Tag Archives: educational links

How Holidays Are Made and Other Christmas Science Lessons

Our Christmas studies have been going well. We’ve been covering Christmas themed Bible, social studies, math, foreign language, music and language arts lessons since the beginning of December. However, science studies have been lacking. For our final week of learning of the semester, we’ll be focusing on science but will still be keeping our Christmas theme.

How It’s Made is a science discovery site which features short videos. Here your family can watch how glass ornaments, artificial trees, and candy canes are made. http://www.sciencechannel.com/search/?q=how+it%27s+made+christmas

Made How is a “new to me” site. While exploring there, I found helpful articles explaining the background, materials, design, and manufacturing of popular holiday items. This site doesn’t have an index or search bar, so I’ve linked to each item individually below.

Candles http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Candle.html

Bells http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Bell.html

Artificial Snow http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Artificial-Snow.html

Fruit Cake http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Fruitcake.html

Model Trains http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Model-Train.html

Glass Ornaments http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Glass-Ornament.html

Greeting Cards http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Greeting-Card.html

Holiday Lights http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Holiday-Lights.html

Nutcrackers http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Nutcracker.html

Wrapping Paper http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Wrapping-Paper.html

Candy Canes http://www.madehow.com/Volume-7/Candy-Cane.html

Batteries http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Battery.html

A Vintage Educational Film from the 1950’s Tour of a Toy Factory http://thedailytour.blogspot.com/2013/01/mattel-toy-company-factory-tour-1950s.html

For other science related Christmas themes:

My friend, Fran, has some great ideas and links for adding reindeer (animal science) to Christmas themed studies http://www.franw.com/2013/12/reindeer-games-and-activities.html

12 Days of Science – a brief science lesson with an activity (these are good lessons) http://www.thescientificmom.com/2013/12/the-twelve-days-of-science-day-1-candy.html

Christmas STEM Activities https://thehomeschoolscientist.com/christmas-stem-activities/

Winter Solstice lesson plans http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson094.shtml

Evergreen Tree resource connections http://www.homeschoolshare.com/trees.php

Arctic and Inuit Unit Study with Lapbook Printables https://www.tinasdynamichomeschoolplus.com/science/arctic-inuit-unit-study/

Polar Animals Lapbook Printables http://www.homeschoolshare.com/polar_animals_lapbook.php

Interactive Chemistry Advent Calendar – http://www.compoundchem.com/2014advent/

Sing-along to Physics and Chemistry Carols – http://magicalchildhood.com/homeschool/2016/07/09/sing-physics-and-chemistry-carols-with-the-kids-updated-with-more-songs/

20 Christmas Science Experiments http://www.science-sparks.com/2013/11/23/christmas-science/

Christmas Science Experiment Videos https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhgK74tFscGVmYTUbX0QWhDMTkeIlo1mO

A terrific last minute gift idea – DIY Science Kit- http://gluesticksblog.com/2010/12/super-science-kit-christmas-gift-idea.html

I hope you’re enjoying the holiday studies in your homes as well!

Merry Science,

betty jo

Change of Plans and A Melting Pot Christmas

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The first week of homeschooling Christmas we had 4 sick kids, 3 canceled events, 2 visitors, and roads closing due to a winter storm. Hey, that could (almost) be sung to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”!

We are making a slight change of plans this week with our “Christmas in Early America” studies, too. After a three day study/review of the original colonies, we started researching Christmas in the colonies. That was when we learned that in Boston, Christmas celebrations were against the law! In the other early colonies, Christmas was decorated , foods prepared, and celebrated by whatever traditions those early colonists brought with them when they sailed over.

So, for the rest of our learning days before we break for the holidays, our new lesson focus will be more of a “Christmas Around the World” theme.

This study will not actually take us away from our years course of study of Early American History, it truly relates to an early American theme…”The Melting Pot”. America is called this because we, the people, came from everywhere around the world, but coming to America made us one nation.

Below are the best of the internet links I’ve found for studying Christmas Around the World!

