Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

We just got back from watching this as a family. We don’t go to the movies much anymore because of the cost but with the long weekend, we went as a special treat. All of us are big fans of the first one. It is one of those movies that we could watch over and over again. There is just something that appeals to all of us. For me, it is the historical characters that come to life for the kids. Now, I am not saying that this movie is incredibly historically accurate. What I am saying is that anytime my kids think of Easter Island, they know right away what the statues look like (and of course say, “You bring me gum gum, dumb dumb?). But, nonetheless they know what Easter Island is. The first movie brought to life Christopher Columbus, Attila the Hun, and a host of other historical figures. I wish that I had taken some time prior to going today though to do some research on the historical figures in Battle of the Smithsonian.

Some were obvious and needed no introduction to the kids, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, and Amelia Earhart. But there were some people and objects that if the kids would have more background information on it might have added to their enjoyment.

Below is a list of what I wish I would have pre-taught so that maybe you can be more prepared than me:

The Thinker by Rodin- the boys have been doing this little “UH, UH, Fire Power” all week (think gun show with the arms). It comes from a part in the movie when The Thinker gets up and does a ‘gun show’. They probably would have understood the sarcasm of The Thinker being portrayed as a dumb jock if they knew more about the subject.

Al Capone-My boys don’t know much about the Italian Mafia. They really had a hard time understanding any of the parts with them.

Napoleon-Great reference in the movie to what a Napoleon complex is. Boys will probably easily remember now what that phrase means.

Ivan the Terrible-even though he is a central character in the movie, it does a poor job of explaining who he is.

Tuskegee Airmen-Surprisingly my oldest was able to tell us all about them. He learned about them on a late night history channel show. Who says letting your kids stay up and watch tv is a bad thing?

General Custer-specifically on him you want your kids to understand his Last Stand and why he may not have made the wisest battle decisions. The movie does a bit of spoofing on this and there is a part where he talks about his ‘big mistake’.

I am all about finding those teachable moments and while this movie probably won’t win any Oscars, it is a great way to introduce the kids to some historical characters. With a little bit of knowledge from the above list, you may provide them with a frame of reference to make it all that more enjoyable.

I am sure that I probably left out quite a few characters so if you think of any, leave me a comment and I will try to add them.

*Most pictures in this post came from Wikipedia and are common use.

Young Scientist Challenge Entries

Passing on a great opportunity for your kids to shine:

The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, the premier national science competition for students in grades 5 through 8, is now open for entries – and the deadline is fast approaching. Students must complete a video entry about the “Science of Everyday Life” and submit it online before May 20th, 2009*.
The top 10 students in the country will each win a series of prizes, including $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to the competition finals in New York City this fall.

The winning student will receive $50,000 in U.S. savings bonds and be named America’s Top Young Scientist.

Music Ace Deluxe

As you all know, my kids love music. My oldest plays the guitar and my youngest is a walking dictionary of classic rock (ugh, am I that old that Bon Jovi is classic?). Since my youngest has very poor fine motor skills though due to both of his disabilities (spina bifida and autism) it has been hard to really teach him an instrument. But, he is very interested. So, when I was contacted by a very nice PR rep for Harmonic Vision and asked to try Music Ace Deluxe I was thrilled. Harmonic Vision claims:

“This interactive program gives homeschooling parents a fun way to bring music into their kid’s (aged 6+) lives. The game-type Windows and Mac-compatible CD-ROM features 36 self-paced lessons shored up by games that introduce kids to the basics of music — rhythm, pitch, note reading, listening and the keyboard — while entertaining them at the same time.”

and it certainly delivers. My youngest (10) and I sat down to do a few lessons together before I turned him loose on it alone. He seemed to really benefit from the visual clues given in the pitch lessons. And even I learned some new terminology. Maestro Max (the animated teacher) provides a fun and non threatening way for everyone to learn music theory.

