Geography, Science textbooks, Education Games, etc….

Just posting a potpourri/round up of recently added resources to the TJ blogspot family and finds:

TJ Social Studies:

World & Regional Maps

World Flags

World Geography Resources

These have links to some of my favorite handy geography resources, the ones that I used the most often.

Online Educational Games:

If you haven’t been to Sheppard Software Games, you are in for a treat. The games are online and there are so many in the different subjects (math, science, etc) and they have a nice collection of preschool games.

Prophets Lessons:

I am busy putting on the finishing touches/final edits for several prophets lessons and hope to get those posted in the next few weeks, I’ve been working on about 5 or 6 different ones.

Also in the works are lessons for duaas from Hisnul Muslim as well as lessons for the different duaas of prayer, which I am excited about as we have been using them and they are really boosting us along, alhamdulillah. This is a long term project so I may just upload as I finish individual lessons.  I have included exercises to aid in understanding the duaas word for word as well as to aid in memorization.

Science Textbooks:

• Biology for Dummies
• High School Biology (grade 10)
• Earth and Space Science (high school) (grade 9 or 10)
• Physical Science (Grade 11)

The grade designations are my own as, although they are for high school level, they do not explicitly say which grade they are for.

COMMENTS (Behind again)

If you have left comments recently (or not so recently), I am once again behind (as I am netless), I will try to get to them as soon as I can. You can also email me, in sha’ Allah, if you have a pressing need for materials. 

That’s it for now. Hope you find some goodies from above……………………

 

Science Notebooking Pages

The younger kids are starting back up on science and we are adding notebooking to it. 

We notebooked a couple of pages today and it was a hit for one of my eight year olds. The other got a little frustrated as she is not so confident in her drawing skills (except for when for fun), so she lagged behind a bit.

I like to start them off with a decorated page as I think it is more enjoyable than just being handed a plain sheet of paper and starting off, so I came up with a simple, basic science notebooking page so that perhaps it is not as intimidating.

 

Download

For the notebooking with my eight year olds, I had them read the lesson yesterday. Than today, we went back over the lesson and I drew out what I thought were the most important pieces of information and with them sitting there, I modeled how to get the notes down. We are studying parts of a plant, so I took the heading and wrote it out on my paper. They looked on and copied out onto their paper. Then we did the same thing with the main pieces of information in that lesson.  Our notebooking activity tends to be a highly guided activity whereas I know others may let their kids strike off on their own.  I even tend to do this with the older kids, at least for now as taking notes is pretty new for us.  It works, so we’ll stick with this method as long as it is effective, in sha Allah.

I also made a table of contents so that they can go back and find the pages easier once they are done.

Download TOC

 

Science: Satellites

My older kids are studying satellites in science.  We’ve just started  notebooking and although it takes more effort to really stay on top of it, it is so worth it (that’s (notebooking)another story).

This section in the book was pretty brief and in the process of preparing a notebooking page for them to complete, I went surfing…..

Here are some great resources I found:

 

FCC Satellite Learning Center – excellent. 

Nicely written (simple terms); topics:

• So, what is a satellite anyway?
• Who invented satellites?
• How big are satellites?
• What are the parts of a satellite/
• Activities: Build (puzzle) and launch a satellite (and watch a real launch!)
• Satellites in everyday use: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/kidszone/satellite/everydaylife.html (e.g. on the move, in the home, on the farm)
• How do satellites work? (how do they get and stay in space)

Even though the section in their textbook was a bit brief, I really learned some interesting things about satellites……a wonderful consequence of homeschooling for me as mom.

Boeing  – What is a satellite? PDF

Nice PDF from Boeing.

Types and Uses of Satellites

Pictures, and description of 9 types of satellites

also, go back to the main page to view resources to  “learn everything you ever wanted to know about satellite.”

Have an out of this world homeschooling day!

 

What are the Primary Colors?….Red, yellow, and Blue????

(You may want to read this before you teach the color wheel) lol.

I SO love homeschooling! Today, I RElearned something or maybe I LEARNED something. 

In school, we were taught that the primary colors were red, yellow, and blue. Today, my daughter and I, in “our” photography class, learned that this is NOT true. 

We were reading the photog lesson online and came to a part where it said the primary colors were red, green, and blue. Red, green, and blue???? I was like, hold up, he’s got a typo.  We read a little further and he said the same thing again. I was like, Ok, this is a professional photographer, I don’t see how the mistake could perpetuate (as he went through the lengths to use a colored font a few times).

