The making of a volcano

our supplies: vinegar, baking soda, sand around a bottle, and food colouring

adding colour to the vinegar so we can see it better

adding baking soda to our bottle

Learning that baking soda does NOT taste good. :)

Let me! Let ME do it!!!!

Mommy!!!!

look!!!! it bubbles mommy!!!!

See the cars like it too! they can't get past this (can't remember what he called it)

this is just too exciting mommy!

time to just explore with vinegar, baking soda and toys

He played with everything for a good hour after we were done the experimentation part. Just too much fun.
Gasses go big! they Explode! They make bubbles!!! :)

Various things from around the blog

Rosetta Stone - language people. having a sale right now.

YoungZine -

Youngzine is a free online news website for children that presents current events in politics, science & technology, environment, and society through articles, pictures and videos without the risk of running into inappropriate or sensational content.

What to Know how tootsie rolls are made? Check this out.

Learn Sign Language!

Math and Movies.

Many of the students in today’s secondary (and college) classrooms grew up watching attention-grabbing, action-packed educational programs. These students now spend more hours in front of a video screen than they do reading books. No wonder students may find traditional mathematics education to be dull and boring.

So, what can mathematics educators do to compete in this exciting and captivating world of technology? The answer seems to be simple: embrace technology in the classroom. Rather than lament the disinterest of students, use any and all forms of technology to grab and retain their attention. Consider presenting mathematical content (not watered-down content) in a variety of educational styles.

Great Migrations by National Geographic, this site just looks fascinating. :)

National Geographic Channel’s Great Migrations is a seven-part global programming event that takes viewers around the world on the arduous journeys millions of animals undertake to ensure the survival of their species.

Check out the History Channel. I watched the ice trucks one today, and found it quite interesting.

Charlotte Mason grammer information. Have to admit, it makes sense to me. A gentle grammer and a week of gentle grammer.

Busy HomeSchool Day

I have to admit, ALL I wanted to do today was veg, just totally veg.
but I couldn't allow that so... I kept myself busy with my lad. Still felt like I was dragging through the day. I totally spread this out over the course of the entire day.

1. did a craft/poem thing with the lad. I had to cut things out, he helped me glue them on. He read the poem several times.

2. did some math in a kindergarten math book. Just five pages. He enjoyed it.

3. did some experiments.
a. one didn't work. We'll try it again, using a different pop bottle and a bigger base bowl.
b. Seal with air

He had fun with this one.
We started with a small glass with a piece of cardboard, and upgraded to a piece of note paper. Once he exhausted the various ways to do this (full glass, half glass, turn fast, turn slow etc) He started to experiment with paper and water. Everything from adding food colouring to test out what happens when you mix what, to can you block a drain with cardboard and a glass, and including what happens if you add dish detergent to water (it goes colourless in case you didn't know).

c. Make a volcano
If he had fun with the previous one....this was way over the top. Just plain fun. Mommy forgot to read the instructions the first time so we had to correct my error (and the lad had a chance to laugh at mommy's forgetfulness). Had to call gramma to see if she had everything he need to do this all over again at her house. :)

We organized his stuff today. One binder for experiments, one for unit studies, and one for art work. Helps to keep things neater.

Sketch Tuesday - something that floats

I was going to do a feather.
What are you going to draw mommy?
I think I'll do a feather.
no, a boat.
I think I'll do a feather
NO, a boat mommy, you should draw a boat.

So.. you think I should do a boat huh?
YES!
So.. well...I drew a boat.



There's a story to this boat. It is a bunnytown boat. and the bunnies are fishing for cats. Can you see all the cats in the water? they are being fished for. This is a ladder going up to what.. I'm sorry.. I can't remember. But there is a guard rail so the bunnies can't fall off the boat.

Catching up....

Justin and I submitted sketches for this weeks Sketch Tuesday. We were to draw something with whiskers. I initially did a picture of "daddy with whiskers", but on query from my lad, did a face of Milo the cat instead. yes, I am a horrid artist, but hey... at least I submitted something :) Next week...something that floats. Justin was very excited about this one and immediately drew something. :) I am still thinking about what I want to draw for this assignment.



Today we did the first day of the Terrific Tigers Unit study/lapbook from Download N Go. I have a cat crazy lad so spending the $8.00 for this item was a no brainer. He had fun doing the first section. We didn't do it ALL (as in what day one called for), he's five and this is a multi-age study. So you have a child who can do some, do what he can, dictate what he can, and leave the rest.

