Around The Web In 12 Links – Math

Tags: free lesson plans, free worksheets, homeschool, links, math facts, workshet generator

Around the Web in a Dozen Links

Welcome to January’s trip around the web and the universe!

Winter is a wonderful time to do a little stargazing with children because the sky is dark even before bedtime.

Meteor shower viewing has been frustrating for the past several months because we have had a full moon to contend with for all the major showers. The Quatranids, however, will peak the night of January 3-4 during the first quarter moon. NASA put together a nice vodcast for last year’s show which is still accurate, excepting the dates. This shower will peak between one and two in the morning and will be viewed best in the Eastern United States and Western Europe, but there should still be something to see in different areas and at earlier hours.

The Quatranids are known alternately as the least known of the major showers or the best of the minor showers, with peak activity yielding as many as one meteorite per minute. Meteor showers are named for the constellation from which they appear to originate. The Quatranids were named for the Quadrans Muralis, one of many constellations invented in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It never caught on, however, and is no longer a recognized constellation. The radiant of this meteor shower thus occurs in the more anciently recognized constellation Boötes.

While you are setting up for some meteorite shower viewing, why not collect some space dust as well? Whether rain or snow, the leftover dust will eventually be washed out of the atmosphere with precipitation and may be collected and viewed under a microscope.

If you want to pull together a more formal lesson, one of the best sources I have found for science videos and lesson plans has been vital, a resource put together for New York State Educators, but has been made available to anyone. You will need to register, but can register as a homeschool. They currently have over a 1,000 science resources, largely taken from public television programming, and are expanding to include other subject areas as well.

In our home, education could not happen without paper plates. Versatile and cheap, they provide the materials for a number of projects, and thus I was very excited to find the Paper Plate Education site which, as their tagline suggests, delivers the universe on a paper plate. Bookmark the site and come back for simple projects for use throughout any astronomy unit!

For a desk-top planetarium which will help you find objects in the night sky, or give your younger children a taste of the night sky before bedtime, download Stellarium, a free open source planetarium for your computer.

To find out what is going on in the night sky, try HubbleSite’s Tonight’s Sky, a brief monthly movie presenting the highlights of the night sky.

Stardate, the popular radio broadcast of the McDonald Observatory, also has a website where you can receive daily stargazing tips, listen to broadcasts and find lesson plans.

Northwest Creation Network also has a collection of resources for creation perspectives in astronomy.

While you are spending all this time peering deep into our galaxy and beyond, a few resources for studying our own solar system are in order. Because the sun is the center of our Solar System, it is a good starting point for any study. And what more delicious way to study the sun than making edible models? Solar System Trading Cards is a nice lesson, with a large collection of links for additional information as well as printable color trading cards of objects in our solar system.

Dana Hanley is a fourth year homeschooling mom to three girls and a boy. In her column, she will be taking a look at homeschoolers who have affected the news and news that affects homeschoolers. Dana is the host of Home School Talk, a weekly one hour broadcast focused on homeschool news and opinion. Visit her blog, Principled Discovery.

Tags: astronomy, homeschool, links, outer space, science

Around the Web in 12 Links

I am filling in for SoCalVal of Weblink Education for a few months. I look forward to sharing the bookmarks I’ve collected. 48 links shouldn’t be hard to find, since I probably have closer to 148.

Today’s tour will include two links for various subjects. I hope you find something to enrich your lessons!

Bible

• Character Journal- Scripture passages, recommended songs, and life application
• The Bible in Pictures- 1920s Bible in pictures to enjoy

History

• Reading Your Way Through History- Books for every time period
• Colonial Williamsburg- People and places of the 18th century

Mathematics

• 20 Things to Do with a Hundred Chart- Creative ways to study math
• Ray’s Arithmetic- Classic math series now available online

Science

• Texas Parks and Wildlife Kids Publications- Books, journals, and crafts to download (Homepage has activities)
• PEEP and the Big Wide World- Games and activities for experimenting

Spelling

• Spelling Cards (pdf) from Busy Teacher’s Cafe- 72 ideas to practice spelling
• Spelling City- Online games and tests

Handwriting

• Handwriting Worksheets for Print Practice- Create your own worksheets
• Home School Handwriting without Worksheets- Practice penmanship without a pencil

Some of these resources are from my own searches, but others are from homeschool bloggers. I wish to thank them properly, but, unfortunately, I haven’t saved that information. If you listed any of these links on your blog, or your delicious bookmarks, thank you!