So I’m scratching my head…….  Had I looked down out the comments at that point, I would have seen other confused people who thought the same thing as I did, and would have seen the “teacher” respond that the primary colors of LIGHT, not pigments (such as paint) are red, green, and blue.

Wow, I wonder if that distinction was made in school that that was for light?  Of course not in the primary grades, but I wonder if for high school.

Then in our search, I located a great PDF: http://www.sci-ed-ga.org/pdfs/Final%20Monkey%20article.pdf which did a great job of explaining that even the primary colors of pigments were not red,  yellow, and green, but magenta, yellow, and cyan! They even back their explanation up (and this was written by a person with a PhD) by stating that two major groups/associations recognize these as the primary colors of pigment. 

I’ll pass on some of the cool color theory resources I found today in a sec. We read a few and a few I am saving for our graphic design courses and science. 

 

I learned/relearned a few other lessons today:

Homeschooling is wonderful, not only for the kids but mom.

Ok, I already knew that, but was reminded of it again today.  I think that if I had stayed a working mom (outside of the home), I would not have had the time to sit back and learn/relearn so many things outside of my occupational field.  I’ve learned so many things since I started homeschooling in all kinds of fields.  I think that makes ME a more well rounded person. Some stuff I may have learned and forgot, other stuff I don’t think I learned in the first place.

 

You CAN teach your kids things you don’t know

or at least point them in the direction so they can learn on their own.  I don’t know squat about photography, but through my facilitation, my daughter is learning. And, she does learn things on her own, as well. She knows how to look for answers to what she is interested in learning more about.

In our photography class, I am a pupil too and we are learning together. I interject with things here and there to help her understanding, but as a whole, the subject is new for me too.

I just had to respond one day to someone’s comment on a UAE newspaper that while homeschooling may have benefits, it was limited by the knowledge of the parents.  So wrong!  I pointed out that there are a myriad of resources available through the internet (videos, audios, tutorials, textbooks), etc that can help you teach what you don’t know or heck, just teach your kids, without you, the middle man/woman.

Interesting read: Why you SHOULDN’T Teach your Homeschoolers. (Although I agree with some of the points she is making, I love to teach my big kids still— even when it isn’t absolutely necessary—- as we enjoy the time together –well usually, lol.)

 

 

Only Allah’s Knowledge encompasses everything

In school, as I said, we learned that the primary colors were one thing and now I am relearning something different.  We see that happen a lot where one thing was thought to be good, say for your health, and then it turns out it wasn’t or vice versa. Only Allah knew this in advance.  Very humbling.

 

So anyway, I was excited to share my new learning with you all.  Here are some of the interesting color theory sources I found:

• Demystifying Color: http://www.iscc.org/pdf/demystifying_screen.pdf, by the Inter-Society for Color Council. Choose the myth that you would like to explore!

 

• Quiz on Colors, you can take this before doing the demystifying activity:

http://www.iscc.org/pdf/demystifying.pdf

 

• It’s Time to Teach the Correct Primary Colors: http://www.sci-ed-ga.org/pdfs/Final%20Monkey%20article.pdf

 

• It’s a Colorful Life! http://www.sci-ed-ga.org/modules/materialscience/color/It%27s%20a%20Colorful%20Life.pdf126 page unit.  (aimed at middle school students but author says some experiments have been used successfully from elementary to college).

 

• more advanced resource on color wheels: http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/color13.html

 

Photo Source: http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/color13.html

 

 

Science: Seashells – Collecting, Learning about, and Having Fun!

Shells, Shells, Shells!

We live about 5 minutes away from the beach in our new home!

So, in our first few trips to the beach, we’ve already been beachcombing and have collected DOZENS of shells.

So being a homeschooler, in comes a unit on SHELLS!

Here are some resources that I found while “combing” the net. They range in age from preschool – high school.

Even if you don’t live near the beach, you can still have fun with a seashell unit. There’s loads of activities on the internet and seashells can be bought at dollar stores, etc. for hands on activities.

Across the Curriculum

Science: What is a shell?/About Shells

What is a shell?

Molluscs of the sea, traditional “sea shells”

Types of Mollusks

Making a Shell – how seashells are made (older students)

Mollusks – 3 page resource, kind of like a picture dictionary for mollusks.

Amazing Mollusk Facts/Trivia

Seashells of Eastern Arabia

Reading Shells - You can tell a lot about the world a mollusk lives in by looking at the shape of its shell.

