Thursday, May 28, 2009

Summer Activities 10--Wild Summer Weather

Ever wonder why most summer thunderstorms happen in the late afternoon? We don't get snow in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer, but our weather is pretty wild anyway! Even then, weather in Utah is quite mild compared to the rest of the country. We have very few tornadoes here, and absolutely no hurricanes! What's the difference between a tornado and a hurricane anyway? Here are some great sites to help you explore wild summer weather!

Hurricane season starts on June 1 and goes through November. Hurricanes happen when tropical storms--which form over the ocean--gather strength and speed, then hit coastline cities. (That's why we don't have any hurricanes in Utah--we don't have an ocean!) Hurricanes are categorized according to strength, from category 1 to category 5. These storms are particularly devastating when they hit large cities right on the coast. Hurricane Katrina is a famous example. It devastated New Orleans in 2005 as it broke levees holding back the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

To learn more about hurricanes, check out this page at Scholastic.com . You can also watch this video at brainpop, then answer the questions in the quiz that follows.


What about tornadoes? We have tornadoes in Utah, but they usually don't touch down for as long or do as much damage as they do in cities in the midwest. Why do you think that might be? Check out this page on Scholastic.com to learn more about tornadoes and how they form, and see if you can figure out why tornadoes aren't a big problem in Utah, especially near the Wasatch Front.

While our mountains protect us, they help create an area in the United States called "Tornado Alley". During the spring--April, May, and June--tornadoes of varying strengths occur frequently. Check out this page to get more information.


Here is a picture taken by KTVX News 4 Utah of the tornado that hit downtown Salt Lake on August 11, 1999.



Weather is powerful and can be scary. The more you know about it, the better you will be able to prepare for wild summer weather!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Summer Activities 9--Get more out of fiction

Want to get more out of the stories you read? (Or write!) Here are some great graphic organizers to help you get more out of the book you are reading. Try reading a book with a parent or a friend and talk about the book together using these graphic organizers. (I especially like the character trading cards!)

Character Trading Cards--How well do you know your character? Use these trading cards to find out more.

Is your character more comfortable in a comic book? Use this comic creator to find out.

Is your character a classic hero? Use this link to explore the journey that every hero takes, in one way or another.

Use this story map to help you keep track of all the major elements of your story. This is really helpful when you are writing and you want to make sure everything you need is there!

Have fun with fiction!

Summer Activities 8--Story Starters

So many trees surrounded our house that no one could see it from the road. Unless you knew our house was there, you would drive right by it, seeing nothing but cherry orchards and leaves rustling in the breeze. A long dirt road lined by black walnut trees led to our invisible house. One Halloween, my brothers decided to haunt the dirt road and the trees that stood guard...

All around you are stories waiting to be told. The hard part is usually figuring out what to write about! As you play, save up ideas to write on those hot, dog days of summer. Jot down a few things, and see if you can make a story out of them.

Need a little help? Here are some basic elements your story can't live without.

Characters--If you meet any interesting people this summer, write about them. What do they look like? What is something silly they do? What kinds of things do they say? What makes them interesting to you?

Conflict--Stories are based on conflict. This doesn't mean your characters have to fight or be mean, it just means that if your character didn't have hard things to deal with, you wouldn't really be telling a story. Conflict is really all about challenging your character. How do you feel when you have to do something you've never done before? How did you feel the first time you rode your bike? Or when you learned to swim? Learning new things provides conflict, and your character either gives up or they push through the conflict and learn and grow--just like in real life! Conflict can also be provided by another person. When you're running a race, does everyone win? There is conflict between all the runners because everyone wants to win, but only one person can.

Goals--When your character has conflict, they need to set goals or have a strategy. A strategy is a plan to help your character get through the conflict they are facing. Do things always go according to plan? If your character has a plan to learn how to swim, but they find out that they are afraid of the water, they will have to create a new plan to help them get over their fear before they can learn how to swim. Step by step, your character makes plans, fails, tries again, makes a new plan, avoids, or pushes through their conflict. While your character does this, he or she shows his or her personality, and we enjoy getting to know your character. That's what makes a story interesting!

Next time it's too hot to go outside, or you're sitting in the car on a long drive, create a story in your head and write it down or type it up as soon as you can! You'll be surprised how much fun you can have!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Summer Activities 7--Safe Surf (this one is for parents!)

