December 09
full article - Barnacle News pg 22

"Advent Calendars"

Kids Craft Weekly
http://www.kidscraftweekly.com/advent_challenge_issue.html
More ideas for filling your advent calendar with “things to do” http://jordanferney.blogspot.com/2007/11/advent-calendar-ideas.html
Here are some creative ideas for making a home advent calendar.
http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/2008/11/advent-calendar.html

There are SO many advent calendar ideas and online activities!  Doing a search is quite overwhelming, but check these out:
Yahoo Advent calendars http://ca.dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Religion_and_Spirituality/Faiths_and_Practices/Christianity/Holidays_and_Observances/Advent/Calendars/
Google images of different advent calendars
http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=advent+calendar&um=1&ie=UTF8&ei=tCkMS9DvHIj8tQOA0LmeAw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CDIQsAQwBA

Surprise your friends (grandparents?) with a personalized Online Advent Calendar.  Choose your photos, messages, the number of windows and the date and send it for free!

http://www.advientos.com/?gclid=CO3G85OCmp4CFShGagodAgtOmg
Billy Bear’s Advent Calendar , for early learners, has a Christmas Surprise each day with free Clipart, Games to play online and a few to print... and PC Programs to download. http://www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/christmas/advent/2000/advent.html

The Cat Who Laughed is most unusual! Artist Penelope Schenk creates sequential picture-stories for her advent calendars... and her one-line captions have translations in French, Dutch, Italian and more!  She has 11 previous calendars to enjoy as well.
http://www.catwholaughed.com/

Smile-a-day shows a new Christmas carol each day with the tune in midi music  playing. 
http://www.smile-a-day.com/advent-calendar.shtml

Woodlands School –UK Christmas around the world calendar.
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/teacher/christmas.html#advent

St. Margaret Mary Advent Calendar - Follows the traditional custom of opening a new "door" each day, with a new image and verse from the Bible for reflection.
http://www.smmp.com/Advent/Advent.php

November 09
full article - Barnacle News pg 22

"Batty about Bats"

B.C. has about 17 species of bats, the most in Canada! All the species are protected by the provincial Wildlife Act. Some bats can live up to 30 years. They carry ticks and fleas like other mammals, but they groom themselves as often as a cat does. They can catch rabies, but they die quickly, and as a result no one in BC has ever contracted rabies from them. (Note: never touch any sick animal!) They provide a real service in helping to control the insect population; a single little brown bat may eat 600 insects an hour! Bats are nocturnal and use echolocation to capture their prey. They are not blind, and they do not get caught in people's hair, although they may seem to swoop over your head… in order to scoop up the insects that your body warmth is attracting!

When we begin a study of bats in the classroom, the students are always amazing that there are so many different species. While most eat insects, a few eat fish or meat and some even are fruit-eaters. Students are also surprised to hear that the vampire bat is actually very small (only 9cm long, weighing 2 oz.). It sneaks up on its victims by running along the ground, and it makes such a tiny cut that the animal doesn't even feel it. We are still happy to know they don't live here!

There are many wonderful books and websites devoted to bats. Be sure to look for "Merlin Tuttle", founder of Bat Conservation International, and fondly known as the true "Batman"!
Bat Patrol-with info. on Merlin Tuttle too
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0204/feature7/online_extra.html

Bats4Kids
http://www.bats4kids.org/

Bats: Why Should You Care?
http://www.cccoe.k12.ca.us/bats/

Bat Conservation International
http://www.batcon.org/

October 09
full article - Barnacle News pg 19

"BTS... with the Douglas Squirrel"

In case you didn't know, the Douglas Squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii) is one of our B.C. native squirrels, living along the Pacific Coast. It has a reddish-brown or grayish-brown back, and a rusty orange underside. The
winter coat is grayer overall. They weigh 140g-310g and are about 33cm (including the tail). They live mainly in coniferous forests, building a nest in the tree. In winter they nest in tree holes or underground. The bulk of their diet is the seeds of coniferous trees. They are aggressive against the larger Eastern Grey Squirrels, (which can be gray or black). Those squirrels were introduced to Stanley Park in 1909 and are now very common. A very distinct feature of the Douglas Squirrel is its loud "chatter", which is almost bird-like and definitely reminiscent of "scolding"!

A great audio clip
http://www.bmn.bc.ca/gallery.aspx?gallery=Birds&photo=17-Douglas_Squirrel

General information
http://www.wildlifenorthamerica.com/Mammal/Douglas-Squirrel/Tamiasciurus/douglasii.html

General information, including tracks and audio
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Douglas_Squirrel#encyclopedia

April 09
full article - Barnacle News pg 19

"Earth Day"

Earth Day in Canada is celebrated on April 22nd. It reminds us to appreciate the natural beauty of our world and to be mindful of the impact that humankind has on nature. At school we encourage our students to consider how even their smallest actions may have positive or negative consequences. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth is as important as picking up garbage!

Earth Day actually has two observances. In 1969, at a UNESCO conference, peace activist John McConnell proposed a special day to foster worldwide participation in working for peace, justice and the care of the earth. The Spring Equinox (March 20-21) date was chosen for its meaning in many cultures. U. N. Secretary General U Thant, Margaret Mead, John Gardner and other concerned world leaders showed their support. The second Earth Day, founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970, was planned as an environmental "teach in". The date of April 22 was chosen as a "convenient date" which would maximize student and community participation. Twenty million Americans participated and it is now celebrated in 175 countries.

