This Day in History with Benjamin Franklin

On this day in 1706, Benjamin Franklin was born. Anyone who studies science, history, or has frequented a library, has encountered the ideas, the works, and discoveries of Benjamin Franklin.

Whether you find his fascination with electricity equally as fascinating, or his love for books a complete sheer and utter delight; the man accomplished enough in one lifetime to pass on enough material for months of lessons.

Get your kids and students, or you for that matter, involved at a hands-on level with these freebies that will save you time and money. After all, as Benjamin Franklin would say:

Time is money 

Spend your time learning with your children because the legwork of research has already been done for you in gathering this list of information. Following are some links to some awesome sites across the web that deliver free lesson plans and printables to make your job as a parent and/or educator that much easier:

Why Benjamin Franklin Made the History Books
Free Benjamin Franklin Lesson Plans and Printables (There are links to tons of freebies in this one!)
Free infographic memes and quotes to use for handwriting or memorization

My Thoughts About Newtown Shooting

Please forgive my lengthy comments. I have been numbed, tearful and have so many emotions on what happened in CT. I cannot get these horrific events of yesterday morning out of my thought and, of course, my prayers. I look down this list

 and 14 of these babies were the same age as one of my daughters.

I cannot imagine what Christmas morning, or the last night of Hanukkah will be/was for these families. This absolutely breaks my heart in two. ...

And, I cannot help but wonder if any of them would have one day met up with my daughter as friends, or even as her intended mate, but has now been snatched forever from this world.

To my knowledge, I do not know anyone in Connecticut with children in Sandy Hook Elementary, but my heart grieves with these strangers.
My heart grieves for the kids who saw their friends die in a gruesome manner.
My heart grieves for Ryan Lanza who was initially blasted all over the internet as the killer when it was really his brother.
My heart grieves for the families and friends of the adults and the teachers who acted heroically.

I have questions, like how did this gunman get into the school? And, of course, I want to know why.

And, I realize everyone is going to grieve in their own way and no one means any harm for their knee-jerk first reactions.

I see posts responding to the tragedy blaming guns (neither bans on guns or laws for right to carry will fix this. The same day, 22 children in China were stabbed by not a gun wielding bandit, but a knife-wielding one),

blaming public schools (this isn't isolated to public schools. It happened in an Amish community, a theatre and places of employment in the past),

blaming taking prayer and God out of schools (there were teachers praying with their huddled terrified students, which may have saved their lives)

or even blaming God (God does not make evil happen, but allows it for reasons we cannot yet fully understand)

The truth is that this was an evil act committed in a less-than-perfect world filled with the need for the light of love found only in a risen savior. That's what I believe. This act of horrific violence grieves me, scares me, shakes my sense of security and feeling of safety and makes me want to wrap a blanket of peace around the survivors. And, we cannot let this man's murderous acts to win.

Education is Busy Work

Argh!  Education has become such busy work for me that I just realized it's been September since I have posted anything on this amazing blog.

In that time, we have traveled from Wisconsin on a musical tour with my husband and kids, found a new dance studio for my daughters since their beloved dance teacher retired after teaching us for 8 years, began gymnastics class for all three kiddos and been swamped beyond belief with new writing opportunities.

All the while, I'm also homeschooling my three children.

The schedule works on ideal days.  I get up at 6, work till 10 and then begin the school portion of our day.  But, nothing is ideal and most days follow suit.  I do my best with what I have been given and find myself extremely busy just trying to play catch up and pay the bills.

Say This, NOT That to Your Professor Book Review

I know, the cover of this book alone is enough to brighten your day. I recently had the pleasure of reviewing a book that was sent to me from the publisher in exchange for only an honest review. Well, the book is amazing and a must-have for every college student. Actually, it's a must-have for anyone who ever deals with any other human being ever in their lives. Though, it is focused on dealing with college professors.

The book by Ellen Bremen, M.A., is Say This, NOT That to Your Professor. It walks you through more than 35 scenarios of what you might feel like saying to your professor, and better ways to phrase it so the professor responds favorably. As a professor, the author has personal experience to draw from and expresses helpful advice in an easy-to-understand format.

What you say, and what the professor hears can be drastically different. It can mean the difference of passing a class with joy and ease or having a miserable time throughout. For instance, if you missed a class and want to find out if you missed something important, there are ways to approach your instructor so he or she does not interpret what you say as meaning that you do not find the class important. The book is very conversational and easy to read with practical advice every student will value.

If you've ever been a student or a teacher, chances are you will relate to at least a handful of the scenarios in the book. It is a must-read for any student headed off to college in the fall or taking a summer session. You can find out more information about the author and where to buy the book at her site, Ellenbremen.com.

