Free Math Text Books

If you are looking for some new resources for your math instruction, you may want to head over to How to Homeschool for Free where you can download 5 different math texts from the 1920's.  There are five different levels including:

 First Year In Numbers (grade 2) 

 Everyday Arithmetic Book 1 (grades 3 & 4) 

 Everyday Arithmetic Book 2 (grades 5 & 6)

 Everyday Arithmetic Book 3 (grades 7 & 8) 

Fun Games To Teach Math Concepts

Looking for some fun math related games for your kiddos?  Here are a few:

  

Percent Shopping

URL mathplayground.com/percent_shopping.html
Levels
Grades 4-6
Skills
Percentage, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction.
Description
Description: Learn and practice real-life calculations while shopping. Add up the total cost, apply the percentage discount and calculate the amount saved.

Spiro Math Art

URL mathplayground.com/Spiromath.html
Levels
Grades K-6
Skills
Reflection, Angle, Symmetry, Spiro graph
Description
Explore angles, symmetry and art. Experiment by changing the radius of different parts, and separate them using colors to design your own Spiro graph. Predict different shapes and then try making them using only the radius knowledge.

Part Part Whole

URL mathplayground.com/PartPartWhole.html
Levels
Grades 3-6
Skills
Creating whole numbers from fractions and decimals.
Description
Test your math skills and race against the clock by aiming at the number that completes the "whole" number in the air. This game requires knowledge of addition, subtraction, decimals and fractions.

Alien Angles

URL mathplayground.com/alienangles.html
Levels
Grades 4-6
Skills
Solving estimating angles.
Description
Friendly aliens are traveling to a new space colony on Planet Geometry. Sadly, some aliens have lost their way. Students have been put in charge of the rescue mission and must set the correct angle on the rescue launcher. The computer will generate the launch angle, but the students must estimate the angle on the launcher to within 5 degrees.

Making Change

URL mathplayground.com/making_change.html
Levels
Grades 2-5
Skills
Money and making change.
Description
Harvey has been hired to work as a cashier at Perfect Pets. Sadly, he's not very good at his job. The students' task is to show Harvey how to make change. They are given the total cost of the customers' purchases and the amount the customers pay. Drag the fewest possible coins and bills to the counter to make the change.

Escape From Fraction Manor

URL
mathplayground.com/HauntedFractions/HFGameLoader.html
Levels
Grades 3-5
Skills
Solving basic math and fraction problems.
Description
Cleo the Cat has wandered into Fraction Manor, and the resident scientist, Dr. Fractionstein, sees this as an opportunity to test his new puzzles. Cleo is trapped, and students must use their fraction skills to solve the puzzles and help free her. Encounter obstacles, villains and plenty of math problems.

Fun Games to Teach Science Concepts

 

 

The Food Chain Game

URL:  sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/games/foodchaingame.swf

Levels:  Grades 2-6
Description:  In this fun science activity, students learn about food chains and the circle of life. Presented with several elements of a particular food chain, players must put them in the proper order. When correctly placed, the food chain comes to life.

A Touch of Class

URL:  sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/class.html

Levels:  Grades K-6
Description: Faced with a selection of uncategorized plants and animals, students must decide how to classify each one. Points are awarded for correct classifications, with the highest scorer being named the winner.

Squish the Fish

URL: sea.sheddaquarium.org/sea/squish/flash.html

Levels:  Grades K-3
Description:  Students must help hide Squish the Fish from his natural enemy. In the process they will learn about various marine life and how an ecosystem works. Students win the game by successfully hiding Squish in each of the levels.

Solar Energy Defenders

URL:  Wonderville.ca/asset/solarenergydefenders
Levels:  Grades 3-6
Description:  Use what you learn about solar energy to save the school dance from vampires in this super-cool solar energy game. Last time a dance was held, the vampires came in and busted a move on the dance floor. We won’t let that happen again! Collect energy during the day to ward off the vampires at night. Consider sun angle, tilt, shadows and time of year to maximize your energy collection.

Wild Weather Adventure

URL:  spaceplace.nasa.gov/wild-weather-adventure/
Levels:  Grades 3-6
Description: Play the Wild Weather Adventure game and your weather research blimp will explore Earth and its weather. With luck, skill, and strategy, you will race other weather research blimps to be first to travel all the way around the world and win the game. You can play with your friends or by yourself with a computer opponent.

Multiplying Decimals Practice Using Dice

Is your kiddo struggling to master multiplication with decimals?  I love this idea from The Mailbox to use a pair of dice to practice. Essentially, you take a pair of dice, roll them, and then use those numbers to write a decimal putting the digits wherever you would like.  Then you multiply the two numbers.  Easy, and super motivating.  I don't know about your kiddos, but mine love just about anything to do with rolling dice - it makes it a game.

You could modify this idea in so many different ways for different ages and skill levels!  Here are a few I thought of:

1. Add the digits
2. Multiply the digits
3. Divide the digits
4. Add, subtract, or divide decimals
5. Use each digit to make a fraction, roll again for a second fraction then add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

Can you think of any other ways to use this idea?

Free Keyboarding Games for Your Kiddos

In this day and age - keyboarding is such an essential skill!  I hate going to a business and watching someone painfully hunt and peck at the keyboard!  To insure that your kiddos can type with ease, you might want to have them try some of these fun keyboarding games.  They won't even know they are learning!

Keyboarding Games for Kids

Free Classic Ebooks - Treasure Island and More

If you have a Kobo or the FREE Kobo app there are a TON of awesome classic ebooks for FREE!! Just head over to the Kobo website and look for the “FREE EBOOKS” section at the top (or the FREE APPS section to download the Kobo app) Here is a list of just a few of the classics and other ebooks that I spotted:



Anne of Green Gables (3 Book set)

Star Wars Books 1-6

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Hound of the Baskervilles

On the Origin of Species (Darwin)

The Communist Manifesto

Persuasion (Jane Austen)

Peter Pan

Sense and Sensibility

Jane Eyre

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

Oliver Twist

Don Quixote

Emma

Frankenstein

Grimms Fairy Tales

A Christmas Carol

Aesops Fables

Beowulf

Around the World in 80 Days

The Invisible Man

The Jungle Book

The Last of the Mohicans

The Phantom of the Opera

The Prince and the Pauper

The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

A Journey to the Interior of the Earth

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

War and Peace

The Secret Garden

Pride and Prejudice

Dracula

Little Women

Anna Karenina

Three Musketeers

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Treasure Island

The Odyssey of Homer



I also spotted The Mouse and the Motorcycle and the 1st Lemony Snicket book for just $1.99 each! So head over to see what KOBO has to offer and fill up your digital library!

Doubling - A Fun Mental Math Challenge To Try With Your Kiddos

Here is a fun mental math challenge to try with your older kiddos. Set a timer for 1.5 minutes then tell your child,

"Write down the number 7


Without a calculator,  double it and write down the answer

Double that and write down the answer

Double that and write down the answer

Double that and write down the answer

Double that and write down the answer

Double that and write down the answer"

.... How far can your child get before the timer goes off?

Try it with other numbers as well.

Fun Alien Writing Prompt

Here is a fun writing prompt for your kiddos:

Write a story about a young space alien who is separated from the mother ship when he wanders off in search of earthling friends.



What does he do?

Who does he meet?

How does he feel about being away from his family?

How does he adjust?