Earth Day Canada-April 22
http://www.earthday.ca/pub/index.php

Earth Day April 22
http://www.earthday.net/earthday2009

Earth Hour March 28
http://www.earthhour.org/home/

Earth Day March 20-21
http://www.earthsite.org/

The Care of the Earth by John McConnell
http://www.earthsite.org/77.htm

Celebrate the beauty of SPRING with the eagle webcams!!!
http://www.hancockwildlife.org/
and other webcams too!
http://www.thewebbroadcastingcorporation.com/

March 09
full article - Barnacle News pg 18

"World Math Day" - March 4

There is an exciting online Math opportunity for students… but the "big day" is March 4th, so check it out asap!!!
Students race one another to correctly answer age-level questions. Competitors are from all around the world, and the race is "live" !!! You see where your opponents are from, and as you madly type in your answers, you watch as the bar graph shows the number of correct answers growing. Watch out though… 3 strikes and you are eliminated from that game!

The idea behind this Math competition began in 2007 with students around the world breaking a world record by
answering 10,000,000 questions in 48 hours! World Math Day was born, and in the next round, 287,000 students from 98 countries participated and they correctly answered 38,904,275 questions. The competition is 48 hours because it lasts as long as it is March 4 "somewhere in the world". (In my part of the world- Vancouver, BC, Canada, that's Tuesday March 3 at about 3 am right through Wednesday March 4).

Last year 1 million students from 150 countries and 20,000 schools answered 182,455,169 correct questions! Now that's great enthusiasm for Math! Practice sessions are as much fun as the actual competition, so check it out yourself!

World Math Day website
http://www.worldmathday.com

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
There are lots of great online math activities here.
(You can play online, you don't have to download.)
http://nlvm.usu.edu/

Carole Saundry is a private consultant working with teachers around British Columbia (and beyond!) in the area of numeracy. Her blog has some great math activities.
http://mindfull.wordpress.com/about/

A list of great math websites from the "Virtual Teacher"
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/maths.html

Feb. 09
full article - Barnacle News pg 17

"Snowflakes"

I must admit that the entrancement of a "White Christmas" is rather behind me (is it Spring yet?), but February often reserves a few last wintery blasts for us. With that in mind, a "Snow Science" unit is an interesting one for all ages. If you're lucky to have some free time when it's actually snowing, take a black piece of paper (which was kept cold in the freezer), a magnifying glass, and check out snowflakes yourself first hand!

The making of snowflakes is a lot more complex than one might realize. They are not just a special kind of frozen rain, they are actually made from water vapour. Different shapes and patterns in the flakes are created by the growing crystal "arms" encountering different temperatures within the cloud. The variations are almost infinite, which is why virtually no two snowflakes are identical. Most snowflakes are actually not perfectly symmetrical, although they sure do look like it! About 80 different types of snowflakes have been categorized, including such surprising shapes as needles, plates, columns, and capped columns!

There are several excellent websites to investigate, but one, called "Snowdays", involves making your own snowflake online and then posting it in a simulated sky. You get to see the snowflakes posted by other people all around the world! You can even do a search by name or location. With the count now reaching almost 8,000,000 it would seem that we aren't the only ones fascinated by snowflakes!

You can get excellent "snowflake information" from
http://www.snowcrystals.com

Beautiful photographs of snowflakes in galleries I, II, III
http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/photos/photos.htm

Step by step directions for a 6-sided cutout paper snowflake
http://highhopes.com/snowflakes.html

Snowdays- add your online snowflake
http://www.popularfront.com/snowdays/

Make your own snowflake and convert it to 3-D
http://www.zefrank.com/snowflake/

Dec. 08

"Traveling Buddies"

What do a moose, a beaver, a wolf, and a boy who is 1/2 inch thick have in common? In our classroom, the answer is: they are all part of the "Traveling Buddy" program!

If you haven't heard of this activity, it is a variation of the traditional "pen pal" exchange of letters. In this case, the students send a mascot, such as a stuffed teddy bear, to a class in another location. This little visitor is given the "royal treatment"! It participates in daily classroom activities, is shown around the school, taken to student homes, and invited to special events and field trips. (What an incentive for the reluctant reader… you get to read with a stuffie!) Photos are taken of the visitor enjoying new friends, journal entries are made, the children write letters and draw pictures, and the teacher organizes special extras such as stickers, books, local calendars and so on. The students at both ends of the exchange have the chance to compare their respective locations as well participate in other educational activities. After a set time, a tearful "good-bye party" is held, and the little mascot travels back home with a box of goodies for the class.

Every year my class is amazed to hear about how a little STUFFIE can become a world traveler, and it makes them even more enthusiastic to learn more about the world. We use this in our Social Studies, weather studies, animal
studies, and as an inspiration for reading, writing, and yes, even sometimes for "arithmetic"! This year Wilbur Wombat AND a Flat Stanley are visiting! There never seems to be enough time to keep up with the online photos, but check out my websites to get a taste of this wonderful activity!

The CanOz Connection-photos and more!
http://www.teacherwebshelf.com/canozconnection/

Monty Moose has his own website now!
http://www.montymoose.com

Flat Stanley- There is a world-wide following now!
http://www.flatstanley.com/

Suggestions for starting your own project!
http://www.teacherwebshelf.com/canozconnection/teacherideas.html

July 08

"Prevent mush-brain in just minutes a day!"

With all the cool rainy days we had in June, many parents are relieved to be able to just scoot the kiddos outside for the first days of summer holidays! Thinking ahead to September (good heavens!) , however, many parents would like to help their children keep up their hard-earned school skills. Teachers will also appreciate greeting new students who have not been on "mental shutdown" for two months!

