Free Constitution Classes Online

I received information about Free Constitution classes from Hillsdale College some time ago, but had not gotten around to viewing the courses to see if they were any good until recently.

I'm finding them to be a wonderful addition to my other constitutional studies. I feel they are timely and important for every American to take! I highly encourage everyone to take the time to view these classes. They are FREE!

Three Classes Currently Offered:

1. Introduction to the Constitution
2. Constitution 101
3. Constitution 201

I've taken the Introduction to the Constitution course and am starting the Constitution 101 course.

Why Do I Need to Know More About the Constitution?

 

Top 5 Free Android Apps for Scholars

We have an Android Tablet that was part Birthday present part purchase by my son. He is programming some apps for Android and needed a way to test his programs.  We have enjoyed using this great educational tool.

Here are our Top 5 Free Picks for Android Apps:

1. Nook - When I asked Chris what his favorite Android App was he said "Nook". He likes the way it is laid out and that they have a vast list of free classic eBooks. I see new books are downloaded every week, titles like "The Count of Monte Cristo", "The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood" and "Jane Eyre". (If you like Kindle better, there is a free app for that as well.)
2. Kahn Academy (Unofficial Version) - We also tried the official version, but the unofficial version works better on our tablet. We use the videos for math, science, and history as supplements.
3. Andie Graph - This cool app turns your Android into a graphing calculator. It is really handy since we have two youth in higher maths that both sometimes need a graphing calculator. This way we didn't have to buy another one. In addition to the app, you'll need to follow the instructions to installing a ROM that are on the page listed.
4. Safe Browser - When considering a tablet, my first concern was being able to effectively filter the Internet. Thankfully, someone else is concerned about that as well and developed the Safe Browser. Follow the steps to block other browsers and it works wonderfully!
5. Dictionary.com - This free app is great for immediate look-up of words for spelling and meaning.

My son also suggested a future post on other useful apps, most are free. Maybe I'll have him write that post. :-)

I have seen a lot of apps for younger children that teach math, reading, grammar, etc. I think they could be useful to check out.

American History Classics

'I cannot tell a lie.'

American History is a pretty easy one to find classics on...or so I thought. Once I began studying American History, I realized that so many sources vary in their coverage of events. For example, I was raised on the story of George Washington and the Cherry Tree...remember that one..."I cannot tell a lie." How disappointing to find out the story is a lie!

It then becomes difficult to find true historical writings. I find that older versions seem to be the most correct and that we need to make sure we are reading unabridged versions of stories and histories. It is my belief that each time we read someone's abridged version, we are getting more opinion than fact unless it is well documented where the information comes from.

NOTE: This list overlaps with American Government. We choose to work on 100 hours for each subject and only allow a work to count towards one subject.

From Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens:

• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas
• "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death"
• "The Present Crisis"
• Also see the list for American Government

We have also added:

We found a fabulous history series by Dan Hunter at Living History Books. These are LDS based and we love them! There is an American History set that we have not started yet, but it is on the list (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2). We have some of the other sets and love the writing style as well as the detailed outlines, time-lines, maps, and references to where he got the information from; making this series of history books one of the few "curriculum" items we feel are classics. It is written from a very TJED point of view (no tests or worksheets) and Oliver DeMille even wrote the forward for them. Dan Hunter suggests that rather than test students, require projects or papers written on people or events (see below for more info).

HISTORY NOTEBOOK
We are embarking on a new idea to make our own history notebooks. I am getting mine started in order to "model" this for my teens. When I mentioned it nobody shouted, "Hooray! I always wanted to make a history notebook." Rather, I got one blank stare that said in silent mocking tones, "Seriously?" and another moderate eye roll that sarcastically mimicked, "Another great idea mom has to add to my full study load." I know, it might only seem appealing to the history fanatic, but I hope to get one started myself first and maybe inspire some others in my home later. ;-)

Check out this free download over at Living History Books on making your own history notebook.

