Easter Links

Easter Egg designs.

Draw a picture of a mouse.

Make your own Easter Bunny.

Bunny ears for Children.

there are lots more on-line just look for them. :)

Click Schooling Links - Virtual Field Trips

I'm just needing to empty my inbox a bit. IF you want to get these sent to YOUR inbox, go to Clickschooling and sign up!

A tour of a chocolate factory. :) mmmmm...yum!

Chocolate bunnies are everywhere at this time of year. Did you ever wonder how they are made? At this website you can take a free virtual factory tour of America's largest producer of chocolate bunnies. Through illustrations and text you'll discover how the chocolate is made and molded into rabbit shapes that are packaged for placement in Easter baskets to delight children of all ages.

Once you've taken the tour, you'll find some interactive games and puzzles on this site that your children may find entertaining.

How peeps are born, factory tour. I don't much like 'em, but many do. :)

Marshmallow Peeps are everywhere this time of year. Ever wonder how they're made? At this website you can take a virtual tour through text and photographs of how this traditional Easter-basket candy confection is manufactured. (Not only that, you can also find out how Hot Tamales, Mike & Ike, and Zours are made.)

Mount Everest. From the museum for mount everest.

This website (a presentation of The Tech Museum in San Jose, CA) offers two ways to take an interactive tour of Mount Everest, the most famous, notorious, and highest mountain peak in the world. When you get to the site you can choose a Shockwave tour complete with sound and special effects (you can download shockwave for free at the site), or take an HTML tour (no audio, interactivity).

An Avocado Farm

This avocado grower's website offers a free virtual tour, "The Avocado: From Seedling to Supermarket" that explains how avocados are grown, harvested, and prepared for consumer consumption.

When you get to the site, the video will launch with an introduction. Then, you can select a stage in the avocado production process, and watch a video depicting it. The stages include:

• Growing Stage (7 min video)
• Harvesting Stage (2 min video)
• Packing Stage (3 min video)
• Ripening Stage (2 min video)
• Shipping Stage (1 min video)

When you're through watching the videos, use the menu (and drop-down lists) at the top of the screen to:

• Explore the history of avocados
• Grow your own avocado tree
• Discover the varieties of avocados
• Learn some "Fun Facts" about avocados

Under the "Kids" tab on the menu, you'll find:

• Fun, interactive, avocado-themed games
• 4 printable science and social studies activities (designed for classroom teachers, but suitable for home education as well)
• Recipes for parents to try with their kids at home

There's an amazing amount of content on this site about nutrition and the avocado agriculture industry as well.

Wilson Football factory.

When you get to the site, you'll see a brief introduction and a video screen. Click on it to watch a video of proud factory workers constructing NFL Game Balls by hand from genuine leather hides. You'll witness the process that includes:

• Cutting the cow hide
• Stamping the hide with Wilson insignia
• Turning the balls
• Lockstiching the panels
• Straightening and tightening the laces

This football manufacturing process has been a proud tradition since 1941.

Necco Candy factory tour

At the Necco Candy website you can take a free virtual tour (through photographs and text) to see how "Sweethearts" are manufactured. Not only that, you can take a tour to see how Necco Wafers and Haviland Thin Mints are made as well!

When you get to the site, you'll see a menu of all three tours. Click on the tour of interest and a new screen opens where you can follow the virtual tour.

Once you've take the tours, click on "Fun and Learning" on the menu to access research for school projects and reports, games, quizzes, and recipes.

Pistachio Farm

At this website you can take a free virtual tour (through photographs
and text) of the Eagle Ranch Pistachio Farm in New Mexico, to see how
pistachio nuts are grown, harvested and processed for comsumption.

As you'll learn at the website, in the Chinese language the name for
pistachios means "happy nut." The Eagle Ranch mascot is a happy nut
named “Peppy” - just click on the image of “Peppy” at the bottom of
each page to follow the tour. When you get to the site you'll see
photographs of the pistachio tree grove. Again, just click on Peppy to continue the tour that includes:

• Processing Plant
• Salting & Roasting Plant
• Packaging Department
• Shipping Department

The Pistachio Virtual Tour is mixed together with a quick snapshot of
the Eagle Ranch vineyard and some of the stores and attractions at the
location. Use the menu to learn more about pistachio nuts including
their history and nutritional value.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 15th is the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., who was born in 1929. King was an African-American minister who led massive, peaceful demonstrations leading to the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. He believed in equality for people of all races, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his peaceful efforts to bring an end to racial discrimination in the United States.