What are your favorite websites for lessons?

Renae teaches her ten-year-old son and two little girls at home. She has prepared lesson plans, enjoyed children’s literature, and delighted in discovery with her children for five years. By studying Principle Approach philosophy, she realized what she always suspected: the Bible lies at the heart of all subjects. Find her reflections at Life Nurturing Education.

Tags: Family Life, homeschool life, links, Online Resources, planning

Around The Web In 12 Links: July 2008

Welcome! I am your tour guide for the month of July. This our third adventure through the WEBworld in 12 links. This month our special destination is the Land Of Art. I hope you find these especially helpful and enjoyable.

Our first stop will be at the local “no membership required” town of Homemade. Yes, you will be able to learn how to make Homemade Toothpaste ,Homemade Butter, Homemade Play Dough, and Homemade Bubbles. Be sure to click on any of these weblinks for more information. It’s always fun to dip our feet in these homemade activities when the day runs slow with the children. Fortunately, you’ll find that most of these homemade roads of fun require you to have ingredients that you probably already have in your home!

Of course, when you’re waiting for your homemade goods to be done, you might need to visit the Land Of Coloring. The best part about these weblinks are that they are also apart of the “no membership required” club! Color-Your-Own is one of my favorite stops during the year. There is a collection of hand created drawings for print and coloring. They are amazing! In fact, if you don’t see something you like, the artist will draw as you request! However, if you are looking for something a little more traditional and educational, Crayon By Numbers has something just for you. Get out your box of Crayola because this weblink will provide you with a great collection of 15th to 19th century works of art. Depending on the age of your child, I promise you’ll find something to fit the age!!! Coloring Pages is more on the relax side of this coloring land. If you visit here, you can download free coloring books with popular characters and good illustrations.

Moving on to our next stop, why not visit the Land of Art Education. For the more advanced student who doesn’t necessarily want to color or make homemade products, you will want to visit this land a few times. Learn about the history of Art at A Lifetime of Color. This is a wonderful site that will help both parent and child discover history through paintings, drawings, clay, etc. This site also includes lesson plans up to Grade 8, or according to subject matter such as Art and History or Art and Science. There is a link for techniques, projects and featured artists, as well as the study of art that includes a glossary, artists and time-line. Lots of great information! Also, Incredible Art Lessons is a fun way to explore Art. This website is a must-see! You can request a free catalog to learn about their Art Lessons on-line. You’ll get ideas from a wide variety of sources with lots of great ideas to incorporate art into your school day.

For our final stop and resting place is the Land Of Crafts. During the summer, you’ll want to take advantage of this land. It seems to keep even the littlest ones busy. You know our modo here, “no membership required” sites are best to spend time in… so, rest assured these are also membership free. You’ll have so much fun visiting Art Teacher . This site is a great resource if you are wanting to teach about other cultures through art. Once you’re done there, you’ll need to get out your scissors and glue because DLTK – Kids Crafts is a popular weblink that provides printable crafts for kids. However, if you like to stay in the kitchen, try justkidsrecipes There are tons of craft and recipes listed on this weblink. Whichever way you choose, you’ll want to bookmark this next stop. It’s called 21 Quick Kid Crafts. You’ll find everything from beads to candles, to holiday crafts. There’s something for every age for every holiday. Lots of fun.

That will conclude our trip through the Land Of Art in 12 links. I hope you enjoyed your trip. Always remember that all weblinks shared are Mom tested and Mom approved through WeblinkEducation.com

Valerie is a born and raised Southern California girl. On her little corner of the beach, she homeschools her three wonderful blessings. Before marriage, she wrote for public television, taught kindergarten, and was a live-in Nanny. She is the Moderator of an International Yahoo group (Just4homeschoolfamilies), as well as Senior Editor of an e-mail monthly newsletter (Words Of Encouragement). For daily happenings, she has a homeschool blog (Homeschooling With Encouragement) where you can read about her personal ups and downs of homeschooling.

