Category Archives: Frugal Homeschooler

Frugal Homeschooler, history

Frugal Homeschooler: History

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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;)

Free, Frugal Homeschooler, science

Frugal Homeschooler: Science

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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;)

Free, Frugal Homeschooler, history

Frugal Homeschooler: History

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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

Frugal Homeschooler: Music

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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

Frugal Homeschooler: Pi Day

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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!

Technorati Tags: Pi Day

Free, Frugal Homeschooler, math

Frugal Homeschooler: Math

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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!

Labels: education, frugal homeschooling, Homeschoooling

Frugal Homeschooler, Holidays

Frugal Homeschooler: Pancake Studies

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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!