Tag Archives: educational links

Current Events Resources

“Oh, you homeschool? Your children won’t know about the real world…” Blah, blah, blah.

As home educators we have a huge advantage when it comes to teaching world events as they unfold. We are not limited to only an occasional news study. We are not tied to a lesson plan that leaves no room to learn about something important happening. Homeschoolers (for the most part) are highly aware of the “real world”.

For our family, world current events always has a part in our weekly studies. Current events lessons can inspire prayer projects, set the stage for discussions/debates, lead to geography/culture studies, and make great essay/report assignments. It’s so very important for all of us to know what’s happening in the world. Even as we “shelter” the children, through current events studies they will gain knowledge of the world. Also, they will understand some of the reasons why we are “sheltering” them.

For record keeping purposes, current events counts towards social studies and will often include other subjects such as reading comprehension, geography, arts, science, history, politics, and religion, too.

This past week I was asked to share some resources for adding current event studies to the homeschooling curriculum. Below are the links to free online current events sites for kids . The ones with the * in front of them are sites that our family frequently uses, the others were recommended by other homeschoolers.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/

http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/

* http://www.timeforkids.com/

* www.studentnewsdaily.com

* http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/news/

* http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/

* http://www.youngzine.org/

* http://www.dogonews.com/

http://magazines.scholastic.com/

http://news.discovery.com/adventure/tags/kids.htm

http://htekidsnews.com/

K-12 Current Event Resources from the Smithsonian http://tweentribune.com/

Daily News Videos for Kids (You can view without signing up, but sign up is free and you can receive more resources.) http://www.channelone.com/

And here’s a couple of additional links we like to follow with our current event studies. Sometimes we just need some good news or at least know what those of Christian faith are actively doing about the bad news. (Sometimes I choose not to include the younger boys, as the articles can occasionally be mature and graphic.)

* http://www.persecution.com/

* http://www.samaritanspurse.org/

* http://gospelforasia-reports.org/

There’s a few free current event printable worksheets and templates to choose from here (you’ll need an account, but it’s free and a site that will be good to have for resources for any subject or grade level) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:current+events/Grade-Level/Homeschooler/Price-Range/Free

For updates and articles concerning teaching, parenting, and education, The Native Speaker’s Academy has awesome weekly posts. http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=8fb495371ca5be23e1601ecc0&id=44fb271459&e

Do you have a favorite resource for current event studies? Do you have a neat way your family includes current events into the homeschooling week? Please share in the comments, inquiring minds will want to know!

betty jo

Teaching July

Superstitions

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Because we’ve been having an abundance of craziness and busyness this week, I thought that we wouldn’t “do school” today. But… it’s Friday the 13th!

I’m wowed by the resources and links I have saved up for a study on superstitions do use on a Friday the 13th. Surely we’ll be able to make a little time to learn about superstitions because this stuff is INTERESTING! Below are the sites and resources I found to share with you just in case you can make time for a little superstition too.

Origins of common superstitions explained at Live Science http://www.livescience.com/33507-origins-of-superstitions.html

Behavioral psychology in regards to superstitions discussed from Kids Net Encyclopedia http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/su/Superstition

13 Superstitious Writing Prompts https://cecileswriters.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/superstitious-prompts/

Free Printable “Black Cat” border writing paper https://www.teacherfiles.com/resources_bp_holidays.htm

20 +free superstition worksheets from Busy Teacher (you’ll need an account, but it’s easy to set up) http://busyteacher.org/classroom_activities-vocabulary/superstitions-worksheets/

Common Superstitions and Why We Have Them (article, video, graphics) https://medium.com/ecom-tips/common-superstitions-why-do-we-have-them-b701245e8ca7

Superstition origins video from Mental Floss (this one’s for the older kids) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFyDUaSi-5w

Mathematical Properties of the Number 13 http://www.numbergossip.com/13

To keep this study in the right perspective we’ll include 1 Timothy 4:7 with this study. “People tell silly stories that don’t agree with God’s truth. Don’t follow what these stories teach. But teach yourself to be devoted to God.”

And finally some music, which my kids will consider ancient history, but saying such a thing may bring them some bad luck!

betty jo

Story Telling With Aesop’s Fables

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Today is our first “special day” study of the summer. Aesop! The calendar says June 4 is his birthday, but his history doesn’t have that exact information recorded. Around 620-560 BC was his time. Below are the links that we’re going to follow as we not only learn about Aesop and read his works, but as we practice public speaking and communication through story telling. The project will be to learn an Aesop fable well enough to present it orally. Retelling is an awesome way to check for reading comprehension and concept understanding as well as being a great communication skill.