As to the study itself I found that it's well done. I have to say, I would have no problem getting some of their other products. :) I enjoyed doing the day one of this five day study with him.

I have a fairly electic approach to homeschooling, I see value in doing a variety of things, and having a five year old lad gives me some sway in how I do things. I am hoping to start doing some latin with him at some point....But I think I might leave that in his dad's purview, his dad is more the language person in this household, though I'll probably get roped into it.....

What else...today we went to the library to get tiger books...they had ONE (a bit of a bummer that), we had plans to stop in and see one of the seniors in the old folks home, but forgot after playing with trains to do that... went to the dollar store to get a drink instead. but you know what? ...tomorrow is another day, always lots to do in the course of a single day.

Mr. Rogers Videos

How do they do that type videos.

Door's Open London

As a family we took in four of the sites to doors open London.

We went to the agricultural center, the train club, the HMCS Provost and the Secrets of Radar Museum.

It was good. We ALL learned lots. Justin had fun.

He had to answer three questions at each site.
1. What you remember,
2. what you learned,
3. what was the best.

In order
Agriculture center
- plants they were telling us about.
- plants can get diseases
- best thing was making smoke (dry ice, detergent and hot water).

Train Club
- (couldn't remember anything) :) ---it was ALL trains so it's not like you could pick anything out to really recall
- It was SO BIG!!!!
- "I wanted to see the whole thing"

HMCS Provost
- me and daddy were running around
- I could ring a bell REALLY loud
- Running around upstairs

Secrets of Radar
- Matching planes
- names of all the equipment
- Mommy telling me the names of all the equipment.

For those wanting a fuller picture of our day, go here.

Mommy!!!! Did you know?!??!!

that if you look at your hand through a magnifying glass it looks differenter?

Look at your hand mommy!!!

Whoa!!!

Mommy, look at this car? It looks differenter too!

What we Learned today : Paper Airplanes

Today we experimented with different paper airplane designs.
We talked about wind currents and lift, but mostly had fun trying out four different designs of paper airplanes.

1. was easy and fun to do. It kept wanting to hit Milo. It did like to crash land though...particularly after we added stickers to it. :)

2. we didn't like. It was too wobbly and didn't fly straight. "it's not a good plane mommy."

3. was HARD to make. It's supposed fly outside and it went far inside, but it was VERY difficult to make and I'm not convinced we made it properly.

4. was easy to make and fun to do with a boy child. It flew like the first one... long and far and kept wanting to scare Milo (the lad's cat).

will add pics later. :)

The lad also did
on some book work. Copying letters and doing some early math. :)

BLue Spruce

I asked our town librarian the other day if she could recommend books for our lad to read.

She said she couldn't recommend a particular book as there are so many good ones out there, but that we should read some of the Blue Spruce books. Here are some titles to some Blue Spruce books.

From what I understand, Blue Spruce books are some of the best of Canadian authors in Children's literature.
I do know that of the few we brought home today from the library our lad has enjoyed them immensely. They are a good read

Progressive Phonics

Thanks to whomever did this spreadsheet. I found Progressive Phonics.

I know what the lad and I will be doing tomorrow. :)

Should prove interesting.....

What We Learned Today - Magnets

Today I set the lad up with Magnets, iron filings, nails and what not. He took it from there.

Things the lad learned or that we talked about, not necessarily in the order learned/taught

1. water doesn't change how a magnet acts
2. water doesn't wash off iron filings
3. iron filings are fun to watch on paper - you can make them dance
4. iron filings will cling to a magnet and they are very sticky.
5. magnets can break easily if they are the stick type
6. magnets sometimes stick end to end and sometimes they don't...sometimes they stick in the middle and sometimes to the side. (when I ask Justin if that is because of polarity he says yes)
7. nails sometimes jump up the side of a magnet while others just cling loosely and others stick very hard to the bottom of it and we don't know why that is.
8. iron filings will rust.
9. magnets have a north and a south (but Justin doesn't really get this at this point)
10. iron filings are very small...but they stick in long lines when they dance...it's fun to make them move around in clumps. :)

Review: The Middle School Student Schoolhouse Planner

Middle School Student Schoolhouse Planner.

I was sent this e-book to review and I have to admit, they managed to impress me. They did. And quite frankly...most planners don't really thrill me. It's like I have this mental thing of "what can they give me that I can't figure out on my own"? But this planner, indeed, it amazed me. Wow...they packed a WHOLE whack of things into this planner. Loads of calendar pages, planning pages, goal pages, conversion charts, and more. Basically...you name it...it will have it. It is packed with tidbits of information that every middle schooler needs to know. Very well done. I was quite pleased with this planner by the time I finished looking through it.

