Frugal Homeschooler: Free Educational Dvd's

Sometimes homeschooling frugally just means keeping your ear to the ground. Opportunities can just crop up that you need to seize! I stumbled across some educational dvds on some of my homeschool yahoo groups and thought I would share!

Nasa and the American Museum of Natural History are offering a free dvd and educator's guide! It is called Journey to the Stars and they say it is available for both teachers and parents. As a homeschooler I am filing as a teacher.

The History Channel has a new series called America: the Story of Us going right now. I know many people who are dvr'ing it but don't bother (unless you want to see it now;). They are offering it on a free dvd! You have to request it before July 1, 2010 and they won't send it until August.

For both of them you just fill out a form!

Frugal Homeschooler: The Ear

The joy of homeschooling is that you are in the driver's seat. So you can choose to study what ever you want. You know each family has little games and such you play? Well, I always do the "I am going to eat you up" thing. So I told NerdPie that I wasn't going to eat her ears because she needed them to hold up her glasses but I was going to eat NerdBug's. She said she was sure he needed them but when I asked why (the hole would still be in there to his ear;) she wanted to know too. Thus inspired our morning of ear study!

First we started by reading an article together from Kids Health. It layed out all the parts of the ear and what their jobs are. It was presented well and the kids really liked it.

Then we did a little bit of seat work. For the older 2 kids I went to Enchanted Learning. They had a diagram with blank lines and a list of parts. Each part had a definition to go with the name and then the kids had to place them on the diagram. Enchanted Learning does have the diagrams available perfectly formatted for printing but you have to be a paid member for those. These were the free versions;). There was also an answer key so I didn't have to figure it out.

Then for the younger 2 I went to Edupics for a simple picture of an ear for them to color. While it may not have furthered their real knowledge of the ear, it did work on their hand eye coordination. Look how nicely the Nerdling stayed in the lines!

There you have a simple morning of free learning just because someone asked a question!

Frugal Homeschooler: Discover a Peep's World

So as we venture into this week it is time to have a little fun with our schooling. Now I admit up front that this has nothing to do with the real reasons for Easter so please use it in the spirit given. So first let us take a factory tour to find out how Peeps are born(Click on Factory Tour). We can also do a little Peep math (k-2, 3-5, 6-8). Then on to English class with Peep Haiku. You can visit Fern's Poetry Club to learn the Haiku basics. The onto the wonderful world of Peep Science. Some of these experiments are appropriate to duplicate at home. Even if you don't, they are very enlightening and actually very sound. Then using either homemade or store bought Peeps, do a little crafting. You can even go read about Peep "behavior" in conducting research (ok, totally spoof but totally fun). So after all the Peep education, how do you do on the Peep Quiz? Happy Easter

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Frugal Homeschooler: Easter

Since it is Easter week I decided to put together a collection of free resources available online! There a bunch of fun things out there so let us jump in!

Crafts:

Enchanted Learning has some really cute projects. I think we might do the Hand print Lilly and the Eggshell Tulips. Crayola also has a ton of Easter crafts for all ages.

History and Traditions:

There are a couple of sites that have some interesting history and traditions pieces. Topmarks has both the Easter story and a piece on different customs. DTLK also has an interesting piece on customs and traditions that include recipes for Russian Easter Bread and hot cross buns.

Math:

Articlesbase has some cute math ideas based on Easter.

Generic:

ABC Teach has a pretty comprehensive site as far as types of activities. It has all kinds of pdfs. Some for math, books, handwriting, dot to dot and more. They aren't very deep but still educational.

Fun:

Kaboose has lots of mazes from simple all the way to hard. So you can print them out for all levels. The KidzPage has all kinds of fun online games. They have online crosswords, puzzles, and coloring pages. The puzzles are really easy drag and drops while the coloring pages really work on mouse control.

Have fun, have a great Easter and remember that education doesn't have to expensive!

Frugal Homeschooler: Purim

Hey everyone! It is almost Purim!!! Purim starts at sundown on February 27, 2010 and goes until sundown on March 1st. (Why it is 2 days is a different blog post;) But I am here to provide you with a few sites that have free Purim resources!

Of course there is always the homemade noise makers so you can boo Haman and cheer Mordechai!

Homemade treats are almost always frugal. So go make some traditional Hamantachen!

For some printable Esther coloring sheet you can go over to Coloring.ws for some great choices.

Artists Helping Children has a ton of great projects like beaded crowns and masks with different printable options for your kids to make for their Purim pageants.

Chabad has a great Purim site with a link to an entire kids area. There you will find all kinds of literature, recipes and more!

Enjoy Purim! It is a joyous and fun holiday that reminds us of God's faithfulness.

Frugal Homeschooler: Science

The Exploratorium has put up a great site based on the science of cooking! It has eggs, pickling, and all kinds of food on it. They look at all the components and reactions. It even has activities and recipes. Go check it out! Who says science has to be pricey or hard?