Has your child got a topic to research on the Internet (Like Hannah Montana)? Have you ever searched a topic and seen something you didn't want to see? The Internet is full of all kinds of information, some of it good, some of it...not so good. Here are some tips to safe surfing on the Internet!

1) Use Parental Controls! Your ISP has varying levels of parental controls. Some block out unwanted sites, pictures, and even words on the Internet. You can block certain sites you don't want your children visiting. You can even have their web browsing history sent to you via e-mail. Do some research and find the Parental Controls and filters that are right for you!

2) Keep your computer in a high-traffic area of the house. Curiosity is less likely to take over when kids are in an adult's line of sight!

3) When typing an http address, don't type it into the address bar, type it into the search engine.
This will help weed out typos that often take children to unwanted sites. The search engine will give you options, and you can click on the correct option to go to the site you wanted. It's one more step, but it protects you from those unwanted sites.

4) Make sure your children don't register for any sites or give out any personal information. If a site your child frequents needs a password and personal information, parents should register and keep a written record of all passwords. This includes e-mail and instant messaging accounts. Parents should be able to access these accounts in case anything questionable comes up.

5) Talk to your kids. Teach them about the dangers of the Internet, such as pornography and online predators. NetSmartz Kids is a great place to start! Help your children to distinguish fact from fiction as they read and learn on the Internet. Help them to feel comfortable coming to you with questions so they don't look for answers somewhere else!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Summer Activities 6--Cool Keyboarding

Did you know that typing can be fun? Learning to type is an important part of your education! Most jobs now require basic computer and keyboarding skills. People all over the world communicate through e-mail, social networks, and blogs, and being able to type makes this communication easier and faster. You'll be tested on your typing skills in 6th grade, so the earlier you learn, the better off you'll be! Here are some of my favorite typing sites to help you practice! Remember, you want to be able to type without looking at the keyboard. As you practice, you'll be able to hear or see a word and type it quickly without looking.

Dance Mat Typing--One of Mrs. Raymond's students found this site. It's great at helping you remember where you're supposed to put your fingers to help you type as fast as possible. This site takes you step by step, starting with home row, and adding letters on the left, then right hand. Practice each step as many times as you need to until you feel comfortable and can type those letters without looking at the keyboard. Get all the way through this great tutorial, then moving on to the other games will be even more fun and challenging.

Typer Shark--This is another favorite here at Bella Vista. Type the words on the shark's side before he bites you! This game has at least 18 levels. (Maybe more...I had to stop.) See if you can beat Mrs. Wadsworth and get past level 18!

For more typing games, check out the Terrific Typers links on the right side of the blog!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Summer Activities 5--I like to move it, move it! Learn about your body.

Get your parents to join you for this one! They need the exercise too! It's good to know what your body needs and to make sure you take care of your body. Through your whole life, you only have one body, so use it well!

What do you know about your body? How does your heart work? Why do you need to drink water? What happens to your body when you eat too much? What happens when you spend too much time outside when it is really hot? Being prepared with information about your body helps you to keep moving! Check these links to learn about how to take care of yourself!

How does my heart work? This site has a great video and quiz!

Explore Kids Health! Watch videos, play games, take quizes, and get ideas for some experiments you can do with your senses on this site. Remember to discuss any questions and concerns you have about your body with a parent! Have your parents check out this site with you so they will be right there when the questions come up! I especially like "mission nutrition" under games! Type a key word where it says "search here". Try typing "water". Kids health will find articles about why it is so important to drink water, especially when you're really active and it's hot outside.

Need some ideas for outdoor games? Try this site!

Okay, you've been on the computer long enough. Now get outside and play!

Summer Activities 4--The Night Sky

Summer is a great time to stay up late or get up early and look at the stars with your mom, dad, big brother, or big sister! Especially if you get a camping trip this year! Why do you think the stars are so much brighter when you are in the mountains?

NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, explores space. You can learn all kinds of things about the projects NASA is working on when you visit their website. Here is a link to NASA's site for students. Here is a link to NASA's Kids Club, where you can play space-themed games. On NASA's site for students, under "Stories", click on "Tonight's Sky" and watch the video. Or, click this link to watch the video for May. You will find descriptions of what you can see in the sky at night during each month. Take notes when you watch the video, then find some binoculars and set your alarm! As the earth spins on its axis, what we see in the sky changes. Find something new each hour of the night, and each month of the year!

What planet is this picture of? (picture available at NASA image gallery.) With a pair of binoculars, you can see this bright planet directly overhead and to the east at around 8:00 pm. Its light dominates the night sky.