Here are also some free notebook pages I made up to use based on the download listed above.  It didn't like his, not clean enough for me I guess. There are three different line height pages, including emergent writer (primary lined) pages, which Dan Hunter's does not include.

The Making of America

I have a profound respect for our great country and especially for our Founding Fathers. I know that the United States of America was divinely founded for a righteous purpose and that it takes a righteous people to uphold those freedoms which we have taken for granted far too long. I have read and studied a few books and videos that I think every American needs to know in order to stop the loss of freedom, regain freedoms we have lost, and to correct our downward spiral into crisis.

I read an article titled, "The Big Crisis is Coming" and felt the truth of it fill me with a need to prepare myself, our family, and others. I hope you will read it and come up with your own knowledge of what it means to you. Our family has been studying how our country was formed and what principles it is based upon. Sadly, these principles are becoming forgotten or downright disowned by society as a whole. It takes individuals, families, communities, and churches to decide we will stand up for what is right and do all we can to preserve this blessed country of ours.

These videos are easy to understand and give an overview of Principles of Freedom found in The 5,000 Year Leap with this simple study guide.

Political Spectrum Explained



More Food for Thought:
Making of America free Webinars

"Freebie Fairy" Comes to Visit!

When we moved to Missouri, we could only afford to bring one truck. So we had to reduce our belongings and only take what meant the most to us. Everyone was willing to sacrifice and so we were able to do it without much trouble. I did get rid of a few things that I now wish I had, but nothing of any great value. My biggest disappointment in moving is the things that got damaged this time. Other than replacing all my Pampered Chef pans and cookie sheets, the damage was manageable. I have not been able to replace my Pampered Chef stuff yet. :-(

However, the Lord has blessed us with a community that gives a lot of things away. We also gave away a great deal of our belongings when we moved, so we are happy that we can partake on the receiving end once in a while, as well as the giving end. We have been given 2 book cases, 1 shelf unit, 1 closet organizer, 3 chairs, and a piano! (so far). I am so happy about the book cases since I had two boxes of books that I could not unpack. Yeah!

I feel a little weird posting about our freebie stuff. But, I also feel that in this economy, we need to all help each other out if we can. We received these items from a neighbor who can't take everything with them. We gave away tons of stuff when we moved. "Pay it forward", right? I also believe that Heavenly Father wants us to be wise stewards over what he has given us. Thank you neighbors! Sorry to see you go.

The piano has not arrived yet, we need some help getting it moved. It needs some TLC, but plays beautifully! Marly is so happy to have a real piano! I'll post some picks of our piano once I get it refinished. Thank you Thom-Ann for the piano!

Out with Windows Vista - Hello Fedora!

I'm messing around with my computer again. Yes - I fully admit to being a complete computer nerd. It calms me and makes me feel productive in one of my passions.So, if you are not a techie-wanna-be like me, then you might want to skip this post.

I purchased a laptop with Windows Vista installed about a year ago. I have struggled, like many others, with Windows Vista crashing and having problems. One of the major problems is the networking problems and difficulty printing.My network will go down, making it impossible to keep connected to the Internet and stops my ability to print anything.My printer is not compatible with Vista...big shocker! I think Microsoft and HP are in cahoots making sure everyone has to spend money every year or two to buy new software and hardware for their stupid programs.

Several months ago I messed around with making my laptop a dual boot system - which allows me to either boot into Windows Vista or Fedora 10 (Linux). I like many features of Fedora 10 and was able to get my wireless card to work with Fedora (Woot! Woot!). The only thing holding me back is that sometimes the printer works and sometimes it doesn't. Also, my dear hubby, Mike, is not exactly computer savvy or I would ditch using Windows altogether. I have my settings so that I can access ALL my Windows documents, music, and pictures while using Fedora, so I can still do all of the work I need to do except PRINT! Of course, I can't print from Windows Vista either! What to do!

