I began making videos a while ago but didn’t do it consistently.  I was challenged this year to add more videos every week.  If you have problems with a child learning to compare fractions, I have the video for you.  My students never have an issue with this topic after they learn it this way.  https://youtu.be/8KPmMwGcFC4

Looking for an older child and want an ACT tip.  This technique can be used in most of your ACT problems.  https://youtu.be/THWWaXbyfCo

Looking for a site with great math games.  I evaluate one almost every week.  Here is one on Turtlediary.com  https://youtu.be/hebO_RQTq9o

From Elementary to High school, I probably have a video about it. Don’t see a video but want one.  Give me suggestions; I am always making new ones.

In September, I plan on starting a new series called “Math on the go,” and my first stop is the Cincinnati Zoo, where I talk about math and the hippos and rhinos.  Who knew there was so much math with just two animals.

My youtube channel is @marycarroll-mathvideos4883 Subscribe if you think it might be useful.

Teaching children in multiple grades and at different stages of development presents challenges in the home classroom. One way to incorporate everyone is to use unit studies. Unit studies take a topic and explore every aspect of that topic. Hands-on activities and experiments compose a large portion of unit studies. I did unit studies when there was no Internet. You can do it if I got it done without an internet connection.
I did not incorporate all topics together, but I tried. My guide was my children’s interests. If one said they wanted to learn about something, then that is what we studied. One of my favorite memories of this was when we studied birds for one full year. Yes, the entire year, we studied birds! We studied the migration patterns of birds and the anatomy of the birds; we collected feathers and identified the birds. Yes, I know about the dangers of feathers now. I did not back then; remember no Internet. We visited many places all over the country collecting feathers.
My favorite story is when we were at Sea World, and my son Chris pointed to the flamingos and said, “Look, Mom, that feather is right there. Can I just jump over the fence and get it?” As a good and responsible mom would, I said, “ Yes, but be quick.” I did not want to get kicked out, so my other children and I became the lookouts. No, I do not suggest you go to that extreme but remember, we were more relaxed in the past; plus, the pens had lower fences.
My point is we enjoyed crazy adventures that my children will remember. They do not remember the homework or the studying, but they remember when mom put away the books to do real-world learning. Everything we did became a class, like doing our laundry or sewing doll clothes.
Another thing I learned was not to study history out of a textbook. It is desperately dull. I tried to make it alive by reading books set in history and doing things the characters did. One time, when we were studying the Oregon Trail, I had the kids make butter the way pioneers traveling the Oregon Trail did it. My daughter remembers this not so fondly. We rolled a jar of heavy whipping cream for over an hour, and it still was not butter! I quickly went to the kitchen, put the cream in the blender, gave it a good whiz, put it back in the jar, and rolled it around for a few more minutes. Amazingly, it became better! Even though the activity didn’t go exactly how I wanted, my daughter vividly remembers it. I am sure she heartily appreciates butter!
When you are teaching subjects, try to make them alive. You do not need much money to travel; just plan simple activities, find places close to home that offer hands-on experiences, pitch a tent in a state or national park, or visit friends and relatives that live in amazing places. Whether you travel or explore the area you are in, there are plenty of things to see in the real world.
Did my children have gaps in learning? Every child in America has gaps in learning. Gaps in learning are inevitable. Think about your learning and how you didn’t know everything when you graduated. It was not because you didn’t learn these things but because you didn’t grasp them. However, unit studies do something more important than teaching children everything there is to know: they give children a hunger for learning! Isn’t that the most important thing a child can learn? So, when considering how to teach your children, give unit studies a chance. You might be surprised how much you learn too!

For more information, visit: https://www.hisvesselacademy.com/

A great way to bring the family together in one fun project.

Many parents are very excited that universities announced that they do not require incoming first-year students to take the ACT or SAT. At first, this was a good idea and a relief to parents and students. However, some problems may arise from not taking one of the two tests. Instead of the traditional ACT/SAT, the schools give placement tests, parents may have to pay for classes that do not count towards their child’s degree, and the students miss out on much-needed scholarships.

Although the schools no longer require the ACT/SAT, they still require a placement test. Placement testing is not new, but in the past, if a student scored high enough on the ACT/SAT, they were exempt from taking a placement test. The placement test and ACT/SAT help schools place students in the correct math and English level. Testing students ensures they are ready for math and not taking classes that are too advanced.

The university wants your child to succeed and will place them in remedial classes until they can handle the upper-level coursework. The remedial class sounds like an excellent idea for some struggling students. Still, these classes cost the parent money to enroll, yet they do not count toward their child’s degree. I know of one parent whose son is taking coursework equivalent to a 6th-grade level. The students can take the math classes as self-paced or in a classroom setting. Either way will take time and motivation to succeed. Many students are in these classes not because they don’t comprehend Algebra and above but because they do not perform well when testing.

Another reason to take the ACT/SAT is that many academic scholarships are based on the ACT/SAT scores. One of my favorite bloggers “Prep Scholar” recently wrote about the scholarships given to students from universities based on their ACT/SAT scores alone. With the rising cost of college, parents cannot afford to leave this money on the table.

You have spent many hours teaching your child, and now they are in high school. You can start exploring colleges and what each one requires. If your child plans to attend a university, you must prepare them for the ACT/SAT. Preparing students for testing may seem daunting at first, but there are many books and materials for free to help prepare your child for the test. Taking prep classes or hiring a private tutor for the ACT/SAT will also give your child their best chance of succeeding.

Your child should take the ACT at least three times to get the best score because the ACT has decided to super-score the test, so colleges only see the highest score for each subject. If your child scores a 25 on English the first time and a 29 on English the second time but takes it a third time and scores a 27, then the college will only see the 29. Super-scoring allows students to focus on one subject at a time. If they score low in one area, they can focus solely on that subject and not worry about preparing for the other parts of the test.

Link to the article from Prep Scholar.
https://blog.prepscholar.com/guaranteed-scholarships-based-on-sat-act-scores

For more information on the ACT/SAT test and to help prepare your student, visit: https://amactprep.wordpress.com