If you haven’t yet stumbled over “Timez Attack” then you are in for a treat. This is an computer adventure game that you will be happy your children are playing. Instead of the normal obstacles that most adventure games offer, “Timez Attack” requires players to answer questions to multiplication problems.

The game itself is a great tool for helping children with math. The fact that there is a free version to download helps out the parents. Although the free version is limited in how far it goes, it will still offer a strong foundation for learning multiplication tables.

The free version follows the green hero through levels of a dungeon where he takes on ogres. There are also snails to capture along the way that will help the child discover the answer to the multiplication table that he or she faces.

In the paid version of the game, there are multiple levels with robots, ogres and other creatures. The basic idea behind the game is carried through out both versions.

Not only is “Timez Attack” fun for the kids and easy on the pocket book, but the creators feel so strongly about the educational tool that they back it up with a full money back guarantee.

There is no excuse for trying out this great mathematical tool. Whether you are a homeschooling parent, a parent who wants to offer educational alternatives for the computer or even a grandparent who wants to give something with more meaning next Christmas, the “Timez Attack” game could be the perfect choice for you.

It should be no surprise that the government in California has ruled that parents have no right to educate their own children. Instead, all children between 7 and 18 must be educated by a certified teacher.

It is also no surprise that the teacher’s unions were thrilled with the ruling.

There are plenty of teachers that I have encountered over the years that I would trust to educate my children. There are also many more that I wouldn’t trust to watch my children much less teach them anything. As long as the bad teachers are protected there will be a problem with the education system and now the families in California have no remedy for that problem.

There is no perfect resolution as to who is best equipped to teach the children. There will always be some parents who choose homeschooling because they don’t want to have to do anything. There will also always be teachers who don’t know or don’t care about what they are teaching (at least as long as the government and unions are involved).

There is no easy answer to who should educate the children, but something has to be done. The educational level in America is going down hill quickly and the government seems determined to keep it that way.

Every child I have ever known loves to play in the dirt and it may be one of the best ways to engage your child in the educational process without him even knowing what hit him.  Planting a garden gives a child a first hand knowledge of science, math, and geography.  Gardening also gives a child a personal stake in the vegetables that are grown so he might be more likely to try what’s for dinner - especially if it’s his.

Starting a garden requires a basic knowledge of how things grow.  The child can research the plants that are best for his region and the time of year.  He can use science and math to pick the best location for the garden.  Geography can be used to lay out the garden (especially if you choose to do a space saving garden like a “square foot” garden.

Determining the location and the best plants is just the beginning.  Each plant requires a different planting method.  Each plant must be watered and weeded regularly.  Each plant must be watched for pests and diseases.  And finally, the harvest must be taken in.

Planting a garden gives a child the chance to grow things they might otherwise never try.  It lets him use hands on experience to learn about science and math and geography.  And more importantly, it will give you and your child time together that you might never had any other way.

Playing games is good for kids.  It increases their stamina.  It increases their skills.  Now some are saying that playing strategic games, like chess, will actually make kids smarter.  The problem that many of the researchers run into is that the smart kids are the ones that enjoy playing chess.  The question still seems to remain, are the smart kids the ones who like playing chess, or does playing chess make the kids smart?

It would make sense that chess would improve the intelligence of the players.  There is a lot that goes into playing the game.  Not only do you have to remember how each different piece works, but you have to keep up with where your opponent is and where they might go in the future.  It takes forethought and planning to survive a good game of chess.

There is also a lot of discipline to playing chess.  It is not a game that is over quickly.  It will take patience and endurance.  Both of these are great skills for kids of all ages to develop.

Chess is a fun (and quite) activity that every person should be able to participate in at one lever or another.  It may not make them smarter, but it is likely to help them understand that actions have consequences - even if it is just a game.

We are a home educating family.  This means that instead of sending the children off to others for most of the day, I teach them at home.  While waiting for them to get out of choir practice, one of the other mother’s in the group asked me how I could do it.  During our following discussion, she and the other public school moms talked about the long hours spent doing home work.

