Dance Mat Typing

Let me start by saying that the BBC is amazing. First of all, the British Broadcasting Corporation’s stated vision is ‘To be the most creative organisation in the world’. In fact, the BBC is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world! The BBC takes social and corporate responsibility seriously and has some great educational resources.

One of our favorite free learning resources is Dance Mat Typing. Dance Mat typing is specifically for children and offers real typing lessons in a fun and engaging manner. When the student completes all lessons, they can print out a completion certificate.  Even better, children really learn to use the keyboard to type properly.

Happy Pi Day!

We love Pi day, a day with the same date signature as Pi (3/14 – 3.14).  We’ve created a fun way for kids to explore the relationship between the circle and Pi. Check out our post over on GeekMom for a fun activity that makes learning about Pi really fun.

Personalized Learning Tools We Love!

Anything that allows you to interact with it in more than one way (or at least in a number of different ways) is a personalized learning tool as far as we’re concerned.  We’re sharing our list of our favorite really fun tools, projects, books, etc.

• WriteGuide – Designed specifically for homeschoolers but open to anyone, WriteGuide is the ultimate personalized experience.  WriteGuide is an online writing service that tailors your experience to your very own personal preferences.  Read our earlier review for more information about WriteGuide.
• Lightning calculations calendar is a unique calendar filled with mental math exercises.  The calendar is full of challenges and the author encourages you to skip ahead and work on the problems in any way you want.  Its fun and make a great gift, too.
• Little Blue School’s Treasure Island Unit Study is one of the best around!  There are tons of activities for each chapter of this book that really engage young imaginations.  Our homeschooler loved it!
• DanceMat Typing from the BBC is a really fun interactive website for kids learning to type.  Kids can even print a certificate when they’ve completed all of the levels.  What we liked about it (besides the fun accents and exotic music) is that kids can progress at their own pace and repeat levels as many times as they  like.  Plus, it’s free.
• MAKE kits – The Makershed site has an entire web page dedicated to kits you and your children can make together.  Many are electronics kits, but you’ll be surprised at the stuff you’ll find there.  There are kits in all price ranges, so there’s something for everyone.
• GeekDad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share – A great book that’s meant to be personalized.  Each project has suggestions (but they’re just suggestions) and the author encourages improvisation.

Nifty Interactive Math Calendar Makes Unique Gift

Ron Doerfler, author of the Dead Reckonings Blog, has created an awesome free 2011 mental math calendar called Lightning Calculation. Ron describes this calendar as an interactive calendar for developing abilities in mental calculation. The calendar boasts over 4,000 exercises with most of the answers cleverly displayed so as not to give themselves up too easily.  Ron provides links to his free PDF version of the calendar and through the Lulu.com website, a professional print-on-demand publishing company.  With Ron’s discount code, you can get this calendar professionally printed for free (you do have to pay a nominal shipping fee).  I can’t think of a better gift for someone who enjoys puzzles, patterns, learning, and clever ideas!

Lightning Calculation Links

• Ron Doefler’s Dead Reckoning Blog
• Ron’s 2011 Lightning Calendar Blog Post
• Ron’s Lightning Calendar PDF for personal printing
• Lightning Calendar on Lulu.com

If you want to see more cool calendar work from Ron, check out the 2010 calendar he created entitled The Age of Graphical Computing, which is still available for download.

How To Make A Spy’s Secret Code Wheel

Spys are cool and mysterious with all of their computer, language, and disguise skills and all of their nifty gadgets.  The idea of the spy code wheel is to quickly and randomly choose numbers to substitute for letters when writing a secret note.  If you tell the person receiving the note that A=6, then the spy can use the spy code wheel to quickly decode the message by finding out what all of the other numbers represent (if A=6, then B=7, etc.).We found the idea for the secret code wheel in the ‘Math Wizardry for Kids’ book, but we found the book’s details for constructing the code wheel lacking.  Here, we documented our own techniques for making a useful spy code wheel.  The best part about this project is that you use plenty of math, but because the math is applied in context (to make a cool tool), kids learn how math is applied in the real world (as it should be).

Supplies for Making Your Spy Code Wheel

Sheet of construction paper or printer paper

Small paper plate (6 in.)

Cellophane tape

Protractor

Straight edge (clear)

Drawing compass

Scissors

Pencil, eraser, and marker

Small, strong magnet and small iron ball or other small, magnetic object

Step 1.

Begin by placing your sheet of construction paper on a flat surface and placing your small paper plate on top and in the center of the paper.

Step 2.

Use small pieces of tape to secure the construction paper to the flat surface.  Also use small pieces of tape to secure the paper plate to the construction paper (you’ll be removing the tape once finished, so be sure to use only small pieces so you don’t tear your project when removing them).  With a drawing compass’ point centered in the center of the paper plate, draw a circle a few inches larger than the plate that still fits completely on the construction paper.  Remove the tape holding the paper to the flat surface and use scissors to cut out the circle from the construction paper.

Step 3.

Now we are ready to create the code part of the wheel.  First, a bit of math:

We know that there are 360 degrees in a circle and 26 letters in the alphabet.  We want to represent all 26 letters of the alphabet on our wheel, so we have to divide the 360 degree circle into 26 equal segments.   360/26 is roughly 14 degrees.  With your straight edge, draw a faint line through the center of your circle as a reference mark for your protractor.  Once you have aligned your protractor with your line, Use some tape to secure the protractor to your project.  Now, mark off (on the construction paper and paper plate) 14 degree increments until you get to the other end of your protractor.  You will have to use addition to figure out where to draw your lines, but its pretty easy and good practice for your mental math.