At this National Park Service website, you can take a free virtual tour of King's birth place. When you get to the site you'll see a floor plan of the home. Directly below it you can click on a button to hear an audio narration. Then, simply click on any section of the floor plan to see the interior of the home, read the accompanying text, and listen to the presentation.

Spangler Candy Cane Factory

The Spangler Candy Company has been manufacturing candy canes since 1954. They make over 2 million candy canes a day! At this site you can take a virtual tour of their candy cane factory. They explain the process of mass production of candy canes through text and photographs

Vermont Teddy Bear: Online Factory Tour

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company specializes in creating teddy bears that are themed around special occasions, holidays, and topics such as "careers". They even customize teddy bears for their customers.

At their website you can take a very brief online factory tour to see how teddy bears are made. When you get to the site simply click on the arrows to see the photos and read the text that explains:

*Design
*Stuffing
*Assembly
*Sewing
*Teddy Bear Hospital

When you're through with the tour, your kids will enjoy seeing all of the different types of teddy bears. Just click on the menu at the top of the screen to see the amazing variety of bears in the Vermont Teddy Bear collection

National Geographic: Remembering Pearl Harbor

This is a remarkable, multi-media presentation by National Geographic. When you get to the site (turn on your speakers to hear the narration), you'll see a map. Click on it to access an account of the attack on Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii, using real photos, footage, and first-hand accounts. It's like a field trip back in time to December 7, 1941 that President Franklin D. Roosevelt said is, "a date which will live in infamy."

This is a remarkable presentation that will provoke thought and discussion about U.S. and World history.

Click Schooling Links - Art

I'm just needing to empty my inbox a bit. IF you want to get these sent to YOUR inbox, go to Clickschooling and sign up!

Recommended Website:

FirstPalette.com

Age Range: 3-9 (and up)

Did you know that March 28th is "Something On A Stick Day"? It is! While the origin of this day is a mystery, you can celebrate by making stick puppets out of paper and either drinking straws or craft sticks. Use them to enact spring-themed stories that the whole family will enjoy!

At this website, you'll find free instructions and templates for making these stick puppets:

• Bunny & Chick
• Circus Animals
• Jungle Animals
• Polar Animals
• Safari Animals
• Sea Animals

When you're through making stick puppets, check out the rest of this terrific webiste that offers free step-by-step guides to making all kinds of kids' crafts for every occasion.

Here's another celebratory suggestion: Eat your meals on a stick! Corn dogs and popsicles come to mind - but you can also cut your food into bite-size pieces and let the kids eat their meals with toothpicks on March 28th! (Adult supervision required.)

Recommended Website:
Captain Watercolor

Age Range: 10 and up (although, with adult guidance younger students may enjoy aspects of these lessons as well)

A Maryland ClickScholar recommended this website that provides free, watercolor painting lessons through online video demonstrations. The lessons are also fully written out, so you can read the text as you watch the video.

When you get to the site you'll see a video screen and some Google Ads. Below them are a menu and an introduction to the website. Use the menu to locate the free lessons for:

*Beginning - Includes basic watercolor lesson, color mixing, stretching and preparing paper, how to paint trees, a snowscape, skies, a barn, a bird, and more.

*Intermediate - Learn to paint color schemes, wet in wet, florals, a basket, and learn to create depth.

*Advanced - Discover how to create shadows in the landscape, how to paint abstract art, learn the techniques of monoprinting and advanced concepts in color.

You can also read about "Captain Watercolor" and sign up to be notified as new lessons and features are posted to the site.

Enjoy!

Recommended Websites:

Whitehouse: The Presidents

Age Range: 10 and up (This is geared for the general public. Younger children may enjoy aspects of the presentation.)

