Διδάσκοντας ιστορία μέσω του google maps

Detailed Instuctions click on the title


Η διδασκαλία της Ιστορίας στο σχολείο, αλλά και η γενικότερη παρουσία της στο δημόσιο λόγο, προκαλεί συζητήσεις, ακόμη και οξείες αντιπαραθέσεις. Οι αφηγήσεις για τα ίδια γεγονότα, σε διαφορετικές χώρες ή ακόμα και στην ίδια χώρα αλλά σε διαφορετικές χρονικές περιόδους, είναι συχνά πολύ διαφορετικές. Εξάλλου, νέες προσεγγίσεις των ιστορικών συχνά προσκρούουν σε σχολικά στερεότυπα που η κοινωνία δεν είναι έτοιμη να αφήσει πίσω. Είναι όμως δυνατή μια ιστορική αφήγηση γενικά αποδεκτή; Και τι αποτέλεσμα είχαν συμφιλιωτικές προσπάθειες, όπως αυτή του κοινού γαλλογερμανικού σχολικού εγχειριδίου για τα γεγονότα του Β΄ Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου;
Η εκδήλωση εντάσσεται στον κύκλο Η αφήγηση της Ιστορίας και η διδασκαλία της ως ιστορικά φαινόμενα που φιλοδοξεί να αναδείξει κρίσιμα ζητήματα όπως η διαμόρφωση της συλλογικής συνείδησης μέσα από την αντιμετώπιση του μαθήματος της Ιστορίας στο σχολείο και μέσα από τη δημόσια συζήτηση για θέματα ιστορίας, ή το ζήτημα της διάστασης που συχνά παρατηρείται ανάμεσα στην Ιστορία των ειδικών ιστορικών και την «επίσημη» σχολική εκδοχή της ιστορίας αλλά και τη δημόσια ιστορία γενικότερα. Ακόμα, το πώς πολιτικοί στόχοι και γενικότερες κοινωνικές τάσεις μιας εποχής επηρεάζουν τον τρόπο διδασκαλίας της Ιστορίας.
Ομιλητές:
Κώστας Αγγελάκος: Επίκουρος Καθηγητής Παιδαγωγικών στο Τμήμα Ιστορίας του Ιονίου Πανεπιστημίου, Διευθυντής του περιοδικού Νέα Παιδεία
Corine Defrance: Iστορικός/ερευνήτρια στο Γαλλικό Κρατικό Κέντρο Επιστημονικής Έρευνας (CNRS, IRICE, Paris), επισκέπτρια καθηγήτρια στο Freie Universität του Βερολίνου
Γιώργος Κόκκινος: Καθηγητής Ιστορίας και Διδακτικής της Ιστορίας στο Πανεπιστήμιο Αιγαίου
Αναστάσιος-Ιωάννης Μεταξάς: Ομότιμος Καθηγητής Πολιτικής Επιστήμης και Πρόεδρος Επιστημονικού Συμβουλίου του Εργαστηρίου Πολιτικής του Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών
Συντονιστής:
Ευάνθης Χατζηβασιλείου: Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής στο Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας του Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών




Πηγη:
http://blogs.sch.gr/tgiakoum/

ΑΣΦΑΛΗΣ ΧΡΗΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΔΙΑΔΙΚΤΥΟΥ

Προφίλ σε ιστοχώρους κοινωνικής δικτύωσης από το νηπιαγωγείο (01/10/2011)

Ένα έως δύο στα 10 παιδιά σε ποσοστό 14% των νηπιαγωγείων της χώρας μας έχει ήδη προφίλ σε κάποιον ιστοχώρο κοινωνικής δικτύωσης. Αυτό ανέδειξε κλειστή έρευνα μέσω διαδικτυακού ερωτηματολογίου που πραγματοποίησε η Δράση Ενημέρωσης Saferinternet.gr του Ελληνικού Κέντρου Ασφαλούς Διαδικτύου την περίοδο 10/5/2011 έως 25/9/2011 με αποδέκτες τους εκπαιδευτικούς όλων των βαθμίδων εκπαίδευσης, με την πολύτιμη συμβολή και συνεργασία του Πανελλήνιου Σχολικού Δικτύου. Στην έρευνα ανταποκρίθηκαν 2.319 εκπαιδευτικοί από όλη την Ελλάδα.
 
Τα κυριότερα αποτελέσματα της έρευνας σε σχέση με τη χρήση διαδραστικών τεχνολογιών από τους μαθητές είναι τα εξής:

Νηπιαγωγείο: 

• Στην πλειοψηφία των νηπιαγωγείων (76%) τουλάχιστον 1 στα 10 νήπια χρησιμοποιεί το Διαδίκτυο εκτός σχολείου. Σε 1 από τα 4 νηπιαγωγεία, 3 στα 10 νήπια χρησιμοποιούν το Διαδίκτυο, ενώ σε 1 στα 10 νηπιαγωγεία το ποσοστό των νηπίων που κάνουν χρήση του Διαδικτύου εκτός σχολείου σκαρφαλώνει στο 50%.
• Στο 10% των νηπιαγωγείων, 1 στα 10 νήπια έχει δικό του κινητό τηλέφωνο.
• Στο 14% των νηπιαγωγείων, 1-2 στα 10 νήπια έχουν ήδη προφίλ σε κάποιο ιστοχώρο κοινωνικής δικτύωσης.

