We're a wildlife-loving family. My kids have grown up around wildlife and are fascinated by animals and wild places. So I was delighted when my friend told me about the new online classroom from World Wildlife Fund.
WWF's Wild Classroom is a great tool for teachers. What child doesn't enjoy learning about wildlife? And if you're going to study wild creatures, you might as well teach them the message of conservation, too.
The best part? It's free! All I had to do was register my email with them. (So, yes, I know they'll be sending me emails, but I'm cool with that if it contains more resources for me to use in my homeschool. Otherwise, I'll just unsubscribe.)
Geared for students in grades 3 - 5, the site features seven toolkits: one for each of the six different species that the organization works with, plus one extra titled "Food Waste Warrior." The six species are:
tigers
sea turtles
polar bears
dolphins
elephants
and monarch butterflies (I'm all over this one!)
You have the option of downloading the entire toolkit, or you can see what's inside. If you choose the latter, then you can see the individual lessons in each subject (such as science, STEM, social studies, language arts, etc.) plus classroom posters to download.
Each lesson also contains an activity for the students to complete.
The site also links to additional apps, online games, and downloads for your classroom to enjoy...
Unfortunately, even though I received a Spanish flyer about the website, I could not find an actual Spanish website anywhere. But for my readers who teach classes in English, this is a lovely discovery and a great tool for you to use with your children while teaching them the concept of conservation!
Homeschoolers! Do you know about Rick Steves' website for educators? I am so grateful MommyMaestra reader, Mireya, for sharing this with me!
Such a wonderful teaching tool, Rick Steves Classroom Europe is a compilation of short video clips from his popular travel show. He says in a message on his site that he has selected the most teachable moments from his 120 episodes of Rick Steves Europe. And he says the short video clips cover everything, such as:
You’ll take a tour of the ancient Roman Forum;
learn why people in Barcelona speak Catalan;
ponder why pilgrims trek 30 days across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela;
see how and why Switzerland designed its major bridges and tunnels so they could be destroyed at the push of a button;
and visit a vibrant market in the south of France.
The video clips are totally searchable by keyword and you can filter your search by city, country, historical era, and theme. **And you'll also love the fact that you can filter out any video clips with mature content.
Another awesome feature is that you can create your own temporary playlist and look through other public playlists that have been created and shared. Or, if you sign up for a free account, then you can create multiple playlists and save them for future use and share them with your students or publish them publicly to share with others. I made a temporary playlist on beautiful buildings and places in Spain.
Really, this is a fabulous tool to use in your classroom or lessons. There's tons of information contained in each segment with great visuals, too. It's like visiting Europe from your classroom with your own tour guide!
Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when I shared a list of bilingual books for the holidays? One of the books I listed was The Santero's Miracle by Rudolfo Anaya. It is simply a stunning book for the holidays because of both the storyline and the rich illustrations by Amy Córdova.
Well, if this is a book that you have purchased already or are planning to buy and use with your students/children, you should know that NMSU has a website dedicated to The Santero's Miracle with activities for children that are related to the themes in the book. And as you can see, it is available in both English and Spanish.
It also includes interviews with Rudolfo Anaya and Amy Córdova.
For teachers, this is an excellent tool to extend your students' learning. For parents, this is a fun resource with a few simple activities and information to share with your children.
If you are looking to purchase the book, you can find it here (afflink). About the book...
In The Santero's Miracle, don Jacobo has a dream that, in the end, is a reminder that miracles do happen.
Don Jacobo is teaching his visiting grandson Andrés how to become a santero. Christmas is coming, snow is falling in the village and the two are working on a carving of San Isidro, the patron saint of farmers.
The half-finished carving stands in the living room beside the two oxen and the angel that don Jacobo carved earlier in the month. The snow-covered mountains are beautiful, but the road to the village is impassable. Andrés' parents will not be able to get to the house for the holiday, and don Jacobo's neighbor, don Leopoldo, is desperately ill and cannot get to the hospital.
Then comes don Jacobo's dream; San Isidro is plowing with the two oxen and the angel is helping. "But we don't plow 'til April," don Jacobo muses upon awakening. "What does it mean?"
And a reminder...
The Santero's Miracle covers themes of home, family, tradition, imagination, culture, and community. It reminds us of much that is special about New Mexico: our rural villages, beautiful mountains, centuries-old traditions, strong families, diverse population, and welcoming communities united in history and culture.
Do you have or know a child who is learning to read in English? If so, do you know about the online program Sight Words?
It is a free educational resource for teaching children to read and the site has just introduced a great new curriculum, sponsored by the Georgia Preschool Association, for teaching Phonemic Awareness (also called Pre-Phonics) to children. Their site is packed with games, activities, and tools to help parents and educators prepare children for learning to read.