I have to say that the fact Fedora is FREE and everything that goes with it is FREE is a huge plus in my book, so I'm still searching out a solution to my printing issues. The fact that it happens with BOTH Windows Vista and Fedora makes me think it just might be the stupid printer!

I took a class last year where the professor sparked my interest in using a Linux OS. i researched it and have found that while it is NOT for the average user (difficult to install without help), the computer nerd, like msyelf, can benefit from trying it out.And wow is it cool!

More coming soon...I am making a video of my super-fast Fedora set-up.(It really is sweet!)

LDS Notebooking Pages

I found these awesome free Notebooking pages at LDS Notebooking Pages. For an explanation on notebooking click here, it is kind of like scrapbooking. These notebooking pages are great for Family Home Evening and home schooling. These are PDF files that have full-color pictures and room to write about the story or prophet.

LDS Prophets Notebook Pages - 100 pages - (go down to the bottom of the page) Very nice notebook with room to write about each Prophet.

Book of Mormon Notebook Pages

Stories included to date:

• Lehi
  
• Nephi
• Lehi Leaves Jerusalem
• Nephi and the Brass Plates
• Daughters of Ishmael
• Lehi's Dream
• Liahona
• Nephi Builds a Ship
• Nephi's Rebellious Brothers
• Lehi Arrives in the Promised Land

LapBooking - the FUN way to Learn!

I heard about LapBooking a few months ago, but had no clue what it was. Someone suggested it recently for one of my "hands-on" learners. I looked into it and we decided to start with a pre-made master for the Old Testament from Homeschool In The Woods.

It did not go exactly as I planned. Chris, my hands-on learner, hated the idea and Marly would rather read books than cut out paper. The one who latched onto the project first was actually Sam who is 16. Now my other two are interested in doing it after seeing the finished project. Isn't it nice looking!

Sam liked it so much that she and I are working on creating our own LapBook for the Book of Mormon. We decided to follow the Primary 4 lesson plans for each mini-book, which is easily found on the www.lds.org website. Our plans are for 3 LapBooks since there is so much information to cover! This would make a great Family Home Evening project.

Our first mini-book is: Nephi follows his father, the prophet.

Google Earth

Wow! Google Earth is the coolest thing! I could zoom in directly on our house. It seems that the image for that area was nearly 2 years old. We still had our Suzuki Grand Vitara parked in the driveway and several other things have changed in the area with new streets, more houses, etc. In general I was really, really impressed.

We have decided that this great freebie will be extremely useful in all of our geography studies. We can even use it to pick camping sites. ;-)

So, I do have to say, that at this point in time I do not think that we will be able to see real-time photos of people sunbathing in their backyard. Could that be in the future? Maybe...

Amazing Space

Ever wonder what constellations are visible in tonight's sky? Maybe you live in the city and cannot see the constellations as brightly as you would like?

When we first moved to our new home, the night sky was so bright that I remember being outside one night in our pool when Chris said, "Wow, Mom! Our new house has more stars than camping!" We laughed and began to explain how the night sky works and why one can see more stars when camping than when in the city where we used to live. That was four years ago. Well, our home is still a bit off the beaten path, but the night sky is getting less visible as more homes are built in our area. We still do not have "city" street lights, so that is a blessing when laying outside at night to point out the features of the Heavens Above. (If only the mosquitoes would stop eating us alive.)

We found a website called Amazing Space that has movies showing the night sky and which constellations are available in that month. This website will provide us days and days, or should I say nights and nights, of educational material for an in-depth space unit. This website also features Hubble Space Telescope shots of truly wondrous sights. It has an equally interesting Myth vs. Realities section to discuss misconceptions.

Fun Brain Website

As everyone who reads this blog will know (if you do not already), I love to search the Internet for FREE fun things to do on the Internet. Since we are practically home schooling for free now, these blessings are happily passed on to you.

Our latest fantastic find is Fun Brain: http://www.funbrain.com/index.html

Happy Educational Gaming!