Δημοτικό:

• Σε περισσότερα από τα μισά δημοτικά (56%), τουλάχιστον 5 στα 10 παιδιά χρησιμοποιούν το Διαδίκτυο εκτός σχολείου, σε ποσοστό δε 19% επί του συνόλου των δημοτικών που απάντησαν στο ερωτηματολόγιο, τα παιδιά που χρησιμοποιούν το Διαδίκτυο εκτός σχολείου είναι από 8 έως 10 στα 10.
• Σε 3 στα 10 δημοτικά σχολεία, τουλάχιστον οι μισοί μαθητές έχουν δικό τους κινητό τηλέφωνο,  με τα μισά από τα δημοτικά αυτά να ενημερώνουν για χρήση κινητού από τους μαθητές σε ποσοστά 80-90%.
• Σε 2 στα 10 δημοτικά σχολεία, τουλάχιστον οι μισοί μαθητές έχουν προφίλ σε κάποιο ιστοχώρο κοινωνικής δικτύωσης / προφίλ στο Facebook. Επί συνόλου των δημοτικών που απάντησαν στο ερωτηματολόγιο 1,5 στα 10 παιδιά έχει ήδη ένα τέτοιο προφίλ.

Γυμνάσιο / Λύκειο:

• Επί του συνόλου των γυμνασίων / λυκείων της χώρας που απάντησαν στο ερωτηματολόγιο: 8,8 στους 10 μαθητές χρησιμοποιούν το Διαδίκτυο εκτός σχολείου.
• Σε σχεδόν τα μισά από τα σχολεία αυτά (47%) όλοι οι μαθητές έχουν δικό τους κινητό τηλέφωνο και σε περαιτέρω ποσοστό 40%, 9 στους 10 μαθητές διαθέτουν κινητό. Επί της συντριπτικής πλειοψηφίας των σχολείων (97%), 7-10 μαθητές διαθέτουν δικό τους κινητό τηλέφωνο.
• Στα 6 στα 10 γυμνάσια / λύκεια της χώρας, τουλάχιστον 7 στους 10 μαθητές έχουν προφίλ σε κάποιο ιστοχώρο κοινωνικής δικτύωσης, σε δε ποσοστό 73% των σχολείων, κατά μέσο όρο 6,7 στους 10 μαθητές έχουν προφίλ στο Facebook.

Τα παραπάνω στοιχεία καταδεικνύουν την άμεση ανάγκη να ασχοληθούν οι κηδεμόνες των ανήλικων χρηστών με τις διαδραστικές τεχνολογίες, έτσι ώστε γνωρίζουν τα οφέλη και τους δυνάμενους κινδύνους τους και να κατανοήσουν τους λόγους που ωθούν τους ανήλικους χρήστες από τόσο μικρή ηλικία στη χρήση του Διαδικτύου.

Είναι δε πολύ σημαντικό να θέσουν οι γονείς προς τα παιδιά τους όρια χρήσης αυτών των τεχνολογιών από μικρή ηλικία, σεβόμενοι τους όρους πρόσβασης κάθε online υπηρεσίας, και εξηγώντας με σαφήνεια το τι επιτρέπεται και τι όχι, κάνοντας έτσι το Διαδίκτυο οικογενειακή υπόθεση. Ζητήματα όπως η χρήση  ιστοχώρων κοινωνικής δικτύωσης (π.χ. Facebook) από ανήλικους χρήστες κάτω των 13 ετών – που απαγορεύεται ρητά από τον ίδιο τον ιστοχώρο – πρέπει άμεσα να απασχολήσουν τους γονείς.

Επίσης, είναι πολύ σημαντικό να βοηθηθούν και να ενδυναμωθούν οι εκπαιδευτικοί, έτσι ώστε μέσα από εξειδικευμένες μαθησιακές δραστηριότητες να συμβάλουν στην ανάπτυξη της κριτικής ικανότητας των μαθητών και στη σωστή συμπεριφορά στους εικονικούς κόσμους.


Προσοχή σε μήνυμα-απάτη με υποτιθέμενο αποστολέα το Υπουργείο Οικονομικών (18/10/2011)

Εφιστούμε την προσοχή στους χρήστες του Διαδικτύου, ειδικά σε αυτούς που έκαναν την φορολογική τους δήλωση μέσω Διαδικτύου, καθώς ενδέχεται αυτές τις ημέρες να φτάσει στο ηλεκτρονικό τους ταχυδρομείο μήνυμα-απάτη που φαίνεται πως προέρχεται από το Υπουργείο Οικονομικών. Στο μήνυμα περιλαμβάνεται το λογότυπο του Υπουργείου, το δε κείμενο είναι στα Ελληνικά, καθιστώντας το απατηλό μήνυμα αρκετά αληθοφανές. Ειδικότερα, ο παραλήπτης ενημερώνεται ότι δικαιούται κάποιο ποσό ως επιστροφή φόρου και για να το παραλάβει άμεσα θα πρέπει να συμπληρώσει τα στοιχεία του στην ηλεκτρονική φόρμα που του δίδεται.

