The crazy life of the ClarkClan. Living a life of grace through Jesus Christ.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Cooking Lessons

     The other day I decided to have Ben (9) and Rebekah (7) put dinner into the crockpot around noon. It really got me thinking back to one thing I know I said when we started homeschooling and what I still hear from people who are just beginning to homeschool. The phrase “We can just do cooking for math!”   I laugh inside when I hear this as over the past nine years, yes we have used cooking, but no great math curriculum has centered around the kitchen. But, I was thinking of all the other “lessons” that are learned while cooking.

      Reading:  Reading skills can be enhanced through the reading of a recipe. I insist that the recipe be read through completely before we start making anything.

    Listening and Following Directions: Listening to mom in the kitchen is very important. Listening to explanations of how to follow the recipe that was read. You have to listen to instructions on how to beat an egg, or turn on the mixer, Following directions is very important while cooking

     Obedience: This skill is of great importance while cooking.  Our rule is: if you do not obey, you are done for the day. There are no second chances. I insist on this rule because of safety. Kitchen tools can be very sharp, stoves can be hot,and  recipes can be ruined because of disobedience.

     Cooperation: The skill of cooperation is really tested in the kitchen. Seeing your brother or sister do a cooking job you want to do, or having to share that job involves a lot of give and take.  It may mean, I open this can and you open that one. Sometimes we do things like “we need two cups of water, Ben you measure and pour one cup and then Rebekah will.’

     Pride: My kids take great pride in a job well done. They love to serve what they have made. And the rest of the family gives praise for a job well done.

     Ability to accept Constructive Criticism:  Some recipes work out better than others. At these times it is important to have the ability to listen to some criticism and be able to correct it for the next time. Maybe it means not making something again, or maybe it means changing things to suit our tastes.

     Creativity: I think constructive criticism leads to creativity in the kitchen. Creativity comes when you change a recipe to suit your families tastes. It comes in trying new things, which leads back to being able to take some criticism and trying it again.

     A lot of school happens in our kitchen, but only a tiny fraction of it involves math. There are many, many  wonderful life lessons that take place in the kitchen. And the most fun of all is eating what you have prepared and sharing it with others.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Positive Action for Christ

Life of Christ

From the Gospel of John

by Frank Hamrick

Positive Action for Christ      The Gospel of John is one of the most powerful books of the Bible and the most profound Gospel.  John’s Gospel is evangelistic, which means it causes men to trust God for salvation. Positive Action for Christ has produced a Bible study that captures this profound gospel and opens its powerful truths for high school students to explore.

Our Experience:

     Sarah (13) and I have enjoyed this bible study tremendously.  We found the student manual to be engaging and easy to use. The information contained within the student manual was fascinating. The real-life pictures and the artwork are beautiful and enhance the lesson being taught.

     I liked that this study of John started out with 3 lessons of Background information . There was an introductory lesson, a lesson on the purpose of John’s gospel and a lesson on the Geographic and Political situation at the time of Christ. This background information formed a solid base on which to study the Gospel.  I was impressed with the amount of Bible study Sarah had to do on her own, before we met together for a Teacher’s lesson.  The teacher’s manual states “…the objective of this study is not just to fill students’ minds with facts, but even more importantly to help them grow in the knowledge of their Savior, we have designed this section to help their minds ponder Him and His teaching.” It then warns that some students may be resistant to this approach, but I found that Sarah was the opposite. She was very enthusiastic and always ready to work on her part of the study and then come together for more information.

     The Life of Christ study can be used in many different settings and the teachers manual accounts for this. There are different options for how to plan out the lessons. They give a three, four, or five day option. But, then it also tells you that you may adapt the study to your particular needs.  We choose the three day option. Sarah would do the student work on one day, the next day we would proceed with the teacher’s lesson and the third day would be a review/quiz. I have to admit it was more review than quiz. With just the two of us, I could tell when she was understanding the information and when she needed more explanation, so I usually would just scan the quiz and ask her questions for review orally. I can see where the quizzes would come in handy in a school or Bible class type setting though. This particular study is designed for 9th –12th grades, although the company said it has been used as low as 7th. 

