Thanks Penny for another great week of lesson plans.

Welcome to another edition of the Lesson Theme of the Week. This
week's lesson theme is all about Birds and I hope you enjoy this
theme and pass it on to other homeschool families so they also may
use it to teach their children.

General Information
All About Birds
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/
American Birding Association
http://www.americanbirding.org
Anatomy, Behavior & Diseases of Caged Birds
http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?cls=15
Audubon: Birds & Science
http://www.audubon.org/bird/
Bird Flash Cards
http://www.renaesroom.com/Hotflashes/BirdFlash/BirdFlash.html
The Life of Birds
http://www.pbs.org/lifeofbirds/

Lesson Plans
Bird Biology Lesson Plan
http://www.kckpl.lib.ks.us/schlagle/lessons/Birds1.htm
Birds
http://web.utk.edu/~ctmelear/ossabaw/Collins/birds.html
Birds and their bird sounds
http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/education/intel/Projects/joan_hunn2.
htm
Birdwatching 101
http://sftrc.cas.psu.edu/LessonPlans/Wildlife/BirdsNest.html
Building a Bird's Nest Lesson Plan
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ScienceLABirds-LearnAboutBody13.htm
Learning About a Bird's Body
http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/chf/pub/virtualbird/educational.html
Virtual Birding
http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/chf/pub/virtualbird/educational.html
What Makes a Bird a Bird?
http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/chf/pub/virtualbird/teacher/lespl1.html

Multimedia
Bird sounds
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/programmes/radio/dawn_chorus/
Wild-Eyed Alaska
http://www.hhmi.org/alaska/
World Bird Guide
http://www.mangoverde.com/birdsound/

Crafts
A Variety of Bird Feeders
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/life15.html
Bird Binoculars
http://www.kinderart.com/crafts/birdbinoculars.shtml
Bird Crafts
http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/birdcrafts.html
Bird Mobile Craft
http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mbirdmobile.htm
Curly Bird
http://members.aol.com/Sabbeth/Warmcraft.html
Egg Cup Bird
http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/birdprojects/a/blbirdcr2.htm
Nesting Supply Box For Birds
http://www.squiglysplayhouse.com/ArtsAndCrafts/Crafts/BirdSupplyBox.h
tml
Pinecone Bird Feeder
http://oldfashionedliving.com/birdfeeder2.html

Cooking
Bird Treats
http://www.robinsfyi.com/holidays/christmas/recipes/animals/birdtreat
.htm
Edible Bird's Nest
http://www.creativehomemaking.com/articles/030600c.shtml

Online Stories
A Bird Without a Song
http://www.marlo.com/wguy1.htm

Multimedia
Chick Hatchery
http://www.msichicago.org/online-science/videos/video-
detail/activities/the-hatchery/

Online Activities
Bird Migration Game
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Educa
tion/Kids_Stuff/Woth_game/default.cfm
Fly like a bird, a 3D fly around
http://www.gamevial.com/flylikeabird.htm
Home of the Virtual Owl Pellet Dissection
http://www.kidwings.com/owlpellets/index.htm
Test your Memory Skills - Birds
http://www.bellaonline.com/code/memory/birds2.asp

Printouts
Bird Themed Coloring Pages
http://www.coloring.ws/birds.htm
How Many Colorful Birds Book for Early Readers
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/books/howmany/birds/
Mega Birdsearch
http://www.rspbliverpool.org.uk/birdsearch.htm
Word Search Puzzles: Birds
http://www.thepotters.com/puzzles/birds.html

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 Thank you Penny for a another great week of Lesson Plans!!

Welcome to another edition of the Lesson Theme of the Week this
week's lesson theme is on Spring. And I hope you enjoy this week's
theme and will pass it on to other homeschool families so they also
may use it to teach their children.

The Homeschool Network Internet Library News
http://homeschoolnetworklibrary.com
Please remember you can find additional materials in the member
section to go along with this week's lesson theme.

Lesson Plans
Integrating Math into a Spring Thematic Unit
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-
bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Mathematics/Measurement/MEA0004.
html
Soar Into Spring With Kites!
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson056.shtml
Splish, Splash, Spring Lesson Plan
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?
id=877&&DI=6244&IG=45bfe1f7c2714a7cb5359ab09b456aa0&POS=2&CM=WPU&CE=2
&CS=AWP&SR=2&sample=0
Spring Cleaning: Lesson plan based on Clifford The Big Red Dog
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=487
Spring Egg Art Lesson Plan
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ArtMathPatternsEaster-SpringEgg15.htm
Spring Awakenings
http://www.cas.muohio.edu/scienceforohio/SprAwak/L.html
Spring/plants lesson plans for Head Start
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/MDMultidisciplinaryUnitOnSpringAndPlan
tsP.htm
Spring Time Flowers Math Lesson Plan
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/MathSciFavoriteFlowerGraph25.htm

Art
Baby-food Jar Gardens
http://crafts.kaboose.com/jgardens.html
Coffee Filter Butterflies
http://crafts.kaboose.com/butterfly1.html
Cross Stitch for Spring
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/mcrossstitch.htm
Easy Spring Flowers
http://crafts.kaboose.com/flower1.html
Paper Bird House Craft
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/mbirdhouse.htm
Spring Windsock
http://crafts.kaboose.com/windsock.html