Εκεί, ζητούνται τα προσωπικά δεδομένα του παραλήπτη (ονοματεπώνυμο, διεύθυνση κατοικίας, ΑΦΜ, κ.α.), στοιχεία πρόσβασης σε τραπεζικό λογαριασμό (όνομα χρήστη-userid και συνθηματικό-password), καθώς και όλα τα στοιχεία της πιστωτικής του κάρτας!

Σε περίπτωση που λάβετε ένα τέτοιο μήνυμα, ή αντίστοιχα μηνύματα από τράπεζες και άλλους οργανισμούς στα οποία σας ζητούν να συμπληρώσετε στοιχεία σας για να λάβετε κάποιο χρηματικό ποσό, σκεφθείτε:

• Κανένας σοβαρός και αξιόπιστος οργανισμός ή εταιρεία δεν χρησιμοποιεί το ηλεκτρονικό ταχυδρομείο για τέτοιου είδους υποθέσεις.
• Μην απαντάτε ποτέ σε τέτοιου είδους μηνύματα. Το καλύτερο που μπορείτε να κάνετε είναι να τα διαγράψετε και να ενημερώσετε την εταιρεία ή τον οργανισμό που εμφανίζεται ως αποστολέας για το περιστατικό.
• Μην συμπληρώνετε διαδικτυακές φόρμες στο Διαδίκτυο χωρίς να έχετε διαβάσει κάποιο κείμενο (όροι χρήσης/ πολιτική απορρήτου) που να προσδιορίζει τον τρόπο που θα χρησιμοποιηθούν τα στοιχεία που θα καταχωρίσετε.

Ανακτείστε τον έλεγχο του λογαριασμού σας στο Facebook σε περίπτωση παραβίασης (10/09/2011)

Εάν υποπτεύεστε ότι ο λογαριασμός σας στο Facebook έχει παραβιαστεί, π.χ. βλέπετε δημοσιεύσεις στον τοίχο σας που δεν έχετε δημιουργήσει εσείς, λαμβάνετε απαντήσεις σε μηνύματα που δεν έχετε στείλει, 
τότε πρέπει άμεσα να αλλάξετε τον κωδικό πρόσβασής σας. 

Σίγουρα ο λογαριασμός σας έχει παραβιαστεί, όταν δεν μπορείτε πια να έχετε πρόσβαση στο προφίλ σας, γιατί δεν δουλεύει ο κωδικός σας. Αυτό συμβαίνει γιατί το άτομο που τον παραβίασε άλλαξε τον κωδικό πρόσβασης, με συνέπεια να μην μπορείτε να μεταβείτε πια στο προφίλ σας, ούτε φυσικά να αλλάξετε τον κωδικό αυτό, γιατί δεν τον γνωρίζετε.

Τι κάνετε σε μια τέτοια περίπτωση; Πηγαίνετε αμέσως στη διεύθυνση http://www.facebook.com/hacked όπου ενημερώνετε το Facebook ότι ο λογαριασμός σας έχει παραβιαστεί. Το Facebook θα σας ζητήσει κάποια συγκεκριμένα στοιχεία για να επαληθεύσει την ταυτότητά σας, και θα σας βοηθήσει να ανακτήσετε τον έλεγχο του λογαριασμού σας. 

Αναφορά προσβολής / παρενόχλησης / απαράδεκτου υλικού στο Facebook (11/08/2011)

Εάν πέσει στην αντίληψή σας προσβλητικό ή απαράδεκτο υλικό στο Facebook, πρέπει άμεσα να το αναφέρετε, επιλέγοντας το σύνδεσμο «Αναφορά (Report)» που εμφανίζεται δίπλα σε πληθώρα πληροφορίας στον ιστοχώρο. Ο σύνδεσμος αυτός σας προωθεί σε μια φόρμα, όπου μπορείτε να συγκεκριμενοποιήσετε τον τύπο της προσβολής  και να κάνετε αναλυτική αναφορά. Όλες οι αναφορές είναι εμπιστευτικές:

• Αναφορά προφίλ: πηγαίνετε στο προφίλ και κάντε κλικ στο σύνδεσμο «Αναφορά / Μπλοκάρισμα (Report/Block this Person)» που εμφανίζεται στο κάτω δεξί μέρος, κάτω από την φωτογραφία του προφίλ.
• Αναφορά φωτογραφίας: πηγαίνετε στη συγκεκριμένη φωτογραφία και κάντε κλικ στο σύνδεσμο «Αναφορά φωτογραφίας (Report This Photo)» που εμφανίζεται κάτω από τη φωτογραφία αυτή.
• Αναφορά ενός εισερχόμενου μηνύματος: ανοίξτε το μήνυμα και κάντε κλικ στο σύνδεσμο «Αναφορά μηνύματος (Report Message)» που εμφανίζεται κάτω από το όνομα του αποστολέα. Σημείωση: μπορείτε να αναφέρετε μηνύματα μόνο από αγνώστους, και όχι από τους φίλους σας.
• Αναφορά γκρουπ (group) ή γεγονότος (event): πηγαίνετε στην κύρια σελίδα του group / event και κάνετε κλικ στο σύνδεσμο «Αναφορά γκρουπ (Report Group)» ή «Report Event» που θα βρείτε στο κάτω μέρος της σελίδας.
• Αναφορά μιας Σελίδας (Facebook Page): πηγαίνετε στη σελίδα αυτή και επιλέξτε τον σύνδεσμο «Αναφορά σελίδας (Report Page)» που εμφανίζεται αριστερά κάτω στην οθόνη.

