Click here for Special Days in July updated for 2020!
Have a happy and safe July!
betty jo
Has your family taken a bit of time to learn about bridges? We did and it was an awesome, multi level, and cross curricular study! With the Brooklyn Bridge opening May 24, 1883 , and the Golden Gate Bridge opening May 27, 1964, May is a great time to learn about bridges. However, if bridges in May doesn’t work for you, the third Saturday in October is “Bridge Day” and “Historic Bridges” is one of the themes for the month of November! Of course, you don’t need a special day to learn about bridges and can add a study as your calendar allows. Below are the links to the online resources we used. And, remember to check with your local library for bridge books and movies.
Bridge Building Video – Learn some of the important differences between arch, suspension and cable-stayed bridges
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/videos/engineering/bridgebuilding.html
Bridge Facts –
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/engineering/bridges.html
Photo Gallery of Bridges Around the World
http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/bridge-pictures.htm#page=0
Virtual Tour of the Golden Gate Bridge –
http://goldengatebridge.org/photos/bridgewalk.php
I didn’t give the boys any instructions, but just gave them the supplies from the following projects, and told them to build! We tested them with weights (stacking cans of food), and with our remote control cars.
How to Make a Strong Paper Bridge – http://www.ehow.com/how_6321787_make-strong-paper-bridge.html
Build a Bridge Challenge with Recyclables And Materials from Around the House – http://inspirationlaboratories.com/science-at-home-strength-of-materials/
Spaghetti Bridge Engineering Project – https://www.teachengineering.org/view_activity.php?url=collection/wpi_/activities/wpi_spagetti_bridge/wpi_spag_act_joy.xml
Build It Big – Bridge Challenge Interactive, Photo Gallery, Forces Lab, Meet the Engineers http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/bridge/index.html
Bridge Quotes and Idioms Explained – http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/bridge
And for family reading, we picked up a copy of Bridge to Terabithia, and the movie, too. We think it’s interesting to compare books to their movies.
Bridge to Terabithia Lit Guide, Summary, and Quiz – http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/terabithia/
And if you’re learning about bridges this October, don’t forget to include the bridge from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow!
http://gutenberg.org/ebooks/41
Field trips were fun and easy with this study. We took an up-close look at a few bridges in our area.
I hope you enjoy the bridges study as much as we did! Oh, by the way, the pretty stone bridge crossing the lake in the above photo was a construction project my husband worked on years ago.
betty jo
Here’s a wonderful collection of resources for daily learning from the list of Special Days in January, 2016 (https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2015/12/29/special-days-in-january-2016/).
1 – New Year’s – Learning Resources – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2016/01/01/new-years-resources/
3 – J.R.R. Tolkien Day – Read about the author, book reviews, events, and more from his fan club, The Tolkien Society – http://www.tolkiensociety.org/
4 – Louis Braille born 1809 – Resources and Activities – http://www.franw.com/2016/01/louis-braille.html
4 – Jacob Grimm born 1785 – Read Brothers Grimm fairy tales – http://www.familymanagement.com/literacy/grimms/grimms-toc.html
4 – Isaac Newton born 1693 – Biography and Printables – http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdnewt.htm
5 – Bird Day – Make one or more of these bird feeders http://happyhooligans.ca/32-homemade-bird-feeders/ and learn some bird calls http://www.enature.com/birding/audio.asp
6 – Bean Day – Bean Resources and Activities – http://www.franw.com/2015/01/bean-resources.html
6 – Joan of Arc born 1412 – Biography and Printables – http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdjoan.htm
7 – President Millard Fillmore born 1800 – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/02/14/resources-for-presidents-day/
7 – Old Rock Day – Rock and Mineral – http://www.franw.com/2015/08/rock-mineral-resources.html
8 – Joygerm Day – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/01/08/happy-joygerm-day/
9 – President Richard Nixon born 1913 – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/02/14/resources-for-presidents-day/
9 – Static Electricity Day – This is Z’s all time favorite experiment – http://www.sciencebob.com/experiments/staticroll.php
11 – Cuckoo Dancing Week begins – “Laurel and Hardy” article, music, and photos – http://imaginemdd.blogspot.com/2014/01/dance-cuckoo-for-ollies-birthday-laurel.html
11 – Grand Canyon National Monument dedicated 1908 – Take a virtual tour – http://www.grandcanyonvirtualtour.com/
13 – Poetry Break Day – Reading and Writing Poetry resources – http://42explore.com/poetry.htm
14 – Nobel Prize Winner Albert Schweitzer born 1875 – Biography and Printables – http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdschw.htm
15 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. born 1929 – (18 – MLK Day *) – Learning Resources – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/01/17/teaching-resources-for-martin-luther-king-day/
16 – Appreciate a Dragon Day – Fast Facts and resource links – http://www.kidskonnect.com/subjectindex/13-categories/animals/439-dragons.html
17 – Ben Franklin born 1706 – Biography and Printables – http://www.gardenofpraise.com/ibdfrank.htm
18 – Winnie the Pooh Day – http://www.just-pooh.com/
19 – Edgar Allan Poe born 1809 – Research Project – http://www.franw.com/2013/10/edgar-allan-poe-research-project.html
20 – Draw a Dinosaur Day – Try these step-by-step instructions – http://www.dragoart.com/google_search.php?cx=partner-pub-6207428572838690%3A2440456717&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=UTF-8&q=dinosaur
21 – Squirrel Appreciation Day – Huge list of unit study resources – http://lastingthumbprints.com/free-squirrel-resource-unit/
23 – Handwriting Analysis Week begins – Learn about the forensics analysis of handwriting – http://science.howstuffworks.com/handwriting-analysis.htm
24 – Talk Like a Grizzled Prospector Day – How about a Yosemite Sam cartoon? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO4JcgD3vq0
25 – Burns Night – Robert Burns born 1759 – http://activityvillage.co.uk/burns-night
26 – Australia Day – http://activityvillage.co.uk/australia-day
27 – Author Lewis Carrol born 1832 – Study guide for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/alice/
27 – Composer Mozart born 1756 – Biography and Printables – http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdmozart.htm
29 – President William McKinley born 1843 – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/02/14/resources-for-presidents-day/
29 – Patriot Thomas Paine born 1737 – Watch the Common Sense episode of Liberty’s Kids – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awlBeITstkE
30 – Franklin Roosevelt born 1882- https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/02/14/resources-for-presidents-day/
30 – Yodel For Your Neighbors Day – How to Yodel Instructions, Videos, and some historic facts – http://wordbone.com/learn/how-to-yodel-instructions-for-beginners-kids-and-celebrity-singers/
31 – Inspire Your Heart With Art Day – When looking for an art project, this is my usual “go to” site. No matter what subject you’re studying, this link has something to tie art in with it! – http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/craftsbytheme.html
Check back from time to time throughout the month for updates and more daily resources! And if you’re able to share more January daily resources, please do! It would be awesome to add your favorites!
