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December
1 ,
2006
Dear
Oklahoma Homeschool Subscribers,
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving
and didn't eat too much like I did! Now it's time to get
ready for the Christmas season!
If you're like
me when I homeschooled, I found it extremely difficult
to concentrate on school work during this hectic time of
the year; therefore, I changed our game plan a bit. From
Thanksgiving through New Years we continued working on the
3 Rs - Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic, but we put aside
our other school subjects. Instead, we spent more time reading
good literature and working on community service projects.
Participation in community
service is an effective way to teach your children
good work ethics, job skills, and character training. There
are so many things you can do as a family that will not only
help others but will be a learning tool at the same
time. Cook meals and deliver to shut ins, make cards for
the elderly, volunteer at a food bank or homeless shelter,
sing or put on a drama production at a nursing home are just
a few suggestions. Check out my website at: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/VOLUNTEER.html for
suggestions of where you and
your family could get involved.
When you get back to your curriculum,
this newsletter has a few suggestions for teaching astronomy
and two versions of astronomy composition paper that you
might find helpful. I hope you enjoy this newsletter.
Have
a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Cindy
Downes
Oklahoma
Homeschool Newsletter, December 2006
Index:
What's
New on the Oklahoma Homeschool Website?
NEW! History
Freebies!
Looking for resources you can use to help teach history
and social studies? Try the Internet where you can
find FREE lesson plans, clip art, quizzes, coloring
pages, biographies, worksheets, and much more!
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Book
Review:
1. The
Elements. Most homeschool moms that
I know are not particularly fond of teaching science.
I guess it's a girl thing! But today, there are so many
great resources that make teaching science easier that
it should become more and more "girl" friendly!
Here's one of those resources: The Elements published
by EDGEucation Publishing. This resource is a fun way to
teach your children about the 109 elements. Your children
will be introduced to each element through a funny character
to color and a short bio. The workbook includes test sheets
and stickers to reinforce what is learned. A great introduction
to the elements for all ages.
Also available is The Elements Flash Cards. Colorful flash
cards help children to memorize the names and facts about
each of the 109 elements.
For more info, check out their website at: http://www.edgeucationpublishing.com/
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Teaching
Without Textbooks - Astronomy
Here's some Ideas for teaching Astronomy
without a Textbook:
Basic Introduction to Astronomy:
http://www.frontiernet.net/~kidpower/astronomy.html
Planet
Fact Book from NASA
NASA's Star
Child learning Center
One of my favorite books
for younger children is There's No Place Like Space .
How
can we see distant stars in a young universe? from
Answers in Genesis.
Activities related to Astronomy:
Look through a "Virtual"
telescope and see the planets!
Build
a telescope on How
Stuff Works
Learn how to purchase a
quality telescope from Astronomy
Magazine.
Read a biography of Galileo
Print out this free Solar
System chart to use as a learning guide for studying the
planets.
Go on an Astronomy
Scavenger Hunt at Kidcosmos.
Galileo Activity Book: Galileo
for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 25 Activities
Music and Art related to
Astronomy: 
Space
Movies from NASA (1956-present
day). See clips of the first step on the moon, planting
a flag on the moon, tragic explosion of the space shuttle,
and much more.
Apollo
13: (get the clean
version from http://www1.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/movies.html.
October
Sky - This is a
great movie!
Art Work from http://www.artchive.com:
- Winslow Homer: Kissing
the Moon
- Escher: Sun
and Moon
- Carot: Pond with Three
Cows and Cresent Moon
Songs:
- Hey
Oh Galileo: http://www.songsforteaching.com/jptaylor/galileo.htm
- Solar System: http://www.songsforteaching.com/hood/solarsystem.htm
- Planet Rap: http://www.songsforteaching.com/intellitunes/planetrap.htm
Astronomy Kits and Equipment:
Mobile: Solar
System Mobile Kit
Projector: 3-D space Projector
Inflatable
Earthball - from AstroShop.
Quizzes:
Take an Astronomy quiz: http://www.kidsastronomy.com/fun/quiz.htm
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FREE
Forms:
1. Statehood Worksheet and State
Symbols Report Form. Use
these two forms when teaching your state history: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/forms.html
2. Composition Paper: Astronomy,
thin lines (pdf)
3. Composition Paper: Astronomy,
thick lines (pdf)
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The
Checklist & Multi-Level Teaching:
1. Astronomy: Free, 12-week Astronomy
Unit by Cindy Downes that you can use for grades
K-6th+.
