Dear ClickScholar, I want to welcome all of the new ClickSchooling subscribers and remind everyone that ClickSchooling is currently taking a Summer Break! You will not receive the regular ClickSchooling reviews with recommendations for educational websites during this break. There is no need to change your subscription, there simply will be no messages delivered during this time.  Messages will resume on Monday, August 9th. I have been publishing ClickSchooling faithfully for 10 years this September! Traditionally, I do take time off during the summer months. Here is the full Summer Break schedule: *Tuesday, July 13th through Sunday, August 8th – No ClickSchooling reviews will be delivered during this time. Messages will resume on Monday, August 9th.   *Wednesday, August 18th through Sunday, August 22nd – No ClickSchooling reviews will be delivered during this time. Messages resume on Monday August 23.   If you need or want recommendations for fun educational websites during those scheduled breaks, you can access the ClickSchooling Archives with hundreds of recommendations for websites that offer free activities and lessons in math, science, language arts, social sciences, virtual field trips, music, art, and foreign languages.    I also select and post “oldies but goodies” from the ClickSchooling archives on my Facebook wall twice-a-week . If you’re on Facebook, you can “like” me and get access to the reviews. I will be using the summer breaks to create some terrific new resources for you. I’ll keep you posted as they become available! Oh, and if you’re taking a summer vacation road trip – don’t forget to bring along my book, Carschooling!  It’s loaded with fun, educational games and activities that will take the whine out of drive time and turn your kids into “Road Scholars!”      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

© 2010 ClickSchooling

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Hi!  It’s Tuesday, July 13, 2010 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!
 
Recommended Website:
The Children’s Butterfly Site

Age Range: 4-10 (approximately)

For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you’ve seen the pictures of my family’s garden this year which has attracted a variety of butterflies. We’ve been using field guides to identify our guests that have included a Western Tiger Swallowtail, a Monarch butterfly, and what we think is a Cabbage White butterfly. They flutter by so quickly that we don’t always have a chance to identify them. 

Because my family is intrigued with butterflies, I stumbled upon this website that I thought many of you would enjoy. Sponsored by the Big Sky Institute at Montana State University, you’ll find free information on the life cycle of butterflies, a stunning photo gallery of moths and butterflies, links to teaching and learning tools, and even printable science coloring pages!

When you get to the site you’ll see the features that include:

*Coloring Pages – Get coloring pages of a butterfly egg, larva, chrysalis (pupa), and an adult butterfly. You’ll also find a link to a lesson plan based on Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

*Frequently Asked Questions – This is a great resource for learning about moths and butterflies, their anatomy (find out if they have brains and hearts), life cycle, habitats, and behavior.  Are butterflies poisonous?  How did they get their name? How do you say “butterfly” in other languages?  The answers are all here.

*Life Cycle – Enjoy a simple explanation of a butterfly’s life cycle illustrated with terrific photos. This is perfect for kids! 

*Links - For those kids (and adults) that want to know more, this is a wonderful archive of links to butterfly and entomology websites in the U.S. and worldwide. Not only will you find more info, but links to sites like Insect Lore where you can buy butterfly-themed games, puppets, and toys. There are even links to conservation programs that you can participate in as a citizen-scientist. 

*Galleries – Marvel at these amazing photographs of moths and butterflies from all over the world.

*Teaching and Learning Tools – Watch videos about butterflies, get a bibliography of field guides and reference books that include activities you can do at home – like growing a butterfly garden to attract these fascinating creatures to your backyard.

And for those of you studying foreign languages, you’ll find translations of the life cycle overview in French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch.

Hi!  It’s Monday, July 12, 2010 and time for Math at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Mixing In Math

Age Range: 4-12 (grades PreK-6)

Just in time for summer learning! Mixing In Math (MiM), funded by the National Science Foundation, provides educators and parents with free activities, games and resources that provide ways to mix math into daily activities (e.g., hanging around the house, playing games, doing crafts, cooking, shopping, etc.) to help kids see the value of math in every day life and to reinforce their math skills.

