Posts Tagged ‘resources’

All Good Things Must Come To An End

June 5th, 2013

Dear Reader,

For over 21 years I’ve been a homeschool mom, mentor, writer, speaker, coach, author, and entrepreneur. I’ve taken great delight in homeschooling my own sons, and in helping to liberate other families from conventional schooling to live extraordinary lives.

This work has been a labor of love. Since 1992, I’ve been an advocate for home learning regardless of methodology, philosophy, or personal beliefs or affiliations. That inclusivity has resulted in a great deal of support and encouragement from the homeschool community for which I am grateful.

When I was in the thick of homeschooling, I found friendships and support through the work. Once my own sons were launched, I continued to find great satisfaction in mentoring other homeschool families. However, the commitment it takes leaves little room for anything else.

Over the past few years. I have felt a strong sense to reinvent myself and direct my energy in other ways. That tug to do something different started out as a whisper, but its volume has increased to the point where I simply can’t ignore it anymore. There’s something else I’m supposed to be doing and it will not be quieted. So, I’ve made the decision to retire from my usual endeavors and give myself the gift of time to start anew.

It will take a little time to wind things down, but I fully expect to complete the transition by December 31, 2013.

For now, I’m going to stop speaking at conferences, cease private coaching and consultations, and I’m going to discontinue publishing two of my free e-newsletters,Universal Preschool and Carschooling. The last issues of those e-newsletters will be published around July 1st.

The free ClickSchooling e-newsletter will most likely continue through the rest of this year, with the last issue published in December of 2013.

At this time, I don’t have plans to produce or sell any more homeschool products or programs. In fact, I’m having a “Liquidation Sale” from June 21st-25th – and all of the products will be available for 50% off. You’ll receive a separate notice of this sale, so watch for it in your inbox. (Just FYI, my books, Carschooling and Papa’s Pearls, will not be part of the sale, and will continue to be offered on Amazon.com in both print and Kindle versions.)

My websites, Homefires.com, UniversalPreschool.com, ClickSchooling.com, and Carschooling.com, will continue to exist for now, providing free resources and information to visitors worldwide.

I am proud of supporting homeschool families over the years through my websites, teleconferences, speaking engagements, e-newsletters, yahoo groups, coaching services, and products. I am thankful for the remarkable team of partners, collaborators, assistants, and webmasters who have supported my efforts and made it all possible. I have been forever spoiled by their professionalism and generosity.

I am also appreciative for our loyal advertisers, who have sponsored Homefires’ endeavors by trusting us to bring their message of resources and services to the homeschool community.

And to you – my readers, subscribers, customers, and clients – please accept my heartfelt thanks for your support, encouragement, and irrepressible enthusiasm for building better families through homeschooling. It has been my profound pleasure to have served you in your choice to help your children learn without schooling.

If you would like to share your thoughts, comments, or questions on any aspect of this news, you are welcome to do so on my Facebook page athttp://www.Facebook.com/DianeFlynnKeith.

I will keep you posted of the transitions and changes as they occur throughout the rest of this year.

I wish each and every one of you much love and lifelong learning success,

 

Diane Flynn Keith

Editor of Homefires.com

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 the author of the rave-reviewed book, “CarschoolingOver 350 Entertaining Games & Activities To Turn Travel Time Into Learning Time” withgames 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 atwww.Carschooling.com.

Ms. Keith is also a popular speaker at education conferences throughout the U.S. To learn more about booking Diane for a lively presentation at your next event email: editor@homefires.com

 

English Games, Activities, & Worksheets!

June 5th, 2013

Hi!  It’s Wednesday,  June 5, 2013, and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

FunEnglishGames.com

Age Range:  5-10 (grades K-5 approximately, with parental supervision)

This ad-supported website offers free English language games, activities, worksheets, quizzes and more! Designed for classroom and ESL teachers, you’ll find learning activities and resources that can easily be used for home learning.

When you get to the website, you’ll see a brief introduciton and some highlighted features.  Use the menu at the top of the page to access:

Games – Play interactive games that help kids learn and improve upon reading, writing (including debate!), grammar, vocabulary, and spelling skills.

Activities – Enjoy a line-up of fun online language arts games based on familiar board games and television game shows.

Worksheets – Get printable worksheets and activity pages that reinforce language arts skills.

Quizzes – Test your knowledge on grammar, parts of speech, spelling, and more.

You’ll also find videos that  include songs, nursery rhymes, and short instructional clips for learning English.

Because this website contains randomly generated advertisements, parents (as always) should preview the site and supervise all Internet activity.

 

Free K-12 Literature Lessons & Activities

May 29th, 2013

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, May 29, 2014 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

EDSITEMent

Age Range: 5-18 (grades K-12 with parental supervision)

This website sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, offers free, high-quality online lesson plans integrated with resources to promote active learning in literature and language arts (as well as other subjects such as art, foreign language, history and social studies).

When you get to the site, you’ll see a featured lesson plan.  Below that is a sorting tool where you can select the grade level you want (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12) and other features including subtopics such as:

  • Biography
  • Drama
  • Essay
  • Fables, Fairy Tales, and Folklore
  • Novels
  • Poetry
  • Short Stories

Submit your parameters and a menu of lesson plans will appear below the sorting tool.  Click on any lesson title and a new page opens displaying the lesson including:

  • Guiding Questions
  • Learning Objectives
  • Preparation Instructions
  • Lesson Activities
  • Extending the Lesson

You’ll find links to free, carefully screened educational websites where you can read the literature online and find resources to extend the learning. In some cases you’ll find free, printable worksheets as well.

