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. :)

Handbook of Nature Study

I have the e-book Handbook of Nature Study, and

Barb, the author, has prepared over * 80 * lesson plans (which she calls "nature study challenges") based on the book, and these are linked for you to freely download and use, on the right sidebar of the blog. Also, listed under the challenges on the right sidebar of the blog are numerous free custom designed notebook and nature journal pages for families to use with the Handbook of Nature Study.

The blog is called "handbook of nature study".

Maps, maps and more maps :)

David Rumsey Historical Map Collection.

To Read through...

Too Smart for CM?
Found that post when, by accident this blog entry made it's way into google reader.

Wanted to remember them, so I'm linking to them here.

12 days of Homeschool

TOS Planning

Organizing and Planning Your School: Your Special “OPS” Mission

Cheryl Allin, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine

A

ugust is here, and it’s time to gear up for a new school year. Once again you begin to explore new ideas to organize and plan so that this year will be even more efficiently run than last year. What worked well? What can I do differently? With the kids a year older, and perhaps a new one on board, adjustments need to be made. Or perhaps this is your first year. Whatever your situation, we have a mission for you!

Your mission: a three-phase plan to get you and your family off to a great start.

Phase One: Organizing Your Space

It will take some time to organize your space, but spending a little time now will save you a ton of time later.

Materials needed:

· Home and school planner

· Three empty bins or laundry baskets labeled: keep, donate, and sell

· Trash can

· Different-sized totes, boxes, bins, or baskets, some with lids

· One pencil box per child and one for you

· Masking tape and a permanent marker for labeling bins

· Paper and pen to inventory supplies

· Blank, colored circle stickers (yard sale stickers)

· Cleaning supplies—rags or paper towels and soap or furniture polish

Optional:

· File cabinet

· Plastic drawer organizer

· Recycling bin

· Bookshelves

· Wrapping paper, brown paper sack, or newspaper comics

· 1”x 3” x 4’ piece of wood

· Wood clothespins

· Wood stain

· Clothesline

· Labeler

· Manila folder

· Hanging file folder

· Timer

Step 1: Organize Your Equipment and Papers

Organize important information: Place all important information like Web passwords, budget records, and car maintenance schedules in a home management folder or planner. Organize your address book by updating addresses and phone numbers and add this information to your planner. Immediately open all mail when you receive it and throw junk mail in the trash, file important paperwork, and place current items (bills, coupons, letters) in a manila folder labeled “pending.” Check this folder daily. ¹

Computers: Start by organizing your computer favorites and files. Dedicate folders to homeschooling and the subfolders to subjects in both your bookmarked Internet sites and all computer documents. By doing this you can easily access a Web site or file that you need.

For E-Book (and other large file) storage, you may want to use a USB flash drive. An excerpt from the E-Homeschooling: Embracing the E-Book Revolution (a free TOS E-Book) explains:

“Once the (computer) subdirectory gets too full, I remove it to a plug-in flash drive . . . devoted to homeschooling resources, and only plug the flash drive into my computer when I need an E-Book, want to peruse my E-Books, or add E-Books. It's a really quick process since the flash drive acts as a mapped drive. I keep a directory printout of all of my E-Books for easy reference (and because I like paper directories).”

File cabinets: This is a great organization tool to systemize all important papers both school- and home-related. Contemplate what your needs are to determine the cabinet size. There are many types of cabinets from an inexpensive, portable plastic one to the large, traditional, office file cabinet. Purchase manila folders and hanging file folders and label each by topic. If you already own a cabinet, start at the top drawer and go through each folder, throwing out, recycling, or shredding unwanted papers.

Make your own manila folder by folding large pieces of construction paper in half. If you do use manila folders, write on the tab using a pencil instead of pen (that way you can erase and reuse the folders when you are done with them) and set them in a 14” x 12” cardboard box. Cover the box with wrapping paper, brown paper sack (the children can decorate), or comics from the newspaper for a fun decorative touch. ²

Teacher’s materials: Place all teachers’ guides, planners, and workbooks in a school bag, crate, small box, or a spot in your teacher workspace. Make a pencil box of your own and fill with pens, pencils, hole punch, scissors, and other daily-needed items.