Επίσης, εάν βρείτε υλικό που παρακινεί σε τρομοκρατική συμπεριφορά ή συλλέγει χρήματα για τρομοκρατικές οργανώσεις, κάντε άμεσα αναφορά στη διεύθυνση:
http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=terrorist_content 


Πηγη : http://www.saferinternet.gr

20 Ways to put more joy in your homeschooling day

It can be hard being a homeschooling parent. Kids bicker, messes seem never-ending, and the combination of isolation and the pressure to nearly single-handedly educate our children can make the days seem even longer. Here in Minnesota, that can be compounded by long winters and cabin fever.

This is one of those times when it's absolutely true that "If Mama (or Papa) ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."

(Or, to be grammatically correct but not nearly as catchy, "If Mother or Father is not happy, nobody will be happy"!)

Here's 20 ways to put some more joy in everybody's homeschooling day:

1. Unless it's hailing or the wind chill is in the double digits, start the day with time outside. Yes, it can be a hassle getting everybody dressed. No, you probably won't want to. The combination of sunshine (or at least fresh air), exercise and change of scenery will work wonders on how the rest of the day goes, though.
2. Reach out and call someone. Even five minutes on the phone with a fun friend can make a big difference on your mood. Studies have also shown that this contact (even over the phone or via Twitter) can raise the feel-good hormone oxytocin. Connect with friends at least once a day, even just for a few minutes.
3. Hug your kids -- lots. Hugs, snuggling and other personal contact also raise those oxytocin levels for parents and kids alike. Hugs also just set a sweet mood in the house, help kids feel loved, lower stress and meet sensory needs.
4. Rely on music. Music has a powerful effect on mood. Play cheerful, fast-paced music to help keep everybody upbeat and energized while cleaning the house. Classical music can be calming and favorite songs of any style are likely to put listeners in a better mood.
5. Have a secret chocolate stash. Enough said.
6. Find a way to get out more -- or less. It can be tricky finding a balance between too much and too little when it comes to opportunities outside of the house. In Minnesota, some parents in the Twin Cities area complain of too many activities they're taking part in, while others in rural areas have a hard time making connections. Other factors can lead to isolation too -- not feeling a part of the local homeschooling community because of ideological differences, having kids with special needs, not having transportation and getting by on limited finances can make it difficult. That said, get creative about meeting your own social needs and those of your kids. Say no to activities that aren't worth the hassle and find a way to say yes to those that are.
7. Simplify. Whether it's breakfast or craft time, find ways to make your life easier. For instance, challenge the kids (and yourself!) to the Six Items or Less Clothing Challenge and put away all the rest of your clothes for the month. Watch how easy laundry alone gets with this system! (You can read one mom's success with the challengehere.) Likewise, pack all but a few toys away for a while. Streamline lunch to simple, healthy basics. And so on.
8. Invite over fun homeschoolers. It just makes everything easier. If you don't know any, make it a goal to find some. House too messy? Arrange to meet in the park. (But honestly, they won't care.)
9. Get your art on. We often set up art projects for our kids and then go clean the refrigerator. The fact is, art can be a really fabulous activity for grown-ups too. It's an outlet for creativity and emotions, and it's also just plain fun. In addition, time spent creating alongside the kids is the epitome of quality time for everybody involved. Look into altered books and artist trading cards for some great open-ended projects that all ages can dive into.
10. Teach what you want to learn about. Child-led homeschooling is great, and so is curriculum-led. However you homeschool, make sure there's a good blend of parent-led content thrown in too. It will keep you interested and your passion for the subject will generally wear off on the kids. Whether it's rose gardening, the Romans or 50's musicals, you can make anything educational if you do it right. It will also teach the kids that we should never outgrow our love of learning new things.
11. Use the TV. If you have a TV in your home, utilize it at least once a day. PBS can be your friend! There are some really wonderful shows out there (Cyber Chase, Between the Lions and Word World have been favorites here), and they can get you some much deserved down-time. Don't you dare use the time to scrub the bathroom. Soak in the bath with a magazine, curl up in a corner with a fabulous library book, scrapbook or do something else you "never have time to do." Great educational shows on Netflix or video can work well, too.
12. Focus on the beautiful -- literally. Give yourself a daily challenge to photograph at least 3 joyful things that sum up something about each day. You can blog them, put them in a Flickr group or simply save them on your computer in a special folder, but find a way to not only take the time to look for beauty but also to revisit it later. The images can be anything -- rain boots drying by the door, kids cuddled reading books, a flower passed on a neighborhood walk, a silly drawing, a sleeping toddler, a finished lapbook, a LEGO robot... Think of this as a visual gratitude journal.
13. Give the kids more responsibility. Part of preparing our kids for adulthood is teaching them how to help keep a home running. Gradually increase the jobs you give your children in order to make your own days easier and set them up for easier transitions into adulthood. Kids are often happy to take on extra responsibilities that meet their interests (such as cooking lunch, leading crafts with younger siblings or watering the garden). Kids can also take on many basic chores to help out, such as helping with laundry and vacuuming (here's info on good chores for each age and how to get kids on board). There really is something to the saying that many hands make light work, and it frees up time for everybody to have more fun.
14. Make a list. If you feel that you're consistently failing to meet your own expectations for what you want to teach your children, figure out what your biggest priorities are and post them as a list where you'll see them daily. Keep it basic (you can always do more). Your daily must-do list might include reading aloud, math time, some sort of exercise, one alternate (science, history, etc.), time with nature and something fun, for instance. Seeing the concrete and simple list, (such as:read, math, move, nature, fun, other) can make everything seem less overwhelming. Each time you pass the list, pick something and act on it.
15. Daydream. If you feel like something is missing and find yourself imagining life with your kids off at school, let yourself go there. What would your days look like if you had those hours to yourself? What would you do with your time? What are you missing? Now see if you can add those things into your life as it is now.
16. Introduce silliness. If you're all planning on staying home all day, why not make it funny hat day? Cultivate silliness and watch how it spreads. Hide really corny jokes around the house. Ask wacky questions at lunch time. Make faces.
17. Remember that learning truly is fun. If your homeschool routine feels like drudgery to everyone involved, find a new routine! A good curriculum will feed your child's passion for the subject. Experiment together with new ways of learning and look for resources to spark everybody's interests.
18. Make the library a regular part of your routine. Truly, there's no better resource anywhere for homeschoolers. Aim for weekly visits and don't be stingy about how many books you let the kids check out. Grab piles of colorful, fun books on all sorts of subjects and be sure they're in view at home. Also look for other materials you can check out. Some libraries have backpacks of science-themed goodies, computer games or even fun-shaped cake pans you can check out. Grab lots of fun items for yourself too!
19. Play together. Make sure the days are filled with plenty of play -- for you and the kids. Play tag or badminton in the back yard, shoot hoops in the driveway or park, play Uno, rotate the board games, you name it. Lots of games are educational, while others provide exercise and others just help keep the days interesting. Parenthood is also a great excuse to play those things we ourselves loved as children. Whether it's LEGOs, paper dolls, marbles or matchbox cars, playing together can make everybody smile.
20. Imagine your perfect homeschooling life -- and then take steps to bring it closer. What elements are missing? Maybe you can never have the three-story mansion in the woods with the endless supply of Waldorf art supplies and the ever-smiling children, but you can still incorporate those things that speak to you. Start small but think big.