Kids Learn, Move and Stay Fit: PE Is Not The Only Place To Move

I saw a news report tonight that showed a school who is taking a proactive approach to childhood obesity.  They are incorporating exercise in with their learning.  For instance, no more just sitting at your desk with hands crossed while quietly listening.  Instead, they may learn the names of the months of the year by putting them to rhythm and dance.  They line up in the hallway and do pushups to warm up.  Other methods they use include sitting on workout balls, or bounding off of a workout balance ball.  It got me thinking of other ways to teach facts while moving and staying fit.

• Count 1-10 with situps
• I love the exercise ball as kids seems to have trouble sitting still as it is.  Why not put their energy to good use.
• Use good old line dances to teach facts.  The Macarena is one that can be multi-purposely used.  Put the facts to rhythm as you dance.
• Raise your hands, or raise your foot to answer a question.
• ABC jump - Jump after singing each pair of 3 letters.  Like this:  ABC - Jump - DEF  - Jump - GHI - Jump and Spin - JKL - Jump - MNO - Jump PQR - Jump and Spin - STU - Jump - VW and - Jump XYZ - Jump and Spin!

Use your imagination.  The sky is the limit to how much learning can take place while getting little bodies into shape and preventing childhood obesity.

Growing Interest in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Girls in STEM

Female workers make up half of the workforce. But, when STEM programs began, they made up less than 25% of careers workers in science, technology, engineering, or math fields. The US has lost ground with other progressively-moving countries in the fields of Science and math. While these subjects are taught in school, little progress seemed to have been made. That's where after school programs stepped in. These programs make learning subjects like science, technology, engineering, and math fun. Not only fun, but promising. With the downturned economy, careers in IT technology have remained a viable option. However, without the training, these jobs are difficult to land.
Started out of an effort to draw girls, in particular minority girls, into careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), after school programs were started. Today, interest in the programs soar. Read more at:

Out-of-School Time Drawing Girls Into STEM

Sign up for Discovery Education Childhood Nutrition Webinar

Do you eat with your children 7 nights a week?  Do you eat with them 1 night a week?  Are your mealtimes more of a battle over what to cook, who will eat what, or what's for dessert than it is a family time filled with encouraging, relationship-building discussions?  Would you like to discover healthy nutrition tips for your dinner time?

Join experts on November 2 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time for a Webinar on Energy Balance 101:

Register here at Discovery Education!

This seminar is one-hour long and is intended for educators, teachers, and parents!

EdWeek: Apple's Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was a brilliant man, who changed the world of technology (many say for the better). Do you own an Apple? Do you enjoy your iPhone? Maybe you use several learning apps available. Many schools are now using Apple tablets for learning. What do you think?

For detailed information about education and about Steve Jobs (who passed away yesterday after suffering from pancreatic cancer), visit:

Steve Jobs: Education Technology Pioneer

And, for more educational wrap-up news, visit:

EdWeek Update: Apple's Steve Jobs, Education Technology Pioneer

Teaching with LEGO Vignettes

If you are an educator, I just found out about a concept that could change the way your students learn. Maybe you're fully aware of the idea behind LEGO Vignettes, but I just found out what they are and how they can help with educating children.

You probably can figure out that the word Vignette comes from a French word meaning Vine, but do you know how this relates to education, LEGOS and creating a Vignette? After reading about this, you'll want to make sure that a tub of LEGO's is an essential item in every classroom. Maybe even put it on the children's back-to-school lists.

Read the following post, from Teachable Scotts Tots, to find out more:

Teachable Scotts Tots Homeschool: Using LEGO Vignettes in education

Using Legos and Visual Cues to Teach

Teaching well requires pooling resources that the student can understand. Two hands-on or visual tools like these are LEGOS and visual cues. One is great for the hands-on learner, the other for the visual. Following are two great articles that refer to using these in the classroom or for teaching and learning purposes:

Teach Physics & Mechanics With LEGOS

What Are Visual Cues And Teachinig With Visual Cues

Blogathon 2011 Is Done!

I did it! I blogged for the Blogathon 2011 challenge and successfully completed it! Today is the last blog entry of 31 throughout the month of May.

I hope you have enjoyed reading these blogs. I hope they have been educational, and I plan on bringing much more interesting educational links, news and items of interest in the future.

Happy reading - Happy blogging!

Ice sculpture projects in the summer

With the start of summer, if the heat gets to be too much, consider an ice sculpture experiment with the kids that can be done inside any time of year.

These ice sculpture ideas are fun! and educational for kids. If you like, you can even do a variation on the project and freeze juice which makes a colorful sculpture and a yummy treat.

Graduation At Last!

Graduations: Preschool, elementary, high school and college! All are taking place across America during this time of year. What is graduation? It's simply a ceremony to honor an accomplishment.

Preschool graduation is cute and fun and perhaps a little silly. But, it sure makes adorable pics for the scrapbook. And, it also allows a nice bit of closure for parents longing to hold that little newborn in their arms once more but knowing the goal as a parent is to watch them grow and launch them into the world.