Instead of buying pencil boxes, wash and reuse plastic containers like sour cream, butter, whipped cream, or baby wipes containers. Each can be labeled and decorated with a permanent marker. ³

Step 2: Organize Your School Room

Bookshelves: Homeschoolers usually have more than one bookshelf, even with the E-Book craze! It’s time to organize them.

Empty each bookshelf by sorting items into the correct bins, and clean the shelves. If you need to keep an item but will not use it until next year, put it in an empty tote with a lid. Label the outside of the tote with the item name and store in your garage, closet, or attic.

Separate magazines by title and place each title in a separate magazine holder and return them to the bookshelf.

Use cereal and pancake mix boxes for magazine holders. First, cut off the top flaps. Next, cut half way down one small side, and place your magazines inside! ⁴

Group books by genre and use the color dots to catalogue the books. For example, blue stickers for non-fiction, red for fiction, and green for reference books. Also, label curriculum items the same way, red for math, green for spelling, and write the grade level on the sticker. Replace them on the shelf spine-out by color, grouping as needed. Take this time to make note of what you have and what you will need to purchase for the new school year.

Drawers, cubbies, and desks in the school area: This can be an overwhelming task, so empty one drawer at a time, placing items in the appropriate bin or trash. Wipe the drawers clean. Check that all pens, markers, and art supplies are usable, and throw out what isn’t working. (This is a great job for the kids!) Find a special place or consider buying plastic drawer organizers for supplies, and label each drawer with scissors, pencils, lined paper, white paper, crayons, markers, construction paper, glue, stickers, paints, and brushes. As you work, write a list of school supplies you need for the school year. Situate children’s curricula and pencil box, globes, microscopes, computers, and charts close by their work station.

Watch the sale ads for back-to-school specials, and stock up. Instead of using a plastic drawer organizer, use plastic gallon-sized zip bags and place in a sturdy, decorated cardboard box. ⁵

Last year’s school work: File the papers and projects you need for your records in the file cabinet or tote. Throw away or recycle the rest.

If you find yourself wanting to save everything, consider taking a digital picture of the item and download it on your computer in a file labeled (Child’s name) schoolwork. Dispose of the item. ⁶

Step 3: Organize Children’s Supplies

Make an area for each child’s supplies: a bookshelf, a drawer, or a book bag. Include a pencil box with 3 sharpened pencils (who likes to hear the electric pencil sharpener when instructing!), eraser, calculator, markers and colored pencils, and crayons. Any workbooks, textbooks, and manipulatives they use daily will go in this area. Organize by color coding. Each child gets one color for all their folders and notebooks.

Group manipulatives in see-through containers, such as clear plastic bags or plastic sandwich meat containers, so children can easily identify the contents. ⁷

If you don’t school in just one area during the day, you might also consider mobile storage carts for moving your school supplies to other areas of the house. In the E-Book Dreams and Designs, you will find details on how to do this:

“Narrow computer desks with an upright CD storage area, built in shelves, and a roll-out keyboard space . . . are ideal to convert to rolling storage carts because of their narrow style; they can roll through halls and doorways more easily . . . “

Step 4: Keep Clutter Away

What to do with all the paperwork: At the end of every school day, take any papers and projects and either file them in the child’s portfolio, display them on the wall (see next note on how to display work), take a digital picture, and throw it away or recycle.

Display your child’s work: Make an inexpensive display wall for art projects and special papers out of a piece of 1” x 3” x 4’ wood board with clothespins glued every foot. Your children can color the clothespins with their assigned color and use them to hang their work. Stain the wood and secure on an empty wall with screws and wall anchors. Remember to rotate out work as the year progresses, filing what you need to keep and throwing away or recycling the rest.

You can also hang a clothesline across the wall and hang items on it with the clothespins.⁸

Step 5: Finish

Schedule a time in the next week to donate all items and a time to sell the others at a book sale or on eBay. Follow through!

Step 6: Keep it That Way!

Clean up every day. At the end of the school day, set a timer on ten minutes and involve the whole family in a quick pick-up of the school area. File papers and put items in their assigned spots. Be consistent, and you will be amazed at how organized you stay.