Their free and printable materials are designed to promote learning in the classroom and also at home. The site's features include:
• A Curriculum covering the full range of Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
• Classroom-tested Lessons based on the latest research, complete with “how-to” videos
• Printable picture cards, word lists, and game boards
• Teaching Tips for tailoring games to the specific needs of your students
Each sight words session is approximately 30 minutes and is divided into two components:
Sight Words Games – Use our games to provide reinforcement of the lesson and some review of already mastered sight words to help your child develop speed and fluency (20 minutes).
What I love about this site is that the curriculum includes instructional videos for parents/educators to help them understand the concepts and how to play the games. Take a look:
Parents! Take advantage of these free resources whenever you can. They are there to help you!
Resource alert! Are you homeschooling in Spanish or bilingually? Do you have children learning basic math? If so, you should check out Los Matecitos! The interactive website is designed for kids in 1st through 3rd grades. When they open the site, they can choose their grade level and then begin completing fun games to learn:
number recognition
adding
subtracting
sequence
multiplication
shapes
greater than/less than
the calendar
units of measurement
time
days of the week
and more...
The Spanish site is fun for kids and helps them learn basic math concepts through videos and interactive games.
My kids are too old for this site. But if YOU'VE used Matecitos before, let us know what you think! Would you recommend it to other families?
Are you one of those parents who plans out their children's summer activities months in advance? Or are you like me who waits until May then looks around to see what affordable programs will be available and that still have empty spaces for kids?
But here's the thing: my kids are unstoppable explorers. They can't resist a good mystery or challenge. They love Indiana Jones and Minecraft and How to Train Your Dragon. They are ALWAYS ready to solve a new mystery. So I try to look for programs and camps that appeal to their sense of hands-on adventure.
That's why I'm very excited to have my kids participate in Brain Chase, a 5-week online summer learning challenge for kids (early readers up to 16 years old). There are no boring worksheets! Instead, it is FULL of adventure learning. The kids go on a massive global treasure hunt and they have to use their reading, writing, and math skills to solve this real-life challenge with a REAL TREASURE at the end. You'll like this part, too. The first family to solve the mystery get's to travel to the site to claim their golden treasure and the $10,000 scholarship money!
No joke. Take a look at last year's winner whose family got to travel to Spain to find the Globe of Magellan. (I would totally love for someone to pay for my family to go to SPAIN! My kids have watched this twice and are so pumped!)
This year, kids are searching to find the Sunstone of Cortés! (Hmmm, I wonder where in the world this adventure will take the winners? I've got a good idea...wink, wink.)
With this awesome program, kids spend 1 hour each day working online (5 days a week). They'll log into their dashboard and watch an animated video like the one below to meet the team of explorers. Then they work on their learning challenges. They'll have four tasks:
read for 15 minutes a day
write one journal entry
earn 10,000 points on Khan Academy
do one bonus challenge
The work is customized to each student, so if you are like me and register two kids in different grades, their individual work will be tailored to their skill level. (So if your child is at a 9th-grade reading level, but a 7th-grade math level, it's no problem.) Or you can simply register one child and have both kids work together. When they are done, they will unlock the next webisode, which contains hidden pictures, numbers, and riddles to help them determine the treasure's location.
If your kid misses a day (or even a week!) that's okay. They can go back the next day and catch up. They just cannot work ahead. New challenges are posted every day at 9 am ET. Since the work is tailored to each child the program is great for children with learning disabilities, too.
The weekly writing exercises are reviewed by credentialed teachers who provide feedback, and weekly progress reports are emailed to parents.
In addition, 3 adventure tools will be mailed to your home to help you solve the special bonus challenges. We received a packet the other day and my kids were SO psyched to get: a wax-sealed letter with a secret code, a decoder ring (I always wanted one of these), a beautiful compass, and magic beans (my son is planting them today). And if you are traveling this summer, no problem! You can tell them your travel plans so that the packages can be mailed wherever you are.
I love that the program can be used together with any other summer camps your child might be involved in, such as sports, art, nature, etc.
Here's the introductory video:
By the summer, my kids aren't the only ones ready for a break from our homeschooling routine. But that doesn't mean I want their learning to stop. The reality is that during the summer, kids forget a lot of the material they learned in the spring. So when school starts up again, teachers are forced to spend weeks trying to review the same material so they can progress on to new concepts and skills. And that's where Brain Chase helps out.
