January 1 , 2007

Dear Oklahoma Homeschool Subscribers,

Happy New Year! Can you believe it is 2007? I can't! Time is simply flying by - maybe it's because I turn 57 next month! Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and got some well-deserved rest. Now it's time to turn back to the school books!

I'm still working hard on my new e-book, "Oklahoma Scrapbook - A Travel Guide & Memory Book for Exploring Oklahoma," hoping to have it completed by the end of February or sooner (preferably sooner!). This is the Centennial year for Oklahoma so it's a perfect year for teaching Oklahoma History and exploring Oklahoma. I think those of you living in Oklahoma will find this a wonderful enrichment resource for doing just that.

Because I've been working so hard on the Oklahoma Scrapbook project, I really haven't added much to my website. However, this newsletter is full of ideas that I hope you will enjoy.

Have a super New Year!

Cindy Downes

Oklahoma Homeschool Newsletter, January 2007

Index:

What's New on the Oklahoma Homeschool Website?

NEW! Because I've been so busy on my book, there is not much new! However, there is a new form to download and print. Check it out below.

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Curriculum/Book Review:

1. (SORRY _ THIS HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED) Great Lives CDs. This series of CDs is a must for your auditory learner, but will be equally enjoyed by all. Each CD is professionally done and well worth the investment. Great Lives searches "stories from the finest biographies - many of which are no longer in print - and brings them together into an easy-to-listen-to audio CD." Each month you will learn about someone new such as Gandhi, Alexander Graham Bell, Mary Bethune, and Abraham Lincoln. Subscription: $8.95/month. www.storiesofgreatlives.com.

Alternative Resources (not audio):

Christian Biographies: http://elvis.rowan.edu/~kilroy/JEK/home.html#new%20location
Biography of the Day: http://www.anb.org/biooftheday.html
Biographies of Classical Composers: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mn200/music/composers.html
Science World - Biographies of Scientists: http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/
Mathematical Biographies http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/
Search Gateway biographies: http://www.searchgateway.com/biograph.htm
Biography.com: http://www.biography.com/
From Revolution to Reconstruction: http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/B/
American Presidents: http://www.americanpresidents.org/

2. Multiplication to Music. Multiplication to Music (Classical Math to Classical Music) by Fred & Sarah Cooper is to the answer to learning the mulitiplication tables, especially for auditory learners who like classical music. Learn the time tables (2-12's) while singing along with classical music written by Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, and more. Each song is sung four times. The first three times with answer; the last time your child has to sing the answers on his own. Purchase at SingNLearn: http://singnlearn.org

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Teaching Without Textbooks - Ancient Rome

Here's an idea for teaching about Ancient Rome without a textbook:

1. Use my free, Rome Unit Study. You'll find weekly lesson plans, a free-printable timeline, book suggestions, and suggestions for using the Internet to learn about Rome. You'll also find resources for worksheets, hands-on activities, and composition projects.

2. And don't forget! When you're done, be sure to add what your children did for the Astronomy unit to your copy of The Checklist!

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FREE Forms:

1. Revolutionary War Thematic Paper. Use these two forms (wide lines and thin lines) when teaching about the Revolutionary War: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/forms.html

2. My Presidents of the U.S. Composition Booklet: Use this free booklet as a writing project about the presidents of the U.S.: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/forms.html

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The Checklist & Multi-Level Teaching:

1. President's Day is coming up in February. Here are some resources you can use to help you teach about Lincoln, Washington, and presidents in general:

2. Be sure to add what your children did for President's Day to your copy of The Checklist!

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Internet Resources:

1. Wild Weather Adventure game.

2. Learn about the Landscape Architect career from the US Park Service.

3. Safety Video: For moms! I saw this video and had to share it with you.

4. Interactive Math activities for elementary grades.

5. Download this free Fish, Wildlife, & People coloring book from the US Fish and Wildlife Services.

6. Contests:

8. Finally, let's say thanks to our troops. Here's a way we can thank our troops that costs nothing but a few moments of time. Go to the Let's Say Thanks Website, pick a card, and email it. This is sponsored by Xerox and has been checked to be a valid website. Kids will enjoy this too!

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Quote:

"I will prepare and some day my chance will come." — Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

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Oklahoma Resources:
cowboy with rope

1. Centennial Events. This is the year of Oklahoma's Centennial Celebration - November 16, 1907-2007. What a great year to teach Oklahoma History! With that in mind, this section will include events with a Centennial emphasis, as well as any other event or activity of specific interest to teaching about the state of Oklahoma. For more events and coupons, be sure to check the TravelOK website: http://www.travelok.com

January:

a. Tournament of Roses Parade, Jan 1, 2007, Televised from Pasadena, CA. Check your cable listing. Oklahoma will be the first entity in the history of the Tournament of Roses to have two floats in this nationally televised parade. Oklahoma will lead off the parade, the Centennial All*Star Band will also participate.

b. Edmond's Eagle Watch at Arcadia Lake, Jan 5, 2007 - Jan 7, 2007. Anytime between 7:30 am - 4:30 pm. Park Office, 9000 E 2nd Street (approximately 3 ½ miles east of I-35 on Rt. 66). Parking $3.00 per vehicle. Dress warmly and bring your binoculars. Begin at the Arcadia Lake Park Office to receive information about where the eagles can be spotted. Project Office has a Bald Eagle and raptor wingspan displays. Our 2007 Eagle Watch is an Official Oklahoma Centennial Event. Spotters will be located around the lake so that all viewers will have the chance to see the beautiful Bald Eagles. For more information visit www.edmondok.com.

