Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15 through October 15 many Hispanics will celebrate their independence. Twenty different countries make up this culture and each one celebrates at a different time. Originally this was celebrated for a week and first came into existence in 1968. Twenty years later it has grown into the month long celebration we know today as Hispanic Heritage Month.
This is a great opportunity to teach children about different cultures. There is a large selection of web sites for educators on this topic. Scholastic has an interactive page dedicated to this celebration. A map contains different states and countries where these individuals either orignated from or have settled. By clicking on one of the countries or states on the map a time line is revealed along with facts concerning the Hispanic people of that time period. This can be activated in another window or pulled up as text for printing. Other options include "Meeting Famous Hispanics" which includes a biography, "Latinos in History" includes specific time periods to click on. By utilizing these resource children will meet and learn about twenty six different Hispanic individuals. This facts will help to educate them in two different areas. The first is just how long these individuals have been in the United States and the second is how much they have contributed to this country. Learn about David G. Farragut a Spanish America Civil War Admiral through the years of 1801 -1870, who starts us off. Then finish with Ellen Ochoa a Mexican American, the first Hispanic female to become an astronaut. There is a concentration game to play when the cards are revealed there is a spanish word which is spoken. The only problem with this is that it is unclear as to what the word is. Teacher lesson plans are include for three different groups prek - 1st, 2nd - 5, and 6th - 8th. Each lesson is followed by the grade appropriate level to help the instructor know what to teach for each grade. A list of suggested books ranging from 1st - 8th grade exists, but most of the suggestions are for the lower to middle grades. There is a research starter which contains topics to do further research on and also contains links outside of the site for further research. At the bottom of this page click is a link which will take you to a printable worksheet to utilize while studying famous Hispanic people.
Incorporating one topic into a school day where there are children of multiple ages and learning abilities can be tricking. The web site "Honoring Hispanics" is a great source where educators are able to access a vast number of web sites concerning the Hispanic culture. This site contains everything from art, culture, and entertainment to business, news, politics, and more. Another site where multiple grade levels can be found is at the Montgomery County Public School web site. Web site links are grouped accordingly offering something for the pre-schooler to the senior in high school.
Don't forget to always think outside the box, don't limit your teaching to the links here. Take an idea an think about how it can be made better or what else can be done with it. Think about studying the different countries which make up the Hispanic people individually. Have the children make the countries flag with craft materials such as tissue paper, noodles, beans, pom poms. Another option is to print flags out and just have them color them, or use them as a template for the craft. You can apply this same technique with the countries map using different things to represent the capitol, mountains, bodies of water etc. Other interests of study could include music, clothing, food, and art. Notebooks could be made by using a binder, one with the clear plastic on the front is nice. Children can then draw a picture or write words pertaining to the Hispanic culture. Depending on how in depth the study is a binder can be used for each country or include all of them.

Please note that I did another blog on this topic with more links. Just scroll down for the list of topics to Hispanic Heritage Month for more.

Homeschool Learning
This site contains lesson plans for grades Prek - 12th along with links and some worksheets.


Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Scholastic

Honoring Hispanic Heritage

Worksheet for famous Hispanics
Hispanic Heritage Month Activities from Montgomery County
A nice selection of printable flags from various countries

Be Creative

We decided to use Christian Kids Explore Chemistry (change of mind at the last minute) and were supposed to make an atom yesterday. Well mom was not prepared and we lacked the styrofoam balls we needed, so we did not do chemistry at all yesterday. We live out in the country and the small town close to us is so small there is not even a movie theater or a Walmart. OK we are not skipping chemistry, so what else do I have that we can use. Let's look in the handy dandy craft stash, oh look here is some clay and just the colors we need. Toothpicks I forgot yet again to pick those up, I know we can use craft wire to connect them. Straws, has anyone seen the straws, no all gone. OK we have stick matches I'll cut the tips off and we can use these for our spacers. And below you have a lithium atom. It just goes to show you that #1 always keep a good craft supply stash and #2 a little imagination can create an atom.