First, you have to register. I'll be honest and let you know that Brain Chase can be kind of pricey. But it is no more expensive than a week-long summer camp. If you wait to register until after April 15th, most people will have to pay the full price of $199. But if you register early, the price is $149. BUT WAIT!! Mis amigos over at Brain Chase have generously offered MommyMaestra readers an additional 15% off discount!Just use the code MOMMYMAESTRA15when you register.
THERE IS A LIMIT to the number of children who can participate because they have to order the hands-on materials in advance. So sign up early.
Then, at 9 am on Monday, June 22nd, 2015, the adventure begins!
The program works on PC browsers and iPads. It is not available, yet, for mobile phones (maybe next year?) but I don't think it would be easy to write on a mobile phone anyway.
Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with the Motherhood and Brain Chase. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
Oooo! I have a lovely little resource for all of you today! During the L4LL Latino Children's Summer Reading Program, I frequently get emails asking me for free books and stories in Spanish. If you were one of those people, then here ya go!
Bosque de las fantasías is a fantastic little website with short stories, poems, activities, and more.
Simply click on the category you're interested in located in the sidebar and then select the story/poem you want to read. Each one comes with a single illustration to fascinate your child.
Aren't they super cute!?!
And the stories/poems themselves are fun, creative, and engaging for children.
The only thing I don't like about the site is the ads that are placed in between the titles/illustrations and the text. I find them distracting and a bit annoying. I'd prefer they be placed at the bottom of the page.
So go on over and explore the site yourself! I'd love to know what you think...
Last August, PBS KIDS announced a partnership with Overstock.com in which they create a carefully curated selection of toys and gifts for kids. The Overstock Kid Zone contains hundreds of educational products and a portion of the proceeds from each sale goes to help fund PBS KIDS programming.
If you are wondering what kinds of gifts you should get your child for the holidays, this is a special opportunity to get awesome products at great discount prices! I was looking around the site and found lots of gift ideas for my own kids - and all of them are under $30 (some even under $12!). Here's what I've got saved and some of the products I'll be considering...
The Kid Zone is made up of several shop categories, including “Educational Toys,” providing the perfect opportunity to purchase holiday gifts while supporting PBS KIDS. The site also provides links to PBS KIDS videos and fun family activities.
I prefer to shop local when I can, but with the Holiday Shopping Frenzy only days away and a smaller budget this year, I'm happy to avoid the crowds and order some of my gifts online. What about you? Online or local stores?
Disclaimer: This is part of a collaboration with PBS KIDS. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
Today's awesome resource comes from MommyMaestra reader, Danielle F. She discovered this last year when she was staying in Colombia. This site - Red de Bibliotecas - is absolutely amazing! If you are raising a biliterate child, you'll love it.
Danielle says that a few highlights are:
-- The Cuidamundos: Each year EPM has a competition for students to make short animated stories about the environment for kids. These are really like e-books. Simple animation, very creative stories.
-- Cuentame Un Cuento: Hosts several minisites with podcasts, classic childrens stories read aloud, and e-books. Some of the links are broken, but those that work are well worth hunting around!
But you don't have to take our word for it. Go and check out the site yourself!
Do you have a child in your life that struggles with learning or attention issues? Are you looking for ways to help or cope? Then you need to know about a new comprehensive, FREE online resource for parents and kids ages 3 to 20.
Understood.org was created by 15 nonprofits to provide families with personalized information and support tools so they can understand how dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning and attention issues can affect kids in and out of the classroom. In addition to empowering parents with information, the site is designed to help them make effective choices to address their children’s academic, social, and emotional needs. Understood aims to cut through the confusion and give parents a clear path to the support they need to help their children go from simply coping to truly thriving.
When I visited the site, the first thing I encountered was an introduction that taught me about all the resources I could find there, such as the ability to personalize the whole experience by setting up my own profile where I can enter my needs as a parent and the issues with which my child is struggling. Understood keeps all the information safe, but is then able to direct me to resources that are the most beneficial for my family.
Every page has Reading Assist tools that help you access the information. You'll even find the entire site available in SPANISH!
But perhaps the one section that stood out the most for me was the Parent Toolkit. In it you'll find valuable tools, such as the simulation tool that allows you to see what your child is seeing/experiencing. It does a remarkable job of helping parents to understand their children a little better. Or the Tech Finder so you can find apps & games approved for your child.
Overall, this is such a fabulous resource for parents and children. And the best part of it all is that it is FREE!
If you're ready to check it out yourself, just head on over to Understood.org.
If you are a parent of a preschooler, then there is a wonderful new online resource for you that launched this week! Univision has partnered with PreK12 Plaza to provide this free resource for Latino parents to help prepare their preschoolers for school. Too many Latino children continue to start kindergarten already behind, then struggle to catch up.