So… what can keep those brain cells snapping along? Here are some ideas (from Owl Canadian Family).
* Sign up for educational summer camps. There are camps for every interest: computers, science, math, environment, mini-universities (SFU offers several options).
* Bake, garden, sew… and do MATH! Have a look at the Crazy4Math.com website for wonderful ways to see the world through "Math Coloured Glasses"
* Read, Read, Read! Join the local library summer reading program and look for special book talks. Take time to read WITH your child, checking for comprehension, or asking thought provoking questions as you go along.
* Explore the Internet! If your child has a question, don't supply the answer… say "Let's Google It and find out."
You can always trust that several interesting side topics will
appear along the way! Explore one of the fantastic new children's CDs-there are simulation worlds, brainteasers for logical solutions, machine contraptions to build, photo safaris and much more!
* Keep travel logs Add in maps, geography, money, local wildlife, costumes. Work on those writing skills-make an advertisement to show off the special features If you're not traveling, then make up a fantasy vacation or a "Nature Guide" to your own back yard!
* Play games! Games such as Monopoly, Scrabble, chess, Boggle work on mathematics, word skills, and problem-solving without even seeming like learning.
* Join an arts 'n crafts program or sign out an art project book at the library. Work together with your child to do the planning. Finish off the project with an "art show" for the family, or digital photos for the grandparents!
* Visit local museums, Science World, farmer's markets… but don't stop there… read up on your visit ahead of time on the Internet and then do some follow-up activities too!
Take the time to have some CREATIVE FUN
* Get creative with your suggestions and take the time to get those projects started by being part of the initial "supply gathering": Create a summer foods cookbook, design a line of summer clothing (make mini samples too), make your own bubble wands out of telephone wire, build a miniature fort and then make to-scale drawings of it, design summer stationery, use toothpicks and gumdrops to make a model, plan a theme movie night for some friends, decorate rocks, design summer kites, create a treasure map or board game!

National Geographic-kids' boredom busters
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

Free ideas to explore your child's creativity
http://www.creativekidsathome.com/summerkidsactivities.html

Summer fun for parents, kids, (and teachers)
http://www.fvsd.ab.ca/stm/end_of_the_year_and_summer_activ.htm

Ideas, a little reading and links to crafts
http://www.kidsturncentral.com/summer/summerfun.htm

Education World-links to Summer Reading Lists
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr244.shtml

June 08

"Gardening with Children"

Finally! The glorious weather demanded that I take my class out to our school garden areas to clean up weed-choked planters, do battle with the villainous Morning Glory, cheer on the earthworms, and explore the wonders of the miniature habitats. The children were SO excited when I handed out the garden gloves! By now everyone has had a turn being the weekly Classroom Horticulturist and has taken home a small coleus cutting, rooted at school. Our four gigantic Amaryllis have all gone to seed (of COURSE we didn't cut off the dying blooms!) The Mother's Day basil went home after we taste-tested our own dressing. Our Heinz Tomatosphere seeds (sent to us by the Canadian Space Agency) seem to be thriving under our grow lights. The sun and fresh air are begging us for outdoor activities!

Gardening with children can be a most enjoyable and educational activity. You might misconstrue it as a "garden disaster", so it's wise to plan ahead! I found an excellent website www.kidsgardening.org with a "Parent Primer" for getting started, but there are many others as well.

Kids gardening: helping young minds grow
(National Gardening Association)
http://www.kidsgardening.org/family.asp

Gardening with Children
Lots of great ideas, projects, and suggestions for parents
http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/Children/children.htm

Earth Easy Gardening with Children
http://www.eartheasy.com/grow_gardening_children.htm

The Great Plant Escape
Online activity for Gr. 4-5 students involving plant science.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/tg/index.html

My First Garden
Online activities teaching Gr. 3-4 about the basics of gardening.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/firstgarden/

The Adventures of Herman the Worm
Here's where to find out about our favourite garden friend!
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/worms/

May 08

"Loving and Losing Your Pet"

This article is dedicated to the "best dog in the world",
our dear Dexter Dog, March 24 1993 to February 12, 2008.

The loss of a pet is the anguish of losing a family member. A Google search on the internet for "children +pets +death", yielded over 850,000 hits. There are so many of us trying to cope with this heartache but sharing of the grief is a big support.

Although there are common stages of mourning, they do not necessarily occur in any order. The simple act of talking about and through these feelings can be of immense benefit.
* Denial: Emotions can be overwhelming with the initial shock of the situation. This is actually a coping mechanism.
* Anger: As the pain intensifies, it is common to feel angry at everyone. Feelings of guilt may be intermingled.
* Bargaining: We try to think of any way we possibly could "try something new" or "promise to be better" in exchange for our loved one's health.
* Depression: Sadness and helplessness is one of the longest stages of mourning.
*Acceptance: With acceptance can come healing, and the ability to remember "the good times" with joy.

Children need time to mourn their pets in their own way, but parents should role model by sharing their feelings as well. If a pet is sick or dying, it is important to give the child time to say goodbye. Having a special ceremony, collecting
photos, drawing pictures, or writing stories are some positive ways to honour the memories. Immediately replacing a pet is not a good idea, as children feel you are trying to erase that special love for the old pet. Don't forget that other pets in the family will also feel the loss and the tension. Take time to give them extra TLC as well.

The age of the child will affect their reaction to the loss of a family pet. The most important point is to be honest and to use proper language. Do not tell the child that the pet has "run away", "gone to sleep", or "been taken by God". All these can cause confusion, and more distress in the long run. Help your children deal with the reality of death by working through the grief, not by burying it.
* Small children may not understand "death", but they will certainly feel the tension throughout the home. They will need reassurance that it is nothing they have done.
* Children around age 6 may worry that death might be contagious or that other family members will now die too. They may need to discuss their feelings many times.
* Older children may have trouble concentrating in school or have trouble sleeping. Try to keep to regular routines.
* Adolescents may keep their grief more private, like adults, but they are also experiencing deep emotions.

