Homeschool Search
Friday, June 20, 2008

Facebook welcomes homeschoolers

 

Facebook welcomes homeschoolers


Way back in February I posted a story about how Facebook inadvertently discriminates against homeschoolers. Now they finally changed their account creation process to allow minors join without listing a school affiliation.
From the facebook blog:
We've been working on ways to solve this—we want minors to use Facebook safely above all. Today, we're happy to announce that we've recently come up with a way for homeschoolers to join. We've created a new verification system—one that doesn't depend on being in a high school, but still provides the level of security we believe is required. So welcome, everyone, to Facebook. Read more...

Hat tip to Spunky for first posting about this yesterday.

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Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Who better to teach about unschooling?

 

Who better to teach about unschooling?


An unschooler named Andi wrote this comprehensive how-to on unschooling aka"worldschooling." It's fairly balanced and informative for anyone who's considering homeschooling or unschooling. You can even add to parts of it.
Hi, I'm Andi. I wrote this lens. (In case you don't know, a 'lens' is Squidoo's name for a user-made page about a topic.)
From the time I was six, I was homeschooled. From the time I was twelve, I was worldschooled. Then, this spring, I graduated.
So I've been through the whole thing - all the way until I was accepted into my top choice college and awarded 60% tuition in grants.
And you know what? You can do it too. You can follow your interests during your teens years and have an incredible launch into your adult life.
That's what this lens is about. Read more...

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Friday, March 14, 2008

Google maps the sky

 

Google maps the sky


Most of us have seen Google maps of the earth. Less have heard of Google Moon and Google Mars. Now Google has mapped the sky with Google Sky.
Nice for budding astronomers during daylight hours or on a cloudy day. Just don't forget to go outside once in a while. Go there...

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Monday, February 11, 2008

Does Facebook Discriminate Against Homeschoolers?

 

Does Facebook Discriminate Against Homeschoolers?


From the "OFF/beat Real, Strange News" section of the Washington Post today:
Like a lot of people his age, Teran McKinney wanted an account on Facebook. But when the 15-year-old from Hendersonville, N.C., began filling out the online application, he hit a roadblock. Facebook requires all people under 18 to give the name of the school they attend, but McKinney is homeschooled. And without a school affiliation, minors can't join.
So McKinney did what thousands of kids in his position have already done. He selected a nearby school, in his case Hendersonville High, as his school. "After joining Facebook, I became fairly fascinated with it," he wrote Read more...

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Tuesday, January 22, 2008

10 Geeky websites

 

10 Geeky websites


GeekParenting has this list of 10 websites for geeky kids. (HT: Wired: GeekDad)
Though my kids have yet to do anything with my computer other than rip off the shift keys, I do try to keep my eye out for coolhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif sites for children. I actually write for a few, so I make a mental note whenever I see something interesting.
Mind you, this list is far from exhaustive and I urge you to suggest more below, but these are my picks for the top 10 Websites for geeky kids. Read more...

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Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Homeschooled teen runs cookie business

 

Homeschooled teen runs cookie business


See her site at: www.homemadecookiesbyemily.com.
When most 15-year-olds go to school, they write English papers, run around in gym shorts and play on computers.
When Emily Savine goes to school, she writes content for a Web site, runs a business and plays the stock market. Read more...

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Saturday, December 22, 2007

Free trial: the Quiz Hub

 

Free trial: the Quiz Hub


I just got this email from Dyann Schmidel of Quiz Hub. I thought I'd pass it on.

The Quiz Hub is a fun online interactive learning center that features educational quiz games for language arts, mathematics, geography, history, and science.
All HomeSchoolBuzz readers can preview the Quiz Hub through January 1, 2008 via the following account.
account: buzz
password: home Read more...

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Friday, December 21, 2007

Homeschool Search now actually works

 

Homeschool Search now actually works


I assumed because my new homeschool flavored search worked in Firefox, it would work in Internet Explorer. Thanks to Henry Cate's patient emails explaining it wouldn't work for him, I discovered the problem and fixed it.
My apologies to the majority of you who use IE as your browser. Please give me a second chance and try out homeschool search.

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Saturday, December 15, 2007

New Homeschool flavored search engine

 

New Homeschool flavored search engine


HomeschoolBuzz.com is launching a Homeschool flavored, Google custom search engine. What is homeschool flavor? Some say it tastes like chicken but it's actually a Google custom search limited to only homeschooling related sites and pages. You can search hundreds of homeschool sites, blogs, articles, vendors and resources to get search results with a homeschool focus.