Music
Spring Songs Ideas
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/pep/teachingideas/sprin
gsongs.html

Cooking
Butterfly Cake
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50107
Flower Power Cake
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50138
Ladybug Cupcake
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50162
N is For Nest Cupcake
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50168

Online Activities
Spring Jigsaw Puzzle
http://www.primarygames.com/puzzles/jigsaw/spring/start.htm
Spring Match Game
http://www.primarygames.com/season_match/spring_match/start.htm
Spring Slide Puzzle
http://www.primarygames.com/seasons/spring/games/sliders/start.htm
Spring Word Search
http://www.primarygames.com/seasons/spring/word_search/start.htm
What is Spring?
http://www.northcanton.sparcc.org/~ptk1nc/spring2002/Cloze/whatisspri
ng5.htm

Printouts
DLTK's Custom Printable Coupons
http://www.dltk-cards.com/coupon/
Make Your Own Books - Spring
http://www.dltk-teach.com/minibooks/spring2/index.htm
Spring
http://abcteach.com/directory/seasonalseasons/spring/
Spring Anagram
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/m-anagram.htm
Spring Coloring Pages
http://www.coloring.ws/spring1.htm
Spring Poem Printout
http://www.abcteach.com/spring/poem.htm
Spring Puzzle
http://www.abcteach.com/directory/fun_activities/crossword_puzzles/
Spring Themed Worksheets
http://www.kidzone.ws/thematic/spring.htm

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Thanks Penny for another great week of lesson plans!!

Welcome to another edition of the Lesson Theme of the Week. This
week's topic  is on colors and I hope you enjoy this week's theme
and will pass it on to other homeschool families so they can use
this theme to teach their children.

If you would like to gain access to over 250 unit studies and lots
of other additional materials please visit The Homeschool  Network
Internet Library today.  http://www.homeschoolnetworklibrary.com

Lesson Plans
Colors
http://www.hummingbirded.com/lessonplan-colors.html
Colors: An Integrated Literature Approach
http://teacher.scholastic.com/grade/preK_K/oct_PreK_K_lesson2.htm
Colors Theme Preschool Activities and Crafts
http://www.first-school.ws/theme/colors.htm
Creating an Art Book - A Series of Portfolio Assessment Lessons for
the Primary Grades
http://www.kinderart.com/artbook/
Experimenting with Colors
http://atozteacherstuff.com/pages/213.shtml
Ice Cream Colors
http://atozteacherstuff.com/pages/342.shtml
Lesson 1: Primary Colors
http://www.thesolutionsite.com/lesson/818/lubeckelA1.html
Lesson 2: Secondary Colors
http://www.thesolutionsite.com/lesson/818/lubeckelA2.html
Lesson 3: Color Magic
http://www.thesolutionsite.com/lesson/818/lubeckelA3.html
Lesson 4: Brown Bear
http://www.thesolutionsite.com/lpnew/lesson/818/lubeckelA4.html
Teaching Colors to Preschoolers: Activities and Games that Help Them
Learn Color Recognition
http://kids-educational-
activities.suite101.com/article.cfm/teaching_colors_to_preschoolers

Online Stories
Color the Rainbow
http://www.storyplace.org/preschool/activities/colorstory.asp
My Colors
http://www.lil-fingers.com/colors/
My Many Colored Days by Dr Seuss
http://www.seussville.com/titles/days/yellow.html
Teletubbies  Colour Story
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/teletubbies/funandgames/colourstory/ind
ex.shtml

Online Activities
A Rainbow of Frogs
http://www.meddybemps.com/9.500.html
Change the Color Activity for kids
http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Themes/colors/colorchange1.html
Colors
http://www.akidsheart.com/threer/lvl1/colorsrt.htm
Colors And Reading Game
http://www.liveandlearn.com/cgame/colors.html
Colour Mix Cottage
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/fun/colourcottage.shtml
Little People
http://www.fisher-price.com/us/littlepeople/section.asp?
section=SHAPES
Mix & Match: The Exploratorium's Online Exhibits
http://www.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/mix_n_match/
What Color Is It?
http://www.storyplace.org/preschool/activities/coloractivity.asp

Music
Color Songs
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/preschool_themes/colors/colors_song
s.htm
Eight Pretty Colors
http://www.songsforteaching.com/intellitunes/colors.htm
Primary Colors
http://www.songsforteaching.com/intellitunes/primarycolors.htm
The Colors
http://www.songsforteaching.com/singdancelaugh/thecolors.htm

Printouts
Color Printables
http://www.songs4teachers.com/colorprintables.htm
Colors Printable Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten
http://www.first-school.ws/theme/cp_colors.htm
DLTK's Coloring Pages
http://www.dltk-kids.com/coloring.htm
I Love Colors
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/colors/red.shtm
Rainbow Colors Flash Cards
http://www.first-
school.ws/activities/onlinestory/colors/fredafrogcolors.htm

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Welcome to another edition of the Lesson Theme of the Week. This
week's lesson theme is all about shapes and I hope you enjoy this
week's theme and will pass it on to other homeschool families so
they can also use it with their children.