Remember to be with an adult when you stargaze! No little cosmonauts should be out alone after dark!

Summer Activities 3--Digital Scrapbooks


After you've taken that great vacation, don't just print your pictures and stack them in books in the corner! Using Comic Life, (click here to download a trial version) you can make quick and easy scrapbook pages without all the scissors, paper, and glue. Add funny things you said through the vacation with speech bubbles. Then, to share your scrapbook pages, save them as a pdf file, which can be opened by anyone with Adobe on their computer. To save a document as a pdf, go to the print page and select "save as pdf." Then, you can e-mail your scrapbook page to your friends and family as an attachment!

Here's a page I did.

Summer Activities 2--rocks!

Geology is the study of rocks. There are many different rocks on earth, and the rocks tell the history of our planet. This is a cool site with lots of information about rocks! Make sure you do all the activities and take the quizes!

After you're done, you'll know that sedimentary rocks are made up of sand and pebbles that have been compressed together with heat and pressure. You can make your own sedimentary rock! Fill a plastic cup with sand, dirt, and a few small rocks. Add some water. When the water has compressed the dirt a bit, add a little more dirt, then a little more water. Continue to add these ingredients until the cup is full. Put your plastic cup in direct sunlight for a couple of weeks. What happened to the dirt, rocks, and sand? Your sedimentary rock is called a conglomerate, because there are little pebbles inside of it. It probably won't stay together very well when you try to take it out of the plastic cup. Why do you think this might be? Your sediment has been exposed to heat, but not to pressure. It also takes years for nature to make sedimentary rocks. Now, you know how nature does it!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Summer Activities 1--Maps!

Here's a great way to get your kids excited for a summer trip! If you don't have Google Earth, download it here. Type your destination into the "fly to" window on Google Earth, and hit return. You'll see satellite images of your destination.
You can trace your trip, road by road. Show hotels and other points of interest. Get a 3D view of buildings you'll see on your trip. Involve your kids in planning the trip using this interesting and helpful tool! Make your trip come to life!

Even if you're not going on a trip this summer, Google Earth will give your children a chance to explore the world in which they live. Type in an address and see satellite images of your neighborhood! Even of your house!


Memorial Day

Originally called Decoration Day, this special day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.

Throughout our nation's history, brave men and women have fought in the armed forces to protect our freedom and our way of life. They leave their families for long periods of time, sometimes years, to protect freedom and our friends who also want to be free. Do you know someone who serves in the armed forces?

Serving in the military is hard work, and it is often very dangerous. Soldiers don't just fight in wars. They also help with natural disasters and many humanitarian missions. Soldiers have aided in providing food to refugees, providing medical care to people in struggling countries, and in training police and military so that they can better defend their country.

You can write to a soldier, whether you know one or not! Tell them thank you for all the work they do! Write an e-mail in this form, and send it to American soldiers to show your support!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Summer Brain Drain

According to FamilyEducation.com, kids lose 1-3 months worth of their education during the summer. Most of what they lose is in mathematics. The Internet is a great resource to keep kids sharp so they are ready to move to the next grade level when they return to school in the fall. Need a little help finding constructive things to do? During the month of May, I will be blogging about things to do on the computer during the summer to help your students keep the education they have gained. The kids love to work on the computers. Computers are great at masking education as something that is just for fun. The activities I will blog about are things I have done with my kids--tried and tested and proven fun, interesting, and educational. On those days when it's too hot to go outside, spend an hour or two on the computer. Use this site as a resource, and use your search engine as well. There are many home schooling sites and educational sites that have lesson plans and activities to stretch and challenge the mind.

Use your resources and keep sharp!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!

A good teacher is like a candle--it consumes itself to light the way for others.--author unknown

I feel so privileged to work with so many wonderful teachers! These are people who work tirelessly for the benefit of the students they love and serve. They are faced with many problems, questions, and issues that vary as greatly as the children they teach. Daily, they influence, protect, and guide our children in the hopes of helping those children to see their great potential and reach their highest goals. Teachers don't leave their jobs at work. They bring home their lesson plans, papers to grade, and their concerns over how to do a better job reaching their students. They deal with varied pressures from students, parents, and administrators, and struggle to do what is best for the children. Give your child's teacher a big "THANK YOU" this week! They work hard to benefit our children and their future!

Wordle - Word Art

Wordle - Word Art
Create your own! Find the link for Wordle under For Fun!

Followers