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Field trips are great, aren't they? But sometimes it's just not possible for us to travel to certain locations. Now, through the magic of technology, we can take our kids on educational field trips without leaving home (or school).
Virtual field trips allow us to take our children on a fun journey without leaving the comfort of our own homes. Some of the trips they offer include:
- Deserts
- Dinosaurs
- Endangered Species
- Hurricanes
- Oceans
- Rainforests
- Volcanoes
This isn't a complete list; you'll have to check the website for more information! The site provides vocabulary words, concept questions that kids will learn the answers to and more!
How do you do field trips with your kids?
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I have a new site that we have been using with our kids a lot. It's called
learner.org, and it has a LOT of awesome things for your kids to do! Our favorite to put the kids on is their
interactives page. Here's a short summary of everything this section of the site offers.
Math Resources
There are a few different categories of math interactives; 2 of these sections are for grades 6-8, and 2 sections are for grades 9-12.
- Geometry 3D Shapes - This section teaches kids a variety of things about geometrical shapes, including how to calculate surface area, volume, and other facts about each shape. Designed for grades 6-8.
- Measurement - This section, also for 6-8 graders, focuses on teaching students the metric system. Because we use a variety of different measuring units here in the United States, it's important for students to be able to switch back and forth and convert the different measurements.
- Daily Math Skills - This section is aimed at high school children. Teach your teens everyday math skills, such as playing games, cooking and making financial decisions.
- Statistics - This section, also aimed at high school students, teaches statistics through news reports and a fictitious election polling system.
Language Interactives
Learning the many aspects of the English language is vital in school. The interactive and fun activities offered by Learner.org make it fun and easy to learn them all.
- Story Elements - Help your 2-5 grader learn about the different aspects of a story through this fun and entertaining interactive. Your child will be told a story, then asked questions based on the story. The narrative explains the details of all story elements, to make them better writers.
- Historical Investigations - This is a fun activity for high school students. Through context clues and investigation, students will attempt to determine when and where historical events took place.
- Literature - High school students can make literature come alive through this interactive! Read some literature and solve the mystery.
- Spelling Bee - In this fun activity, students of all grades can participate in a good old-fashioned spelling bee! Depending on the grade level, students will be read words in context, then asked to spell them. Some grades can also get a definition of the word to help for contextual clues.
History & Social Studies
Many children find history a boring subject...these interactives can make it more fun than simply reading a text book and writing papers. Make it come alive, thereby helping them remember facts better!
- US History & Geography - Kids get to participate in a fun and challenging activity that will help them learn the geography of our nation, and the history as well. This section is directed at kids in grades 5-8.
- Civilizations - High school students can explore the fall of many historic civilizations in this fun activity.
- Middle Ages - Make the real middle ages fun through this enthralling interactive. Aimed at high school students.
- The Renaissance - High school students will learn about how Europe came out of the Middle Ages. (See if your high schooler can SPELL "renaissance"...I got it wrong!)
Science Interactives
Science can be a fun, hands-on part of homeschooling. These interactives offered by Learner.org make it easy AND fun!
- Our Earth - Learn all about what our planet is actually made of! Aimed at kids in grades 7-9.
- Rocks - Once students learn all about what our planet is made from, they can learn about the different types of rocks. Designed for children in grades 7-9.
- Amusement Park Physics - Turn that trip to Six Flags into an educational field trip! High schoolers will learn about how roller coasters and other rides are designed using Physics to ensure passenger's safety.
- DNA - This is another set of interactive lessons aimed at high school students. Kids will learn about DNA and genetics.
- Ecology - In this lab setting, students will create their own ecosystem, and learn how each part interacts with each other. Great way for high school kids to learn about the environment.
- Garbage - With so many people going green, it's important to learn about garbage, and how we currently deal with it. This is a great way to teach high schoolers how & why to protect the environment.
- Periodic Table - Chemistry is an important part of a high school curriculum. The periodic table can be challenging to learn; make it fun by using this fun interactive activity!
- Volcanoes - High school students get the opportunity to glance into how and if volcanic eruptions can be predicted!
- Weather - Another fun activity for high schoolers. In this one, your students will learn about the different types of weather.
This site has proven to be a great resource for our students. Have you used it? If you do use it, let us know what you think in the comments below!
