My New Website

I've kept several blogs for a long time, and written for numerous websites, but I've never had my own website.  Now I finally have a professional website up and running.  If you've heard me talk about writing and tutoring, this site will explain it all.  Also, if you need a writer or a tutor, this is the place to look.  Please have a look at my new site, Keri Withington.  If you feel really generous, it would be super if you would share the link with your friends/colleagues.  Thank you!

To visit my new website, click here.

Free Maths Resources on the Internet

Creating your own exercise sheets, quizzes, and tests in math can take a lot of time.  It is really helpful to sometimes use tests created by someone else.  This both saves you time, and also is beneficial to the pupil because it helps them to solve different types of problems or recognize different approaches to similar types of problems. 

Here are two resources that I have used with Year 9 (9th grade) students and found helpful.

"Year 9 Half Yearly Exam Revision-Algebra" This site offers a practice exam focusing on 9th grade level algebra.  This is supposed to be a mid-year assesment, and is really useful for gauging a student's strengths and weaknesses as they study algebra.

"KS3 Bitesize: Maths" This site is an amazing and easy to use resource.  It reviews everything covered in Key Stage 3 Maths (grades 7-9).  There are review sections teaching/reviewing the principle, activities to practice them, and then short tests.

I found both of these sites really helpful, so I hope you will too.

Picture Book Recommendation: Spot, by Eric Hill

If you have a toddler or a child learning to read, the "Spot" books by Eric Hill are fantastic.  These picture books have simple stories and cute pictures (often with flaps to lift).  These are really great and interactive for babies and toddlers.  They're also a good first reader for children first learning to read on their own.  The simple vocabulary and short sentences make it a good choice for early readers.

To find out more about the Spot books by Eric Hill, click here.

Homeschool Share: A Fantastic Resource

If you are homeschooling, you know that it can be difficult to constantly come up with new ideas to make your teaching interesting.  There is a website that can help.  Homeschool Share is a great website and an invaluable resource for homeschooling parents.  Basically, it's a forum for homeschoolers.  There are a ton of free resources with different study units appropriate for different ages (particularly for preschoolers and elementary school, or infants school).  Parents can contribute high quality units that they have created, so their collection is constantly growing.  If you homeschool, I highly recommend checking this site.

To visit Homeschool Share, click here.

Creative Writing Classes at Furzey Gardens

the Lake at Furzey Gardens, August 2010

I am a firm believer in community education programmes and have had some great experiences with it.  I'm particularly excited about the new classes starting at Furzey Gardens.  Furzey Gardens are a beautiful and unique garden in the New Forest in Southern England.  This autumn they are starting to host some creative writing classes.  These will combine a great feeling of community, a fantastic learning and networking opportunity for writers, and an unparalleled setting.  The first workshop is on the 15th of October, 2010.

If you're interested (or know someone who might be), please contact Furzey Gardens.

Lady Gaga

This is not strictly an educational post.  However I do feel that it is relevant here.

If you are homeschooling, you probably spend A LOT of time around your child(ren).  This means not only being in charge of their education, but also being much more involved in their social life, hobbies, entertainment, etc. 

One name that may have come up is of the singer/entertainer Lady Gaga.  I'll let you form your own opinion of Lady Gaga, but here's some information for you.

Here's an article on "What Parents Need To Know About Lady Gaga."

Here's a link to Lady Gaga's Official Website.

Children's Magazines

Never underestimate how useful non-school resources can be.  Just because something isn't labelled as a textbook, it doesn't mean that it can't be educational.  One unexpected tool can be children's magazines.  These can be both a great learning tool and fun.

To find out more about the benefits of children's magazines, click here.

My daughter's favourite magazine is Charlie & Lola.