Curriculum
Ideas A growing area of curriculum suggestions, as well as ideas on how
to homeschool inexpensively. Realistic, affordable ideas, as well as
reality checks!
Leadership
Position Papers
Opinions, white
papers, and sometimes controversial papers from HSC and others about
homeschooling from a Christian worldview.
State
Laws & Support Individual pages for states and countries to help you with state-specific
questions, including book suggestions, driver's ed, support groups,
and more.
AfriCam Live action images from web-cams set up at 3 different wild animal
game reserves in Africa, takes pictures at frequent intervals.
Biosis
Principles of Classification
The internet resource for zoology is a great zoology reference site
that is organized based on these classifications. Here you can find
links to a multitude of animals (we just looked up tapir yesterday).
Also if you click on Subjects at the top of the page, you can find
links for a variety of topics in zoology, like classification (taxonomy).
Also there is a glossary for zoology terms. This is designed for younger
kids.
EMBL Reptile Database An Online information resource on reptile taxonomy with a focus
on the species level. Database covers all living snakes, lizards,
amphisbaenians and crocodiles. (For you Moms leary of snakes in the
house, there's a great article on why reptiles should not be kept
as pets). From the European Bioinformatics Institute.
Enchanted Learning A terrific Web site with over 500 pages to print out and color
WITH information on each animal and Web sites to check out for further
information!
Zoobooks Games and information for the kids PLUS a Teacher's site containing
Lesson Plans for unit studies on several of the books.
Astronomy
& Space & Aviation
Ask
the Space Scientist Over 1,800 archived questions on virtually every space related
topic imaginable. You may also post a new question, if you're unable
to find it in the FAQ's. By Dr. Stan Odenwald . Broken
link 3/05
Astro
Mart Huge listing of astronomy classifieds and auctions.
Bad
Science A fun Web site dispelling many science myths and misinformation
including the vernal equinox and raw eggs myth.
Build a Solar System An easy form to fill out to help you figure out how to make your
solar system model. Other interesting forms to fill to make models
of star sizes and distances from earth. From the San Francisco Exploratorium.
Hubble
Telescope Images Fascinating photo galleries of pictures taken by the Hubble Telescope.
Also has links to related information sites.
NASA Web sites maintained by the four Strategic
Technology, Earth Science, Space Science and Human Exploration and
Development of Space. Links to "Cool NASA Web Sites" include
Y2K, Space Place, Space Flight, and Space 2000.
National
Space Society Links to many space related sites. Focuses on advancements made
in the eventual habitation of space and other planets.
The
Nine (Eight!) Planets Multimedia tour of the Solar System. An overview of the history,
mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets
and moons in our solar system. Each page has text and images, some
have sounds and movies, most provide references to additional related
information. By Bill Arnett
Orion
Telescopes Colorful, easy to use, on-line catalog for new Orion telescopes
and binoculars.
Planet Information Sheet A chart to help you make a scale model. NASA/Montana State University,
Bozeman Ceres Project.
Scale
Model of the Solar System Using mathematical formulas for figuring scale distance. This
is a site that suggests using readily availible items such as oranges,
etc. From Fort Hays State University Physics page.
Sky
& Telescope Magazine For weekly updates on interesting sights each night in the sky,
you might consider subscribing to Sky & Telescope's News Bulletin
mail-list. For a free subscription, send e-mail to join@astromax.com
You can also check out their "garage sale."
Space
Camp Enter at your own risk. You and your children will be dying to
go after visiting this site. Links and games relating to SPACE CAMP
(simulated astronaut training) and AVIATION CHALLENGE (simulated fighter
pilot training).
Yerkes
Observatory Virtual Tour Yerkes is a 100-year-old observatory with five research telescopes,
one of which is the largest refractor in the world. This virtual tour
is designed to not only show you what kinds of things you would see
on a real tour, but also to give you a little history and show you
a little of what goes on behind the scenes
Biology
Guide
to Human Body Breathing lungs, beating hearts, more (anatomically explicit material).
Also contains an Automotive Anatomy section! By Informative Graphics.
Virtual
Microscope Photo galleries that explore the fascinating world of optical
microscopy, offering one of the Web's largest collections of color
photographs taken through an optical microscope (commonly referred
to as "photo-micro-graphs"). Florida State University.
Birds
Audubon's
Multimedia Birds of America A replica of the complete John James Audubon's
Birds of America (1840-1844). Includes the full text, color plates,
figures and bird calls.
The
Great Backyard Birdcount
The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. A fantastic Web site including
backyard birdcounts by citizen scientists, bird identification &
bibliography with photos and wav files, and information on choosing
and placing feeders and bird food.
Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter Photographs, songs, identification tips, maps, and life history
information for North American birds. Also has a forum for commentary
and discussion on bird identification.
Body
Neuroscience
for Kids Learn more about the nervous system (includes activities &
experiments), maintained by Eric H. Chudler, Ph.D.
Celebrating
Wildflowers Coloring Book Lots and lots of beautiful, downloadable drawings of wildflowers,
classified by their scientific and common names.
Ant
Farm Home Page Links to games, photo gallery, live 'ant-cam' images, and general
ant information. Recommend adult supervision as there are message
boards and chat rooms on this site.
Ask Orkin Bug Guide Everything you ever wanted to know about ants, termites, mosquitos,
fleas, roaches, rodents, and other pests. If the answer isn't there,
you can post a question on their board.
Bees,
Beekeepers & Food Web site dedicated to bees and all they do for us. Includes games,
food tips, etc. Also a great place to buy honey.
The
Bug Club The Bug Club is a club devoted to young people and the "young
at heart" who find insects and other creepy crawlies interesting
and even fascinating.
Butterfly Absolutely scads of information about all types of butterflies
Department
of Entomology Iowa State University. Just about everything you wanted to know
about bugs and then some more.
