The best
homeschooling information
from the friendliest folks in the Rocky Mountain
region!
Learning Fun!
Homeschooling is all about choice, freedom and FUN!
Textbooks are good, but they're not the be-all and
end-all of learning. Education is everywhere, in
everything we do, and it's to be enjoyed! (Is that an
odd thought? Ah boy, you need to hang around me more.)
I'll be posting more smiles in here as soon as I
conquer RapidWeaver and continue to unearth
all these treasures in my office. Meanwhile, here
are a few nifty adventures to get you started.
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
- William Butler Yeats
Art
Awesome Games
This is Art, and then some. Have the kids create their own bookmark or doorknob sign, play 10 different categories of Word Search, play an animal-footprint detective, or put puzzles of continents together. Oh yeah, and maybe take up French while they're there, too. And, watch out for that leaf!
Clip Art
Boy, if you ever need clip for any project, this is the place. Print and use these for drawing lessons or for discovering something new - like the Braille alphabet!
You Draw
In September 1999 world population reached 6 billion... What is 6 billion?
6 billion is such a big number no one can really imagine what it represents.
This unusual exhibition encourages you to draw online with your mouse, make an e-card, submit your artistry, and maybe, just maybe, get those 15 minutes of fame. (Requires Java.)
Brain Games
Color Test
Are your right brain and left brain working together? Find out for sure! This one was just too funny to pass up. (And you should see how many times I lost. And how many times I played. Sheesh.)
Communication (English / Language Arts)
The Misadventures of Foot In Mouth Man
You know those days everything you say just seems to come out wrong?
This is a fruit. I found it when I
was searching for the RMEC website template. Only
one person, Nancy in Colorado Springs has figured
it out. Can you? One hint: think of something that
you chew. If you need more hints, email Nancy.
The Way Back Machine
Do you remember something on the internet that doesn't exist anymore? Your favorite magazine, cartoon, news story or music that was once in cyberspace, but has since gone the way of glam-rock and computers the size of your living room? Visit Way Back and see if you can find the old website for it. And just think, an added bonus! You get to reminisce about the good old days, while your kids roll their eyes at you. Parenting at its finest!
Kidlet Warning: This site is not rated G.
The Moonlit Road
Moonlit Road has ghost stories and strange folktales of the American South that you can read or listen to online. Follow the "cultural background" links in each story to find out more about where each one originated. Kinda spooky, but fun! (History's very cool in real life!)
Math, Programming, Graphic Design
Open Web Design
Do you have a budding web designer in your house? (Yes? They are welcome to come help me anytime.) Open Web Design features free CSS web templates made to verified or strict XHTML standards to comply with w3 guidlines, by graphic artists and programmers all over the world. Have no clue what I just said? Let your household's web guru take the reins for awhile and teach you! Remember the old adage: You never truly understand a thing until you teach it.
OWD templates can be used as is, or modified to suit your needs. Want to see what this RMEC website looked like originally?
Your child can browse for inspiration and/or enter their own designs into the ongoing contests! Maybe their web template will be downloaded and used on websites all over the world, and someday I can say "I knew 'em when!"
Hey, it happens. I saw two different teenagers that had uploaded one template each to showcase their work and entice new customers to their businesses.