This new website includes videos,
games,
eBooks, and more to help children get ready for school in just 15 minutes a day. It covers Math and Literacy skills, and there are also resources for parents.
The whole site is available in Spanish AND English so you can choose the language that works for you.
While this particular site is free, PreK12 Plaza offers a more robust site for parents with children in Pre-K through 12th grade. For a $25/month subscription fee, you get access to hundreds of resources that help your child excel in school. Don't worry, though, if it is not in your budget. You can apply for a Padrino. If your family is selected, you could receive a free subscription to the site.
Go to their site and try a sample lesson to see if you like it...
One of my favorite go-to resources for learning about any topic is the Smithsonian and it's collection of museums. So each year when I research lesson plans, activities, and exhibits dedicated to Día de los Muertos, I keep any eye out for the Smithsonian's Day of the Dead resources. Their resources come and go, but I try to keep this page updated with the current online programs that they offer. If you'd like to find other online options, be sure to check out my post on Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead Lesson Plans and Activities.
Day of the Dead Learning Kit
The Smithsonian Learning Lab has published a new Day of the Dead Learning Kit available for educators and families. It includes the Smithsonian collections, video resources, music, and hands-on activities for in-school or at-home learning.
The National Museum of the American Latino
The National Museum of the American Latino has a web page dedicated to Día de los Muertos. It's not as extensive, but does include links to their virtual exhibitions, which were created in partnership with Google Arts & Culture. It also links to their last two years' Dead Poets Open Mic Series. I really miss, though, all the education resources for teachers.
National Museum of the American Indian
Because our heritage is so intricately entwined with that of Indigenous Peoples, the National Museum of the American Indian also has a wonderful site dedicated to Day of the Dead. The resources consist mostly of videos and video resources.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
SAAM also has a page titled Día de los Muertos Family Zone, which offers a lot of fun artistic ideas for children. Activities include a calavera wreath, mini nicho, lantern, marigold garland, and more.
Smithsonian Magazine
And finally, be sure to check out the Smithsonian Magazine for a few great articles dedicated to the holiday. They are:
It's several years old, but you can also follow the Smithsonian Latino Center's official Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos blog on Tumblr. There's still a lot of great information on the site.
It's been a while since I've posted a review of Spanish learning programs, but you'll be please to know that I have three on my editorial schedule for this summer. I'm starting off with Games for Language.
Games for Language is an online program best geared for older students (teens and adults) who have some sort of previous knowledge of the language (though that is not a requirement). However, my son who is seven had fun playing some of the games after watching me do so. I would bet that middle schoolers would also really enjoy this program.
The site offers games that build vocabulary and focus on conversational language acquirement. You currently have the choice of 4 languages (Spanish, Italian, French, and German) though they are currently developing a version on English for Spanish Speakers, but it is not for sale yet.
I had the chance to review the site, so naturally I chose to explore the Spanish 1 course, where I first discovered the "game board" shown here (It actually starts with Scene 1, but I forgot to snapshot it):
Each scene centers around a travel scenario. So for example, the first game in Scene 1 focuses on travel words when you are on board an airplane flying to Spain. When you click on your first game sequence, you'll then be presented with list of games you'll be playing to master vocabulary...
It's best to start with the first game as each game builds upon the vocabulary you've learned in the previous games. Scene 2 (shown above) has a variety of fun games to play, some of them different from the ones in Scene 1. Here's a few screenshots of the individual games, though not in any particular order:
At the end of the scene, you have a chance to listen to a story that uses all of the vocabulary and phrases you've just learned. And you can finish up by recording your own words so that you can adjust your pronunciation accordingly.
I really enjoyed going through this site, but definitely think it works best with students who already have some knowledge of the target language. It is a great tool for mastery. And I love how Games for Language continues to provide resources for their subscribers by adding to their site and via their Facebook page (which is continually updated with links, tips and mini-lessons) and blog. On the site, you'll also find a dictionary and soon they'll be adding complete vocabulary lists and mp3 audios of all six (6) levels.
Games for Language is a fun way to complement more comprehensive courses and can be used as a weekly reward or incentive.
Click here to learn more about the methodology behind this program.
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, though I did receive access to the site for review purposes and I have used my affiliate link in the post above. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.
Today's summer learning resource is totally awesome. We discovered it through Educents on Saturday and my kids and I absolutely LOVE it. Have you already heard about Mayan Mysteries? It is an interactive, online game that teaches kids all about the Maya culture through stories, challenges, and games that take your child on a super fun adventure.
