Archive for the ‘electives’ category

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Virtual Tour of Birth Home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 15th, 2011

 

Hi!  It’s Saturday, January 15, 2011 and time for a Electives at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
National Parks Service: MLK Birth Home Tour

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born on this day in 1929. King was an African-American minister who led massive, peaceful demonstrations leading to the passage of the Civil Rights Act ending racial discrimination in the U.S. in 1964. He was named Time magazine’s “Man of the Year” and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

At this website provided by the U.S. National Parks Service, you can take a free virtual tour of the home where Martin Luther King was born.

When you get to the website you’ll see a map of the home.  Click on any room and a photograph will appear in the screen, along with text that describes what you are seeing and provides some historical background. Use your mouse to look around the room, or use the controls to zoom in and out.

Monday is a national holiday in honor of Dr. King’s birthday. There will be no ClickSchooling messages on Monday.  Messages will resume on Tuesday, January 18th.

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Performing Arts with Bob Hope

November 6th, 2010

Hi! It’s Saturday, November 6, 2010 and time for Electives at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Library of Congress: Bob Hope and American Variety

Age Range: 11 and up (approximately)

The Library of Congress offer this free online presentation of the life of entertainer Bob Hope and the history of American Variety entertainment including Vaudeville, Radio, Movies, Television, and more.

Using photographs, illustrations, and text this exhibit provides a biography of Hope’s career that provides fascinating historical information about the performing arts as well.

When you get to the website use the menu located under the title, “EXHIBITION SECTIONS” that includes:

*Early Life – Find out where Bob Hope was born, his real name, and how he got his start in show business.

*Vaudeville – Discover Hope’s journey through vaudeville and get some terrific insight about what made this artform so popular.

*Motion Pictures – Learn about the country’s transition to film making and the role of Hope’s series of “Road” pictures from 1940-1962 with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour.

*Joke File – Explore Hope’s theft-proof joke vault with more than 85,00 pages of  bits, sketches, and jokes created by his team of comedy writers.

*On The Road: USO Shows – Read about Hope’s 50-years of performing variety shows for U.S. troops.

This interesting exhibition about Hope’s life provides keen insight into American history, culture, life, and values.  It may springboard interest in watching some of Hope’s films that the whole family may find entertaining. You can rent DVDs of Hope’s “Road” pictures such as Road to Singapore and Road to Rio.  Your public library may have them as well.

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Autumn-Themed Arts & Crafts

October 9th, 2010

 
Hi! It’s Saturday, October 9, 2010 and time for Art at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
DLTK’s Autumn Crafts & Activities

Age Range: 4-14 (with parental supervision)

DLTK is an ad-supported website that offers an amazing array of free art and craft projects for kids and their families. They have a great selection of free, simple and fun Fall crafts and activities that I thought many of you would enjoy including:

*Coloring Pages – Print out and color fall-themed coloring pages.

*Crafts – Get instructions for making things with autumn leaves and trees. Make a scarecrow or wreath.
 
*Games and Puzzles – Print out fall-themed hangman, tic-tac-toe, wordsearch, word scrambles, crossword puzzles, mazes, and much more.
 
*Leaf Collectors Album – Print out templates to create your very own fun and educational “Leaf Collection” album!
 
*Poems and Songs – Enjoy a selection of autumn-themed fables, rhymes, poems, and songs that include a printable craft or coloring suggestion to go along with it!
 
When you’re through with the autumn-themed resources, poke around the site to discover all kinds of ways to enhance learning through fun creative arts activities.

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Dance Appreciation for Kids!

September 25th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Saturday, September 25, 2010 and time for Electives at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
ThinkQuest: And They Kept On Dancing

Grade Range: 9-18 (younger kids and non-readers will enjoy aspects with adult guidance)

ThinkQuest is a website that archives educational projects by students for students. At this website you’ll find a terrific compilation of information, games, and activities that help kids learn to appreciate a variety of dance styles.

When you get to the site, you’ll see a hodgepodge of selections on a colorful menu that includes:

*Ballet – Learn basic ballet moves, the history of ballet, and discover some famous ballets.

*Jazz – Review basic jazz moves and concepts along with a brief history of jazz.

*Modern – Get a brief overview of the history of Modern Dance.

*Folk – Click on a map and learn about folk dances worldwide!

*Tap – Read a brief history of tap dancing.

Then, use the menu located at the top of each dance page to read the biographies of famous people from every dance genre. You can also play a game of “Dance Hangman,” test your knowledge of dance, and learn about dance in the movies.

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St. Pat’s Day Language Arts & Much More!

March 17th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, March 17, 2010 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! With a name like “Flynn” you can imagine how much I enjoy celebrating the silly and serious business of being Irish today.  :)

Here are some fun ideas from my websites for cross-curricular celebrations – many of which you can do last minute!

Recommended Websites:

St. Patty’s Day Activities:
Rainbows, Shamrocks and Leprechauns

Age Range: 6-14 (Approximately – and fun for the whole family!)

This wonderful article by veteran homeschool mom, Fran Wisniewski offers a fun array of St. Patty’s Day arts, crafts, and activities that cover math, science, language arts, and much more!

St. Patrick’s Day Fun for Preschoolers

Age Range: 2-7 (Approximately – and fun for the whole family!)

I wrote this article with suggestions for a few fun learning activities you can do with little ones. Try my family’s recipe for a festive beverage today – a “Darby O’Gill”!

A Potato Curriculum

Age Range: 2-7 and Fun for the Whole Family!

Potatoes are an Irish food staple.  Go on a Potato Hunt, explore a potato, conduct a potato science experiment, get creative with mashed potatoes – and have fun learning!

“Toy, tee, toy, tee, toy, tee toy.”  LOL!

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Free Math Video Lessons & Much More!

March 15th, 2010

Hi! It’s Monday, March 15, 2010 and time for Math at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
WatchKnow.org: Mathematics

Age Range: 5-18 (Grades K-12)

ClickScholar Nancy Hogan recommended this website that offers free videos that teach every school subject including over 1800 math lessons on video! The videos archived here have been researched, rated and sorted by WatchKnow, a non-profit online community. The videos are from other Internet sources such as YouTube. The difference here is that the ads and user comments have been eliminated, and the videos have been sorted and rated to provide easier use along with some helpful guidance.

When you get to the site you’ll see two sections. The “Mathematics” section is on the right side of the page (the “Directory” to the rest of the site is on the left). Under the math section you’ll see some featured math videos, as well as a menu of math subcategories that include:

  • Number Basics
  • Operations
  • Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
  • Graphing, Statistics, and Probability
  • Geometry
  • Measurement
  • Pre-Algebra and Algebra
  • Precalculus
  • Calculus
  • ‘Language of Mathematics’ Series
  • Math Study Skills and Test Prep
  • History of Math

Click on any subcategory and a new page opens featuring the videos that have been archived to date. The videos are all free for viewing. Some have been uploaded by site members. The videos are moderated by WatchKnow to ensure appropriate content. To share videos, you must open an account (free) that also allows you to track your activities. There are different levels of membership and some (such as the level that allows you to enter WatchKnow contests) requires you to provide access to personal information.  Get the details at the website.

As I mentioned, this site also contains lots of useful video lessons on other topics including:

  • Language Arts
  • Literature
  • Science
  • History
  • Social Studies
  • Languages
  • Physical and Health Ed
  • The Arts
  • Computers and Technology
  • Practical Skills
  • Philosophy, Religion, and Ethics

WatchKnow’s goal is to collect all the best free educational videos that are made for children and explain every topic taught in schools, in every major language on Earth – and make them available on one website, usefully categorized according to subject and education level.

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