At the Whitehouse website, you can watch a slide show of the official presidential portraits for all 44 U.S. Presidents. Not only that, but below each portrait, there is a link to a full biography. Be sure to check out President #1, George Washington, and President #16, Abraham Lincoln. President's Day commemorates their February birthdays.

~~~~~

DLTK: President's Day Activities

Age Range: 3-12 (approximately)

This site offers free craft activities that are appropriate for ages 3-12. For President's Day you'll find an assortment of coloring pages, a TP roll craft to make a stovepipe hat, and even instructions to make a milk-carton log cabin.

Enjoy!

Recommended Website:
The Art of Crime Detection

Age Range: 8-18 (Parents, as always, should preview the site for suitable content.)

A Washington ClickScholar reminded me of this website that we featured on ClickSchooling in 2003 - it's fun and deserves another look. It provides free instructions on how to be a police sketch artist!

When you get to the site, the program lanuches and includes an introduction that explains how artists use the right and left sides of their brains to draw.

Then, watch some animated crime scenes (very mild — for example, vandals put toilet paper on trees). As you watch the scene you get a glimpse of the perpetrator's face.

Next, you help the police catch the vandal by drawing that criminal's face using a sketching tool provided on the site. You select the shape of the face, the eyes, hair, lips, nose, etc. Your composite should look like the criminal.

There are three exercises provided at the site — so plan to spend some time when you visit.

Enjoy!

Recommended Website:
ColorMatters.com: For Kids

Age Range: All (The kids section of this site is geared to ages 6-12.)

At this website, real-life Color Professor J.L. Morton, provides kids with free and fascinating information about color and how it affects humans and other creatures. The topics are quite unusual and include:

• How Animals See Color - Explanations and actual photographs that demonstrate the colors you see and what your dog sees.
• Why Are School Buses Yellow? - Enjoy a brief discussion of "true yellow" and some facts about the color yellow you might not have known.
• Look Inside the Eye - Find out how cones and rods in the eye's retina determine the colors that humans, insects, birds and animals see.
• Color Matters for What You Wear - What do you know about the colors pink and blue? Find out what colors mean in different cultures.

When you are through exploring the kids' section of the site use the menu to explore color in depth. Professor Morton provides the sum total of her color research and courses on this site. You'll find out how color affects:

• Symbolism & Emotions
• The Body
• Vision
• Design & Art
• Business & Marketing
• Computers
• Ecology
• Science
• ~ and more!

Enjoy!

Recommended Websites:

Age Range: 4-104 (Fun for all ages! Little ones will need assistance.)

Reindeer Paper Chains
http://www.homefires.com/click?reindeer

Preschool children can help make decorative chains out of construction paper and gift wrap. There are also instructions for how to make a really cute "Reindeer Chain."

Popcorn and Cranberry Chains
http://www.homefires.com/click?popcorn

Make a pretty popcorn and cranberry garland, while teaching the kids some basic sewing skills.

Paper Snowflake Chains
http://www.papersnowflakes.com/fans.htm

Get free printable snowflake patterns with instructions on how to fold and cut them so that they resemble beautiful snowflakes. Then, string them together in a chain or hang them individually.

Paper Chains
http://www.homefires.com/click?chains

Get easy instructions on how to make simple paper and lotus chains.

Have fun!

Recommended Website:
Leslie Tryon: How To Draw A Turkey


Age Range: 5-10 (approximately)

Children's author and illustrator Leslie Tryon provides a free and very simple art lesson at her website that illustrates how to draw a turkey - just in time for Thanksgiving decorations!

When you're through drawing and coloring your turkey, use the menu at the bottom of the page to explore some of the other fun activities archived at this website including:

*Kids Page - Get an illustrated guide to how to say "Thanksgiving" in sign language. Print out coloring pages of a variety of cats!

*Teachers/Librarians - Get fun projects that are themed for each month of the year. You'll find printables, games, and activities. Don't miss the "Science" activities that include information on windmills, fossils, and clouds.

Interested in more ways to draw a turkey? Try these websites:

Art Projects for Kids
http://www.homefires.com/click?turkey

Scholastic's Draw A Turkey
http://www.homefires.com/click?drawturkey

Use Your Hand To Draw A Turkey
http://www.homefires.com/click?handturkey

Have fun!

Click Schooling

Another site that sends me stuff is Click Schooling. Here is Diane's write up.

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
http://www.ClickSchooling.com

Copyright 2010, Diane Flynn Keith, All Rights Reserved. Publication or distribution in any medium including blogs, newsletters, ezines, websites, or online discussion lists is strictly prohibited without prior written permission. Thank you for helping to protect my copyright. That said, I do appreciate your help in getting the word out about ClickSchooling by forwarding this issue (in its entirety) to your friends and invite them to subscribe by visiting http://www.Clickschooling.com.