     The resources included in this study were very well done. The student manual is a 277 page consumable textbook. As stated earlier, the pictures and art are amazing. There are eight maps included in the appendix of both the student manual and the teacher manual. Also, included is a timeline of Christ’s life, a timeline of Christ’s last day on earth, a Jewish calendar, and a clock showing: modern time, Jewish time and Roman time (used by John) . The instructors manual is well thought out and easy to use. Each lesson covers lesson objectives and notes to help with teaching your student(s). Your student will take notes in their student manual while you are covering the information. You do not have to be a brilliant Bible scholar to teach this course, the teachers manual gives you all the information you need. Also included with each lesson is a smaller copy of the student manual lesson complete with answers to all the questions.   Included with the teachers manual is a DVD with  transparencies that enhance the teacher presentations. Sarah and I were able to sit with my laptop and look at the transparencies for each lesson while I was teaching it.

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Life of Christ Student manual

$17.95

Life of Christ Student manual (outline only edition)

$8.95

Life of Christ Teachers Manual (includes transparencies DVD)

$41.95

Life of Christ Teachers Manual on DVD

$29.95

Deluxe Presentation DVD

$79.95

Overhead Transparencies

$99.95

Positive Action for Christ also produces products for Kindergarten through Adults. Visit the Positive Action for Christ website to see the many studies available.

Recommendation

     I would highly recommend The Life of Christ. Sarah and I thoroughly enjoy learning with this study. We both look forward to our times together to see what comes next. In our families budget, this product is more than I would usually spend. That being said, after using this study I feel it is well worth the cost and will finish the study and consider buying another that they offer.

I was not the only one to review this study. Visit the Crew Blog to read what my Crew Mates thought about this study.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew received a Life of Christ Student and Teachers manual for free in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Virtual Nerd

     When strangers hear that I homeschool my high school age children, there are usually two comments that follow. The first is “What about sports?” and the second is “I would never be able to teach upper level math!”  The sports answer I will save for now, but the math, well that is easier to answer. One way that I am able to help my kids through math is finding resources to help them. One of those resources is:

Virtual nerd banner

This description is taken from the Virtual Nerd website.

Have algebra questions? Do you dread physics? Virtual Nerd offers interactive tutorials for students in grades 7-12. Whatever you're working on, algebra functions or solving inequalities to complex concepts in physics, Virtual Nerd complements classroom and private tutoring instruction. Our compelling video tutorials are designed to give students fundamental understanding of math and science concepts, not just easy answers. Built on a patent-pending e-learning platform, Virtual Nerd lets students take control of how they learn.

     Virtual Nerd is not a stand-alone math or science curriculum. It is a web site where you can get math or science help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, when you need it.  Virtual Nerd videos are dynamic, easy to use, engaging, and very understandable.  There are videos available for Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Intro to Physics. More subjects are planned, such as Chemistry, Pre-Calculus and Calculus.

     We primarily used it for Sarah who is doing Algebra I this year. She was able to go to the Virtual Nerd web site, use their dynamic search and find the video that could help her with the question she was having. The search feature on this site is very good. You are able to easily narrow down your search from a broad topic to the exact one you are looking for. The screenshot below shows you how this works. This screen shot shows how to use a Topic search. You may also use a Keyword search or a Textbook search. They have taken the most popular textbooks used in public schools and allow you to search for a tutorial video based on what lesson you are doing in the book.

Virtual Nerd search screen

     Sarah found the videos to be engaging, never dull. We primarily used the Algebra videos and found the woman presenter to have a great, clear voice with lots of inflection. The screen that the videos are presented on has three parts to it. There is the main picture with the presenter standing in front of a white board, talking and writing as the problem is solved. Along the right hand side there is a section called diagram which gives you a computerized version of what is being handwritten on the screen. The lower part of the right hand side is every step needed to accomplish the problem. These steps are highlighted as each one is done by the presenter. A (still) example of the video is shown below.

Virtual nerd solving equation screen

     When the problem has been solved the screen then gives you options on where to go next. If you need more help, or need another concept explained this can point you in the right direction. Sarah found this feature to be  helpful.

Virtual Nerd What comes next screen

There are multiple pricing options for Virtual Nerd. You can choose from a day, a week, a month, or three month option. I like the flexibility that these choices give you.

The rates are as follows:

1 Day:  $5.00 one-time fee

1 Week: $19 one-time fee

1 Month: $49 recurring fee

3 Month: $129 one-time fee

     In answer to the “I would never be able to teach upper level math” statement, I  say  “I don’t need to, I just need to be able to find the resources that can help!”

