Tag Archives: teaching resources

Penguins

I was going over the Special Days in January list with my boys and J got excited when he saw that “Penguin Awareness Day” was coming up Jan. 20. J is my kid who hardly ever gets excited about anything “school”. I wasn’t planning for a science/research study this week, but his excitement over penguins inspired me to plan a penguin study anyway. Below are the resources we found to incorporate the topic of penguins over several subjects and for all of our learning levels. I apologize for the few links that didn’t highlight in blue. I’m not sure what my technical difficulty is about, but I’m working on getting those fixed. Until then, you will need to copy and paste those links into your browser search bar.

Penguin Vocabulary Glossary – http://www.penguinscience.com/education/glossary.php

Penguin Information, Facts, Conservation, Photos – http://www.penguins-world.com/

Wonderful Mr. Rogers Neighborhood episode where he visits with penguins – http://pbskids.org/rogers/video_penguins.html

Video Footage taken from cameras strapped to the backs of Adélie penguins in waters off the coast of Antarctica – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2266392/The-astonishing-penguin-cam-video-reveals-ruthless-hunting-penguins-are.html

Kid friendly list and links to penguins featured in news articles – http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/search.shtml?v=&s=penguins

Cute Robotic Rovers Disguised as Penguin Chicks – article and video – http://www.livescience.com/48613-cute-robots-spy-on-penguins.html

See What a Penguin Looks Like Inside – skeletal, respiratory, digestive, and circulatory systems – http://www.pinguins.info/Engels/Anatomiemap_eng.html (This is one of the links that didn’t highlight. It’s a great resource and worth the time to copy and paste the link.)

These are our library finds!

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Mr. Popper’s Penguins resources – http://www.homeschoolshare.com/poppers_penguins.php

Penguin resources in the Polar Animal Unit Study – http://www.homeschoolshare.com/polar_animals_lapbook.php

More Penguin Resources and Videos – http://www.franw.com/2015/01/penguin-resources.html

Complete Penguin Teacher Guide in PDF – http://www.neaq.org/education_and_activities/teacher_resources/classroom_resources/teacher_guides/penguin_teacher_guide/index.php

Penguin Themed Math Lessons – http://www.mathwire.com/themes/themepen.html

Penguin Activities, Coloring Sheets and Word Puzzle Printables – http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/penguins/activities.htm

Penguin Themed Writing Paper Printables – http://www.teacherfiles.com/resources_bp_animals.htm

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/penguins-writing-paper

Penguins – Designed by God – article – https://answersingenesis.org/birds/penguins/

Bible wisdom demonstrated by penguins! Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

^“9Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.”

Doesn’t this passage make you think of Antarctica?

Psalm 147:16-17
^“16He spreads the snow like wool
and scatters the frost like ashes.
¹⁷He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?”

Interactive Penguin Games – http://penguingamesonline.com/

Penguin Jokes and Riddles – http://www.enchantedlearning.com/jokes/animals/penguin.shtml

Step-By-Step How to Draw a Penguin Instructions – http://www.howtodrawanimals.net/how-to-draw-a-penguin

Egg Carton Penguin Craft – http://patchworkparent.blogspot.fr/2013/07/penguins-join-party_8.html

Penguin Cupcakes – http://foodnfemininity.blogspot.com/2011/11/penguin-cupcakes.html

Frozen Banana Penguins – http://spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com/blog/2014/06/party-food/kids-party-food-frozen-banana-penguins

Even though we are just beginning our penguin study , I can tell by the resources and our enthusiasm that it’s going to be great!

betty jo

Learning Resources for Special Days in January, 2015

Thanksgiving – Been There, Done That

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As we move along on our “special days” studies through November, I see Thanksgiving ~~looming~~ coming up in the not so distant future. I thought seriously about not teaching Thanksgiving lessons this year. How could I not want to teach Thanksgiving? We’ve always had wonderful Thanksgiving lessons in November. Yes, that’s it. For 17 years – 17 Novembers, I’ve been teaching a week or two or three of Thanksgiving. The who, what, when, why, and how of those Mayflower pilgrims and the natives that they encountered, Lincoln’s proclamation to make a Thanksgiving holiday, Bible studies that focus on giving thanks and gratitude, nutritional studies of squash, pumpkins, turkeys, sweet potatoes, and corn, Thanksgiving celebrations around the world, tons of cooking projects, and craft activities to go along with it all – we’ve been there and done that over and over again.

