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Free Literature Based Unit Studies and Lapbooks

If you love unit studies or if you love lapbooking, you need to visit HomeschoolShare.com

The above is a screenshot of Homeschool Share's Literature Based Unit Studies page.  There are dozen of unit studies available, sorted by age (toddlers through elementary grades) or by theme.

The site also offers a section on Free Lapbooks.

Have fun looking around the site! 

Thank you, Janee, for sharing this 100% free resource with FreelyEducate.com!

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Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

GIVEAWAY! Encouragement for Homeschool Moms (spiral bound) 2 Winners!

Deeper Roots Publications, publishers of Christian-based devotionals and Bible curriculum, want to give away TWO COPIES of Encouragement for Home School Moms (a spiral-bound book).

Here is a little more about the book, from the author, Bonnie Lisech :

Intel Education: Technology Curriculum

We all know that Intel creates computer parts, but did you know that they are also committed to educating children?  Intel Education is full of lesson plans and full curriculum on the subject of technology for K-12 students.

A FreelyEducate.com reader sent in the Intel Education link. She wrote:

"I came across a free technology and engineering curriculum.  It is through Intel at www.intel.com/education  Click on K-12 Teaching Resources.  I really liked the following curriculum:

1.  It's a Wild Ride- lessons on roller coaster design
2.  The Journey Inside-  online interactive lessons on the parts of the computer
3.  Design and Discovery-  printable engineering curriculum

Thanks,
Kim Weber"

Thank you, Kim, for sharing this high quality, 100% free educational find with us!

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Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

Need Free Worksheets? Check out Super Teacher Worksheets

Jennifer Thompson sent in this site.  She wrote, "I came across Super Teacher Worksheets today that I don't remember having seen on Freely Educate before and thought you may be interested.  It's for elementary grades (as far as I have seen so far) and has tons of worksheets on a little bit of everything - grammar, math, proofreading, reading comprehension, handwriting and lots more. It also has spelling lists and activity sheets for many grades.

I hope you find it a helpful site for Freely Educate!"

We sure do, Jennifer!  Thank you for sending in this high quality, 100% free educational find.

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Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

Free Historical Fiction Download through February 19th

Salem Ridge Press is offering a free download of Glaucia the Greek Slave through February 19th...

A description from the publishers:

Glaucia the Greek Slave by Emma Leslie

After the death of her father, Glaucia is sold to a wealthy Roman family to pay his debts.  She tries hard to adjust to her new life but longs to find a God who can love even a slave.  Meanwhile, her brother,Laon, struggles to find her and to earn enough money to buy her freedom.  But what is the mystery that surrounds their mother's disappearance years earlier and will they ever be able to read the message in the parchments she left for them?

Story Setting:  Athens in 59-64 A.D.
Originally published in 1874; 270 pages; for ages 10 - Adult

p.s. Rather hold a book in your hands?  It's not free, but you can purchase a paperback here: Glaucia the Greek Slave: A Tale of Athens in the First Century . Click on the book cover or links above for the free book download, but remember - you only have until February 19th to get it!

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Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

The Great Backyard Bird Count: February 13-17th, 2009

I have been posting so often about birds lately on my other blog, Just Pure Lovely, that I'm getting teased about it becoming a bird blog (it is not).  This weekend, though, I have a very good excuse for posting more bird photos....

It's time for the Great Backyard Bird Count!

1. cardinal, 2. bluejay, 3. woodpecker, 4. bluebird2, 5. Sparrows, 6. Seagull, 7. Tufted Titmouse, 8. Seagulls, 9. Carolina Chickadee, 10. Yellow-rumped Warbler, 11. Cooper's Hawk, 12. Northern Mockingbird, 13. Cardinal Peeking behind Mardi Gras Beads

Today and tomorrow, you are invited to help researchers identify where birds are located by simply sitting down for 15 minutes and counting the birds you see.  With the information on the form, identifying birds is pretty easy, too!

There are many educational things to look at on the Great Backyard Bird Count site.

Let us know if you count birds in your area! 

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Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

PSPrint's Educational Partnership Program & Free Sample Kit

Educators like us can spend a lot on printing costs.  Knowing how much I spend in my tiny (home) school, and guessing how much you might spend in your bigger (public? private? home?) school, I thought you’d like to know an online printing service that is offering a discount to educators. 

