In Honor of Robert Frost

Robert Frost has long been one of my favorite poets. I discovered Frost in an English class, with one of the best teachers I ever had (thank you Ms. Pleasants) and have often been comforted by the beauty of his view of the world. Since today is the anniversary of his death I decided to post this:

Nothing Gold can Stay


Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Read more Frost here.

Mozart, Pollock and Frost

This week marks some famous anniversaries...Mozart's birthday on the 27th, Jackson's Pollock's birthday on the 28th and Robert Frost's death on the 29th.

Here's some interesting stuff on each of these fascinating men:
Mozart for kids
A story of Mozart's life
Compose a Minuet Game
The Mozart Project, with bios of his family and more links

JacksonPollock.com
Pollock's art
Pollock Timeline
ibiblio on Pollock

Links to Poems
Poets.org
The Friends of Frost site, with tutorial for students

As always, you should review these sites before sharing them with your kids. Some material may not be appropriate for certain ages. Please use your own discretion.
Enjoy!

Wordful Wednesday

There's not much sweeter than a kid in jammies. I love the snuggly goodness of a freshly bathed babe in soft pjs. What could be better? And, the bear feet! Makes for some mommy bliss.
Happy WW!

Year of the Ox

Happy Chinese New Year!
Here are some links to help you explore and celebrate.
About the Ox
China Page
Chinese Zodiac
Crafts and more
Make an Ox
Time for Kids article
Food and recipes

Have some popcorn sprinkled with a little science...

If you weren't aware, today is National Popcorn Day (so says my educational calendar). Actually, the date of this holiday has been debated by some, so it may have been on the 19th, or it may not be until Superbowl Sunday. At any rate, pick a day and pop some of the good stuff, but not until you've done your research. Click here for some background info and cool video of popcorn popping in slow motion.
Whether you like yours salted, plain or sprinkled with powdered cheese, you are sure to find this lesson lots of fun.
Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday- Little Tarheels

Happy WW! Mr. Linky was a little wacky today, so I took it down. Sorry, I can be a bit TC (technically challenged.)
Feel free to leave a comment though. We love comment luv!

Cute Heart Cookies

Sugar Cookies Hearts

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup shortening
2 cups flour
1 egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
candy sprinkles or red colored sugar
your favorite jam

Beat together butter and sugar on medium speed. Add egg, sugar, milk and vanilla and mix well. Add dry ingredients 1 cup at a time, mixing well and scraping bowl. Chill for about 1 hour or until dough is firm.

Lightly flour counter top and roll out the dough so it is about 1/8 of an inch thick. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to make cookies.

Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375F degrees for 6-8 minutes.

Let cookies cool on racks. Spread jam on half of the cookies, and top with another cookie for a sweet sandwich. Enjoy!

Shennanigans on Three Kings Day

MLK Jr. Day

I have just been doing some research for the upcoming holiday on the 19th and have found some sources to share. For lesson plans, activity sheets, biographies, and more check out these pages:
Kiddyhouse
Enchanted Learning
SunnieBunniez
Activity Village
Apples4theteacher
About.com
Pic2009.org Lessons
If you have some resources to share please leave a comment!

And for the inauguration, here are some coloring pages I found. Nickelodeon will be covering the event for kids, by showing clips during commercial breaks and giving a pint-sized view of this historic occasion. Also, if you've been to a bookstore lately, you know there is no shortage of books on the subject (amazing how quickly publishers react when there's a small fortune to be made).

Explore Online With Fun Educational Sites

Explore color and symmetry with this online kaleidoscope maker or by creating your own designer butterflies.

Here is a lesson plan for creating a family tree and even a coat of arms or family crest.

How about fun activities and resources for learning about Congress.

Or, learn about the effects of Global Warming and weather changes.

Economics, economics, the U.S. Treasury and making and managing money.

A poem a day for high schoolers, or mom ;) based on a 180 day school calendar. And poetry for young children.

Also visit electronic zoo, dinodictionary and web gallery of art.

Plus, if you missed homeschool.com's top 100 educational sites this week, check it out here.

Another Perigee Moon this Saturday

Watch the sky this Saturday night for the year's first Perigee moon. Get the full scoop here. The last one was spectacular! Starting at 4:14 if you are on the east coast, the best place to watch is an open area without many lights. Though we saw the last one just fine from our neighborhood.
Enjoy nature's beauty, isn't is magnificent?!

Letters From the White House writing contest

I thought I'd share this timely writing contest info for kids from preschool on up:

Coinciding with the inauguration of the new U.S. President, Reading Rockets and AdLit.org kick off a national creative writing contest, "Letters from the White House," which invites youngsters from preschool through high school to imagine life in the Executive Mansion.

The "Letters from the White House" contest encourages students to write letters and journal entries that explore the history of America and tap into their own creativity when they imagine and write about.

A grand prize winner from five different competition levels will have their letter or journal entries published on Reading Rockets.org and AdLit.org; receive a copy of "Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out," from Candlewick Press; win a stationery set and journal from Peaceable Kingdom Press; and a $100 gift certificate from Better World Books.

The contest will launch on Jan. 20, Inauguration Day, with entries due on Feb. 16, Presidents Day. Five finalists will be chosen in each competition level and a grand prize winner will be named in each level on April 30, the 100th day of the new presidential term.

For official contest rules, selection criteria and contest resources, click here.

The above information was obtained by me from PBS.org

Wordful Wednesday

The Wishbone Wars Episode 1:

The Thrill of Victory!

The Agony of Defeat...


Happy WW!

A Favorite Pit Stop

Williamsburg Barnes and Noble and Starbucks, with a quick aside to the Wyeth Candy Store, of course!

January Homeschooling

Here it is, a new month, a new year, new opportunities for learning. Need a little motivation? I have found myself somewhat unprepared for getting back into the swing of things after the holiday break. So, what's on the schedule for this month?

Aside from a trip to the Virginia Living Museum, I haven't planned much more...yet. But, here are some resources based on calendar holidays like Three Kings Day, tomorrow, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the 19th. These offer great history, geography and cultural lessons. Speaking of cultural, Chinese New Year is on the 26th. Oh yes, and the inaugaration.

Around here, we don't often get snow, but we are hoping for some (despite today's 68 degrees) and we will investigate weather and snow this month. Here's a winter craft idea that recycles those Christmas cards you have laying around.

Plus, don't miss this FREE Educational calendar with day by day historical tips and wacky holidays. It's a fun way to start the day.

We'll also start gearing up for the iditarod, which we researched and tracked last year.

What's on your agenda?