Shell FAQs

Identifying Seashells

Identifying seashell finds, guide for kids – start here for the younger ones; also has photos of seashells

Seashell Identification Guide – Find out what kind of shell you have by comparing it to the pictures.

Family Identification Help Page – beefier  than the guide just above. “The first step of identifying a shell is clearly the determination of the family to which the shell belongs to. Then you will be able to browse the family in order to discover its Genus name and then the Species name. This page will help you to succ[e]ed in the first step : identifying the shell’s Family.”

Shell Discovery: A lesson in inductive classification

Seashell Mapping -  has a nice little PDF map to help students sort shells for identification. Neat idea!

Language Arts

Poetry – Seashell. 2 page worksheet to help write a poem about seashells. (for younger kids)

Writing  - A Seashell Lesson: Writing for Detail and the Scientific Process - “Students use their senses to write detailed sentences about objects (for example, a seashell).”

Reading:  Why Do We Collect Shells? snippets from several people on why they collect shells (older students)

Nursery Rhymes/Poems – She Sells Seashells by the Sea Shore – Enchanted Learning

Spelling: Go through the reading material and select key concept words and use these for spelling lists.

Have student make a PowerPoint presentation or make up a test/quiz on what he/she learned.  To give this activity more purpose, find somewhere online to upload the test/quiz such as Quia or Quibblo or student can put on  your homeschool student gallery blog (if you have one or make one).  A gameboard/game could also be made with a seashell theme.

History

Shells in History (older students)

Math

Seashell Search – Cute addition flash game! A seashell washes up on the beach and is collected in a beach pail  if you get an answer right. (1 digit addition)

Seashell Rounding Page

Seashell Match Up - pair up seashells (printable)

Sort seashells according to color, shape, size, etc.

Use seashells as math manipulatives (after cleaning)

This site has a discussion of some CMers (Charlotte Mason) who used shells as manipulatives. One homeschooler said her some memorized the math facts by using something tangible…shells

Home Ec – Cooking

Seashell Cookies – iced sugar cookies

Seashell Tuna Salad

Seashell Noodles in Pesto Cream Sauce

This one’s a neat one for kids (not a kids recipe, but due to the large pasta shells used, it would probably be fun for kids to eat)

Art:

Seashell Arts/Crafts

Tips on Cleaning and Preparing Seashells for Crafting

Seashell Wind Chime

I fondly remember making one of these when I was a kid. It was a super neat craft.

Seashells, Seashells for your home – ideas for decorating your home using seashells

Preschool Seashell Crafts - seashell candle, seashell monster, seashell necklace, seashell wind chime

How to Decorate with Shells – ideas for decorating with shells, shows pictures of different decorating ideas

Seashell Painting – KinderArt

Seashell Crafts for Kids

Seashell Texture Prints – Education.com

Seashell Mobiles

Shell Frame

Seashell Jewelry – 3 articles about making seashell jewelry

How to Make Seashell Keepsakes

Crafting with Seashells – seaside potpourri, seashell candles, seashell pin cushions

Seashell Paperweight

Seaside Mail Organizer

Seashell Shadow Box – a great way to display seashells collected

Seashell Tea Candles

Seashell Coloring Pages

Seashell Coloring pages from LucyLearns

Seashell Coloring Pages – this is just a google IMAGE search for ‘seashell coloring pages’ that turns up thumbnails of seashell coloring pages.

Seashell Coloring Pages - this is just a google search that turns up sites with seashell coloring pages

* Have student practice copying/drawing or tracking  a shell from a shell coloring page

Make worksheets from coloring pages.  Example: Letter /number recognition, take clip art of shells and paste numbers or lettes in them to make a drill sheet. (Arabic or English)

Islamic Studies/Arabic

Easily incorporate into other subject areas by reflecting upon the fact that shells are a Creation of Allah and their beauty and intricacy and that this was easy for Allah.

Also, learn beach terms in Arabic (sand, shell, etc). For older students, use these words as spelling/vocabulary.

Supplemental Resources

Fun & Games

Seashell Online Jigsaw Puzzle, 48 pieces

Collecting Shells

How to Collect Seashells – E-How

Cleaning Shells

How to Clean Shells

Picture Galleries

Live Seashells Picture Database – shows shells in their natural habitats

Seashell Fonts

FontSpace.com – just a few selections here. I really liked the Jenna font, but it didn’t work for me other than the S.

I hope you find these resources  helpful.

We “shell” “sea” you later, insha Allah!