Tags: links, Online Resources

Around The Web In A Dozen Links: June 2008

Tags: links, Online Resources

Around The Web In 12 Links: May 2008

Today I am going to take you on a tour that will break the boundaries of the literary world as you know. I want to introduce you to the world of Language. As you know, there are hundreds of different languages that color the world we live in. However, today I am choosing to focus on one that you are very familiar with – The American Language – English. I chose this beautiful language because it seems to be the most difficult language to learn. Not only do visitors from other countries find it hard to learn, but our very own children also struggle with spelling, grammar, and creative writing. Therefore, I thought it would be fun to cover the world of the English language in 12 links. I hope that you will be able to use these special “mom tested” weblinks on your own homeschool journey.

First, we are going to take a stop at Learning Vocabulary This is a no membership website where you will find it fun to build your child’s vocabulary skills. There are lots of games and interactive on-line worksheets. Fun for all ages.

Then, our second and third stop will be at DiscoveryEducation and Spelling Time. Discovery Education is a no membership site that is easy to use. You can make spelling puzzles and crossword puzzles out of your own spelling words. Spelling Time is also a no membership site designed specifically as an interactive learning tool for your child. This site will change your child’s attitude about spelling by giving them the confidence they need to succeed in school. Both of these sites are interactive online spelling programs for children grades 1 through 5. Enjoy the fun!

Our fourth and fifth stop has to do with Grammar. Although this is probably the most important part of developing the English language, most students/teachers stumble through their workbooks hoping to grasp what they can. Therefore, these two weblinks are so helpful and shared frequently within the homeschool arena. First we have Guide To Grammar. This is one weblink you’ll want to bookmark. This is a free site that will help explain all those mind boggling terms that stump us in grammar. For example, you will learn what is a preposition and how it is different from a direct object and how they used in a sentence. There are even great pin-pointed exercises that you can print. Daily Grammar Lessons is also a free website that offers grammar lesson plans and worksheets. Some worksheets are purchasable products while others are offered free of cost.

Our next stop in the world of the English Language is the land of reading. How wonderful it is to read. So many books take us on adventures we can only dream about. Teaching our children to read is one of the most important things in life. This is why I have chosen to take a longer stay on this island. I have five weblinks to share. Kidsread.com is an excellent website for the younger readers. Lots of helpful advice for parents/teachers with resources about authors, books that have been made into movies and series. You’ll find about new paperbacks and so much more. The Reading Tub is also a great reading site for parent/teachers who have young children. It’s a children’s book review site. Seriously, this site is dedicated to promoting reading and literacy. It’s a great way to find great books you and your children will love to share. In fact, you’ll learn ways to encourage your child’s love of reading. One of the most popular reading sites is TLS Books. It’s no membership website that offers a variety of free printable worksheets for home and school use. It’s a great tool to find supplemental material for your early childhood education program, home day care, elementary school classroom or homeschool. For the preschool child, there is Beginning Reading. You’ll find Preschool material and lesson plans that will help get your child interested in reading. Free printables are available and much more. The last reading weblink that I am sharing today is called Starfall. You’ve probably heard of this site before. It seems to make an appearance on blogs around the world. It’s a great website that is interactive. No membership is required, yet it is so fun. Any student from preschool through 2nd Grade can find fun on this site. It offers help with reading through fun interactive activities.

My last stop is a quick one. In fact, we’ll visit two more weblinks before our tour ends. The first stop is Exhibits Collections. On this website you will learn what makes a good story and how to put your information all together. You will be guided through topics including the atmosphere, oceans, and ecosystems, as well as the impact of human activities and population growth on water and food resources, biodiversity, energy use, and global pollution. It’s a site for the older student in your home, but well worth you stop. Then, our last stop is one that you’ll want to bookmark, too. It’s a dictionary sort of weblink. It’s called Word Central. It’s a website designed by the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary called Word Central. It has superior word power and lots of language fun activities. You can build your own dictionary on-line, create a daily buzz word and even play games! It’s a great resource for student and teacher.