Interactive advent calendar which features Christmas facts and information from a different country each day http://projectbritain.com/Xmas/calendar/index.html#calendar

Clever video from Team Marco Polo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQCxRLo8rGs&list=PLlQeGlB7ezHZhmCjzXrQGvMAg2rTC9ct_

Christmas customs, traditions, and how to say “Merry Christmas” in more than 50 languages http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/

Free Christmas Around the World printables for all grades and subjects (you will need an account to access, but it’s simple to set up and worth the effort for printable resources to use throughout the year) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:christmas+around+the+world/Price-Range/Free

Unit Study and Lapbook Printables – http://www.homeschoolshare.com/christmas_around_the_world.php

Fun Fact Note Cards Printable – http://teachmama.com/holiday-time-fun-fact-lunchbox-notes/

Though we already have our crafting ideas and supplies ready to add to our learning, we may try to include an idea or two that goes along with our new theme. Christmas Around the World craft ideas http://www.benandme.com/2010/12/christmas-crafts-from-around-world.html

A nice collection Christmas songs from around the world

And just thinking of “melting pot” conjures images of melting chocolate chips for fruits, cookies, and pretzels and also of warm soupy cheeses for breads, veggies, and meats.

Our holiday cooking lessons and potluck dishes to share will most definitely have to be fondues!

Kid friendly instructions, tips, and fondue recipies

https://www.momjunction.com/articles/cheese-fondue-recipes-for-your-kids_00359234/#gref

For other Christmas study related posts see here

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Free Christmas Themed Teaching Resources

Countdown to Christmas

Learning Christmas with Countdowns

https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/11/26/special-days-in-december/

How Holidays Are Made and Other Christmas Science Lessons

May our Christmas plans not just be merry and bright, but FLEXIBLE!

betty jo

Free Christmas Themed Teaching Resources

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Again this week, I’m sharing some sites that I am adding to our homeschool’s Christmas themed studies link list.

The FREE YouVersion Bible App for kids is now available. E downloaded it for the younger boys, but she and I had the most fun with it. And the app includes the birth of Jesus! https://www.bible.com/kids

This site has fun interatives for all subjects K-5 (and they have a “holiday” category complete with Christmas themed math games) http://interactivesites.weebly.com/

Christmas games, jokes, stories, music, coloring, and more http://www.merry-christmas.com/

12 Days of Freebies from Simple School Schooling Classroom delivered to your e-mail, sign up here http://simpleschoolingclassroom.com/index.php/faq/12-days-of-freebies-info

25 Days of Handmade Ornaments http://inkstainswithroni.blogspot.com/2009/12/25-days-of-hand-made-ornaments-2-paper.html

Online Around the World Advent Calendar http://projectbritain.com/Xmas/calendar/index.html#calendar

For more Christmas themed links that we will be using over the next few weeks https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/11/23/its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-christmas/

My special days of December listing is packed full of learning opportunities for history, science, cooking and more https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/11/26/special-days-in-december/

Happy Holiday Schooling!

betty jo

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

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Our homeschooling week was spent on more Thanksgiving themed studies. But, on the homeschooling social media groups and the e-mails I’ve received, it is all about Christmas. And with the Christmas teaching season starting in just another week, I’ve started my Christmas study link collection and I’m passing those links on to you today.

50 fun activities and projects for advent http://www.onlypassionatecuriosity.com/holiday-traditions-free-printable-activity-advent-calendar/

Resources and lesson plans for all grades and ages that teach giving and volunteerism, civic engagement, and character through service. This looks just perfect for countering the commercialism and greediness that comes along with the season. http://learningtogive.org/teachers/

5 Days of Christmas Carols study with lyrics, printables, videos, and more http://www.homegrownlearners.com/home/2012/12/20/5-days-of-christmas-carols-day-5-o-come-o-come-emmanuel.html

100’s of free Christmas themed printables for all grade levels and most subjects http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/PreK-12-Subject-Area/ChristmasChanukahKwanzaa/Grade-Level/Homeschooler/Price-Range/Free

Interactive Christmas themed games http://www.akidsheart.com/holidays/christms/chgames.htm

Science, language arts, history, and art resources and lessons plans with Christmas themes https://www.teachervision.com/christmas/celebrations-and-festivals/6604.html

3 levels of Christmas Trivia http://triviapark.com/quizzes/xmasquiz.html

Printable notebooking and journaling pages here http://www.teacherfiles.com/resources_bp_holidays.htm and here http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/christmas-writing-paper

