let's talk home-education talk #3

Before I get into this post I am going to do the Canadian thing and start with saying "sorry", it's our way after all.  First off I want to apologize that it has taken so long for me to get this post up.  Life has been running away from me so often this past year and I feel as though my good intentions don't make it too fruition often enough.  Secondly, I wanted to provide links to sites that I have used as a resource for home educating but realize as I was going through my list, I am only going back to a certain few right now, so those are the ones I have included in this talk. Therefore this is a modified list and open to additions/subtractions. 

I would like to stress caution for any parents utilizing the internet as an educational tool.  Not just for the (obvious & potentially negative) content that comes with the internet but also that it can draw you or your child away from the hands on opportunities that outtings, simple books and a library offer.  Don't get me wrong I'm far from being a technological prude, that would be a bit hypercritical...after all I blog. However since much of our lives are already entwined with technology, I find things can spiral pretty fast into waisted time and opportunities unless certain parameters are pre-defined.  Those parameters are set by your own value system. Simply put, I like to unplug as much as like to plug in and I certainly want my children to know that technology is a helpful tool, but not our way of life.  I hope you get the drift here....for us it's everything in little bits.  

Okay, websites I am currently using in some way or another (please be advised that some sites listed are concerned with Canadian content): 

http://www.learningpage.com/ - I loved this site when I started educating the boys and now that the girls are in that same stage I find I am revisiting it.  It’s simple and easy to navigate through.  

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/ recommended by a friend and is filled with lapbook resources as well as other things.

http://www.homeeducationresources.com/index.html stumbled onto this site recently for cursive writing...I’m always on the fence about cursive writing, do people use it anymore??   I realize that most don’t now that computers are the norm however, I still feel like my kids should be able to at least read their birthday cards from their Nama (my mum).

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html - this site makes me a bit loopy because of information overload and probably encompasses all of my fears about internet based education.  None the less it does have tons of “helps” if you are brave enough to navigate through it.  

http://www.edselect.com/ - a collection of links that enhance learning, it was created by a teacher in Ontario but can be used beyond their borders. There is a lot of information listed on this site (information overload - be brave) and some links are dead.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/4_11/site/science.shtmlclick on "teachers" for lessons plan ideas. 

Some other sites I’ve recently come across that are interesting:

http://www.yourcanada.ca

http://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/index.htm

Sites I recommend for children craving internet time:

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/kids/default.asp

http://www.hww.ca/hww.asp?id=7&pid=1

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/  (older kids)

I think I will stop there for now, I hope you find this preliminary list of links helpful. I will continue to edit this list along the way to allow for more links when they become relevant.   

Now that we've had a few talks, I'm wondering if there is anything on your mind?  

Oh and because I can't post with out pictures, photos are of a visit to a local farm that our co-op visited back in 2007.