In addition to my grumpy mood about Thanksgiving lessons, our primary history focus of the year is Modern World History so the Pilgrim/Indian theme just doesn’t seem to fit or apply. I look over the recent additions to our timeline and see WW1, the stock market crash of 1929, WW2 – hard and fearful times, but still were thankful times, too. Hmmm …

Below are some of the online resources we’ll be using as we begin a new Thanksgiving study with a modern history twist, and the cure for my Thanksgiving lesson planning grumpiness. I’m actually getting excited about these lessons now!

During WW1, food was rationed and that had quite an impact on that Thanksgiving dinner. This article does a terrific job explaining American Thanksgiving during WW1. I love the photos of the newspaper ads from 1917 and 1918. http://blog.genealogybank.com/rationing-thanksgiving-dinner-during-world-war-i.html

And what of the troops on Thanksgiving 1918? Read about the football, feasts, and entertainment the Red Cross planned in this old Stars and Stripes magazine article http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/Thanksgiving_in_WW1_France#.VGRLisnbGi0

Macy’s Department Store held their first parade in 1924. Read about the history of this famous parade here http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade1.htm

Watch a short video of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade history with some actual film footage from the first parade http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving/videos/history-of-the-thanksgiving-day-parade

View this Macy’s Thanksgiving Day photo gallery from Time http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2100160_2324105,00.html

Thanksgiving Radio Show 1935

Jack Benny Thanksgiving Radio Show 1939

A wonderful account of the Thanksgiving that came early http://www.farmcollector.com/farm-life/thanksgiving-during-the-great-depression.aspx#axzz3IpQaEi9v

And more about that early Thanksgiving which became known as “Franksgiving” from this historic letter collection http://www.lettersofnote.com/2009/11/unhappy-franksgiving.html

That famous Norman Rockwell American family portrait of Thanksgiving dinner is still a popular work of art today. But back in 1943 it was a political statement. Find out more about that here http://bigthink.com/Picture-This/what-norman-rockwells-thanksgiving-pictures-really-about

Details of WW2 Thanksgiving in a pdf from America in WWII Magazine http://www.americainwwii.com/files/2012/11/thankful-anyway-dec-2009.pdf

A delightful article about Thanksgiving at home and at war http://www.sarahsundin.com/thanksgiving-in-world-war-ii/

Thanksgiving writings from WW2 veterans along with some pictures from Time Magazine 1940’s Thanksgiving photo album http://www.skylighters.org/thanksgiving/

Armed Forces Radio Thanksgiving Show 1944

And with that fantastic swing music, some Charleston and Swing Dance instructions may be in order!

And back in those days, math was practical and so are these Thanksgiving themed math lessons http://www.yummymath.com/?s=thanksgiving

The common thread of Thanksgiving celebration during these times seems to be making the most with whatever resources were available and finding blessings in any circumstance. With this in mind, our Thanksgiving Bible studies will focus on contentment.

Philippians 4:11-12I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
1 Timothy 6:8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Just for fun and a little about the mindset of the times here’s a Classic Thanksgiving cartoon playlist. One of these is from 1933 and one from 1945. The rest are a little more recent, 1950’s-70’s. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRgLrYQQYdPr9xb8HiRXaJZAWiKmp4wQ6

What about science? How about human anatomy and the digestive system? Seems to fit the theme of “Thanksgiving dinner”, right?