Holiday TV Guide http://m.washfm.com/articles/happy-holidays-444238/holiday-tv-guide-2013-9483051/

Since our history studies are centered around early America this year, we will be learning about the Christmas celebrations of that time. This article explains some of the Christmas traditions of the American colonists. http://foundersacademy.net/2013/colonial-cmas-decor/

This site has an overview of American Christmas history http://www.thehistoryofchristmas.com/ch/in_america.htm

“Bet You Didn’t Know” is a short Christmas history video which includes a bit of American Christmas history http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/videos#bet-you-didnt-know-christmas

Colonial American history, decorations, and recipes http://www.history.org/almanack/life/christmas/

Video, Christmas in 18th Century America http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ9Iaw0iKLY

Short story, Christmas in 1776, http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/christmas/stories/christmas-in-seventeen-seventy-six.html

Of course Christmas is not the only special day in December. Be on the lookout for my listing of special days in December coming soon!

To find your own study links and tons of “freebies”, consider joining some homeschooling social media groups. I recommend these! https://www.facebook.com/groups/567122276640599/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/210519735725683/

Happy Holiday Teaching!

betty jo

Great Educational Finds of the Week

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This week we have been studying about life in the Plymouth Colony. We have gained much understanding of the pilgrims and the hardships they encountered. You can access the links we’ve been using and will continue learning with here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/11/08/thanksgiving-unit-study-ideas-and-resources/

It never fails! I get a study ready to go and I see a new link. So, I added this short but serious “Mayflower Compact” worksheet to our Thanksgiving lessons. http://www.education.com/activity/article/mayflower_compact/?cid=50.200

We were needing a hands-on activity or two to add some fun to our Thanksgiving studies. Also, I was in need of a Thanksgiving themed “something” for our Wednesday night church group and our homeschool groups November family night. I asked my friend, Fran, if she had any Thanksgiving games. And this is the wonderful way she answered http://www.franw.com/2013/11/thanksgiving-turkey-games-and-activities.html

I also found this Iroquois plate game craft http://www.education.com/activity/article/Iroquois_Plate_Game/

Of course cooking is on the lesson plans for the next two weeks. This site has several kid friendly Thanksgiving recipes with a little bit of history thrown in http://www.education.com/results/?q=thanksgiving+recipes

Lots of fantastic articles from the Native Speakers Academy’s weekly newsletter. I especially liked “Baby’s Scent Works Like Drugs on Mother’s Brains” http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=8fb495371ca5be23e1601ecc0&id=3f20863e4c&e=3bba501884

This is an awesome family project for after Thanksgiving and most of these ideas will even work with our budget! http://courtneydefeo.com/light-em-up-2013/

This site has been around for a while, but was new to me. They have resources for most any holiday studies as well as everyday studies http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Holidays/

Of course, November has special days other than Thanksgiving . For the listing of special days in November see here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/10/29/special-days-in-november/

I hope you’ll be able to use these resources to add to your homeschooling studies.

betty jo

Thanksgiving Unit Study Ideas and Resources

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This week we began our Thanksgiving unit studies with a couple of Pre-Thanksgiving activities. Below are some of the links we followed as we both reviewed and learned about the early American Settlements of Roanoke and Jamestown.

3 Articles about the history and mystery of the Roanoke Colony http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/roanoke2.htm

Roanoke Colony Creative Writing Prompt http://castelliclassroom.weebly.com/classroom-updates/roanoke-writing-prompt

Online interactive Jamestown adventure http://www.historyglobe.com/jamestown/

Jamestown Interactive webquest adventure http://web.archive.org/web/20040811071346/http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/schools/catoctin/3rd/webquests/jamestown/

Jamestown reading comprehension and printable quiz http://mrnussbaum.com/jamestown-printable-reading-comprehension/

The Natives and The English video from Crash Course http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTYOQ05oDOI

In addition to the early settlement studies, we began this thankfulness Bible study with printable cards and daily question/activity suggestions http://www.faithgateway.com/thanksgiving-bible-verses-free-printable/#.UnUbfhDZjFD

For the school days from now until Thanksgiving we we will be notebooking, crafting, cooking, reviewing, and researching who, what, when, where, and why – everything associated with the Plymouth Colony. We will keep journaling pages and bulletin boards of what we discover.

