F is for FUN at the dentist!

Yes!  Fun at the dentist!  My girls had a blast at their new pediatric dentist.  

First, in the lobby, there was a gigantic train set! 

 

 

     

The dental hygienist was amazing!  She spoke to the girls and explained everything that was going to happen.  It helped that they got to wear cool sunglasses, pick out an animal topper for the mouth-cleaning-thing..Izzie went for the penguin and Mac wanted the bear...and they were able to pick out an awesome toothpaste flavor...choices included watermelon and chocolate.  Yes, the chocolate toothpaste was brown!  They even got to pick out their floss!  Did I mention, they received a fancy new toothbrush, cool flavored toothpaste, floss, mints, and a handy-dandy bag to keep everything organized?  Ah, and stickers too!  Who doesn't love a handful of stickers!   

Afterward, they even had a good time taking their X-rays!  

DRUM-ROLL...

The best part of the visit was joining the "No Cavity Kids' Club"!  

Each visit with no cavities, you are rewarded with a trip to the Prize Room!  Each time, the prize gets bigger!  And, after the 5th visit without a cavity, the prize is HUGE!

Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Since their visit, I don't have to "remind" them about brushing their teeth because they already have their second prize picked out!

  

Be sure to check out  Ben and Me to see other Letter F activities, crafts, fieldtrips, etc!

TOS Review: Math Rider

Does your student complain every.single.time it's time to review their math facts?  In our house, reviewing math facts is a constant struggle!  So, when I was asked to review Math Rider, an interactive on-line math software program for children ages 6-12, who want an exciting way to review number facts (1-12) for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in a new and innovative way, I was beyond excited!   

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 We received the instant download of Math Rider, $47.  

How does it work?

Each operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) contains four quests, ranging from easy to master, which contain different rewards determined on how well the student answered the math operation.  I appreciate that Math Rider has taken out hand-eye coordination requirements, which tend to frustrate younger children, who may know the math answer, but are still struggling with other game "gadgets".  Your student is rewarded for simply typing in the correct answer.  

Your student will travel to a land of fantasy and quests.  Here in the Land of Ray, which contains amazing digital backdrops of different landscapes, he or she will set out on various adventures!  While riding their horse, Shadow, they will try to accomplish different quests, such as finding magical flowers, returning gems to the elves and rescuing a princess by answering the math operations. 

Curious?  Watch the below video!

For the parent, the best part is that while your student is playing, the game learns what your student knows and what he or she still needs to practice!  Every single response is recorded and statistically analyzed by the the software.  Then, the program is able to custom-tailor the game to your student!

 

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 How did we use Math Rider? 

First, I threw out the flashcards and reintroduced learning the math facts.  Izzie, 6 years old, was thrilled that she no longer needed to practice her addition and subtraction math facts.  Little did she know, she was going to be learning them!  Izzie knows her addition math facts, but still needs practice with her subtraction facts.  She is very dependent on finger or ruler counting when dealing with subtraction. 

Izzie started with the addition quest in order to learn how to play the game and to build confidence.  I was quite surprised to see that her addition math facts speed increased during the game!   She is currently working on the subtraction quest.

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What I liked: 

• Math Rider is extremely affordable!  Only $47, which includes free updates for life!

• It can be used with up to 8 players!  Yes, everyone in your family will have their own rider and a custom-tailored math program! 

• It can be downloaded onto three separate computers in your home.  

• I'm able to track Izzie to see improvement and to determine where she still needs more practice. 

• The graphics are wonderful, the adventures are fun, and she doesn't even realize that she's learning her number facts! 

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In conclusion, I would highly recommend Math Rider as a review game for all students, grades 2-6, who are learning their number facts for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. 

If you would like your child to try out the software, I encourage you to take advantage of the FREE 7-day trial. 

Please be sure to check out the system requirements.  

Sail over to read what other Crew Mates had to say about their experience with Math Rider.

E is for ELEPHANTS!

After college, I spent some time in Kenya.  While there, I did research on elephants and was able to see them in their own habitat throughout Amboseli National Park and Tsavo National Park.  It was a once in a lifetime experience.  They are so big, so graceful, such magnificent creatures!  I would love to share my pictures, however, it was pre-digital.  It's truly hard to believe that it was 12 years ago!  

I never thought I would allow my girls to ride an elephant!  But, we met up with Grandad at a local zoo to celebrate his birthday and one thing led to another...

I must admit, I rode an elephant at this exact zoo 20 years ago! 

Ride on over to Ben and Me to see other fun Letter E activities, crafts, fieldtrips, etc! 

Wordless Wednesday: Sunbathing!

At The Lake...

Last week, it snowed.  This week, it's been in the high eighties and low nineties.

Weird.

We spent the majority of the week outside enjoying the summer spring weather!

 After frantically digging through numerous bins of spring/summer clothes, we finally found the bathing suits.  We headed out of the door, stepping over our winter boots, and headed to the lake with friends!

 

Apparently, it is frog mating season!  The girls found a ton of frogs, giving each other piggy back rides!  Yeah, I didn't touch that subject.  I left it at the Mama Frog is giving the baby frog a ride. 

Looking forward to more fun days in the sun!

Hop over to Chestnut Grove Academy to see other fieldtrips from this week! 

And Homeschool Creations to see a lot of fun activities from the week! 

D is for Dancing!

The girls had a fabulous time over the weekend at a very special Tea Party with Ballet Princesses!

Mac was thrilled to wear a princess dress to the tea party!  Unfortunately, Izzie informed me that she was too old to dress-up.  It was a surprise for them, I simply told them to go and put on their favorite princess dress and we were going somewhere special.  After Izzie's comment, I was a little concern that she wasn't going to enjoy the show; however, she had a blast too! 

Each princess danced to their song and at the end, they invited the little princesses up to learn a special dance!  

Afterward, Mac loved meeting all the "real" princesses! 

Dance over to Ben and Me to see other fun Letter D activities, crafts, fieldtrips, etc!