Big Learning News 8-31-05
Big Learning News
Karen Cole's Guide to Real-World Learning with Kids
Issue 3:24 August 31, 2005
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Table of Contents
Math Moment: Extraordinary Trees
Web Site: Tigers
News: Don't miss Jonathan Kozol's Article
Book Review: Deserts
Web Site: Today's Front Pages
Hurricane Relief
If your family would like to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, try these links:
American Red Cross: www.redcross.org
Network for Good: http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/animal_environ/hurricanes/: This site has links to lots of other relief organizations.
Extraordinary Trees
http://www.ecoworld.org/Trees/EcoWorld_Trees_spotlight.cfm
Practice metric conversion, estimation, measurement, and time calculation skills as you share these tree pages with your kids. Bristlecone pine, giant sequoia, and coastal redwood are among those represented. For each tree the site has photos and statistics - average height, tallest, widest, oldest, etc.
More math resources and our Math Moments archives on our Fun Math for Kids page on BigLearning.org - http://www.biglearning.org/big-learning-math-activities.htm
http://www.savethetigerfund.org/Directory/kids.htm
If your child likes tigers, here's a site chock full of information. There's an animated habitat that shows how the tiger's habitat has shrunk since 1900, photos and information about 5 kinds of tigers, and pages of information in a lively question and answer format with kid-friendly graphics.
Don't Miss Jonathan Kozol's Article
In 1992 Jonathan Kozol published Savage Inequalities, a searing account of the differences between the poorest and richest of America's public schools. In this month's Harper's Magazine (September, 2005), Kozol gives us an update in his article, "Still Separate, Still Unequal." Sadly, things have gotten even worse. Kozol writes movingly about the plight of children in these schools and the shameful march of racial resegregation. Anyone who cares about kids in America should be sure to snag a copy at your local news stand. Harper's hasn't published it online yet, but I'll let you know if they do.
Deserts by Nancy F. Castaldo
Ages 7-12 (Although the subtitle is, "An Activity Guide for Ages 6-9," I think it's a little complex for a six year old and has plenty of depth for older kids. Put a sticker over the subtitle if your child is older!)
Any kid interested in deserts will find something to love in this book. There are over 100 pages of information, activities, and experiments related to deserts around the world. Each chapter focuses on one region and includes crafts from the local culture, recipes, science, and animal lore, all illustrated with lovely pencil sketches.
More Books for Kids at http://www.biglearning.org/newsbookreviews.htm.
Today's Front Pages
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/
Each day, Washington D.C's Newseum museum site brings you front pages from newspapers around the world - over 400 of them. See how the same story is covered in different places or compare news from different regions. Roll over each thumbnail to see a larger image, click on it to see one large enough to read the headlines. PDFs are available if you want to read the part of an article that's on the front page (Acrobat Reader software required).
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http://www.thehungersite.com .
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