Posts Tagged ‘electives’

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Track Santa’s Sleigh!

December 18th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Saturday, December 18, 2010 and time for Electives at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
NORAD: Tracks Santa

Age Range:  All

Track Santa’s Sleigh on Christmas Eve! Those wacky scientists at North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) use four high-tech systems to track Santa – radar, satellites, Santa Cams and jet fighter aircraft. Not only that, they provide lots of pre-Christmas Eve activities just for kids including:

*Visit Santa’s Kids’ Countdown Village – Visit this website each day in December to receive updates from the North Pole and discover surprises (activities like wordsearches and crossword puzzles).

*Watch Holiday Cheer Videos – Watch videos created by students to celebrate Santa. And on December 24th visit NORAD’s site to see the video feed from Santa Cams positioned around the world.

*Track Santa with Your Mobile Phone – On December 24th use “Google Maps for Mobile” to track Santa’s location worldwide.

*Track Santa Through Google Earth – On Christmas Eve head to the NORAD site to track Santa’s flight in Google Earth.

*About Santa – Watch a video of Santa reciting, The Night Before Christmas. Read FAQs about Santa and NORAD. Find out how many cookies Santa eats on Christmas Eve.

*About NORAD – Find out why NORAD tracks Santa and how they do it!

Wishing you a very merry Christmas, a joyful holiday season, and a happy New year!

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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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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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Free Sign Language Lessons

September 18th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Saturday, September 18, 2010 and time for Electives at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Lifeprint.com: ASLU

Age Range: All (This is an ad-supported site, so parental supervision is required. Non-readers will need assistance.)

ClickScholar Cie recommended this website that offers free American Sign Language lessons delivered through text explanations, illustrations, photographs and animations. Cie wrote, “I am told it can have you ‘speaking’ sign language by the end of 30 lessons.”

The lessons were developed by William Vicars aka “Dr. Bill,” who has taught ASL for over 20 years. His series of lessons start with the most common concepts used in everyday communication and move from most frequently used to less frequently used. He suggests going through the lessons sequentially starting with Lesson 1 to reach competence quickly.

When you get to the site, don’t be discouraged by its plain look. The lessons contain illustrations and animations, etc., that liven things up.  :)

You’ll see the letters “ASLU” and directly below it is a menu of lessons from 1 to 30.  Click on the lesson numbers to get started right away.

You’ll also want to take some time to explore the rest of the menu that includes:

  • Free Lessons (the same lessons that are on the top horizontal menu)
  • FAQs
  • First 100 Signs
  • Fingerspelling Explanation
  • Fingerspelling Quizzes
  • ~ and much more!

You’ll also notice that the site offers the free series of lessons for sale too. That may seem confusing until you read this explanation on the site:

“Many students requested the opportunity to use these courses to fulfill language requirements at their local high school or college. This required documentation of course participation and verification of the student’s signing ability. Since verification and documentation is a time consuming process requiring the attention and participation of a skilled ASL instructor, a formal fee-based program was provided in addition to the free resources. Students who do not need documentation or instructor-based evaluation should not register nor pay tuition. Such individuals are welcome to self-study from the publicly available online lessons for free.”

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Posted in foreign language

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Free, Interactive Language Translator

May 1st, 2010

Hi!  It’s Saturday, May 1, 2010 and time for Electives at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Amadeus: Phrasebook

This website offers a free, simple language translation guide. Designed for travelers, it’s a useful tool to supplement learning the following languages:

  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Portuguese
  • Spanish 

When you get to the site, you’ll see the translation guide. Simply select the language you want to translate “from” and the language you want to translate “to.”  Then, select the phrases you want according to the topics offered that include:

  • Public Transportation
  • Common Phrases
  • Shopping
  • Restaurants
  • Numbers and Money
  • Emergencies
  • Hotels
  • Places
  • Dates and Times
  • Asking for Directions

Once you select a topic, click on “get results” and a new page opens listing a variety of commonly used phrases and the translation.  For example, select an English to Spanish translation. Choose the topic, “Common Phrases.” A list of phrases and translations opens that includes:

  • Good Morning – Buenos dias
  • Please – Por favor
  • Thank you – Gracias
  • How are you? – Como esta?
  • Where can I get cash? – Donde puedo sacar dinero?

The list is printable, making it a great learning or practice tool to use offline as well.

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Video of the Birth of a Hummingbird

March 13th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Saturday, March 13, 2010 and time for Electives at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Birth of Hummingbirds

This YouTube website provides a stunning video, set to the music of Mozart, of the birth of two hummingbirds. You can watch the mother building the nest, see the eggs hatch, and get a unique view of how the mother bird feeds her young and prepares them for independence. The video is approximately 8 minutes in length.

ClickScholar Carol Comanse inspired me to feature today’s video, when she shared a link for still photographs of the birth of hummingbirds captured by a photographer.

Be sure to click on the “next” button at the bottom of each page to see all of the photos. As Carol noted, “Keep in mind the egg is smaller than a Tic-Tac candy and a U.S. quarter (25 cents) fits the opening of the nest!”

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Posted in electives, science

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