Pre-K to Grade 8.

National Council
of Teachers of Mathematics have identified the most important mathematical
topics for lasting learning at each grade level. They are called “Curriculum Focal
Points.” You may read more information and read about the particulars by
grade.

I wanted to pass this great resource on!! I’ve been receiving it for several years now and just love it. It has a calendar for A&E Classroom and History Channel Classroom taping schedule, highlighted lesson plans, and other great ideas. It is published 2 X a year. Sign up here to get it:

But, this should not fail, because the girls are running the show…a homeschool project that they have lists and lists of things ready to share with you. They are early readers and writers who are learning how to type. Unfortunately, I can not type as fast as they’d like to review so please be patient with us!

Feel free to comment, suggest or recommend products or services for us to review. We want this to be a fun, educational and exciting place to hang out!

Here’s how it work:

There are 4 girls in our house, me & my 3 girlz.
Each of us are responsible for 1 point.
We will break down each point into quarters:
- educational value
- price
- fun
- originality

The last and final point we must all agree on its value.

Here’s to being a girly girl!
~ Mama
P.S. We may not rate every single post, especially if we want you to check out something cool in a rush.

Tags: Girly Girl

Book adventure has been a great tool for
us for several years!! It’s similiar to accelerated reader in that kids read
books and then take online tests, but they then earn points and can cash them in
for great items such as books, games, etc. As a teacher, you can set up your
class and then be able to monitor their scores. I highly recommend it!!! http://www.bookadventure.org/

Please note: I have not researched every single site, so proceed with caution.

Download Free Posters from Virtual Gettysburg
http://www.virtualgettysburg.com/sup…cation/poster/

Free Water Education Posters
http://water.usgs.gov/outreach/OutReach.html

Free Braille Alphabet Card
http://www.afb.org/braillebug/Braille.asp

Free Colgate Teachers Kit
http://www.colgatebsbf.com/teachers/tch_kits.asp

Free Educational Publications from the Federal Reserve
http://app.ny.frb.org/publications/result.cfm?comics=1

Free Second Hand Smoke Posters
http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/publications.html

Free Game printables (some are for sale, but the ones
on this page
are free)
http://www.gigglygames.net/freebies.htm

Mom’s Minivan Travel Games and Activities
http://www.momsminivan.com/

Building Blocks for a Healthy Future storybook,
coloring book, and
more
http://store.health.org/buildingblocks/default.aspx

Free things from Congress.
http://www.yourcongress.com/quickfree.asp

Register for periodic freebies from Crayola
http://www.crayola.com/registration/

2 Free books (fossils & dinosaurs)
http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eastern/fossils.html

Royal & Langnickel art samples for Educators
http://www.royalbrush.com/ver3/student/question.htm

Free music cds from our military bands
http://bandtek.com/free-cds/

Free Posters: Explore the facets of the Earth
http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/

TONS of free printables for Teachers and Parents
www.thevirtualvine.

Learn to Write…Free Tracing Paper
http://www.mymoondrops.com/spelling.html

Free Sample Issue of HSE Magazine!
http://homeschoolenrichment.com/

Free Natural Gas Materials
http://www.nef1.org/order_new.html

Free Fire Safety Posters, Reports and Publications
from the USFA
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/publications/

Free Educational printables about Peanuts
http://aboutpeanuts.com/educ.html

A Free Hazardous Waste Cleanup and Prevention Poster!
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/kids/poster.htm

Free Poster – The poster features lists of Summertime
Favorites, 300
classic books for young readers, and the We the People
Bookshelf
on “Freedom,” 15 books selected by NEH that explore
the idea
of “freedom.”
http://www.neh.gov/posterrequest.asp

Free Potato Educational Materials
http://potatoes.com/educational-hardcopy.cfm

Free PCs in Space CD-ROM for teachers or students.
This is a great
program! It has games and my kids absolutely love
playing them and
learning their planets and how to use the computer
also!
http://pcsinspace.hst.nasa.gov/freecd.htm

Free board game for parents and educators.
Part of the Too Smart to Start program, this colorful
board game was
developed to help parents and young people aged 9 to
13 talk about
underage alcohol use, why it’s not smart, and how to
prevent it.
Goals for the game include increasing the number of
conversations
about the harm of underage alcohol use and increasing
the percentage
of children and adults who view underage alcohol use
as harmful. The
game can be played with two to six players, but works
best when both
youth and adults play.
http://store.health.org/catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=16691

Free recess kits
This site is having a rescue recess campaign(rescue
recess week is
Sept.18-22nd) and they will send out recess kits that
include posters
and jump ropes and a playground ball and whistle and
more at
http://www.cartoonrecessweek.com/

