Fun with Tangrams!
The tangram (literally “seven boards of skill”) is a dissection puzzle consisting of seven flat shapes, called tans, which are put together to form more complex shapes and patterns. The objective of the puzzle is to form a specific shape (given only in outline or silhouette) using all seven pieces, which may not overlap. The origins of the tangram is shrouded in history, but this puzzle have been popular for centuries in China and the far east, and was introduced to the west in the 1800s to widespread popularity. (Early fans of tangrams included Lewis Carroll and the Emperor Napoleon!) These are great puzzles for children, which can help build observational skills and imagination.

Today’s resource features:

1) A short PDF booklet introducing the tangram and offering several templates for figure creation and practice…

2) A link to a site where you can find an excellent pattern to make your own set of tangrams out of cardstock or paper; and…

3) An online version of tangrams that can be played on the computer.

If you know of other NON-commercial sites offering good information on tangrams, please feel free to share those in our comments.

Click here for today’s resource!

In celebration of the wonderful new Ultimate Women’s Expo that is launching this very week (click here if you haven’t already heard about it!) Cindy Rushton has graciously allowed us to offer these materials to whet your appetite for the treasure chest of resources you will find there. Enjoy!

“Quiet Times for the Busy, Stressed, Distracted, Dry Gals” PART TWO -Audio Seminar by Cindy Rushton (MP3 Audio) – In Part TWO of this excellent two-part audio seminar especially for moms in busy households, Cindy shares more about How to fill your cup up… Spiritual Disciplines that make you strong… Tips for time with God… and more. (This mp3 audio is Part Two of this seminar – part one is still online, see post below – runs 57 minutes, and is 12.2 megs in size.)

Click here for today’s resource!

In celebration of the wonderful new Ultimate Women’s Expo that is launching this very week (click here if you haven’t already heard about it!) Cindy Rushton has graciously allowed us to offer these materials to whet your appetite for the treasure chest of resources you will find there. Enjoy!

“Quiet Times for the Busy, Stressed, Distracted, Dry Gals” -Audio Seminar by Cindy Rushton (MP3 Audio) – In Part One of this excellent two-part audio seminar especially for moms in busy households, Cindy shares about How to fill your cup up… Spiritual Disciplines that make you strong… Tips for time with God… and more. (This mp3 audio runs 55 minutes, and is 12 megs in size. We’ll bring you part TWO tomorrow!)

BONUS RESOURCE!

TOP TEN BOOKS: A Mommy Reading List compiled by Cindy Rushton (PDF ebook) – Cindy’s readers and friends Share their TOP TEN Read-alouds (and also tell us WHY these are some of their favorites). This is a GREAT annotated list of tried-and-true favorite “read aloud” books! You’ll discover many great new treasures here to share with your family!

Click here for today’s resourceS!

Money Saving Meats by Jill Cooper & Tawra Kellam (PDF ebook) – Today’s resource is this money-saving ebook that will help your family trim a lot of fat from your grocery budget. One of the questions the authors (who run the popular Living On A Dime website) hear most frequently is, “How do you find meat for $2.00 per pound or less?” The Money Saving Meats e-book gives you lots of useful tips to shop better and use the meat you buy more efficiently, and includes lots of great reader tips to help you get the most out of your meat budget!

Click here for today’s resource!

37 Ways to Prepare for College (PDF ebook) is a great year-by-year roadmap of “to do” items and goals that can easily be accomplished during a student’s high school years to make their transition to college much easier and cheaper. It also shows you how to start earning college credit while still doing high school work, how to beef up your “resume”, how to get ready for the college entrance tests, how to find financial aid, and much much more. While this was written for a general audience instead of specifically for homeschoolers, the advice presented here is invaluable for ALL students planning to attend college and can be especially useful for creative homeschoolers who are working toward that goal. Great practical advice!

To download today’s freebie, click here

More Goops And How Not To Be Them, by Gellett Burgess (PDF ebook & MP3 audio) – Okay, for all you “Goops” fans out there, here is the sequel to the original book featured yesterday, along with a very well done mp3 audiobook reading of the same! Just in case you missed it last time, “More Goops” is a collection of funny poems and limericks about weird little cartoon “goops”, child-like creatures whose manners are atrocious. This is a much beloved classic that generations of children have loved and laughed at – and in the process learned something about their own manners. The illustrations make great “coloring pages” if you want to print them out. Check it out and listen with your kids. They’ll love the Goops too!

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Just in time to celebrate the bicentennial of his birthday, we’ve got a great new “Audio Unit Study” now available for you…

YOUNG ABE LINCOLN

Click here for full details on this new resource from Homeschool Radio Shows!

Goops, and How to Be Them (PDF ebook) - This classic children’s book by Gelett Burgess (1866-1951) is subtitled “A manual of manners for polite infants inculcating many juvenile virtues both by precept and example” but what it really is, is a HOOT. It is a collection of funny poems and limericks about weird little cartoon “goops”, child-like creatures whose manners are atrocious. This is a much beloved classic that generations of children have loved and laughed at – and in the process learned something about their own manners. The illustrations make great “coloring pages” if you want to print them out. Check it out and share it with your kids. They’ll love the Goops too!

Click here to download today’s resource!

Number Stories of Long Ago by David Eugene Smith (PDF ebook) – “The history of mathematics is in no small part the history of civilization,” the author points out in his introduction to this classic book that tells the story of man’s early attempts to count, write numerals, and do mathematical computations. But instead of being a “ho hum” dry, boring “history” of numbers, this is a GREAT “Living Book” of stories set in different historical eras (ancient China & Egypt, among others), showing how different mathematical concepts were developed and became a part of civilization. It is wonderful blend of history, economics, and mathematics that will really be enjoyed by upper elementary and high school students who are curious about the origins of the civilization we take for granted today.

An extra bonus in this book: Each chapter ends with several discussion and math questions based on the concepts presented in the story. Not only that, but the last two chapters of the book are a treasure trove of great mathematical word problems, puzzles and questions, which will intrigue students and parents alike. A great find! Don’t miss it!

Click here for today’s resource!