I have to admit that as a Canadian I was displeased with the amount of focus there was in the United States (as much as I expected it), but also as a Canadian I was very pleased that an American company had some focus on Canadians (three pages of info indeed!). :)

I would happily recommend this planner to anyone who wants to help their middle school scholar get their year organized.

Gymnastics

Today was the lad's first day at Gymnastics. He was VERY uncertain about going. He was alarmed that I wouldn't be in the same room as he was in, but he had fun! Hubby dear and I had fun watching him.

He tumbled and balanced and listened, and very occasionally acted like a complete goofball.
He does NOT know how to somersault yet. :) We just grinned watching him try and how much absolute fun he had while doing so. :)

Gymnastics was held at the Forest City Gymnastics Club. He takes part in their kindergym program. It's for 3-5 year olds. Most of his classmates were 3 years old, with a couple four year olds and then the lad at 5. :) It was a good morning of learning and fun.

University of Kentucky College of Agriculture

now THIS is a cool site. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

Unit studies, teacher outlines, all types of project for 4H children to work on...and they provide it seems like everything except the physical stuff (aka...if doing a study on insects.. YOU have to catch the insects). :)

they made a little bike!!!

that you don't have to pedal on

What We Learned Today: fanhawe pioneer village

On Thursday, Sept 9, we went to the pioneer village in London. One of the ladies from Kids Learning Connection booked a group visit to Fanshawe Pioneer Village. There were about 50 of us all told.

They split us into two groups for a tour. We saw different buildings.
The group that the lad and I were in saw an artists birth home, the brewery, the print shop and oh...some other building that I can't remember. What can I say...short term memory problems. I do have pics so that will help with the memory. :)

At the artists birth home the lad enjoyed seeing of the old toys that children played with (an old wooden noahs ark), at the brewery going up and down those narrow stairs evoked comments of "I'm a bit scared here mommy", and the print shop was fun because he could print off something by himself. He enjoyed that.

Anyways, afterward the tour they had a time to play 19th century games: bean bag toss, 'laces', lawn bowling and tug of war. I helped win the tug of war for the small kids team. :) Justin had a hoot playing bean bag toss. And then we did the pillory. The children had lots of fun pretending they were being punished for various things like stealing a loaf of bread, or breaking something.

When the main game time was over, the lad and I wandered around seeing the rest of the buildings. It was a fun day out for us.

An unexpected lesson for us: don't carry loose batteries in your purse. IF they connect your purse will get very hot and you can melt a corner of one's camera. NOT a fun experience.

What we Learned today : Density

It was actually two days ago, but life got busy that night.

We took
Corn syrup
Vegetable oil
and coloured water.

Put them in a wide mouth mason jar.
about an inch of each.

We discovered.. corn syrup sits on the bottom, oil goes to the top, and water is sandwiched in-between

Then we had the fun of finding things to put the jar.

Thumbtacks, lego, unpopped popcorn, raisins, chocolate chips (that led to an impromptu snack), grape, screw, bolt, nut, white thing that acts as a foot to something or other, millet seed, tomato, plastic from a bag, and such like.

We learned that lego and millet seed and plastic floats on top of everything!
Screws and metal things sink all the way to the bottom!
and most everything else sits between water and corn syrup. but the fish food sits JUST ABOVE where the oil and water line meet. We found that rather intriguing.

We learned that a pencil put pointy end in sinks farther than a pencil put on it's side (it was a small pencil).

it was lots of fun learning about the weight of things and how fluids are different thicknesses.

Cornstarch Experiments

This video is just odd....



this just fun


mythbusters (even explains it)

Science on the brain

They put together a variety of science based videos on you-tube.

rather interesting to watch them.

Measuring Yourself.


How strong a strand of hair?


How to keep an egg from breaking


go check them out. If you go straight to you-tube it will connect you with more of them. Science is fun and interesting. :)

What We Learned Today - Jet Engine

This come from the book "101 great science experiments by Neil Ardley".

Justin saw this one in the book and just wanted to do it. In fact he insisted for the next two hours that we go home right now so that he can do it. We of course insisted that we had our things to do first, so we ran our errands and eventually headed home.

One blue balloon attached to a straw on a string. He's ready to let go.

and so he did...the end result.. and boy...did it ever zip fast. Just like a jet engine!