Reading club that gives Pizza Hut coupons as rewards.
For schools or
home schoolers
http://www.bookitprogram.com/default.asp

Kids Earn Prizes for Reading. For teachers and
students.
http://bookadventure.com/

Free Book “Chicken Soup For The Preteen Soul”
http://www.chickensoup.com/Pre-Teen/order_form2.html

Free George Washington kit for teachers
http://www.georgewashington.si.edu/k…cherguide.html

The History Channel *Save our History* free manuals
http://www.historychannel.com/classroom/flag_form.html

FREE Earth/Mars Comparison poster / teachers &
homeschoolers
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/classroom/earthMarsForm.html

Free Dole 5 A Day Educational for Teachers/Schools CD
Roms/Cassettes/Cookbooks
http://www.dole5aday.com/Teachers/Cl…ials.jsp#cdrom

FREE Life in the Forest Educational Material
http://www.internationalpaper.com/Ou…est/index.html

Free coloring books, pamplets etc about Inuit
community
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ks/12050_e.html

Free “Science & Our Food Supply” kit – teachers
(Middle- High School)
http://www.nsta.org/fdacurriculum

Free Stuff for Educators
http://www.kalama.com/~zimba/freeforteachers.htm

Educational Online Activities and Printables for
teachers, parents
and students.

1. Printable Tracer Pages. Type in the words/phrases
you like and
this program turns the words into dashed lines for
kids to trace
over.
http://www.kidzone.ws/tracers/ocean/tracer-form.asp
2. Kidzone.com printable pages. Pre-K thru 6th grade.
http://www.kidzone.ws/
3. Make your own Word Search puzzles. Just delete
their word list and
add your own! We survived on this during the summer!
http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/words/search/
4. Other vocabulary games.
http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/words/
5. The best kids educational printables site. (Home
Page)
http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/
6. Great Kid’s Printable Craft site. When you need
ideas…this is
the place to go!
http://www.dltk-kids.com/
7. Kid’s Click. A great web search for kid’s.
http://www.kidsclick.org/
8. Puzzlemaker web site for Parents/Teachers.
http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/
9. Enchanted Learning. You can get lost on this site
for days! Very
cool. (They have a place to donate money to their
site, but it’s
totally free)
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html
10. Free Smokey the Bear Stuff for kids. (Free
printables.)
Click on the bottom that says resources. Items it
includes are:
Smokey Bear Teacher’s Guide
Smokey Bear Activity Book
Smokey Bear Kid’s Poster
Wildland Communicator’s Guide
Smokey Bear Style Guide
Logo’s with Smokey the Bear.
http://www.smokeybear.com/

Online Study Guides:

http://www.sparknotes.com/
Free study guides in a wide range of subjects. Also
includes a
valuable Test Prep section.

http://www.bookrags.com/
Free study guides in many subjects, specializing in
Science,
Literature, and History. BookRags features an online
essay editing
service (fee required) and free articles on better
essay writing.

http://www.studygs.net/
Free study guides and general learning tips available
in multiple
languages.

http://www.pinkmonkey.com/index2.asp
Literary study guides. Note: About half of these are
completely free,
while others are only available for purchase from
their online store.
It is difficult to tell which is which until you try
to access it.

Test Prep:

http://quizhub.com/quiz/quizhub.cfm Free online
quizzes in many
categories and subjects.

http://www.testprepreview.com/ Free practice tests
(SAT, ACT, LSAT,
etc.) as well as free articles and tips on test
preparation and
taking.

Free Rocketry CD for Teachers
http://nar.org/teachercd.html

Lysol kids activity book
http://www.lysol.com/topic_fun.shtml

Free kit for teachers to teach students about how the
post office
works. From the USPS.
The direct number to order WEE Deliver is
1-888-332-0317. The kit
includes an instruction video, mail satchel, cardboard
sorter, and
other misc. supplies.

Free Share The World Kit & Video For
Teachers.http://www.sharetheworld.com/

Diabetic Eye Disease: An Educator’s Guide
http://catalog.nei.nih.gov/productcart/pc/mainIndex.asp

Olympic-themed lesson plans
http://www2.edgate.com/summergames/

Free Arbor Day Video and Teacher Materials
http://www.arborday.org/kids/

Teachers: Free Hands on Plastics™ (HOP) science
education
investigation kits
http://www.teachingplastics.org/

It’s O.K. to Spray! – education about aerosol cans
(teacher/home
schooler kit)
http://www.nocfcs.org/scc/kitrequest.asp

For several years now, I have been using a
great resource for literture called Cyberguides. They
are done by the San Diego County Office of Education. Teachers have developed
these lesson plans for K-12 that utilize internet-based activities that related
to several popular pieces of children’s literature. They are divided by age
level and they are great. I love them and my kids love them. Check them
out.

