TV Math For Homeschool Classroom Fun
by Nichole Cook
Fun Homeschool Classroom Necessities
I use Netflix for the bulk of my curriculum, and we love the videos. Unfortunately, the math videos presented a bit of a problem. The teacher would show how to work a problem, and they would go into great detail about how to do the math. Then they would put a problem on the board and tell you to stop the video, write the problem down, and work the problem. When you have the answer, you're supposed to play the video and see how to work out the problem and get the answer. Unfortunately, my three girls and I had a problem seeing the notebook on my lap when I was helping them work the problems step by step. Four heads would clunk each other, and it would get really frustrating when someone couldn't see. I tried putting brown craft paper on the dining table to draw largely on that, but when we watched the videos it was a pain to run back and forth. It finally dawned on me to use an erasable marker like the type you use on a white board! They write on and wipe off easily, so I grabbed one and a small rag. I paused the video where he had the problem up on the tv, such as 2 + 2 = . Right there on the television, I worked the problem with them, showing them how long division worked or whatever the subject was at the time. They could each stand around the tv or sit on the couch or floor, and no one was clunking heads. Once we took time to work out the problem, I placed the answer in the top right corner like PIP (picture in picture), and we played the video to see if we did the work correctly. Once we checked our answer, we wiped our answer off and moved on to the next problem. It saves paper, and it's like having a chalk board right in the comfort of your living room! You can purchase colored pens, or there is even colored window markers from Crayola that I've used to leave messages for my husband to see when he comes home from work late at night. I love erasable markers and have left notes on… Counters like, "Good morning, Girls! Great work cleaning up the kitchen. There are parfaits for breakfast (apples, yogurt, etc). Enjoy!" Mirrors--"Happy birthday! Today is the big day! Have breakfast, and get ready for your party this afternoon! Love, Mama". Car windows (small)--"Good morning, Honey! Great job getting the promotion! Enjoy your day!" Anywhere you can safely leave a message (with a convenient rag!) for the person. I even added fish to the fish tank with an orange window marker one time, which could be the start of a math lesson. ;) I don't know why I didn't think of using them for the math videos sooner! Thanks Nichole for the great tip! Read Nichole's Odd But Effective Homeschool Curriculum review. Would you like to leave a comment, or share your own homeschool story or tip? Use the links below... |