It is important to note that there are special considerations for seniors as well as for children. Seniors are all too aware of the passing of those around them. They keenly feel the loss of what may be their closest friend and so need a lot of extra support. Thoughts of a new pet are shadowed with the fact that it may well outlive them, and so special arrangements will have to be made.

… and so, it is a sad time around our house still.
Our little "urn" came home on Valentine's Day
… a fitting time for one so loved.

Some helpful books to read to your children:

The Tenth Good Thing about Barney by Judith Viorst
A boy remembers his funny, wonderful cat.

Jasper's Day by Marjorie Blain Parker
A family gives their dying dog a special day before euthanization.

Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children
By Brian Mellonie- death shown as a part of the cycle of life

Good Bye Mousie by Robie H. Harris
for 3-5 year olds. A boy lovingly buries his pet in a special box.

Murphy and Kate by Ellen Howard
For 7-12 year olds. A girl and her dog of 14 years.

Information for this article was collected in part from the links below:

10 top children's picture books
http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/themesubjectbooksby/tp/petdeath.htm

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/when_a_pet_dies

Explaining Pet Loss to Children
http://www.griefhealing.com/article10.htm

Coping with the Loss of a Pet
http://www.homevet.com/bonding/loss.html

University of Florida-Veterinary Medical Center
http://www.ufvmc.com/childrenandloss.aspx

February 08

"February-Fast and Furious"
http://www.teacherwebshelf.com/holidaylinks/links/links-winter/links-winter.htm

It is quite amazing how the subdued back-to-school January activities start to gain momentum until they are rolling out at breakneck speeds. Frenetic February is what I would call it! Not all the celebrations are worthy of concentrated study, of course, but they still add their own flare to the curriculum.

GroundHog Day
February 2nd: The observation of Groundhog day is rooted in a very old English tradition of noting the weather on "Candlemas Day" (when clergy would bless and hand out candles). The Germans adapted this weather forecasting by bringing in the notion of watching to see if a hedgehog could see his shadow. Settlers in North America used this idea, but with a groundhog popping out his head to see his shadow (which would mean 6 more weeks of winter).

If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come, winter, have another flight.
If Candlemas brings cold and rain, Go, winter, and come not again.

GroundHog Day-Wiarton Willie & Punxsutawney Phil
http://www.southbrucepeninsula.com/index.cfm?member=willie
http://www.groundhog.org/
http://www.groundhogs.com/

Chinese New Year
February 7-Year 4706 of the Chinese Calendar
This year marks the Year of the Rat , one of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese calendar follows the lunar cycle. The New Year activities begin on the darkest day and often last 15 days, until the moon is at its brightest.
http://members.aol.com/Donnclass/Chinalife.html
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/chinesenewyear1.html

Valentine's Day
February 14th-ahhh, the day of love and caring! History has several possible origins of this special day… The Romans, among others, had ancient celebrations related to spring and fertility. The Christians had at least two saints named Valentine. Early English records indicate that birds were thought to choose their mates on February 14.
Whatever the origin, however, it is a wonderful time to focus on kindness and caring, compliments and good will.
http://www.annieshomepage.com/valhistory.html
http://www.factmonster.com/spot/valentines-day.html

Canada Flag Day
February 15 is National Flag of Canada Day. It marks the day in 1965 when our red and white maple leaf flag was first raised over Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and indeed, hundreds of communities across Canada. This is a perfect opportunity to celebrate our flag and what it stands for - a country and a citizenship that are the envy of the world. (quote from Heritage Canada website)
http://www.pch.gc.ca/special/flag-drapeau/index_e.cfm
http://www.craigmarlatt.com/canada/index.html#home

100th Day of School
February 20th (at my particular school this year)
What a wonderful excuse to have a "100 Day Party", complete with many, MANY counting and math activities! This celebration has really grown over the years and elementary teachers have a grand time sneaking in oodles of math in the guise of celebrating 100 days of school!
http://users.aol.com/a100thday/ideas.html
http://www.siec.k12.in.us/west/proj/100th/act.htm

December 07

Christmas - Dec 25

One of my favourite seasons at school is Christmas! There is so excitement in the air... the first report cards have been distributed, holidays are on the horizon, and, with a bit of directed teaching, learning about the spirit of giving encourages sharing and caring throughout the classroom!

Learning about Christmas traditions around the world can be a great way to bring multi-cultural studies, geography, art, music, and language together. Instead of the popularized "chocolate advent calendar", every day in December my class learns something about a different country's Christmas tradition and decorates a tiny flag to adorn their personal "Christmas Advent Tree". By the holidays arrive, they have more than 20 "tidbits of learning" on their tree!

Some of the origins of traditions are fairly common knowledge… for example, do you know where the first "true" Christmas tree supposedly originated? (Germany) The first Christmas card? (England) The carol "Silent Night" ? (Austria) Traditions, such as who the "gift giver" is on Christmas, vary from country to country. (Please note that not all of the following information is 100% "factual"!) A "Santa Claus" type figure is very popular and has various names such as Sinterklaas (Netherlands), Heiliger Nikolaus (Austria), le pere noel (France). There are also some quite different gift givers though: Christkind is reportedly a sprite-like child (Germany), Strega Buffana is a good witch (Italy), and other countries have devils, angels, or elfs helping out! There are some interesting superstitions too, for instance, in Greece the Christmas table is lifted three times before eating, in Norway a rice pudding is left out for the barn elf, in Poland hay is put under the Christmas tablecloth.

There are many children's books available on "Christmas Around the World". (An internet search at Chapter's Books yielded 38 hits!) There are also many internet sites devoted to this topic, so if you can't find a particular country at one site, then do try some of the others. A fun way to get started exploring this topic is to try one of the Internet "Scavenger Hunts" I have listed.