Hi Everyone! Thought I’d share this list
of virtual field trips….I have many others but these are some of our
favorites.

Enjoy!

http://www.thinkport.org/Classroom/trips.tp a listing of virtual field trips

http://www.bearcountryusa.com/tour.asp Drive thru animal park

http://bouldericecream.com/tour.htm Tour of a small ice cream factory

http://www.ecoed.org/index.cfm Tour of wild animals in Ontario Canada

http://jellybelly.com/Cultures/en-US/Fun/Tours/Virtual+Tour.htm a tour of the Jelly Belly jelly bean factory

http://website1.com/odyssey/ Odyssey in Egypt field trip

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/explore/khufuenter.html Pyramids field trip

http://www.tomsofmaine.com/about/tour_factory.asp Toothpaste factory tour

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/whtour/index.html Tour the White House

http://www.theconstitutional.com/tour.php Take the Constitutional Woalking Tour of Philedelphia

http://geology.wr.usgs.gov/docs/parks/mojave/mojaveft.html Tour of the Mojave

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/index.htm Ellis Island tour from Scholastic

http://www.hersheys.com/discover/tour_video.asp Hershey’s making chocolate tour

http://www.thebeijingguide.com/badaling/index.html Great Wall of China tour

http://www.mda.state.mi.us/kids/pictures/rachel.html Dairy Farm

http://explorer.monticello.org/index.html Tour Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson

http://www.mountvernon.org/virtual/index.cfm/ss/29//cfid/5816670/cftoken/78983216 Mount Vernon, home of George Washington

http://www.plimoth.org/OLC/index_js2.html# Visit The first Thanksgiving

Please note: I have not researched every single site, so proceed with caution.

************************

http://www.adrianbruce.com/reading/posters/index.htm Free phonics posters!!!

http://www.adrianbruce.com/index.html other freebies from Adrian Bruce, a teacher in Australia who loves to share!!!

http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/kids.html Arthur reading kit from America Reads

http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/spidey/index.html Spider Man Reading kit from America Reads

http://www.udel.edu/ETL/RWN/POPindex.html Reading Readiness Activities

http://chumby.dlib.vt.edu/melissa/posters/posterset.html Social studies curriculum resources–printable posters for grades K-3

http://www.fema.gov/kids/freebie.htm Disaster Kids educational materials can be ordered from FEMA, USGS, NOAA National Weather Service, and EPA. All addresses are on the website with ordering information.

http://www.usmint.gov/kids/index.cfm?fileContents=htmlIndex.cfm U.S. Mint website games and other activities for money education

http://www.moneyfactory.gov/newmoney/main.cfm/learning/download U.S. Bureau of Engraving website on money education, including lesson plans, posters, interactive $10, $20, and $50 notes.

http://science.education.nih.gov/women/index.html Great video programs (currently out of stock) on women in health career fields. Posters are also available.

http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/default.htm Federal Citizen Information Center There are several publications that are free on this website–go to education and see a FREE book on exploring federal lands.

http://www.tufts.edu/as/wright_center/svl/posters/posts.html Free posters from the Wright Center for Science Education. You must snail mail for these posters and ordering information is on the website. There are beautiful posters on the Human Genome, Cosmic Evolution, Earth Anatomy, etc.

http://www.blm.gov/education/00_resources/articles/mojave/index.html resources for teching about American desserts–including a poster of the Mojave.

http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/poster.html materials for teaching about oceans. Includes cd-roms, posters, games.

http://www.thankscompany.com/pages/posters.shtml printable posters for volunteering.

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/farm_act.htm Make a farm downloadable software

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/town_act.htm make a town

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/vill_act.htm make a village

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/castle.htm make a castle,

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/heraldry.htm and then make shields, etc.

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/lettersounds.htm letter sounds free software

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/learnletters.htm learn letters

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/megamaps.htm maps

Map puzzles software:

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/us_features.htm

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/features.htm

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/monuments.htm

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/puzzle_us.htm

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/puzzle_mea.htm

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/puzzle_eur.htm

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/puzzle_sam.htm

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/puzzle_aus.htm

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/puzzle_afr.htm

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/puzzle_mea.htm

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/puzzle_con.htm

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/puzzle_asia.htm

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/puzzle_cam.htm

http://www.familygames.com/freelane.html Lots of free downloadable games on geography, puzzles, strategy games, word puzzles, etc.