Entomology
for Beginners By Hein Bijlmakers. Short an simple page for youngsters on the
parts of the insect and on metamorphosis. You can also go to his home
page and get a glossary of entomology.
Rearing
Sheets Using Live Insects in Elementary Classrooms for Early Lessons
in Life. Instructions on how to raise 16 or so insects! University
of Arizona Center for Insect Science Education Outreach. This Web
site appears to have a LOT more than just these rearing sheets.
Chemistry
(See Experiments below)
CHEMystery Guide to Chemistry:a virtual chemistry textbook, to provide an
interactive guide for high school chemistry students. In addition,
this site allows you to further expand your chemistry knowledge by
letting you interact with other Internet resources on the World Wide
Web.
ChemPuter From University of Sheffield's (Interactive calculators for chemistry)
How to Make a Pin-Hole Camera Kodak. This bulletin explains how to make and use two types of
pinhole cameras-a cartridge pinhole camera and a can or box pinhole
camera, using common household materials.
Making
Waves An Online Guide to Sound & Electromagnetic Radiation. Created
by the 1996 Physics students at St. Mary's H.S. Manhasset, U.S.A.
Theater
of Electricity Web site of The Museum of Science in Boston, Mass. Includes
picture and video gallery, teacher resources, and a lightening safety
quiz.
Virtual
Earthquake From Virtual Courseware for Science in Education. An interactive
computer program designed to introduce you to the concepts of how
an earthquake epicenter is located and how the richter Magnitude of
an earthquake is determined.
USGS
on Volcanoes Web site for the Cascades Volcano Observatory. Lots of pictures
and links, plus the really nifty "volcano-cam." Images and
information are updated very regularly.
Volcano
World NASA supported site. Has lesson plans, articles, the premier volcano
site
Gardening
(See Botany)
Glaciers
Glaciers Learn all about glaciers (dead link 11/06)
Illusion
Works Comprehensive collection of optical and sensory illusions on the
world-wide web. (Broken link 11/01)
Optics
for Kids Elementary school children might enjoy this quick look at some
optical basics. Information and experiments about this science of
light.
Rocks
and Minerals
The
Mineral Gallery A constantly growing collection of mineral descriptions, images,
and specimens, together with several ways of accessing these descriptions;
by name, by class, and interesting groupings
Rock Collecting By Don Irving. How one family got started rock collecting.
Wonderful links
.
Safety:
Fire, First Aid & Poison Control
American
Red Cross Includes updates on recent disaster rebuilding with excellent
pictures, virtual museum tour, first aid/cpr information, and, of
course, how to help disaster victims.
Kid's
Fire Safety Page US Fire Administration site is full of kid-friendly tips that
can help you and your family be safe from fire. Quizzes and games
about smoke alarms, escape planning, home fire safety, and a parent-teacher
lounge.
The
Merek Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy
On-line version of this publication. Also includes a very informative
MediQuiz.
The
Mariner's Museum Extensive maritime and oceanic information, educational resources,
huge research library, and great search engine.
Maritime
Virtual Archive Lots of links to maritime sites, including a fascinating Etymology
page with links to books dating back to the 1700's.
National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Take a tour of the theme pages describing the 5 line offices,
NOAA programs and activities, acquire data collected from NOAA projects,
locate NOAA staff, and learn about opportunities within NOAA.
New
Bedford Whaling Museum Contains collection of whaling artifacts and artwork, the museum's
research library, which emphasizes local, maritime, and whaling history,
and links to many other whaling sites.
Pelagic
Shark Research Foundation The word 'Pelagic' is ancient Greek for the open ocean, high seas,
offshore environment, of which most of the earth's surface is comprised.
This site offers excellent information and very vivid pictures of
every type of shark. (lots of big scary teeth pictures!)
Sea
World All sorts of information and pictures of the terrestrial and aquatic
animals in the Sea World/ Busch Gardens parks. Includes Shamu TV,
and a really nice Educational Resources page with age appropriate
classroom activities.
Snow
Crystals This site is all about snow crystals and snowflakes, and how these
remarkably complex and beautiful structures appear, quite literally,
out of thin air. The many facets of snow crystals are described here,
along with our attempts to understand their formation. Created by
Kenneth G. Libbrecht, Caltech
Franklin's
Forecast A fun weather Web site from Science Learning Network. It includes
instructions on how to build your own weather station, as well as
information about El Nino, lightning, and other weather-related subjects.
Hurricane
Hunters Air Force Reserve who fly into the eye of hurricanes
National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration This site is absolutely incredible which includes interactive
learning on El Nino, Interactive Weather Information Network includes
national weather warnings, etc. (this page refreshes itself every
60 seconds) and on and on.
Robert
Krampf's Experiment of the Week The experiments are targeted for a wide range of students. Most
are simple enough for very young students, the author also includes
suggestions for continuing the experiment at a higher level. With
a bit of work, most of them can be turned into top notch science fair
projects. E-mail at krampf@aol.com
to receive his free weekly e-mail experiments.
How
Stuff Works By Marshall Brain. An interesting collection of "stuff,"
including how turkey pop-up thermometers work, how alcohol works,
how airplanes work and much more.
Inner
Learning On-Line Ideal reference for studying human anatomy and a fun educational
program to learn about cars
Morse Code Contains alphabet and dictionary of Morse Code, listen, more.
Pitsco's
Ask an Expert Links to e-mail address & web sites on experts who have volunteered
to answer student questions on subjects ranging from Amish lifestyle
to facts about zoo keeping
Science
Daily On-line magazine and Web portal devoted to science, technology,
and medicine. Breaking news about the latest discoveries and hottest
research projects in everything from astrophysics to zoology. Highly
recommended by Robin Leggewie.
