Freely Educate

Puppetools GIVEAWAY!

Puppetools is a site that encourages educators to teach with the (very fun) aid of puppets.  In fact, their tagline is "Advancing the language of play."  The site has a section for students, for teachers, and includes many patterns for creating paper puppets for your schoolroom. 

A subscription to Puppetools.com includes:

Subscription Details

* 1 year to train and master Puppetools - the "Language of Play"
* Access Puppetools' online Educator Work Area
* Access Puppetools' exclusive practitioner video library
* Access extensive research on play and education
* Access hundreds of puppet images, concepts, and patterns
* Access readings from the 200 page Puppetools Manual
* Access our global community forums - learn with teachers around the world
* Put Puppetools to work in just days--for many it's just overnight
* Learn fast, flexible puppet design and construction--in just minutes
* Discover how a single paper hinge creates a limitless resource
* Engage playful, energized conversation for lessons and activities /all grades
* Use puppet know-how and techniques without acting, scripts, or theater
* Effectively harness Play and spark motivation, participation, and receptivity
* Discover the deep impact of play on students and teachers

BUT!  If you don't mind doing a bit of homework, the Puppetools' founder has a giveaway for you.  This is not like our usual giveaways. This time, you have to actually do something to win.  Here are the details:

Lori, thank you for the opportunity.

I'd like to offer a free two-year subscription to Puppetools as a prize worth $198.00. Just send an email to papertalker @ gmail.com (remove the spaces) with "Two Years Free" in the subject.  The email should include a short plan for using your subscription. We will announce a winner on March 21st  2009. The winner will be selected on the basis of the creativity and share-ability reflected in the plan. Kids are welcome: 8 and up. Hope this works for you.

Jeff

Thank you, Puppetools, for offering a giveaway to the FreelyEducate.com readers!

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Snowflake Science

We all know that snowflakes are amazing, but did you know how educational they can be? 

The folks at CalTech (who must have to climb a mountain to even see one flake) created a website all about Snowflake Science.

Included in CalTech's Snow Crystal's site are these notable pages:

• Can't find snowflakes where you live? Then grow your own snow crystals!
• A Snowflake Primer on Snowflake Physics
• A Guide to Frost (check out their beautiful frost flowers!)

Snowflakes aren't the only thing icy that's interesting to learn about.  Even kids in warmer areas, as long as they have a freezer, can create "ice spikes" for learning about physics. 

That's so strange it's cool.

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"How full of the creative genius is the air in which these are generated!  I should hardly admire more if real stars fell and lodged on my coat." ~Thoreau, 1856

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~ Thank you, Susan, for sending in the link to the SnowCrystal's site as well as a link to additional snowflake photos. 

Merry Christmas!

I'm taking a bloggy break this week.

I'll be back  on or around-about Monday the 29th with more high quality, 100% free, educational finds for you! 

I hope you have the Merriest of Christmases! 

~ FreelyEducate is twittering!  @freelyeducate

GIVEAWAY! Veni Emmanuel (Latin Christmas Music CD) (closed)

A few days ago, I received a surprise in the mail.  Classical Academic Press (remember them?  we featured their Song School Latin and Argument Builders a few months ago) sent me a Christmas CD.  But this is not yet another "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" CD.  This, Veni Emmanuel, is a CD of ancient Christmas music performed in Latin.

Kindly, the producers sent a copy for me and a copy to share.  I especially appreciate the me part of that last sentence.  I'm listening to the CD as I write.  It is soothing, it is beautiful, it is different, and it is well worth highlighting on FreelyEducate.com and sharing with one of you.

GIVEAWAY! The White Seneca for FIVE of you! (closed)

This fella loves to read...

He turned 13 this summer, and in his relatively short life span has already completed a dozen Louis L'Amour books, all of the Lord of the Rings books, the Eragon books, and countless other books, including The Once and Future King, which is mentionable because it was a particular favorite.

Three books were recently sent to us by Salem Ridge Press, a publishing company "dedicated to bringing back quality children's books of the 1800's and early 1900's."  We received Mary Jane (Her Book), Glaucia the Greek Slave, and The White Seneca. 