A brief biography http://www.findingdulcinea.com/features/profiles/a/aesop.html

Aesop quotes that are as relevant today as they were back in his day http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/aesop.html

Fables to read with discussion questions and quizzes, activities, and vocabulary glossary http://www.mcwdn.org/fables/fabadult.html

Tips for good story telling

Articles

For an added challenge, I’m going to have the kids retell a lesson they have personally learned by substituting animals as the characters just as Aesop had done. And of course, we’ll add some art to the lesson. Illustrations are a fantastic way to enhance a story. This is my “go to” site for art/drawing instructions when we need a little tutoring, and it seems like they have a good variety of drawing animal instructions if we need it. http://www.dragoart.com/animals-for-kids-c408-1.htm

This is a 24 video collection of animated Aesop fables, because summer studies should always include a movie inside under the air conditioning during the hot afternoon.

For the complete listing of Special Days in June click here Special Days in June, 2018

I plan on participating myself with our Aesop studies. I certainly have a long list of personal lessons learned that could be put into a short story. After all, he did teach that, “Example is the best precept” and “Better wise from the misfortunes of others than by your own”.

betty jo

April Birthday Biographies With Cake

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Whenever a birthday shows up on the special days list that goes along with the time period we’re studying, we take the opportunity to study that person, and perhaps bake a cake.

According to the special days listing for April, there are several important people’s birthdays. https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/03/28/special-days-in-april-2/

Last year we learned everything “middle ages”. And, April was a fantastic birthday month for our studies. Here’s the links to the April birthday biographies we worked on complete with resource links.

Raphael April 6, 1483 https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/06/raphael/

Leonardo da Vinci April 15, 1452 https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/12/leonardo-da-vinci/

William Shakespeare April 23, 1564 https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/23/happy-birthday-william-shakespeare/

Our study focus this year is American History. This means that our birthday studies center around presidents. These are the presidents that we’ll be learning about during April.

Thomas Jefferson April 13, 1743

James Buchanan April 23, 1791

Ulysses S. Grant April 27, 1822

James Monroe April 28 1758

This link takes you to the resource list of what we use as we learn about a president. https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/02/14/resources-for-presidents-day/

And cake! Baking and decorating cakes or cupcakes to eat while studying makes lessons delicious. We like this site for online baking classes. The 3 cake decorating pdfs are wonderful guides. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/baking/online-baking-classes.html

Of course everyday is historic and special somehow but we think birthdays are the best!

betty jo

What Do You Want To Be?

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“What do you want to be when you grow up?” I suppose that all of us were asked that at one time or another. You’ve probably asked a child that question yourself. I’ve asked my kids and this coming up week, I’ll be asking again. According to the Special Days in April list, this coming up week is “Explore Your Career Options Week”.

Below are the online resources that we’ll be using for our homeschooling lessons as we explore careers, the steps it takes to get them, and how much money they are worth.

Bible Verses About Choosing A Career http://www.openbible.info/topics/choosing_a_career

“If $ were no object, what would you like to do?” Good advice on choosing a career in a short video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYNShs6I4HU

Free Online Career Test (higher grades and adults) http://www.yourfreecareertest.com/

Investigate Careers: Description, Education, Pay https://careerkids.com/pages/career-info

Mission Field Careers https://team.org/opportunities

Military Careers http://www.careersinthemilitary.com/

Here’s a look at how various college majors fare in the job market – http://wtop.com/news/2014/04/best-and-worst-college-majors-for-job-demand-pay/

How To Build a Student Resume http://homeschooltipsandresources.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-student-resume-part-2.html

Tips for Writing Your First Resume https://www.thebalancecareers.com/tips-for-writing-your-first-resume-2058744

Job Interview Tips http://money.howstuffworks.com/business/getting-a-job/10-job-interview-tips.htm#page=0

10 Dirty Jobs That Pay Well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcfobzjjg58

15 Most Dangerous Jobs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_rFSeqFYcc

As homeschooling parents, we have an unique opportunity to encourage our children about their interests, and developing talents. And, as the kids grow and mature, we can provide learning opportunities that are tailored to helping them prepare to use those interests and talents in their future, whether it be college, a vocation, military, ministry, or a just a job. Though the question, “What do you want to be?” is what we may ask, as homeschooling parent’s we have one to ask ourselves too, “How can I help them become what they want to be?”

betty jo

April Fool’s Day – Learning Resources

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April Fool’s Day isn’t the type of holiday that warrants a day off from homeschooling lessons. However, it is one of those holidays that can be a homeschooling lesson theme. Here’s some resources for teaching and learning on April Fool’s Day.