Frugal Homeschooler: Election Resources

Since we are right in the middle of the Presidential election it is the prefect time to introduce your kids the the election process.

NARA has the Electoral College site. It has teacher resource, electoral calculator, and more. The teachers resources seem to have great things for kids of all ages.

VA Joe's has an issues calculator that helps you figure out which candidate matches up your views best.

Pocantico Hills
has a presentation for kids on the President.

Lastly, don't count out Wikipedia. They have a pretty complete piece on the electoral college that even includes a map with the votes broken out.

Frugal Homeschooler: Vocabulary and Spelling

I have collected a few free vocabulary and spelling resources that I wanted to share.

First up is Learning Vocabulary Fun. They have all kinds of great online games. You can choose themes and levels for everything from crosswords and word scrambles to easy matching for younger kids.

Then Learning Treasures has spelling lists and daily printable worksheets for all of first grade and some of second and third grade.

Then Crossword Puzzle Games has a great tool for creating crosswords with your own words. You supply the word and the hint and they arrange it.

So hopefully this gives everyone some really good resources. Remember that homeschooling doesn't have to be expensive! If you have any resources that I didn't mention please, let me know. Also, if there is an area or subject you would like me to apply the Frugal Homeschooler treatment to, just let me know and maybe I will fulfill your request next!

Frugal Homeschooler: Preschool Printables

I have a friend who is teaching preschool this year so for Jodie I have compiled a list of free preschool printables. This is everything from coloring pages, handwriting pages to great games and folder games.

Now, I have to preface all this with the fact that I am not a big believer in organized preschool. I do preschool simply to keep the kids busy while I school the older ones. I figure it is just play but it is educational too!

First up is Preschool Printables. Along the side bar is all of its wonderful printables. It has folder games, awards and calendars along with lesson plans.

TLSBooks has a lot of printable worksheets for preschool - 5th grade. They have 7 different categories of worksheets that include concept and coloring sheets.

First-School has a lot of letter, animal and holiday pages to print and color. I love it for building a Great Big Book of Everything from Stanley (a kind of animal encyclopedia).

Shirley's Preschool Activities has some great handwriting printable pages. Also they have African Alphabet pages and some Bible story themed coloring pages.

Preschool Learners has over 400 different printable worksheets. They are organized really well, which of course a NerdMom loves;). They have 8 main categories, such as English, Math, things we use, etc. Then they organize each subcategory really well.


So hopefully this gives everyone some really good resources. Remember that homeschooling doesn't have to be expensive! If you have any resources that I didn't mention please, let me know. Also, if there is an area or subject you would like me to apply the Frugal Homeschooler treat me to, just let me know and maybe I will fufill your request next!

Frugal Homeschooler: History

So I have just a few history links to share with you all.

First up is this great site that NerdDad found called HyperHistory. It is easy to look around and has maps, people, events and more. It is great because when you finish reading a book on history you can just pop over and get more info. After we finished reading a book on the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World I just popped over and looked under connections. One of the options was a page on the 7 wonders. This covers all of history versus a specific time.

The other resource is specifically for the Underground Railroad. It is actually called Aboard the Underground Railroad. It has maps, links to sites and more.

If you have any other history sites that you like, please share. As always remember homeschooling doesn't have to be hard or expensive!(Yes, I am trying to develop a tagline;)

Frugal Homeschooler: Science

Once again I am out there looking for ways to homeschool on the cheap and this time I am sharing great science websites.

First up is MSNucleus. They have complete, free science curriculum for K-12. You can use the units as is or, like I do, canabilize them to use specific resources for specific points. Next is The Gorilla Foundation. You can get information on gorillas, got to the kids club or see KoKo the gorilla sign. This is very useful to me this year as we are doing 10 animal units. The third sight is a cool Nasa weather sight, SciJinks. They have activities in 4 areas: fun, People, Weather Technology and How & Why.

You can't forget the hands on science experiments with the TWINKIES Project. They have all kinds of cool experiments that teach real science principles. The last site for today is Extreme Science. They have facts and info on areas of science. I am sure that we will be spending loads of time here.

There are just a few of the science site the web has to offer. If you have any that you like, please share. As always remember homeschooling doesn't have to be hard or expensive!(Yes, I am trying to develop a tagline;)

Frugal Homeschooler: History

Here are some free history resources.

First up are some fun and interesting sites from the BBC. They have one history section for ages 4-11 and another for 11-16 year olds. They have some interesting history games. They also have stuff on specific time periods(WWI and WWII, etc) and on specific people.

Kids Dig Reed give virtual tours of the 19th century Reed Farmstead in Virginia. It also gives the specific history of the site, talks about artifacts and has games and puzzles.