I handed the books out to three of our children, with The White Seneca by William W. Canfield going to our continually reading thirteen-year-old.  He already has a stack of books in his "to be read" pile, so I figured he'd get around to reading The White Seneca within the next few weeks.  But to interest him in the book, and to satisfy my own curiosity, I read the back of the book aloud:

Captured by the Senecas, fifteen-year-old Henry Cochrane grows to love the Indian ways and becomes Dundiswa—the White Seneca. When Henry is captured by an enemy tribe, however, he must make a desperate attempt to escape from them and rescue fellow captive, Constance Leonard. He will need all the skills he has learned from the Indians, as well as great courage and determination, if he is to succeed. But what will happen to the young woman if they do reach safety? And will he ever be able to return to his own people?

Our 13yo said, "Hmm" as he took the book from me.  You know teens and their non-committal grunts.  A couple of hours later, he came back to me and said, "Huh.  This book is great."  Two days later, "That.  Was the best book I've ever read." 

Such emphasis from a thirteen-year-old boy should not be ignored.  The White Seneca  must indeed be a good read.  My thanks to Salem Ridge Press for bringing this book and other classics back to the publishing world.

Art Curriculum Freebies and GIVEAWAY

Spears Art Studio"offers fine art and Christian art curriculum for kindergarten through high school, for private & homeschool Christian art education, supporting the grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric stages of Classical education."

This art curriculum is definitely Christian based, with many projects working with Biblical themes.  Each lesson  is accompanied by a suggested set of Bible verses to read.  I mention this, because it will matter to those of you who either prefer (or don't) Christian curriculum. 

There are many (free) lessons at the Spears Art Studio website.  These are full lesson plans, ready to download and save or print:

Free lessons for grades K-8

Free lesson for high schoolers (pdf and jpg)

I asked the publishers if they would like to offer a giveway to one of you, and they agreed!  So...

One of you will win a CD-rom of the 

Spears Art Studio Beginning Calligraphy, A Workbook for Grades 5 Through Adult.

Want it?  Just leave me a comment (click on "comment" below this post, under the ad) saying so (only one per email address, please).  I'll let Random.org choose the winner.  My form requires your email address, but only I will see that (unless you are the winner, then Spears Art Studio will see it as well).  We are definitely not spammers.

Deadline:  Friday, December 12th, 2008, 11:59pm CST

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Updated December 13th:

Congratulations, Candace!  You're the winner of this giveaway.

Candace wrote, "Would definitely love to win this beginning Calligraphy book. I used to love Calligraphy and would love to teach my kids.

Posted by: Candace | December 11, 2008 at 09:22 AM "

Thank you to the 42 others who took the time to comment and enter.  Spears Art Studio has already expressed their gratitude for the feedback and interest you've shown them.  I appreciate it as well.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

16	

Timestamp: 2008-12-13 08:18:57 UTC

GIVEAWAY! A Set of Virtual Books from Rime to Read (for 2 of you!)

First of all, before I write anything else, because it was distracting, at least to me, "rime" is a word, not a misspelling.  I hope I'm not the only one who reached adulthood not knowing that.   A "rime" is a word that sounds and looks alike (cat, hat).  A "rhyme" is a word that sounds but may not look alike (wait, weight). 

Secondly, you are ALL winners in this one.  There is a free book (virtual) for everyone, and from those who leave a comment, two winners will be chosen to win a full set of Rime to Read (virtual) books, free (value $44.99 each set).  I'll explain more about all that in a minute.

Now, about Rime to Read...

The authors describe the program as...

• Rime to Read is a program comprised of 20 books 
• The program is carefully structured to ensure success for the youngest readers as well as students needing remedial work. 
• Each of the 20 books, four per short vowel, highlights a specific rime or word family (eg. bat, cat, rat). 
• Each rime is color-coded throughout the series with a different color.  The color-coding of each rime encourages students to use visual similarities and differences to decode, a strategy employed by successful readers. 
• The color-coding also helps students develop phonological awareness by providing cues for sound discriminiation and categorization.
• Thirty-five common sight words are introduced and previewed the first five times they appear.  Sight words are distinguished by black type.  
• Delightful illustrations are used to enhance the storyline of each book.

Interested? 

Everyone is welcome to go to Rime to Read and download their first book for free.  This will give you a feel for this reading program.  Note:  You do have to sign up, but although I've had an account for the past month, I have not been spammed by them.  The sign up creates an account where the first book will be holding for you.

