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Big Learning News 7-23-07 |
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Big Learning News Karen Cole's Guide to Real-World Learning with Kids Issue 5:16 July 23, 2007 Visit Biglearning.org for past BLN issues, education headlines, and more! Subscribe! Send a blank e-mail to subscribe@biglearning.org. Table of Contents Editor's Notes Hundreds of people attended Big Learning's Reptile Extravaganza in Bethesda, an event funded by the Verizon Foundation in celebration of National Summer Learning Day, July 12. If you couldn't be there, don't worry! We've posted our free-take home activities on our web site. See the activity, "Fun with Reptiles" below. Fill up those summer hours! Buy our Toymaker's Toolkit - everything your child needs to start making real wood toys with moving parts. With summer coming, you'll want to your kids to have this source of endless fun. Order online today! http://biglearning.org/store/catalog/ -Karen Cole Anniversary Words http://mistupid.com/months/annivnames.htm According to the Philly.com article, this year is the bicentennial anniversary of soda pop. Ask your kids to figure out what year soda pop was invented. If they would like to amaze their friends with more anniversary words, this link has words for 300th, 400th, and lots more. Fun with Reptiles We've got a new page on our web site devoted to reptiles! The page has two printable activities: Make a Reptile-Inspired Wrist Band (PDF) Make a reptile-inspired "Live-strong" type wristband and other cool art projects. Play Build a Turtle (PDF): This fun game teaches kids some cool turtle anatomy. Activity: Make Frozen Desserts It's the season for making frozen desserts, whether or not you have an ice cream maker. Two strategies: Strategy One: Improvise an ice cream maker: http://www.biglearning.org/article-ice-cream-science.htm Strategy Two: Include ingredients that already have air whipped in, like whipped cream. Here's an example: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1713,149189-225197,00.html Beacon Kids Choice Glue Ages 6 and up http://www.misterart.com/store/view/001/group_id/1810/Beacon-Kids-Choice-Glue.htm This is great glue! Ever since the first time I burned myself on a hot glue gun, I've been looking for a quick-set glue that was safer. This isn't quite as fast as hot glue, but a thin coat of glue holds after less than a minute (even though it takes the usual amount of time to dry completely). And putting kids' glue in a tube is such a great idea! No more clogged bottles. The glue comes out easily every time. Kids' Choice glue is washable and non-toxic. I bought it at our local A.C. Moore, and found it online at the above link. More Craft Ideas Big Learning Craft Stick Idea Palace Here's to Great Summer Schools http://www.biglearning.org/biggerlearning I've been thinking about summer learning lately, and I'm not the only one. It's been in the news lately thanks to the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins. For many reasons, a lot of people are questioning the wisdom of the long summer break. Too many kids at loose ends. Too many parents scrambling to cobble together a summer. The public school system does need to offer a more reliable summer program. But heaven help us if it's just more of the same thing that happens during the school year. If we're going to extend the public school domain into the summer season, we need to do it for the right reasons and in the right way. (Read the rest of the article and comment at: http://www.biglearning.org/biggerlearning ) Snake Gallery This series of fantastic snake photos has extended captions that explain the behavior shown. There's a snake poking its head out of its egg, a snake spraying venom, a snake eating a much larger bird, and other cool stuff. More Animal Fun
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