The content is so extensive that a description here simply doesn’t do it justice. This is a remarkable resource for the home educator – so bookmark it to return often. 

Primary Source U.S. History Lessons

May 23rd, 2013

Hi!  It’s Thursday, May 23, 2013 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Teach U.S. History

Age Range: 11-18 (about middle school through high school, with parental supervision)

This website provides primary source materials, lesson plans, audio and video presentations, and supplementary resources such as worksheets and links to other informative websites to help classroom teachers teach U.S. History. Most of the material can be adjusted for use in the homeschool environment.

When you get to the site, you’ll see a welcome message accompanied by a menu on the left side of the screen. Click on “How To Use This Site” to read an outline of what the site provides. Then, simply click on the topics of interest from the menu that includes:

  • American Revolution
  • Indian Removal
  • Isaiah Thomas – Patriot Printer
  • Life in Antebellum America
  • Temperance Reform in the Early 19th Century
  • The Dred Scott Decision
  • The Kansas-Nebraska Act and Bleeding Kansas
  • The Second Great Awakening and the Age of Reform
  • War of 1812 and the Hartford Convention
  • Westward Expansion

As you click on each topic a new page opens. There is some inconsistency in the format that can be a little confusing. Some pages open to a splash page, others open to a menu of choices, and others open to a page with a brief overview.  On the latter, it may look as though there isn’t any information – but look on the menu on the left side of the screen and you’ll see that under that topic is a highlighted drop-down menu from which you can select lesson plans and resources.

This site is deceiving. It contains a vast amount of content assembled by teachers and museum curators as you will discover once you start clicking through the resource links. Plan to spend some time here to pinpoint the materials you’ll want to use to supplement your study of U.S. history.

 

American Folklore Stories & Lessons

May 22nd, 2013

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, May 22, 2013 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

American Folklore

Age Range: All (Note: As always, parental supervision required to determine suitability of content.)

This website provides a free archive of American folktales, myths, legends, fairy tales, superstitions, weatherlore and other stories. You can read them online or print them to use offline – and you can listen to some of them via podcast.

When you get to the site, you’ll see a brief introduction and some featured stories. You can click on the featured links or use the menu at the top of the home page that includes:

*Tall Tales – Meet Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, Brer Rabbit, and more.

*Myths & Legends – Enjoy stories about folk heroes such as Bigfoot Wallace, Davy Crockett, Casey Jones and more.   *Ghost Stories – A selection of stories about things that go bump in the night.

*Urban Legends – Incredible stories with bits of plausibility that spread quickly through a society.

*Folk Tales – Stories or legends passed down from one generation to another in the oral tradition.

*Fables & Fairy Tales – A wide variety of stories – some will be very familiar, some not-so-much.

*Campfire Stories – Stories and songs that include tales for the littlest campfire kids to scary stories that will give teens and adults goosebumps.

*Children’s Stories – Enjoy whimsical children’s bedtime stories, American folk songs, and nursery rhymes.

*Animal Stories – Fun fables starring cats, dogs, crows, chickens, hummingbirds, bears, coyotes, sea serpents – and even Sasquatch aka Bigfoot.

You’ll also find Canadian, Mexican, African-American, Latin-American, Asian-American, European-American, and Native American folklore. 

If you click on “Teacher Resources” located near the bottom of the vertical menu on the left side of the home page, you’ll find links to folktale-themed lessons. Some of them are free, some require a fee. Unfortunately, not all of the links were working when I tested them. Don’t let that deter you from exploring the stories archived at the site. :)

 

Animal History & Biology for K-12!

May 21st, 2013

Hi!  It’s Tuesday, May 21, 2013 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Animal Diversity Web

Age Range: 5-18 (Resources for grades K-12 and beyond, with parental supervision.)

The University of Michigan’s Museum of Zoology sponsors this amazing  searchable encyclopedia of the natural history of animals that is also a science tool and virtual museum! When you get to the site you’ll see a picture of a featured animal such as “Insects.” Click on the black arrows on either side of the photo to see the phyla  represented including:

  • Amphibians
  • Birds
  • Fish
  • Insects
  • Mammals
  • Mollusks
  • Reptiles

Click on any item on the menu and a new page opens with an introduction, and a menu on the right side of the page that allows you to explore:

*Pictures – See terrific photos of the creatures in this category.  Click on any small picture to see an enlarged version.

*Specimens – See photos of specimen collections by zoologists.

*Classification – Explore the scientific names of animals including kingdom, phylum, and class.

In some instances you can listen to the sound a creature makes, and see a map of its habitat.

BUT WAIT!  There’s more!  Use the menu located on the left side of each page to explore:

*Teaching Resources – This section offers special resources for K-12 and college educators including a MUST SEE parallel site called “BioKIDS” that contains curriculum for 5th and 6th graders. Here’s the direct link: http://www.biokids.umich.edu/. There are additional links to resources especially for kids and teachers. You’ll also find a sample high school worksheet for learning about mammals, and some critical thinking exercises so your students “won’t believe everything they read on the Web.”

*Special Collections – This section includes:

  • Mammal Anatomy – provides detailed information about every aspect of animal anatomy.
  • Spinning Skulls – view QuickTime movies and close-up images of mammal skulls.
  • Frog Calls – listen to an array of frog calls used to attract mates and express distress. 

Bookmark this site to return often.