If you would like to win an entire set of twenty Rime to Read books (virtual - meaning, they are online, so you can use them on the computer or print them out), worth $44.99, leave a comment on this post to enter the random drawing. 

TWO winners will be selected! Yes, two different comments will win.

Deadline to Enter:  Wednesday, December 10, 2008, 11:59pm CST (US)

Who can enter?  Everyone! But only one entry each, please.

Who will decide the two winners?  Random.org

How to Enter?  Simply leave a comment (below the below ad).  You will be required to leave your email address, but ONLY I will see it (unless you are a winner, and then Rime to Read will also see it). 

What to say?  Anything you like!  But if you'd like to share your favorite holiday tradition, I'm sure we'd all appreciate the inspiration!

12/11/2008 Update: Here are the winners!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

14 20 

Timestamp: 2008-12-11 06:23:13 UTC

Congratulations,  Susan Higgins , who wrote:

"Thank you for your offer. Please count me in.

Posted by: Susan Higgins  December 09, 2008 at 06:38 AM "

We have TWO winners this time, so congratulations also to Cheryl Green who wrote:

"My 9 year old is struggling with reading. This looks like it would be really great for him."

Posted by: Cheryl Green | December 09, 2008 at 09:27 AM

A big thanks to the 35 who took the time to enter this giveaway.  Thank you for your support!  It's fun digging up these giveaways for you, but a bit of work, so I really appreciate your comments and entries. ~ Lori Seaborg

Another Piano Lesson Site & Giveaways on Just Pure Lovely

I updated the post on Piano Lessons to include ZebraKeys.com.  Thank you, Jen, for this recommendation!  Go here to see the original post and the links to three sites offering free piano lessons.

I tossed around whether or not to tell you about this, since it's not really all that educational, but I think you'd like to know...

I'm hosting two giveaways on my Just Pure Lovely blog (one is on Monday - $30 giftcard for children's clothing) and also have links to an alpaca farm's giveaways and links to crafters' giveaways.  Go to Just Pure Lovely to see and enter!

Online Piano Lessons

I have two three! piano lesson sites for you today.  The first was sent in by a FreelyEducate.com reader (thank you!), who suggested  Get Piano Lessons .com.  The site may be worth a dig into it to see if it has what you're looking for in piano lessons.  Note:  Beware of clicking on the random highlighted words throughout the text.  Nothing bad will happen if you do; you'll just be carried away to other sites via Google, when all you really want is to look at piano lessons!  Scroll to the bottom of this page to view 10 beginner piano lessons. 

The second site for you is Piano by Chords .com.  This site is better laid out for you, so it is easier to navigate (more time for playing the piano!).  This method teaches you to play your right hand by ear while your left hand plays chords.  The first lesson emphasizes memorizing the piano keys, and the remaining lessons expand on that, teaching chords and how to play by ear.  This course interests me, so I'm sure I'll be learning right alongside any of you who also choose try it!

Now we have a third recommendation, thanks to FreelyEducate.com reader, Jen.  This site is called Zebra Keys. They write, "Our site provides over 50 free piano lessons for various levels of difficulty. Each piano lesson is accompanied by visual flash animations that allow learners to view and hear songs as well as play along with the animations on their own piano keyboard. Learning piano with Zebra Keys is fun and easy!"

World History for Middle to High Schoolers

World History for Us All offers a full history curriculum for middle to high schoolers...

Their description of the curriculum:

World History for Us All:

History of the World in Seven Minutes

• offers a treasury of teaching units, lesson plans, and resources.
• presents the human past as a single story rather than unconnected stories of many civilizations.
• helps teachers meet state and national standards.
• enables teachers to survey world history without excluding major peoples, regions, or time periods.
• helps students understand the past by connecting specific subject matter to larger historical patterns.
• draws on up-to-date historical research.
• may be readily adapted to a variety of world history programs.

World History for Us All is a national collaboration of K-12 teachers, collegiate instructors, and educational technology specialists. It is a project of San Diego State University in cooperation with the National Center for History in the Schools at UCLA. World History for Us All is a continuing project. Elements under development will appear on the site in the coming months.

A big thank you to one of our FreelyEducate.com readers for sharing this link with us!  Do you have a link to a high quality, 100% free educational find to share with FreelyEducate.com?  Or, do you have a giveaway to offer through your business or extra educational items laying around that you'd like to share?  If so, email me:  loriseaborg@gmail.com .  Thanks!