So… enjoy the merriment of the season and do have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Nollaig Shona Dhuit (Irish)
Nolllaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ur! (Scots Gaelic)
Veseloho Vam Rizdva I Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku!
(Ukranian)

Bill Egan's Christmas Around the World
Lots of countries and a quite lovely presentation of the info.
http://christmas-world.freeservers.com//index.html

Christmas Traditions Around the World (Santa's Net)
...lots of countries, some with a whole page of info.
http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm

Christmas Around the World (The-North-Pole)
...about 30 countries listed, varied amounts of info.
http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/

Christmas Around the World (Kaboose )
...includes some recipes
http://holidays.kaboose.com/xmas-around.html

How to say Merry Christmas in 350 languages!
... a little info on the languages included too
http://www.flw.com/merry.htm

Christmas Around the World
Internet Scavenger Hunt for kids!
http://www.henry.k12.ga.us/PGES/xmas_around.htm

B.C. School District #71 Christmas Links
more Internet Scavenger Hunts for kids!
http://sd71.bc.ca/Sd71/Edulinks/xmas/around.htm
http://sd71.bc.ca/Sd71/Edulinks/xmas/around2.htm
http://sd71.bc.ca/Sd71/Edulinks/xmas/around3.htm
http://sd71.bc.ca/Sd71/Edulinks/xmas/around4.htm

see the rest of my Christmas & other Winter links at:
http://www.teacherwebshelf.com/holidaylinks/links/links-winter/links-winter.htm

November 07

Canadian Remembrance Day - Nov. 11
Veterans' Week (November 5 to 11 in Canada) is a time for us to remember and show our respect for those who served Canada in times of war, military conflict and peace. As stated in the VAC website, "Taking part in remembrance events develops a deeper understanding of the sacrifices and achievements of those who have served and continue to serve our country."

We are so fortunate that the children in our classrooms here do not generally have first hand knowledge of war. The VAC website has many excellent resources, and last year added a "Kids Zone". One of the features is "Animal Heroes", a section devoted to highlighting the roles that animals have played in war efforts. There is even a photo is of John McCrae on his horse, Bonfire!

Listen to an audio clip of Charlotte Diamond's "Leave the world a little better"
http://www.charlottediamond.com/music/charlottes_world.htm

VAC - Kids Zone information including "Animal Heros"
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/youth/sub.cfm?source=activities/kidszone

2000 Memories - Jason and the Memory Box
http://user1291600.sites.myregisteredsite.com/library/id72.html

Created in 2001, The Memory Project is the Dominion Institute's flagship educational programme, designed to connect veterans and students online and in classrooms across the country.
http://www.thememoryproject.com/index.asp

The Memory Project Digital Archive, an online database that houses the oral histories and artifacts of more than 1000 Canadian veterans, complements the Speakers' Bureau.
http://www.thememoryproject.com/digital-archive/index.cfm

August 07

Ladybug Luck
I was enjoying my school's inner courtyard the other day (even summer holidays aren't safe from extra clean-up jobs at school!) when I felt a little tickle on my arm. It turned out to be a ladybug larva, which reminded me (once again!) how taking just a little extra time so often rewards one with a delightful surprise. I think every child can easily identify a ladybug (Eric Carle's book "The Grouchy Ladybug" is such a favourite!), but would you know what the eggs or larvae look like?

My first experience came from a student bringing in a leaf and telling me that she had ladybug eggs. I'd never seen them before, but I thought "there's one way to find out!" That was the start of my wonderful foray into raising ladybugs in the classroom!

Does a ladybug really signify "Good Luck"? Well, this gardener feels lucky to have them on watch!

Enchanted Learning has some good basic information for students.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/insects/Ladybug.shtml

The Ladybug Lady has a first hand love of ladybugs and photos too!
http://www.ladybuglady.com/

This is a great classroom resource.
http://www.geocities.com/sseagraves/schoolyardscience.htm

There are great photos and a chart to aid in identification.
http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Ladybug

Here are tons of ladybug links for the enthusiast!
http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/ladybugs.htm

May 07

Hummingbirds
The hummingbird is a well-known bird but many children only recognize the name from seeing a movie or animation. I promised my class that after Spring Break we would learn about hummers and even see them outside our window!
The most common hummingbird in our area is the Rufous Hummingbird. The males generally arrive first, and have rusty brown backs and flame red gorgets (neck feathers). The females (and young) have green backs. Males often exhibit an "O" or "J"-shaped display. Females build a nest with plant down and spiderwebs, decorated with lichens, mosses, and bark.
Allen's Hummingbird look very similar to the Rufous, but they have bronze-green backs. Males exhibit the "J" shaped flight, with a sharp explosive sound.
Anna's Hummingbird (common on Van. Island) is a husky, 4 inch bird which often stays within the general breeding range in both summer and winter. The males' crown and gorget are a rose-red.

Watch some wonderful video clips of hummingbirds
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0701/feature4/multimedia.html

Hummingbird Journey North (includes a great kids section!)
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/humm/index.html

A website dedicated to the conservation of hummingbirds
http://www.hummingbirdsociety.org/

A great source of information on hummers
http://www.hummingbirds.net/

Our local bird center
http://www.backyardbird.ca

April 07

Teacher "Fun Time"
Even teachers have a "fun side" when they get home... so this article is entitled: "B.C. HotRod is a Winner in Toronto"!

Warmer days are just around the corner, and chances are it won't be too long before you hear the sound of a few rumbling engines now and again. You may not have realized it, but there are many who have succumbed to the lure of owning a "Hotrod". These beautiful vehicles may take their lines from days gone past, but they are all modern when it comes to power and shine!

This year is the 75th anniversary of the 1932 Ford, and my husband and I decided to celebrate the completion of our 1932 3-window Ford coupe by having it transported to the prestigious "Performance World Car Show" in Toronto. This is the largest indoor car show in Canada! It was very exciting to be among so many cars. The years and makes were vastly different, but every one was polished to the nines!

