Archive for the ‘electives’ category

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Free Sign Language Lessons, Workbooks, & Quizzes!

April 28th, 2012

Hi!  It’s Saturday, April 28, 2012 and time for Electives at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
ASL University

The ASL University website offers FREE, online, self-study lessons and resources for students who want to learn American Sign Language!

ASL University started as an online American Sign Language class taught by Dr. Bill Vicars, an Assistant Professor of ASL and Deaf Studies at California State University in Sacramento. He has taken his passion for this topic and transferred it all to this continuously updated website.

When you get to the site you’ll see a menu that includes links to:

? First 100 Signs
? Free Lessons
? Dictionary
? Numbers
? Fingerspelling
? Workbook (Practice Sentences)
? Self-Study Schedule 

You’ll even find Jokes, Fingerspelling Art, Advice, and much more.

 

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Amazing Flying Robots!

March 3rd, 2012

Hi!  It’s Saturday, March 3, 2012 and time for Electives at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
TED.com: Agile Aerial Robots

Age Range: 9 and up (approximately, with parental supervision)

I just had to share this incredible video that is essentially a fascinating and entertaining physics tutorial on the development of tiny, autonomous, agile, aerial robots that have many applications – from being first responders in disaster situations to playing musical instruments.
 
In this 17-minute video filmed for TED.com (TED stands for “Technology, Entertainment & Design”), the speaker is Vijay Kumar from the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Lab, at the University of Pennsylvania. He and his students blend computer science and mechanical engineering to create the next generation of robotic wonders.

Watch as the flying quadrotor robots fly through hula hoops, work together to build construction projects, provide 3-D imaging of buildings, and even play musical instruments.

If this doesn’t get you interested in science, physics, engineering, entertainment, and the possibilities they offer – nothing will.

 

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How To Create Sound Effects

November 12th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Saturday, November 12, 2011, and time for Electives at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Art of Foley

Age Range: 9 and up (with parental supervision)

ClickScholar Fran from Florida recommended this website with a brief introduction to the craft of “Foley” sound effects that uses all kinds of props to create or augment sounds in films.

When you get to the site you’ll see an icon menu at the bottom of the page that includes:

*What is Foley? – A definition of Foley sound effects.

*How It’s Done – Discover how Foley sound tracks are made including the “Moves” (sounds characters make when they move), “Footsteps” (the sound of walking across different surfaces), and “Specifics” (the sounds of things the characters touch, etc.).

*The Story of Jack Foley – Read a short bio about the guy credited with creating this sound effect system.

*A Career In Foley – Find out how the person who created this website got a job creating Foley sound effects.

The site is designed “to educate and inspire those interested in the craft of film sound effects.”

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Free Coloring Pages, Dot-To-Dots, Puzzes, And More!

September 17th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Saturday, September 17, 2011 and time for Electives at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Coloring4All

Age Range: 4-10 (approximately, with parental supervision)

A ClickSchooling subscriber suggested this Google-ad supported website that offers a range of fun, free, creative activities for kids. When you get to the site you’ll see a brief introduction, an icon menu of online coloring pages, and a horizontal menu that includes:

*Coloring – Children can virtually color pictures of cartoon and storybook characters as well animals and everyday things.

*Printables – Print out black and white drawings of favorite storybook and animation characters as well items like flowers and a snowman – and color them offline.

*Puzzles – Put jigsaw puzzles together online. Choose from a selection of images, then click a button to cut it into jigsaw pieces. Drag-and-drop the pieces into place. 

*Drawing – Virtually draw anything you like online. Simply select the colors and tools you want to use and create your very own masterpiece.

*Dot-to-Dot – You can play these games online or print them out to do offline.  Simply draw a continuous line, following a sequence of numbered dots, to reveal a picture of a rabbit, mushroom, elephant, and more!  A great way to practice number and counting skills!

Because there are randomly generated Google Ads on this site, parents should preview the site and supervision Internet use.

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Free Travel Games, Arts, & Crafts!

July 16th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Saturday, July 16, 2011 and time for Electives at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Artists Helping Children: Travel Games & Activities

ClickScholar Chris in Virginia shared this website where you’ll find an assortment of free travel games and much more!

When you get to the site, scroll down the page to find suggestions for fun ways to spend time while traveling on long car rides or trips on a bus, train, or plane including:

  • Name That Song
  • Animal Counting Game
  • I’m Going On A Trip And I’m Bringing…
  • Funny Story Telling Game
  • Funny Poem Game
  • Spelling Bee Contest
  • Guess The Number
  • Alliteration Words Game
  • Colors Matching Game
  • Car Color Game
  • 20 Questions
  • Rock, Paper, Scissors

Then, explore the rest of the site where you’ll find free arts and crafts indexed by theme, holiday, or alphabetically and other activities and resources such as paper folding, drawing lessons, and coloring pages.

By the way, if you enjoy fun educational travel games, you’ll love my book, Carschooling: Over 350 Entertaining Games & Activities To Turn Travel Time Into Learning Time!

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YouTube Zoo and Much More!

June 4th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Saturday, June 4, 2011 and time for Electives at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Lil’ Fingers: You Tube Zoo

Age Range: 2-6 (Designed with young children in mind, but folks of all ages will enjoy the animal videos.)

Designed by a computer usability professional, Lil’ Fingers is a friendly website for the littlest computer users with free animated and narrated storybooks, interactive educational games, coloring pages – and a terrific archive of over 100 animal videos in their YouTube Zoo!

When you get to the site, you’ll see a menu of “Animal Zones” including:

*African Region – See eagles, hyenas, meerkats and more.

*Elephant Jungle – Watch camels, capybaras, elephants, guanacos, etc.

*Asia Adventure – View monkeys, hornbills, bears, and porcupines.

*Forest Fun – Observe birds, owls, okapis, otters, etc.

*Polar – Check out penguins, polar bears, reindeer, and a walrus.

*Outback – Watch koalas, kangaroos, a monitor lizard and more!

As explained at the website, “All videos have been reviewed to not include animals mating, killing or bodily functions.” Plus, because you watch the videos on this website, you don’t have to be concerned about shielding your kids’ eyes from inappropriate comments that are sometimes posted by random visitors on the YouTube site.

When you’re through watching videos, be sure to use the vertical menu on the left side of the screen to access the animated and narrated storybooks, play interactive computer games that teach as they entertain, and print out coloring pages that include the alphabet, numbers, shapes, animals, events, and much more!

This is an ad-supported website. Parents, as always, should preview the site to determine suitability of content and supervise all Internet use.

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