It is difficult to describe the wealth of material here in both English and Spanish that includes ingenious suggestions for math activities designed for 1-4 participants that can be done in:

• Under 10 minutes
• 10-20 minutes
• 20-60 minutes

The activities cover math strands that include:

• Numbers and Arithmetic
• Measurement
• Money
• Time
• Data
• Patterns and Algebra
• Geometry

When you get to the site you’ll see some icons that lead to explanations of what is available on the site. You can click around and quickly find activities and resources. I recommend that you use the horizontal menu bar at the top of the page and place your cursor over “Materials” to see a drop-down list that includes:

*Activity List – See a list of over 60 activities that help kids practice math skills. Click on any one and a new page opens with colorful instructions, examples, and variations. Some are simple such as: “It’s about 4:25. We’ll have snack in 20 minutes. What time will that be?” and some require more time and preparation such as graphing how tall house plants grow. 

*Download Activities – This list is the same as the one above, except each activity opens a pdf file.  Print out one activity or print out all of them and place them in a binder to use at will.

*Games – This section provides printable “game boards” for activities that provide practice in math and critical thinking skills.

*Calendars – Download and print out a year’s worth of calendars with simple math activity suggestions such as count the seeds in an apple or find the number 24 on something in your kitchen.

*Posters – Print out posters with provocative math questions. Post one on the wall and see if it inspires your kids to find the answer to these puzzles: “Up to how many miles away can a lion’s roar be heard?” “What’s about the same size as a Blue Whale’s heart: a mailbox, a VW beetle, or a UPS truck?”

*Newsletters – Access the archived MiM newsletters with all kinds of additional lesson ideas and activities for learning math.

*Mixing in Math Moments – Print out individual sheets with a “Math Moment” to inspire kids to do a quick math activity or as a way to give kids something to do.

*Activity Search – Search the activities based on parameters such as grade level from Pre-K through 6, length of activity, materials, math strand, and type of activity. Note: Too many limitations can lead to a “not found” message.  It’s better to select just one or two options to limit your search if you want good results.

While MiM was designed with classroom teachers in mind, I think it’s a no-brainer for homeschool parents who want to encourage their kids to see that there are opportunities to learn math everywhere.

Dear ClickScholar, 

I want to welcome all of the new ClickSchooling subscribers and remind everyone that ClickSchooling is taking a break during this 4th of July holiday week. 

You will not receive the regular ClickSchooling reviews with recommendations for educational websites. There is no need to change your subscription, there simply will be no messages from June 28th through July 5th.  Messages will resume on July 6th. 

I have been publishing ClickSchooling faithfully for 10 years this September! Traditionally, I do take time off during the summer months. 

So, for those of you who are new to ClickSchooling, please understand that we won’t be back in full swing until August 23rd. Between now and then, ClickSchooling delivery will be a bit sporadic. 

After the 4th of July, I’m going to take two more breaks from publishing ClickSchooling this summer. Again, there is no need to change your subscription, you simply will not receive regular ClickSchooling messages during the following breaks: 

*Tuesday, July 13th through Sunday, August 8th – No ClickSchooling reviews will be delivered during this time. Messages will resume on Monday, August 9th.
 
*Wednesday, August 18th through Sunday, August 22nd – No ClickSchooling reviews will be delivered during this time. Messages resume on Monday August 23.
 
If you need or want recommendations for fun educational websites during those scheduled breaks, you can access the ClickSchooling Archives with hundreds of recommendations for websites that offer free activities and lessons in math, science, language arts, social sciences, virtual field trips, music, art, and foreign languages. 
 
I also select and post “oldies but goodies” from the ClickSchooling
archives on my Facebook wall twice-a-week . If you’re on Facebook, you can “like” me and get access to the reviews. 

I will be using the summer breaks to create some terrific new resources for you. I’ll keep you posted as they become available! 

Wishing all of you a Happy 4th of July! 

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
http://www.ClickSchooling.com