Archive for 'Education'

See a Need, Fill a Need

Posted 13 April 2010 | By | Categories: Education | 16 Comments

    Did you know that almightydad.com is in Spanish too?  A lot of people don’t.  Click on the Spanish flag in the upper right hand corner and you’ll see something magical happen.  When we first decided to translate it (a monumental task) it wasn’t clear if we’d see a significant uptick in visitors as a [...]

XO Computer for Developing Countries – and Alabama

Posted 28 March 2010 | By | Categories: Education | 5 Comments

XO Computers were designed by One Laptop Per Child, a 501c organization, that intended to find foreign, developing countries to purchase or otherwise be the recipients of the laptops.  They’re built to be rugged, to withstand common conditions in rural areas and third world countries (no paved roads or reliable electricity).  They also have screens [...]

Hooked on Phonics Update

Posted 26 March 2010 | By | Categories: Education | No Comments

   Below is a video of Alan, my 5 year old, doing his Master Reader lesson from Hooked on Phonics.  He read the first chapter earlier in the day, and I was so proud of him that I asked him if he wouldn’t mind doing it again for the camera.  The green level represents the [...]

Free Math Worksheets: Solving the Resource Problem

Posted 19 March 2010 | By | Categories: Education | 9 Comments

     You could go to the bookstore and buy a collection of addition and subtraction worksheets.  Or you could visit DadsWorksheets.com and have access to 4,800 worksheets which cover every piece of basic math up to pre-algebra that you could ever want or need.  I discovered DadsWorksheets a year ago during my quest for the [...]

Teaching Basic Probability with a Pile of M&M’s

Posted 18 March 2010 | By | Categories: Education | 12 Comments

     Sometimes learning math can be yummy.  Yesterday we gave the boys a lesson in probability by using peanut M&M’s.  The motivation was pretty simple, answer correctly, get an M&M.  Here’s how it works if anybody is interested in trying it with their kids:             Step 1. Grab a handful of M&M’s and place them on [...]

Homeschool Textbooks aren’t Designed for Secular Families

Posted 13 March 2010 | By | Categories: Education | 49 Comments

    Giant Flashing (except I don’t know how to make it flash) Disclaimer: I am a supporter of homeschooling rights.  I homeschool my kids and I want the freedom to teach them my own way.  I understand the desire for parents to teach the curriculum of their choice.  This is an argument for science, not against religion.       [...]

Paper Mario Teaches your Kid to Read

Posted 07 February 2010 | By | Categories: Education | 5 Comments

  Video Games have made my kid a better reader. Ever since my boy got hooked on Super Paper Mario (Wii) and Paper Mario (GameCube) he’s been reading more fluidly and confidently.  How can this be?  Well, I never really noticed before, but Paper Mario and Super Paper Mario are heavily dialog centered games that rely on [...]

Blogging Makes You Smarter

Posted 02 February 2010 | By | Categories: Education | 16 Comments

         A year ago, before I started this blog, I didn’t know the difference between Steel Cut and Rolled Oats.  I didn’t know the truth about High Fructose Corn Syrup or that frozen vegetables are actually healthier than other supermarket veggies.  In fact, there are very few articles apart from my tea and fitness [...]

How to Stop Childhood Obesity According to the CDC

Posted 19 January 2010 | By | Categories: Education | 8 Comments

    Childhood obesity is clearly a problem.  We don’t need statistics to know there are a bunch of fat kids waddling around these days.  Just open your eyes.  But, statistics do help us to isolate the problem and think of solutions.  The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) came out with a report basedon statistics from 2007-08 data [...]

Homeschooling: Not for Everyone

Posted 15 January 2010 | By | Categories: Education | 13 Comments

                        Homeschooling my kids is one of the great pleasures I have in life.  I get to be responsible for their mental growth and to shape them into productive citizens.  My job description is this: Increase my kids’ chances in life through quality education and direction.  It’s my responsibility to teach them everything they need [...]

When In Doubt Ask Around

Posted 08 January 2010 | By | Categories: Education | 17 Comments

      Over the course of the last two years I have gone through several Math programs for my boys.  Each one has been, in some way, flawed.  Hooked on Math (from the Hooked on Phonics people) is good, but it isn’t a complete program.  I’ve been using DK math which I like, but it is [...]