September 2004 Newsletter

 

September 3, 2004

Hello Oklahoma Homeschool Readers (Oklahoma Edition):

I hope your school year is off to a good start! Let me know if you have any questions about homeschooling. I want to add a Q&A section to my monthly newsletters. I will answer as many questions as I can.

Guess what? My book is done! It's the first in a series (Red Dirt Adventures) entitled, "The Moundbuilders" (Title will be changed - but this is it for now). It's about two kids who go back in a time machine to learn about the Oklahoma moundbuilders. Great for those of you who are studying Oklahoma History as well as those who just like to read to their kids. This will be part of my new Oklahoma History curriculum that I am currently rewriting.

In the meantime, I'm going to get back to work on my website and continue rewriting my Oklahoma History curriculum. Here's what's in the newsletter this month:

What's in This Newsletter:

What's New on the Oklahoma Homeschool Website:

I've made a few changes to the President/Elections unit so if you printed it before September, you might want to check out the changes. http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/PresElec.html

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Oklahoma News:

If you live near Stillwater, OK, and are looking for service-oriented projects for your elementary-age children, check out Homeschool Heroes. They meet Friday mornings from 9 - 10am to visit a retirement home the first Friday of every month. They do other acts of service on other weeks. (Examples: cleaning up a local park, making cookies for firemen or police officers, volunteering at an animal shelter, having a book drive for the library, and helping the community at large as well as individual families within the community). Contact Info: Email gardneracademy@hotmail.com or go to the yahoo group, Homeschool_Heroes to find out more!

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Reading Activities and Resources:

1. Book Adventures (http://www.bookadventure.com/). Here is a wonderful, free resource to encourage your children to read! Book Adventure is a FREE reading motivation program for children in grades K-8. Children create their own book lists from over 6,000 recommended titles, take multiple choice quizzes on the books they've read offline, and earn points and prizes for their literary successes.

2. Reading Resources: Download, print out, and use the free, School-Home Reading Kit: Kindergarten Activities: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReading/tablek.html; First Grade Activities: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReading/table1.html; Second Grade Activities: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReading/table2.html; and Third Grade Activites: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReading/table3.html

3. For more reading tips, check out Teaching Reading: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/reading.html

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State History Activity Suggestions

  • Use the FREE Student as Achivist Lesson Plan to encourage your child to learn about state history. They will create a web page about their state using primary sources. (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/98/local/intro.html) Grades 5-12

  • George Washington Lesson Plan. Consists of three lessons examining George Washington's leadership in the French and Indian War, at the Federal Convention, and as chief executive. They are based on primary source documents from George Washington Papers, 1741-1799. The lessons are intended for secondary students, grades 8-12. (http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/gw/gwintro.html)

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Geography Resources

Zoom into Maps: offers hundreds of historical maps -- maps showing European exploration of the Americas; migration, population, & economic activity; the growth of roads, railways, canals, river systems, telephone systems, telegraph routes, & radio coverage; landforms, recreational, & wilderness areas; troop movements, battle routes, & campsites during major U.S. military conflicts; & more. The collection features a 2003 map of U.S. congressional districts. (LOC) http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/maps/index.html

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High School/College Resources

Check out the First Gov.USA website for some helpful information on preparing your child for college, financial aid, career planning, and study abroad. http://www.students.gov/STUGOVWebApp/index.jsp and http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/student.html.

Student Budget Calculator: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DirectLoan/BudgetCalc/budget.html

Have a great new school year!

Cindy Downes
OKLAHOMA HOMESCHOOL
Website: http:www.oklahomahomeschool.com
Email: cindy@oklahomahomeschool.com

Have you seen The Checklist? It's a record keeper, a planning guide, and a K-12 Scope and Sequence created for Christian Home Educators: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/checklist.html

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