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Is it time to teach your kids about
human anatomy? That link will take you to a site that offers nice diagrams of many different systems of the human body. You'll find interactive diagrams for the skeletal system, digestive system, muscular system, lymphatic system, endocrine system, nervous system, cardiovascular system, both male and female reproductive systems and the urinary system.
Each diagram includes a picture of the entire system. You can click on the magnifying glass next to the name of the body part for more information.
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http://lessonopoly.orgI have found a great new site for
free lesson plans! Lessonopoly.org allows you to set up a free account as a teacher, parent or a student. Create plans, browse their library of lesson plans, participate in groups and more.
The best part is that you can create a schedule for your classroom. Choose lesson plans (your own, or pick one from their library) and add them to specific dates. It's a great way to keep all your plans in one online calendar. :-)
The site has
free lesson plans for all grade levels, and a variety of subjects including:
- Arts
- Language Arts
- Foreign Languages
- Math
- Science
- Technical Career Exploration
- History & Social Sciences
- Physical Education & Health
Grade levels range from Pre-K all the way up to 12th grade.
Check them out today!
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If you're looking for some free homeschooling textbooks, I've found some great ones for math and science.
These math and science textbooks are available for grades K-5.
Specifically, the math texts are for first grade through fifth grade. There are also online math activities suitable for Kindergarten through fifth grade. Kids love to play games online (or at least mine do)and the ones available on this site are fun and engaging.
For older kids, there are Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry Books. I wish I had known about this last year when my oldest was learning Geometry!!
There are also science textbooks for first through fifth grade, and science fun for Kindergarten through fifth grade.
Enjoy! :-)
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If you are looking for great, FREE homeschooling curriculum, you have got to check out this FREE American History Curriculum!
Created by an experienced homeschooling mom, this FREE American History Curriculum is easily adaptable to grades 2nd through 6th. It was created with a literature-based theme, but tries to incorporate some other subjects as well.
American History Curriculum Contents
This Mom has it together!! :-) She includes everything you will need to implement her American History Curriculum:
- Complete list of books and materials needed;
- Week-by-week schedule of when you need each book/material;
- Book notes & study guides;
- Daily Schedule;
- Topics list;
- Timeline;
- A variety of worksheets.
I love this free American History Curriculum!! I am definitely going to use it for my younger 3 children. I've been looking for an American History Curriculum, and I give high kudos to this Mom for hers.
Especially since she included a daily schedule plan; let's face it, even with all the free curriculum materials available online, it can't be difficult to decide what to do on what day and in what order! On the flip side, purchasing curriculum is extremely expensive!
American History Curriculum Topics
This free American History Curriculum covers the following topics:
- 7 different Indian tribes;
- Discovers, including Erickson, Columbus, Cortez & Pizzarro, and Lewis & Clark
- Incas, Mayans and Aztecs;
- Pocahontas, Jamestown & the Pilgrims
- Colonies & Ben Franklin & George Washington
- French & Indian War
- Revolutionary War
- Constitution & New Government
- First President, New Country & Johnny Appleseed
- Monroe Doctrine & War of 1812
- Andrew Jackson & The Trail of Tears
- Inventions
- The Alamo
- The Gold Rush
- Pioneers & Moving West
- Lincoln, Slavery & the Civil War
- Transcontinental Railroad & George Washington Carver
If you have been searching for free curriculum, I highly recommend Guest Hollow's FREE American History Curriculum!!!
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Amber recently asked me why we had a heartbeat. Why do we have a heart? So, I decided it was time to learn about the heart and our circulatory system.
I found a great resource for learning about the heart and circulatory system. Check out this heart and circulatory system learning guide.
On that website, you will find entire curricula on the heart and circulatory system for kindergarten and grades 1 - 6. When I say entire curricula, I mean they have lesson plans on the heart and circulatory systems, and worksheets to help kids learn about the heart and circulatory system.
In this post, I'm only going to discuss the 2nd grade portion, because that's what I'll be using for Amber. But remember, if you're looking for lesson plans or worksheets on the heart and circulatory system, look here first!
Heart and Circulatory System Lesson Plans
The first lesson plan for second grade answers the question "What does the heart do?" This heart and circulatory system lesson plan covers exactly what the heart is for, and covers the basic anatomy of the heart.
