Good morning, welcome to our series of sharing Homeschool Resources: Social Studies, Field Trips, Finances, Flag Resources, OpenRoad.TV, Math, Language Arts. Science. Would you take a look at the websites and let me know if you’ve used these resources with your students.
Exploros powers Wordly Wise i3000, and now you can find new courses from them through the Club — English Language Arts, Social Studies, Digital Citizenship. Exploros distributes the resources, documents work, and automatically reports on learning progress with these versatile courses.
North American Miller’s Association: Virtual Tour of Wheat Mill with Free Activity Book– Grades 3-8, with parental supervision
Take a virtual field trip to a flour mill sponsored by the North American Miller’s Association.
When you get to the site, scroll to read about milling, and then below that you will find three videos you can view on how wheat is grown, harvested, and made into flour – and see what baked goods the flour makes too!
Be sure to also click on the additional resources to view a “How Flour is Milled Infographic” PDF as well as “Having Fun with Wheat” educational activities and materials.
Students in elementary and middle school are invited to join the ranks of young scholars at Adventure Academy and access unlimited learning adventures building critical knowledge skills in math, language arts, science, social studies, and more!
Royal Ontario Museum: The Burgess Shale – Virtual Sea Odyssey– All grades; children with parental supervision
Climb into a “virtual submarine” and dive into the depths of the past to see virtual recreations of creatures that once lived in the area now known as the Burgess Shale. Located in Yoho National Park in British Columbia, Canada, the Burgess Shale is “one of Earth’s most important fossil deposits.”
With this website from the Royal Ontario Museum, view animations and photos of:
- Descent – Dive below the sea surface to the seafloor.
- Swimmers
- Predators
- Grazers
- Filterers
- Scavengers
- Burial – what it may have looked like when the Burgess Shale community was covered by a rapid mudflow event
Underneath the animation tours, click on the various species images to learn more and to find more animations and images.
After you have finished your “virtual sea odyssey”, use the upper menu to learn more about the Burgess Shale and its discoveries. Select from:
- Introduction – Learn about the Burgess Shale through text and images.
- Fossil Gallery – Examine images of the fossils found and see 3D animations and model of the creatures.
- Science – Discover the science behind the Burgess Shale.
- History – Explore the history of the research and discovery involved.
- Parks Canada – Get more information about Yoho National Park and the Burgess Shale.
- Resources – Find topical reading suggestions, other related museums and webpages, and lesson plan links.
MoneyTime combines lessons with gameplay to teach children the real life skills they need to be financially successful, making it fun for kids to try out the different strategies they’ve learned to grow and manage their money.
Annin Flagmakers– Grades 4 and up, with parental supervision
July 4th is the most popular day of the year to fly a U.S. flag. The Annin Flagmakers company manufactures U.S. flags in America.
On their website, you can read a brief history of the company and flag manufacturing through text and photographs. Scroll down to “Read More” under “Our History”. Scroll through the images and read the history. Then scroll further down to view their “History Book” and “History Brochure” to learn the history of the company from 1898 to the present day. It ties in the company history with historical events that impacted flag sales dramatically.
Then under “Products”, click on “State Flags” for pictures of each flag of the United States. Enjoy your 4th!
My School Year is an invaluable tool for planning, tracking, and reporting all of your homeschool lessons, activities, and more. This digital planner has tons of useful features to make your homeschooling more organized, more efficient, and more focused.
NBCUniversal Media: OpenRoad.TV– All grades, with parental supervision
OpenRoad.TV was founded by television personality, Doug McConnell, who travels with his camera crew to interesting places in the Western U.S. and films engaging stories that educate viewers and inspire them to take a road trip too.
Doug has been the host of a San Francisco-based television program called “OpenRoad with Doug McConnell” for years. You can view the short tours (most were 4-8 minutes long) at this commercial ad-supported site. There are 20 pages of videos including:
- San Francisco Bay Trail
- Manzanar National Historic Site
- Ohlone-Portola Heritage Trail
- Napa Skyline Park
- Yosemite Bears
- Magical Mt. Tamalpais
- Devil’s Slide Trail
- And many more!
Click on a video and then you’ll see a scrolling bar below it so you can better choose the video you want to watch. Unfortunately, we did not find a ‘search’ feature.
PLEASE NOTE: There are random ads in between each video. Therefore, parental guidance is strongly suggested.
This is a terrific website to take many virtual field trips – and to use as a real-time travel guide if you plan on visiting the western U.S.
Time4Learning was created with flexibility in mind whether you are a homeschooler looking for a new curriculum or supplemental resources. With access to math, language arts, science, and social studies, members can use the curriculum as they see fit and on their schedule.
Harvard College, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and one of two undergraduate schools at Harvard University, is among one of the most prestigious private colleges in the United States. At this website, take a virtual tour of the school from the comfort of your home.
When arriving at the link, click on “Let’s Go” image for a student-guided tour of the college. Places you will visit include:
- Tercentenary Theatre
- Widener Library
- Lamont Library
- Barker Center
- Phillips Brooks House
- Science Center
- Annenberg Hall
- Memorial Hall/Sanders Theatre
- Maxwell Dworkin Laboratory
- Northwest Science Building
- Harvard Art Museums
- Farkas Hall
- Lowell House
- Malkin Athletic Center
- Weld Boathouse
- Harvard Square
- Agassiz House
- And more
When the tour begins, the guide explains how to navigate through your tour. Locations include a narration by a Harvard student of interesting facts about the location, 360° self-navigating views, additional images to browse, and video presentations.
Whether your student is interested in attending Harvard or not, this tour provides an excellent look at our country’s oldest institute for higher learning.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund: Vietnam Veterans Memorial– Grades 5-12, with parental supervision
Located in Washington. D.C., The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, more commonly known simply as The Wall, opened on November 13, 1982 and is visited by an estimated 4.5 million visitors annually. This website from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), not only shares information about The Wall and its history, but also serves to preserve the stories and memories of those whose names are inscribed on the Wall.
When you get to the site, the virtual tour begins:
- The Wall
- History and Design
- Three Servicemen Statue
- Women’s Memorial
- In Memory Plaque
- Items Left at the Wall
When you are done with the tour, go back to the main page and scroll over “Visit the Memorial”, “Remember and Honor Those Who Served”, and “Explore the Era” to learn more.
This virtual tour helps our students put the faces to the names on The Wall and encourages them to remember the sacrifices our veterans and their families made for us.
Dyslexia Gold goes beyond phonics to address underlying problems. Address vision problems like convergence insufficiency and poor tracking as well as auditory problems, like the phonological deficit to build all the skills needed to read.
The Original Mattress Factory– All grades, with parental supervision
Presented by The Original Mattress Factory, take a virtual tour of the factory to learn how mattresses and box springs are made by this company.
When you get to the site, watch the videos (one right after the other):
- Behind the Scenes at OMF
- We are a Family
- The OMF Test Center
When you are done watching the videos, you can scroll down to see pictures and text to learn more. And you may wish to explore this website for even more information about mattresses and sleep. You can learn how to care for your mattress and even sign up for a “Flip Reminder”.
While this is a commercial website, you won’t lose sleep over the educational value of this virtual tour.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