Digestive System Facts – http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/humanbody/digestivesystem.html

Human Body Interactive Map of the digestion system – http://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/digestive-system/male

Label the Digestion System printable with a vocabulary and definition list http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/digestive/label/

This National Geographic video is NOT for the squeamish! It is actual footage of the digestive process filmed by a scope procedure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QYwscALNng

A little more pleasant to watch, an animation of how the digestive system works http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwrsL-lCZYo

There is even a digestion song! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sDMVgw9d-c

Online Digestive System Quiz http://www.lrn.org/Content/Quizzes/Qdigestive.html

Hopefully our appetites will still exist after this science study! We have a lot of cooking and eating to do!

I wish you happy learning this Thanksgiving!

betty jo

Teaching Resources for Special Days in August

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Follow this link for the August Resource list updated for 2018

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

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

Snow Week

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Ice, Snow, Wind, maybe even Blizzard Conditions! The local public and private schools will be canceling for “snow days” but not us. “Snow Days” make some awesome learning days! Below is a great resource collection for winter studies whether you have snow or not !

Why it’s good for us to get outside even when it’s cold – https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/01/15/but-its-cold-out-there/

Winter Weather Science Lessons, Safety Tips, and Activities http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-winter-storms.htm

How to Survive Winter Weather Preparedness Guide https://thesurvivalmom.com/surviving-severe-winter-weather/

Bring some snow inside for observation and experimentation.

A study of snow wouldn’t be complete without some research into the life and discoveries of homeschooled farmer boy turned scientist, Snowflake Bentley. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V1cxjcRXCw

Bentley Biography, Photos, and exhibits

https://snowflakebentley.com/

Snowflake and Snowman Printable Writing Paper for Notebooking/Journaling. (The kids tend to write nicer/better when we use decorated paper. I appreciate these for not using much ink.) http://www.teacherprintables.net/free-printable-bp-holidays.html

Bible Focus – Psalm 147:15-18

¹⁵He gives a command to the earth,
    and it quickly obeys him.
¹⁶He spreads the snow like wool.
    He scatters the frost like ashes.
¹⁷He throws down hail like rocks.
    No one can stand the cold he sends.
¹⁸Then he gives a command, and it melts.
    He sends the breezes, and the waters flow.

Amazing and beautiful! Macro Photographed Snowflakes –http://www.natureknows.org/2013/11/amazing-macro-photography-of-individual.html

Fun Snowflake Resources, Activities, Recipes –

http://www.franw.com/2014/01/snowflake-activities-and-resources.html

Winter Weather Themed Math – http://www.yummymath.com/?s=winter

Snowmen – Netflix has this award winning film. Our local library has it, too. We loved it, (some of the themes were on the mature side, but my younger boys did just fine with it) Here’s a preview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUq8VS6aa9U

Snow Week learning can still happen without actual snow!

Printable Paper Snowflake Templates –

https://www.firstpalette.com/printable/snowflake.html

“Grow Your Own Crystal Snowflake” Kits. – I used purple pipe cleaner sticks thinking the color would be pretty coming through the crystals. We thought the borax crystals were fun to watch grow and turned out quite interesting!

This is the recipe and instructions we used for the kits. http://creativecynchronicity.com/2011/12/crystallized-snowflakes/

Add Crystal Comparison Experiments by making Epson Salt and Sugar Solutions. Of course you can make icicles instead of snowflakes. They fit better in smaller jars.

Snow Dough – 2 cups baking soda, 1 cup corn starch, 1 1/2 cups water. Combine all ingredients in sauce pan. Cook over medium high. Stir continuously until it’s the consistency of mashed potatoes. Move dough to bowl and cover w/a towel until cool. Knead well. Store in airtight container.

Sensory Cloud Dough – Baking Soda and White Hair Conditioner also Flour with Baby Oil works well – Just mix until the texture feel right to you

Put tortilla shells goes on the grocery list! These dessert snowflakes are fun to make and really yummy!

Cut round flour tortilla shells into snowflakes, lightly fry in oil then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Homemade Crockpot Hot Cocoa is a delicious warm up to any snow day!