     Check out the Virtual Nerd website for more information. Or visit the Virtual Nerd Fact sheet. and read in depth about the website. We have truly enjoyed using this site and will turn to it for answers to the tough math questions.

     I am not the only one to review the Virtual Nerd site. Visit the Crew Blog and read what my Crew Mates thought about this product.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew received about 6 weeks of access to the Virtual Nerd website for free in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Blog Cruise: Following a Schedule

This week the topic for the Blog Cruise is: Do you follow a traditional school day/time/schedule/year? As I took a month off from blogging, I decided that writing about this topic would be a good way to ease myself back into the habit of blogging.  Visit the Blog Cruise to read how other Crew members schedule their school. I am sure no two will be alike.

     We have been homeschooling for 9 years now. And for 9 years I have had the dream to school throughout the summer. For 9 years it has never happened as I have planned it. I have decided to give up the idealized dream that I will be able to school through the summer and just plan to take a summer break.  There are many different reasons why it has never worked out, sometimes we have taken vacation, sometimes I have worked an outside job in the summer and sometimes we have moved. 

     So this year we are following more of a public school “schedule”. I have to say I am following it rather loosely. We started about a week before the public school in our town started. We have taken Federal Holidays off, because my husband gets those off, and to “do school” when dad has the day off never works out. Around Thanksgiving we worked Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We left for a Christmas vacation early in December. I did pack some schoolwork and we did a modified schedule while on vacation for a week. Then took two weeks off for Christmas and then again did a modified schedule for the last week of our  vacation. Now we are back in the swing of things and plan to take a Spring break in March, for another trip, and then finish up the beginning of June.

     Since I have my kids work until they finish a book or program we usually just pick up with the same work after a break, unless a new book is needed. This means that they may need a new math or science book in the middle of the year. It seems to work well for our family. The only thing my kids find confusing is when people ask what grade they are in. They never seem to know, because they work at whatever level they need. So, I have begun telling each child, “Say, you are in ____ grade, if you are asked.” This works better than having your 9 year old get a worried look and immediately turn to you to answer for them when a clerk in a store or an acquaintance asks them this inevitable question.

     As for a daily schedule I do not necessarily follow a public school schedule, but I do make up my own schedule so we stay on track during the day. After having three kids that were able to just go with the flow and do things as I asked, I never really had a set schedule. Then my youngest started school a few years ago and that whole “no set schedule” thing went out the window. She just could not function. I had tears and fights and fits everyday. So I re-evaluated, and came up with a daily set schedule. I use this schedule for both Rebekah (7) and Ben (9) and it works very well. For Sarah (13),  I still will give her a list of subjects that need to be done and she will accomplish it. I just add in time to my schedule with Ben and Rebekah to work with Sarah. Matthew(17) is very independent. He works on his own and just e-mails me all his answers and papers.

     So I guess in a nutshell I just end up “doing my own thing”. I have some basics I follow, but can change them when needed. I have not had the experience of living in a state that required a lot of documentation for homeschoolers. For New Mexico and Montana, just sending in a form with your child’s name and grade was required and here in Idaho nothing is required, so I have been able to make my own plans as I see fit for each of my children.

Friday, January 7, 2011

See-N-Read

     See-N-Read® Reading tools are handy little devices that help struggling readers of all ages to focus better. The idea for this reading tool was originally developed by Dr. Sylvia R. Smith to help her youngest daughter overcome some early reading difficulties. The See-N-Read reading tools came into being years later as Dr. Smith’s oldest daughter was a teacher and asked her mother to make some of these tools to use in her classroom. The products I received are tools that have been thoroughly researched and developed to help everyone discover the joy of reading.

     The See-N-Read company describes the tool as:

See-N-Read's clear reading window (ReadBar™) is surrounded by a non-glare tinted transparent finish, allowing readers to see text in "chunks" instead of as individual words. This controlled visibility helps readers to focus on the information being read in the clear ReadBar™ while simultaneously tracking ahead to upcoming information using peripheral vision (or reviewing prior information while keeping their place by glancing from the ReadBar™ to the above tinted area of the See-N-Read®). Unlike opaque tracking devices, See-N-Read® enables smooth line-to-line transitions without stopping. "Chunks" of information remain visible without distracting the reader from the current text, thus improving fluency and comprehension.