Once we ran through that a couple of times it was time for the boy to just experiment with a balloon and tape and other such stuff. And Experiment he did....First he asked for a tied up balloon... and then he whacked it back and forth a couple of times. The he changed the tape. We went from packing tape to masking tape. and instead of two pieces, he used three. That held the way he wanted it too.

So then he went to the kitchen where he retrieved a straw and a q-tip. I wondered "HUH? what is he up to now?"He proceeded to stick the straw in his mouth and blow the Q-tip at the balloon. He did this about 5 times with an unhappy "AW" being the result. I finally asked him what he was doing. He demonstrated with spinning the balloon all the way around the string. So I asked "why don't you think it's working". His response "It's not heavy enough."

So he decided next time to blow the q-tip into dad's ear and just chortled. :)

Next change in plan.

He built a bumper

and then he built a glider.

and now all the bunnies in bunny town are happy because they can safely hang on and zip down the string. The bumper will give them a nice soft landing so they don't get bumped off. :) All is well. :)

His final chortle of this experiment time was to jam the q-tip into the straw and then say "mommy, blow in this". When I couldn't get it out, he laughed. :) He's a fun, silly lad.

Stick Bombs

have to admit...I think stick bomb videos are very cool.

check out this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiWxU3jXOFc&feature=feedrecmore

and then to learn more of what they are here at wiki is really neat. :)

Makes me inspired to try it out.

the audio is horrid on this one, but you can see how to make them.

Sketch Tuesday - something that grows on trees

This is our boy's first sketch that we've submitted to Sketch Tuesdays. :)

We were to sketch something that grew on trees.
The Buggy chose to do crabapples. The top one is very mouldy.

We have a crabapple tree out front that my hubby grew from a wee seed. It gets nice crabapples, it also gets a lot of not nice (as the buggy would say, mouldy) crabapples. :)

In case you wonder what the black circles are... those are the branches that the Crabapples grow on.

Review: Math in the Right Direction

Math in the Right Direction: Forms of Sequential Memory That Affect Learning By Anne-Marie Laliberté-Denis is a WeeBook published by The Old Schoolhouse.

I have to admit, the second part of this e-book titled I found a bit intimidating... what exactly is Sequential Memory
and just how will it affect learning and will I be able to remember it? That of course didn't stop me from reading the book. :)

The author points out that as home-schoolers we "have the opportunity to tap into the different forms of sequential
memorization (really learning math), thereby avoiding re-teaching or frustration when faced with skills that just don’t seem to "stick." " We are not limited to working with 25-30 students and having to primarily work with short-term memory (knowing enough to pass a test). We can use different methods to help our student(s) retain the information that they need to.

I appreciated the fact that the author listed some different things we can do to help students get their facts into their long term memory.

This book is worth reading. :)

Review: Getting to the Root of Writers' Block

Getting to the Root of Writer’s Block By Kim Kautzer is a WeeBook published by The Old Schoolhouse.

Writing is a process, not an event. Children trained in the process of writing learn to view the final draft as merely one of several steps in an evolving work. And when the steps seem doable, even the most intimidated writer stands a chance at accomplishment.

That paragraph sums up this whole book for me. Writing is a process, it has steps in it, and one needs to learn those steps in order to write decently.

The author goes on to speak about different things we can do to encourage or help the struggling writer. From brainstorming, to provide concrete ideas to start with, and so forth. But the biggest thing we can teach our children when they are learning to write is... one step at a time leads to a finished product.

Review: Career Explorations for HS Students

Career Explorations for High School Students: Pursuing their Dreams ByCarol Topp is a WeeBook published by The Old Schoolhouse.

I was sent this to review by The Old Schoolhouse. And I have to admit, right up front... we're not there yet. My lad is only five so I'm reading this only to see what it has to say and if it's something that I think I'll like to read again in the future.

The author emphasized that choosing a career is a process. Things in life change, and therefore, so does one career. She went on to explain that there are four steps to career exploration and gave us a list of resources one might wish to look at when going through this process.

Overall, well written piece and one worth looking at again in 10 years or so. :) For those of you further along in the process, it worth looking at now.

Review: Integrating Concrete Math into Everyday Life

Integrating Concrete Math into Everyday Life By Jason Gibson and Dr. Ruth Beechick is a WeeBook published by The Old Schoolhouse.

This book is divided into two sections, the first being written by Gibson and the second by Beechink.

This paragraph sums up the first part of the book really well

The trick is to integrate basic math into everyday life before your child even realizes he or she is “learning” something. Look for ways to creatively bring math into the child’s activities—ways that are actually fun so that from the beginning he or she associates math with positive thoughts.