"Peter's Coupe" showed off how great a B.C. contender can be, and we came home with 6 different awards! We really thought we would get the Long Distance Award too, but who would have guessed that someone from FRANCE would be there!

It was an exciting trip but it wasn't that hard to leave -16 degrees C and several feet of snow to come home to daffodils and crocuses! If you'd like to see more photos, check out www.peterscoupe.com !

March 07

Bird Watching
Sometimes all we need to enrich our lives is just to take the time to stop and look. If you haven't had taken the time lately to explore the world of our local birds, just think about this article as you take your next walk. If you already enjoy this pastime, think about sharing your knowledge! February 16 to 19th was the Great Backyard Bird Count… did you participate? Why not join eBird, it's a free online bird tracker!

Getting Started…

So… how does a "non birder" start to recognize different birds? Interesting birds can land in front of you and then disappear in seconds. Furthermore, the "bird book" is usually at home, not in your pocket!

Here are some tips for things to take note of.
Size: Think about the relative size compared to a common bird such as a sparrow, robin or crow
Colour: Notice the colour of the body, but also the head, breast, legs, beak if possible
Shape: Is it long and slender or plump? Is there a crest or tuft on the head? Is the tail forked or rounded? Is the beak thin or wide?
Field Marks: Look for eye stripes or eye rings, bars on the wings or tail
Movement: Is the flight path straight or wavy? Does it flick its tail?
Song: Can you notice any details of the song?

What if you'd like to attract just a few birds to your yard for fun? Containers can be made from recycled milk cartons and so on, but the easiest feeder is simply a large tree cone (pine cone, spruce cone etc) covered in a layer of peanut butter, rolled in bird seed, and hung from a tree. If you have peanut allergies, use 2 rounded Tbsp lard/Crisco mixed with 1 Tbsp molasses. Squirrels can be a nuisance, so try to hang the cone away from other branches. Remember as well… the month of May generally marks the return of the bears and they love bird feeders too!

Kids-print out a fact page on the chickadee and a picture to colour!
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/kids/images/bkcchi_coloringpage.pdf

Novice and experienced birders can both enjoy adding their bird sightings online to eBird
http://ebird.org/content/

Cornell University "All About Birds" has a wonderful online guide to birds
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/

Birding software-I highly recommend the Thayer "Birds of BC" program
http://www.onlinenaturemall.com/birdsoftware/

November 06 - Time to curl up with a good book!

Canadian Children's Book Week arrives!
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, November is often a time when the weather begins to encourage more time spent indoors. The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) was founded in 1976 to promote, support and encourage the reading, writing and illustrating of Canadian books for children and teens. The TD Canadian Children's Book Week is an important bilingual, national event celebrating Canadian children's books and the importance of reading.

How about looking for some "award winning" books to round out your reading?
http://www.bookcentre.ca/awards/index.shtml

Perhaps you have a favourite Canadian author or illustrator. Maybe you wonder who the Canadian authors are!
http://www.bookcentre.ca/authors/author_pages.shtml

Did you even know that Book Week was coming?
http://www.bookweek.ca/

Links to November special events online: Canadian Remembrance Day & Children's Book Week
http://www.teacherwebshelf.com/holidaylinks/links/links-fall/links-fall.htm

October 06 - Fall arrives

It's hard to believe how fast we get back into school routines!

Ready, Set, Learn! Parents of preschoolers, however, may appreciate a little help getting started off on the right foot.
This booklet was designed to assist parents in helping their preschooler get ready for school by offering tips for supporting a child's learning in key areas of development. http://www.gov.bc.ca/bcgov/content/docs/@2R11d_0YQtuW/new_ready_set_learn.pdf

Links to October Holidays online: Thanksgiving and Hallowe'en
http://www.teacherwebshelf.com/holidaylinks/links/links-fall/links-fall.htm

September 06 - BTS time is here!

Whether you embrace it or try to ignore it, it's BTS time once again! Our brains have enjoyed relaxing in the blissful days of summer, so here are some websites to fire up the neurons and sharpen those skills!

For the preschoolers & Kindergarteners raring to go!
http://www.juliasrainbowcorner.com/html/funandgames.html
Easy activities with audio clues for alphabet letters, numbers, shapes, animals

http://www.starfall.com/n/magic/trick1/load.htm?f
Magic Hat Trick: silly words are introduced with rhymes and animations. Say the word, follow along, and then click on the hat to see what happens!

Primary level refreshers
http://www.primarygames.com/
Lots of games and activities in all curriculum areas from Language Arts to Math

http://www.starfall.com/
Primarily designed as learn-to-read online activities for first grade, it is also useful for pre-school, kindergarten and second grade.

http://www.theschoolbell.com/Links/math/number_families/main/games_online.html
This is a good site for Primary online math activities.

http://www.noggin.com/games/zoolane/storymaker/
Reluctant readers are enticed by participating in an interactive storymaker, where they create an audio-enhanced and animated story through selection.

Elementary and up
http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/student.cfm
Phonics and Word Study activities are clearly designated for PreK through sixth grade. The online learning games range from memory picture matching and alphabet practice, to long vowels and contractions, and a variety of challenges to hone spelling and reading skills.

http://www.coolmath4kids.com/
Cool Math 4 Kids is for "ages 13 to 100"…Lots of games and puzzles in math, and science too!

http://www.aplusmath.com/
A+ Math Play number skill games, test your skills with timers!, print your own flashcards

Take the challenge!
http://matti.usu.edu/nlvm/nav/vlibrary.html
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives for Interactive Mathematics
Wonderful online activities to teach mathematical concepts from K - 12.

http://www.teachersfirst.com/tchr-subj-date.cfm?subject=mindstretchers
For those who simply want a challenge… these are activities, puzzles, and logic-based sites designed to bolster higher-order thinking skills!

