Off—beat Websites with Freebies

 I taught at small, private schools for most of my career.  I was in the habit of locating freebies.  Most of these freebies are from corporations promoting their products.  Make arrangements with your church or host site to accept the goods; most won’t ship to a residence. 

1. Colgate Classroom Kit includes toothbrushes and toothpaste.  Your Co-op can teach kiddos how to brush their teeth.  

2. Free Stossel in the Classroom videos.  These were free DVDs previously.  The videos encompass a wide range of economic and free market topics.

3.  Similarly HHMI materials were free CDs and DVD, it all available online.  These topics and instructional materials are high level, but fairly obtuse.

4. American Electric Power Safety Kits has free booklets.

5. Many museums offer traveling trunks or free classroom kits: Mote Marine Lab,  Homestead in Nebraska, Florida Keys, Gateway Arch, and the George W. Bush Library, to name a few.

Buy used!

 I cannot emphasize enough that you should buy used education materials!  We use older math textbooks for Co-op.  Why?  They are much cheaper.  The older Algebra editions also have more graphing calculator exercises embedded.  We want the kids to learn how to use the graphing calculator.  There are unfamiliar applications; the older textbooks have instructions missing from newer editions; the publishers tend to assume the younger teachers are already familiar with these applications and can integrate them on their own.

I buy science kits just for their equipment.  I’m not worried about using the labs themselves.  I want the mini scales, beakers, and graduated cylinders.  I set a max price of about $25 total, including shipping when I bid.  If I loose the bid, so be it.  If I need a set of microscope slides, I’ll buy a science lot with a microscope.  I’m not concerned about the microscope working because I just want the slides.  If it does work, that’s just a bonus.  Again, I compare prices in Walmart, Amazon, eBay, Good Will, and Temu before making any bids.  Below are a few examples of kits or lots with interesting items.  

Create a Blog!

 The Co-op kids are working on their blogs: board and card games, German shepherds, Fishing and Golf, Chik-Fil-A, and Art.  Today, we created lists of topics.  Here is the list I made based on topics I use for my Science Classes blog.  Each teen created a list and started writing.  I’m using this to help kid learn to write.  Here is an intro to blogging.  I’m working on developing a point of view.  I know kids write more when they are interested in the topic.  We looked at a few successful blogs—one from a local family with whom we are acquainted, Small Things.  We are busy writing.  BTW a blog is an outlet which allows you to write about any topic as long as you choose.  

Take an off-beat field trip.

Update: Last Friday, my friend, Jen’s, Co-op visited the local Quarry.  Add the fire department, jail, and Rescue Center to your list of off-beat field trips.

 I’ve taken kids on field trips.  Remember I taught in public, private, and Co-op settings.  Sure, I’ve taken groups to Washington D.C. and New York City, traditional field trips.  However, I like off-beat trips.   For example, I’ve taken high school groups for a week to the Marine Science Consortium’s Chincoteague Bay Field Station.  They host Family Camps.  Our school group stayed  in barracks and went out on the Bay.  It’s located on Wallops Island, close to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Wallops Flight Visitor Center.  However, the most memorable field trips are really off the wall and accessible.  

1.  Visit a Waste Water Treatment Plant.  Look for a ‘facility tour’.  Here is a virtual tour.  BTW, now is a good time to visit a waste water treatment plant.  I toured a plant in July in Charlotte, N.C.  Words fail to convey just how pungent that experience was.

2.  Landfills make for interesting tours, too.  The Fauquier Collection Site has a landfill, recycling center, and sorting area.  Fauquier uses an Enviroscape Landfill model as part of its education program.  Call your local landfill to schedule a tour.  Ask if they have an Enviroscape model.  

3. See if there is a local Water Treatment plant to tour.  This type of facility has sand beds.  The Berkeley site has glass window etched from the fluoride added to water.  This tour does not come with odious odors.

4. Take a Factory tour.  Our family loves factory tours!  They vary enormously.  Try the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in D.C.  They print dollar bills.

Break up your routine!

 One of the best aspects of home-schooling is that you can tailor your program to your family’s needs.  One young friend needs to do math at 7:00 am when he is most alert.  I have a few tips to help break up your routine.

1. Twice a week, our Co-op teaches Biology and Algebra 1 from 9:15–12:15.  First, we take a 15 minute break between classes.  Most of the time, the kids go outside and shoot basketballs.  The kids need time to change gears before Algebra.