source:

http://www.examiner.com/homeschooling-in-mankato/20-ways-to-put-more-joy-your-homeschooling-day

What is deschooling?

What is deschooling?

Simply put, it is a period of time after institutionalized schooling where parents let kids be free to do whatever they want and relearn their love of learning.

Wikipedia defines deschooling as:

In a practical context, it refers to the mental process a person goes through after being removed from a formal schooling environment, when the "school mindset" is eroded over time. Deschooling may refer to the time period it takes for children removed from school to adjust to learning in an unstructured environment.

Families who have taken their children out of school to homeschool often find their children need a period of adjustment - learning to live without the reinforcement of grading and regimented learning. It is typically used to describe children who have been removed from school for the purpose of self-directed homeschooling, but technically applies any person leaving school, either by dropping out or graduating.

source:

http://www.examiner.com/homeschooling-in-mankato/free-online-learning-games-for-every-subject

Homeschooling through the seasons

No matter what type of homeschooler you are, it can be really helpful to adapt your homeschooling to the seasons. Every season has strengths, weaknesses and unique opportunities that you can take advantage of with a little bit of flexibility. This will also keep things fresh for you and the kids!

How do you adapt your homeschool to suit the season?

Identify what that season offers for your family, and work around unique challenges of that time of year. For instance, here in Minnesota our winters can get pretty intense. It's often so cold that it's hard to get outside, and the roads may make it hard to get to activities. That makes winter a perfect season for doing more home projects like lapbooks, along with longer unit studies and more free reading. Spending lots of time inside in the glorious summer with these things might lead to some cranky kids though -- and some missed opportunities!

Families in other parts of the country can end up with quite different plans. We have friends in Arizona who do more of their indoor projects in the summer since the heat is so intense during that time of year that it's hard to be outside during the main part of the day. The end result is the same though -- they adapt to make the most of the different times of year.

Here's some ideal ways to take make the most of each season:

Summer

Summer is an ideal time for extra nature studies and time spent outdoors. It's also the season when there are the most physical education opportunities for many homeschoolers. Summer rec programs offer T-ball, soccer, softball and other sports programs, and local pools open for swimming lessons and swim team membership. Camping and travel opportunities offer their own unique educational opportunities. Theme-specific camps are often available for children's interests such as foreign language immersion, science and theater. This is a good season for taking the lessons outdoors -- doing driveway math, ant science experiments and summer crafts.