http://www.rayslearning.com/lettersa.htm Free Letters and numbers software

http://fusioned.gat.com/free.html educational materials covering Fusion (the reaction in which two atoms of hydrogen combine together, or fuse, to form an atom of helium)

http://www.nsc.org/ehc/rad/radbroch.htm Nuclear Science and understanding radiation

http://www.timesaversforteachers.com/ Tons of printables for educators!!

http://www.koko.org/kidsclub/teachers/ Free curriculum materials for teaching about Gorillas

http://www.storylineonline.net/ Hear stories read online by members of the screen actors guild (Jason Alexander, Camryn Manheim, etc.)

http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/new_years/crafts.htm free printable elementary school calendar to color.

http://www.benjerry.com/fun_stuff/papercrafts/ a free new England village to print and build, a baloon mobile, and a cow–from Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

http://www.makingbooks.com/projects.html directions for making several books with children.

http://www.cartoonster.com/ great site for learning about cartooning

http://clothdollconnection.com/FreePatterns.html FREE patterns for making cloth dolls

http://www.webspawner.com/users/pumpkintwopost/ tons of free posters

http://www.cabelasiditarod.com/poster_contact.html Get a free 2007 Iditarod poster from Cabella’s–they also have lesson plans that go along with the race.

http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/41 The Academy of American Poets distributes the National Poetry Month poster (April) for the current year FREE to educators.

http://www.healthypotato.com/nutrition_plan.asp from the United States Potato Board, lessons, poster, etc. about potato nutrition

http://www.ksgrains.com/corn/edu.html Kansas Corn Learning Center

http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/educators/main.asp fun activities for nutrition education

http://www.4tests.com/ Take practice for SAT, ACT, GED, etc.

http://www.capilano.com.au/education/index.aspx learn about honey bees

http://www.sunkist.com/kids/pandt/ activities and lessons from Sunkist fruit

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/shopcart/shopcartintro.html publication from USDA entitled Science in Your Shopping Cart

http://depts.washington.edu/ceeh/Outreach/ecb.html Essentials of Cell Biology cd-rom

http://www.cloroxclassrooms.com/ get a free classroom kit from Clorox

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/numb3rs/ti/ Curriculum from Texas Instruments using the TV show “Numbers”

http://www.dissectionalternatives.org/ FREE copy of Digital Frog 2 the dissection alternative

http://www.internationalpaper.com/Our%20Company/Learning%20Center/Life%20Of%20The%20Forest/index.html Life of the Forest educational materials from International Paper

http://www.homesofourown.org/default.asp Build a home in this simulation game from the National Association of Home Builders.

http://www.peachtree-online.com/Kids/TeachersGuide.html Teacher Guides for Peachtree Publishers Books

http://www.failurefree.com/p_overview.htm Free online demo of literacy material for not-yet readers

http://www.breadworld.com/justkids/school.asp Three lesson plan books using bread baking from Fleischman’s Yeast

http://www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/Flashcard_Creator.html Free Math flashcards creator

http://www.teachingteens.com/index2.htm Teaching teens about puberty and menstration

http://www.educationassociates.com/Survey.html career education and life skills book from Education Associates

http://teacher.scholastic.com/index.asp educational materials and lesson plans from Scholastic

http://www.mysterynet.com/learn/ Free lesson plans, ideas, and online mysteries to teach critical thinking and reading comprehension

http://www.educationalpress.org/educationalpress/ Print free word lists, flash cards, bingo cards, etc.

http://www.microsoft.com/education/lessonplans.mspx lesson plans from Microsoft

http://www.annenbergclassroom.org/Default.aspx Receive a free dvd of the May, 2006

http://www.justicelearning.org/ Civic eduation int he real world. Conversation between students and Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer, Anthony Kennedy and Sandra Day O’Connor discussing the Constitution among other things

http://www.imagisoft.com/wizard.htm a digital coloring program that stimulates childrens’ perceptions of light, shade, color harmony, shape and depth. A trial version of this program, complete with six images to colour, may be ordered at no cost

http://www.wxdude.com/ Tons of free weather activities/lessons from Weather Channel meteorologist Nick Walker

http://www.vpw.com/ LARGE number of free sponsored educational videos and print materials to schools, educators and yough group leaders throughout the United States. All you must do to receive these materials is register as a member (which is also free).

http://www.wordcommand.com/wordoftheday.htm Sign up for their free Word of the Day email service

http://www97.intel.com/discover/JourneyInside/TJI_TOC/default.aspx The Journey Inside^SM is a collection of interactive resources to answer commonly asked questions about technology.

http://www.epa.gov/kids/ great lessons on environmental education from the epa

http://www.sf.pii.orders.com/commoncents/ Program from State Farm Insurance that teaches all about introducing good money habits in a fun, memorable way to kids from kindergarten to 12th grade

http://www.freekidsmusic.com/ This is the place for great free songs for kids! Download all the terrific children’s songs you want to. There are no guarantees how long any of them will be here, so grab them while you can. Have fun exploring!! And don’t forget to click on the artists’ names to visit their web sites!

