Favorite Pictures From This Week

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from this week. I love this first picture of Luke surrounded by the wilderness.  This is right out back doors.  Luke loves exploring.

I love how Isabel has her own style and has a lot of confidence in putting her outfits together.

Sheesh, the "little girls" as Joey and I call them.  The other day we went out for sushi as a family and I couldn't help but think about how peaceful the dining experience would have been had we not had the "little girls" with us.  But who wants peace and quiet...right?!

This picture I love because it shows how beautiful Tucson is (and Sylvia in her witch costume.)

This last picture was taken by Hazel.  It's of me taking a shower.  Thank goodness I had the foresight to never clean my shower door just in case such a situation should occur.

Check out our new SchoolTube page!  Our favorite YouTube videos.  Some educational, and some not so much.

Story Time at the Library

We try to go to pre-school story time at the library every Thursday.  Luke brings his book to read out in the main area while us girls enjoy some stories, along with the "Bean Bag" dance and singing about shaking our "sillies" out.  I love Meg our story time teacher.  She keeps story time pretty routine to help the children feel comfortable and familiar with it, at the same time she adds new songs and activities to keep their interest. Also, every Friday afternoon our library has "Read to a Dog."  About three docile trained dogs are there waiting for children to read them a story.  Isabel loves it.

This week we tried out toddler story time.  Pretty much the same as pre-school story time, except a little simpler.

There is always a craft at the end.  (well, in this case, it was coloring a clown.)

The other cute two year old is Hazel's friend, Ellen!

When it's time to leave, we pick up our order of books and try to get out of there before Hazel can steal too many squirts from the automatic hand sanitizer dispenser.

Multiplication Tables

Behind Isabel's back, Joey and I proudly call her "Rainman."  She memorizes everyone's birthdays, she knows our phone numbers and address, even our old address, and has all of her multiplication facts up to the elevens and then the fifteens memorized.  All without any help from me. Luke on the other hand has inherited my up-in-the-clouds brain.  Not necessarily a bad kind of brain, just difficult to keep numbers in.  We've gone through multiplication flashcards, worksheets, I've even tried mnemonic stories or rhyming to help him know his multiplication table.  After a day of feeling like he's made some progress, once we try again the next day, it's as if all of the numbers have fallen out of his brain again.

I am thinking about getting these multiplication table practice pads and have him fill one out every day.

Ooooo, I am sure these mnemonic stories might work.  (I don't think the ones I made up made much sense.)

I know what pencils to give my kids to use if they ever need to take a state math test...CHEATING!

As I was searching around for some ideas I learned about Kuku Tables.  Do they call it that because Math makes you Kuku?

Kuku - Memorizing Multiplication Tables

"Kuku" is a Japanese method for memorizing multiplication tables by using a rhythmic chant. Japanese students are supposed to learn "Kuku" by heart in the second grade. For example, "two times three equals six" is said as, ...

I think Genki-Math had this in mind for their youtube videos.  They just make me giggle.

GenkiMath.com: 8 Times Table Song Multiplication Table

"Maths Games - Which style do you prefer, this or the Hip Hop style of the 11 times table? To try and make math a little more interesting, here's a simple song of the 8 times table. If you know anyone who's learning their ti..."

But seriously, does anyone have any suggestions, ideas or resources on memorizing multiplication tables?