c. Oklahoma History Seen Through Quilts, Jan 14 - Feb 9, 2007, OCU Norick Art Center, 2501 N Blackwelder, Oklahoma City, OK. Mon10am-9pm, Tue-Fri 10am-4pm. View the winning quilts of the Oklahoma Centennial Quilt Contest. Quilts display a theme that celebrates Oklahoma History. Free admissino. Contact: Judy Howard. Phone: 405-521-5230. E-mail: buckboardquilts@cox.net. Web site: http://www.buckboardquilts.com.

d. International Finals Rodeo, Jan 18 - 20, 2007, State Fair Arena, Oklahoma City, OK. 6:30pm-11:30pm. Championship rodeo finals for the top 15 cowboys and cowgirls. Seven events. Contact: 405-235-6540. E-mail: annetta@iprarodeo.com. Website: http://www.iprarodeo.com.

e. Birdhouse Contest, March 2007, As a part of Arbor Day Celebration, the Park and Recreation department of Ponca City will have a Bird House Contest for children 15 and under. Entries will be accepted at the Park and Recreation office (905 W Hartford) from March 12th through March 29th. You may create an original birdhouse, use a kit or buy one ready made to decorate and submit. Houses will be judged by members of Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Garden Club. Categories are Most Whimsical, Most Colorful, Most Creative, Most Original and Best of Show.

February

a. Eagle Tour and Loon Watch, Feb 10, 17 & 24, 2007, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge and Tenkiller State Park, Vian, OK. Come join us at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge for a tour featuring Southern Bald Eagles. After spending the morning at the refuge take a break and have a leisurely lunch in Vian. Then come to Tenkiller State Park and enjoy the famed bird of Northeast United States and Beyond, the Loon. Tours will occur unless there is a travel advisory for the area. Eagle Tour 9am at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Loon Watch 2pm at Tenkiller State Park. Phone: 918-489-5641. E-mail: lbunn@otrd.state.ok.us. Web site: http://www.oklahomaparks.com.

b. Yale's Winter Encampment - Battle of Round Mountain, Feb 17, 2007 - Feb 18, 2007. Yale, OK. Recognition of The Battle of Round Mountain - the first Civil War battle of the Civil War in the area, will feature presentations on both sides of this war. The public and school children may visit camps with settlers and vendors, and Oklahoma historical speakers'. Many cannons, rifles, and pistols are fired in a large field for public viewing. Yale Oklahoma is located about 13 miles East of Stillwater Oklahoma on Hiway 51. The event site is on the East side of Yale on the North side of the road. Enter through Jim Thorpe park and follow the road to the undeveloped area on the North-west side. Event Contact: sargentsam22ark@yahoo.com.

c. Victorian Style Show and Ladies Tea held in the Chesapeake Events Center at the Oklahoma History Center, 2401 N. Laird Ave., Oklahoma City, on Saturday, March 3, 2007, 2-5 p.m. Twenty-seven ladies will be modeling fashions from the decades from 1820 to 1920. Tickets $15 per person. Deadline is February 9. Mail your check made out to OHS to: Kelsey Arnold, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2401 N. Laird Ave. OKC, OK 73105. Include your name, complete address, and phone number. For more information, contact Kelsey Arnold at 405.522.0692 or send atn email to karnold@okhistory.org

d. Fort Washita Frontier Brigade Muster will take place on Saturday, February 10, from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m. at the Fort Washita Historic Site (located on State Hwy 199 between Madill and Durant). The public is invited to view Civil War-era soldiers as they practice drilling in time, inspecting muskatas, skirmishing, and other military activities. No admission. For more info: call 580.924.6402.

2. Book suggestion - just for fun: The Mystery of Tornado Alley (Nancy Drew) by Carolyn Keene.

3. If you're doing Oklahoma history, check out these photos of Old Route 66 (scroll down to bottom of page) : http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/teachOKH.html

4. Things to do in Oklahoma from Mistletoe Leaves, December 2006 (newsletter for donors to Oklahoma Historical Society):

  • Voices of Oklahoma - a 30-minute, monthly show on Channel 3 in Tulsa area and Channel 7 in OKC area at 12 noon on Tuesdays, 11:30 am, 3:30 pm, and 5:30 pm on Wednesdays, and 11:30 am on Sundays. It will include a story-based stroll through a museum gallery of the Oklahoma History Center, a segment on a museum or site somewhere in the state, and a look at their research collection.

  • Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore will be hosting a special, 3-year exhibit, Walt Disney Classics, which includes Walt Disney Imagineering sculptures of seven presidents who were Will Roger's friends as well as artwork depicting Rogers and sketches of him playing polo with Disney cartoon characters.

  • The Oklahoma Arts Council announces that more than 100 pieces of artwork displayed in and around the state capitol can now be viewed on the Internet. Artwork includes paintings such as President Teddy Roosevelt Signing Statehood Proclamation, the Magic of Petroleum, and a portrait of Sequoyah; sculptures of David L. Payne, As Long As the Waters Flow and The Hall of Governors; and special exhibits such as the Indian Blanket Quilt. Quick Time movies of artwork is also available. Check it out at http://www.state.ok.us/~arts/capitolart/permart.html.

  • National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in OKC has a special exhibit of tintypes, ambrotypes, cabinet cards, and stereographs on display until January 7, 2007. Your children interested in photography will want to see these.
5. Oklahoma Scrapbook: A Field Trip Guide and Memory Book by Cindy Downes.

6. 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.

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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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