Home Schooling

Making The Grass Greener at Your Own House...

In this presentation given at the Family Forum Home School Conference in Salt Lake City, AnnMarie shares ideas on how to create systems and routines to make home schooling more effective.

AnnMarie is well known throughout the home school community as a big proponent of homeschooling with the iPad (or Tablet) and she is leading the way to help homeschooling parents improve their educational and home organizational lives by utilizing the iPad. She is often asked to speak at homeschool conventions on this topic. 

Our oldest five children each have their own iPad and do the majority of their school work on their iPads.

 

Most people think it's a big expense to buy and own an iPad. Not so - AnnMarie easily shows how to pay for an iPad in the savings of inexpensive apps and even free electronic and online resources. For example, a $49 math workbook can be replaced with a $.99 app that is much better and more fun!

Part 1: Using an iPad/Tablet as a Tool to Improve Your Education and Organizie Your Life!

 

 Part 2: Using an iPad/Tablet as a Tool to Improve Your Education and Organizie Your Life!

Norton Family Style Laundry Room:

Here is a list of AnnMarie's Current Favorite Apps (updated May 2014...)

Mom's favorites…Settings – to set up restrictions and ensure that the purpose for the iPad is very clear.

Find iPhone – because we lose things a lot at our house.

ICalendar – so we can keep track of everyone's schedule.

Books Manager – so I can keep track of our family library and avoid purchasing the same book twice.
IBooks – so I can view all of my PDF's at a glance and have our books with us to read anytime anywhere.
MealBoard – because I'm too lazy to write out my own grocery list
Wunderlist – my favorite app to keep the expectations for the day very clear.
Notes – to keep all of our papers, copy work, dictations and narrations and word studies all organized in one place.
Flashcards – to help us memorize all of the things that we've learned.
Audible – to allow us to be able to listen to all of our favorite books wherever and whenever we want.
Dropbox – to keep all of my important files with me at all times.
Yelp – to help me find whatever I'm looking for right away.
Timer – to monitor how long we spend on our studies and activities.
mSecure – to keep safe all of my passwords and usernames for all of our many accounts.
Triple click trick (not an app)– to keep my baby inside one app at a time.
Opendns.com– To keep everything that comes into my house wholesome and pure.

Jarod (13 years old)LDS Scripture Mastery-to help him get a head start in Seminary
Advanced Symplex spelling-to help him become a stellar speller
Calculator for iPad – so he can finish his math. (free app)
Alarm clock – so he can wake himself early in the morning.
Skype – to communicate with distant grandparents and cousins.
Analogy – ACT prep
Your move board games – family boardgames that encourage interaction and strategy with each other without the fear of losing all the little parts.
2048 – math game
Guitar tuna – for him to tune his guitar.
Constitution by kids discover – to help him with his American history class
Gospel Library – four scripture study and word studies.
1828 Webster's dictionary – four words study definitions

Nathan (11 years old)
Simplex Spelling- to help him become a stellar speller.
Newsstand – to have the New Era or friend magazine with him in full-color at all times. Free app
Solar walk – to help him explore outer space.
Multiplication+– To help him memorize his multiplication facts
Brian Cox wonders of life – great exploratory science app.
Disney creativity studio – because he loves to draw Disney characters.
Monster physics – because he loves to play with engineering concepts.
iTunes sixth-grade language arts – English worksheets

Jonathan (9 years old)
Third grade fiction and nonfiction reading comprehension – great reading comprehension app
Cursive writing HD – to help him practice his cursive
LDS WORD search – because he loves a good word search.
Stack the states – to help him identify The United States of America
presidents versus aliens- to learn the names and order of all of the Presidents of The united states of America.
Ask interactive magazine

Grace (7 years old)
LDS Children's Sing Along- to help her get to sleep at night while learning her primary songs
Speech with Milo sequencing app – great app for story sequencing. Helps with reading comprehension and writing organization.
Click interactive magazine for kids
Tick-tock time – app that teaches to read a clock.
Green eggs and ham – interactive book that helps practice rhyming
Teach me first grade-to prepare her for first grade.
CTR – for her to read the scripture readers
LDS jigsaw puzzles- to help her stay reverent during sacrament meeting
Math bingo – to help her work on her math facts