Autumn

Autumn offers a host of opportunities for homeschoolers. The SOTH (school outside the home) kids are back in school but the weather is usually still nice. This is a great season for visiting zoos, science museums and other fun and educational sites now that they're nearly empty, not to mention nature walks and animal studies. There are also a lot of homeschool classes and programs that are offered in the fall, from Mankato's History Fest to programs at the Jeffers Petroglyphs. Even if your family doesn't garden or farm, fall is also the time to learn harvest and homemaking skills. Our family buys up large quantities of produce like green and red peppers, pumpkins and tomatoes from local farmers and spend days preserving them for the winter. We also pick apples from our neighbors' trees and peel, preserve, bake and cook like crazy with them. Autumn also offers lots of great harvest related field trips to apple orchards, pumpkin patches and the like. Good physical education activities include hiking, bike riding and back yard sports. Fire and safety lessons are traditional for this time of year as well.

Winter

Winter is an ideal time for slowing down and doing longer projects. You can introduce lots more read-alouds of both fun fiction and history, science and other educational subjects. Winter sports can include ice skating, skiing and playing in the snow, but can also incorporate more inside activities like Wii fitness games, yoga and using mini trampolines. Homemaking skills can be part of the learning, teaching kids skills like bread making and knitting (if you don't know how to do these, this is a perfect excuse to learn along with them!). Computers can play a bigger part in homeschooling this time of year, using educational sites like Khan Academy, online curricula such as the free ACS chemistry curriculum andeducational online games. This is also an ideal time to use educational videos from Netflix or the library. The Christmas season offers its own challenges and opportunities. Homeschoolers are lucky that we can take full advantage of the season without having to squeeze in the same schedule as usual. Many homeschoolers cut back on the traditional lessons during December and let Christmas (from baking to budgeting to religious education) be a main part of homeschooling.

Spring

Once spring finally arrives, it would be nearly criminal to keep the kids inside for most of the day! Nature studies such as bird watching are a perfect fit for this time of year, along with the science involved in seed starting and garden planning. Home ec skills can be learned through spring cleaning, servicing cars and lawnmowers, and simple renovation projects. Get out the bikes, balls, volleyball net, jump ropes, tennis rackets, roller blades and other fun outdoor props and kids will take care of all of their physical education needs on their own. Many homeschool families test during this time of year (here in Minnesota, annual testing is required), which offers its own time requirements and needs. This is a good time to evaluate what you've accomplished in your homeschool this year and cover any missed subjects that were a priority for your family.

Other seasons

Homeschooling can easily adapt to other seasons in life, too. New babies, family moves, illnesses, vacations and other changes can all be easier when everybody tries to adapt schooling to life and not the other way around. Each of these offers a host of educational opportunities, life lessons and benefits if you let them take priority. When I was diagnosed with a serious illness when my children were younger, I was very weak and told that it was imperative to rest. Instead of trying to force homeschooling, I concentrated on spending quality time with my children in ways that were best for all of us. I cuddled on the couch or bed with my children and read through piles of picture books, watched fun and educational TV programs and videos, had long talks with my kids and taught them how to do simple household jobs to help me out. It became a time that strengthened us as a family -- and they learned quite a lot through the experience, as well.

We homeschoolers are so lucky that we get to tailor our homeschools to fit not only the strengths and needs of our children, but also of ourselves as teachers. Adapting homeschooling to fit the seasons is just another way that we can make the most of every opportunity.

source:

http://www.examiner.com/homeschooling-in-mankato/homeschooling-through-the-seasons

Homeschool 101: How do I teach my older kids with little ones around?

It can be very tricky homeschooling different ages of kids, especially when you have very young kids with very young attention spans. Whether you do "school at home," unschooling or something in between, kids always need some one-on-one attention, help with projects, read-aloud time and so on, and it can be hard to get much time free when little ones are around.

Here's some tips to make it all go a little smoother.

• Reserve toys for use during "school time." Some toys that can occupy my little ones for a long time include bristle blocks, legos and Matchbox cars with ramps. Anything that's been out of sight can seem new after a while too. If your kids have a lot of toys, consider boxing up 2/3 of them and pulling them out on a rotation for these times. It makes it easier to keep things tidy, it makes the environment less overwhelming for kids, and it makes it seem as if there's always something new.
• Have fun activities reserved for the little ones to use only during these times too. Here's a list of high chair busywork for babies and toddlers that can come in handy.
• Set up science stations to keep young children busy. There are so many fun scientific tools that preschoolers love to use. My 3 year-old loves to use an extended magnet (used to get metal objects out of small spaces), a metallic cookie sheet and an assortment of magnets together. The magnets and the tool stick to the cookie sheet, he can use the magnet tool to move the magnets around from below the cookie sheet. We even put a paper target on it and let him toss the magnets at the target. Also set up little bowls with baking soda and vinegar, along with empty bowls for mixing and tiny spoons to scoop. I'll write up more fun science stations for little ones in tomorrow's article.
• Do the more serious schooling while little ones sleep. One homeschooling mom I know had very energetic twin toddlers and an older daughter. She did the majority of her sit-down homeschooling with her daughter when the boys napped and after their 7 pm bedtime.
• Nurse the baby or wear baby in a sling while reading and helping the older kids.
  