Visit the See-N-Read Reading Tools website by clicking on the banner below to read all the product specifications and research behind the products. It is very interesting and informative.

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There are multiple See-N-Read reading tools. They include:

snr_book_size See-N-Read® Reading Tools - Book Size

1-pack -  $2.99

For multiple pricing  go to See-N-Read® Reading Tools

 

snr_document_size

See-N-Read® Reading Tools - Document Size

1- pack – $3.49

For multiple pricing  go to See-N-Read® Reading Tools

 

See n read memory mark

See-N-Read® MemoryMark™ - Book size

1-pack – $2.99

For multiple pricing go to See-N-Read® MemoryMark™ Reading Tools

 

See n read memory mark document size

See-N-Read® MemoryMark™ - Document size

1-pack –$2.99

For multiple pricing go to See-N-Read® MemoryMark™ Reading Tools

 

see n read e version

eSee-N-Read™ electronic Reading and Instruction Tool for PCs

$29.99

For system requirements go to eSee-N-Read™ electronic Reading and Instruction Tool for PCs

 

What We Thought:

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     For my daughter Rebekah, who is 7, the See-N-Read tools were a help to her reading. She reads well, but struggles to keep from skipping lines when reading chapter books. I would have her read a page to me without the See-N-Read and then a page with the See-N-Read.  Her reading ability was greatly enhanced when she used the tool. She read more fluently and did not skip lines, ever. I liked that the tool was extremely easy to use. Just place it on the page and she was off and reading.

     I did find that if your child has no reading difficulties the product can be a bit cumbersome. Ben, who is 9, wanted to use it and then found that it slowed his reading down.

     For the eSee-N-Read I was the one that primarily used it.  I found it to be helpful for applications that involved reading a large amount of text on the screen.  When reading long blog posts, or eBooks on my computer, I really liked the way it kept my place.  I liked that the eSee-N-Read was very user friendly and easy to adapt to my preferences.  I could change the size of the ReadBar, I could make the tool larger or smaller depending on what  I needed to read.

      There are many different applications where this tool would be very useful. My husband is taking college classes on-line. He uses a two monitor set up and this tool is very effective in keeping his place on one monitor with his research material while he looks at the other monitor to type his papers. It saves time by keeping his place on the screen so he does not have to search for where he was reading last.

     I also used the eSee-N-Read to help Ben and Rebekah focus on the computer screen.  There are some studies where we look up vocabulary on the internet and they copy the work and meaning. The eSee-N-Read was extremely helpful to focus their attention exactly where I wanted it.

    I was also the one to use the Memory Mark tool.  I primarily used it with my bible to be able to quickly and easily underline verses. I liked that that  it was easy to store in my bible, like a bookmark and that my underlining was straight and even. I liked it so much  I am planning on getting a few for my son who will be starting college soon and for my husband for his studies now.

Don’t forget to visit  The Old Schoolhouse Crew Blog and read what others thought about the See-N-Read products.

As part of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew I received a packet of three See-N-Read reading tools and a trial version of the eSee-N-Read for free in exchange for my using and reviewing their products. The opinions expressed are my honest review of the products received.

Monday, December 13, 2010

ALEKS

What is ALEKS?
Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces is a Web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system that uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine exactly what a student knows and doesn't know in a course. ALEKS offers truly individualized instruction that meets the student at her learning level and instructs her on the exact topics that she is most ready to learn. As a result, no two students will experience the same learning path while working in ALEKS. Learn more by watching a quick 2-minute video.

ALEKS can provide you with the instruction and support that you need to homeschool your children in mathematics for grades 3-12. With a comprehensive course library ranging from elementary school math to complex subjects such as PreCalculus, ALEKS acts much like a human tutor to help take the stress off of homeschooling parents.

ALEKS offers highly-targeted, individualized instruction from virtually any computer with Internet access, making it a comprehensive and mobile education solution for your children. A subscription to ALEKS offers access to all courses and your child may take as many courses as needed during their subscription period.