Phase Two: Planning the School Year

Time is something we can never get back, so planning ahead for a smooth school year is top priority.

Step 1: Your Mission Statement

Create or reevaluate your homeschool vision statement. This is a statement that you create as a family and is the foundation of your homeschool. It includes the purpose, mission, and goals of your school.

Step 2: Know the Law

Research that the laws have not changed in your state: Check the HSLDA website for any changes, as well as the number of days your school must be in session.

Step 3: Organize Your Plan

Homeschool planner: Everything will be much easier to plan if you have all of your important papers, both home and school, in one folder or planner. When you need to reference something, you will have it all together. See a sample of one here.

Develop a yearly plan: Jot down your thoughts on these questions:

· What do you want to accomplish this year?

· When do you want time off for birthdays, holidays, and vacations?

· When and where will you have field trips?

· What is the start and end date of the school year?

· What subjects do you want to teach this year?

You can get a rough idea of your school year by placing this information into monthly calendars from your planner. For example, if you want to do a unit study on Thanksgiving in November and take some time off in May, write each in the appropriate month. Next, consider your curriculum. If your math curriculum has 36 chapters and you are schooling twelve months, you should average three chapters a month, so write what chapters you should be working on during that month. Scheduling this way will give you a rough estimate of where you should be if you get off schedule due to unavoidable circumstances.

Phase Three: Implement the Mission!

Complete one or two chores a day for the next few days, and you will see how easy it is to organize and plan for the next school year!

¹ Save time making charts and forms by purchasing The Schoolhouse Planner from The Old Schoolhouse^®. This planner has done all the work for you and combines homeschool and homemaking. It boasts four years’ worth of calendar pages, countless informative articles and charts, mouth-watering recipes, and over 150 charts and forms to aid you in planning your school year. Included are worksheets for keeping track of books on hand, teaching supplies, craft projects, field trips, repair projects, budget, and much, much more.

^2-8 Ideas found at www.econobusters.com.

Copyright 2008 The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine. Reprinted with permission.

The Old Schoolhouse is having an

After Christmas Sale

The Schoolhouse Store is running a new contest . . . 11 winners per day for 6 days starting December 26! Each day, the first 10 customers in the store to purchase $15 or more win a gift package worth $122.38. In addition, the biggest ticket of the day will win the same gift package.

The gift package includes:

· And Then Mama Said . . . It Takes Time to Learn to Read—value = $9.95

· Homeschooling Methods—value = $14.99

· Publisher's choice of a TOS audiobook—value = $17.95

· Daystar Gift Certificate—value = $10.00

· Greenleaf Handwriting by George—value = $10.00

· Sue Gregg Cooking with Children CD—value = $10.00

· 2-year TOS Magazine subscription—value = $39.00

· Sir Kendrick & the Castle of Bel Lione from Perfect Praise Publishing—value = $8.99

· The Mitten book—value = $1.50

Total value = $122.38

Besides the 11 winners per day, the store has over 38 vendors participating in a HUGE sale. Over 200 items will be marked 20%-50% off. Sale ends December 31.

Organization Sale

Here's a link for a free E-Book, The New School Year: Planning Your Course and Letting the Lord Determine Your Steps. Many parents are choosing to start homeschooling in the middle of the year, and this would be a great resource to share with them.

The Schoolhouse Planner December 2008 Module
The Schoolhouse Planner
One-year print Canadian subscription.

TOS news

Customer #128,000 Takes All!

Have you heard about the Win Big promotion at the Schoolhouse Store? Customer #128,000 gets $499 worth of gifts to include: Biology 101, The Richest Christian Game, Homestead Blessings DVD’s, music CD’s, a $45.00 gift certificate to the Schoolhouse Store, and much more!

But hurry, the store is already on customer #127,257!

Here is the link for more details on the Win Big opportunity:

http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschooling/You-Could-Win.htm

Click each link below for more information about each product. Free shipping at the Schoolhouse Store! (U.S. only)

November 2009 Module

Molly’s Money Saving Digest: November 2009 Photography

Gift Subscription The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine (don’t forget the coupon code below for the $7.95 sale)

Winter Issue Subscription (include the coupon code below for $7.95)

Text “Use coupon code $7.95”

Use coupon code SUB795

Download and Go Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett

40% off Canadian Subscriptions to TOS

This Old Schoolhouse (TOS) is a really good resource for homeschoolers.

