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Education Through Imagination Newsletter
April, 2008
In This Issue
Special Offer!!
Surprises!
Vocabulary War!
You Talked - We Listened!
Nature Study the Easy Way
Great Web Resources
Quick Links

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Homemaker Journey

SPECIAL OFFER!!!
Supplement
Test drive Times Tales by purchasing our BRAND NEW
3's & 4's Supplement
at a special introductory
price of
ONLY $9.95!!
(regular retail $12.95)
TN Zone
Who says Spring Cleaning can't be fun?
Share the fun!
 
Homemaker Journey

I really didn't believe the claims that a child could master the upper times tables in an hour, but I was wrong!  My kindergartener and my second-grader learned them all in 45 minutes.  Amazing!

~Alison
Shop & Learn!
 
And have fun at the same time!
GC Math

Grocery Cart Math helps your children practice math skills in a "real-life" environment while Mom shops!

Sewing Devotionals!

Homemaker Journey

 

Our Readers Share

 

"I have had the Times Tales flip chart in my hands for less than 48 hours and within that time I have recommended it to no less than 5 educational professionals.  Times Tales wiped out four years of agony in less than ½ hour for my son.  At almost 12, the embarrassment of spending less than an hour reading "babyish" stories (as one reviewer described them), didn't come close to the embarrassment of being "stupid" at math.  I never thought I would see the day he was smiling and doing math at the same time, but that day has come!  THANK YOU!"

~T. H.

 
 

Surprises!

I don't know about your neck-of-the-woods, but around here, things have been anything but predictible.  Last week I watched my daughter's softball game in 80 degree weather and got a sunburn. This week it actually snowed for a few moments!
 
We also have some unpredictable news from theTimes Tales front. Since the very first Times Tales hit the street we have been asked to include the threes and fours in our program. While we felt we had good reasons for declining (I'll share those below), the constant stream of requests convinced us to re-think our stance and create our new Times Tales Supplement which provides pictures and stories for the upper threes and four. It has even more surprises, so be sure and read the details below!
 
Supplement
 
Happy Homeschooling!
 
~Dena

Vocabulary War!

Write a list of vocabulary words on index cards. Divide the stack equally among the players and have them place their cards face-down in front of them.  Each player turns over their first card. The card that comes first alphabetically wins IF that player can provide an acceptable definition of the word. If so, the player takes the cards from the other players. If not, the player to the right has a chance to provide a definition and steal all the cards. If two or more players lay down cards that begin with the same letter, the player who first yells "WAR!", wins. When all the cards are gone, the player  with the most collected cards wins.

You Talked - We Listened!!

While we receive one positive Times Tales testimonial after another, the one "negative" we repeatedly hear is that parents want MORE! They want stories for the upper threes and fours.
 
We were hesitant to do this for a couple of reasons.
 
1) We didn't want the number of stories to be overwhelming and so, stuck with only the most difficult facts.
 
2) We wanted to be sure students understood the concept of multiplication and could mentally calculate the lower facts.
 
That said, we've compromised! We have created a Supplement for the upper threes and fours (3x6, 3x7, 3x8, 3x9, 4x6, 4x7, 4x8, 4x9), facts that really are too large to calculate mentally. Our trial tests indicate that students have NO difficulty with memorizing the additional stories.
 
Additionally, we've responded to the issue that parents of older students occasionally had to overcome their student's attitude that the stories were "childish". We have updated the artwork to appeal more to older students who are still struggling with their facts. Click HERE to see a sample picture.
 
Our new supplement is perfect for:
 
*Students who have used Times Tales successfully, but still struggle with their upper threes and fours.
 
*Those who are skeptical of the Times Tales claims and want to try a "test run" with the lower facts before committing to the whole program.
 
*Those who wish to purchase the Supplement WITH Times Tales to cover all the upper facst.
 
For a VERY LIMITED TIME we are offering the Times Tales Supplement at the special introductory price of only $9.95. Regular price will be $12.95, so take advantage NOW!
 
Nature Study The Easy Way
 

The term "nature study" can sound a bit intimidating, especially if you're not a science buff, but it really shouldn't be. Instead of focusing on trying to teach specific facts, focus on teaching your children to become AWARE of the world around them. Then, simply follow their curiosity. You'll be amazed at what you end up learning.  

An easy way to do this is to pick a certain spot and draw it at different times during the year. When my children are very young we usually draw the apple tree in our front yard. I make this fun by bringing out lawn chairs and a special drink. Then we use our colored pencils and artist sketchpads to draw the tree. It's always fun to compare drawings. We do this in each of the four seasons and compare how different each drawing looks.
 
As the children get older, it's been a special treat to climb the hill at the edge of town, just below our water tower. From there, we are provided with an excellent view of the town and surrounding hills. It's so fun and relaxing to just sit and appreciate things that we normally take for granted on "ground level." Again, we draw what we see and enjoy our time together.
 
And don't think you have to live in the country to do nature study. Find a bush or field and examine the critters you find there at different times of the year. HERE is a great little lesson on spiders. If you scroll down a bit, you'll find instructions on how to "capture" a spiderweb. Wouldn't a collection of webs make a great notebook addition?!
 
If you have a bit of time, be sure and read this inspiring article from Jill Novak, titled Anna's Amazing "Discovery" or How to Draw A Toad. She has some great real-life sample pictures to share.
 
Enoy!
~Dena
Great Web Resources
 
Need some book report forms? This site offers a wide variety, from fiction to biography to sports, and more. They are even geared to different age groups. 
 
Visit HERE fora HUGE list of Bible stories with downloadable pdf files of activities and worksheets for each. These are great for devotional time and make an excellent resource for Sunday School teachers as well.
 
Learning about the five senses? This site offers some fun activites. They even have a page on Amazing Animal Senses.
 
Happy Homeschooling!
 
Sincerely,
 
Dena, Jennie & Marillee
Trigger Memory Systems