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There's Nothing like a Real Life Lesson in Geography
by
Amy Cortez, Editor - The Eclectic Telegraph
 Two
years ago in our homeschool we studied the stock market. Locally,
I had been reading in our very slim business page about how the
public schools were also learning about the stock market by playing
a stock market "game" online. The results of how much
each school "made" in these "games" was published
in the local business page, much like the school lunch menus and
basketball scores are published. I couldn't imagine the lessons
being learned by this sort of thing, but I imagine just as there
is a valueable lessons in our travel, there must have been one in
these competitive strock market games too.
We decided, in our stock market study, that we would actually invest
some money in the stock market and track what really happens. Nothing
like a little reality to spice up the lesson.
So
you may ask, if you were lured into reading this article because
you were curious about our recent travels,
why are you reading about our
study of the stock market? [read
on]
Don't Weigh the Elephant -- Feed the Elephant
Recently I read an article by By Milton Chen - executive director
of The George Lucas Educational Foundation entitled "Don't
Weigh the Elephant -- Feed the Elephant". The title is
what caught my eye and hopefully it caught yours. It's an another
article about how we might fix our public school system by teaching
our kids about how their brains work and how they grow with each
bit of information they gain. As interesting as the article was,
I was more excited by the ideas contained in the opening passage
from the article: [read
on]
Happy Pi Day
by
Amy Cortez, Editor - The Eclectic Telegraph
In
our eight years homeschooling we have always ceclebrated Pi Day
on March 14 [3.14]. People often ask "at what age do kids understand
this concpt?". I guess that all depends on how you introduce
it and how your student learns. Try introducing it in Kindergarten,
if they don't "get it", it's still fun to celebrate the
day each year with Mississippi Mudd Pi and Cheese Pizza Pi. The
math you use to bake and the ingredients, like yeast and "funky
cheeses" are lessons worthy of "Pi Day" -- and when
they do finally "get it", think of the fun tradition you
started!
Mississippi
Mud Pi
Use a chocolate or vanilla cookie crust, or a graham cracker
crust, to make this Mississippi mud pie.
INGREDIENTS:
* 1/4 lb. butter, 1 stick
* 2 (1 oz. each) squares unsweetened chocolate
* 3 eggs
* 3 tablespoons white corn syrup
* 1 1/3 cups sugar
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 9 inch graham cracker, chocolate or vanilla wafer pie shell
PREPARATION:
In a saucepan, heat butter and chocolate, stirring often, until
melted and well blended. Beat eggs; stir in the corn syrup,
sugar and vanilla. Add the chocolate mixture to egg and sugar
mixture, stirring well.
Preheat oven to 350°. Pour filling into prepared pie shell.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until top is slightly crunchy and
filling is set.
Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped
cream. |
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Four-Cheese
Pizza Pi
Yield: 1 (10-inch) or 2 (8-inch) pizzas; 3 to 4 servings
For the pizza dough:
1 package active dry or fresh yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees F
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for
brushing
For the pizza:
12 ounces (1/2 recipe) pizza dough
3/4 cup shredded or grated mozzarella, about 3 ounces
1/2 cup grated Fontina
1/2 cup grated Asiago
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 Roma tomatoes, ends trimmed and cut into 12 slices
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
6 to 8 large fresh basil leaves, cut into thin slices
For the pizza dough: In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and
honey in 1/4-cup warm water.
In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, (or by hand) combine
the flour and the salt. Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and
the remaining 3/4 cup of water and mix on low speed until
the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and
clusters around the dough hook (or fingers), about 5 minutes.
The pizza dough can also be made in a food processor fitted
with the steel blade. Pulse once or twice, add the remaining
ingredients, and process until the dough begins to form a
ball.
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by
hand for 2 or 3 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth
and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let
it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes. When ready, the
dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled.
Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each
ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom
of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured
surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the
top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover
the dough with a damp towel and let rest 15 to 20 minutes.
At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated
for up to 2 days.