• Assign the older kids to the little ones. If you have more than one older child, ask them to trade off spending time with the little ones while you work with the other. This can be especially fun for older kids if they can "play teacher," lead art projects or otherwise do something they enjoy too.
• Do some subjects all together. Little kids can join in with the big ones in many activities, and others can be scaled down for their participation. For instance, if you're doing lapbooking with the older kids you can fold up a lapbook for your toddler and give him a pile of stickers to happily stick to it.
• Give the older kids independent work. Kids can do reading, worksheets, computer activities and such on their own and just come to you when they need help.
• Take it outside. Many toddlers will happily play in a sandbox or back yard for hours. Spread out a blanket, grab your read-aloud and let the kids play while you read or do math drills or whatever.
• Use educational videos. If your kids watch TV, it can work well to pop in a fun educational video for younger kids while you work with older ones. Word World and The Magic School Bus are favorites around here. You can find all sorts for free through the Blue Earth County Library, or order them through Netflix.
• Remember, this time will pass. It's okay if you don't get as much done during this time as you hoped to. Homeschooling is dynamic, evolving and ever-changing. It doesn't have to plod along at the same pace every day of every year the way traditional school does. Perhaps this will be a season of focusing on homemaking skills, reading, art projects and educational computer games, and perhaps later on there will be more of a focus on field trips and academics when you have more freedom for those. One of the great things about homeschooling is that it takes so much less time for kids to learn things. Another great thing about homeschooling is that kids typically keep on learning even when you feel like you're not getting anything done!

source:

http://www.examiner.com/homeschooling-in-mankato/homeschool-101-how-do-i-teach-my-older-kids-with-little-ones-around

Fabulously fun things for homeschoolers to do on the first day of school

Many homeschool families do something special to celebrate the first day of school. Not only does it get kids excited about the new year, but it balances out the back to school excitement about schools outside the home and keeps them glad to be homeschooling.

Here's seven fabulous ways to start out the new school year.

1. Head to the zoo. Some homeschool families have a tradition of going to the zoo on the first day of their local school. It's a great day trip and it's the least busy day of the year!
2. Take part in a "Not Back to School" party with other homeschoolers. Most communities have these annual celebrations and they're a great way to connect with other homeschoolers and start the year off on a fun note. In Mankato, this year's NBTS party will be at Spring Lake Park in North Mankato on Wednesday morning, September 8 (full details will be posted in an upcoming article).
3. Bake a cake. When my children were little, we marked the first day of school with a fancy cake we decorated together. What could make kids feel more grateful for homeschooling than sleeping in and having cake for breakfast?!
4. Go camping. This is a wonderful time to go camping as a family. The weather is nice, the sky is full of shooting stars and the campgrounds are mostly empty.
5. Host a homeschool carnival in the back yard. For years, we held a back yard carnival for local homeschooling friends on the first day of school. The kids helped make the games and activities, which included bean bag tosses (use a large cardboard box to make a colorful design and cut out different sizes of holes to toss into with different points for each), obstacle courses, a fishing game in the kiddie pool and other carnival-type attractions.
6. Take a trip! This is the perfect time of year for families to take mini-vacations. The weather is still fabulous and tourists have gone home to start school.
7. Have a slumber party. Let the kids invite a couple of friends each and stock up on fun movies and munchies while they have fun staying up late on a school night!

Whatever you do, just make sure to make the day a fun one. It's easy for kids to get caught up in the back-to-school hype (especially at kindergarten and preschool ages) and a little well-strategized fun will successfully detour any wishes for kids to be a part of that. It's also is a great reminder of some of the great perks of being a homeschool family -- flexibility, time together and with friends, and a just plain joyful way of life.

source:

http://www.examiner.com/homeschooling-in-mankato/fabulously-fun-things-for-homeschoolers-to-do-on-the-first-day-of-school

Extra credit: 25 non-traditional subjects to teach in your homeschool

One of the fabulous things about homeschooling is that we can pass on so much more knowledge to our children. Not only can we teach them the basics like basic math and American history, but we can also teach them math tricks and family history.

We can also take the time to teach them skills that will serve them well in adulthood, such as preserving foods and doing basic auto maintenance.

Here's a list of 25 possible subjects to teach in your homeschool that are "outside of the box." These are just ideas to get you thinking. Use them as jumping-off points to develop your own family lists.

See the resources below for specific suggestions on where to find classes and programs to teach these subjects in the Mankato area.

1. Natural remedies
2. Native American culture and history
3. Budgeting
4. Canning, freezing and preserving foods
5. Hand crafts like knitting, rug making and crocheting
6. Wood working
7. Baby care
8. Family history and geneology
9. Sign language
10. Homemaking skills such as laundry
11. Gardening
12. Car maintenance
13. Healthy relationships (domestic violence information, how to deal with conflicts with loved ones, etc.)
14. Sewing and darning
15. Community Service
16. Baking and cooking from scratch
17. Self defense
18. Yoga and/or meditation
19. Web design and computer programming
20. Non-traditional math techniques like short division
21. Home repairs
22. Latin
23. Foraging
24. Stress relief and anger management
25. Frugal living

source:

http://www.examiner.com/homeschooling-in-mankato/extra-credit-25-non-traditional-subjects-to-teach-your-homeschool

C++ Programming/Exercises/Iterations

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/C++_Programming/Exercises/Iterations

35 Best Websites for Free Educational Videos

What are the best websites to watch educational videos? Here are over 35 websites to watch thousands of educational videos covering business, science, health, technology, math, social studies, arts and more. Please bookmark this page or share it if you find this article useful.