2.  Change up activities.  During science classes, I schedule several activities which last about 15 minutes each—all within the 90 minute class.  Usually, I start with about ten minutes of direct instruction.  I like to have four changes, unless we’re doing an extended lab.  Today the high school kids did a chromatography lab with ink pens, spinach leaves, and food dyes and a flower dissection. The teens stay engaged as long as the lab is fairly interesting.  

3. When is your kid at her best?  Plan work then!  I’m old school and like kids to go to bed early.  Other families have vastly different schedules.  We found Paul worked well all morning.  School started after breakfast at 8:30 until lunch.  After lunch, Paul read for an hour.  We planned labs for the afternoon.  Lacie a teen, liked to bunker in the basement during the afternoons when it was quiet.

4.  Vary the assignments by day of the week.  Elementary students often have vocabulary, spelling, grammar, reading, phonics, and hand-writing.  First, combine hand-writing with vocabulary or composition.  Secondly, select different days for vocabulary, grammar, and spelling.  Read and write everyday.  Where does your child need more practice?  Spelling?  Do that twice a week.  Paul liked the Vocabulary workshop book exercise.  We did that twice a week.  

5. Friday is Fun Day!  We worked five mornings every week.  Friday afternoon was spent learning Morse code, assembling LEGOs, doing a lab, or making an edible model. The local Co-op schedules play dates on Fridays in the park.  LaCie spent Friday afternoons painting.  However, Friday afternoons can be spent finishing work, too.

What are some great apps for education?

 Look, I am a firm believer that tech supports education.  Period.  It certainly doesn’t replace dedicated lessons.  Many, many, many kids would perform better in school if they had a textbook.  But some tools are useful.  Let me recommend apps based on web sites I like.  First is Desmos, a free graphing app you can also use right from the website.  Another excellent web site is Khan Academy.  They have two apps: Khan Academy and Khan Academy Kids.  Another great app is from Duolingo.  Another excellent app is Quizlet; I used Quizlet frequently for French instruction.  NASA has an app.  Finally,  Scratch, a great app for coding.  We used the Scratch website with the book below.  See if your library has the book.

Let’s do some plant science!

 Our Co-op Biology class just launched the Botany unit.  Tomorrow we’re doing the Spinach Leaf Chromatography lab and finishing ink (and dyes) paper chromatography.  The daffodils are blooming; the kids are doing the Daffodil Dissection  tomorrow, too.  

What about your family?  If you want a formal course for elementary aged students, the Botany textbook and journal from Apologia’s Young Explorers series is amazing.  However, many families focus on the basics, particularly with younger children.  Science is more enrichment.  Guess what?  Many elementary school teachers (both in public and private schools) might only do science once a week, on Friday afternoons.  You can take the same approach.  Finish your core subjects and set aside time Friday afternoons for Science.  Plan a trip to the library, too!  Browse the stacks for books about plants to get started.  What are some fun plant activities?

1.  If you can get a stack of magazines, try Parts of the Plants. It’s quite creative.  Kids look at magazine photos with plants and determine which plant part and how it might fit in a daily diet.

2. Sprout seeds in a CD case or plastic bag taped to the window.  You can try using paper towel, too.  Radish seeds sprout quickly!  Try Newspaper Seed Starters or recycled materials: metal cans, juice boxes, egg shells, paper tubes, etc., 

3. The Celery Lab uses stalks dyed in food coloring.  The student makes cuts and examines the xylem and phloem using a magnifier or microscope. Start by dying the stalks different colors.  The ACS has  Celery Soaks It Up!  This lab times and measures the distance the dye travels up the celery stalk.  ACS suggests using a flashlight with the magnifier.  If you use the camera on your cell phone, try to turn on the flashlight app, too.

 4.  Kid’s Gardening has a series of labs under the heading, Plant Needs: Light, Water, Air, Nutrients, Space, Leaves, and Seeds.  

5.  Kids Gardening has loads of ideas for gardens.  Browse the site for inspiration.  Grow a pizza garden, an alphabet garden,  or a Rainbow garden.  Have the family plan the project.  Where will the garden be placed?  Does the area get enough sun?  Which veggies?  Should we plant seeds in the shape of each child’s initials?  Have a blast!  Go ahead and be a little smug!  Take loads of photos for your digital portfolio?

I’ve even done a little hydroponics.