Inclusive Homeschool

From February 15th through February 18th, you and your child have a fantastic opportunity to not only engage in a scientific research, but to connect with others across the continent. Adults and kids alike participate in this four day bird count, tallying their count online at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ with other science and bird enthusiasts. It’s a wonderful online collaboration.

This from their website:

Participants count birds anywhere for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day period. They tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time…As the count progresses, anyone with Internet access can explore what is being reported from their own towns or anywhere in the United States and Canada. They can also see how this year’s numbers compare with those from previous years. Participants may also send in photographs of the birds they see.

Sparrow

Why Count Birds?
Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.

We need your help. Make sure the birds from your community are well represented in the count. It doesn’t matter whether you report the 5 species coming to your backyard feeder or the 75 species you see during a day’s outing to a wildlife refuge.

The Great Backyard Bird Count for Kids

They have a section just for kids, http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/kids that’s written directly to kids. It has clearly written directions on how to participate, various puzzles, online quizzes, coloring sheets, bird song identification, and bird guides.

My only confusion is that on the kids page the dates are listed as 16th through the 19th, which is a day later than stated elsewhere on the site. I will email the webmaster and inquire about that. I’d start on the 15th if you want to do the full four days.

We’re not studying birds right now in our science adventure, but that’s what’s so wonderful about homeschooling. We can switch our “curriculum” anytime we want, depending on what life presents us.

[Thanks to internetclipart for sparrow graphic]

Tags: birds, Free Resources, network, Science

I just discovered this math site tonight http://illuminations.nctm.org/ that is an absolute treasure trove of resources.

It’s divided into four major sections: activities, lessons, standards and web links, and covers grades pre-K to 2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12.

The standards are number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis and probability. The online activities are a lot of fun, though I did have one page freeze up on me using my Firefox browser.

I can’t wait to do some of these activities with Brhiannon when she comes home. She is more of a hands on and visual learner, and using more than one approach, utilizing as many of her senses work best for her. I anticipate her really enjoying this site. Brhiannon has not had a positive experience with math, and has developed a…oh, shall I say, dread, for doing math?

I have to be honest and say part of the reason for this is because of the inconsistency of academic practice between her two homes. It’s one of my greatest frustrations. Another part is because she is very right brained and she operates on her own time table. I must confess that I have periodically succumbed to pressure to “keep her up to state standards”, pushing her into abstract learning before she was psychologically or neurologically ready.

Between the two, she has developed a lack of confidence and self esteem in all things mathematical…except when she doesn’t know they’re mathematical. Which is another reason why I love another site so much. I’ll post on that one later.

For now, I want to say I think http://illuminations.nctm.org/ is a valuable resource and I’m very pleased to have discovered it. Rather than go through most of the site myself before posting, I want to post it now and give you the opportunity to explore it yourself!

I’d love to hear what you think – what you like best or recommend from this site. I’ll revisit this site and make further posts concerning which activities we like or find most helpful.

Happy learning!

Tags: Free Resources, Math, virtual manipulatives