Homeschooling- Clickschooling (Science and Reading) January 3, 2008
Welcome to the latest addition to clickschooling!
The first site is The Canada Science & Technology Museum provides this terrific resource that
enables your kids (students) to investigate the mechanical principles of
simple machines, and discover their numerous applications while developing
an understanding of the relationship between work, force, and energy.
When you get to the site, don’t be deceived by the lackluster menu. Simply
click on the items and you’ll be rewarded with great information,
illustrations, explanations, lessons, activities, and resources for further
learning. The menu items include:
*Background Information — A great Q&A about simple machines. Read it with
the kids and it might result in some interesting conversations.
*Simple Machines Lesson Plans — Designed for classroom teachers, these
“lessons” are really simple suggestions for activities that reinforce
learning about simple machines. You can easily adjust them for the
homeschool environment.
*Simple Machines Student Activity — This is where MaryAnna found the
instructions for how to make a pulley. You’ll also find a couple of
printable worksheets to identify simple machines (that could also be used
for coloring). 
*Relevant Websites: Three links to terrific sites about simple machines
with more info and activities that includes:
And don’t forget The Franklin Institute: Simple Machines
http://sln.fi.edu/qa97/spotlight3/spotlight3.html
The next site is Reading is Fundamental: Reading Planet
http://www.rif.org/readingplanet/
Age Range: 6-15 (See info about program for ages 0-5 below)
“Reading is Fundamental” (RIF) is the largest children’s literacy
organization in the United States. They sponsor this website with all kinds
of games and activities to encourage reading among children 6-15. When you
get to the site, you have the option of registration (it’s free - you just
need a “login name,” birthdate, and email address). “Registration” means
that you can track the books you read online to be eligible to receive
prizes for participation in the monthly “sound off” question — and you can
also receive updates by email, etc. Registration is completely optional and
you can enjoy all of the rest of this website without doing it.
Here’s what you will find on the menu:
*Activity Lab: Here you find information about ongoing contests. You can
also select a story to print and illustrate (and
learn about making books), print out a bookplate to personalize the books in
your home library, get some free clip art for projects, and even print out
an activity calendar with literacy ideas for each day of the month! There’s
also an interactive coloring book here. And if you want even more
activities, select your age range and a category in the search box at the
right. You’ll be amazed at the wealth of choices available!
*Game Station: There are some excellent choices in the left-hand column,
including Poetry Splatter (fill in the blanks to create a poem), Writer’s
Block (many kids contribute to a story, then read the final result; past
collaborative stories can also be viewed here), and Super Sorter (answer
some questions about your preferences and get a fun description of your
personality together with a list of recommended books to print and take to
the library. (Note: some of the questions assume that everyone attends
school outside of the home; if you don’t, just re-word the questions
slightly. For example, “If you had to attend public school, would you prefer
to walk alone, ride a bus with friends, be dropped off by a parent, walk
with a buddy, or ride your bike?”) There are quite a few more games here,
including a word search, some word puzzles, a personalized story builder and
more. Many of the games are available in Spanish too. Only one game requires
“membership” (registration) .
*Book Zone: This is a database of over 1800 recommended titles with
descriptions. If you just input your age, you will end up with quite a long
list. You can narrow your search by selecting a category, or by inputting a
particular author or title. Registered users can select titles and add them
to their own personalized reading list.
Parents and teachers might like to click the tiny link at the very top right
corner, which leads to the main RIF website containing parent and teacher
helps.
One more thing… RIF has a new website called “Leading To Reading” designed
to help parents and educators encourage a love of reading with very young
children ages 0-5. You’ll find nursery rhymes, lullabies, stories, computer
games, activities and more that encourage the development of “reading
readiness” skills. Here’s the direct link:
http://www.rif.%20org/leadingtorea%20ding/
Have fun learning!!
Do you have any good learning sites? Leave me a comment with the link to it in there. I am always on the hunt for cool places to learn from.
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