To receive a Underwriter’s Laboratory Safety Awareness Wristband (while quantities last), send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
“I Am Safety Smart”
333 Pfingsten Road
Northbrook, Illinois 60062

http://www.justchoices.com/ FREE social justice curriculum entitled “Just Choices” Through this program, students will learn how their everyday choices affect others in society and will be inspired to take on issues with passionate civic engagement.

http://www.sharetheworld.com/index.html Share the World is a free educational program designed to help your students better understand and appreciate the animals with whom we share our world. In the reproducible activities that form the heart of this program, your students will use their thinking and writing skills to imagine the feelings and consider the incredible abilities of other animals, examine how our relationships with them have changed through history, discover alternatives to their use, and respond to situations in which their well-being is threatened.

http://www.aywregistration.com/ free animation/character education program from Cartoon Network

http://www.a-three.us/starbright/default.html This is a free game to teach children with asthma about asthma in a fun way.

Attention, ocean creatures! Life originated in the ocean, and all occupants of this planet, including humans, are still marine creatures. That’s because the survival of life on land and at sea depends on healthy oceans. And that’s why One Earth, One Ocean, One Life – our interactive CD-ROM – explores the world’s underwater wonders and our need to protect them. To request a copy, CONTACT: WILD Education, Canadian Wildlife Federation, 350 Michael Cowpland Drive, Kanata, Ontario K2M 2W1 OR E-mail: info@…

http://www.angelfire.com/biz/kinderactive/ Receive a a copy of Kinderactive’s next product, when you fill out their marketing survey, from Kinderactive.
http://rochester100.com/index.jsp?action=show_teacher Get free samples of folders, sheet protectors, stick on holders, and mini-wallets.

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/canwaters-eauxcan/bbb-lgb/club/index_e.asp Join the Water Wizards and receive membership card, nickname, certificate, and a goody package, for kids 8-15.

http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/kidsteachers/bookmarkorders/form_bookmarkorder_kids.asp Send a SASE and receive FREE bookmarks!!

http://www.osmre.gov/order1.htm receive free posters, videos, etc. about surface mining

http://www.helios.gr/dis/rhodes/artgallery/form.htm Get a free poster of a Greek painter

http://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries/kids/site/poster.htm free posters on estuaries

http://www.ec.gc.ca/water/en/info/pubs/e_teach.htm free environmental education materials

http://www.mathprojects.com/lessons.asp free math lesson plans

http://www.tolerance.org/teach/resources/childrens_march.jsp Tolerance education

http://www.dole5aday.com/Teachers/ClassroomResources/Materials/OrderFormDetails.jsp?topmenu=1 Dole 5-a-day teaching materials

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/kids/ppcform.htm Planet Protectors–environmental education

http://www.esbnyc.com/kids/kids_coloringpages.cfm?CFID=210368&CFTOKEN=6536289 free coloring pages from the Empire State Building

http://www.aztecafoods.com/kidsclub/index.html Join the Azteca Kid’s Club

http://www.signaturebrands.com/cake_mate/cmbdayclub.html Join the Cake Mate Birthday Club

http://www.bowater.com/en/education.shtml Resources to learn about paper making and instructions to make your own paper.

http://www.mcgruff.org/order.htm Get a set of free McGruff the Crimefighting Dog trading cards.

http://www.cooltoys.com/free-srv.html free toys. Send a SASE

http://www.candybarwrapper.com/kidswrapper.html You’ve seen the customized candy wrappers–now make your own!! Your child can create his/her own customized candy bar wrapper!!!

http://www.dvd2vu.com/DVD2Critic.asp?source=CRFamilytv1# You will receive a movie that is good for a one-time viewing. You will then critique the movie.

http://www.asahq.org/patientEducation/MyTrip.pdf Coloring book for a trip to the hospital

http://www.pppst.com/games.html free online games

Free, 32-page booklet about the American Flag
Send a postcard to
U.S. Marine Corps
Dept of the Navy, Washington, D.C. 20380
Ask for:
How to Respect and Display our Flag Booklet

http://forumancientcoins.com/forvm/Articles/Ancient_Coins_For_Schools_Form.html free ancient coins

http://www.homeschoolinglibrary.com/homeschool_free_help_teleseminar.htm free home schooling teleseminars

http://www.phil.frb.org/education/fedtoday.html history of the Federal Reserve

http://www.lbl.gov/MicroWorlds/teachers/teacherpack.html

http://www.savethemanatee.org/edmat.htm save the Manatees educational resources

http://www.wrinstitute.org/ The Will Rogers Institute has several booklets available for free on topics such as stress, asthma, exercise, nutrition, etc.

http://www.charlesedisonfund.org/Experiments/experiments.html The purpose of the Science Teaching Experiments is to stimulate an interest in science and technology among elementary school students through easy to perform experiments in basic scientific concepts.

