Review Week and Wrap Ups!

We are having a visit from some cousins toward the end of the week so I thought this would be a great time to have some review. I'll be pulling out some games and making some new ones that help the kids review the books we've done and the places we've been so far this year.

Our mid-year review will include New England coasts, Pacific coasts, France, Austria, Australia, Japan, California, Idaho, and Vermont. We'll revisit similes, hyperboles, story endings and beginnings, onomatopoeia, and story structure. We'll talk about snowflakes, pumpkins, microscopes, balance, leavening, animals, etc. The kids have learned many new things in their travels so far. I know we'll all enjoy a look back at where we've been. Stay tuned for pictures of our review!

This is our game board. The kids really had fun with this, this afternoon. One thing I need to change is maybe the point values. My kids just kept gunning for the 10 pointers because they were aiming to beat the others at getting 100 points first! Also, I opted for a file folder because I can't think of where to store one more large poster at my house.

Many thanks to Kendall in GA from the FIAR forums for her game rules!

Are You Smarter Than a Homeschooler?

Supplies:

trifold board
3 library pockets
markers/stickers/paint
index cards
index card file box
glue
1 velcro dot (optional)
contact paper (optional)

How to make the game board:
Decorate your heading using markers/sticker/paint. Ours reads "Are you smarter than a homeschooler?" in red stickers.

Label each of the 3 library pockets with 1, 5, and 10 respectively. Glue them on the board. (Ours are in a centered, horizontal line under the heading.)

Write one question per index card. (I do not write the answers on the back of the cards.) I write multiple-choice, T/F and open ended questions. I base the point value on the difficulty of each question and then I write the value on the back of the card in the upper right hand corner. Cards are sorted in their respective library pockets. Extra cards are stored in the file box.

Optional ~ Write "LIFELINE" on an index card. Cover it with contact paper for durability. Adhere it to the lower left hand corner of the board with a velcro dot.

Object of the game:
The first player to reach 100 points wins.

How to play:
The youngest player goes first. Play proceeds clockwise.

Player selects a 1, 5 or 10 point card. The host pulls & reads the card. The player is then given time to answer the question. Points, based on the value of the card, are only awarded for complete correct answers. Wrong answers are not penalized.

The host is able to be a player, too.

Rules of the game:

1. Each player gets one LIFELINE. A lifeline can only be another player. A player can select who she wants to be her LIFELINE. Points earned, the value of the card in play, must be split 50/50 between the player and her LIFELINE.

2. Bonus Questions are worth 25 points each. Bonus Questions are kept in a stack near the game board, i.e. They are not stored in a library pocket. (You can make a library pocket for them if you'd like.)

A player can choose a Bonus Question only after she has earned at least 50 points. A correct answer to a Bonus Question earns 25 points. An incorrect answer to a Bonus Question equals -10.

Tip:
We make review questions for FIAR and all of our other subjects. It works great for EVERY subject. Ideally, I'd like to write questions at the end of every week. Realistically, I write cards every whenever I get around to it.