Homeschool  Network Internet Library News
http://www.homeschoolnetworklibrary.com
The additional materials that goes along with each week's lesson
theme will not be updated until  tonight or tomorrow.  I have to
upload my cd of music, books and other materials that goes along
with this week's theme.  I will post to the groups as soon as I have
updated the members section.

Lesson Plans
Circles, Triangles, and Squares! Oh, My!
http://www.glc.k12.ga.us/BuilderV03/LPTools/LPShared/lpdisplay.asp?
LPID=14543
Fun With Shapes
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/508.shtml
Hokey Pokey with Shapes
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/MathMusicHokeyPokeyShapesIdeaPK.htm
Making Pictures Out Of Shapes
http://www.kamalii.k12.hi.us/EBC2000/shapes_lesson_plan.htm
Recognizing Shapes
http://www.education.gsw.edu/portfolio/hhp/pages/treed/teaching_shape
s.htm
Shapes
http://atozteacherstuff.com/pages/411.shtml
Shapes Preschool Activities and Crafts
http://www.first-school.ws/theme/shapes.htm
Treasure Hunt for Shapes
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/412.shtml

Crafts
Circle Bear Shapes Craft
http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mbear.html
Dashing Danny Diamond Shapes Craft
http://www.dltk-teach.com/shapes/mdiamond.htm
Make Shape Collage
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/totstv/make_colour/makes/shape_collage/
index.shtml
Shape Mobile
http://www.storyplace.org/preschool/activities/shapestakehome.asp
Shapes Angel
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/xmas/mshapesangel.htm
Shapes Mobile for Kids
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/miscellaneous/mstarmobile.html
The Shapes Buddies Crafts
http://www.dltk-teach.com/shapes/crafts-buddies.htm
Triangle Fish Shapes Craft
http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mfish.html

Music
Circles Go 'Round and 'Round
http://www.songsforteaching.com/jennyfixmanedutunes/circlesgoroundand
round.htm
Everyday Shapes
http://www.liveandlearn.com/barr.html
Preschool Education Music & Songs: Shapes
http://www.preschooleducation.com/sshape.shtml

Online Activities
Buzzing with Shapes
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/buzz/buzz.html
Colourful Shapes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/totstv/games_stories/shapes/
Matching Shapes
http://www.kidport.com/GradeK/Math/MeasureGeo/MathK_Shapes.htm
Sticker Shapes
http://www.billybear4kids.com/games/stickers/s-shapes/IEStickers.html
Storyplace Shapes Online Activity
http://www.storyplace.org/preschool/activities/shapesonact.asp
Teletubbies - Shape Game
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/teletubbies/funandgames/shapes/

Online Stories
Draw Me Shapes
http://www.lil-fingers.com/shapes/by.html
Learning Shapes With Krog
http://www.paulysplayhouse.com/paulys_playhouse/games/krog.html
Sammy's Shapes
http://www.primarygames.com/storybooks/sammy/start.htm
Story of Shapes
http://www.storyplace.org/preschool/activities/shapesonstory.asp

Printouts
Shape Activities :: Printed Worksheet
http://www.senteacher.org/wk/shape1.php
Shape-Book Patterns
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/hme/k_5/shapebook/toc.htm
Shapes
http://abcteach.com/directory/shape_books/patterns_and_coloring_pages
/shapes/
Shapes Buddies Coloring Book Pages
http://www.dltk-teach.com/shapes/poster/index.htm
Shapes Poster To Print
http://www.teacherview.com/ClassExtras/posters/shapes/index.htm
Shapes Recognition Practice Worksheets
http://www.kidzone.ws/prek_wrksht/shapes.htm
STEP 1 for Custom Bingo Cards
http://www.dltk-cards.com/bingo/bingo1.asp
The Shapes A Coloring Book to Print
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/books/shapes/

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I remember starting to post this before my son got sick. This weeks topic was Harriet Tubman. Thanks Penny for all your hard work in the research you did to put this together and thanks for allowing me to use it on my blogs!

Welcome to another edition of the Lesson Theme of the Week. I am
sorry for this week's theme going out late this week but due to my
health I couldn't help it. I hope you enjoy this week's theme and
will pass it on to other homeschool families. This week's lesson
theme is on Harriet Tubman and for those that are members of the
Homeschool Network website I have changed the additional materials
section for this week's theme. It now includes a movie and some
other materials to use along with this week's theme. Starting next
week for the month of March all themes will be for those
homeshooling preschoolers and Kindergarten ages.

This week's Lesson Theme is brought to you by the Homeschool Network
Internet Library. http://www.homeschoolnetworklibrary.com

General Information
Harriet Tubman
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/tubman
HARRIET TUBMAN
http://www.harriettubman.com/
Harriet Tubman timeline
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0history/hwny-tubman.html
The Harriet Tubman Journal
http://www.harriettubmanjournal.com/
The Life of Harriet Tubman
http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman/life.htm



Lesson Plans
An American hero: Harriet Tubman
http://www.learnnc.org/lessons/FloannaLong2112003866
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tsl/archives/04-1/lesson005.shtml
Harriet Tubman- Grandma Moses
http://www.glc.k12.ga.us/BuilderV03/LPTools/LPShared/lpdisplay.asp?
LPID=51113
Harriet Tubman Integrated Unit: Lesson 2
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2034/
Harriet Tubman Special Resource Study
http://www.harriettubmanstudy.org/
Lesson Plan - HARRIET TUBMAN
http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/Byrnes-
famous/tubman.html