I have to admit that I found the second part of this book repetitious after reading Building Strong Arithmetic Thinking by Dr. Ruth Beechick. Very similar thoughts in these two books. But this paragraph does a basic summation of the second half of the book

After plenty of visualizing and concrete understanding, children will have little trouble learning what we call the “math facts.” They will already know most of them in their heads; others they can figure out because they are close to the facts they know; and only a few are left to memorize by rote.
But even with those larger numbers, children understand what is happening because of the concrete understanding they have acquired.

A good book overall. :)

Review: Building Strong Arithmetic Thinking

Building Strong Arithmetic Thinking by Dr. Ruth Beechick is a is WeeBook published by The Old Schoolhouse.

I liked this weebook right from the start.
It helped it make sense to me about how to teach math to by boy. :) Yeah! :)

Beechink says this "First, get rid of any textbooks or workbooks you have for kindergarten and first grade. And
second grade, too, if you’re brave." and then says "Everyday activities are far better than workbook activities." She follows this with examples of what she means.

I thoroughly enjoyed the practical applications of this book, and plan to put them into practice. :)

Review: Writing Essays

Writing Essays by Dr. Ruth Beechick is a is WeeBook published by The Old Schoolhouse.

I have to admit, I was somewhat startled by the opening pages. Some statements were made that surprised me as they went against the way I was taught about essays. I have to admit though, Dr. Beechick's statements do kinda make sense. :) Why force a methodology, if by letting a person struggle through a process, they learn it better?

I think I shall find this e-book helpful as my son gets older, to consider how to teach him about writing essays, what they are and how to write them.

Review: Getting Childred Excited about Writing

Getting Children Excited about Writing is WeeBook published by The Old Schoolhouse. Written by Maggie Hogan this e-book talks about getting children involved with Writer's Workshops.

She speaks to what works, and what to aim for and who each workshop will be different because of the people involved with it.

For people who want to lead a writer's workshop of their own, and get their group of children excited about writing, or at the very least, have a fun way of introducing different forms of writing, this e-book would be a very helpful aid.

What we Learned today : vaseline, balloons, paper and skewers

1. Vaseline is slippery.
2. Balloons are fun to pop! :)

Did you know that
1. you can write on paper even if you have vaseline sticking between two pieces of paper
2. vaseline helps you put a skewer through a balloon.
3. if you put vaseline on the outside of a balloon AND put the balloon into water that the vaseline gets "more" (as in it gets soft and spreads out over everything).

Skewers plus vaseline put up through the bottom of the balloon works 5 times out of seven.
Skewers plus vaseline put through the top of a balloon works 0 times out of five.
Skewers with NO vaseline NEVER works pushed through a balloon
Skewers plus vaseline put through the side of a balloon works 0 times out of five.

That a piece of paper coated with vaseline sticks to other paper. BUT a skewer coated with vaseline will NOT stick to a piece of paper.

Vaseline will help a piece of paper stick to a balloon and it sticks better than using tape.

Justin LIKES homeschooling :)

Review: Why Does My Child Hate to Write

I was sent this product to review for The Old Schoolhouse.

It is called Why does my child hate to write.

Why Does my Child Hate to Write was an excellent article to read. I thoroughly enjoyed how the author encouraged us to think outside the box with helping children learn how to write. Carol Barnier has an easy to read and follow style of writing, it engages the reader in the article and causes them to want to read more (at least it did for this reader). :) Although she does exactly tell us why some children struggle with putting their thoughts on paper, she does give a brief thought as to why this happens. Her focus in on HOW do we help these children learn to write down their thoughts.

Our children are all so unique and this article encourages us to help those unique children know that they can excel even if their writing skills might not be up to their level of capabilities in other areas. Don't write, use other methods of writing, talk more, and so many other ideas. All good ideas to help our children to do what they need to... to just LEARN.

National Geographic map giveaway.

DownloadN'Go is having a contest where they are giving away maps from national geographic.

Go check it out. :)

Teaching Made Easier

Teaching Made Easier is a site that I"m currently testing out.

So far it seems to have it's quirks, I can also see it's potential.

I had an email sent to me about it, and of course, now I can't find it. Anyways, that's just weird.

So it has a list creator and a variety of ways to make the same list in different ways. Vocab lists, bingo, games, and so forth. Haven't figured out yet if they do crosswords and such like.

Anyways, give it a boo if you are interested.

these are the types of activities that you can create.

Math Videos...

wow...this site has it all.

