TEL Excitement This Week!

As I looked out of the window in our study and watched the rain trickle down, I was unmotivated to tackle the mountain of work that lay waiting for me.  As usual, I began mindlessly searching the internet for something to spark my creativity.  I wanted something exciting and engaging.  Something, anything to liven up a rather bleak, dreary, rainy week I knew we were facing.  After a long hour of mindless wanderings, I stumbled across something wonderful... 

I am so excited about homeschooling this week!  I have decided to get our creative juices flowing with some wonderful activities as well as bring to life a wonderful children's classic.  From podcasting to Google Earth, we are going to add some flair to our learning.  Check it out how we are using technology this week to enhance our learning.

• Each morning we are going to kick off journal time with an image from Flickr showcasing beautiful autumn scenes from around the world.  After journaling about the scene, we are going to locate the place of origin on Google Earth.  If we are feeling really crazy, we may calculate the distance from our home to theirs.  I always love to introduce math concepts wherever possible!

• After completing our spelling pre-tests, I'll have the kids use Spell With Flickr to create collage images of the words they need to focus on for the week.  I figure this will add a twist to the mundane!
  • Check out our progress!

• Fractions rule the day with math this week.  For our first grader, we are going to take a nature walk and collect several leaves, rocks, and acorns.  Then, we will come back and write fraction stories with our treasures.  Our 4th grader is reviewing operations with fractions.  As a project, we are going to explore The Tortoise and the Hare Race in a whole new light using an applet from Interactivate.  She loves a challenge!  So, I thought we would apply the concept of multiplying fractions by looking at Zeno's Paradox. 

• In Medieval History, we are exploring the Carolingians and the Kingdom of the Franks.  We will continue to develop our interactive history timeline using Dipity.  Also, our oldest will research the life of Charlemagne and write a biography using Google Docs.  I have to say this has made the editing process much easier for both of us. 
  
  • Check out Abby's glog on The Life Of Charlemagne.
  • She also made a digital poster to finish her study of the novel Bridge to Terabithia.  Check out the fun!

• To highlight the culture of the Middle Ages during the life of Charlemagne, we will look at the origin of the fleur de lis and the merovingian brooch.  Using our creative sides, I am going to let the kids create fleur de lis masterpieces using acrylics, oils, or mosaics.  I'll post the final results.

• The Force runs strong in our house as our study of Newton's Laws comes to a close.  I found a great video from Planet SciCast that explains these laws though experiments.  Inspired by these students, I thought we would finish our unit by creating our own podcast.  After all, the best way to show you understand something is if you can teachit to someone else.

• Our first grader is going on a Google Lit Trip as she tracks the path of the ducklings using Google Earth.  Thank you Mary Ellen (Mel) McNamara for a wonderful project!

• Finally, on Wednesday, we are going on a virtual field trip to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to celebrate a dolphin named Winter.  Check out our lesson plan for this live webcast.

The dreary, rainy afternoon has stimulated my creative side and to this I am thankful.  I am looking forward to a wonderful week of learning with our children and am ready to be amazed at the mind of a child.

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken
joy in creative expression and knowledge.
Albert Einstein