XP Math

I found a great math site called XP Math when I was going through my math bookmarks the other day. I must have found it on a day when I was in a hurry and didn't have time to go through it or I would have posted about it earlier.

XP Math includes games for Numbers & Operations, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement and Data Analysis & Probability. The Numbers & Operations category is heavy on fractions and decimals (which I am looking for right now), but there are plenty of games that would help to review basic math facts. For math facts, it looks like most of the games work on speed.

Games are not all you will find at XP Math, though. Check the Math Forums for a Problem of the Week, General Discussion, Homework Discussion, Math Challenges and Mind Challenges.

Do you want to show your child how math relates to real life? Take him/her to the Math in Careers Database. There are three categories: The Lite Version (grades 5 and under) lists the most common jobs. Not all of the jobs are filled in yet, but clicking on a job that is complete will give you a list of math topics needed for that vocation with the option of going to a practice problem. You can also search by Math Topics. Click on a math topic and you will pull up a clickable list of the major occupations that use it. You may also search by Jobs. There is an impressive list of careers here.

XP Math also offers free downloadable math eBooks. Most of these are for Algebra and above. You may also download free technology eBooks and other eBooks. I downloaded a free SAT Prep Course eBook there.

Go to Math Videos for four free videos, including pre-algebra, basic math, math & music and Donald in Mathmagicland.

The Worksheets page includes PDF downloads of math problems for various topics. You may also download exams from the New York State Testing Program (all for grade 8) and class exams (7th and 8th grade).

Enjoy!

~Andrea

Online Texts for TOG Y2: Fall of Rome to the Signing of the American Constitution

I have been going over the booklist for Tapestry of Grace Year 2 Redesigned, and I recognized several titles that are available online for free. TOG Year 2 covers the Fall of Rome (450 AD) to the signing of the American Constitution. These books could be helpful for you if you are studying this time period with another curriculum (or your own). Many of these books are available online through multiple sources. Go here for a previous post listing several sources for online books.

Whether or not you are using TOG Year 2, check out their extensive links, categorized by subject. They would be helpful for anyone studying this time period.

Here are the TOG Y2 books that are available online:

• The Story of the Middle Ages, by Samuel B. Harding (there is also a free audiobook available through Librivox) - approx. 350 - 1500 AD
  
  
• Famous Men of the Middle Ages, by John H. Haaren & A. B. Poland - begins with some mythology, then 394 - 1471 AD
  


• The Story of Europe, by H. E. Marshall - 330 AD - approx. 1580
  


• Our Island Story, by H. E. Marshall (free audiobook: Part 1, Part 2) - fictional beginning of England to 1485 AD (book goes through 1902)
  


• Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children, by H. E. Marshall - Anglo-Saxon saga
  


• Foxe's Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe (NOTE: The edition that TOG recommends includes some updates and modernday persecutions, but you could probably use the original and Internet links for the modern information if you absolutely had to. The new edition looks excellent and is probably well worth the money, although I don't personally own it yet.) - online version is martyrdom of Stephen - approx. 1826 AD
  


• Men of Iron, by Howard Pyle (or here) - historical fiction set in the early 1400s
  


• The Awakening of Europe, by M. B. Synge - brief history of the Netherlands, then late 1400s - 1745 AD
  


• This Country of Ours, by. H. E. Marshall


• By Right of Conquest: With Cortez in Mexico, G. A. Henty - historical fiction, 1595
  


• Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare (TOG recommends this one.) -
  


• Henry V, by William Shakespeare (TOG recommends this one.)


• The Children's Shakespeare, by Edith Nesbit


• The Tempest, by William Shakespeare (TOG recommends this one.)


• The Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan (free audiobook)


• The Struggle for Sea Power, by M. B. Synge


• Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift (free audiobook)


• Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself is available as a free e-book at Wowio, but you have to create a free account and give them a nonanonymous e-mail address (not hotmail, yahoo, etc).

Enjoy!

Please note that many Tapestry of Grace links on my blog go through my Share & $ave account with Tapestry of Grace. I get credit at the Tapestry Bookshelf for any purchases referred through my links. My Share & $ave code is TOG4jp6 (case sensitive). Anyone who has ordered $300 worth of products from Tapestry of Grace is eligible to sign up for their Share & $ave program, so be sure to remember that if you ever decide to purchase from them!

HomeschoolBlogger Comments
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Jul. 13, 2007 - Thanks!

Posted by Mimi Rothschild

Thanks so much for posting these resources! I compiled a summer reading list for homeschooling students a few weeks ago. It can be found here.
http://www.thejubileeacademy.org/blog/

Have a great weekend!
-Mimi

Jul. 14, 2008 - WOW

Posted by Diane in CA

Thanks for the list of the Year 2 books available online! I am trying to do this year with a budget in mind, I am also trying to get the books for all the levels so I do not have to worry about OOP books etc for the next level up when we get there. I am doing LG, UG/D combined.

Diane in CA

Homeschool Tracker

TGHomeSoft offers their Basic version of Homeschool Tracker for free. This is a really great recordkeeping program. I began using the free version when it first came out in 2003, and I couldn't believe how much you could do with it.

With the free version, you can keep track of attendance and hours, manage assignments (there are copy and reschedule features), keep track of your resources, create reading logs, schedule field trips, and create several reports (field trips, student overviews, reading logs, report cards, resources used, teacher's planner and time spent). You can also set up templates for frequently-used assignments. If you aren't much of a scheduler, or if you schedule some subjects but prefer a journal type approach for others, the basic version also includes a teacher's journal.

You can view screenshots of the Basic edition and download the program and user manual here. I have since upgraded to the Plus version of this program, which offers some really great features and is constantly being updated (all updates are free - it is a one-time purchase). I used the basic edition for 2 years, though, and I loved it! It is a great program, and you can't beat the price!

~Andrea

Frog Websites/Trying to Identify Our Frog

I thought I would share some of the frog identification pages I found while trying to identify the frog that Allyson saved from our friend's car.

Amphiaweb: From this page, you can click on your geographic area to find out what kinds of amphibians live there. Lots of pictures here.

FROGLAND: This is a fun frog site with tons of information. Go to their Species Caresheets page to learn how to care for specific breeds, including breeds found in the wild. This site has just about everything you could possibly want if you are looking for frog info, even links to clipart and interactive frog games! Highly recommended if you have a frog-loving child in your home.

eNature: Can't forget this one! Check out their field guides, which are searchable by region. You can even sign up for a free Wildlife List to keep track of animals and plants you see in your backyard or local area. Add species with notes about where you found them - it's basically your own online nature journal.

Now for more pics of our frog. Click on the picture for a larger image.

   

It's hard to tell positively for us because it seems to be a young frog, but we still think that it's a bullfrog. This makes a difference because if it's a bullfrog, then we have to make sure that we return it to a habitat that has bullfrogs - they get huge and eat anything they can fit in their mouths, including other frogs and even small mammals like mice. Crazy! I'm going to call a local nature center to see if they can help with this.

Thanks for reading. I'm still looking for a positive ID for this frog if anyone knows.

~Andrea