June 06 - Summer is here!|

Considerations for Online Summer Activities

A few pertinent internet safety points
http://www.geocities.com/rod_oickle/safeparents.html

Cyberbullying… what is it, and what can you do? Some important information:
http://www.cyberbullying.ca/
http://www.bullying.org/

CBC News Online…. Focus on Cyber-Bullying
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/bullying/cyber_bullying.html

Safe blogging information for teens, parents, teachers, adult bloggers
http://www.blogsafety.com/

Podcasting in Education… find out about this new buzzword
http://chatt.hdsb.ca/~magps/boylit/Podcasting%20in%20Education

April/May 06 - Spring is here!|

April 17 is Easter Monday. The weekend is a great time to try out some different family crafts and activities.

Here's a wonderful website on the art of Psyanky, including directions!
http://www.learnpysanky.com/

Kate's "Eggs-ellent Easter" website has lots of information and fun crafts.
http://www.kate.net/holidays/easter/ltraditions.html

Celebrate Easter: crafts, recipes, traditions
http://www.celebrate-easter.com/

Earth Day… a time for the World to celebrate our planet! Be sure to get outside and enjoy our beautiful earth! See if there is something you can do this year to help!
On a different note… did you realize that there are TWO different dates and TWO different founders associated with "Earth Day"? While April 22nd is the date that most North Americans are familiar with, it seems that the rest of the world may not be in accord!

John McConnell, the founder of the first Earth Day "Nature's Day", March 21, 1970
http://www.themesh.com/jc2.html
The Official Earth Day site
http://www.earthsite.org/

Senator Gaylord Nelson, founder of the first Earth Day in America, April 22, 1970
http://earthday.wilderness.org/history/history.pdf
Earth Day Canada
http://www.earthday.ca/pub/home.php

February/March 06 - The last days of Winter!

February 2nd is Groundhog Day! 2006 marks the 50th anniversary of the Wiarton Willie Festival… and if you didn't know… that happens to be our Canadian Groundhog center! If you want more rodent rapture, then Education World has a veritable "Groundhog burrow" full of activities for you at http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson048.shtml !

February 14th is Valentine's Day! Find out more about its history, symbols and explore some new recipes or poetry!
http://techdirect.com/valentine/index.html

100th Day of School! This will depend upon your school, but it should be sometime at the end of February or early March for elementary schools this year! Do you know when YOUR school celebrates?
http://users.aol.com/a100thday/

March 17th is St. Patrick's Day! Wear the green… and find out WHY… at http://theholidayspot.com/patrick/celebration.htm

September/October/05 - Ministry of Education & BCTF webpages... links for parents!

This month it seems important to provide some links with respect to the current BC teachers contract negotiations. On September 27 a limited job action begins, but the initial stage will not disrupt either students' learning nor the voluntary extra-curricular activities provided by teachers. All teachers hope that further action will be unnecessary. As the BCTF president, Jenny Sims, points out… "teachers are also mothers, fathers, and grandparents whose children are in the education system. Teachers are taking a stand for our students, our profession and for public education."

September 23 was a district-wide Professional Development Day for teachers, an important time for teachers to revitalize their enthusiasm for their own learning and staying on top of advances in educational methods. I include some links from the BC Ministry of Education website to highlight how far beyond the "three R's" modern education has come.

Ministry of Education Curriculum: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/curric/
Ministry of Education IRPs Index Page: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/irp.htm
Ministry of Education Performance Standards: The BC Performance Standards have been developed for voluntary use in BC schools. They describe the professional judgments of a significant number of BC educators about standards and expectations. http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/perf_stands/
ICT: The Information Technology resource documents serve to assist schools and districts with requirements for school and district technology plans.
K-7 http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/resdocs/itk7.pdf
Grades 5-10: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/perf_stands/icti/

As a elementary teacher myself, I can speak to some of the deleterious changes I have seen in my own school over the past few years. In my opinion, the most serious of these is the reduction of specialty teachers. This includes resource room, learning assistance and ESL teachers, the teacher librarian, the music specialist and the Special Educational Assistants. In my school we haven't had a specialist for P.E. in years! I am seeing considerably more needy children in my classroom with each new year, and yet all these specialist times are being drastically reduced. There are so many children who could show wonderful gains from a little extra small group work or 1:1 time with a specialist, but I am told that we only have enough resource time for the neediest of children. Our school prides itself on an excellent "early intervention" program for behaviour concerns, but our resource room counselor can only juggle so many other duties. "Literacy" is a keynote for government advertising, and yet our teacher librarian divides her 3 days a week among 340 students. The SEAs who work with special needs children requiring 1:1 care have to take turns doubling up the children in order to get their much needed lunch breaks. These conditions all impact the students learning… from the bright, enthusiastic children who deserve teacher attention for advanced projects to the shy little quiet ones who can so easily disappear into the crowd. The supposed increased funding for students being reported by the government is an illusion created by their earlier disastrous cuts to educational services.