Online Activities
Harriet Tubman
http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/books/History/HTubman.html
Harriet Tubman Quiz
http://gvctemp01.virtualclassroom.org/games/tubmanquiz.html
Harriet Tubman Word Search
http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/harriet_tubman-ws.htm
Quiz: Harriet Tubman
http://library.thinkquest.org/10854/tubquiz.html
Tubman Seek and Find
http://middle.capemayschools.com/mt4/Tubman/TubmanSeek.htm


Printouts
Harriet Tubman Puzzle
http://chi.gospelcom.net/kids/puzzles/gfk011wordsearch.php
Harriet Tubman Printout/Coloring Page
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/aframer/tubman/coloring.s
html
Have Fun With Our Crossword Puzzles
http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/tubman/puzzles.htm

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One of my dearest friends has a group on yahoo where she shares weekly lesson plans for a certain topic and this weeks topic was Valentines Day.  She does alot of research in putting these wonderful plans together and she allows them to be shared. She also has a wonderful website which you will find in the beginning part of the message. Some of the stuff on her website you need to be a paid member but for me I felt it was well wother it. The links in the lesson plan are to all free sites. I will share them weekly with you all. You can find her group at the bottom of this page. Enjoy as there are alot of links to enjoy and spend time with this particular theme!! Thanks Penny for all you do!!

Welcome to another edition of the Lesson Theme of the Week. This
week's topic is on Valentines Day and I hope you enjoy this week's
theme and will pass it on to other homescoolies so they also can use
it with their children.

I have  found a lot of different downloadable resources for you to
use with your children. Please click here to visit and view all of
these.  http://homeschoolnetworklibrary.com/valentines/valentines.htm

General Information
Howstuffworks "How Valentine's Day Works"
http://people.howstuffworks.com/valentine.htm
Valentine Exhibition-- Origins of the Valentine
http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Exhibitions/Valentines/origins.htm
Valentine's Day History
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/valentinesdayhistory.html

Lesson Plans
Candy Heart Sentences Language Arts Lesson Plan
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LAArtCandyHeartSentences34.htm
Conversation Heart Candy Math Math Lesson Plan
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/MathConversationHeartCandyMathIdea23.h
tm
Detective Valentine
http://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas/ViewLesson.asp?ID=3028
Graphing Valentine Candies
http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/Lessons/2563.htm
Mend My Broken Heart Math Lesson Plan
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/MathLAAdditionSubtractionMendBrokenHea
rtIdea23.htm
The Language of Love
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20010214wednesday.ht
ml?searchpv=learning_lessons
Valentine Letter Writing
http://lesson-plans-
materials.suite101.com/article.cfm/valentine_letter_writing
Valentine Rap game Music Lesson Plan
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/MusicValentineRapGameIdeaP1.htm
Valentine's Day Language Arts Lesson Plan
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LAValentinesDay6.html
Valentine's Day lesson plan
http://www.developingteachers.com/tips/valentine_plan1.htm
Why Celebrate Valentine's Day?
http://www.glc.k12.ga.us/BuilderV03/LPTools/LPShared/lpdisplay.asp?
LPID=55041

Crafts
Bear Box Craft for Valentine's Cards
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/mbearbox.htm
Chocolate Boxes Paper Crafts - Learning Colors
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/m-chocolates-colors.htm
Chocolate Boxes Paper Crafts - Learning Letters
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/m-chocolates-letters.htm
Chocolate Boxes Paper Crafts - Learning Numbers
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/m-chocolates-numbers.htm
Chocolate Boxes Paper Crafts - Learning Shapes
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/m-chocolates-shapes.htm
Easy Valentine's Day Kleenex Box Cover
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/mkleenex.html
Gum Guy Cupids
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?
page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10788
Heart Pinwheels
http://www.homeschoolzone.com/craft/ripplepinwheels.htm
Heather the Heart Shapes Buddie
http://www.dltk-teach.com/shapes/mheart.htm
Love Bug
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?
page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11597
Scented heart ornaments Valentines Day craft project
http://www.craftown.com/valentine/val3.htm
Stained-Glass Hearts
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?
page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10556
Sweethearts Bookmark
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/parents/activity/article.php?
contentId=23482&categoryId[]=4473&contentId=23482
Valentine's Day Crown or Hat
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/mcrown.htm
Valentine's Day Wreath Craft
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/mwreath.htm


Cooking
Conversation Heart Fudge
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40793
Cupid's Lemony Love Potion
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40797
Lollipop Flowers
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?
page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10520
Sweet Heart Krispy Treats
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40795

Music
CanTeach: Songs & Poems - Valentine's Day
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems13.html
Valentine's Day Songs: Lyrics for Children
http://www.songsforteaching.com/holiday/valentinesdaysongs.htm
MoJo's Musical Mouseum Song Lyrics - Valentine's Day Songs
http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/valentines.html

