that the number 432 is divisible by 9.

3. A number is divisible by 4 if the number that totals the last two digits is divisible by 4. For example, in the number 724 the number 24 is divisible by 4.

4. A number is divisible by 5 if the last digit is 0 or 5.

5. A number is divisible by 6 if it is divisible by 2 AND 3.

6. A number is divisible by 7 if you follow these examples from Basic-Mathematics.com:

Is 348 divisible by 7? Remove the last digit, which is 8. The number becomes 34. Then, Double 8 to get 16 and subtract 16 from 34. 34 − 16 = 18 and 18 is not divisible by 7. Therefore, 348 is not divisible by 7.

Is 37961 divisible by 7? Remove the last digit, which is 1. The number becomes 3796. Then, Double 1 to get 2 and subtract 2 from 3796. 3796 − 2 = 3794, so still too big? Thus repeat the process. Remove the last digit, which is 4. The number becomes 379. Then, Double 4 to get 8 and subtract 8 from 379. 379 − 8 = 371, so still too big? Thus repeat the process. Remove the last digit, which is 1. The number becomes 37. Then, Double 1 to get 2 and subtract 2 from 37.37 − 2 = 35 and 35 is divisible by 7. Therefore, 37961 is divisible by 7.

7. A number is divisible by 8 if the number that is represented by its last three digits is divisible by 8.

8: A number is divisible by 9 if the sum of its digits is divisible by 9.

9. A number is divisible by 10 if the last digit is zero.

Teaching students how to learn...

I read an article today about "self-directed" learning. I hadn't heard this term used since a few years back when I was exploring the Robinson Curriculum. I never did try the Robinson Curriculum, but we had been through a couple of stages in our homeschooling journey - from Sonlight to a mixture of more traditional curricula. Even with the more traditional curricula, though, I have told our 5th grader to find the correct answer in the lesson she just read. She also uses a Switched on Schoolhouse course in health, which is basically self-directed as well.

Our second grader uses mostly traditional curricula, but is the type of child who wants very little help. She usually gets correct answers on any worksheets she has to complete. Sometimes I feel it's a waste of time giving her the work to do. She doesn't seem to be bored and likes to do the work, so I'm okay with it for now, but I do feel guilty sometimes for not lecturing like a regular teacher would in a classroom. I have trouble remembering that homeschooling is not the same as regular schooling, and we do not necessarily have to do things the same way. I'm sure even schools take advantage of a few CD-ROMs every once in a while.

It's an interesting article. I still do not think a CD-ROM is a replacement for a real book that you can hold and turn the pages. I think when you vary your day by using CD-ROMs or board games or an educational DVD, it can enrich the learning experience for your children and make your day a lot more pleasant.

Still, I feel a twinge of guilt, plopping them down in front of a computer, telling them what lessons to do and then walking away. I wonder if there's a such thing as "CD-ROM guilt" in the homeschooling world?