 PSPrint is a leading online printing company that can handle any printing job such as business cards, custom stickers, custom postcards, custom greeting cards, posters, brochure printing and more.   PsPrint will deliver the premium-quality printing your school needs with lightning-fast turnaround and very competitive prices.

They created PSPrint Education, a program for us educators.   Through PSPrint’s Educational Partnership Program, you get to save 15% on everything your school prints.  Yes, this includes calendars customized with your school’s logo, event tickets, recruitment brochures, event flyers, posters, newsletters and more.  Can you think of more things you’d like printed?  I sure can!

I haven’t had the opportunity to use PSPrint’s  services yet, but wanted to tell you about their Educational Partnership Program in case you’d like to take advantage of the educator’s discount of 15% off all printing services. 

Also, since all of us who visit FreelyEducate.com love freebies, you’ll like knowing that you may receive a sample of PSPrint’s quality, for free.  Order PSPrint's free Sample Kit, which "contains a variety of printed samples, a paper sample guide, and other helpful information to get you started." 

Let me know what you think  if you take advantage of these offers!

Computer Programming for Kids: LOGO

Logo is a computer programming language which is easy enough for children to learn.   I have a few sites for you to visit, each about Logo and how it might be used in educating your students:

• First off, here is what Wikipedia has to say on what Logo is and how it is used today

• The Logo Workshop is 10 lessons, designed for about the K-5th grade level, and are about 45 minutes in length (each). "The lesson is explained with a mixture of text, pictures, code samples, and hands-on activities. Each lesson ends with an open-ended activity where the children are encouraged to create something interesting using what they have just learned."  

• Here is a download site for MSWLogo, some Logo books, and "Logo Sightseeing"

• And here is another download site, for FMSLogo (this site mentions that FMSLogo is the new name for MSWLogo). 

A big thank you to Antonia Colias  for sharing these high quality, 100% free, educational finds with us!

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Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

Khan Academy: Over 700 Free Math Instruction Videos

 

Khan Academy has "over 700 videos covering everything from basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, and finance," including many videos on the current economic crisis. 

About the professor (the following text is taken from the Khan Academy website) :

Salman Khan (Sal) founded the Khan Academy with the hope of using technology to foster new learning models. He is currently an investment professional in Palo Alto, CA and has held positions in venture capital, product management, and engineering. Sal received his MBA from Harvard Business School. He also holds a Masters in electrical engineering and computer science, a BS in electrical engineering and computer science, and a BS in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Testimonials:

Many testimonials are posted on the Khan Academy site, including these:

"I am a high school Math/Physics Teacher working in Toronto Ontario. I have been referring students to your videos for the past year and have referenced many of them on my website. Those that have used it find it very useful, and have commented that you explain content better than I do..."

"...Your videos have become very popular in my school, and my grades have sky-rocketed ever since I became accustomed to your methods of teaching..."

"I've never been very successful with algebra, I know this is pretty basic, but I have almost no comprehension of mathematics. I was honestly going to be kicked out of school for being non-productive, I was ready to be thrown out, but now I get this. Thank you so much..."

Linda Barger, who emailed me about Khan Academy said her son "loves the site."  Thank you, Linda, for this high quality, 100% free, educational find!

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p.s. Want to enter a giveaway for the skip count and addition facts songbook and CD from Math U See?  My friend, Renee, is giving away one.  Go to her site to enter.

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Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

LivingBooks for the Ears: Free AudioBooks Each Week

LivingBooks for the Ears offers free radio programs (or audiobooks). The free program audios are only available for one week and then are replaced by new selections.

This week, two Lincoln selections are available for download as mp3 files:  Out of the Wilderness and Mr. Lincoln Goes to the Play.

To view the audio download link, click on the above, then scroll past the "letter to the readers" on the site and you'll see the current audio download links (these change weekly). No registration is required.

Thank you, Katherine, for this high quality, 100% free, educational find!

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Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

GIVEAWAY: 5 Math Tutoring Sessions from ClickandClimb.com (closed)

We would like to provide 5 math tutoring sessions (1 hour each session) ( value $89.95) to 2 readers. These will be absolutely personalized one-on-one sessions with one of our qualified teachers. The academic director will speak with the parent and find out the area/topics the student needs help with, and the teacher will customize the sessions accordingly. They can even scan/fax/email us the homework questions if they want teachers to go over those questions with the students. The winners can also pick their own schedule for tutoring (based of course on teacher's availability).

