Homeschooling

[disneymom3]

Denine--leapster has both Talking Letter Factor and Talking Word Factory as games. They are great and my boys really like them. I love Leapster for long car trips--I can feel like there is some value there instead of other handhelds. I just wish they had more for the 4th gr and older crowd.

 

[jaycns]

Does anyone know if the Leapster system has a phonics cartridge? I really want to get one for DD, but the programs all need to be educational. She has a My First Leap pad, but she is getting to old for the PK books, even though she is not yet 4 1/2.

So far she does pretty well with beginning letter sounds.

Yes...it does have phonics cartridges...more then one in fact. And most of the games have some sort of phonics component. My 5 and 7 year olds love to play Leapster! I love to see them learning without even realizing it!

http://www.leapfrog.com/Primary/Pre...!89026055!179328925?tab=2&bmUID=1170953093737

If you follow that link you will find a list of the available cartridges. My sons both love the Words Factory, Letters on the Loose, Cars and Nemo cartridges. We have the Leapster L Max version of the system.

I wouldn't say that everything is packed to the brim with only educational stuff...but MOST of the content has some sort of educational value (although it may be very well hidden...my kids don't think of it as school work...but it really is). They have cartridges for older kids too. I didn't see them on the site. My older son has a school house rocks cartridge with grammar and another with history. He doesn't really get into the Leapster but no big loss...I picked those cartridges up on clearance from Walmart .

I think it's a sound toy with great educational value. As long as you don't mind your kids doing the video game type format (which we don't). Hope that helped!

 

[jaycns]

Denine--leapster has both Talking Letter Factor and Talking Word Factory as games. They are great and my boys really like them. I love Leapster for long car trips--I can feel like there is some value there instead of other handhelds. I just wish they had more for the 4th gr and older crowd.

Me too!! My son liked the School House Rocks cartridges for a bit...but once he "did" those...he is now bored again with Leapster. Which is okay, his brothers more then fight for time with it anyway...but it would be nice if they offered more for the "older" set. And you are so on the money about Leapster for long rides! It is a lifesaver (and one I don't have to feel guilty about passing back...when I pass back the Nintendo DS...I don't feel nearly as good about my parenting skills ). However, my older son likes the Brain Academy you can use on that and the Zoo Tycoon. He also is obsessed with playing some soccer game that he loves dearly...but it has been educational as well....just have to work harder to keep it that way! Does anybody know of any other "educational" (or at least semi educational) games for the Nintendo DS?


Speaking of car trips...we have some of those interactive DVD games. We have a Clifford Phonics one and an animal trivia one. They are great educational games for long rides. As long as you have a DVD player in your vehicle and it has a remote control...they work really well. Just an FYI.

 

[disneymom3]

Oh, wanted to add that DS got the Animal Genius Leapster game for Christmas and it is really good. Fun, but packed with animal facts. Both boys are often coming up with "did you know....." from that game and they usually surprise me.

For phonics on a regular basis we use a blend of stuff. I really like the Explode the Code series. DS 5 is doing the intro level this year and DS6 is on Book 2. Love the writing component. I was a little worried about the whole writing thing initially because we use HWOT which starts with capitals while everyone else under the sun uses lowercase. We did a jumpstart workbook on matching capitals and lowercase letters and that was all it took for older DS. Now I also have Happy Phonics and they have some games to teach upper/lowercase. Can't say enough about Happy Phonics! It is a booklet with the materials to make a ton of games. My boys beg to play these games with me. Some are a board game format, others are turning over cards and finding rhyming words or making sentences. Some they can do on their own, some I need to do with them. There is one activity called the Phonics House that I swear would have been worth the cost of the whole package. Before playing that one, DS could NOT get the idea of blending sounds to make a word. I swear to you we had been stuck in the same place phonetically for a YEAR. He knew all the letter sounds he just didn't get that you put them together. One day of playing that game and he was going around spelling things outloud. I had tried so many things by that point I cannot tell you how relieved I was!

I never did phonics with DD because she was one of those learned to read by osmosis or something kids. So this was a whole new ballgame with DS!

As for HWOT, I was very resistent to it for a long time. I just didn't like the way their writing looked. Then one night (the best homeschooling decisions are made in the middle of the night!!) I realized that the completely illegible scrawl I was getting from DS didn't exactly look nice either! So, I got the stuff and again, the difference was immediate. Not to say his writing is perfect by any means but at least now you can figure out what letters are supposed to be and we have a way to go back and review letters that are not looking right. Right now we are working on improving S and W.

 

[disneymom3]

Me too!! My son liked the School House Rocks cartridges for a bit...but once he "did" those...he is now bored again with Leapster. Which is okay, his brothers more then fight for time with it anyway...but it would be nice if they offered more for the "older" set. And you are so on the money about Leapster for long rides! It is a lifesaver (and one I don't have to feel guilty about passing back...when I pass back the Nintendo DS...I don't feel nearly as good about my parenting skills ). However, my older son likes the Brain Academy you can use on that and the Zoo Tycoon. He also is obsessed with playing some soccer game that he loves dearly...but it has been educational as well....just have to work harder to keep it that way! Does anybody know of any other "educational" (or at least semi educational) games for the Nintendo DS?