ClickSchooling is an ezine that brings you one, F.R.E.E, web-based curriculum idea every day — Monday through Saturday!

You'll enjoy the daily recommendations (delivered directly to your email inbox) for educational and entertaining websites that help your kids learn.

Each day of the week is themed around a particular subject as follows:

•Monday is Math
•Tuesday is Science
•Wednesday is Language Arts
•Thursday is Social Sciences
•Friday is a Virtual Field Trip
•Saturday is for Music, Art, & Foreign Languages

Join thousands of homeschooling and learning-centered parents and educators on this private e-list today. We never sell, trade, barter or share your email address with anyone – ever.

We make every effort to recommend websites that have content that is appropriate for general audiences. However, all of ClickSchooling’s recommendations assume that parents will preview the sites for suitable content, and then review the sites together with their children.

To subscribe, just visit www.ClickSchooling.com and enter your name and email address in the subscription form on the home page.

Diane Flynn Keith began publishing "ClickSchooling" in the year 2000 while she and her husband, Cliff, homeschooled their sons. Now, Diane's sons are grown, and she is an internationally recognized voice in education outside the traditional classroom walls.

Diane is best known for her rave-reviewed book, "Carschooling: Over 350 Entertaining Games & Activities To Turn Travel Time Into Learning Time" with games like Windshield Entomology, Road-Cut Geology, 18-Wheeler Chemistry, and Drive-By History that are guaranteed to turn your kids into "Road Scholars".

Stop by the Carschooling website for tons of resources and activities for you and your family to enjoy at www.Carschooling.com.

Ms. Keith is a popular speaker at education conferences throughout the U.S. where she often presents her Carschooling Workshop. To learn more about booking Diane for a speaking engagement visit: http://www.homefires.com/workshops.asp

Diane is also the editor of www.Homefires.com that provides information and resources for homeschool families.

Most recently, Diane has organized support for parents who want to help their preschool-age children learn at home. To learn more visit www.UniversalPreschool.com.

Today, Diane guides and mentors families through her websites, coaching programs, and live events. She is driven to liberate families from the constraints of conventional schooling so that they can live happy, fulfilled, extraordinary lives.

To contact Diane Flynn Keith
Email: Editor@Homefires.com

Recommended Website - free worksheet directory

Are you looking for free downloadable worksheets that you can really use in your homeschooling? Look no further — You've just found the motherlode!

We surveyed over 1100 homeschoolers and asked: What are your all-time favorite worksheet sites? Which ones do you use most? And which ones have the most value for other homeschooling families. We compiled all their answers, weeded out the duplicates, categorized each site by subject and age, then checked out each and every site to be sure 1) it was really there 2) it really had a good selection of quality worksheets, 3) IT was NOT a stupid, time wasting ad site, 4) and their worksheets were free for the taking.

I'll be honest with you… I had never even heard of 90% of these until we got these responses from our readers. It is truly eye popping to see the enormous amount of free worksheets that are out there, just waiting for you to use in your own homeschool. You're gonna love not having the stress and frustration of spending hours online searching for a few usable worksheets, and instead of all those headaches, you'll be able to tap into the best sites and get exactly the worksheets you want with just a few simple clicks.

This BRAND NEW directory of over 300 great free worksheet resource sites will cost $14.95 next week, but it is FREE this week – ONLY to folks who are on our email list.

If you are already on our list, you already got the link to this directory in a special email from us. If you missed that, don't worry, we will again send it out to you in this week's "Heads Up" email.

If you are not yet on our mailing list, please consider joining us by filling out the form below.

IMPORTANT! READ THIS:

This is NOT an instant download. You will receive your download instructions to receive this great new resource directory 72 hours after joining the list and confirming your email address. (Sorry for the short delay, but it is necessary to ensure that "real" folks are signing up for the list with their real addresses.)

NOTE: Please do not try to join the mailing list using a Yahoo, AOL or Hotmail email address. These services do not deliver email from our list service, and we do not support tech requests from subscribers with these addresses. Sorry!

Simply fill out the form below to join our "Heads Up" email list. You will receive your download link to the 2010 FREE WORKSHEETS DIRECTORY three days after joining. You'll also receive our weekly sneak peek at our upcoming resources, plus our Subscriber Exclusive Resource – an extra freebie just for our subscribers.

This offer is available to anyone joining the mailing list from now through next Monday, so if you haven't done so already, join us today!

so anyways, go here. Download some good links. :)