ALEKS is a Research-Based Online Program:

  • Complete Curriculum Solution for Math with Access to Full Course Library
  • No Textbook Required
  • Artificial Intelligence Targets Gaps in Student Knowledge
  • Assessment and Individualized Learning for Grades 3-12
  • Master Account Includes Quizzing and Automated Reports to Monitor Learning Progress 
  • Unlimited Online Access - PC and Mac Compatible
  • QuickTables - Complimentary Math Fact Mastery Program for Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction

ALEKS has been used successfully by homeschoolers, as well as by millions of students at schools and educational institutions throughout the world. Additionally, some ALEKS course products are American Council on Education (ACE) credit-recommended, meaning that your student may be eligible for college credit at participating colleges. (Taken from ALEKS website with permission)

FEATURES:

Student-Account_MyPie

Assessment: Students begin in ALEKS by taking an individualized, adaptive assessment to determine what they already know and what they are ready to learn next.

Student-Account_MyPie

MyPie: The ALEKS Pie summarizes a student's current knowledge and offers topics that the student is ready to learn next. The darkened portion of each pie slice represents the topics that the student has mastered and the lighter portion represents what the student has yet to learn.

 

Student-Account_Graphing-Tool

Input Tools: ALEKS provides a free response environment and sophisticated input tools that avoid multiple-choice and require students to demonstrate content mastery.

Student-Explanations

Explanations: When a student is working on a particular problem, she can access an explanation of that problem by clicking on the "Explain" button. The explanation typically provides a step-by-step solution, with commentary. In some cases, an alternative or more detailed explanation is also available.

Additional Features include:

Worksheets: Students have the ability to print out 16-question worksheets for additional practice or review. These worksheets are uniquely generated based on the student's current knowledge.

ALEKS QuickTables: QuickTables is a research-based, math fact mastery program for multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction

Interactive Games: Provide additional review and built-in rewards.

Master Account Homepage: Easily manage all student accounts, monitor student progress, view customized resources, and more.

Attendance Report: Track student time spent in ALEKS per day, the topics attempted, and the topics mastered and added to the ALEKS Pie.

Student Progress Report: Track student progress made throughout the course. The blue bar represents the percent of course material that the student has mastered during an ALEKS assessment; the green bar represents the percent of new topics the student has mastered in Learning Mode since the last assessment; and the yellow bar represents the percent of topics the student has yet to learn in order to complete the course.

Quiz Results: Quizzes are automatically graded and the results are available to both the parent and student immediately. View a detailed quiz results sample report (PDF).

WHAT WE THOUGHT:

Mom’s observations

     ALEKS worked wonderfully for Matthew and Sarah. It worked reasonably well for Ben. I signed Rebekah up but quickly realized it was over her head.

     Matthew took Algebra II and Sarah was working on the Pre-Algebra level. Sarah is almost finished with her level. Matthew is not almost done, but has been progressing steadily. Ben worked on level 3, which is the first level offered.

Likes:

     I liked that ALEKS was tailored for each of my kids. They worked on concepts that they needed help in, but they were also given assessments to review past concepts. If extra help was needed in an area, it would show up again in their Pie Chart. 

     One feature that really struck a chord with my kids was the pie chart. They all seemed to like seeing the pie chart fill in as they mastered the topics. The pie chart seemed to be a great motivator.  As well, they liked that they had a choice of what to work on.

     Ben liked the quick tables. he enjoyed the little games that he played on it. I liked the fact that the time on quick tables was limited, so he had to play and then get back to the standard course work.

     I liked that when Ben worked on the Quick Tables the program automatically told him when he had “played” long enough. This way he could not just play during his math time, but had to go back and work on the concepts.

Dislikes:

     Ben did wonderful starting the third grade level. But then came he came to the point where he had to learn a totally new concept. He only knew how to multiply when he started ALEKS. This served him very well, but when what was left on his pie chart to work on were division concepts he bogged down considerably. Ben reads very well, and he had no trouble reading the explanations. But, he had a hard time translating what he read into how to actually perform the operations needed to solve the problem.

Sarah’s observations:

ALEKS

     What I liked about ALEKS is that is let me choose what I wanted to work on. I also like the colorful pie chart to chart your progress. It makes tracking your progress easy at a glance. The pie also tells you how many topics there are to master and how many you’ve mastered. There are also assessments tests that it does every now and then. The assessments test what you know and what you need to learn. At the end of every assessment test it gives you a progress report. I like the progress report because it shows you how far you have come and what percent of things you need to learn in order to move up a level. Graphing on ALEKS is also very easy and fun. One of the things I like is that for some of the problems there is a calculator that it gives you. If you don’t understand a problem you click on the explain button and it explains it to you. What I like though is if you don’t get it the way they explain it there is usually a button that says different explanation. All in all I really like ALEKS and think it is a fun program.