That is so funny! I am the same way. I will say yes just about every time to Leapster but oh hte guilt for the DS! The Brain Academy is a good suggestion. We will have to get that when we drive out to CA next summer. DD also really likes Animal Crossing. (For DS) I tell myself there is economics involved as they have to earn money to pay their mortgage, go to a job, buy furnishings etc. It is a strech though! As for Leapster, she liked I Spy and they have those newer ones that are like a video game--like Caterpillar--with math facts. She is still not very fast on her multiplication and division(a side effect of Singapore) so that is a good one for her and it is pretty fun. Not as engaging as the other style though.

 

[Denine]

I see money flying out the window as I type!

We do not want a DVD player in the car, but need something to keep DD entertained. We plan on driving to WDW in April from Ohio. That is a LONG time in the car. I think I will get the leapster and a few cartridges along with the other stuff I always take.

I love it when she learns and doesn't realize it!

 

[sahwifeandmommy]

Don't forget books on tape or cd are great time fillers in a car

 

[jaycns]

The Starfall site is awesome! Thanks for the suggestion!! My boys are having a lot of fun exploring (and learning!).

 

[perdidochas]

Don't forget books on tape or cd are great time fillers in a car

They are awesome. We go to the local library to pick up a few before every major car trip.

 

[jaycns]

They are awesome. We go to the local library to pick up a few before every major car trip.

We listen to them a lot in our "every day" life but tend not to listen to them on long trips (we are strange...actually, I blame that on dh...he likes to listen to music as he drives). My boys love getting in little pieces of a story on our way to a friend's house or the grocery store or soccer practice. I love the relative peace and quiet! The library is our favorite source for books on CD!! However, if I see a good deal on eBay I buy them up. I figure we can donate them to the library later on but for now, our own listening library is growing a bit! We like to re-listen to really good books (my boys loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on CD so we have listened to it about 4 times in the past 3 years ).

Books on CD are an awesome way to sneak in classic literature without the kids even realizing you are doing it!! In fact, all three of my boys have grown to love the classics as much as the modernized versions of many works! They love the original Peter Pan just as much as the Disney version and they even like to compare the two!

 

[Denine]

Maybe DD needs to be older for books on CD. Right now, the only time I can get her to sit and listen to a story is if we are snuggling on the couch. I can't wait until we can get a love seat in the class room. She loves to listen to music though.

 

[Tink561]

They love the original Peter Pan just as much as the Disney version and they even like to compare the two!

My boys love the original Peter Pan as well as the original Pinocchio. Those are great books!

 

[bless7ings]

Phonics:
I love these free resources www.starfall.com and hubbardscupboard.org
We also used the Leapfrog dvds about $10 each at Wal-mart or Target. I think there is a series of 4 of them starting with the letter factory and going up to storybook factory. I used those resources along with the Dick and Jane books and the PBS serie Between the Lions and that is how my oldest 2 children have learned to read (almost forgot have also used some of the cheap workbooks at the dollar stores).

I finally got to check the sites out, they are very good, thank you.

 

[bless7ings]

Does anyone know if the Leapster system has a phonics cartridge? I really want to get one for DD, but the prorgams all need to be educational. She has a My First Leap pad, but she is getting to old for the PK books, even though she is not yet 4 1/2.

So far she does pretty well with beginning letter sounds.

If they are what I am thinking. I saw them at Walmart on clearence for $19.95 reg. $24.95 I think. But that was a while back.

Also, they seem to be less at Walmart then on the website plus no shipping. Target I am told also carrys Leap products.

 

[jaycns]

So...what do all of you use to teach writing? The creative kind and handwriting as well!

I love reading your answers! If you get sick of typing them...just tell me to stop!

I will post ours later, for now I have to get back to teaching! Have a great afternoon!!

 

[sahwifeandmommy]

Our homeschool group uses IEW which I believe stands for the Institute for Excellence in Writing

 

[abookworm]

So...what do all of you use to teach writing? The creative kind and handwriting as well!

I use Handwriting w/out Tears for handwriting for both my 5 yr old and 8 yr old and it's working well for us. I'll be starting their cursive bk with my oldest later this spring.

We have not started a creative writing program yet but do The Little Red Writing Book now as guided journeling.
I have The Writer's Jungle to use in a year or 2 when we are more ready for a "program" but it's kind of an "un-program" for writing if that makes sense
I've heard lots of great reviews on it and it seems to fit my son's learning style so I got it used recently. Now if I can just find time to read through it!

 

[meandtheguys2]

Mine all learned penmanship with Handwriting w/out Tears. I like it, and it is relatively painless.

My two oldest do Writing Strands, and my youngest just finished the WIN program.

Writing is a struggle here. Their thoughts are ahead of their hands, still. Using the computer has helped with their writing skills, though. They type better than they write.

 

[disneymom3]

I use HWOT with my youngest two, did D'Nealian with the oldest. That system is not a good fit for us. She did Bob Jones once she got into cursive and we liked that as it had fun practice writing activities in it. She now just writes out memory pieces that I put together using Start Right, which is awesome. www.startright.com

We also use Writing Strands for the oldest and I throw together some activities here and there from a couple of Scholastic teachers books I have picked up along the way.

We also used Intermediate Language Lessons but DD found it quite boring. So, did I!

 

[Dzierzy Mierz]

Just popping in to say that I am a homeschooling Mommy too! We don't use any particular curriculum. We use a Charlotte Mason -esque approach.