Why are B.C. teachers taking a strike vote?
http://www.bctf.ca/Bargain/negotiations2004/TeachersTakeAStand/WhyStrikeVote.html
Teacher-librarians are needed more than ever: The B.C. government has said it wants to "make B.C. the best educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent." Teacher-librarians have a key role to play in our schools if we are to achieve a more literate population.
http://www.bctf.ca/NoteFromTeachers/Archive/2005-06/2005-09-20.html
What is inclusion? Inclusion is the philosophy that nearly every student should participate in all academic and social aspects of the school and, whenever possible, should be integrated into a regular classroom. The support the teacher needs in order to make inclusion effective for everyone may be an educational assistant, special resources, and/or help from a specialist teacher.
http://www.bctf.ca/publications/NoteFromTeachers/archive/2005-06/2005-09-19.html
Teachers are looking for a negotiated agreement: Teachers are determined to achieve improvements for their students and a fair and reasonable salary increase for themselves. Teachers want a negotiated settlement. Teachers are calling on the government to meet with the BCTF to develop a mutually agreed upon process that will lead to a negotiated settlement.
http://www.bctf.ca/publications/NoteFromTeachers/archive/2005-06/2005-09-14.html

July/August/05 - Summer Activities

Crazy 4 Math: This website encourages children to think mathematically and keep up their math skills during the summer. It promotes math as part of many family activities and provides a FREE list of great ideas for kids, families and teachers to access on the internet. There's even a contest... get your ideas/ poster/ photos in before July 15.
http://www.crazy4math.com

Scholastic Books - Summer Reading Counts: "Consider your child's favourite stories — perhaps old classics, or something new read during the past school year. Notice the themes that emerge, and plan a related trip. This is a fun way to support your child's curiosity about the subjects she loves most." This website gives some great ideas for bringing together books and summer activities! Also featured are articles for parents encouraging good readers.
http://www.scholastic.ca/summerreadingcounts/daytrips.htm

Gateway to the Summer Games: Learn about the Athens 2004 games. "The first Olympic Games were held in Greece more than two thousand years ago. When the Modern Games were revived in 1896, founder Pierre de Coubertin again chose Athens as the host city. In 2004, the games returned to their birthplace for a third time. Learn about the geography, history, people, and languages of Athens and Greece, or explore with Virtual Tours."
http://www2.edgate.com/summergames/
Review all the Olympic Games from 1896!
http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/index_uk.asp

HARRY POTTER: A much-anticipated Harry Potter sequel is on its way this summer. Get into the mood!
The official movie site of Harry Potter.
http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/
The official JK Rowling site.
http://www.jkrowling.com/
The Harry Potter Lexicon: This site is a wealth of information about various subjects in the Harry Potter books.
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/
Spectrum website.
http://incwell.com/HarryPotter/RealFantasy.html
Scholastic Books website.
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/home.asp
J.K.Rowling Teacher Resource File
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/rowling.htm

June/05 - Here's an eclectic assortment of diversions!

Are you tired of the Star Wars hype? Try this clever animated spoof with a message…
Organic vegetables have the power!!!
http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html

Would you like some new paper-and-pencil games while waiting for summer to arrive?
Here are seventeen deceptively simple games that really stretch the brain.
http://www.cs.uidaho.edu/~casey931/conway/games.html

NASA's Future Flight Design website teaches kids all about flight concepts using a very interactive, Flash-based interface. Kids look for workable solutions to problem-based learning scenarios.
http://futureflight.arc.nasa.gov/map.html

Architect Studio 3D is an online interactive tool which allows users to design and build a virtual home, with the assistance of a virtual Frank Lloyd Wright!
http://www.architectstudio3D.org

May/ 05 - Let's look at some Science websites this time…

VIRTUAL BODY:
http://www.medtropolis.com/VBody.asp
Take a fascinating look inside all the many coordinated parts of the human body in this online exhibit. Interactive features let students control their online journey, learning more about key features as their interest dictates.

SCIENCE ANIMATIONS:
http://science.nhmccd.edu/biol/animatio.htm
This site has collected numerous interactive tutorials, animations, and movies on science topics across the board.

WHAT'S IT LIKE WHERE YOU LIVE:
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/
This site has information about Earth's biomes and freshwater/ marine ecosystems.

A VIRTUAL JOURNAL INTO THE UNIVERSE:
http://library.thinkquest.org/28327/?tqskip1=1
Here's a great research site for those studying The Solar System. (Note: Flash needed)

NOVA SCIENCENOW (GR. 9-12)
http://www.pbs.org/nova/sciencenow
The "NOVA scienceNOW" website is newly designed. The site features streaming video of each hour-long broadcast episode, in-depth interactive scientist profiles, downloadable podcasts, a blog of dispatches from the production team in the field, viewer forums, educator materials, and much more, all in a variety of engaging formats.

Odds 'n Sods - March/05

Internet Safety is always a concern these days. An interesting website is the Web Wise Kids. http://www.webwisekids.com/
Excerpt: "Web Wise Kids are a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring child internet safety by giving tips and advice to parents and children on how to protect themselves from online predators."

Even if you didn't participate in the "The Great Backyard Bird Count" on February 18-21, you may still be wondering how to differentiate between some of those tricky species that frequent our neighbourhood. Learn the difference between types of woodpeckers, various chickadees, sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks, and get ready for your own bird count! http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/
A great website to explore bird sounds as well as photos, descriptions, and "cool facts" is the Cornell University of Ornithology "All About Birds" website.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/

If you are really looking for something different on the 'Net, why not explore "table manners" around the world! The flash animated quiz takes about 5 minutes to complete.
http://fekids.com/img/kln/flash/DontGrossOutTheWorld.swf

Odds 'n Sods - February/05

http://reachtheworld.org/
Sail with the crew of Makulu II! This ocean expedition invites students to learn from the discoveries of her crew. You can trace the route and read the Ships Logs for up-to-date information about life aboard ship.

This article was written for Canadian Living Magazine's website on the best all-round websites for homework help. Pete MacKay, one of the authors, is creator of <http://www.theteacherlist.ca>.
http://www.canadianliving.ca/CanadianLiving/client/en/today/DetailNewsPrint.asp?idNews=3137

Tsunami websites. Here are a few of the student-level websites available.
http://www2.sd43.bc.ca/Nestor/links/edutopics/forcesofnature/tsunami.htm