The beginning of the atom, protons

Now we have three protons, four neutrons, and three electrons

Now let's put our atom together

Look I made a atom!!!!Brandon my eleven year old

You may have an atom, but I have a lithium atom!!Brett my nine year old

Greeks and the Olympics

In lue of the Olympics starting tomorrow we have decided to do some studying on the subject of the Olympics, Greece and China. We started today by visiting the web site below to find out just how the Olympics got started. From there we visited another site also below which discussed Greek mythology. During our discussions on Zeus and Hercules the boys started talking about the constellations, well we had to get the book out (The Usborne Complete Book of Astronomy & Space) which shows some of the many constellations to see what others matched up with Greek mythology. That led my nine year old to locate a book called The Children's Book of Heroes by William J. Bennett and Greek Myths for Young Children by Marcia Williams. We read two stories out of the first book The Sphinx and The Minotaur. When you have homeschooled as long as we have you tend to gather books on a variety of topics. Of course it helps they have a sister who is 17 and studied these topics before them.

Greek Olympic Games

Learn about the history of the Olympic games

Encylopedia for Greek Gods & Goddesses and more

Alphabetical listing for Greek mythology.

The Sphinx

You can read the story here or older children can read it themselves.

Theseus and the Minotaur

This version is similar to the one we read, interesting to see links for other versions. This site is a great site for history if you have never been here before.

Olympics & China

We have decided to study the Olympics and China as I started my search I came across another blogger who put together a great list of links. Voice of the Martyrs is offering free Olympic prayer bracelets for China, and I ordered some. We have been talking about how important it is for us to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering there and that the Olympics start Friday. We decided it would be neat to incorporate a study of the Olympics and China into our studies. The Voice of the Martyr has a link entitled Kids of Courage with stats on China along with stories of Christian children and activities I figure we can some how incorporate this into our lessons. You can also download a free activity book on China. You can get to Kids of Courage by utilizing the link below for the bracelets. I will be adding to this blog as we do our study so be sure to check back.

Beijing Olympics 2008 Labook & Unit Study

Prayer Bracelets

Choosing Curriculum

I think maybe I should have wrote this blog first. It is very overwhelming when choosing curriculum this is true for not only those new to homeschooling but veterans also. There are web sites where individuals have posted reviews for the different publishers they have used. While this is a great resource you need to make sure both pros and cons are listed. Then it needs to be determined if the information applies to your families situation. For instance Saxon is a popular math curriculum which I used one year with my daughter. While it contained the repetition needed for making sure old concepts learned were maintained it lacked in providing exercises for new concepts learned. Not only was there not enough practice for new concepts learned a new concept was introduced every day. For children who are gifted in math this is a great program, but I would not suggest using this if you have a child who struggles with math. You see how I gave information on what I liked and didn't like and what type of child it would work best for? Those are the types of reviews that will help to make curriculum decisions.
Know how your child, this is important when choosing curriculum. If they are a hands on (kinetic) learner a text book alone is not a good choice. It is also important to know what type of method you want to use to teach your child. Fortunately there are places on the internet were you can go to find these things out, plus there are also books if you have the time to read (I don't.) I am including links for the places I have been which were useful to me, hope they help someone else as well.

A to Z Homeschooling

Here you will be able to read articles about the different learning styles and methods for teaching such as unit studies, unschooling, Charlotte Mason etc. Also includes sites to purchase used curriculum, support groups and much more. This site is the best site I have ever found for homeschooling, everything you want is right here. Bring your favorite beverage and kick your feet up you will be here for awhile.

Homeschool Reviews

This site has the most extensive reviews for curriculum I have ever seen. Not only are there many reviews to read there is a great deal of curriculum being reviewed.