Art Lessons from the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts

The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts offers 20 lessons in art education on their site.  The lessons include clay, charcoal, printmaking, and watercolor mediums, among others.  All lessons are .pdf files (that means, viewable through the free Acrobat reader). 

If you live near or travel near Montgomery, Alabama, consider visiting this 100% free museum.  You may find out more, including hours and directions at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts website.

Jenny, a Freely Educate reader, shared this site with me.  She wrote, "We took a field trip last week to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. They have a Artworks museum just for kids that is FREE.  It was great.  If anyone is close this would be an excellent field trip for them.  - Jenny"

Thank you, Jenny, for this high quality, 100% free educational find!

(pssst, see below for today's second post.  I know you're used to reading just one!)

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Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

Hallmark Valentine's Day Cards Giveaway over on Just Pure Lovely (closed)

Hey, there.  I thought I'd slip in an extra post today to let you know that I'm giving away 3 sets of Hallmark Recordable Cards with Music (they are much more exciting than that title)  to 3 winners.  Want a set of cards (value: $6.99 each)?  You'll have to enter on my other blog, Just Pure Lovely.

'

Did you pay attention?  This giveaway is hosted at Just Pure Lovely, not here, so the comments below are closed.  Go there to enter!

(Deadline: Friday, February 6th at midnight CST)

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Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

VisibleBody.com: Anatomy & Physiology in 3D

I went to nursing school.  For 3 of the 4 years required to get a degree, that is.  I switched majors after realizing that I like words better than germs.  Words may cut like a sword, but they don't goo like a body can. 

In year 2, I took a course in Anatomy & Physiology. I still have the several-inches-thick book.  It's hard to let go of something that cost as much as it did, and besides, I always thought our children would get a kick out of the illustrations. 

Until I discovered Visible Body, a 3D, interactive program for teaching anatomy and physiology....

Yeah, our kids aren't going to want my old 90's book with its faded illustrations when VisibleBody.com is free for the looking.

See the labels in the screenshot, below?

Those are just a few of the buttons you can push to look more deeply (or less) into the body.

The following is the response from Visible Body creators when asked...

Can I use the Visible Body as a teaching resource in my classroom or computer lab?

We encourage you to use the Visible Body with your class! We hope you will share with us your feedback about the site and any suggestions for improvement you may have. While customized versions of the Visible Body are available for a fee, we plan to maintain free access to this version for public use.

Is there a version with no nudity (skin) and/or reproductive system for use with less mature audiences?

A "G-rated" version of the Visible Body is currently in development. In the meantime, users can avoid adding the Integumentary and Reproductive Systems.

Is the 3D human body model complete and anatomically accurate?

The Visible Body is the most complete, highly detailed, and anatomically accurate human body model available. It is designed to deliver the level of detail necessary to teach a college-level Anatomy and Physiology course.

All anatomical content has been reviewed for accuracy by our panel of experts, including physicians and anatomists.

My notes on using this site:

• Registration is necessary.  Often I "boycott" a site on this sole point, but Visible Body is too cool to not forgive.  Only an email address and password are required.
• I had to download a 3MB viewer to see the Visible Body.  You'll see a download option when you try to open the program up.  I just wanted to let you know I found it to be a safe download.
• The first time you open Visible Body, be patient!  It's a huge program and will take a while to fully load.  Go do something else while it fully loads, like, um, write a blog post (only the skeletal system has finished loading as I type, but my connection is  l o u s y today).
• Did you see the note above about seeing some "skin" and "sensitive viewers"?  Okay, then.  Just so you know they aren't going to show us a fully-clothed or untrue (Barbie-like) Visible Body.
• Note: The skin (integumentary) loads LAST, and you have to click "Add" to view it, so your Visible Body will be "G-rated" until that point.  

Ah, as I'm finishing up this post, I see that the Endocrine, Digestive, Respiratory, and Lymphatic systems are all ready to add to my skeleton.  This looks like great fun. 

I just might regret that decision to switch majors.

~ Lori

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