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Karen Cole's Guide to Real-World Learning with Kids Issue 5:23 December 18, 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 Support Big Learning for FREE! Big Learning is a nonprofit that promotes hands-on, real-world learning opportunities for children and families. The more constrained schooling gets, the more vitally important this work becomes. There's an easy, no-cost way that YOU can help! Big Learning is an affiliate of both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. That means that if you visit these sites by clicking on our links, we earn a small commission from the site on anything you buy. It doesn't cost you a cent, but it really helps us. So, right this red hot second, bookmark our support page, http://www.biglearning.org/support.htm and use our links there to get to Amazon or B&N, every time you visit these stores. Thanks! Your help means a lot. -Karen Cole Which Way does Santa Fly? Consider the sphere for a moment. I'm thinking about a particular sphere - the Planet Earth. Here are some sphere-consideration questions for the season. 1. When Santa takes off in his sleigh, which direction does he fly first? South, of course, because from the North pole the only way you can fly is South. 2. In Antarctica, there's a research station at the South Pole. That's Santa's farthest stop - are there any shortcuts? No, because every path from the North Pole to the South Pole is a great circle. (I guess in practice, Santa would have to fly at a higher altitude to cross mountain ranges along some paths. That's a good geography question to consider). Quick art projects http://www.kinderart.com/painting/ Winter break is coming, so put this page in your survival kit. It's a bunch of fun painting techniques that kids can use for very cool effects. They all use stuff you probably have in the house. For edible painting, try our cookie-art projects: http://www.biglearning.org/article-cookie-art.htm And don't forget our craft stick project site: http://www.biglearning.org/craft-sticks/ Design Custom Thank-you Cards http://www.dltk-cards.com/custom.htm Encourage your child's enthusiasm for writing thank-you notes with this page. Kids can choose a theme for the front and a message for the inside. Their finished card prints on a sheet of paper that you fold in fourths. On the other hand, if your child would like to send cards with a photo or some other custom drawing, you can download our handy MS Word template, which your child can customize completely. http://www.biglearning.org/greeting-card.dot Now all you have to do is get those notes written. Here's our handy guide to thank-you note advice for kids. http://www.biglearning.org/article-thank-you-notes.htm Bud, not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis Ages 9-12 For a book so substantial, Bud not Buddy sure is a lot of fun. It's a historical novel about the Jazz age, with detailed rendering of the Great Depression as seen through the eyes of a child. But the character, Bud, is so lively, smart, and funny that we couldn't put the book down. Bud has it tough as the book opens. His mother is four years dead, and he doesn't know who his father is. After getting sent to an abusive foster home, he runs away to find a jazz musician he suspects is his father. (Read the rest of the review and get price/publisher information) IQ again http://www.biglearning.org/biggerlearning For a math-phobic culture, we sure love our numbers. Like IQ - a single number that some would argue is destiny. But science tells us differently. Also, a new report from the Educational Testing service should make us question the wisdom of formal academics in early-childhood education.: http://blog.biglearning.org/?p=62 Snowflake Central http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/ Ages ages 8-12 This site has tons of information and activities related to snowflakes. The science is full-bodied and kids might not get all of it, but young ones will be entranced by the photos alone. Keep this around for your next snow day. This page has activities for kids: http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/kids/kids.htm And thanks to San Francisco Mom of One for turning us on to online snowflake making. There are lots of sites online. I like this site: http://www.popularfront.com/snowdays/ because it shows you the results of each cut in real time, so you can learn how to make snowflake designs with some intention. When your kids are ready for the real thing, this video shows how to fold square paper ready for cutting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9yJaHNII4M Changing Your E-mail Address? Don't Lose Your BLN Subscription! Sadly, each week, BLN subscriptions are cancelled because the e-mail address no longer exists. If you are about to change your e-mail address, don't forget to re-subscribe to BLN! Just send a blank e-mail from your NEW address to subscribe@biglearning.org. or fill out the subscription form at http://www.biglearning.org. *******************************************
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