That concludes my guided tour through the American English Language. I hope you enjoyed your tour. Be sure to visit these wonderful weblinks when you get a change. I am sure you will find the most helpful in your homeschooling. For more weblinks in different worlds of study, please visit http://weblinkeducation.com/ – I am always adding more weblinks for more adventure! I will also be back here at The Heart Of The Matter next month for another educational tour in 12 links. Be sure to join me…

Tags: links, Online Resources

The Computer Savvy Preschooler

The Computer Savvy Preschooler

When I first started preschool homeschooling my son I relied on my computer and the internet for exploring lesson plans and ideas to help me along the way. The internet is not a new concept by any means, but it still fascinates me that my son and I can take virtual field trips, find pictures and information on just about anything we are studying about, and even participate in interactive skills sites to supplement his learning. By now you may know that there are a ton of educational websites geared towards school-aged children, but very little offered for preschoolers. I’ve managed to find a few great websites that cater to preschool learning and a great article about computer usage for preschoolers.

Hands down, the best site for learning the alphabet and the sounds of letters is Starfall. Its interactive lessons start at the preschool level of recognizing letters and sounds and progress to activities for early readers. It will quickly become a favorite for your little learner.

Another website my son and I enjoy is called Lil’ Fingers. Especially geared towards toddlers, Lil’ Fingers offers online story books, educational games, and coloring pages.

Preschoolers and toddlers love to sing and learn songs, and Singing To Me offers a selection of children’s songs that are easy to learn and fun for the little ones to listen to.

If you’ve read every children’s book in your home and you and your child are looking for some new reading material, try an interactive book at Children’s Storybooks Online. Each title is beautifully illustrated and some come with audio. You can read them aloud to your child and some titles even come with printable activity pages.

If you use picture flashcards with your child to help them learn and identify objects in their world, try an interactive version of picture flashcards at Moone Leaf. Simply click on the picture of the object and it is pronounced for your child.

You may wonder if there is any benefit to using a computer at such a young age. I wondered the same thing and found a terrific article published here by Facts In Action, a project of Associated Early Care and Education, Inc. This article focuses mainly on the positive social skills that benefit preschoolers using computers, but also points out that nonverbal skills and fine motor skill development are also added benefits of using the computer.

As with anything, moderation and supervision of computer time is key. However, if you are looking for some fresh supplemental material for your preschooler, you just may find it and be pleasantly surprised by visiting one of the sites mentioned above.

Mandy is a preschool homeschooling mom to her two year old son. In her column “Knee High Homeschoolers,” she writes about the joys of homeschooling a preschooler and shares helpful links and practical information gained from experience. Visit her blog, Inching Along.

Tags: Curriculum, homeschool life, Homeschool Methods, learning styles, links, Preschoolers

Around the Web in a (Baker’s) Dozen Links: March 2008

Ready for your March journey around the web? Let’s jump right in! As always, check each website before letting your children loose on the web. Happy Surfing!

The Arts:

• Notepad is a free version of Finale’s music writing software. This software will have children composing and transcribing music for fun which is a great way to connect the visual notes on the page to the sounds they represent. Kids can develop their ear by typing in and checking what they write.
• Art Smarts 4 Kids is a new blog I found recently which has daily posts about artists, museums, and styles.
• April is National Poetry Month so make sure your children are reading and writing poetry! You’ll find this online rhyming dictionary useful for finding all sorts of rhymes from end rhymes (blue/shoe) to triple rhymes (antelope/canteloupe). And who can resist a little Shel Silverstein? My oldest son’s favorite begins with “Sister for sale, sister for sale…”. Ahhh, siblings! Finally, check out this site for poems of all kinds by classic poets as well as kids’ contributions and a whole set of nursery rhymes with sound bites so you can hear them sung.

Science:

• Dana has a great project on her blog to make a simple circuit using things around your home.
• This is too cool. A bit gross, but I’ve never known a homeschooler to let that stop them.

Social Studies:

• Amy provided the link for this geography resource which has, among other things, color animal cards to print out, printable maps, flags, and more.
• Lots going on in the world of politics these days. Check out the official Whitehouse site for kids and find information on our government, quizzes and games, a list of books recommended by the first lady, and much more.

