HEADS UP -->

I am in the process of creating a new blog that I will be using to offer printables and lessons that I have created for my children. The link is http://homeschoolingfree.blogspot.com/

Multiplication Completion Sheet

This is a sheet that I created for my 3rd grader so when she has completed and passed one of the multiplication numbers, then I mark it on the sheet, with the date so I can keep track and for record keeping purposes. Feel free to click on the image below and print for yourself. It is in landscape not portrait.



Just click on it and it will show you the full screen size. Then you can print it out. Just remember to select Landscape in your printer options.

Thousands of free lessons, & More @EasyFunSchool

http://www.easyfunschool.com/

Quote:
"EasyFunSchool.com has over 1,500 pages of free unit studies, science projects, recipe and craft ideas, history activities & many other resources to make homeschooling more enjoyable for both child and parent! "

FREEBIE OF THE DAY-- Aug. 16th, 2010

http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/

Quote:
"PINOCCHIO, the Adventures of a Marionette (PDF ebook)

One of the best page-turning, cliff-hanging "classics" you'll ever read to your children, this is the original classic story by Carl Collodi of the mischievous puppet who wanted to be a real boy. This is a high energy, rollicking, often scary, but always fun tale – a far cry from the Disney-fied version. Each chapter ends pretty much on a cliff-hanger, so once you start this, your kids won't let you stop! Loads of illustrations too. Give it a try and let us know what the kids think of THIS Pinocchio!"

Giveaway - Crayola Green Back to School Essentials

Giveaway - Crayola Green Back to School Essentials

WHEN ~> Giveaway ends 8/18 at 5 pm EST

WHERE ~> http://www.whosaidnothinginlifeisfree.com


Quote: "One reader will win a Crayola Back-to-School Essentials prize pack."

Click the link above to find out more about the giveaway!

PBS Teachers Newsletter August 12, 2010

PBS Teachers Featured Innovator: Michael Lampert

Watching an airbag deploy with a loud noise in their classroom, students learn not only about Newton’s laws of physics but also how physics are applied to save lives. While traditional physics lessons ask students to drop an egg and watch it crash, Michael Lampert’s airbag activity enables students to imagine themselves in a car crash and understand how restraints act during a collision. Watch Lampert’s classroom demonstration at http://www.pbs.org/teachers/innovators/gallery/entries/88/.

Lampert conducts this and many other engaging, loud, and messy experiments with his students at West Salem High School in Salem, Oregon, where he teaches microelectronics, physics, and astronomy. His students have won awards in national science and robotics competitions. He has also traveled to Antarctica to study ozone and to Africa to study infrasound. His contributions to PBS’ Wired Science--an exploration of the next generation of science and technology--are featured at http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/education/mlampert.html.

****

Arthur: Go Green Challenge
Offline Activity
Grade Range: PreK, K-2
Find new ways to be ecologically smart and keep track of your accomplishments with Arthur’s seven go green challenges.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/6984/preview/

****

Mathline: In a Heartbeat
Lesson Plan
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12
Use scatter plots to determine the relationship between heartbeats per minute and aerobic exercise.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mathline/lessonplans/msmp/heartbeat/heartbeat_procedure.shtm


Cyberchase: The Fractionator
Video
Grade Range: K-2, 3-5
Super math hero The Fractionator explains how to divide a banana into different fractions to eat with his cereal.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/7684/preview/

****

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea: Ask a Ranger
Offline Activity
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12
Interview a park ranger and create a story about a National Park using video or other media.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/7684/preview/


The Electric Company: Shock’s Beatbox
Interactive
Grade Range: K-2, 3-5
Engineer your own hip-hop music while learning the sounds of different letters and parts of words to create new sound combinations.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/6967/preview/

****

History Detectives: Hot Town Poster, Face Jug, Lost City of Gold
On-Air | Monday, August 16, 9pm
Grade Range: 9-12
Learn how a political poster influenced public behavior, discover the connection between a piece of ceramic art and the underground railroad, and investigate what a rock inscription in Phoenix may tell us about the first European visitors to that area.
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigations/index.html


Faces of America: Ma Family History
Video
Grade Range: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Discover how some old books that no one seemed to want contained invaluable records of the family history of cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/7629/preview/

*************
Reproduction of PBS Teacher Previews is permitted with proper credit given to PBS Online. Copyright 2010

C-SPAN Classroom Contest

New to C-SPAN Classroom

There's still time to win a free Flip Ultra Video Camera for your classroom! All you have to do is add your work to
C-SPAN's Constitution Clips.
C-SPAN Classroom's 2010 Summer Fellows and the Education Department have created a virtual U.S. Constitution. It features video clips taken from C-SPAN's Video Library with prominent political figures discussing various parts of the Constitution.

Here's how you can win:

1. Look through C-SPAN's Constitution Clips.
2. Find a phrase that interests you.
3. Search C-SPAN's Video Library for a clip that addresses that phrase.
4. Clip that section. Clips should be between 30 seconds and 10 minutes in length.
5. Submit the clip to C-SPAN Classroom through our Ning page by sharing the clip's link in the discussion area. Identify which section your clip addresses. Make sure to leave your name and your school's name, so we can credit your work.

