Virtual Tour of the Solar System

Bigkidscience.com presents a Virtual Tour of the Solar System.

Enjoy!

November 20, 2008 | Filed Under Home education, Resources, Science | Comments Off 

How do we combat the prevailing fear?

I’ve received several alerts since the Presidential campaign began warning that homeschooling was going to end as we know it if the country voted a certain way.   It seems that I’ve read similar alerts during and after many elections over the years.

There has also been a great deal in the news that could scare the hardiest of souls.   For two years we’ve heard the fear mongering from many different political campaigns.  The scare tactics continued  as the candidates slowly dwindled to the final choices we were presented with.

Many of us know all too well that  some of those alarms are based in reality.  All summer we’ve heard that credit has dried up, businesses are dropping left and right, jobs are lost, retirement funds are dwindling, doctors are thinking of leaving their practices, people are losing their homes and more.  I live in the rust belt, so a lot of what has come to the surface has been happening in our area for a while.    So what do we do with this fear that is growing due to these dire circumstances?  I can only speak for myself and know from personally dealing with difficulties, I take life one day at a time.    Under some extremely horrific circumstances, I have taken it one minute at a time, but I do know that the more informed I have been, the less consuming the fear has been.   Often the fear of the unknown is the most unsettling of all.   Assisting  those who are facing frightening circumstances often helps to lessen their fear and empower those helping them.     My philosophy tends to be to believe for the best, but be prepared for the worst. This helps us to do the best we can and live as simply as we are able.

Looking at the homeschool alarms from some who continue to claim that the President elect will end homeschooling as we know it reminds me of similar warnings I’ve read after most elections.    I do believe that we need to remain vigilant, that we should always be on  watch to ensure our rights are not taken, but I do  believe that we must investigate the threats ourselves to see if they are substantial or exaggerated.

With that said, I am concerned at how some churches and religious groups have reacted this time around.   It seems the fears that they were facing before the election are growing and I am worried that their fears will continue to divide us rather than unite us.  For example,  I don’t ever recall churches proclaiming  that if you voted a certain way you were no longer or couldn’t ever have been a member of a certain faith?  Nor do I recall church members being told they could not partake in that churches communion if you voted for a particular person, but I have been reading about both these scenarios since the election.   I don’t understand these actions as they don’t seem to line up with what my King James Bible says to do concerning our elected officials.  It reads:

1 Timothy 2:1, 2

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

Again, I’m a pretty simple person.  I want to live a peaceable life with my family.  I  believe that light dispels darkness and that love overcomes fear.   I believe the challenges our country is facing  are bi-partisan and would have continued no matter who was elected.    My simple mind keeps telling me that we need a lot more love and a lot less fear to get us through these tough times.

November 19, 2008 | Filed Under Empowerment, Fundamental Right, Home education | 3 Comments 

U.S. History – Colonial Challenge!

Try to reach $1,000,000! Answer a range of easy to difficult questions and test your knowledge of early US history!

US History – Colonial Challenge!

November 19, 2008 | Filed Under Games, Home education, Resources | Comments Off 

The Roald Dahl Funny Prize

This exciting new prize has two categories –

The Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under
The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen.

The Roald Dahl Funny Prize aims to:

> promote laughter and humour as a feel-good factor when reading, by encouraging families to read together and discover the pleasure of humorous (funny) books. This in turn will reinforce the message that reading together promotes family well-being.

>draw attention to funny books as readable and enjoyable books. We hope that the prize will enable these books to gain a profile that makes them more accessible to children and young people. The prize will work to achieve this through a range of activities supported by libraries, teachers and parents.

>reward and encourage authors (and illustrators) who write and illustrate books using humour in their stories, poetry and fiction. By creating these awards we hope to promote a vibrant area of publishing often overlooked by other awards.

Check it out:

The Roald Dahl Funny Prize

November 18, 2008 | Filed Under Good Reads, Home education, Resources | Comments Off 

Introduction to Algebra

This Introduction to Algebra can be found at Math is Fun.  The site explains that algebra is a puzzle and starts you on the way to solving that puzzle here.

November 17, 2008 | Filed Under Home education, Math, Resources | Comments Off 

Lapbooks

This  video offers some great examples of a Lapbook and how to put one together.

Lapbook Fever! A personalized visual book!

Here are a few more resources that I found on the net:

November 16, 2008 | Filed Under Home education, Podcasts and Videos, Resources | 2 Comments 

Thanksgiving Recipes from America’s Past

The Pilgrim Hall Museum offers these recipes from American History.

Thanksgiving Recipes from America’s Past

November 15, 2008 | Filed Under History, Home education, Resources | Comments Off 

Sailship

This printable sailship model from Canon is just one of  many paper models they offer at their site.

Canon papercraft

November 14, 2008 | Filed Under Fine Arts and Crafts, Home education, Resources | Comments Off 

National Museum of the U.S. Airforce Press Release

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

Public Affairs Division, 1100 Spaatz St., Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-7102

(937) 255-4704  www.nationalmuseum.af.mil

On the Radar

Nov. 12-25, 2008

Celebrate 10 years of the International Space Station during Family Day

Nov. 15

10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the International Space Station (ISS) during Family Day with space-related activities and presentations. Also, enjoy the IMAX movie “Space Station” at a discounted price at 11 a.m. More information is available at http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/education/family/index.asp.

Media contact: Sarah Parke, (937) 255-1376, sarah.parke@us.af.mil

Note: Media interested in attending this event must contact the Public Affairs Division in advance.

Learn about the challenges of unmanned aircraft

Nov. 19

7:30 p.m.

Sean “Skipper” Moulton will delve into unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from a warfighter’s perspective during his presentation “Challenges of the Next Generation Unmanned Aircraft System” on Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. More information is available at http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123122484.

Media contact: Sarah Parke, (937) 255-1376, sarah.parke@us.af.mil

Note: Media interested in attending this event must contact the Public Affairs Division in advance.

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November 14, 2008 | Filed Under Resources | 1 Comment 

Out of this world Thanksgiving

NASA offers us a glimpse at Thanksgiving in outerspace here.

You can track the Space Station Thanksgiving or any other day via Nasa’s Station Sightings.     I love going out on a clear night, looking at the stars and then seeing the space station travel overhead.

We live near an airport, so much of the night sky is hidden by its lights, but we have many areas a few miles from us that we visit so that the night sky opens up to us in all its glory.

Space shuttle Endeavour’s seven astronauts will are scheduled to launch tomorrow, November 14th.  They will  spend Thanksgiving in space.  You can learn more about their mission from NASA. Also, I downloaded their STS -126 Press kit that offered some great insight as well.

November 13, 2008 | Filed Under Home education, Resources, Science | Comments Off 

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