History – “As April Fools’ is celebrated in different ways throughout the world, it is unknown exactly how the tradition originated. Some cultures saw it as the first day of spring, celebrating with general merriment and feasting, and certain calendars may consider it the first day of the year. One theory for the terming of an April Fool was that some refused to follow these calendars that recognized April 1st as the first day of the year, which resulted in being called an April Fool.” And more history and information from here http://wilstar.com/holidays/aprilfool.htm

Bible – Study of “the fool” based on Proverbs 26 https://bible.org/seriespage/fool-proverbs-261-11

Language Arts – Worksheets and Word Game Printables http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/april-fools-day/printables/

Science – Videos and Experiments http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/blog/informal-science-education/celebrate-april-fools-day-with-floating-paper-airplanes-three-cup-monty-and-the-dangers-of-dihydrogen-monoxide/

Math – Magic Trick instructions using numbers – http://easycalculation.com/funny/tricks/trick1.php

Yes! I have some googly eyes in the craft box. My kids look in the fridge about 100 times a day (hoping the food selection has changed?) . This will be funny!

Last year we had some fun pranking each other. Here’s the resources we pulled some ideas from. I checked, and it seems the links are still good. https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/03/31/foolish-studies/

Have a fun day of foolish studies!

betty jo

Spring Cleaning

Learning Resources for St. Patrick’s Day

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For the past few years, we have spent a couple of weeks every March studying all things Irish and St. Patrick. Here are the wonderful links we have learned from.

Ireland and Irish Poetry with Notebooking, Copywork, and Activity Resources https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/03/14/absolutely-no-pinching/

More St. Patrick’s Day Resources and Activities with Music, Dancing, and Language https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/03/15/irish-prayers-and-irish-jigs/

Tour Ireland Virtually https://www.theirishroadtrip.com/virtual-tours-ireland/

St. Patrick, History, and Celebration Articles http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/stpatricksday.htm

This year we’re taking a different approach for St. Patrick’s Day learning. Below are the links that I’ve found for us.

Science and nutrition resources for learning about cabbage from my friend Fran http://www.franw.com/2012/03/cabbage.html

And, Fran has Shamrocks, too! http://www.franw.com/2018/02/shamrocks.html

2 St. Patrick’s Day Math Lessons – https://www.yummymath.com/2017/saint-patricks-day-march-17th/

Rainbow experiments http://www.weatherwizkids.com/experiments-rainbow.htm

3 Part Video Series, “The Irish in America” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0sZ_j6WcyI

Famous Irish American Songs http://www.irishamericanjourney.com/2011/10/irish-american-songs.html

Leprechaun Facts http://www.livescience.com/37626-leprechauns.html

St. Patrick’s Day themed interactive games http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/st.patricksday/games.php

We haven’t made a batch of play dough in years. I wish we had a little one around, the St. Patrick themed mats look like they would be fun for a younger child. http://www.blessedbeyondadoubt.com/free-st-patricks-day-play-dough-mats/

E showed me this photo from a Pinterest board. We’ll make a few of these “Pot- O-Gold at the End of the Rainbow” jars as prizes for a follow the clues treasure hunt. It looks like gold wrapped candy in the bottom followed with layers of M&Ms or Skittles and topped with mimi marshmellows. Cute!

Wishing you Irish blessings!

betty jo

Resources for Presidents

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The third Monday in February is set apart as Presidents’ Day in honor of the birthdays of our two most famous presidents, Washington and Lincoln. However, this is just one of several Presidents Days in our homeschool. As we work our way through American History this school year, we study the presidents as their birthdays show up on the special days calendar. Below are the links we go to each time we study a president.

US President biographies, printables, word games, and more http://gardenofpraise.com/leaders.htm

Disney’s The American Presidents short videos https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=presidents+disney+education

President Quotes – http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/type/type_president.html

Online quiz for each president http://www.quiz-tree.com/United_States_Presidents_main.html

We’ve been collecting these presidents layer books on a board. After this school year, we’ll transfer them into a file folder for easy storage and quick reviews.

Presidents lapbook printables http://www.homeschoolshare.com/presidents_lapbook.php