High School graduates tend to think they know it all. Though, many still have college years ahead to bring maturity and independence, high school graduates tend to have an independent spirit and are ready to bust out of the place that held them captive for 12-13 years. Yes, high school graduation is a milestone. But, the graduate has really just begun to learn about what life is really all about.

College grads - Now, it's time to give back and come into who you are. Your official education has come to an end and now it's time to find a job and start living and contributing to society. All your learning comes to a head and is now ready to put it into action. What have you learned?

Learn To Draw For Kids

If you have ever tried to draw and have little to no artistic skill, it can become frustrating rather quickly. There are many books and DVDs available to teach drawing, but sometimes you need something simple, basic, spelled out in a step by step manner.

Ed Emberley has a line of drawing books that are amazing for kids. They are step by step instructions that add the picture drawn plus each step that was added for each step. Many of the steps are simply drawing a letter, like an elephant's tail is added by drawing the letter 'S'. These books are really fun and inexpensive.

Lakeshore Learning Offers Free Learning

Lakeshore Learning is an online resource center that offers learning toys. Their toys look amazing. But, they also have online resources for teachers.

There are hands-on vocabulary boosters that teach word blends and other phonics.

You can make your own awards.

There are also fun projects for free. Today's project is Life Cycle Frog. All it takes is a paper plate, stapler and a few other craft materials.

What Makes A Good Teacher?

Does a college degree make for a better teacher? Is a college degree really even necessary in becoming a great teacher? Many college degrees can teach methods and more about education. But, a really good teacher is more than a college degree, even a degree from the best university. A really good teacher knows how to motivate. A really good teacher knows how to direct a student to research on their own to truly learn. A good teacher knows how to instill wisdom and a spark for wanting to know more. A good teacher is humble, not arrogant. A good teacher doesn't have to know everything but should know how to direct a student to find out what he or she needs to know.

Are you a good teacher?
Do you know a good teacher?
Have you had the privilege of sitting in a classroom directed by a good teacher? If so, than the teacher.

A good teacher is a prize!

VARK and VAK Learning Styles Explained

If you've been around education or learning/teaching for any amount of time, you've no doubt heard of learning styles. This is the idea that a child, or an adult, learns better when presented his or her individual learning style. The learning styles are have a 3 or 4 letter acronym as follows:

V - Visual

A - Auditory

K - Kinesthetic

Or

V - Visual

A - Auditory

R - wRiting or (Reading)

K - Kinesthetic

A visual learner, as the name implied, learns best when presented material to learn in visual form such as pictures, charts, graphs, etc.

An Auditory learner retains information best when presented through hearing. This might include reciting poems or memorizations in sing-song fashions.

A Kinesthetic learner is one who learns best while in motion.

The VARK style adds an additional learning style of learning through wRiting or Reading.

This is not to say that a person cannot learn while using another style. But, when learning using his or her particular learning style, they learn faster and with ease.

Big Universe Learning Is A Great Place To Read And Learn To Write

I just found out about a site I'm very excited about. I'm planning on signing up for the 14 day free trial period for sure. After that, I'm sure I'm going to love it. I showed it to my 10 year old son who recently wrote his own book. He's very excited about the ability the site offers to write and illustrate his own books.

As the mom, I'm very excited about the opportunity of all the books that can be read right there on line. Science? no problem! History - They've got you covered. English, reading, etc. It's all there. It looks like there are tons of books from which to choose.

I'm very excited about this, and it seems to be affordable too. There are different plans depending on whether it is for a school, a classroom or personal/home use. I'm looking at the home use, and hope to report that I've had a great experience and have purchased it after 14 days.

Here's the link - Check it out and see what you think!

Free Learning/Teaching Video Site WatchKnow From The Co-Founder of Wikipedia

You can now have access to over 20,000 free learning through videos! That's right - Absolutely free! Take the ceiling off of your learning and teaching opportunities by this non-profit site. The co-founder of Wikipedia has launched a brand new site called WatchKnow.org.

Every subject and every age group is covered for K-12.

I explored this Website today and found it to be so exciting. I have placed a permanent link to the site on this blog. You can enjoy all the learning videos at any time with no commitment and no expense. It's all free!

What Is Hypothermia And How Is It Treated?

Winter isn't over yet, and part of a complete education includes knowing how to avoid and handle real-life situations extends learning beyond text books. Knowing about issues, such as hypothermia, could do more than expand our brains, it could save a life. Do you know what hypothermia looks like? Do you know what to do immediately upon suspecting hypothermia in someone? Do you know who is at risk or steps to take to avoid hypothermia?

You can find out the answers to these questions in this article on Factoidz about hypothermia.

When we know what to do in an emergency situation, it empowers us to relax and take action. When we know how to avoid a problem to begin with, it helps us be able to take precautions and enjoy the moment.