Online Stories
Lil' Fingers Storybook: Hearts
http://www.lil-fingers.com/hearts/

Online Activities
Make a Valentine with a Connecting Word
http://www.starfall.com/n/holiday/valentine/play.htm?f
Seek-a-Word with Billy Bear
http://www.billybear4kids.com/games/online/search/valentines.html
Valentine's Day Heart Scrambler
http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/valentine-sc.htm
Valentine's Day On-Line Coloring Pages
http://www.dltk-kids.com/color/valentine3.htm
Valentine's Day Tic Tac Toe
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/tictactoe/index.htm
Valentine Concentration Game
http://www.bethanyroberts.com/ValentineConcentrationGame.htm
Valentine Dress Up Game
http://www.billybear4kids.com/paperdoll/OnlineFlash/Valentine/DressUp
.html
Valentine Online Word Puzzle
http://www.bethanyroberts.com/ValentineOnlineWordPuzzle.htm

Printouts
Chocolate Box Tic-Tac-Toe for Valentine's Day
http://familyfun.go.com/printables/coloring-pages/printable/tic-tac-
toe-valentine/
Custom Tracer Pages
http://www.kidzone.ws/tracers/valentine/index.asp
How Many Colorful Hearts Book
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/books/holiday/valentine/colorfulhear
ts/
Math Activity Worksheets
http://www.kidzone.ws/math/valentine/index.htm
Valentine Activity Book for Children
http://www.allfreeprintables.com/valentine/activity-book.shtml
Valentine's Day Anagram
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/m-anagram.htm
Valentine's Day Coupon Book
http://www.activitiesforkids.com/holiday/coupon.htm
Valentine's Day Crossword Puzzles
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/m-crossword.htm
Valentine's Day Memory Game
http://familyfun.go.com/printables/games/printable/memory-game-
valentines-day/memory-game-valentines-day.html

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My youngest and I are working on globes. We have been talking about bodies of water and land masses. I have explained to him that the globe is a sphere shape and I thought it would be fun for him to build his own globe. To do this you need a balloon, paper mache glue (which I will share the link for that), newspaper, and blue and green acrylic paint. Once we get the globe built and it's dry he will paint the water and the land on it. And when it's finished he will have a globe that he made by himself.

Paper Mache - Here is the link that gives you the ingredients to make the glue for the paper mache

Enjoy!

A fellow home-schooling parent the other day asked me what "Bible Study" I used with my daughter.  She was having a hard time finding a good program for her 12 year old son that wasn't too elementary.

We start our day with Bible study each morning, which is not at all unusual for a home with Christian based education.  I had looked into many different curriculum and lesson plans, a lot of them well done, but we settled upon our own way of studying the bible, let me explain.

Word of Promise Audio Bible fit our need.  It is not your average audio bible, this bible has theatrical sounds and quality, and features several Hollywood "stars" as the voices:

• Jim Cavieziel
• Michael York
• Richard Dreyfuss
• Stacy Keach
• Marisa Tomei
• Lou Gossett Jr.
• Lou Diamond Philips
• John Heard
• Kimberly Williams-Paisley
• Luke Perry
• John Schneider
• Ernie Hudson
• Rebecca St. James
• Michael W. Smith
• + more........

As your student reads along with his/her bible, the chapters come alive in the ears (and the heart) as it is acted out for them on audio.  The sounds are fantastic, the music dramatic, it is extremely powerful.

We listen to a chapter a day, and we chose to go right in order, from Matthew to Revelation.  But you can certainly listen to whatever you want to fit your lesson plans.  After we listen to a specific chapter, my daughter then asks me questions that came up during her listening and reading.

You can download the whole New Testament right to your computer (our choice), or you can order the discs to be sent to your home. (I have also seen them for sale at Sam's club).  To order to your computer on-line it costs $28.95, to order the set for your home library $32.99.

Also, Word of Promise has a pay it forward program where if you sign up your church, a percentage of what is ordered is then sent to your church, a double blessing.

There are samples of the program on the website, you can also watch a trailer of the Word of Promise project, be sure to watch both before you decide to order.

Sometimes (actually a lot), I am unclear what a particular passage means.  That is when I find my way on-line to "Thru the Bible" with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.  Pastor McGee died over 30 years ago, but his teachings live on through Christian radio, and through the website that is accessed from all over the world.  From the site, you can download Dr. McGee's teachings for free, and then go right to the chapter that you are having problems with, and get an understanding of it from Dr. McGee perspective.

There are many many programs out there for bible study for your home-schooled child, but I wanted to share the two that work very well for us, perhaps they will work well for you also:

Word of Promise Website
Thru the Bible

Game Goo - This website has educational games geared towards younger children. There are three levels - beginners, intermediate, and advanced. This website is colorful and has many funny titles for kids. This site was made by earobics and Houghton Mifflin Company.

Today I spent some time looking for some environment websites to plan a unit for my boys. I hope you enjoy them.

El Nino Theme Page - This website explains the causes of El Nino and La Nina. This is an interesting webpage and it also contains alot of data.

Environmental News Network - This site has the most current news on the enviorment and scientific topics. This is recommended as one of the best environmentmental sites.

Geographia - There are many well written articles about different countries at this sites. This website kind of reminds me of a travel brochure then more of an academic website.