I was tickled that these women didn’t think they had it in them to homeschool their children.  Since they already spend almost three hours a night working on home work, they were already doing just that.  In fact, this is one of the reasons that so many people are turning to homeschool as an alternative.  They figure they are already putting in the hours.

The great thing about educating the children in my own home is that I can let them each learn in their own way.  My oldest son thrived with “Hooked On Phonics” and was reading by five.  My middle son just wasn’t that intrigued with reading.  Looking back now, I think he preferred to be read to by mom or dad because he got alone time that way.  Now he wants to read to us instead.

Each child learns in individual way, patterns, and timing.  Home educating gives the parent’s the flexibility and the time to work with them one on one.  Besides, if you are going to spend the time doing school work anyway, you might as well do the work you want to do in a way that your child will thrive.

Few people are born organizers.  Most have been taught by a parent, or someone else close to them, how to keep a house clean (for good or bad).  I was NOT taught how to clean.  Suffice it to say that I was a pack rat with enough clutter in my room (and in my life) that you couldn’t see the floor.  I had an excuse - really I did.  My mom worked and so she paid a housekeeper to do the laundry and the tidying up. 

My husband had a mother who was meticulous about cleaning.  He was use to the “woman of the house” keeping things right. We made a very interesting pair at first. We’ve both had to grow and give and change - but I would say that I had done the most (he would probably disagree).Over the last few years, I have learned how to clean and how to organize.  The best thing I have learned to do is let go of clutter. 

I’m doing everything in my power to teach my kids good habits for a clean and healthy home and life.  Do you love, will you use it, and can you find it a home are all things that my children are becoming intimately familiar with when it comes to toys or trinkets they want to bring into the home.  The good news is that it seems to be catching.  This morning, the 21 month old was picking up the floor and putting things in the garbage (fortunately the things belonged in the garbage).

The moral is that it is never to late or too early to de-clutter your life.

Homeschooling is something we have done since our children were just barely old enough to talk.  As they got older, we were coming into our own in the school arena when I found out I was pregnant.  That makes a seven year difference between the middle child and the new baby.

Now, school is even more of an adventure.  Having a two year old is challenging enough.  Homeschooling two elementary school children at the same time you are entertaining a toddler is down right exhausting on some days.

The dining room table has always been home to school.  We started there again this year.  But baby brother had to be involved, and after the umpteenth time of dragging him off the table, I knew I was going to have to come up with a new plan. 

I spent the next weekend reorganizing the crafts and the school supplies.  Now I am able to put up baby gates in the two entrances to the family room.  The older boys can work in there.  I can work in the kitchen (in what we refer to as “the office”) and the baby has the run of the rest of the house.

It seems the key to homeschooling with such a wide age span is to make sure everyone has something to do that will keep them focused and entertained (or just lock out the nuisance and call it a day).

It is never too early to learn about money.  Unlike my parents, and probably their parents before them, my husband and I talk about finances in front of and with our children.

There is a time and place for these discussions.  We don’t burden the children with the difficulties we have put ourselves in by borrowing more than we can pay.  What we are trying to do is to teach them as we learn so that they don’t make the mistakes we’ve made.

We started with allowance, and everyone gets one starting at age six.  It then progresses up by $.50 per year (mom and dad also get an allowance).  For this payment, there are certain things that are expected.  Each month, we pick chores to do for that month.  If these chores are completed, then payment is made.

From the allowance, ten percent goes to charity (or the church) so that the children start to understand the importance of giving back.  We also take out twenty percent for taxes.  This goes into a fund that we vote on how to spend.  I don’t want the children to get tax shocked when they get their first “real” paycheck.

Finally, the remaining money is divided between savings and can be spent. 

Even at the young ages of 10 and 8, our children are beginning to grasp the idea that debt is not something they ever desire and that working for what you want (and saving to get there) is worth the wait.