Triggering Positive Health Choices,” a free videotape and teacher’s guide to help kids learn about peer pressure and decision-making, is available from Met Life, Health and Safety Education, One Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010-3690.

http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/educators/PostalPack.pdf National Postal Museum’s Postal Pack

Children’s book author Jan Brett has a special free packet for teachers and librarians. Request your packet by writing to Jan Brett, P.O. Box 366, Norwell, MA 02061.

http://papertoys.com/ many different toys to print

http://www.life.uiuc.edu/plantbio/cell/ this is a virtual cell–you can disect, look under a microscope, etc.

http://www.consumerfed.org/consumerinf.cfm The Consumer Federation of America has severl PDF guides–including one entitled “Teaching Your Children How to Save & Spend” that is perfect for teaching teens about spending/saving.

http://www.yo-yo.com/teachers_section/teach_index.html How fun to learn physics, etc. through using a yo-yo.

http://www.cotton.org/pubs/cottoncounts/resources.cfm PDF documents to help in learning about cotton

http://www.teachcoal.org/teacherstore/index.html American Coal Foundation materials for teaching about coal, including a sample kit of different types of coal.

If you would like to receive a free “bottle cap yo-yo” project sheet and illustrated instructions to make this great toy, Send a LARGE self addressed stamped envelope to: Bottle Cap Yo-Yo Sheet
c/o of Recreational Recycling
9318 Bay Vista Estates Blvd
Orlando, Florida 32836

http://www.deltacrafts.com/Projects/ Delta Crafts have tons of projects on their website…project sheets are free

Free Teacher’s Manuals from The History Channel

Includes:
- The Declaration of Independence
- The Missouri River: A Journey with Stephen Ambrose
- The National World War II Memorial
- The White House 200th Anniversary

Save Our History
Historians and other educators at The History Channel are creating multidisciplinary teacher’s manuals, available to educators on a complimentary basis. Each manual features primary sources, portfolio projects, vocabulary, and creative activities. Join teachers around America and get your students involved in the Save Our History initiative, where history combines with science, math, geography, and language arts topics to bring the past alive in the classroom. Indicate the manual of your choice. You may order all of the manuals listed.

1. Oh, and we’re totally hooked on StarFall

*If I missed anything, please feel free to add on. Thanks in advance.

Five a Row Unit Program – provides a step-by-step, instructional guide using outstanding children’s literature for children ages 4-8! http://www.fiveinarow.com/

“Story Structures” award winning children’s books ??

“What you need to know” series by Hearst Communications, Inc.

“Let’s Read and Find Out” series
http://www.harperchildrens.com/hch/lrfo/

Sonlight – Christian literature- rich homeschooling curriculum
http://www.sonlight.com/

“Big Book of Big Book of Everything”- Alphabet, Preschool – Fifth
Grade, Instructional Fair

A BEKA
http://www.abeka.com/

Bob Jones – Christ-centered resources for education, edification &
evangelism
http://www.bjupress.com/

Apologia Educational Ministries – Quality Science Curriculum
for the Home School http://www.highschoolscience.com/

The Ohio Virtual Academy (OHVA) is a tuition-free public charter school that gives parents the curriculum, tools, and support they need to deliver a high-quality, well-rounded education to their children at home. http://www.ohva.org/

“Explode the code” & “Get Ready for the Code” books by Nancy Hall “The Phonics Dance” – See it, say it, dance it, read it, and write it!
http://www.phonicsdance.com/

“Leap Frog” Phonics DVDs: “Leap Frog: Talking Words Factory,” “Leap Frog: Talking Words Factory II: The Code Word Caper,” and “Leap Frog: Letter Factory”

The Educated Child: A Parents Guide From Preschool Through Eighth
Grade (Paperback) by William J. Bennett (Author), Jr., Chester E. Finn
(Author), Jr., John T.E. Cribb (Author)

Anyways, Gr. K is not available until June 19th. As we’re ready to test and I want to send my notifications asap, I had to find other options.

Only to find that 2 other homeschool testing administrations are NO longer offering tests for 2006! One cost $50, the other $54 per test.