2. Be sure to add what
your children did for the Astronomy unit to your copy of The
Checklist!
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Internet
Resources:
1. River
of Words Contest. Each year, in affiliation with The Library
of Congress Center for the Book, River of Words conducts
a free international poetry and art contest for youth on
the theme of watersheds. The contest is designed to help
youth explore the natural and cultural history of the place
they live, and to express, through poetry and art, what
they discover. The contest is open to any child in the
world, from 5-19 years of age. Older students must have
not yet completed high school. There is no charge to enter.
For more info and entry form: http://riverofwords.org/contest/index.html.
Deadline is February 15.
2. Save Our History
- Win cash prizes! The History Channel wishes
to honor teachers and students across the country who
have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to local
history through their preservation or history education
efforts. Tell us about your creative lesson plans, activities
and/or projects and you could win up to $5,000 in Cash
Prizes!
A total of 25 teachers and 25 students
will win cash prizes in the National Honors! One teacher
and one student will be named "Teacher of the Year" and "Student
of the Year" and will be flown for an all-expense
paid trip to Washington, D.C. and recognized at the annual
Save Our History National Honors Event in May 2006.
Submissions are due by April 7, 2006 so download details
now! This is OPEN TO HOMESCHOOLERS! For more info: http://www.saveourhistory.com/awards/get_involved.html
3. FREE
Wildlife Fun Book. Find out about
amazing wildlife. (SORRY - Just found out from Melissa
Kramm that this booklet can only be sent to UK addresses!)
So, here is a couple of substitutes:
Wildlife coloring book link: http://www.meandmephoto.com/Extras/ColorBk/ColorBk.html
Endangered Species Activity Book: http://www.epa.gov/espp/coloring/getbook.htm
Chesapeake Bay Activiites: http://library.fws.gov/pubs5/chessie_colbk.pdf
4. Monkey Notes .
I'm one of those crazy readers who likes to know the plot
of a book before I read it. If you're one of those too,
you'll love this resource from Pink Monkey - a resource
for free plot lines to over 400 well-known books. Click
on the title and then "Short Plot" to find out what the
book is about.
5. 3-D
Papercraft. If you have children
who like to cut, paste, and make paper crafts, here's a
fun resource for paper crafts that can go along with a
unit. For instance, if you are studying the Vikings, you
can build a Viking ship (http://cp.c-ij.com/english/3D-papercraft/building/viking_e.html).
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Quote:
"We may go to the moon, but that's not very far.
The greatest distance we have to cover still lies within
us." — Charles de Gaulle (1890
- 1970)
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Oklahoma
Resources:
1.
14 Flags Over Oklahoma. Learn about the fourteen
different flags that were flown over Oklahoma on this website.
2. Here's
a directory of museums
in Oklahoma.
3. A fun way to learn about
Oklahoma's past is to read old
family letters and post cards. Here's a website that has collected several.
4. Just discovered! Photos
by Bill Horn of
Birds
of Oklahoma.
For more info and learning
materials about Oklahoma history, check my website at:
http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/teachOKH.html
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Please
feel free to forward this to anyone who may be interested.
Please forward in it's entirety.
If
you'd like to be added to the Oklahoma Homeschool Newsletter
mailing list, please email back with "Subscribe"
in the subject line, along with your city and state or country
and how long you have homechooled.
COPYRIGHT
NOTICE: This newsletter is ©Copyright 2006 by
Cindy Downes. All rights reserved.
PRIVACY
POLICY. Your name and email address will always remain
completely confidential. I do not sell, loan, or share any
subscriber or customer information for any reason. Your information
will never be used for any purpose other than delivery of
my e-newsletter and to occasionally inform you of updates
to http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com.
If
you want to be removed from this mailing list, please
send a blank email with the word "unsubscribe" in
the subject line.
Have
a great day!
Cindy
Cindy
Downes
OKLAHOMA HOMESCHOOL
Website: http:www.oklahomahomeschool.com
Email: cindy@oklahomahomeschool.com
Blog: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/EmptyNestMom
Have
you seen The Checklist? It's
an assessment tool, lesson planner and K-12 Recordkeeper created
for Christian Home Educators: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/checklist.html
Oklahoma
History Online is
now available! Check it out at: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/okhist.html
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