So, would I recommend this? Absolutely! Music Ace Deluxe is available directly from Harmonic Vision, http://www.harmonicvision.com for the MSRP of $79.95. More importantly, it is available from other sources such as http://www.amazon.com and http://www.jr.com/ for between $45 and $50. Also, a Homeschool Instructional Guide is available for download at no charge from the Harmonic Vision website for owners of Music Ace Deluxe. I love it when companies realize the power of the homeschool community and provide products tailored to our needs!

Polar Husky Alert: View-as-Book

Passing on some information from Education Basecamp!

Happy Presidents Day from Education Basecamp!

We wanted to let you know that Module 1 is now available through the view-as-book feature in Get Curriculum of Support at PolarHuksy.com. Please take some time to familiarize yourself with this resource-saving feature.

There are multiple ways to utilize this feature and there are many ways one could search for a particular page within Module 1.

Here is an example we have come-up with for helping you with the ‘Search the publication’ feature:

You are looking for Teacher Notes 1-6a “Amundsen” to project as suggested in the CAAG.

Type Amundsen in the ‘Search this publication’ field and click return. Five pages are returned that contain the word Amundsen. Click on the thumbnail version that most resembles the page you are searching for (in this case it would be that last page with the color map and image of a person with a
flag.)

Please note: searching by “Teacher Notes” or “Teacher Notes 1-6a” will bring back all pages that have the words Teacher Notes and also all pages that have a 1, 6 or ‘a’ following these words Teacher Notes. This may not be the most effective way to search.

As time allows, please familiarize yourself with how the view-as-book feature works and learn what is the best way for you to navigate to what you are looking for. We’ve heard that many of you find it to be a great time saver (and we love that it helps save trees too!).

If you come-up with an ingenious way to search, please share it with us! Beginning March 2, Technical Stuff in Forum of Support will be the place to let everyone know so that they can benefit from what you’ve found/learned. In the interim, share it with Education Basecamp at howl@polarhusky.com and we’ll share your EUREKA! moment with everyone.

Share what you learn. You never know how we might choose to say thanks.

Think Snow!

Education Basecamp
GoNorth! adventure learning series for the K-12 classroom

University of Minnesota
130D Peik Hall
159 Pillsbury Dr SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

P: 612-625-8550
F: 612-624-8277
E: info@polarhusky.com

Explore the Arctic and experience adventure learning online!
Visit: http://www.PolarHuksy.com

Train Your Brain More

Last week I received an email from a publicist asking if I would like to review this latest book by Dr. Kawashima. I recognized the name, and you probably will too, from the popular Brain Age games we play on our Nintendo DS. Definitely intrigued, I said yes and I was glad that I did.

This book was not what I expected. It was much more ‘workbook’ like than I had thought it would be.
Click here to see and print a sample page!
But, it was fun to time our progress. In the 5 days I had Connor (12 year old) work on it, he became faster and faster. While I do call him my little math genius, it was interesting to see the first day how the simple calculations were, well, not that simple anymore. Proving that we can all use a little daily brain exercise. The pages take less than 3 minutes (for him) and it is a great little vitamin boost for the day.

I loved the first few pages of the book where it shows images taken by a brain imaging device while people performed certain activities. Now I had proof that watching TV was not nearly as good for you as reading a book!

Not only do I recommend this book but I am giving away 2 Train Your Brain More books. Would you like to win one?

INITIAL ENTRY: Leave me a comment below introducing yourself! You must complete this entry to be eligible for the Bonus ones listed below.

Bonus Entries: You can do any of these that you want. Do 1 or do all!

1. Follow me on Twitter @chaotic_barb (leave your Twitter ID)

2. Tweet This Giveaway. You may do this once a day. Just Copy and Paste this —-> Win Train Your Brain More book by author of Nintendo Brain Age http://snipr.com/b6m6v @chaotic_barb PLS RT

3. Blog about this giveaway. (You must leave the link to the post, not your blog)

4. Stumble this giveaway. Leave your stumble ID.

Please leave a separate Comment for each Entry. Giveaway is open to USA and Canada Residents 18 years of age or older. Any posts not including the requested information will be deleted. I reserve the right to remove any entry from this giveaway. This giveaway ends February 12th at 11:59pm est. Please allow up to 2 weeks to receive your item.