betty jo
There’s oodles of learning opportunities from January’s calendar! Below is a collection of free online educational resources for some cool January studies.
BIG List of January’s Holidays, Observances, Themes, Famous Birthdays, and Historic Event Anniversaries – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2015/12/29/special-days-in-january-2016/
Learning Resources for January – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2016/01/03/special-days-in-january-learning-resource-list/
Discover January with Themed Activities and Resources – http://www.franw.com/2014/01/january.html
January Prayer Calendar for Children – http://cherigamble.com/2015/12/30/january-2016-prayer-calendar-for-children/
January Science Calendar – http://thehomeschoolscientist.com/january-science-calendar-2016/
Daily Learning Links – http://www.se7en.org.za/se7ens-january
January Bulletin Boards, Lesson Plans, Writing Prompts, and Theme Units – http://www.theteacherscorner.net/monthly-resources/january.php
January Themed Arts and Crafts Lessons – http://kinderart.com/seasons/jan.shtml
January Themed Printable Worksheets – http://www.apples4theteacher.com/
January Themed Printables, Activities, and Crafts – http://activityvillage.co.uk/
January/Winter Themed Math Activities – http://www.yummymath.com/
Winter Themed Math Activities – http://www.mathwire.com/archives/seasonal2.html
January and Winter Themed Vocabulary Lists – https://myvocabulary.com/
Winter Themed Interactive Games – http://www.primarygames.com/seasons/winter/games.htm
16 Things to do in January – http://diyhomeschooler.com/16-things-to-do-in-january-2016/
Snow Week Learning Resources, Recipes, and Activities – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/02/07/snow-week/
Penguins – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2015/01/20/penguins/
Healthy Diet – 26 Lessons and Tests – http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/food_health/education_resources/eatsmart/lessons/
Exercise – Homeschool Mom Approved YouTube Exercise Videos – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/01/10/get-up-and-move-a-break-time-playlist/
Winter Activities and Resources – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/01/15/but-its-cold-out-there/
Happy January Learning!
betty jo
Though my family is still on winter break from usual homeschooling lessons, I’ve been planning and collecting ideas and links for a New Year’s study to start next week. Below is what I’ve found. I hope you find the resources helpful for your New Years lessons, too!
Looking Back at 2015 and Looking Ahead to 2016 Printable – (This is what my family is using for our yearly traditional time capsule. Each of us will fill one out and place in a bottle to be packed away with our Christmas decorations. We’ll find them next December when we get the decorations back out.) http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2014/12/free-family-new-years-resolution-printable.html
Top News Stories of 2015 (parents of younger kids should view privately before sharing with the kids because there’s quite a few bad news stories) http://abcnews.go.com/US/year-review-13-biggest-news-stories-2015/story?id=35852690
Find out the “Most Searched, Most Watched” (again, parents should view first) of 2015 http://www.ourlittleearth.com/2015/12/most-searched-most-watched-this-year/
“New Year” Bible Verses – http://www.openbible.info/topics/new_year
Bible Based New Year’s Crafts and Activities – http://www.christianitycove.com/?s=new+years
New Year’s Interactive Games – http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/new_years/games.htm
New Year’s Games – Fun for families, friends, and co-ops – http://www.howdoesshe.com/15-fun-new-years-eve-activities-for-kids-or-adults/
“Lucky” Foods and Recipes for New Year’s – http://www.rd.com/food/fun/7-lucky-new-years-foods/
New Year’s Activities and Printables (lots of printables!) – http://activityvillage.co.uk/new-year
How to say “Happy New Year” in other languages – http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0923039.html
New Year Traditions from Around the World – http://www.123newyear.com/newyear-traditions/
New Year’s History Articles and Videos – http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/new-years
Movie Clips and New Year’s Music from the 1940’s, 50’s, and 60’s – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-2k7hKvaW0
Happy New Year Songs Playlist – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIAVVo9m5AI
Times Square Ball History – http://www.timessquarenyc.org/events/new-years-eve/about-the-new-years-eve-ball/history-of-the-new-years-eve-ball/index.aspx#.VobXKFJecx0
Times Square STEM Activity – http://jdaniel4smom.com/2015/12/new-years-ball-drop-stem-challenge.html
Times Square Math Challenge – http://www.yummymath.com/2015/the-times-square-ball/
Be on the lookout for more January resources and lesson ideas coming soon!
betty jo