This is only going to be available for  a few more days so hurry over to get the download while you can. :-)

http://homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/

First, if you child is 8 years old or older, you can sign up right now to participate in a free internet-based science program from Quick Study Labs.  Visit the Summer Club page of the website for details. 

Second, if your good at creating your own unit studies, pay a visit to Homeschool Share.  They are accepting submissions for the HSS Blast 2008!  There are lots of great prizes to be won and you can enter starting on May 1st. 

Good luck!

Here are the details:

Celebrate Urban Birds!

Sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology this website invites kids in cities to learn more about the birds in their neighborhood.  Registrants receive free resources including a bird identification poster.  Be sure to check the resources page on the website for some beautiful photos of selected birds. 

The Great Sunflower Project

Sign up to receive free seeds and plant sunflowers in your garden.  Then observe the bees that come to visit and report back to the project.  What a fun summer science project!

I've got these on the "list" to add to my website, but didn't want anyone to miss out. 

This website is relatively new, though many of you may have had the opportunity to join already.  The site is offering a new opportunity to subscribe 1 month at a time for just $5 right now.  So if you were thinking of giving it a try but didn't want to commit for a full year- now's your chance.  Also the site offers several free trial downloads.  

I received a free membership as part of a promotional campaign a few months ago and am enjoying watching the site grow.  The latest benefit for members is a set of 26 Word Family printables that can be made into little books.  These will be sent out one per week to members starting soon.  :-)

Check it out:

Homeschool Teacher Book Bag

Just what you always wanted- an 18-page coloring book about germs. LOL!  But I found one.  There's a bit of a promotional slant in favor of chlorine since it's produced by an chemical association. Buy hey, it's free!

http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_chlorine/doc.asp?CID=1197&DID=4544

I just found out about this via one of the homeschool boards I frequent: 

http://www.tomatosphere.org/

I *thought* registration ended tomorrow, but you can still sign up through March- you will just get your seeds later (I think?)  Anyway, check it out. 

Check it out HERE

Also, TOS is offering a weekly freebie now.  Just sign up for the TOS Minute E-newsletter to get your link. 

Here's this week's link to get you started.

This guide was created by AANMA (Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics).

Download PDF Anaphylaxis Guide

This website is beta testing a math program for the upper elementary and middle school grades:

http://www.socratictutor.com/

This entry deadline for this contest is January 29th, so it may be a bit late to do anything this year.  But, if you have a science-minded child you may want to bookmark the site for next year.

Exploravision

I am not so hip as to have ever visited flickr before but I saw a post on one of my homeschool discussion boards and had to find out for myself.  And it is true, the Library of Congress now has a flickr (or however you spell it ) account. 

Here's the link:    Library of Congress Image Gallery

Free Rice is a website where you play a vocabulary game while ads are displayed at the bottom of the page.  For each correct answer you get in the game, 20 grains of rice are "won." The rice is paid for using revenue from the advertisements appearing at the bottom of the screen. 

I'll admit, I have to use some of those multiple "guess" reasoning skills I learned in high school to get some of the answers.  Give it a try when you have some time to spare. 

I was able to bake bread with my son for the first time in about 6 years (I'll post about this separately), and while doing so I did a simple yeast experiment.  I placed some yeast in plain warm water and some in warm water with sugar and asked him to observe what happened.  Well, of course, then I had to go online so I could explain what happened since I just know that it works. LOL!  Here are the results of my research thus far:

Science Study Resources- Yeast

Exploratorium- Bread Science

http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/bread/bread_science.html

See images of microscopic yeast cells, learn about it’s leavening action and view experiments using both yeast and gluten at this website. 

The Science of Yeast

 http://www.lesaffreyeastcorp.com/SoY/

Sponsored by Red Start, this website offers resources for educators and students, an image library, suggested experiments, and a description of the manufacturing process.  The site provides a printable 7-page summary titled “The Story of Yeast” with a diagram detailing the process for making nutritional yeast. 

Yeast Genome

http://www.yeastgenome.org/VL-yeast.html#non-specialist

This website offers an extensive collection of links to various resources to assist you in learning more about yeast.  Caution: The site offers links and information on several forms of yeast, not just those used for baking. 

Bread World

http://www.breadworld.com/Science.aspx 

This site provides a summary of the history of yeast and how it is manufactured today, sponsored by Fleishman’s. 

Understanding Biology

http://www.york.ac.uk/org/cnap/ubiology/proj7_bugbox.htm

These instructions for using the “Bug Box” found at this website can be followed using materials you collect yourself and the printable worksheets provided by this UK website, Understanding Biology.  The program is designed to teach elementary grade students about life processes and living things.  Additional links are provided (at the website and copied below) to assist the instructor in demonstrating the activities of various microorganisms:. 

http://www.cellsalive.com/howbig.htm - animation that zooms in from a pinhead to a virus
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/pasteur_louis.shtml
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/joseph_lister.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/snow_john.shtml

http://www.microbiologyonline.org.uk/faq.html
http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/content/4/biology/sgm/sgmmicrobes2.html - web page showing pictures of different shapes of bacteria
www.denniskunkel.com – excellent electron microscope images of bacteria, viruses and fungi

http://www.science-projects.com/dairybacteria.htm - lists bacteria used in dairy products
http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/content/4/biology/sgm/sgmfoods0.html - this webpage shows a café scene giving information about microbes in food

http://archive.food.gov.uk/hea/index2.html - excellent resource with quizzes and activities covering the basics of food hygiene

Close up image of commercially prepared yeast

http://www.all-creatures.org/works/yeast.html

Yeast as a biocatalyst

http://www.irishscientist.ie/2000/contents.asp?contentxml=187s.xml&contentxsl=insight3.xsl

Making your Own Yeast

http://www.appropedia.org/Yeasts_for_Baking

Visit Teacher Book Bag's Website for some really cute freebies. 

I printed out the snowman craft for now, but the weather lesson looks really fun too!

(I am a member courtesy of a free year's subscription as part of one of TOS' recent promotions.  So I've been keeping an eye on all the new stuff that's being added.)