Looters have been stealing ancient Maya artifacts and it's up to you and your team to solve the mystery and stop the thieves. Your child joins Team Q in their quest to find a lost Maya city. Along the way, they'll have to find clues and complete various challenges (more than 300!) to progress. Your child (and maybe you?) will get an in-depth study of the Maya culture. They'll learn about various Maya sites (like Tikal, Cerén, etc.), explore the Maya calendar, and even try their hand at Maya math. They'll discover artifacts and learn about real archaeological techniques, and decode glyphs.
Technically it has been created for kids 11 years old and older in 5th through 9th grades, but my son who is starting 2nd (okay, he's pretty smart) was fascinated and so was my daughter who is starting 4th. I had them read the story, and asked my daughter to help my son with the harder words. But when she left the room, my son discovered the audio button which reads aloud the text. Either way, it is an awesome read and both of them loved the adventurous feel of the game.
You can also find a series of lessons and printables on the Scholastic website. They're easy enough to print up at home or at school. In addition there is an in-game encyclopedia that encourages students to explore topics and retain information ranging from the Maya governmental system to farming practices and Maya beliefs about time.
I simply love this program which teaches everything from geography and culture to social studies, reading comprehension, science, math, and even spatial reasoning. The content is aligned with the Common Core Standards for Language Arts and Mathematics, in addition to the National Council for Social Studies Curriculum Standards. I would think that this would be a really great addition to any classroom curriculum.
This is certainly a high-quality educational game that is well worth the money. But you can play a free demo of the game at the Dig-it Games website to decide for yourself.
Parents can also purchase a single-user subscription of the game for $21.99. BUT the game is now available on iPad, too, and you can get it for $9.99. I have purchased the iPad app for my kids simply to save me minutes on my Internet plan.
Heads up! Now through July 1st, Scholastic's Teacher Express is having their 100 Summer Steals sale. Hundreds of eBooks will be specially priced between $1 and $5, including Spanish & ELL resources.
I just bought $310 worth of eBooks to prepare for this next school year for only $32! Woohoo.
The eBook above caught my eye because a few days (weeks?) ago someone asked me on Facebook for sight word materials in Spanish. Maybe this will help? Although, these particular words don't look like sight words to me...
If you have a 3- or 4-year-old child at home, then this summer is the perfect time to start preparing them for entering school and kindergarten. I want to emphasize once again, how important it is for children this age to either attend a preschool or be worked with at home to develop the skills they'll need when they enter kindergarten. I am reminded of a 2000 study by the department of education that showed that half of the Latino children starting kindergarten could not recognize all the letters of the alphabet, no surprise given that Latino kids are less likely to be enrolled in a preschool program than any other group.
I have written extensively about the importance of parents working with their children at home to teach them basic concepts such as letter and number recognition, shapes, colors, and more. You can find tons of bilingual resources here on MommyMaestra simply by searching for "preschool" in my sidebar. And now I have a new one to add to the list! I recently had the opportunity to explore Monarca Language, an website with high-quality materials in Spanish for 3 and 4 year olds. The subscription-based site covers math logic and pre-literacy skills, as well as fine-motor coordination, reasoning and attention span.
With a subscription you can get access to the following themed printables and activities: Seasonal Materials, Reading & Writing Corner, Math Circle, and Coloring Activities. (The coloring pages are actually free to everyone.) And you don't have to worry that your kids will get bored with the same old worksheets because they are adding new materials every month. They even include phonetics instruction, in addition to letter recognition. I was impressed to read that 85% of the participating children finish the program reading and writing efficiently.
I really do like the easy and age-appropriate printables. They use many of the concepts my own children used when learning to recognize numbers and letters. Best of all, you can choose the level of difficulty and proceed at your child's own pace. All of them are in Spanish, with easy to understand directions in both English and Spanish for teachers and parents.
The fact that they include math is especially exciting as so often program focus on pre-literacy skills and forget or ignore early math skills. Really and truly, as I looked throughout this program I was very pleased to see that it covers all of the basic skills and concepts a child would learn in preschool. I also love that there is no long-term commitment and you can cancel your subscription at any time. This makes me feel like Monarca Language is so confident in their materialsprintables, activities, and newsletter. You can even test it out with a one-month free trial.
FREE PRINTABLE
The kind people at Monarca Language have allowed me to share the following printable with MommyMaestra readers. It is part of their Seasonal Materials and features La Primavera: Animales de la Granja. Best suited for 3-year-olds. For more free printables from Monarca Language, click on the words "Monarca Language" in the section below this article. If you already subscribe to Monarca, leave some feedback in the comments to help other readers decide if this is a program for them. ------- Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post, however, I did receive a one-month access to the site for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