This first heart and circulatory system lesson plan includes worksheets so your second grader can reinforce what she's learned.
The second lesson plan offered by this site covers heart healthy eating habits. This teaches kids that what they eat affects their health, and makes them realize that proper nutrition will help their heart stay healthy.
The final heart and circulatory system lesson plan teaches kids how exercise relates to a healthy heart.
In addition to these 3 heart lesson plans, the site also offers several illustrations on the circulatory system. Kids can also listen to a heartbeat!
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OK, just found this great homeschooling resource! I've often gone looking for math worksheets with a specific math problem set in mind...but haven't been able to find the perfect math worksheet! Sound familiar? Then here's the solution!
Math Master lets you create your own math worksheets! You can choose from the normal operations, fractions, skip counting, even telling time! So if you want to make your own math worksheets, visit Math Master today!
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Peter and the Wolf 
is an absolutely awesome way to introduce small children to music, symphonies and classical instruments.
I used it for Dakota and Amber. The others listened in, but only because it was on. However, the other kids liked listening for the different instruments on Peter and the Wolf, and associating the instruments with the Peter and the Wolf characters.
Each character in the story Peter and the Wolf is represented by a different musical instrument. For example, the bird is represented by the piccolo, Peter is represented by the clarinet and Peter's grandfather is represented by the bassoon.
Parents can easily use Peter and the Wolf to introduce instruments to children in Kindergarten, first grade and second grade. Get your copy by clicking the link below!
Do y'all use something other than Peter and the Wolf? What are some of the ways you have introduced music to your children?
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Another great resource for homeschoolers is Super Teacher Worksheets. They offer a wide selection of free worksheets.
I use them for spelling words. They offer free spelling word lists and worksheets for grades 1 through 4. Amber's in second grade, so I get the free worksheets and free spelling word lists for grade 2. I like it because they also have free spelling lists for holidays.
Free English Worksheets
Super Teacher Worksheets also offers different types of free worksheets for English. Free worksheets for English include the following:
- Grammar Worksheets
- Graphic Organizers Worksheets
- Cursive Writing Worksheets
- Printing Worksheets
- Phonics Worksheets
- Proofreading Worksheets
- Reading Worksheets
- Reading Comprehension Worksheets
- Writing Prompts
Free Math Worksheets
If you want some free math worksheets, Super Teacher Worksheets has those too! You can find free worksheets for the following:
- Addition Worksheets
- Counting Money Worksheets
- Decimals Worksheets
- Division Worksheets
- Geometry Worksheets
- Graphing Worksheets
- Elapsed Time Worksheets
- Fractions Worksheets
- Basic Multiplication Worksheets
- Advanced Multiplication Worksheets
- Place Value Worksheets
- Rounding Worksheets
- Subtraction Worksheets
- Telling Time Worksheets
- Word Problem Worksheets
As you can see, Super Teacher Worksheets has a great variety of free math worksheets! You can also find fun puzzle worksheets too.
In addition to the great free worksheets, Super Teacher Worksheets offers great tools for teachers and information on all 50 states.
If you are looking for free worksheets for your kids, Super Teacher Worksheets is a great choice! Do you use them? Let me know what you think of the website!
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Elementary Grades Free Math Curriculum
I have started creating my other kids' curriculums for the coming school year. Ashley's math curriculum isn't complete; she's going to take Geometry, and I haven't found a resource for that yet. :-( So in the meantime, I decided to work on the younger kids' math curriculum.
I found a wonderful FREE elementary grades homeschool curriculum that I plan to use for Kiara, Amber and Dakota. The site offers worksheets, lesson plans, even a suggested daily schedule for the lessons.
I think the neatest thing about this free math curriculum is that it teaches in a "cyclical" method. I didn't understand this at first, but basically what it means is that it cycles through each of the several different elementary grades math categories, teaching a lesson from one category the first day, then the next category the second day, and so on. It's actually a good way to teach elementary kids math.
By teaching elementary grades math in this cyclical manner, all the material is fresh in their minds, and by the end of the year, they will have absorbed more of the material. Just my personal opinion of course! ;-)
So if you're looking for free elementary homeschool math curriculum, I highly recommend the CSMP program.
If you check it out, let me know what you think of it!