Below are the links we’ll be using for resources as we travel back in time to visit early America over the next few weeks.

Plimoth Plantation “Just for Kids” Activities – Coloring, Talk Like a Pilgrim, Virtual Field Trip, History Detective, and more! https://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids

Virtual field trip to the first Thanksgiving http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/webcast.htm

Thanksgiving Myths Debunked and other Thanksgiving Articles and Child Friendly Recipes https://www.education.com/articles/thanksgiving/

Interactive trivia quiz http://www.quia.com/rr/315169.html

This site is my favorite of all the resources I’ve found. We will use this site daily. http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=76113&pageid=r&mode=ALL&query=&sitemap=Site+Map

Grammar lessons with Thanksgiving themed mad libs http://amyswandering.com/2012/11/09/thanksgiving-mad-libs-2/

Thanksgiving themed notebooking, activity, and poetry copywork printable pages http://www.notebookingnook.com/freebies-thanksgiving-notebooking-pages-activity-pages-and-copywork-notebook/

Jokes, poems, songs, and more (scroll down and look at the left sidebar) http://www.thanksgiving-day.org/thanksgivingday-fun.html

Stories, jokes, poems and coloring pages http://www.hellokids.com/search?recherche=thanksgiving&search_go=OK

Thanksgiving Math and Printables https://www.yummymath.com/2017/thanksgiving-football-black-friday-and-giving/

Thanksgiving history, fun facts, and census https://www.factmonster.com/culture-entertainment/holidays/thanksgiving

Thanksgiving themed math worksheets (for younger students) https://www.math-drills.com/search.php?s=thanksgiving&page=1&sort=weekly

How Many Calories Are on Your Thanksgiving Plate? https://www.thedailymeal.com/how-many-calories-are-your-thanksgiving-plate/112013

Ideas and instructions for Thanksgiving themed arts and crafts http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/thanksgivingartscraftsideaskids.html

Games that pilgrim children played https://www.mayflowerjuniors2020.org/games-the-pilgrim-children-played

Thanksgiving Music Playlist

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade interactive games http://social.macys.com/parade/#/games

On nice days we’ll be getting outside for some nature observations, football (not soccer), and archery practice and just maybe some fishing.

Our science is research based (meaning the kids will have to come up with their own resources for information) and will include the following topics:

Human anatomy – digestive system
Why does Thanksgiving dinner make us sleepy?
Native American agriculture and nutrition of “The Three Sisters” (beans, squash, corn)
Natural Resources, plants, and wildlife surrounding the Plymouth Colony

Thanksgiving themed free downloads and printables for all levels and subjects for homeschools (you will need an account, but that is free and easy to set up) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:thanksgiving/Grade-Level/Homeschooler/Price-Range/Free

Resources and Activities of Thanksgiving with a modern history twist! https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/11/15/thanksgiving-been-there-done-that/

betty jo

Salem Witch Trials

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This being Halloween week, we have decided to study the Salem Witch Trials for our American history lessons. Our goals for this study go beyond learning history and adding pages to our notebooks . I hope that when this week is over we will have a better understanding about how dangerous rumors can be, and how easy it is to fall into the trap of contributing to the spread of false accusations.

As with all of our studies, this one started with a library trip. These are the selections we chose for our witch trial studies.

Below are the links to the online resources we are using.

Easy to read 2 page article about the Salem Witch Trials http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/colonial/jb_colonial_salem_1.html

Biography of Increase Mather and witch trial word puzzles, printables, worksheets and quiz http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdmath.htm

Witch Hat themed writing paper printables for notebooking and journaling

Video walking tour of Salem http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qau3Xrv7-g

The following links are what my teens are following for further study.

