XLogo is a very simple drawing program that lets young kids easily learn the concepts of computer programming. XLogo uses a subset of the LOGO programming language and only uses about 42 commands. Kids write simple programs to draw on the screen using commands like newturtle, showturtle and hideturtle. Yes, turtles are what you ‘control’ [...]
Archive for May, 2008
XLogo: Free Computer Programming Tool for Little Kids
Posted by ginac on May 31st, 2008
Posted in Computer Programming, Eclectic Homeschooling 
Tags: Computer Programming, homeschool, XLogo 
6 Comments »MAKE: Blog has great kids projects
Posted by ginac on May 30th, 2008
The MAKE: blog is an incredible resource for anyone who enjoys combining art and technology, even if you are a kid. The MAKE: blog is hosted by the publishers of MAKE magazine, O’Reilly Media, those famed publishers of the ‘animal books’ for software developers. The blog is an incredible collection of ‘how-to’ videos on creating [...]
Summer Homeschool Unit Study: Eastern Mosquitofish
Posted by ginac on May 26th, 2008
Eastern Mosquitofish are tough little fish that got their name because they love to dine on mosquito larvae. Well, every body of water in our area is filled with these little fish so we decided to learn a bit more about them. We compiled some of our favorite learning activities into a short unit study [...]
Posted in Biology, Eclectic Homeschooling, Ecology, Science, Unit Study Tags: Eastern Mosquitofish, Puzzles Comments OffThe British Library
Posted by ginac on May 23rd, 2008
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world’s greatest libraries. We recently discovered the amazing ‘Turning the Pages’ section of their website thanks to a fellow homeschool parent. The British Library website enables anyone with an internet connection to literally turn the pages of old and ancient [...]
What is an Eclectic Homeschool?
Posted by ginac on May 21st, 2008
We like to think of our eclectic approach to homeschool as a favorite family recipe. You know, the kind that doesn’t have exact measurements of anything, just general ingredients with vague terms like a ‘dash of salt’ and a pinch of sugar, to taste. And just as these recipes are shared with the next generation, [...]
Posted in Eclectic Homeschooling, Interdisciplinary, Library, Teaching methods Tags: Eclectic Homeschool Comments OffHomeschool Summer Studies: Bats
Posted by ginac on May 19th, 2008
This summer, we are studying about bats. We are reading about them, drawing them, solving bat crossword puzzles and are planning a trip to view them! Here are some of our favorite resources that we have used so far: We posted once before on a really great website to learn more about bats – The [...]
Three Homeschool Finalists in ‘Doodle for Google’ contest
Posted by ginac on May 15th, 2008
There are three homeschoolers identified as finalists on the Doodle for Google contest website. Viewers can vote on the Doodle for Google page. Look for the homeschool entries in the following categories: Grades 4-6 in Region 4 and in Region 9 Grades 7 -9 in region 7 Good luck homeschoolers!
Homeschool Summer Reading: ‘Einstein Anderson’
Posted by ginac on May 13th, 2008
We have a stack of books on our summer reading list and have started it off on a high note with the Einstein Anderson series! If your young reader enjoys science, he/she will love the Einstein Anderson science mystery series by Seymour Simon. This series features a science-loving young boy nicknamed ‘Einstein’ who is always [...]
A Homeschool Art Lesson
Posted by ginac on May 8th, 2008
It’s officially our ‘summer break’ and we have been exploring some fun art activities. We discovered Oil Pastels this year and enjoy them so much, we hardly ever use crayons anymore. Oil pastels are great for helping youngsters build skills in artist techniques, such as blending color, shadowing and layering. Kids enjoy using household ‘tools’ [...]