Reading Assessments:

• I have often used reading assessments to figure out how best meet my son’s needs. I found three different ones at these websites here and here.

Miscellaneous:

• A great resource for finding information and activities about holidays is this website.
• I have recently found Susanne at Hillbilly Housewife and love her site! She says, “The focus here is on low-cost, home-cooking from scratch. The recipes are all tested in a real kitchen with hungry children, stalking cats, begging puppies and a playful husband underfoot.” This is a wonderful resource!

Tags: art, links, reading, science

15 Homemade Math Manipulatives

Math manipulatives are beneficial in so many ways. Your child will be able to “touch” and “see” the math concepts come to life. “1 + 1″ will not only be something recalled from rote memorization but it will be understood. My boys have learned so much with the incorporation of these manipulatives into our daily math work and they actually think it’s fun. That is the best part!

Tags: homemade math manipulative, Homeschool Methods, links, Math, planning, Projects

Around the Web in a Dozen Links – February 2008

Have fun surfing! And for future posts, if you have any fascinating, useful or educational links, please feel free to email me and share them.

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• Castles on the Web is packed full of information, links and activities related to castles, knights and medieval times. There is an extensive book list with links, virtual tours of castles from around the world, a forum where you can post questions and enter discussions on all things from castle events to model making to travel, and much more. By far the link that was the most fun to explore was Ghosts in the Castle an interactive tour by National Geographic in which you are led by a mouse and talk to ghosts to discover information about the castle.
• The Archaeology page of the American Museum of Natural History has activities that lets children explore the ruins of an ancient city, be a part of an investigation, and learn about the tools archaeologists use in their job. The main page has some other subjects to explore, such as water, marine biology, Einstein, and earth, but the site as a whole is from an evolutionary standpoint, so pick and choose which you’d like to explore with your children.

• Web Elements is an award-winning interactive periodic table of elements that contains detailed information, pictures, and even a chemistry shop (know anyone who’d like a periodic table of elements mug?). My children are nowhere near chemistry age yet, but I hope this site is still around when they are!
• The total lunar eclipse is coming next week! I found this site that gives a wonderful overview of lunar eclpises for beginners. It includes pictures, the why and how, links to follow to find out more, and a list of eclipses through 2015. This will be a must in our school day on Monday and Tuesday!
• Sprittibee drew my attention to The Bug Guide, and what mom doesn’t want to know what bug their kid has brought home to show her? I shudder just looking at this site, but the kids would think it was cool. Must…not…show…fear…
• Edheads, also a link provided by Sprittibee, is a great interactive site with games all led by cute little characters that explain each step. There are activities on weather, simple machines, and car crashes, among other things. This is a site for mid-elementary and up, though advanced younger children could benefit from the activities with some help.

• Beginning March 1st, the Alaskan Iditarod will take place. The Official Site of the race has pictures, videos, information, biographies of the “mushers”, and more to explore. There is even a section for teachers with curriculum on the Iditarod written by other teachers and a book list to explore with your children.
• Geography 4 Kids is a website on physical geography- “all about the earth and what happens on the earth”- with subjects such as climates, energy, and atmosphere. It is laid out in a clear and easy to navigate way and has information, pictures and links galore.
• State-tris is a great web game of the USA. It is a form of Tetris only using the United States as its subject. It’s not as easy as it sounds!

• Game Goo is a place to find adorable and educational games about everything from rhyming to math facts. There are 3 levels and can be played by kids in elementary grades. My favorite is Squanky the Tooth Taker.
• Visit Just One More Book and read reviews on hundreds of books, interviews with children’s book authors and illustrators, and find links to discover more about reading with children. Not only is this a website but a podcast a few times a week to download or hear on the website. “Through this podcast and its website, we are building a lively, interactive community linking children’s book authors, illustrators, readers (children, parents, educators and librarians) and publishers.”
• I type with only a few fingers. I’ve done it so long that I am pretty quick, but I’d love my kids to learn the right way to type. Check out this typing website. The accents of the characters alone are reason to visit, but the practical skill learned is a must in this computer age!

Tags: links

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