I get the digital subscription because I find that otherwise it's just TOO expensive to get the magazine what with shipping charges and what not between Canada and the US.

BUT they are having a 40% off sale until October 30 (I know, not much time).

They are having a sale on Canadian and international subscriptions. Save 40% on one-year, print subscriptions to Canada and other international locations. Canadian one-year subscriptions are only $17.95, international one-year subscriptions are only $27.95. Very Cool is it not? :)

For those of you who live stateside, they are having a sale for you too! :) What...have one without the others? I think not! :)

Subscribe or renew for one year (U.S., print) and pay only $7.95.
PLUS, receive 10 FREE gifts.

There are 19 gifts from which to choose and you won't even have to pay shipping--that's free too.

Here is a sampling of the available gifts:

• How about a portrait from Sears®?
• Or a $20 gift card from Franklin Springs Media?
• Maybe one year of writing instruction from I Can Write Online?
• Or $49 worth of science software?

Hurry! The 10 gifts are gone at midnight on October 30!

How do you get the 68% savings and 10 free gifts of your choice?

It is so easy to get all of these goodies!

Here's what you need to do:

1. Place the one-year, print (U.S.) subscription in your cart. Or you can purchase a one-year subscription plus current issue (U.S.) for only $5.00 more. Or purchase a gift sub for friends!

2. Enter coupon code 10GIFTS at checkout.
3. Complete the checkout process.
4. We will email you a gift selection form after your purchase.
5. Complete and return this form via email.
6. We'll U.S. mail you 10 gift cards which can be redeemed for the gifts via U.S. mail, though several companies will allow you to redeem online or by phone. All of the companies will pay the shipping to get the product to you--no strings attached.
For our returning customers, you'll enjoy a FREE bonus gift.

With your renewal, you'll receive a FREE copy of Dreams and Designs--Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool! This bonus E-Book is in addition to the 10 FREE gifts!

So to get your subscription, go here or check it out here. :) Here is the link to the one-year plus current issue subscription and the link to the one-year gift subscription.

Tree Rubbings and more :)

As part of our unit study on Trees, Justin and I headed to the local dam for a walk. We talked trees, rocks, beautiful day, and did some tree rubbings.

We started with practicing with cedar tree leaves.

We did cedar leaves, maple tree bark, birch bark and ??? tree.
We took the leaves home and will put the leaves and rubbings in a book to look at later.

We moved on down the trail where Justin thought that gathering up all the corn leaves would be the safer thing to do. He didn't want people to trip or slip on the corn leaves...because they sneaky mommy! They make you slide and fall!




See that path? it's made by a snapping turtle.
It was at least 16 inches across, led from corn field to the lake.



Our curious of us guests. they got brave enough to come within 30 metres.

Crafting Pages

Make a hand-print turkey.

Justin liked this idea as well, and we have LOTS of baby food jars yet. Stained glass votives.

Fizzy Balls

You just mix 1/4 cup of baking soda, with 4 Tbs. water, and a few drops of food coloring into a dough. Put your little treasure in it and roll into a ball so that it looks like a stone. That's all. Just let them sit in the open air to dry overnight. (hide a small treasure inside)

The next morning you can just put the fizzy stones all in the GladWare box, and put it in a gift bag along with your bottle of vinegar.

You'll want to have a clear measuring cup or bowl handy so that you can pour the vinegar in and watch the magic happen.

The vinegar does lose its potency fairly quickly though so after doing a stone or two, you need to dump out that vinegar and get more before adding another stone.

Personalized memory Game. Thought this one had potential.

Consonants

Here's a sheet to print off for finding the consonants vs. vowels. :) and another by the same folks.

From TLSbooks comes Consonants worksheet and this one too.

Check out this website for free phonics materials which includes learning the consonants!

Kidzone has this page.

Phonicsworld has all kinds of pages.

Free Kindergarten worksheets.

Fun Fonix.

Free printable phonics worksheets, free printable activities, printable workbooks, and phonics worksheet makers from Fun Fonix.com.