If I left out some of your favorite sites, it was unintentional. I can only add a site if I know about it. I want them ALL! That's where you come in...
Leave a comment to tell me about the homeschool sites I missed. You can also send a list of sites yourself. I'm sure there are hundreds of them. The only requirement is that the site is homeschool focused or an educational resource that could be used by homeschoolers. The list is not limited by politics, religion or educational philosophy, only topic. (Search for the site's name to see if it's included.)

(NOTE: Earlier, I requested contributors but this is hard for me to manage so please comment to leave info about sites you want included. I usually add them quickly.)
Homeschool Search plug-in
I also implemented a search plug-in for Firefox or ie7.
Google provides a way you can put the search box on your blog or site or add it to your Google homepage (iGoogle).
Try it out. Tell me what you think.

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Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Site Problems

 

Site Problems


Sorry if this site is a little... strange. It had been moved to a new server, not without some problems. I don't have time to fully fix everything until later today. Bear with me. - Gary

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Saturday, July 28, 2007

 

Future's channel: Free Career Videos online


We got an email recently from Jenna, the head of distribution at the Future's channel telling us about their website.
She writes,
We make "micro-documentary" videos that explore different careers that are both interesting and innovative to find how they use math and science.
Our website has more than 70 of these different videos, and they're completely free to access. The subjects of the videos cover a wide variety of professions including a backpack designer, a landscape architect and a robotics engineer. They can really help kids think about what they can do with the math and science they're learning. All are welcome and we'd like to let the homeschool community know that this resource is out there for them.
This is a really cool educational website Be sure to check them out.Visit the site...

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Tuesday, July 24, 2007

 

Free teacher workshops online


Matt Navitsky contacted us on behalf of Motorola and its recent Chicago teacher workshop event co-hosted by the Department of Education. The workshop focused on science and math education. (They also have other educational initiatives.) All of the presentations from the workshop are online and free. You might find some useful nuggets for your own homeschools. Below are links to just a few of the presentations. There are many more:

More presentations are available at the Motorola site. Read more...

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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

 

Homeschooler's anti-war Web site draw 2 million a month


Turns out the new world looks a lot like the old one: a white house in a leafy neighborhood of a Southern milltown; a soccer decal stuck to the trunk of a car parked in the driveway; a pink bicycle with training wheels in the backyard.
Even inside, there's nothing that hints this is ground zero for a 16-year-old home schooled redhead whose videos on her anti-war Web site have lit up the blogosphere with as many as 2 million visitors a month. Read more...

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Bob Books: Sight Words Kindergarten

Bob Books: Sight Words Kindergarten

I've taught three boys to read, with each one learning the skill in a different way. My youngest gravitated to easy readers, memorizing whole words while also learning phonetics. One of his favorite books to read was his set of Bob books. He read them daily, quickly committing to memory the simple sentences, which eventually led him and his brothers to develop their own Bob-Book knock-offs. Read more...

The Art of Argument: an Introduction to the Informal Fallacies

The Art of Argument: an Introduction to the Informal Fallacies

My son will be studying introductory logic this year (Sophomore) using this curriculum. I'm excited for him to learn the basics of logic, and it is my hope that when he completes this course he will understand fallacies, and thus learn how to recognize bad reasoning. I'm sure you'll agree that this is an important foundation we should give our teens as they are impressionable, and still forming their belief systems and worldviews. Read more...

Cabin on Trouble Creek

Cabin on Trouble Creek

Brothers Daniel and Will are thrilled to help their pa homestead in a lush Ohio forest. At 11 and 9 the boys find all the chores exciting – chopping logs, building the cabin, making a fireplace, and gathering wood. Then comes the day their dad must leave the boys behind to finish readying the cabin while he brings back their mom and siblings. With enough food to last the six weeks before his return, the boys foresee the time will go by fast as they prepare the cabin walls. Read more...

Greek Alphabet Code Cracker

Greek Alphabet Code Cracker

When teaching children, it's always nice to incorporate games or some type of fun into your lesson plans. In the Greek Alphabet Code Cracker, kids will have a great time as they play the role of detective, working to solve the case of the stolen Grecian Urn of Achilles. This novel approach certainly makes this sometimes intimidating subject non-threatening. My 9-year-old loves sleuthing and took a liking to this workbook immediately, and he needed only the littlest help from me. Read more...