Short article explaining the possible causes of the mass hysteria occurring during the Salem witch trial era http://ancientstandard.com/2011/07/11/salem-witch-trials-mass-hysteria-or-mass-lsd-trip/

From the History Channel http://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials/videos#

Letters, maps, sermons, art, and trial transcripts http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/home.html

PDF of Author Miller’s The Crucible http://asbamericanlit.edublogs.org/files/2011/10/21078735-The-Crucible-Arthur-Miller-2hmdzot.pdf

Salem Witch Trial Interactive Game – “Can You Survive Salem’s Witchcraft Hysteria?” (This is not for younger children, it needs to be played/reviewed by the parent before giving the link to the teens)

Free Teaching Resource Links of the Week

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With Halloween just a few days away, we have been incorporating a little bit of “creepy” and “spooky” into our homeschooling lessons. This past week, we’ve played ,learned , and printed from these web sites!

Themed writing paper printables http://www.havefunteaching.com/?s=Halloween

Boldness and bravery themed character development and Bible studies http://www.characterjournal.com/bible-stories-related-to-boldness/

Arts and crafts ideas http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/halloweenartscraftsideaskids.html

Math lessons for my younger boys (though I realized that with these, my big kids were quick to offer their assistance) http://www.mathwire.com/seasonal/fall07.html#activities and http://www.makingmathmorefun.com/news.htm

History, science, and reading http://www.teachervision.fen.com/halloween/teacher-resources/6626.html?detoured=1

Music http://www.songsforteaching.com/halloweensongs/

Games http://spoonful.com/halloween/halloween-games

Interactive games http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/halloween/games.php

A disturbing article, Students Decide Who Lives And Who Dies and a video, Death Education – Is That What We Really Want? (for parents/teachers) http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=8fb495371ca5be23e1601ecc0&id=913843a287&e

Have fun as you and your kids try out some of those links to add some “spooky” to your homeschool!

betty jo

Free Educational Links of the Week

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Once again this week, we have made great use of free educational sites from around the web. Below are the links to some awesome sites we have been using for some of our homeschooling lessons.

Pets, Animals, and Aquariums – information and resources http://animal-world.com/index.html

A week of groceries from around the world in photos http://realitypod.com/2013/05/a-week-of-groceries-in-different-countries-pictures/

Current Events – Government Shut Down http://htekidsnews.com/government-shutdown/

French, Italian, German, and Spanish interactive dictionary with audio http://www.chillola.com/index.html/

Editable handwriting practice worksheets http://www.handwritingpractice.net/handwriting/index.html

This site has several elementary subjects (My Z loves it for math and stories) http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/

Several articles of interest from the Native Speakers Academy including, 22 Alternatives to Punishment, Moving to the Rhythm ‘Can Help Language Skills, and Police State Alert: High Schools Now Using Palm Scanners http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=8fb495371ca5be23e1601ecc0&id=e1f6607b16&e=3bba501884

And looking ahead to the rest of the month, these resources will be great!

For Columbus Day (Oct. 14) we will be working on this – free lapbooking and notebooking download http://marinecorpsnomads.com/2011/08/christopher-columbus-lapbook-and-notebook-study.html

This site is going to be a fantastic resource for Halloween printables http://www.myhusbandateallmyicecream.com/2013/09/over-450-halloween-printables/

Recently I was asked how I keep track of the links I find. I make a draft in my e-mail account and title it “Math” or whatever is appropriate. I add the link and write a brief description about the site. When the page fills up, I mail it to myself and move it to a file that matches the topic.

I hope you find these links both useful and fun. We did!

betty jo

Free Educational Finds of the Week

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Once again this week I am overwhelmed with both the quantity and quality of free educational web sites available. I enjoying finding and exploring these sites with my kids. I’m thankful for the homeschooling blog and social media communities for their time and efforts to share resources that add much to our homeschooling studies.

Below are a few of the links to free learning sites that I saved to my teaching resource files this week.

Brain teasers, language arts, and math printables http://www.wuzzlesandpuzzles.com/

126 interactive history games http://playinghistory.org/items

Bible map and timeline printables http://www.biblestudy.org/maps/main.html

Human anatomy interactive (This was bit difficult to catch on to, as they do not have written instructions, but once I got the hang of it, I thought the technology was amazing and will be a great teaching resource) http://www.zygotebody.com/

Music games from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra http://www.dsokids.com/games.aspx

It’s my hope that these links will be a little something extra that you can add to your homeschooling studies, and that you and your kids will not just learn from them, but have some fun as well.

betty jo