For the Pizza: Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the
oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
To prepare each pizza, dip the ball of dough into flour, shake
off the excess flour, place the dough on a clean, lightly
floured surface, and start to stretch the dough. Press down
on the center, spreading the dough into an 8-inch or 10-inch
rounds, with the outer border a little thicker than the inner
circle. If you find this difficult to do, use a small rolling
pin to roll out the dough.
Sprinkle the cheeses, arrange the slices of the Roma tomatoes,
and then sprinkle with the, oregano, thyme, and finally the
Parmesan. Bake on the pizza stone until the pizza crust is
nicely browned, about 10 to 12 minutes.
When the pizza is removed from the oven, transfer to a cutting
board and garnish with the chiffonade of basil leaves, cut
the pizza into slices, and serve immediately.
Print
These
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From
piday.org -
the official website for pi day:
"Pi, Greek letter (pi), is the symbol for the ratio of the
circumference of a circle to its diameter. It is approximately 22/7
and is usually calculated to 3 digits, 3.14. With the use of computers,
Pi has been caculated to over 51 billion decimal places. Pi is an
irrational number meaning it will continue infinitely without repeating.
The symbol for pi, pi, was first used in 1737 by William Jones,
but was popular after it was adopted by the Swiss mathematician
Leonhard Euler in 1737."
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dg28.com
photographer education
Ever take a photograph and wonder why it just didn't work out the
way you thought it might? THis website has a lot of explanations
and techniques you might try out. |
| Bright
Kids at Home
www.brightkidsathome.com
A practical website geared towards homeschooling and traveling with
gifted and talented students.
From a mom who has been homeschooling a highly gifted student for
more than 5 years. Here you will find ideas about how you might
homeschool your gifted student. You'll find ideas about how to homeschool
and travel. |
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| NOAA
Photo Library
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) is the descendant of America's oldest science agencies,
the Survey of the Coast formed in 1807, the Weather Service
formed in 1870, and the forerunner of today's National Marine
Fisheries Service formed in 1871. The NOAA Photo Library has
been produced to help bring the work of one of America's most
remarkable Government agencies to the American people
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Get
an idea what it is like to sail on a Windjammer Ship at YouTube.
You'll need high-speed for this one, but it is awesome: --
Added June 04, 2006
From zoukans
Sailing
on the S/V Mandalay tallship ... Sailing on the
S/V Mandalay tallship from Antigua to Grenda. Amazing Grace
is the theme song of these ships. (more) (less)
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Try
something new! |
Rising
Star Studios
Our Mission: To provide an art studio and community center for
youth with Autism Spectrums (Autism, ADHD, Asperger, PDD) and
other communication challenges, and to provide support for their
families and peers. Create
an environment for youth
with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Rising Star Studios 701 Philadelphia Street
Covington, Kentucky 41011
Phone: (859) 291-2999
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MERLOT
Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching
MERLOT is a leading edge, user-centered, searchable collection
of peer reviewed, higher education, online learning materials
created by registered members, and a set of faculty development
support services. MERLOT's vision is to be a premiere online community
where faculty, staff, and students from around the world share
their learning materials and pedagogy.
|
Available
for Free: An
inquiry-based science curriculum for kindergarten through
sixth grade from Harvard University |
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TeachEngineering
digital library
The TeachEngineering digital library provides teacher-tested,
standards-based engineering content for K-12 teachers to use in
science and math classrooms. Engineering lessons connect real-world
experiences with curricular content already taught in K-12 classrooms.
|
Kiva.org
Loans that change lives
We let you loan to the working poor
Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses
in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you
can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working
poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout
the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive
email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans
are repaid, you get your loan money back.
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You
can get Academic student software discounts, up to 80%, from the
nation's fastest growing seller of software to students, faculty,
and educational institutions CampusTech?
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Did
you know, Johannes De Graaff, the commander of Statia from 1776
to 1781 ordered the first salute to the American flag? From
Statia Tourist Office - History
of Statia |
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