Carschooling » travel

First To Reach Ten

chameleon — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:53:29 +0000

All of the players in the car pick a license plate number together, for example, 9MBR318. Eliminate the letters, which leaves the numbers 9, 3, 1, and 8. Using only the numbers from the license plate and the processes of addition, subtraction, and multiplication, each player tries to create as many new numbers as possible [...]

Splat!

chameleon — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 22:53:47 +0000

Did you ever notice that bugs that splat on your windshield have different colored blood? Bug blood is called hemolymph. It is clear and composed mostly of water. It is tinged with color, depending on what the bug eats. If the blood is green, the bug ate leaves. If the blood is yellow, it ate [...]

The Circulatory System

chameleon — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:48:08 +0000

The heart and blood vessels (veins and arteries) make up the circulatory system. The heart pumps blood that carries oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body. The heart is the size of a fist and acts like a pump to circulate blood. Tell your carschoolers to put their hands over the center of [...]

Learn to Sign

chameleon — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:30:44 +0000

One carschooling mom has a degree in American Sign Language/Interpreting for the Deaf. When she was a student, her instructor who was deaf, suggested practicing signing signs as a way to practice finger-spelling. First, get a chart of finger-spelling sign symbols for the letters of the alphabet. To play, try to finger spell any word [...]

What’s in a Name?

chameleon — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:17:47 +0000

When carschoolers get antsy on long trips, pull out your car atlas or map and challenge them to search for cities with weird and wacky names—the United States is full of them! You could also challenge them to find (in the atlas) the following cities and towns and ponder the meaning of the names:

Unalaska, Alaska

Why, [...]

Honesty is the Best Policy

chameleon — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:00:01 +0000

Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong, by James W. Loewen identifies historical markers, monuments, and sites in every state that have historical interpretations that are either misleading or wrong. Loewen is the author of the award-winning best seller Lies My Teacher Told Me, a book that discredits 12 leading high school history [...]

Rhyme All the Time

chameleon — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:00:23 +0000

Ask your carschoolers to pick one word from a billboard or road sign. Then tell them to try to find all the words that sound alike or that rhyme. For example, let’s say they pick the word “free” from a billboard. Now think of all the words that rhyme, such as “tree,” “bee,” “see,” “me,” [...]

The Guinness Book of World Records

chameleon — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:00:58 +0000

One of the greatest carschooling resources is the Guinness Book of World Records. It has many practical uses for math in it that help kids see how math is used in the real world. It includes statistics, facts, and figures on the greatest speed achieved by a human being; circumnavigations by balloonists, ships, and airplanes; [...]

Autumnal Glory

chameleon — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:00:10 +0000

One of the most obvious changes in seasons occurs in the fall when the leaves of deciduous trees turn color and fall off. Evergreen trees remain green and lush. Have your carschoolers collect one specific kind of leaf and do some research on that tree. They can make sketches or photograph the tree at each [...]

What Does Your Skin Do For You?

chameleon — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:00:49 +0000

Skin is an organ. In fact, it is the largest organ of the human body. Skin forms a protective layer over the body to help prevent injury and disease, keeps moisture in the body, regulates the body temperature, produces vitamin D, and excretes waste.

Looking at skin through a magnifying glass or jeweler’s loop is a [...]