I am not kidding you, my daughter (age 12) begged me to cut loose of the planned curriculum and instead watch another section of "The States" from the History Channel.  I don't mind, it is a really interesting and fun DVD series, that teaches me something new each time, actually a lot of new things.   We are in Vol. 1, pt 3, and the States in this section are: New York, Oregon, Louisiana, New Mexico and Vermont.

By the way, I love the way the DVD skips around the country, it's like getting a surprise each time!  We have come up with some great lesson plan ideas while viewing, and I will suggest some to you as we go through each State.

New York:  The New York segment touches on the Hudson Rivers' importance to the state.  It is also the largest producer of wine on the east coast, reveals how "Uncle Sam" came to be (surprised me!), and explained sky-scrapers and 9-11.  Future lesson plan? 9-11

Oregon:  Oregon the State of "thinkers"  Did you know that in Oregon you cannot pump your own gas?  Oregon is also the first state to okay assisted suicide (I wouldn't brag, but oh well..), and the only inland State attacked by a Japenese plane.  Future lesson plan? The Oregon Trail

Louisiana:  Terry Bradshaw was the celebrity speaker for Louisiana.  Louisiana has more bridges than any other state.  Learn where the Cajun really came from. History on Andrew Jackson and a touching view on Hurricane Katrina and other horrible natural disasters that have hit the State. Our pick for future lesson plan? Update on Katrina victims (my daughter's suggestion)

New Mexico:  Neil Patrick Harris was the celebrity spokesman for this state. New Mexico has more P.h.d.'s than anywhere else in the Country.  History of Billy the Kid and the Manhattan Project are both covered.  Also showcases New Mexico's art community, and a fascinating look at New Mexico's Zozobra, which we will study some time later (we never heard of it!)

Vermont:  The section on Vermont is so pleasant that it makes you want to move there.  Home of the very first patent and Ben and Jerry's ice cream.  Learn why their granite is rated grade A, and all about their maple syrup and snowboarding activities.  Future lesson plan?  Plan a trip to Vermont!!

That's it for this section.  I urge you to add this series to your home-school library, it is so full of history, geography, facts and fiction, and holds your interest the entire time!  Back in a few weeks with more!

Order "The States"

I am so glad it's the weekend so I can finally sit down and update on some new discoveries and current events that have occurred in the last few weeks.  There is some interesting stuff here, hopefully some of it will interest you enough to inspire some new lesson plans for your children:

New Game Builds Vocabulary for Kids - and Adults:  There is a new game in town for your Nintendo DS, it is called "My Word Coach", and it is getting great reviews. It was inspired by a college professor and has six different vocabulary games that also tracks your progress, read about it here:
My Word Coach

Indoor Gardening: Growing your own Vegetables and Herbs Indoors durinig the Winter: This is a fantastic and informative article about how to grow vegetables inside your house during the winter.  It is written with clear direction and really shows you how to get started with little cost. This would make a great home-school family project! (Not to mention fresh vegetables around the house year-long)
Indoor Gardening

Scottish Water Plant Dig reveals ancient Roman Fort:  This is a cool story! When construction workers in Scotland were readying a site for a new treatment plant, they came upon an ancient Roman fort, which is dated 2000 years old. To read about the discovery:
Ancient Roman Fort

Puzzle Pouch and Free Patterns:  If you have a student who likes to sew and if looking for some easy patterns, don't miss this article. The sewing blog at About.com has found some terrific free patterns for a Puzzle Pouch, and don't worry about not having a sewing machine, these can all be done by hand:
Puzzle Pouch and Free Patterns

Fortune Cookie - Made in Japan?:  This is a fun story, it has been discovered that fortune cookies are not Chinese at all, they are Japanese!  Read the story of how one history graduate in Japan discovered this shocking fact:
Fortune Cookies: Made in Japan?

U.S. Scientists Create beating Hearts in Lab:  This was a huge story in the science and medicine world.  A group of scientists created beating hearts in aging rats, they feel that this could lead to some mighty new changes in health-care in the future. Read about the discovery and story:
Beating Hearts in Lab

Sir Edmund Hillary, who first climbed atop Mt. Everest, has died:  Yes, Sir Edmund Hillary died at the age of 88 on January 11, 2008.  This story made me put a note to myself about future lesson plans on Sir Hillary and Mt. Everest in general.  Children will find his story exciting, and his life even more so:
Sir Edmund Hillary dies

On-Line Tangram Puzzle Games:  If your student is into puzzles of any kind, then your student is going to love Tangrams.  Dave at About.com has put together a few sites for you involving Tangrams. Tangrams may look simple enough, but believe me it is not, some of these are wonderfully challenging:
On-Line Tangram Puzzle Games

Tornado Handbook, an Interactive Guide:  You have to love the people over at the Discovery Channel, they are always coming up with some unique learning tools! This is a interactive Tornado handbook, that allows your student to participate in making a tornado, while learning step by step along the way how tornadoes form, you are going to love this!:
Tornado Handbook

New Solar System could Breed Life:  Astronomers are very excited about this one.  The beginning stages of a new solar system have been discovered, and scientists believe that this new solar system could breed life. To read more on this discovery:
New Solar System

Time-Line Greenland:  This is just a great time-line for Greenland that will enhance any study or lesson plan you may be doing on Greenland. Done in chronological order and stacked full of information:
Time-Line Greenland