Step 4.

Now that you have half of your circle marked in equal increments, you can simply use align your straight edge along each mark and through the center of your circle to draw the corresponding line on the other side of the circle. repeat until you have 26 equal segments on your paper plate and construction paper.

Step 5.

On the construction paper, write a letter in each space, starting with A and ending with Z.  Now, on the paper plate, write a number in each space, starting with 1 and ending with 26.

Step 6.

Remove all of the tape holding your project to the surface and to itself and the protractor.  Make sure your paper plate is sitting in the center of your construction paper.  Put you magnetic ball or other small magnetic object in the center of the paper plate and put your strong magnet on the back center of your construction paper.  The magnetic force should hold the paper plate in place as you turn it to change your code.

Step 7.

Decide on a key (A=12, for example) and write a secret code to share with a fellow spy.

Sophisticated Science Gadget How-Tos on Scitoys.com

Scitoys.com has an impressive array of science gadgets that kids and adults will enjoy making.  The website even has an online store that sells everything you need to make some of the gadgets.  However, your local RadioShack should have much of the items needed.  What sets this website apart from most other science websites for kids is that many of these projects support learning advanced science and engineering concepts.  For example, there are lessons on building your own hydrogen fuel cell, extracting DNA in your kitchen, and a simple (but cool) electric motor.  Additionally, Scitoys.com always explains the physics, chemical, biological and mathematical principals behind the devices.  So, if you are looking for real science engagement (beyond the tired old vinegar-baking soda volcanos), build a few science gadgets and learn some really advanced science concepts along the way.

Get Ready for Wolfram|Alpha Homework Day Oct.21

Wolfram|Alpha, the online worldwide computation engine is hosting Homework Day on October 21, 2009. There promises to be a lesson plan showcase for all levels (K-12 and beyond), a chance to interact with the Wolfram|Alpha experts, and an amazing line up of thought leaders. The event kicks off online at noon and doesn’t end until 2:00 am, so be sure to check homeworkday.wolframalpha.com sometime on Oct. 21!

Back to Homeschool: What Does Education Mean to You?

As you are gearing up for another year of homeschool after a summer break, take time to consider what the word ‘education’ means to you.   According to Webster’s Dictionary, it means :

the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.

But on a deeper level, education must be about humanity.  It is also people’s engagement with community, both local and global, acting with humility and empathy toward others, appreciating and understanding how language, culture and math evolve, learning the lessons of past history, and being disciplined enough to  manage our natural resources.  To me, education isn’t ‘boiled-down’ to facts and tests.  Education’s ultimate goal has to be something like  ‘how to live on planet earth as people who understand our past, manage the present and plan for the unknown future.  We need to be smart, yes, but not without a deep appreciation for the context in which we apply our ‘education’.

Everyone needs to know basic information and have basic skills, such as writing, speaking and understanding language and basic math skills.  That being said, how do you go about educating when you take the big-picture view of education?   I say, live a big-picture life and share it with your children! Inspire them to enjoy learning, stay curious and interested, and think about how they fit into the world.

Here are some of my ideas about ‘Big-Picture’ Education

• Read global news and discuss it as a family.
• Learn where our food originates and plan as a family for improving the quality of your food (grow a garden, join a food coop, support your local farmer, etc.).
• Attend local art festivals and music performances and meet the artists.  Ask them about their inspirations and what they like about the community – they are an important part of the community and can share amazing insights into what is vibrant about your community.
• Participate in your community – Volunteer at the voting polls, participate in beach or street clean-ups, help elderly neighbors, or just get to know your neighbors better.
• Leverage technology for human good and not as an end in itself —  Create a newsletter blog instead of printing paper copies and mailing them, learn a bit about chemistry to improve cooking and cleaning, or learn how to rebuild an old bicycle and use hand tools.
• Study the record turntable, the rotary telephone, the eight-track tape, and the iPhone – Look at what these devices were/are for, the timeline in which they evolved and use it as a measuring stick for how technology will evolve in the future – prepare children to embrace and champion disruptive change!

Math Night: Insightful, Fun and Creative Math Activities

Homeschoolers who love learning by doing will love ‘Math Night’. Math Night, supported by National Science Foundation grants, is a very cool concept that engages kids in creative math activities. The Iowa State University Department of Mathematics hosts a wonderful ‘Math Night’ website containing dozens of high-quality concepts, just waiting to be developed into full-fledged lessons! I’m sure the site is intended for use in weekly group gatherings, but we use it to develop our homeschool lessons. We loved ‘The Mathematics of Music‘ activity, especially the insight into J.S. Bach’s Crab Cannon, the chance to compose our own short piece, and then play with the piece’s symmetry.  Tip: There are some good examples of Crab Cannon symmetry on YouTube.

Check out Math Night at Iowa State University Department of Mathematics

Beautiful Statistics – Hans Rosling’s Gapminder.org

Sometimes children assume that the way things are in the world today are the way things have always been and the way things will always be.  Gapminder empowers the user to visually manipulate graphs to focus on elements of interest, but definitely shows that things don’t always stay the same in the world, even within relatively short periods of time!  When it comes to studying about world health, population, education and wealth, Gapminder.org offers a wonderfully interactive, dynamic graphing experience that is visually beautiful and insightful.

Hans Rosling offers inspiring videos full of fresh perspectives and provides free downloads of some of the graphs for use in presentations.  Use these graphs to get students interested in learning more about a topic or use them to introduce an idea.  If you have compelling data to share, consider exploring Google’s Motion Chart gadget!