Josh (5 years old)

Starfall learn to read- reading app
Reading Raven – to help him learn to read
Word wizard – movable alphabet with spelling test
Teach me first grade – multiple first-grade skill app. Very fun.
Splash math– Grades 1 through five complex math skills that aren't taught very well in other apps.
Voice recorder HD – so I can read his memorization out loud for him and so he can listen to them over and over again without making me crazy.
Hooked on phonics – best reading app well worth the extra money. Comes with leveled readers and games that can't be lost under the couch.
Hide out -early reading app – BYU word family app
Ladybug interactive magazine
Montessori numbers – to help with place value and number values.

Will (2 years old)
Starfall ABC's- to help him identify letter sounds
IWrite words- to help him form his letters
The monster at the end of this book-very interactive e-book with a cute ending.
Endless reader – helps him to recognize words
Endless alphabet – helps him to recognize letters.
Teach me toddler – learning skills app.
Letter school – to help him learn to print his letters through tracing.
This is my body – anatomy for kids – helps him to label body parts.
Websites to explore to find more amazing apps…
Applearning.com
homeschoolapps.com
touchpress.com
Duolingo.com- free website that teaches languages

More apps that I am excited to explore but haven't gotten a chance to just yet...

Good reader – PDF reader – you can make notes on these PDFs with the stylus.
Evernote – organizational app tool to organize lessons, subjects, and projects.
Air Sketch- whiteboard for iPad that mirrors onto a big screen.
Yoga Studio-free app with modest instructor. Helps break up lessons and encourages focus.

 Am's Favorite Apps 2013:

School Age Kids 8-12:

Analogy (app) 
iBook (app)
kindle for iPad (app)
Overdrive Library (app)
Simplex Spelling (app)
Copy Work (notes app)
iTooch Language Arts (app)
Multiplication! (app by Horizon)
Character Attributes Memorization
Audible (audiobook bookstore)
This Day (app)
Math-U-See (DVD)
Good Start (pdf)
Gospel Library (app)
Cursive Practice (app)
Typing Class for iPad(app)
Notes Learn to Read Music (app)
BrainPOP (app)
Kahn Academy (website)

School Age Kids 8-12:
Math Bingo (app)
Math Doodles (app)
Teach Me (app)
Tumblebooks.com (website)
Stack the States (app)
Presidents vrs Aliens (app)
Starfall (app)
Reading Rainbow (app) 

Family School:
Latter-Day Learning (eBook)
Note Binder (app)
1828 Dictionary (app)
Flashcards (app) 

Home Organization:
Chore Charts (app)
Meal Board (app)
Mint (app)
To Do Lists (app)
Find my iPad (app) 

Parenting: 
Family Economy (Notes app)
Teaching Children Self Government Flow Chart (pdf)

Planning and Tracking: 
blogger.com Family Blog
Blog-to-print
ithoughts (app)
Learnist (website)
Dropbox.com (online file storage)
http://www.appolearning.com (rates apps) 

Devotional: 
Children’s Sing-Along (app)
Family Mission Statement (pdf)
Gospel Art Book (app)
CTR Child Stories (app)
Church Puzzles (app)
Scripture Mastery (app)
Character Attributes (pdf)
Church Magazine (app) 

Games: 
Toontastic(app)
Minecraft (app)
Scribblenauts (app)
Friendz (app)
Monopoly (app)
Cut the Rope (app)
Water (app)

Safety: 
Mobicip Internet Browser
Parental Controls (iPad settings) Password protected  Restrictions (Turn browser off, ratings, explicit language,etc)

Daddy Home Schooling The Fun Way!

Kids learn best when they're having fun. Here's how daddy makes learning math more fun...

Mom Doing Aerobics with Five Small Kids...

This is a really fun video of mom doing a home school lesson on exercise...

more coming soon...