February 4, 2012

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FamilyFun.com Review

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FamilyFun.com

Now that back to school time has passed, the holiday season is fast approaching:  Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas will be here all too soon, and that means kids will want to create some craft projects for each event. FamilyFun.com, part of the DisneyFamily.com website, has great ideas for craft projects designed to keep little hands busy.

Visitors to the site can either click on various holidays presented on the homepage to find appropriately themed crafts ideas, or choose from the pulldown menu “Arts and Crafts” and select links by category:  Holiday and Seasonal, Crafts by Age, Quick and Easy, Classroom, Kids’ Room, and How to Videos, or simply search all crafts.

The pulldown menu features also a Halloween section, under which users can find ideas for crafts, recipes, decorating, pumpkin carving, and costumes.

Other categories to search are Games, Travel, Printables, Parties, and Recipes, each with its own subcategories that make for easy browsing of the unique ideas the site contains.

Under the Video tab, check out multimedia presentations of craft ideas for easy-to-follow instructions, and visit the Magazine section for past issues of Family Fun and subscription information.

Since the content of this site is updated as different holidays approach, be sure to check back often for fun craft, recipe, and decorating ideas your kids are sure to love!

Filed Under: Resources for Mothers, Resources for Parents, Resources for Teachers Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Homeschool Portal Review

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HomeschoolPortal.com

Homeschool Portal is a wonderful resource for parents who are searching for a comprehensive list of educational materials for their children.  Containing over 2000 links, the site is a comprehensive listing of websites, businesses, and educational resources that support the homeschooling community, teachers, parents, and students. Users can rate each site they visit, providing important insights to other users.

Because the site is so vast, the easiest way to browse for materials is to go to the bottom of the homepage and choose the directory tab, which will take you to a page where information is sorted by category and presented in alphabetical order.  Scroll down the page to see main categories, and then click on a folder to view the subcategories and read a full description.

Under the directory, users can search audio, books, school subject, family and home life, homeschool information, software, toys and games, special needs, reference materials, early childhood learning, and a number of other subcategories.  Under each subcategory, users will find a list of pertinent links to follow that relate to the particular subject.

Users can sort the results, choosing to show newest or oldest first, highest rated, most votes, least votes, or to list by alphabetical order, and choose the number of results to show per page. Since there is so much material available on this one site, having the information accessible by a number of different sort features makes finding just what you’re looking for easier.

The site also offers a “search the directory” feature for quick searches, but users who have time to may find it more interesting to browse around the featured links since the site is so packed with useful information.
The “featured” link connects users to the feature of the month and offers a link to previous features; the “homeschool ecards” link allows users to send ecards with a homeschooling theme; the “links” link is a place where users can report for deletion any links that pertain to gambling or adult themes; and the “supermall” link takes users to the supermall site, full of products for homeschoolers.

Users will find a vast number of resources on the Homeschool Portal, so set aside a lot of time to check out the many, useful resources offered here.

Filed Under: Resources For Children, Resources for Parents, Resources for Teachers Tagged With: , , , , ,

Practical Parenting Advice Review

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practicalparent.org.uk

Practical Parenting Advice is a fun and colorful site run by Psychologist Andy Gill and contains resources for both parents and professionals regarding child behavior and development and family relationships. The company is a non-profit, but there are items for sale on the site.

On the site users can purchase an at-home 5 week parenting course applicable to children aged 2 to 7; the course includes professional support and research-based methods regarding behavioral difficulties like defiance and temper tantrums.

There are plenty of free resources on the site as well, such as parenting advice tips on topic such as understanding child behavior, building trust, and protecting self-esteem.  A free newsletter is also available to subscribers.

A parenting message and discussion board provides a forum to discuss parenting issues with other parents, and there is an extensive list of links to other sites related to parenting issues, from baby clothing to school choices to summer fun for children.  Users can rate or add links here.

Because the company is located in the UK, the section that offers information on discounted travel to family-friendly destinations may or may not prove useful, but there is also a selection of discounted family- and parenting-focused books available for order online in conjunction with Amazon UK.

Users can search the site via Google search, and the fun and colorful graphics make the site visually appealing and easy to navigate.