So, FLO is $35, with time-restraint that you have to return a completed test in 2-weeks. scoring May take 1-3 weeks. http://www.familylearning.org/index.html {most grades have a 6-8 weeks waiting period}

I just called and ordered mine from Seton Home Study: http://www.setonhome.org/testing/default.php
OR
http://www.setonhome.org/ and go to “Standardize Testing”

Here are the PROS to Seton:
- ALL grades are presently available, and INstock; goes out in mail 24-hours within order.
- $25 ($10 cheaper).
- There’s no time-restraint. As testing is year-round, you (the parent) get the test, take as short or long as you want. There’s no “checking in” process. They use the honor-system. All tests received are immediately scored, materials need to be sent back to be scored. They have 100% success rate.
- Test scoring takes average 24-48-hours, they score everyone onsite. Gr. K- 3rd by hand, 4-12 computer.

So, I had to ask: “How?” Seton have been doing this for over 15 years, they reuse “usable” test and instruction booklets. To save in costs, and “hey: I’m all for recycling!”.

While their curriculum is Catholic-focused, its separate from their testing services. Testing must be secular, confidential, and strictly between client (parent-adminstrator) and themselves. No records are tallied or shared with anyone.

I’ve already called them three times with questions. They have easy-secured online ordering…and obviously, great customer service!

Peace everyone!
~ Ponn
PS. Can you tell…I have limited “patience”?? Hee hee…hmm…amazingly I married into “patience”…yeah, right
“Sabra = Patience”.

PPS. I ordered on Monday, received on Thursday. We started testing yesterday, 2 tests a day. We completed 2 more today & will be done tomorrow. [May 2, 2006]

Thursday, June 8, 2006 Sanger Branch Library

Set-up 3:00 – 4:00pm

Display 4:00 – 4:30pm

Talent Show 4:30 – 5;00pm

Display 5:00 – 5:30pm

Clean-up 5:30 – 6:00pm

Interested in participating? Please email me with your State child(ren)’s name, age and whether s/hewill be hosting a display (science fair, arts & crafts, history,writing samples, etc.) and/or sharing his/her Talent (singing,dancing, slide show, etc.). Computer, TV/VCR access is available.Light refreshments, coffee and juice will be provided byparticipating families. Volunteer parents welcomed.

Young spellers duel in 4½-hour contest, by Billings Gazette.

Spelling has never been my cup of tee [I mean "tea"]. Ha ha .

No doubt, this kind of competition is truly encouraging with various word definitions, origins, pronunciations, etc. It’s much more than just studying “spelling lists”!

I just ran across this article today, and I had to post it–in hopes that my two dear friends will find “peace” with their “almost-readiness-to-commit-to-homeschool” decision…especially when it comes to curriculum. Here’s a long-timer, homeschooling her 3 kids since 1996…and look at the title!

Oh and please…my dears, laugh! It’s meant to be funny, it is funny…and if you don’t laugh, at least find strength, that she speaks the Truth!

Homeschooling? It Just Doesn’t Matter

“You know, it just doesn’t matter.”

This thought bounced into my head during one of my endless internet research expeditions, trying to find the “right” curriculum. After home schooling since 1996, I now realize what others have been saying all along: it just doesn’t matter.

Please don’t misunderstand me. Education matters a great deal, but all the fuss about this or that program, this or that method, this or that curriculum package, is just that: fuss, and not substance.

My kids never once finished a spelling book, and guess what? They spell just fine. They probably won’t win a national spelling bee, but they do all right. How did that happen? I don’t know. I do know that it wasn’t due to my expert teaching skills.

I’m not even sure how my son learned to read, but as he sat next to me this morning reading to me I thought, “How did this happen?” Because I honestly don’t remember teaching him to read as well as he does.

I guess it’s just a matter of providing the environment and a little motivation. Kids learn what they need to learn, when they need to learn it. It’s rather miraculous, when I think about it, when I look back and see that it just seemed to happen.

Oh, yea, I put in my share of sweat about the whole thing, but now I see what author Marva Collins means: “Anything works if the teacher works.” I always thought she was right, and now I know it.

So am I excited about homeschooling? Yes and no. Like the rest of life, it will be whatever it is: wonderful, boring, bla bla bla. But somehow my kids will get what they need, and that’s very satisfying to know.

Jennifer Thieme began homeschooling her three children in 1996. She is the administrator of a small, private ISP she established for her own family and several of her friends. She has been published in Practical Homeschooling and the Intuit ProConnection Newsletter. She operates a bookkeeping and tax service from her home. You may visit her business website at http://www.jenniferthieme.com/.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Thieme

Support is one-thing, but support from advisers, who are experienced, wise, and successful not for just “doing it” but “have done it in the past” is much more important. Why re-invent the cycle? Use best practices.