Khan Academy

Origami (paper airplanes)

How to Make a Paper Airplane.

10 Paper AirPlanes.

Easy to Make Paper Airplanes.

Best paper Airplane.

Basic Version of paper airplane.

Latin! Learn it!

This came across my computer via my hubby.
$25 for some introductory lessons.
Video Latin Curriculum actually hosted at The Compass Store and produced by Visual Latin.

One of the commentors mentioned Memoria Press for Latin, so I checked them out too. I'm tempted. :)

Clip art

free clip art sites are HARD to find overall.
I won't use this for resale as I think that would be theft. But for personal use... not a problem.

Here's one Edigg.clipart.

Clipart ETC

Welcome to quality educational clipart. Every item comes with a choice of image size and format as well as complete source information for proper citations in school projects. No advertisement-filled pages with pop-up windows or inappropriate links here. A friendly license allows teachers and students to use up to 50 educational clipart items in a single, non-commercial project without further permission.

Lee hansen Graphics. Looks to be all free clipart/graphics.

Lee Hansen's free clip art includes many downloadable graphics for today's most popular themes, styles and crafts. You'll find free hundreds of clip art graphics for holidays from New Year to Hanukkah.

Our collection of exclusive, original graphics includes clip art for parties and celebrations, hard to find images for popular themes like pirates, vacation in paradise and fairies, plus dozens of clip art borders, buttons and scrapbook embellishments for page layouts and making your own gift tags, labels and greeting cards.

Philip Martin Clip-art.

I'll add more as I find them. Let me know if you know of any.

Colouring Pages for Children

Coloring Pages for Kids

I'll have to add others as I find them.

Donna Young

DonnaYoung.org Printables and Resources

This web site is built by Donna Young and is an on-going project since 1998. Donnayoung.org offers free homeschool planners, homeschool planning tips, school calendars, household planners, and printables in various subjects.

Friction Experiment #1

So we joined supercharged Science for a month.

Cost us a $1 so it was no biggie to do this.

Today we did an experiment on Friction.

We took a book, we took a bunch of different shoes. and then used a ruler to see how high we could get the book cover to rise before the shoe started to slide.

We had some surprises!

1. daddy's new show and daddy's old shoe. both the same brand of shoe. The old one slid at 11 the new slid at 13.5. The only difference we could find in the shoe was the old one had more wear on the sole of the shoe.

2. Justin's crocks and flip flops. The blue ones slid at 11.5, the purple at 12 and his flip flops at 10.5. the flip flops weigh the most so we THINK that is why they slid faster, but why the purple slid later.. we could not figure that one out. the purple and blue are the same weight, the purple has little gems on it so my boy thinks that is why it slid later.

3. mommy's church sandal is fatter (wider) and flatter than her work shoe. It should have slid later, but it slid at 9, while her work shoes slid at 12. WHY??? Her work shoe weighs more but the sole is bumpier...could the weight have made the difference?

But it was very interesting for a five year old boy child.

Some sites I want to look at some more

Reading a- z

sites for teachers

School express

Grace bound books.

Egghead academics

Home school in the woods

TOS Freebies

The New School Year. Follow this link to get to the download page.

E-Homeschooling. Follow this link to get to the download page.

Are Public Schools an option for Christian Kids? Follow this link to download.

TOS freebie Directory.

Direct Download link for What about Public Schools.

Escaping the HomeSchool Matrix. Follow this download link.

Homeschool with Confidence direct link.

Ontario Kindergarten Curriculum

Still not quite sure if this is what I wanted to find, but it's a least a start.

The kindergarten Program
what the government expects children in Kindergarten to know.

I found the overall expectations to be more helpful than anything else. :)

Science Experiments

Home Science Experiments! 

-University of Wisconsin-Madison Chemistry Professor Bassam Z. Shakhashiri shares the fun of science through this way cool page which contains over two dozen fascinating and fun science experiments you can easily do at home. These are tried-and-true kid pleasers, and are all great fun! Check them out and bookmark the site!

before I lose these...homeschool helps

Full year notebook system. Costs $30

Highland Heritage Forms.

AAbc homeschooling.

HomeSchool Centre.

Home School Enrichment.

Old Fashioned Education.

Homeschooling, who me?

Ambleside Online.

DonnaYoung.org

homeschoolcorner.

homeschooling resources.

unschooling.com

the homeschoolplace.

the gateway

knowledge house.

homeschooling today - journal of homeschooling

homeschool oasis

homeschool learning network.

home school foundation

homeschoolers connecting.

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. :)

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