Filed Under: Professional Resources, Resources for Parents Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Educational Productions Review

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edpro.com

Educational Productions was started in 1982 by writers, video producers, and parents Linda Freedman and Rae Latham.  The founders’ mission is to make a difference in children’s lives by increasing “the skills and understanding of the adults who work with, teach and care for young children.”

The result of this mission is that the founders have created a vast collection of video-based early childhood training materials and have trained thousands of early childhood education, child care, pre-K, K-2, and head start students, staff, and parents.

Recently acquired by the company Teaching Strategies, EdPro’s site is still active and the company has a large selection of programs from which to choose, as well as a link to Teaching Strategies for browsers who wish to visit there.

On Educational Productions’ website users will find a comprehensive selection of materials on topics such as advocacy, birth to 4, school readiness, nurturing social-emotional skills, parent education resources, and head start training.

The Quick Links list links users right to information on their Video Training Programs , a video clip library, child care training, distance learning, special needs, and other resources, including videos in Spanish.
Users can preview video clips online and review complete transcripts from the video programs as well as see performance standards related to each video series and sample activities, discussion questions and handouts for every program by visiting the “see previews online” link.

View the featured clip from the “Understanding Difficult Behavior” video, part of the “Reframing Discipline Strategies” series, under the “View Our Featured Clip” link.  Suggested discussion questions designed to engage and challenge viewers are also on the preview page.

Users can also view the entire catalogue by selecting the Catalogue link at the top of the home page and choosing to view by topic, those programs available in Spanish, a complete list of EdPro video programs, or a complete price list.

Filed Under: Resources for Teachers Tagged With: , , , , ,

Teach The Children Well Review

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teachthechildrenwell.com

If you’re looking for a comprehensive collection of educational websites, Teach the Children Well is a great resource.  This website is a vast collection of website amassed by a teacher, for teachers, students, and their parents.

While the sheer number of sites available here is almost overwhelming, the site is neatly divided sections that make for easy browsing, or users can search for a specific topic.  The site was designed for elementary grades, but the material will appeal to older students as well.

The teachers’ section is divided into categories:  Game of the Day; Animals; Science; Language Arts; The Arts; Math; Social Studies; Challenges; Other Topics; Technology; Early Learning; and Parents and Teachers.

Within each category users will find further sub-categories (types of animals, for instance, or geographical locations), and within those sub-categories are hundreds of links to sites that relate to the particular topic.
Users will also find Search Engines for Kids and References Links, as well as a place to suggest a link be added to the site.

Be prepared to set aside a chunk of time to browse the many, many references here, or bookmark the page as a meta-reference page for future use.

Filed Under: Parenting, Professional Resources, Resources For Children Tagged With: , , ,

Sage Publications Review

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sagepub.com

SAGE Publications is, as their website states, “the academic and professional publisher of choice.”  An independent, international publisher, SAGE publishes books, journals, and electronic media.  A world leader in scholarly, professional, and educational markets, SAGE makes available a wide variety of materials in an easy-to-access format.

SAGE Publications’ products include journals in print and varied electronic formats, reference and academic books, teaching texts for college courses, and professional books that reflect practical approaches to new challenges.

SAGE’s website allows users to browse by type of publication (text books, journals, online journals, reference books, and data bases), subject, or course.  Users will find quick reference to a variety of subjects, including women’s studies, counseling, criminology and criminal justice, psychology, business, African-American studies, dyslexia, family studies, and gerontology.  For nearly any field of study, SAGE has reference material that is easy to search and easy to order.

Users can order a copy of a print catalogue as well, or request complimentary review titles for the upcoming academic year in a wide range of subjects.

Authors of primary research articles for biomedical journals can make their work freely available on a large number of biomedical journals through SAGE journals online on a fee per article basis.

The site’s librarian site section offers a wealth of information for maximizing use of SAGE’s services, and SAGE collaborates with a number of society and associations, large and small, to bring to users a vast variety of published material across the curriculum.

SAGE offers an easy-to-use site search feature as well as secure online ordering, so users can feel safe about purchasing materials from the site.  Faculty can request a complimentary review copy of materials, and SAGE offers a 60 day examination period for many texts as well.

Users can also sign up for journal alerts, product alerts, and a librarians’ newsletter, all available by email.

Filed Under: Professional Resources Tagged With: , , , ,