The 12 contests / the 12 blogs of Christmas

I admit; I think the folks at HomeschoolEstore have come up with a really creative promotion!

They've invited 12 bloggers to host 12 different contests on their blogs, and each winner will get a $50 gift to spend at HomeschoolEstore.

Now, I'm not one of those blogs... In fact I can't even participate in any of the contests since I'm a publisher (my products are sold there). But I do want to let you know... it sounds like loads of fun as well!

You don't have to buy anything to participate. Just go visit the 12 blogs and see the various contests. I visited some and saw a photo contest, one where you need to guess what the children in an old photograph are thinking, one writing contest, one was something about finding a quote and writing about that. And there are more (I didn't visit them all).

They've also paired each blogger with a publisher, and Amy Beth from My Smoky Mtn. Homeschool will be writing something concerning my Math Mammoth books during the contest.

Here's a complete list of the 12 participating blogs:

www.Homeschoolblogger.com/01charger

www.Homeschoolblogger.com/ReviewsbyHeidi

www.homeschoolblogger.com/eclecticeducation

lifeonwindyridge.blogspot.com

www.homesteadblogger.com/TexasRose

triviumacademy.blogspot.com

tnmomwith3kids.wordpress.com

www.homesteadblogger.com/simplefolk

homeschoolblogger.com/mysmokymtnhomeschool

www.homeschoolblogger.com/ClassicalEducation4Me

janne.cc/blog

www.homeschoolblogger.com/Ruth

Oh, almost forgot: you can only enter 2 of the 12 contests.

Algebraic thinking

I downloaded the "balance" worksheet freebie, and daughter liked it. We homeschool and she would be in fifth grade this year if she were in public school. ... My question is about the balance worksheets - where would there be more of that? Stuff that does groundwork for algebraic thinking?

It's not just balance problems that prepare a child for algebra. These are important factors also:

• a good number sense (e.g. mental math)


• understanding of the four basic operations, for example how the opposite operations work. Another example: understanding that a division with remainder such as 50 ÷ 6 = 8 R2 is "turned around" with multiplication and addition: 8 × 6 + 2 = 50.


• a good command of fraction and decimal operations. Understanding the close connection between fractions and division.


• understanding the concepts of ratio and percent.

You can also simply write her more problems with an unknown. For example:

Write 7 + x = 28 and similar ones, like 12 + x = 99 and harder numbers.

x − 9 = 9 and notice how this is "solved" by adding.

6 − x = 4 and then harder numbers.

The same with multiplication and division.

I would also add one more thing that prepares children for algebra: good word problems -- not such that only require one operation to solve.

Singapore math's word problem booklets are told to be good, and here are some other (free) word problem websites.

In fact, soon I want to talk a little more about good word problems based on a paper I'm currently reading.

The snowy edition of Carnival of Homeschooling

.... is posted at Dewey's Treehouse. Mama Squirrel has done a fine job, go check it out!

Carnival of Homeschooling 101: Snowed in edition