1. 5min

Offers short, practical how to videos, instructional videos and DIY solutions.

2. Academic Earth

A large collection of educational video lectures from the world’s top scholars.

3. Big Think

Blogs, articles and videos from the world’s top thinkers and leaders.

4. BrainPOP

Animated science, health, technology, math, social studies, arts & music videos. Subscription required.

5. Brightstorm

Offers thousands of free math and science videos.

6. Charlie Rose

Features interviews with America’s best thinkers, writers, politicians, entertainers, business leaders, scientists and more.

7. Cosmeo

30,000 video segments from Discovery Education. Subscription required.

8. CosmoLearning

Provides video lectures, courses, documentaries, books, quizzes, lecture notes and much more.

9. Edublogs.tv

Aggregator and host of thousands of educational videos covering numerous subjects.

10. Fora

Educational videos drawn from live events, lectures, interviews, and debates going on all the time at top universities.

11. Futures Channel

Deliver hands-On, real world math and science educational videos for the classrooms.

12. Howcast

Professional and user-generated how-to educational videos.

13. How Stuff Works

Offers thousands of educational videos covering auto, computer, electronics, science and more.

14. Internet Archive

A wide range of collections of free historical and educational videos, including many academic ones.

15. iTunes U

Free lectures, language lessons, educational videos, audiobooks, and more accessible via Apple iTunes.

16. KHAN ACADEMY

Providing free world-class educational videos to anyone anywhere.

17. Learner.org

Professionally developed educational video programs with print materials for K-12 classrooms.

18. Math TV

Educational video lessons in math. Covers basic math through calculus.

19. MIT Open CourseWare

The most popular open course program across the world. Some courses offers videos along with printable materials.

20. MIT’s Video Gateway

Video at MIT: the gateway to online educational video collections.

21. MIT World

Features videos of the most recent speakers and guests from across the campus and around the world.

22. NeoK12

Educational videos, lessons and games for K-12 School Kids.

23. ResearchChannel

Provides more than 3,500 educational videos from distinguished researchers and scholars.

24. PBS

Free educational videos from your favorite PBS programs, including NOVA and Frontline.

25. ScholarSpot

Aggregator of free educational videos covering politics, self growth, science, technology and more.

26. SchoolTube

A very popular website for teachers and students to share educational videos online.

27. SnagFilms

Watch full-length documentary films for free.

28. TeacherTube

A popular online aggregator of educational videos.

29. teacherfind

Offers more than 3500 educational videos with a friendly interface.

30. teachersmedia

Offers a free library of over 3500 high-quality videos to help you and your team develop your professional skills

31. The NYTimes Video Library

Includes news, opinions, investigative reporting, national and international coverage.

32. TED

Fascinating presentations by the world’s leading thinkers and entrepreneurs.

33. Videojug

Offers more than 60,000 free, professionally-produced ‘how to’ videos and guides.

34. WatchKnow

Comprehensive online directory of educational videos aggregated from across the Web.

35. WonderHowTo

Search, Browse and Discover the best how to videos across the web.

36. Open Yale Courses

Provides free and open access to a selection of introductory courses at Yale University.

37. YouTube EDU

The education channel of the most popular video website Youtube, offers thousands of educational videos from hundreds of universities.

Tags: educational videos, free videos, learning resources

The Secret to Teaching Math Facts: Number Bonds

Over our last four years of homeschooling, I have used several different math curricula. Some I liked better the others, but they all had their own strengths and weaknesses.

One of the strengths of one particular curriculum we use, Singapore Math, is their method of teaching basic math facts. Instead of teaching fact families by rote, Singapore illustrates fact families using number bonds.

Now, I realize this is just my unprofessional opinion, but as a self-professed math geek, I truly believe number bonds are (likely) the best ways to teach math facts.

Why?

They're simple. They're visual. And they're extremely effective.

How Number Bonds Work

If you're not familiar with what number bonds are, allow me to illustrate.

As in the example for addition on the left, the student is taught to recognize that the number 7is made of 3 and 4. Understanding that basic concept, the student is then able to see clearly the rest of the facts in that family, in both addition and subtraction. It works exactly the same way for multiplication and division.

Number Bond Flashcards

Not only does teaching fact families with number bonds simplify the learning process tremendously, it also reduces the number of flashcards needed for drills.

We own two sets of three-corner flash cards to cover all four operations. When I drill, depending on which number I cover, I can use a single flashcard to drill 3 different facts in two operations.For example, when using the multiplication cards, if I cover the top number, I'm drilling multiplication; if I cover either of the bottom numbers, I'm drilling division.

Teaching Algebraic Thinking

One of the biggest benefits of teaching number bonds is that it helps children think algebraically. When they look at a basic equation in any operation, they can recognize which of the numbers is the "whole" — the number that goes at the top of the number bond — based on its position in the equation. This is truly a skill that can help children in any math course and throughout the rest of their lives.

So regardless of the math curriculum you use, you might want to consider using number bonds when your child learns about fact families. I think you'll be glad you did