Homeschool Campfire

I found a great website for science:  glogerm.com.  We bought the mini-germ kit and had fun experimenting today.  The kids learned that their “basic” handwashing method really does not get their hands clean.  It was great!  Their faces were hiliarious!  The stuff really worked.  Try it out!

Mine are too old for this now, but I sure wish I knew about these when they were younger. These sites have great handwriting pages you can print out to use.

http://donnayoung.org/penmanship/index.htm

(http://www.writingwizard.longcountdown.com/handwriting_practice_worksheet_maker\
.html)

http://www.handwritingforkids.com/handwrite/

http://www.kidzone.ws/tracers/

http://worksheetworks.com/

http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/

Do you remember the old radio shows? I love these. They are so “clean” as compared to what our children seem to be exposed to today. My kids have loved them! They publish a free one each week. Of course, you can purchase them too if you just can’t wait. They have a Premium service you can purchase that allows you access to learning guides and much more. I have had no trouble uploading the files onto my iPod to make it easier for us to enjoy on the road. I know your kids are going to love them as much as we do.

http://www.homeschoolradioshows.com/

My husband found these on the web.  He loves to use them.  They really can help to keep you organized, plus they are GREAT as additions to lapbooks.  Check them out:  http://www.pocketmod.com/

Just wanted to share that I was able to get this FREE download of a study guide to accompany The Diary of Anne Frank book. I’ve already downloaded it, and it is detailed with lots of info to supplement the reading of the book.
http://www.currclick.com/index.php?affiliate_id=436

You do have to create an account with your name, e-mail address, and create a password. But it is FREE to download.

Hi! One of the websites I subscribe to has a great science unit for free that you can download. It is great for lower elementary aged children. For those who lapbook, it will be a great addition to your science lapbooks. Go to http://www.schoolexpress.com/newsletter4m7h.php and just scroll down to the very bottom. Thanks!

Thanks to someone posting a message on another homeschool group, I have been introduced to lap books. They are great and I can’t wait to start working on one tomorrow. Basically, you start with 3 manilla folders and build out a book with it. Then, you glue your daily lessons into the book - kindda like a scrapbook, but so much better. The 2 main sites that I highly recommend are: www.liveandlearnpress.com and www.homeschoolinthewoods.com. At www.liveandlearnpress.com, they offer 3 free downloadable lapbooks. You have to join their yahoo group first to gain access, but the yahoo group is slamful of lots of ideas. At www.homeschoolinthewoods.com, they offer the BEST old testament lap book. I ordered it instantly and I can’t wait til it gets here. They also offer what looks like a GREAT time-line kits. I was so excited that I wanted to order it all. Enjoy and have fun! Let me know if you like them as much as I do!!

I found a great website with lots of wonderful ideas: GreatSchools.net. If you click on the Back to School link, you will see a section on the right-hand side about newsletter subscriptions. These are great for keeping track of what your child should be learning from kindergarten up to the fifth grade. I subscribed to them last year and have been rather impressed with the newsletter. It is written from a view point of the public schools to the parents. For example, the one I received today was titled, “What Will My Fifth-Grader Learn in Writing?” I used the newsletters as a gauge to make sure I covered what needed to be taught during the school year. The rest of the website is full of lots of great tips and ideas too.