Homeschooling Resources» Travel

USA Geography Quiz

Helen — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 08:13:03 +0000

Can you find all 50 states on a map? Can your kids? This fun geography quiz asks you to identify each state, awarding three points for each right answer for a total possible score of 150; each question is given three tries. Give it a try and see how many states you can locate!

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Helen — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:15:45 +0000

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Pages from the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum offers many wonderful resources relating to the author of the beloved Little House on the Prairie books, including information and activities relating to the travels of the Ingalls family, activities to explore the town of De Smet, South Dakota during the time Laura lived there, mapping the journeys of the Ingalls family, patterns for constructing a pioneer town, making a nine-patch quilt, a chronology of events in Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder’s lives, and a bibliography of books by and about Laura Ingalls Wilder and books on the pioneer experience. Also, the Hoover Library’s on-line resource, a retired teacher, will answer by email all of your questions about Laura and her family.

Rosetta Stone Homeschool

Helen — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 05:00:57 +0000

Rosetta Stone Homeschool features a foreign language curriculum specially designed to provide homeschool students with a rich, fully interactive and engaging language-learning experience, while giving parents the tools and resources needed to manage student progress without extensive planning or supervision.

Rosetta Stone Homeschool is self-paced and designed to make it easy for parents to offer language learning even if they don’t understand the language their students are studying. Students are instantly captivated by Rosetta Stone so they stay engaged. Plus, with positive reinforcement and quick results, their language-learning confidence soars!

Rosetta Stone provides up to five levels of instruction in select languages, beginning with a foundation of listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. With Rosetta Stone, your children will do more than learn about a language. They’ll learn to use it.

Boomerang! Audio for Kids

Helen — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:54:12 +0000

Boomerang! is an audio program for kids 6-12. In each hour-long episode, the Boomerang! kids present stories about big ideas: science, current events, history, economics, poetry, geography, jokes, mysteries and more. The ‘About Us’ page explains:

“We believe that the curiosity and wonder of a child is a gift to the world. We honor that gift when we empower them to explore and discover.

“We believe that storytelling can give kids that power. The best stories not only enrich the inner imaginative life of a child, but also give them a window into worlds outside their own.

“And we believe that there are stories everywhere.”

Boomerang! has received the American Library Association’s Notable Recording Award, The Parent’s Choice Award and the Educational Press Association Award for excellence in news reporting and was included in Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products. Boomerang! has been the subject of numerous national magazine and newspaper articles as well as the subject of an 11-minute stint on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered.

National Geographic Kids

Helen — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:00:40 +0000

National Geographic Kids features different people, animals, and places each month with facts, games, activities, and related links. Browse animals from AZ with National Geographic Kids’ in-depth Creature Features, including amazing photo and video footage from the world’s wild places. Read news stories on the National Geographic Kids News Bites blog, The mission of National Geographic Kids is “to entertain children while educating and exciting them about their world.” Geared toward children ages 6 to 14, National Geographic Kids is an interactive site covering animals, entertainment, science, technology, current events, and cultures from around the world. National Geographic Kids is also available as a magazine (but subscribers complain about the heavy ad content).

State Fair Dates

Helen — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:54:01 +0000

Everyone loves fairs, and State Fairs are always the creme de la creme! Most people know when fair time happens in their own state, but what if you’ll be travelling? Or what if you’d like to check out the State Fair for a neighboring state? The unique State Fair Directory lists the dates and website links for State Fairs from all across the U.S., and just browsing through them is a delightful virtual excursion! Visit the Oregon State Fair site to see the Big Attractions, or peruse the colorful photo galleries at the Nebraska State Fair. Each site offers a fun way to learn about the state’s history, geography, social customs and more!

A History of the World

Helen — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:21:04 +0000

The Rosetta Stone is one of the most famous objects in the British Museum but the actual contents of its inscription is less well-known. The inscription is a decree that affirms the royal cult of the 13-year-old Ptolemy V on the first anniversary of his coronation in 196 BC. The same inscription is written in three different scripts: Greek, hieroglyphs and demotic Egyptian. It was this Greek inscription that allowed modern scholars to begin to decipher hieroglyphs for the first time.

Why is the Rosetta Stone written in three different scripts?

The Rosetta Stone is part of the BBC’s A History of the World in 100 Objects, a partnership between the BBC and the British Museum that focuses on world history, involving collaborations between teams across the BBC, and schools, museums and audiences across the UK. The project focuses on the things we have made, from flint to mobile phone.

The World Flag Project

stacy — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:30:22 +0000

The World Flag was created in 1988 to raise awareness and funding for non-profit organizations working in the areas of Education, World Health, Human Rights and the Environment. It serves as a unifying symbol to inspire positive global change while continuing to embrace and celebrate our cultural diversity.

Besides being a beautiful patchwork image of flags from all over the world, the web site offers information of each country which homeschoolers will find interesting and helpful.

The actual flag travels to different events and is documented on their blog.

Homeschooling while traveling

marynix — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:50:06 +0000

The mother of a homeschooling family from Sweden recently wrote that thanks to homeschooling, her family has been able to travel long term around the world. She also mentioned that they often visit other families while touring since there are only about 100 families in Sweden that homeschool.

You can read their page on children, travel and homeschooling here.

Then, be sure to visit the rest of their blog and read their advice, tips and tricks on traveling the world.

ExtendedWorldTravel.com

Pedal Pioneers: A Guide to Bicycle Travel With Kids

marynix — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:01:01 +0000

I recall taking bike trips when I was younger, but nothing like the bike trips that are unveiled in Pedal Pioneers: A Guide to Bicycle Travel with Kids.

This A-Z Guide offers insight on how to organize overnight youth bike trips. I imagine it might also be downsized for families as well, or at the very least, you can find oodles of resources for your family at their website. The 88 page guide was created by over fifty bicycle experts from around the United States. The mission of Adventure Cycling is to inspire individuals of all ages to travel by bike. The book helps bike riders to explore America for fun, fitness and self-discovery.

I have not yet seen a copy of the guide, but I visited their website here to learn more about the guide.

At the site I found a PDF sample of a preview of the guide.

They also offer some free resources as well. Here are a some of them:

Bike Bits It is a free biweekly email newsletter that features brief articles of interest to recreational cyclists, upcoming events, and bicycle industry news. It’s a quick, informative read, distributed to thousands of cyclists across the nation every two weeks.

THE CYCLISTS’ YELLOW PAGES

It is a worldwide resource for anything bike-related. The Cyclists’ Yellow Pages includes state and country specific listings, bicycle tour books and maps, non-profit groups, and much more.

HOW-TO DEPARTMENT

There are a bunch of great articles in our How-to Department that talk about touring basics, including hints on technique, shipping bikes, purchasing new wheels, and much more.

LIBRARY ARCHIVES

This online archive library of bicycle travel includes: feature articles, technical how-to’s, and columns from Adventure Cyclist magazine; clip-art; press releases; and Bike Bits e-newsletter.

J OURNAL LINKS

Anyone can enter their trips, as far back as 1975, and add their thoughts and experiences so that others may learn and understand how satisfying bike travel can be.

RIDE REGISTRY

You can enter your own ride and review others’ experiences. Each description includes a trip summary, a favorite experience, and miles traveled. It is a great source of inspirational words and insight.