Free eBooks

I have been busy this summer formatting public domain books for my kids to use for school. In the US, books that were published over 75 years ago become public domain, meaning they are no longer copyrighted and are free to the public. This includes a vast majority of what we consider classics.

Instead of paying for an entire new website, I just added a page to my current business.

Here is the link: http://www.thesolarcook.com/ebooks.html

So far I have Famous Men of Rome and Famous Men of Greece finished.

Enjoy! ~ Celeste

Free BYU Independent Study Classes

I do not know if any of you are interested, but I found some FREE BYU Independent Study courses. They range from Family Life to Genealogy to Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants classes. I am taking the “Building a Functional Family” class right now and I love it! It has made me think so much about what kind of atmosphere we are trying to create in our home.

Here is the website:
http://ce.byu.edu/is/site/courses/freecourses.cfm

Here is the list of classes:

Family History/Genealogy - Introductory
FHGEN 68 — Finding Your Ancestors
FHGEN 69 — Providing Temple Ordinances for Your Ancestors
FHGEN 70 — Introduction to Family History Research
FHGEN 80 — Helping Children Love Your Family History

Family History/Genealogy - Record Type
FHREC 71 — Family Records
FHREC 73 — Vital Records
FHREC 76 — Military Records

Family History/Genealogy - Regional and Ethnic
FHFRA 71 — France: Immigrant Origins
FHFRA 72 — France: Vital Records
FHFRA 73 — France: Reading French Handwriting
FHFRA 74 — France: Genealogical Organizations and Periodicals
FHFRA 75 — France: The Internet and French Genealogy
FHFRA 76 — French Research: Paris
FHFRA 77 — French Research: Alsace-Lorraine
FHGER 71 — Germany: Immigrant Origins
FHGER 72 — Germany: U.S. Sources and Surname Changes
FHGER 73 — Germany: Jurisdictions, Gazetteers, and Maps
FHGER 74 — Germany: Reading German Handwriting
FHGER 75 — Germany: Calendars and Feast Days
FHGER 76 — Germany: Vital Records
FHHUG 71 — Huguenot Research
FHSCA 73 — Scandinavia: Jurisdictions, Gazetteers, and Maps
FHSCA 74 — Scandinavia: Reading Gothic Script
FHSCA 75 — Scandinavia: Church Records and Feast Days
FHSCA 76 — Scandinavia: Census Records
FHSCA 77 — Scandinavia: Probate and Other Records

Family Life
FAMLF 72 — Building a Functional Family: Essential Elements
FAMLF 75 — Dating: Romance and Reason

History and Government
CIT 70 — The Citizen's Guide to American Politics

Music
MUSIC 71 — Organ Performance, Level 1, Self-Study - Web Version
MUSIC 72 — Organ Performance, Level 2, Self-Study - Web Version

Personal Development
ESL 71 — English as a Second Language--Chinese Speakers
PDEV 76 — Honesty
PDEV 77 — Trust

Recreation
REC 76 — Bowling
REC 77 — Intermediate Swimming

Religion--Missionary Preparation--Youth
MISS 71 — Preparing to Serve the Lord
MISS 72 — Making the Most of Your Mission
MISS 73 — Teaching Basic Gospel Principles

Religion--Teachings of the Living Prophets
PROPH 72 — Leadership of the Church
PROPH 73 — Purposes of General Conference
PROPH 74 — Following the Prophets

Religion--The Book of Mormon
BM 76 — Alma 30 through 63
BM 77 — Helaman through 3 Nephi 10
BM 78 — 3 Nephi 11 through 30
BM 79 — 4 Nephi through Moroni

Religion--The Doctrine and Covenants
DC 71 — Sections 1 through 12, 14 through 17
DC 72 — Sections 13, 18 through 36
DC 73 — Sections 37 through 56
DC 74 — Sections 57 through 70
DC 76 — Sections 71 through 87
DC 77 — Sections 88 through 101, 103, 105
DC 78 — Sections 102, 104, 106 through 117
DC 79 — Sections 118 through Official Declaration 2