PrezQuest

Looking for something unique to do this week for the Inauguration? This may be your answer! This week the kids and I had the opportunity to do our first live online learning event. It was really cool. There is a live teacher that walks the kids through the lesson which makes it different from any other online learning program that I know of. When the kids answered questions correctly, our ‘teacher’ would give them a high five, which they thought was really neat. They enjoyed being actively engaged in the lesson and hearing their names used.

The event that we did was called PrezQuest.

During the event the live teacher acted as the kids campaign manager. The teacher walked them through the qualifications to be the President, the five main jobs of the President, and the Election process. The event is peppered with cute animations of past presidents that share fun facts and interactive games.

I loved that the process is meant to be shared with a parent. This is not something you sit the kids down to do while you make dinner. The intent is to spark conversation and interaction between parents and kids. In other words, it is the perfect medium to do something a little different during your homeschool week.

I was most impressed to have Ranjy Thomas, the president of Flying Rhinoceros (the development company behind PrezQuest) personally call me after the event to ask for my feedback. We talked about a few of the ‘glitches’ I encountered, namely the initial log in process not going smoothly and he assured me that they are working on ironing small things like that out. He was very warm and friendly and had a real interest in learning about the homeschool community and how their company can best serve our needs. They plan to do many more live events with different topics. PrezQuest is available to families for $6.99 per event, or $11.99 for the event and the book “Wooden Teeth & Jelly Beans.” In either case you get a great activity book to print and access to the online games after the event as well.

I absolutely recommend PrezQuest and I am looking forward to see more from this company. I think they are a real bright star to watch in the future of children’s online education! They already have a great site of free educational games to play on so even if you don’t get to do PrezQuest, make your way over to The Fraboom Network and check them out. If you do take part in PrezQuest please leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of the experience!

Join National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Watch

Through NWF’s Wildlife Watch, a program of Nature Quest™, participants gain first hand experience with plants and animals in their natural environments. The Wildlife Watch website features downloadable “watch” lists by state, and the capability for visitors to share sightings, photos, and stories online. Be on the lookout for the new Winter Watch list that features animal tracks, eagles and evergreen trees. Join the hunt today at www.nwf.org/wildlifewatch.

Using Wii Music at Home

While this press release was aimed at the classroom use of Wii Music, I think it shows how homeschoolers can use the Wii to teach music at home.

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 13, 2009 – Nintendo’s new Wii Music™ game is spreading from the family room to the classroom, thanks to newly formed collaborations with select schools and educators. To help inspire students and promote an active appreciation for music, Nintendo is working with teachers to incorporate Wii™ consoles and Wii Music software into their lesson plans to offer teachers a unique tool for creativity and improvisation.

Nintendo’s collaborators in this effort include MENC: The National Association for Music Education, which is recognized as the world’s largest arts education organization and as a teaching resource for all levels from preschool to graduate school. MENC will help teachers in 51 cities across the nation integrate Wii Music into their curricula, making use of the game’s 60-plus instruments and fun array of tutorial exercises in rhythm, tempo and song structure.

“The goal of Wii Music is to inspire people of all ages to enjoy music,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “By partnering with educators and bringing Wii Music into their classrooms, we hope to give students a memorable, hands-on experience that helps them discover their own creative voice.”

The Wii console’s motion-sensing controls allow Wii Music users at any experience level to step up and jam, whether playing solo or as part of a group. Using the wireless Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers, players make simple, intuitive movements to strum a guitar, play a trumpet or bang a drum.

“At any grade level, it’s essential to provide students with the tools and encouragement they need to be creative,” said John J. Mahlmann, executive director of MENC. “We look forward to collaborating with Nintendo to drive awareness and advocacy for music education through Wii Music.”

Some teachers already have begun to incorporate Wii Music into their lesson plans.

