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Activity TV – Visual & Performing Arts for Kids

August 14th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Saturday, August 14, 2010 and time for Art at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Activity TV

Age Range: 4-14 (with parental participation and supervision)

ClickScholar Cie recommended this website that offers free video instruction in visual and performing arts designed just for kids and their parents. As mentioned at the website, “Creating or learning something together can be a positive rewarding experience for both of you.”

When you get to the site you’ll see some featured activities. Use the icon menu at the top of the screen, or the item menu at the bottom of the home page to select from a variety of creative activities that include:

*Cartooning – Find out how to turn numbers, letters, and simple shapes into wacky cartoons.

*Jewelry – Discover how to make jewelry out of cereal, beads, safety pins and more.

*Music – Learn how to make musical instruments with ordinary household items.

*Magic – Get instruction on how to amaze your friends with easy sleight-of-hand magic tricks.

*Dance – Enjoy video lessons in everything from Hip Hop to Hula.

*Family Gifts – Make fun gifts for birthdays, holidays, and special occasions out of things you’ll find around the house.

*Cooking – Whip up a batch of soft pretzels, scones, or latkes.

You’ll also find video lessons on Crafts, Cheerleading, Juggling, Origami, Paper Airplanes, Puppets, Room Projects, Science Experiments, and Seasonal Activities.

There are activities for beginners to experts. Each project includes an engaging video tutorial and printable instructions.

(Note: The site intends to eventually sell kits that contain all of key materials needed to complete the activity.)

This is a terrific resource (and rainy-day “go to” site).  Bookmark it, to return often.

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Mix In Math

July 12th, 2010

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.

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The Science of Cooking

April 13th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Tuesday, April 13, 2010 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Exploratorium: The Accidental Scientist – Science of Cooking

Age Range: 8-16 (approximately)

ClickScholar Leslie Durboraw recommended this terrific website (sponsored by the Exploratorium science museum) that offers free lessons, activities, virtual field trips and access to webcasts that explain the science of food.

When you get to the site you’ll see some featured items and a menu selection that includes:

*Eggs – Turn your kitchen into a lab and learn the scientific processes that occur when you cook eggs.

*Pickles – Discover the ancient culinary craft of preserving foods in salt brine and vinegar and how it manipulates microbes in foods.

*Candy – Get up close and personal with a sucrose molecule and discover how different types of candy are made.

*Bread – Take “Bread Science 101″ that includes a microscopic tour of the staff of life.

*Seasonings – Explore your senses through the world of spices.

*Meat – Learn about fat, proteins, and collagen – and the molecular art of grilling.

This is the ultimate kitchen-science excursion – and fun for the whole family!

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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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Posted in electives, language arts, math, science

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Make A Gratitude Tree, Cake, & Tablecloth!

November 25th, 2009

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, November 25, 2009 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!
 
Today’s recommended websites offer simple ways to express gratitude that also encourage your children’s Language Arts skills. 
 
Make a Gratitude Tree
http://www.homefires.com/click?thanks

Get simple instructions for making a Thanksgiving “Gratitude Tree” with a piece of posterboard and construction paper. Family and friends write messages about what they are most thankful for and post them on the tree.

Make A Gratitude Cake!
http://www.homefires.com/click?cake

Watch a video of Deborah Norville showing Rachel Ray how to make a “Gratitude Cake.” This is a very easy and simple idea loaded with heartfelt sentiment.

And here are a couple of suggestions from my article on Homefires.com titled, ThANGSTgiving: It’s Not Just the Pie That’s Crusty!

Leaves of Gratitude
Cut leaves out of autumn-colored construction paper and make one for each guest. Ask each person to write down or draw a picture of what they are grateful for on a paper leaf, and place it in a basket on the dinner table. Take turns reading them during dessert. Then, as an after-dinner activity, place them in a scrapbook. Do this each year. Everyone will enjoy looking back through the scrapbook and reading their comments.

Tablecloth of Thanks & Wishes
Place a light-colored cotton tablecloth on the table and give everyone a “Sharpie” permanent marker (they come in a variety of colors). Have them write down something that they are thankful for on the tablecloth. Children can draw a picture. Date each message. Use this tablecloth annually. Everyone will enjoy reading the messages year after year.

To read the entire article visit:
http://www.homefires.com/articles/thangstgiving.asp

Have fun!

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ClickSchooling Resource: Celebrate “Not Back to School” With Johnny Appleseed

August 23rd, 2009

Hi!

How are you planning to kick-start the “Not Back To School” year?

Our family marked the beginning of each new “Not Back To School” year by taking a trip to the Gizdich Apple Ranch in Watsonville, California. We took a tour of the facility, learned all about the apple-agri business, and saw apples crushed to make cider. Then, we headed into the apple orchards to pick a 1/2 bushel of Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Pippin apples. After picking apples, we’d go to the barn where they served delicious apple pie and apple dumplings – yum!

Our annual homeschool ritual tied in nicely with the birthday of John Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed) on September 26th. We’d listen to his biography on CD, make apple recipes, and do craft activities with apples. My sons eventually outgrew the apple crafts – but they loudly objected when I suggested they may have outgrown our annual tradition. Even as teens they enjoyed the family trek to pick apples in September! :)

I thought some of you might want to adopt a similar tradition – or just learn more about American History through the engaging facts, legends, and lore of Johnny Appleseed!

As I mentioned, Johnny Appleseed’s birthday is September 26th – and you and your family can get a head start on the celebration with….

HOMEFIRES’ JOHNNY APPLESEED CURRICULUM!

This innovative and educational 48-page eBook by homeschool mom Fran Wisniewski (and edited by yours truly) is designed for kids in grades K-7 – and the whole family will enjoy the learning activities. This eBook includes:

  • An accurate account of the life and times of Johnny Appleseed
  • Folk legends and lore about Johnny Appleseed
  • Illustrations and pictures
  • The history of early pioneers and apple orchards in the U.S.
  • Fun and fascinating apple-themed projects
  • Lesson plans in language arts, math, and geography
  • Hands-on apple science experiments
  • Apple recipes and craft ideas!

Click on the array of embedded links in the resource pages to visit other Johnny-themed websites with apple coloring books, art projects, songs, books, games, links to you-pick apple orchards, and more.

Celebrate educational freedom and kick off the “Not Back To School” year with fun activities that will jump-start learning all year long!

Get more info on this Homefires’ exclusive here:

http://www.homefires.com/store/appleseed.asp

Happy Homeschooling!

Diane

Diane Flynn Keith
Editor, Homefires.com
ClickSchooling List Owner

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Are You The Parent of a Preschooler? You’ll Love Universal Preschool’s Learning Calendar! It’s chock-full of fun, easy activities & time-saving resources for learning with little ones all year long! Get your copy today.

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Posted in art, language arts, math, music, science, social sciences

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