We will award a free Flip Ultra Video Camera to the first twenty teachers who post clips that we select for our Constitution Clips. We are looking for clips that feature speakers who represent the diversity of the population of the United States.

We'll officially launch C-SPAN's Constitution Clips on
www.c-spanclassroom.org by Labor Day. After the launch we will continue to add video clips that we hope will provide more robust options for you to use in your classroom. If you have any questions, please contact us at educate@c-span.org.

Good luck on your search, and we can't wait to see what you come up with!

Sincerely,
C-SPAN Classroom

SpellingCity Helps With Back To School

http://spellingcity.com/

QUOTE:
"Students embrace SpellingCity's engaging format. The games and activities give parents a variety of ways to start sharpening their students' academic skills in the following areas:

* Vocabulary- Help for all ages and subjects.
* Phonics - - Import a SpellingCity phonics-based word list.
* Writing - Parents can customize the writing instructions!
* Handwriting - Handwriting practice with spelling lists is a perennial favorite.
* Alphabetical order - It's hard with paper and pencil but easy with SpellingCity.
* Spelling - TestMe, HangMouse, MissingLetter, SpeedySpeller and more!"

TN History for Kids

http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/home

At the top of the screen it will tell you to select your grade. K thru High school.
There are many lessons, games, and quizes for your students to take to learn more about the State of Tennessee.

FREEBIE OF THE DAY-- Aug. 10, 2010

Ivanhoe (MP3 audio, PDF ebook & coloring page) –
QUOTE: "Today's resource, courtesy of our sister site Homeschool Radio Shows.com, is this great half hour audio dramatization of Sir Walter Scott's immortal classic story, "Ivanhoe". Along with the audio, we have a fine abridged version of the actual book and a coloring page to keep little hands busy while listening to this "living book for the ears" audio story."

http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/

Why we homeschool

There are several reasons why and I could probably talk for days about it. But I am going to choose the top 2.

• #2: When one of my children were in the public school system for the last time, they were studying about Man-made and Earth-made products. But her teacher, who was a very christian woman (I am not bashing any religions, you'll understand my point), decided to tell everyone that it was either Man-Made or God-made. This I have a problem with. So I contacted her and told her that religion didn't have a place in public school. And that she needed to be teaching it the way it was suppose to be taught which was Man-Made or Earth-Made. She told me that she didn't have to. So I contacted the principal and the school board. Still, nothing was done about it. So I basically re-taught my child about the right lesson on it. Also, the same teacher, refused to teach her 4th grade class their multiplication tables. She taught them the easy ones (2,3,4,5,6,10) and stated that they would learn the rest in 5th grade. She was very lazy and no one would do anything about it. She would also play on the internet games and be talking on her cell phone instead of teaching. She would have one of her students take over reading, etc if her cell phone rang. I could on and on and on. But I will leave it at that.
• #1: The top reason why I decided to homeschool was because my county in TN, which is mainly farmland and country folks, decided to implement a uniform dress code. Claiming that it would get rid of the gang affliations that were going on in the schools. Which is a total lie. But anyways, in order for your child to attend the public school, you would have to go out and purchase specific clothing for them. This may not sound like a big deal, we like I said we are a sort-of small town where 90% of the people where jeans and T-shirts. However, with the new uniform dress code, jeans and tees are not allowed. They must have khaki pants, shorts, polo shirts of a specific color depending what school your child goes to. The pants cannot have any different colored thread, designs, etc. And as of this year, all shirts MUST be tucked into their pants so the teachers/principals can see their waist and rears to make sure "they are not carrying any guns". And the best part is that none of the stores in our town carry the clothes that are required. So you have to go to the nearest big town which is about 30+minutes away to purchase the clothing. I have 3 kids, so it would cost us approx. $300 and that is not counting the school supplies, room fees, lunch, field trips, etc. We are a one income family, so there is no way we could afford around $500 to send the kids to school. So we decided to homeschool. We now spend roughly $50 maybe a little more to school all 3.

Everyone has different reasons why they want to homeschool. Neither one of reasons may seem a good enough one for you or someone else. And there are reasons why others homeschool, which I don't understand. But that is the best thing about homeschooling, YOU control what you teach and when and why. No one can make the decision for you. Homeschooling is a full time job that you will not get physical pay for (except for hugs and kisses). But it is well worth any trouble that you may face.

FREEBIE OF THE DAY: Monday, August 9

Making a Shield & Buckler - out of Duct Tape!

After reading about ancient world history, homeschooled
brothers Mark and Steven Erickson became fascinated by
historic weapons and warfare. They decided to make
their own shields, swords and other weapons so that
they could act out the history about which they had learned.
In this cool ebook, they share how to create your own
shield and buckler out of duct tape & a little creativity!

http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/

More about Starfish

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/starfish

Video about Starfish

FREEBIE OF THE DAY -- August 2nd

http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/
This one is for Homeschool Moms. It's about time management