“Wii Music has brought a renewed excitement to music class for students from first grade to fifth, myself and even some of the classroom teachers,” said Helen A. Krofchick, a music teacher at Doby’s Mill Elementary School in Lugoff, S.C. “I love how many music standards can be covered in such a short time. Students also have to use language skills, spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination. We have a school very supportive of the arts and Wii Music has empowered our program even more. Any system that is educational and can add a love of music to children’s lives should be in every classroom.”

Other collaborating and partner organizations currently include San Francisco’s Blue Bear School of Music and New York’s Opus 118 Harlem School of Music. Teachers in these programs will use Wii Music to build students’ familiarity with technology while bolstering their ability to create and improvise. Experts in the field of music say getting kids interested in music at an early age can help build a lifelong appreciation.

“The joy of playing music is something that should be experienced by everyone, regardless of age, talent-level or experience,” said Joe Lamond, President & CEO of NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants. “Research shows that more than 82 percent of people who don’t currently play a musical instrument wish they did. Wii Music can help address this by providing a positive introduction for millions of people who might not otherwise be inclined to try.”

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com. For more information about Wii Music, visit www.WiiMusic.com.

For more information about Nintendo, visit www.nintendo.com.

Kids’ Science Challenge

The Kids’ Science Challenge is a nationwide competition where kids learn about four fun scientific fields and then submit a question, problem, or experiment to be solved. The scientific fields are: flavor science, water quality, skateboard engineering, and the search for life in outer space. Winners will visit and collaborate with the scientists and turn their ideas into a reality – and they’ll be featured on Pulse of the Planet radio programs www.pulseplanet.com, Kids’ Science Challenge video podcasts or Dragonfly TV. The Kids’ Science Challenge web site, www.kidsciencechallenge.com, includes downloadable science projects, fun videos, educational games, and lesson plans for classroom or after-school use that are aligned to National Science Education Standards.
 
The first 1000 kids to enter the competition will receive free science activity kits, which include a fingerboard (mini-skateboard), water test strips, flavor-tasting strips, and a CD with a secret coded message from “aliens.” Complete instructions are included. This is a great opportunity for a group science learning experience.
 
To set up a Kids’ Science Challenge team, check out the Parents and teachers page on www.kidsciencechallenge.com or contact info@kidsciencechallenge.com for more information. We’re sending out special prizes to the next few teams who sign on, so now is a great time to enter!

GoNorth! 2009 adventure learning program

Just passing on news from the Polar Husky team. Make sure you sign up for the next round of this.

It is hard to believe that we are in the last few days of fall – The Polar Huskies are rolling in the snow with grins on their faces and it sure looks and feels like winter here in Minnesota. But officially the Winter Solstice occurs this Sunday.

We’ve been hard at work at both Education and Expedition Basecamp preparing for the upcoming GoNorth! 2009 adventure learning program. To that end, we have some information and updates that we would like to share with you. The biggest news is that we will be taking our adventure to Nunavut, Canada in 2009 and then to Greenland in 2010. A howl of applause to our sponsors and in particular the Best Buy Children’s Foundation and the National Science Foundation for supporting the ’swap’ of the expedition location.

With the change in location, so is there a change in the direction for both the curriculum and the website. All summer and into this fall we have been hard at work on the curriculum and content for the website to accompany the program. Because content is location-specific, this county change for 2009 has resulted in a content shift as well. We are working around the clock to make the necessary changes, however we regret to inform you that we will not have the 2009 Curriculum & Activity Guide ready for you before the New Year. At this point in time we cannot give you a final date, but please know we are working hard. As soon as we have information we will broadcast an alert to bring you the most up-to-date news.

From all of us at GoNorth!, both two and four-legged alike, we hope you have a Happy Howling Holiday. Think Snow!

Education Basecamp
GoNorth! Adventure Learning for the K-12 Classroom

University of Minnesota
130D Peik Hall
159 Pillsbury Dr SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

P: 612-625-8550
F: 612-624-8277
E: info@polarhusky.com

Explore the Arctic and experience adventure learning online!
Visit: http://www.polarhusky.com

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