We have enough issues, hassles, problems in daily life, why create more by going into things “by yourself”. Get out! Get involved! Home schooling is *not* meant to be done alone!

The more you meet people, the easier things are, the more you’re exposed to “hidden” resources, access to free/low-cost resources, learn tricks of the trade, etc.

Network, network, network!

Click here to remember what one-single networking meeting resulting in our Show & Tell.

You do *not* have to do this yourself!

Homeschooling is such a “dream life” for my girls and I. We do the coolest, neatest, funnest things we can jump into. We’re energized by our homeschool friends and playmates, and love any and all free to low-cost tips we can get from them too!

Unfortunately, I am very biased against this program.

(1) I personally know 2 families who used it for one year–basically it was a failure, both families weaned back into private school. They always had technical problems, personality conflicts with some teachers, never had a happy moment that I ever saw. Whenever I spoke to one, each other’s families were at one another’s home, “figuring out things together”. As friends, they tried to support one another, and that did not help. As friends of mine at the time…it was just a dreadful experience!

(2) I know another family with 3 kids who used eCOT for 4 years, who all weaned back into public school and college. All 3 kids said they were “ahead” of their classmates, which was a positive thing for being “home schooled”. Mother included.

None of them didn’t really like “that way” of teaching. That was their only exposure to “homeschooling”, and it did not leave a good lasting impression on any of them. Unfortunately, they didn’t know me at the time (hee hee )…they didn’t even know there was 1 homeschool organization in Toledo…and, I know of at least 5! [I know there are many more].

I’m ready to hear positive experiences. If you had/have some, please leave your comments below.

A joke was recently made that the educational resources I utilize to “teach” (home school) my girls, is equivalent to the most sophisticated, high-class, world-renowned resources children of royalty pay their private tutors…and, we have not spent one-fraction of their costs.

Some may argue, that the Girls have unique parents, because of our successful educational and professional backgrounds, with graduate degrees, with numerous achievements in government, industry, and most recently as entrepreneurs and business owners.

Yet, I highly disagree. I believe that our education and experience are secondary to a firm belief that every parent has their own highly-successful & unique qualifications to raise, teach, and ultimately make the necessary decisions to offer their children the best possible life (and education) they can offer.

We honestly don’t know any parents who would disagree with the above statement. Yet, many parents doubt their ability to “home school” their children…as if, they, themselves, have to “teach” them everything themselves for 12 years (in Ohio, you don’t have to notify a child’s kindergarten year–more on this subject later).

In this blog, we (my girls & I) will make every attempt to share as many of our home school “secrets” to help you succeed, our trials and tribulations, and the many tips and tools shared by our vast network of home school families here in the state of Ohio, specifically the Greater Toledo area.

Please visit often, and share your tips, tools, resources & opinions in the “comments” section below.

To our children’s education! Feel free to disagree or support this post, by sharing your comments below.

Homeschooling Grows Up is the largest research survey to date of adults who were home educated. Over the last decade, researchers, professionals, parents, the media, and many others have asked repeatedly: How do homeschooled students turn out? Can a homeschool graduate get into college or get a job? How do they fit into society? Are they good citizens? Are they happy?

In 2003, HSLDA commissioned Dr. Brian D. Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute, to conduct a study to answer these questions. The results of his research demonstrate that homeschoolers are succeeding.

Click here to get your own copy.

Just if anyone asks…This is a great article entitled, Academic Statistics on Homeschooling. Many studies over the last few years have established the academic excellence of homeschooled children; states in its conclusion:

These statistics point to one conclusion: homeschooling works. Even many of the State Departments of Education, which are generally biased toward the public school system, cannot argue with these facts. Not only does homeschooling work, but it works without the myriad of state controls and accreditation standards imposed on the public schools.

Click here to review all the statistics.

For 8-weeks, 2-hours each Friday from 1 – 3pm… the memories, lessons, great gym leaders/teachers, and community of friends… $35 is a huge bargain!

Being our first “official” year of homeschooling, this was the only “real” thing I’ve paid for my kindergartener. And, the Spring session is even $28.

The average classes were ~60 kids, but this session we have a record 110+ kids ages 4.5 years – mid-teens. I can’t take enough video clips or pictures.

The kids have tried everything from indoor to outdoor soccer, kick ball, volleyball, many kinds of tag/relay races/singing & dancing activities, ice skating (this past week), floor hockey, basketball, hoola-hoops, basic calisthenics…you name it…they tried it!

It’s a great weekly networking gathering for home school parents too!

While my little ones can not participate in the classes…from all the standing, walking between field houses, running after one another, I assure you, this time is “physical education” for our whole family.