Civil War Detective Solves Grave Mix-Up:  Imagine that you really really really don't like the neighbors down the street "The Smiths", you are feuding constantly. But then you die and for some strange reason, end up buried in the Smith family plot! Read the story of the Civil War soldier, who really wound up buried in the wrong place, and the person who solved it:
Civil War Grave Mix-Up

Make your own Sock Puppets:  Finally, some hands-on fun for the little ones.  Very good article on making your own sock puppets and a list of materials that you will need to get the project done:
Sock Puppets

Going High-Tech: Geo-caching in the Classroom:  This is one gold-mine of a find for classroom fun with GPS.  This site will help inspire hours of learning and fun using a GPS for your older or advanced students. The blog has several ideas to get you started:
Geo-caching in the Classroom

Volunteers needed to join International Bird-Feeding Study!:  Be part of an international study on bird-feeding.  There are two different programs to choose from. This would be an ideal on-going lesson plan for the entire family, and a chance to be part of something very special and important:
Volunteer for Bird-Feeding Study

That is it for this week, hope you found something new for your home-school curriculum planning!

I love to find amazing talents and outstanding people who have been home-schooled. Christophe Bisciglia is just one of those people.

He was one of those kids in a public school, who just couldn't keep still, kept asking questions, often annoying teachers, he wanted to learn and he wanted to learn now. So he was taken out of public school to be home-schooled, where he found the time to pursue the things that he loved

Not one for ordinary lesson plans, he started raising horses and collecting computers, and this is really where he found his spark.  He learned to hack all his video games, he grew up and attended University of Washington, and at the age of 22 started working for Google.

This is where the Hero part comes in.  Now that he is 27, and still hacking games, he designed a program called Google 101, which became a class at University of Washington that teaches students a new concept called "cloud computing".  The concept hit big, so big that through a partnership with IBM, it will spread to other Universities.

To learn more on cloud computing click here:  Cloud Computing

Christophe Bisciglia is making his mark in the world, and that is why he is a Home-school Hero.....

Music is important and children need to learn music to be well-rounded. You can teach your child music appreciation and music history or how to play an actual instrument or how to sing. Kids love to learn about music and teaching your child will foster a life long love of music. If you homeschool your child, then you need to take a look at some of the following music curriculum.

Stories of the Great Composers: This book and compact disc is appropriate for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. This series takes a look at 12 famous composers, their life, a story about the composer, a list of three important compositions and a question and answer page about each composer. This set can be used with all ages and is easy to read and follow.

Meet the Great Composers: There are two books in this series, which takes a look at famous composers throughout history. This set is appropriate for children in 3^rd through 9^th grade. The series shows students important facts about the composer, a story about the composer’s life, interesting facts and activity sheets. In addition, each set comes with a CD with music samples. All activity sheets are reproducible so you can use the set over and over again.

Silver Burdett - Making Music: This series has a book for each grade level. Each book has a complete list of activities and learning activities that will teach children about the history of music, music awareness and music literacy. Each set comes complete with several books, music CDs and other extras, such as hand puppets for the pre-k series. This curriculum series is a bit more expensive than other programs, but it offers a complete music learning experience for homeschoolers.

Pheiffer House Music: This is specially designed with homeschoolers in mind and for parents looking for a Christian approach to teaching music. Sets are available for kindergarten, first, second, third and fourth through sixth. You can even order the entire set for a discount price. The goal of this music curriculum is to enable anyone, even those without musical experience to teach children about music. Each set comes with a detailed booklet and a CD as well as worksheets and flashcards. The CD contains lessons to teach pitch, rhythm and fun songs appropriate for each age level.

Sing N Learn: This company has many books and instruction sets that can be used with homeschooled children of all ages and skill levels. One of the most popular choices if the Classical Kid’s Collection Pack that includes educational information on famous composers such as Bach, Vivaldi, Beethoven, and Mozart. Each unit features detailed information about each composer along with questions about each one and has integrated curriculum to combine music with social studies, creative writing and other subjects.

Essentials of Music Theory: This is a complete set where you can pick and choose the books and CDs you are interested in using. This set is perfect for children that want to not only learn about music appreciation, but also has a keen interest in learning musical theory as well. Choose from books, compact discs and even software that all work together to teach your child all about music. Even if you have very little music experience, you can use this series at home.

   Tomorrow is Michigan's primary and I must say that it has been years since I have seen so much interest in politics and the process of electing our public officials. Maybe it is due to the fact that Michigan is undergoing a one state recession and losing jobs and businesses at an alarming rate.
   Our oldest will be eligible to vote in this November's election and we have been learning a lot about politics and the process of electing our state and federal officials. There are many interesting articles and forums featuring information on all of the candidates, and of course since several of them are busy campaigning in the State there have been various occasions to participate in rallies.
   We are open to debating facts within our family regarding candidates but we have 3 rules we all agree to follow:
1) ALWAYS VOTE! This is a privilege, not an option.
2) No negative or smear remarks. Do your research and provide just the facts.
3) Vote your conscious, vote for who YOU feel would be the best for the position (whether it is a local school board election, or the Presidential election), do not be swayed by family or friends.
  It will be an interesting day tomorrow, we will be watching the polls closely to see how this primary stacks up against past primaries. Romney and McCain are in a statistical dead heat currently, but McCain won this state back in 2000 and still has a large group of followers and several big name endorsements.
   12 hours until the polls open, like the boys are so fond of saying: "Let the games begin!"