Fun Fonix Intro: hard consonants and short vowels with writing practice for each letter

School Express this site has tons of stuff. Will take a while to go through it all.

More links to free sites

Homeschool Resources by the same person who does Mama Jen. From the welcome page:

As the homeschooling mother of five little ones, I am always on the lookout for inexpensive homeschool resources. This is a collection of resource sites that I have found or have been referred to. Many of the sites are completely free! ........ As I discover new sites, I will add them to the list. If you know of sites that should be added, please leave me a comment or email me so that the site can be added. If we put our minds and efforts together, we can spend more time homeschooling and less time searching for resources! So, please check back often and as always,
Happy Homeschooling!!!

More File Folder games

and more FFG again :)

watermelon File folder game

Make your own game boards! This site looks cool!

Activity Village has these file folder games.

Free Reading, a free on-line program for teaching reading Kingergarten to grade three. Here's one program.

Teaching counting skills. These put out by education.com. With Preschool worksheets and much more.

teachers.net has a variety of resources as well.

This is cool! Make a wind chime! :)

Variety of things

Child Care land has free stuff! :) Lots actually. Rather a fun find!

Mathwire. A site for teaching math to children. Looks interesting.

Learning Treasures. Here's a link to a page on Using Mice to learn counting. :)

Kinderplans They have a variety of themes/studies. here's one for working on Number 1-10.

Worksheet Universe. Preschool, Kindergarten and Grade One.

Primary Games. Needs a certain skill with the computer.

AAA Math. Math for children. Looks to have a variety of games/worksheets.

Suite 101 often has articles with links to a variety of resources. here's one for Learning to count.

Using the Spud of Bob the builder to learn counting. On-line activity.

Anyways, I'll add more as I discover them! :)

TOS Information

Are you ready to learn, have fun, and go for adventure? Your wait is over--your FREE download of Autumn Treasures is now available! The Old Schoolhouse® and Amanda Bennett have been working hard to create a new and innovative homeschooling product--one that seamlessly blends the unit study concept and lapbooking fun into one great adventure.

Spice up your homeschool with sweet apple cider, pop some corn, and decorate with colorful autumn finds! Embark on a wonderful learning adventure about this season and all that it holds. Your child will examine how seasons change, find out what autumn is all about, discover the life cycle of pumpkins and apples, see how candy corn is made, and much more.

Where Unit Studies and Lapbooks Come Together
Easy . . . Innovative . . . Effective . . .

Download instantly!
The learning process is on GO from that point on--let the fun begin!

Units are theme based and full of exciting discoveries and motivation to develop lifelong learners.
• Each study is one week in length, having five daily lessons with lapbook components for each day.
• Each student creates a complete lapbook--a finished capsule of learning.
• All the research and preparation have been done!
• Hyperlinks are embedded right in the study--saving you time!
• Integrated studies include history, geography, reading, science, spelling,
vocabulary, writing, art, and more.
• Units are reusable year after year--nothing is consumed.
• There are no expensive resources required!
• Includes a great list of books that you can use to enrich your study, but
they are not required.
• One week of hands-on learning adventures for kids from K – 4th grade.

Check out some of the fun and unique upcoming themes for 2010:

Seasons Americans that Made a Difference
Places in the World Toys and Gadgets
Presidents & Patriots Sports
Ocean Animals Literary Giants

Download N Go™
Go for learning. Go for fun. Go for adventure!

Special Introductory Pricing. Limited Time Offer!

1 Semester of Download and Go

Full Semester of Download and Go

Get in on the special introductory pricing and save 20%! Purchase one semester of Download and Go™--19 weekly studies--Regularly priced at $114—Special introductory price of $92!

Pre-pay for a full semester-an entire school year--38 weekly studies--Regularly priced at $190--Special introductory price of only $152!

What a bargain!

When you take these two, outstanding, homeschooling resources (TOS and Amanda Bennett), along with the best learning components, you have a superior product . . . one that blends the unit study concept and lapbooking fun into one great adventure!

Welcome the opportunity to use Autumn Treasures in your homeschool.

It’s a $7.95 value—yours for FREE! Download it now.