Buying Used Curriculum

Here in TN we start school in August, but we end in May. Well it is time again to purchase the curriculum. I am trying to find as much used as I possibly can leaving the last two weeks of July to order the items I can not find used. We will be using Math U See this year, I found a great deal on the Epsilon which my eleven year old will be using. I am having a hard time finding used materials for this program priced well. The teacher's editions are $35.00 each, they are selling used for $30.00 postage paid. While this is a $5.00 savings along with shipping and tax I would like to get it at $30.00 and pay media shipping. When purchasing used there are a number of things to be aware of. First make sure you have the catalog number or ISBN number, this will allow you to make sure you are getting what you want. I have seen a number of individuals selling items they say are current but are not. I don't think they are trying to be deceitful they are just unaware there have been changes. Bob Jones updates and revises their materials on a regular basis making it harder to resell. Know how much the item you are seeking are new and visit a variety of used curriculum boards, this will help you to see if the used prices are consistent. Ask questions remember you are purchasing the materials and have a right to know just what you are getting. Decide what condition you would like the materials to be in, no writing or markings, no water or other liquid damage, no tears etc. Most student consumables will have some type of writing in them decide if this is a problem or not, for me I purchase these new. Others use white out and copy or scan the pages to use, not a bad idea but I do not have that kind of time. I prefer to stay away from ebay for used curriculum and use a variety of yahoo egroups and a variety of used homeschool boards. While Vegsource is a great site for finding curriculum I prefer to stay away from them for a variety of reasons. First the web site for me on dial up takes way to long to load, second they monitor who posts and have put up blocks which block others from posting. I am not sure how this is possible but I have experienced it. Before this happened I did all my business on Vegsource and never had a problem buying or selling with the other posters. Visit yahoo groups to find used homeschool curriculum groups set your mail to daily digest or you will be overwhelmed with emails. The used curriculum boards I frequent are listed below along with comments on each one.

Homeschool Christian
Registration is required to post includes message boards for advice, buying and selling used curriculum, easy to navigate.

Used Homeschool Curriculum
Also requires registration to post easy to navigate each subject has its own board includes a board for discussing curriculum.

Homeschool Reviews
One of the unique aspects of this site is the reviews tabs. Registration required discussion boards and buying and selling board.

Homeschool World
This site has an extensive message board section for not just buying and selling, but for special needs, laws, getting started, portfolios and so much more. Easy to navigate registration required.

Homeschool Classifieds
This site is just as active as Vegsource. Searches are conducted by either subject, grade or author/publisher, you can also conduct a search by title. Each subject is listed in alphabetical order making it easier to search through. I also like that when you wish to contact an individual you are taken to a new window to send your message. You will also receive a confirmation email of an email sent.

Chemistry for Middle School

My eleven year old announced he wanted to learn chemistry this year. I wanted to find something that both of the boys could use together, especially since they are only two years apart. I started my search at Home Science Tools looking under the science curriculum tab. That is where I first saw the Real Science for 4 Kids chemistry curriculum. This site does not allow you to look inside the book, but the home site does and the materials are cheaper. Also at the home site you have the option to buy the teacher's editions separately for each of the topics which include chemistry, biology, and physics. You also have the option of purchasing the teacher's edition and laboratory pages on CD. The most impressive aspect of this program for me was viewing the connections to language. This reviews the Greek and Latin root words used in science. We will be studying Greek and Latin roots so I feel this will just add to it. I must also mention that chemistry texts are available at different levels so pre K can learn just as well as the middle school children or jr high. Each book is geared to specific grades allowing for teaching more than one child at a time. I will be using chemistry level 1 which is geared toward 3-5 grade. The other program I considered was Christian Kids Explore Chemistry geared towards grades 4th - 8th. Though I like that this curriculum is done from a Christian perspective I feel Real Science has more to offer in the way of chemistry and learning it. To view Christian Kids Explore chemistry you can visit the Timber doodle web site. While there are a variety of other companies which distribute this curriculum you can look inside here. I want to add that if you are interested in chemistry look under Home Science Tools tab chemistry. This is a great site for science altogether, they also have science items put together for a variety of the popular science programs homeschoolers use.

Home Science Tools

Real Science 4 Kids

Timber doodle