Valentine’s Day has long been a day when people show their love and affection towards their family and friends. What better way to teach children about this unconditional love than by giving your child and her friends a Valentine’s Day party? Here are some suggestions and party ideas that are easy and fun for the kids.

Valentine's Day Crafts

Valentine’s Tic-Tac-Toe

This is a craft and game all in one. Start by giving each child a large heart cut out of craft foam. On one side, draw a tic-tac-toe grid in permanent marker. Allow the children to decorate the other side with foam or felt hearts (you can cut out your own and use glue dots or glue sticks or purchase them already ready to use at a craft store). Place eight hearts of the same color (two colors, such as eight red hearts and eight purple hearts) inside a baggie. These will be the markers for the game. Punch a hole at the top of the heart and thread a ribbon through it and tie the bag of markers on to the bag.

Heart Art

Your kids can make a cute heart to give as a gift. Find a box with tall sides. Place a sheet of pink construction paper inside the box. Pick out a couple of colors of tempra paint such as red and white and place a small amount of each in a paper plate. Drop a large marble in each color and coat it with paint using a plastic spoon. Scoop the marbles out of the paint and drop into the box. Have the children tilt the box in all different directions, allowing the marbles to roll around the box. It will create an interesting look on the paper. When the paint is dry, cut it into a heart shape.

Games

Valentine is the Word

When each child enters the room, place six small heart stickers on their shirt. Inform them that the magic word of the day is “Valentine”, (you can also use love, heart or any other Valentine related word). This is the word they must not be caught saying. If they hear another child say the magic word throughout the day, they are allowed to take one sticker. The child that has the most stickers at the end of the party wins.

Heart Scavenger Hunt

Cut out several hearts out of construction paper and hide them throughout the room. Give the kids a certain amount of time to find as many as they can. This may take longer with younger kids.

Fun Mathematics Lessons - This website was created by Cynthia Lanius. The math lessons she has created are very well organized. Lessons include geometry, transformations and more.

Fun With Numbers - This site is interesting in it's own little way. Alot of things you probably wouldn't want to take the time to figure out on your own such as the first 28,915  odd prime numbers, the first 1058 powers of 2, and more. 

Geometry Center -  This site contains alot of information about geometry as well as colorful graphics. A couple of the features at this website are triangle tilings and polyhedra.

Gordon's Games - This site offeres hundreds of mathematical challenges for the grades K - 3. You can print the pages for free or you can order the booklets for a small cost.

I live in Michigan, I love the winter.  I love the snow, ice, ice-fishing, skating, skiing and sledding.  I have no patience for people who live in cold states, complaining about the cold and snow.....get up and have some fun!

My theory is, you do not enjoy winter because you don't participate in any winter sports, or fun.  But even us snow lovers tend to get a little to cozy inside once Winter has been around for awhile, so time to try something new.

Build an ice-rink as a family.  If you don't know how to skate, perfect!  What better way is there to learn something than in the privacy of your own backyard?  This is a big project, don't leave it to dad, all will have fun participating in the building and maintaining of your ice rink:

Directions for Ice Rink #1
Directions for Ice Rink #2

Take some time off of your daily home-schooling schedule to get the hands on experiences of these projects, your children will learn to love the winter (you will too).

As you are waiting for that ice to form, on to your next project, which is also family geared, build yourself an igloo.  It really is not as complicated as it sounds, and it doesn't need to be perfect, just steady!  Not to mention a cozy little retreat to hide in for awhile:

Igloo Making #1
Igloo Making #2

Now isn't this beginning to sound a lot more fun than pre-algebra?  The next project is making an ice lantern.  If you have never seen one, then you are in for a treat.  You may even want to keep in mind this project come next Christmas and have some waiting for your visitors during the Christmas holidays.  Expect a lot of "ooohs" and "ahhhs" not only from your guests, but from your children who will build these along with you.

Snow Lantern #1
Snow Lantern #2

This video is about homeschooling and games and how it can help your child learn.

 

Many homeschoolers enjoy the benefits of using Microsoft Office.  Between Power Point, Excel, and Microsoft Word there are numerous activities, lessons, charts, graphs, and displays that can easily be created and used with your curriculum.  However, not everyone has Microsoft Office, or the featured word processor, Microsoft Word.

For those who feel that they have been missing out on numerous resources because they don’t have Microsoft Office, help is on the way.  There is a free word processor that is compatible with Microsoft Word documents and will even save your documents in PDF format if you choose.  The program is called, “Open Office.” You can download and install Open Office online and choose it as your main word processor.

 

When you want to open a Microsoft Word document, simply click on the file and Open Office will open it for you.  If you create a document in Open Office, you can choose to save it as a Word document, or even export it to a pdf file.  There are numerous formats available for saving your documents as well.

 

Open Office is “open source” software.  This enables it to be free of charge and also allows different programmers to create their own programs to enhance the software.  These programs are called “extensions” and can be downloaded free of charge as well.  A great place to find Open Office extensions can be found here: Open Office Extensions

You’ll find that once you download Open Office that it is very simple to use.