Colonial Williamsburg also has a great site with cool history resources. The front page has some games but the real learning is under the Teachers/Parents tab. It has an electronic field trip, info on people and the place. It even has a lesson plan.

So that wraps up this Frugal Homeschooler. Look, explore, use and if you have any great resources please share with me. As always remember homeschooling doesn't have to be hard or expensive!

Frugal Homeschooler: Music

Ok folks, you know how we all have a couple of subjects that just aren't our gifting? Mine are art and music. Well, we can't use that as an excuse to not teach them so today I am looking at some music education resources. Remember that this isn't just learning an instrument but also about great music. So let us jump in!

First up is Classics for Kids. They have a radio show, which you can listen to online, about specific composers and other classical music items. They also have samples of orchestral music instruments. They have activities, online games and just recordings of classical pieces.

For those of you brave enough to buy you kids a drum set, Free Drum Lessons has everything they will need to know in order to learn to play. They have beginning lessons that cover how to set up your kits and how to buy a set. This site also seems to have great advanced lessons as well as tuning lessons and certain types of cultural music lessons.

There is a section at About.com on Musical Crafts. These don't seem to difficult. They seem to mostly be made with used household items and kids, at least mine, will love playing with them afterwards.

My last offering is for those who do know a little music. Here is a link to print blank sheet music with a Treble Clef. This way your creative geniuses can write to their heart's content without having to go out and buy expensive paper.

This is just some of the wonderful musical freebies out there. I hope you will all go broaden your kid's musical horizons. Look, explore, use and if you have any great resources please share with me. As always remember homeschooling doesn't have to be hard or expensive!

Frugal Homeschooler: Pi Day

It's Pi Day and Einstein's Birthday. If that isn't a day for learning what is?

I wanted to share these pictures from one of my yahoo group members. Her kids write Pi out as far as they can down the middle of the rad every year.
So here are a couple of fun learning resources.
First up is Pi Day: The official site. It has "classroom activities" that others have done.

The Exploratorium has an awesome Pi Day sight with activities, haiku's and making hats!

So go, eat some Pi and party!

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Frugal Homeschooler: Math

Hey fellow educators, we meet again! This time I have some great math resources for you.

First up is is AAA Math. It has real time problems and evaluations. One of the best things is that it has a little explanation or lesson and then the area you work. It has a start button and as you do the problems it evaluates you. It starts at addition and goes all the way up to Algebra and Geometry.

Then there is NLVM. It has a variety of on screen (Java driven) manipulatives and games. This is perfect as a help while doing other homework, reinforcement, or conceptual learning. It says that it is for grades 3-5 but I see stuff I will use for my preschooler and my first grader. So look for yourself to see if it something for you.

For those who like paper and pencil I give you the Math Worksheet Generator. They have a variety of elementary math subjects and types of sheets to choose from. These are great for drills because they even give you specific 3 and 5 minute drill sheets.

So here are some great math resources. Look, explore, use and if you have any great resources please share with me. As always remember homeschooling doesn't have to be hard or expensive!

Frugal Homeschooler: Grammar Exercises

Thanks to Kate over at ITTIB for finding this great site for grammar exercises. It seems to have everything from punctuation to using like and as. You can even check you answers as you go. It would be great for adults and kids. In addition to the exercises, How to Improve Your Writing seems to have a lot of great grammar and writing information.

Frugal Homeschooler: Pancake Studies

For those of you who don't know Tuesday February 5, 2008 is Pancake Day. Diane Flynn Keith explains it well:

Pancake Day is also known as "Shrove Tuesday" among Roman Catholics, Episcopalians and other faiths. The origin of the name "Shrove" comes from the old English verb "to shrive" which means to absolve people of their sins. It is common for priests to hear people's confessions on Shrove Tuesday which is the day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent is the 40 days of penance, prayer, and fasting that precedes Easter. Traditionally, people abstained from eating eggs and fats during Lent, and pancakes were the perfect way of using up those ingredients before Lent began. Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday is also known as "Mardi Gras" which is French for "Fat Tuesday."

So on to the curriculum!
PBS Parents have a pancake activity for little ones that teaches shapes. Then Diane Flynn Keith over at Universal Preschool has put together a great line up with books to get from the library (or buy if you must;), pancake recipes from around the world and free printables.

Onto a bit for those out of the preschool age. For fun and logic development there is a Flipping Pancake exercise over at Cut the Knot. Then the Straight Dope Mailbag discusses why pancakes and puddles are round. Then it is time for a science activity over at Hotchalk. You can make a Metamorphic Rock Pancake and discuss geology. They even provide a little questionnaire to help direrct you and review. It is rated 2nd grade- 5th grade but I can see us doing this with our 1st grader.

If you actually want to make pancakes, go over to my food blog and use my Almond Buttermilk Pancakes!

Have a great Pancake Day and remember learning doesn't have to be expensive!