At home science - looking into the top of a tornado!

Here is a video that shows a tornado roaring along, then all of a sudden the top of the tornado bends over and you can see down into the top of it while it's spinning! Cool!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Raising Good Cooks

This is a three-part post from Principled Mom on how to raise good cooks:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

How to make an Art Journal Tutorial...

Here is an awesome tutorial in two parts on how to make an art journal from manilla folders, masking tape, and needle/thread. The tutor is M.L. Betterly of MLB Studios, who is an Elementary Art teacher and mixed media artist.

You can find the tutorials here at her web site, MLB Studios.


(H/T Snippety Gibbet)

Homeschool View Tube

Like YouTube, only for homeschoolers!

Check it out!

Make your own Kaleidocycles...

Upload photos from your computer or use their images and make your own kaleidocycle. Check out the other sections of their site as well. In the Origami section there's a Nerdcatcher. In the Paper Models section is a "cool rolling toy" called a Sphericon Pie.

(H/T Who Would've Thought?)

Who's in charge of American education?

Sandra Stotsky of J.P. Greene's blog wishes she knew as well!

Excerpt:

“If another country wanted other countries to respect its educational system and the reforms it was trying to make, who would it choose to lead such an important professional project as the development of its national standards in mathematics and in the language of its educational system itself? In any other country in the world, one would expect a distinguished mathematician at the college level to be asked to chair the mathematics standards-writing committee–someone who commands the respect of the mathematics profession (and obviously is an expert on mathematics). For the language standards-writing committee, one would likewise expect an eminent scholar in a college-level department–someone whose command of the language and understanding of the texts that inform the development of this language could not be questioned. If the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers had thought about national pride (and national need) as well as academic/educational expertise, then all of us would respect the Common Core Initiative and look forward with eagerness to the drafts the NGA and CCSSO have promised to make public in July.

These two organizations could have followed, for example, the exemplary procedures followed by the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, on which I had the privilege to serve. The Panel was chaired by the former president of one of the major universities in the country, all Panel members were identified at the outset, their qualifications were made known to the pubic, their procedures were open to the public and taped as well, and the final product was hammered out in public, after dozens of reviewers provided critical comments.

But instead of choosing nationally known scholars to chair and staff these committees–to assure us of the integrity and quality of the product–the NGA and the CCSSO have, for reasons best known to themselves, treated the initiative as a private game of their own. The NGA and the CCSSO haven’t even bothered to inform the public who is chairing these committees, who is on them, why they were chosen, what their credentials are, and why we should have any confidence whatsoever in what they come up with.

One person has announced on his own to the press and to a state department of education that he is chairing the mathematics standards-writing committee. He has not been contradicted by anyone at NGA or CCSSO, so we must assume he’s for real. It turns out he is an English major with no academic degrees in mathematics whatsoever. No one has yet announced on his/her own that he/she is chairing the English standards-writing committee. One wag has already wondered whether this person might be a mathematics major with no academic degrees in English. But it’s possible the sad joke in mathematics is not being repeated in English.

This country deserved better for a project of such national importance."


(H/T Kitchen Table Math)

The Principle Approach in three parts...

Renae at The Curriculum Choice is posting a three-part series on the Principle Approach philosophy to homeschooling. This purpose of this series is "to answer why, how, and what in regards to Principle Approach education."

Go here to read.

Chinese culture from One Child Policy Homeschool...

Jimmie from One Child Policy Homeschool and Jimmie's Collage has a post up about shopping at the Wet Market in China. There are many interesting pictures, although there is a warning to non-meat eaters that there are some pictures they may not appreciate. The warning comes just before the pictures that might offend - so if you do not eat meat or prefer to see your meat shrink-wrapped on a styrofoam tray and not in it's original shape, you can still enjoy the non-offensive pictures of the various vegetables, tofu, and other offerings at the wet market!

Her posts always have nice pictures and are extremely helpful if you are doing - or are planning to do - a study of China.

Go here: Jimmie's Collage

For general information about china, see China for Kids.

Origami Bling!

Oriland is an e-store where you can find CD-ROMs with hundreds of different origami projects. They now have ebooks, and one of the new ebooks is called Stylish Bracelents and Necklaces. According to the web site:

DIY – fold and wear clever Stretch Bracelets, eye-catching Rhombic Bracelets and Necklaces, lovely Flower Pendant and Beads, snazzy Hexagonal Gems Bracelet and Crystal Beads, exotic Prickly Bracelet and even romantic Bracelet ‘Moon Waltz’!

These cool origami bijoux will really make you stand out and also do make a fabulous gift to your friends!

Check this new eBook out at http://www.oriland.com/store/ebooks/stylish_bracelets_necklaces/main.asp

PS: Oriland also has plenty of free projects on their site to keep you busy all summer as well!

Author Melissa Wiley talks about e-reading...

With all of the gadgets we have now for absolutely everything, including Kindle and other "readers" I guess the question was inevitable - how does this affect us as opposed to reading a regular book? After Gutenberg invented the printing press, I can imagine some people may have wondered the same thing about those who embraced that new "technology" with gusto and went around all the time with their nose in a book.

Give me a book over reading on a computer any day...that is, any day I can get someone to watch the kids! ;)

Speaking of reading, go read Melissa Wiley's perspective on how e-reading affects the reader. (And admire her beautiful blog!)

(Here's another link with information about Johann Gutenberg.)

More about e-reading here.

Japanese Giant Salamander

Yet another treasure from the vault of YouTube!




(H/T Boing Boing)

Paying students for grades works...

According to the New York Post, anyway. Paying students for good test scores brought a lot of controversey, but also brought an increase of up to forty percent in grades. The program paid seventh graders up to $500 and fourth graders up to $250 for improving their scores on a total of 10 assessments.

The gains at individual schools were significant. For instance, the Post article says:

At MS 343 in The Bronx, 94 percent of seventh-graders met or surpassed state standards in math this year -- 37.3 points higher than last year, when the students were sixth-graders.

I still feel a little icky over paying students to do what they apparently could have been doing all along.

(H/T Joanne Jacobs)