Charles and Emma : The Darwins' Leap of Faith

Charles and Emma : The Darwins' Leap of Faith

Whether or not you agree with his theories or publications, you'll find out through this book that Charles Darwin was a family man who was committed to his 10 children and devoted to his Christian wife Emma. Ironically, his original life plan was to be a preacher, but then as he collected animal specimens and devoured natural history, he wrestled with the belief of creationism. Despite their conflicting religious views, Emma and Charles married. Read more...

Women of the Old Testament: 14 In-Depth Bible Studies for Teens

Women of the Old Testament: 14 In-Depth Bible Studies for Teens

Barbara Frank put a lot of work into this bible study for your teen girls, and the result is a dynamic, engaging, and comprehensive look at 14 wonderful woman of the Old Testament. This is not a book you will just hand to your daughter and correct later, rather it requires your input too in the section called "discussion starters for mothers and daughters. Read more...

Med Head: My Knock-down, Drag-out, Drugged-up Battle with My Brain

Med Head: My Knock-down, Drag-out, Drugged-up Battle with My Brain

I sailed through this book, practically reading the entire 200+ pages in one sitting. The story of Cory, a boy who has a severe form of Tourette's syndrome, OCD, and anxiety is both heartbreaking and uplifting. Though written by both Cory's dad and James Patterson, the voice is Cory's and it grabs you from the start and keeps you glued till the final page. Diagnosed at age 5, Cory was compelled to move his body in awkward and often painful ways. Read more...

We hear the Dead

We hear the Dead

Maggie and Kate Fox were mischievous children, known to play tricks on each other as well as their parents. Then one day their trickster nature goes extreme. Wanting to scare away their disliked niece, the girls pull the ultimate prank. They produce nighttime rapping noises and lead the niece and the rest of the family to believe the house is haunted and "spirits" are the source of the noise. Not only do they scare their family, but their neighbors too. Read more...

Kindergarten Stories and Morning Talks

Kindergarten Stories and Morning Talks

Kindergarten Stories and Morning Talks is a quaint collection of stories arranged in a school year format geared toward your younger children. Originally compiled in 1894, Cardamom Publishers has reprinted it with a larger font and inserted numerous old-fashioned illustrations. These gentle stores will capture the attention of eager learners and the "talks" suggest ideas for hands on activities. Read more...

Picture the Dead

Picture the Dead

Jenny, orphaned and living with her unloving Aunt and Uncle first suffers the loss of her twin brother Tobias, and then her fiancé Will, both fallen soldiers of the civil war. Her relatives have little sympathy for her. As Will was their eldest son, they view their grief deeper and greater. Desperate to "glimpse" his son again, the uncle suggests they meet a man who claims to be one who can conjure images of the dead through photography. Read more...

Goddess Girls: Athena The Brain

Goddess Girls: Athena The Brain

12-year-old Athena gets a big surprise – a summons to report to Mount Olympus Academy. She learns she's a goddess and Zeus is her father. Previously she was living a normal pre-teen life at Triton Junior High. She is whisked off to her new school via Hermes Chariot and gets to see first hand what being a goddess is all about. With classes such as hero-ology, spellology and beautyology, she has a lot to learn. Read more...

The Chosen One

The Chosen One

I cannot imagine growing up with several mothers, twenty siblings, and a prophet who pronounces who I must marry. Kyra, a chosen one of a polygamist sect, lives this life. At a mere 13-years-old she is ready to be married and start having her own babies. She wouldn't object to being married so young, if it could be Joshua, a boy of similar age whom she has grown fond of. But the prophet decrees Kyra must marry her Uncle, who at sixty is plenty old enough to be her grandfather. Read more...

Sherlock McBiskit Shares His Secrets to Good Character and Respect

Sherlock McBiskit Shares His Secrets to Good Character and Respect

Sherlock McBiskit is an adorable West Highland Terrier and in his book he renders some wise advice to children on what it means to have good character and respect. Kids love dogs, and McBiskit radiates adorability as he shares his secrets to getting the most out of life. In rhyming verse, the text is catchy and accompanied by cute pictures of the loveable canine. Here's an excerpt: Here is the first secret that most people don't know. Life gives us lots of tests. I will tell you it's so. Read more...

Little Black Ant on Park Street

Little Black Ant on Park Street

It's easy to dismiss the role of a black ant. These small creatures are considered pests by most of us, but if you take an in depth look you'll find these little guys are really fascinating and have their own complex communities. Little Black Ant on Park Street, a Smithsonian Backyard title, is a nicely illustrated picture book that gives young readers a close-up look at the black ant's world. Read more...