PRICING INFORMATION:

6 Month Term

 Number of Students Price Total Discount Off Monthly Rate
1 $99.95 16.50%
2 $169.90 29.03%
3 $239.88 33.20%
4 $299.84

37.38%

5 $374.80 37.38%
6

$449.76

37.38%

12 Month Term

Number of Students Price Total Discount Off Monthly Rate
1 $179.95 24.83%
2 $305.90 36.11%
3 $431.88 39.87%
4 $539.84 43.63%
5 $674.80 43.63%
6 $809.76 43.63%

If you are interested in trying ALEKS for your homeschool they are offering a free one-month trial ($19.95 value) for my blog readers. Just click on the banner to sign up.

Visit ALEKS for 1-Month Trial

I am not the only one to review ALEKS. Visit the TOS Crew Blog to read what others thought about the program.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received four one-month subscriptions one free from ALEKS in exchange for my honest review of their product.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The Master Ruler

 

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     “Mom, what do these little lines on the ruler mean?”  “Why is this line longer than that one?” Have you ever come across questions like these when trying to teach your children how to use a ruler? I know I have. Master innovations, LLC has designed a ruler to help make teaching how to use a ruler easier.

     Master innovations, LLC is a company committed to helping make teaching various math concepts pleasant, easy, and successful. It is like having several rulers in one. I was given a Master Ruler to try out in our homeschool. I was also given a poster called Marvels of Measurement.

What is the Master Ruler? 

      It is a ruler that has a hard plastic back, and 3-4 clear overlays, depending on the style. It is available in either standard or metric measurements.  The rulers are very well made, quite sturdy and well able to withstand avid measuring. There is an overlay for each fraction of measurement. Each fraction is a different color. This makes reading the ruler very easy even when flipping over a new overlay. It is designed for use by all ages.

master rulerimage

The Marvels of Measurement! poster is a colorful poster that gives length, capacity, and weight conversions. It is very simple to read and understand.

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What we thought:

     We loved the Master Ruler!  When we first received the product, I gave the two rulers (one standard, one metric) to Ben (9) and Rebekah (7). They looked at them, then proceeded to measure everything. At this point I made no explanations as to what the lines mean. Each of them have used rulers before, yet really only ever measured items in inches and half inches. After the general excitement of something new wore off, I was pleasantly surprised to find that anytime they needed a ruler they would grab The Master Ruler on their own.

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     After a week or so, I then started using the workbook that came with The Master Ruler. This book is full of activities that introduces how to use the ruler, both in standard and metric. It also is very helpful in explaining equivalent fractions.  Ben quickly caught on to the Fun with Fractions page.  An example of using the ruler for equivalent fractions is, looking at the inch markings on the ruler, flip the half inch overlay on top. This way you can easily see that two halves is the same as one inch. Or you can look just at the 1/2 inch overlay and flip up the quarter overlay to find that 1/2 = 2/4. The big joke at our house became “Do you want 1/2 of the sandwich or 4/8ths.” To which Ben would laugh and say, “It’s the same thing, Mom”.

148      I had not introduced Ben and Rebekah to the metric system yet, but The Master Ruler changed that. I explained that the metric system is based on 10, then we looked at the ruler. By flipping the overlays up they were easily able to see and count that ten centimeters are in a decimeter and 10 millimeters are in a centimeter.

The poster Marvels of Measures! is also a wonderful product. It answers common questions like “”How many cups are in a gallon?” or “How many ounces in a pound?” I was quite taken by the poster and referred to it often.

Pricing information and Where to buy:

The Master Ruler is available online through The Master Ruler website.

The standard or metric ruler is available for $9.95.

The Mastering the World of Measuring workbook is available for $15.95.

You can also purchase a starter set that includes: 1 Standard Master Ruler, 1 Metric Master Ruler, 1 Teacher's Model Master Ruler, and 1 Master Ruler Workbook (reproducible) for $41.25.

The poster Marvels of Measurement is available for $10.00.

There are other products available through Master Innovations. Also available is a Master Clock, Master Angles, and Master Fractions. Some of my other Crew mates reviewed these other products. Visit the Crew Blog to read what they thought of their products.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received the two Master Rulers, one standard and one metric, the workbook and the poster for free from Master Innovations in exchange for my honest review of their product.