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

6 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients in a 4-quart crockpot. Stir well. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours stirring occasionally. Top with marshmallows or whipped cream. Stirring with a peppermint stick is tasty, too!

Stay warm and enjoy learning with snow!

betty jo

Resources for Teaching – Chinese New Year

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January 25th is the first day of the Chinese New Year and 2020 is the year of the Rat. Here’s a resource list for cross curricular and multi-level learning!

Traditions, Greetings, Decorations and More https://chinesenewyear2020.org/

Chinese New Year History, Celebrations, Food, Crafts and More for Kids https://www.china-family-adventure.com/chinese-new-year.html

Chinese New Year Activities, Crafts, and Learning Resources http://www.franw.com/2016/01/chinese-new-year.html

Chinese New Year resources, games, recipes and printables http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/

More Learning Activities and Resources https://seasonal.theteacherscorner.net/chinese-new-year/

Lesson Plans, Ideas, and Resources https://kidworldcitizen.org/a-lesson-plan-for-chinese-new-year-w-props-and-stories/

Chinese New Year craft ideas and instructions https://www.redtedart.com/chinese-new-year-craft-dragon-puppet-free-printable/

Lunar New Year Math Activity https://www.yummymath.com/2018/lunar-new-year-2018/

Free downloads for language arts and math activities with a Chinese New Year theme http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:chinese+new+year/Grade-Level/Homeschooler/Price-Range/Free

Chinese New Year Family Traditions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noiouIzjJZE

How To Teach Simple Chinese Characters https://bilingualkidspot.com/2018/07/10/chinese-characters-for-kids/

Step by Step Chinese Writing Symbols https://www.china-family-adventure.com/chinese-writing-symbols.html

Learn Mandarin Chinese – 40 online lessons with audio, including reading, speaking, writing, modern vocabulary, grammar, calligraphy, examples and exercises http://www.chinese-tools.com/learn/chinese

China History and Timeline https://www.ducksters.com/geography/country/china_history_timeline.php

China Stats, Maps, Missions, and Prayer Card Printables https://joshuaproject.net/countries/CH

Chinese New Year makes a wonderful theme for a project. Here’s the one our family worked on a few years ago.

betty jo

Countdown to Christmas

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This first week in December has been all about counting the days until Christmas. I am just as bad, if not worse than the kids when it comes to the rush and excitement of the holidays. Also, we look forward to surprises each day and a welcomed break from learning as usual.

We’ve had special activities each day this week. We dug out the box of Nativity collectables from the garage and cleaned off our school shelves for them. We made a couple of trips to the grocery to buy cookie and treat ingredients for baking/cooking projects. We have also visited the craft store to stock up on the supplies we’ll be needing for our holiday art creations. There’s been old favorite Christmas movies watched. And of course, we loaded our bookbags up with stacks of library books with holiday themes. Finally, there were web sites with holiday studies that we have linked to each day. Below are the best of the online resources we have kicked off our learning through December with.

For our daily Bible devotions we have started the Advent Chain from this site. It’s simple to print and assemble but meaningful and thought provoking http://www.spelloutloud.com/advent-chains-easy-christmas-craft.html

Daily Christmas countdown activities for both my teens and younger boys . One is a calendar which features an interactive game or activity for each day and another calendar with a different Christmas themed geography and history lesson. Both calendars are found here http://primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/teacher/christmas.html#advent

NORAD also has a site with a new interactive activity each day as well as some other north pole and Santa activities and resources http://www.noradsanta.org/

The teens also have an interactive calendar to link to each day. This one offers a new secondary level math video each day http://nrich.maths.org/10472

Even more Christmas Countdown and Advent resources

I haven’t made this yet, but plan to. This mamma NEEDS a countdown activity too! Candy Countdown Calendar! http://www.franw.com/2011/11/make-your-own-candy-countdown-calendar.html

More Christmas Resources https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/11/23/its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-christmas/

And More Christmas Resources here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/11/29/free-christmas-themed-teaching-resources/