Today's resource find is this huge download resource site sponsored by the State of Florida's Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services Curriculum Improvement Project PASS. 

What is PASS?
Parallel Alternative Strategies for Students (PASS) volumes are unique, supplemental materials written to help students with various learning needs achieve success in the classroom. The student volumes are presented in an easy-to-understand format for students seeking a standard diploma. The information is written by the Curriculum Improvement Project team in a manner that offers more understanding in less time. The PASS materials provide resources for teaching courses without changing essential content. The teacher guides give exciting teacher suggestions to stimulate student interest with thought-provoking activities. These inexpensive, ready-to-use resources may be reproduced or used as a workbook.

Who are these curriculum materials for? According to the site, PASS volumes are used by students with various learning needs and achievement levels who are seeking a standard diploma. Although the PASS volumes were adapted specifically for these students, the content complements courses so well that some teachers use them with all of their students. PASS  volumes correlate with the Florida Sunshine State Standards and are used in various settings, which include the following.

• public and private schools
• juvenile detention centers
• Second Chance schools
• Marine Institutes
• boot camps
• halfway houses
• homebound programs
• charter schools
• community service centers
• other nontraditional learning settings

Thousands of teachers have successfully used the volumes in the PASS series with their students, and the orders keep coming from educators across the state of Florida.

What we've checked out of these look great for junior & senior high homeschoolers. Check out the different categories & resources… you may find just what you need to cover or supplement your student's studies on a specific subject!

Click here to go to the PASS home page.

Natural Oddities by Gus Mager (PDF ebook) – Today's resource is this  classic little collection of cartoons depicting odd and unusual aspects of the flora and the fauna in the world around us — "Natural Oddities".  These engaging cartoons by Gus Mager are full of strange but true facts about everything from polar bears to platypuses… and are sure to fascinate young readers.

Let us know if you like this and want to see more… we've got 'em if you want to see 'em!

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The Diary of Anne Frank (MP3 audio / 1 hour) – Today, courtesy of our sister site HomeschoolRadioShows.com, we have for you an excellent dramatization of "The Diary of Anne Frank", originally broadcast on the radio in South Africa in the mid 1960s.  Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank (June 12, 1929 – March 1945) is one of the most renowned Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.

The Frank family moved from Germany to Amsterdam in 1933, the same year as the Nazis gained power in Germany. By the beginning of 1940 they were trapped in Amsterdam due to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. As persecutions of the Jewish population increased in July 1942, the family went into hiding in the hidden rooms of her father Otto Frank's office building. After two years, the group was betrayed and transported to concentration camps. Anne Frank and her sister, Margot, were eventually transferred to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where they both died of typhus in March 1945.

Otto Frank, the only survivor of the family, returned to Amsterdam after the war to find that her diary had been saved, and his efforts led to its publication in 1947. It was translated from its original Dutch and first published in English in 1952 as The Diary of a Young Girl. It has since been translated into many languages. The diary, which was given to Anne on her 13th birthday, chronicles her life from 12 June 1942 until 1 August 1944. (The above historical info comes from Wikipedia)

LISTENING ADVISORY:

This is a faithful hour long audio adaptation of the original book… but if you are familiar with the book, you know how this story ends. Because of the intense subject matter of this program, we would not recommend it for little ears – it would be best appreciated by older tween & teen age students who are at least somewhat familiar with the story of Anne Frank and the events of WW2. For listeners of that age & up who know their history, this is a fantastic program.

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Short & Sweet: Short Stories with a Message (Volume 2) - A great collection of short short read-aloud stories by Katherine Loop of Christian Perspective. These short stories both entertain and challenge.  Each story is written as a mini allegory and illustrates a spiritual truth  in a memorable way that you and your child will not forget. Normally sold for $2.99 on their website, but free today only here at HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay!

Click here for today's resource!

Our good friend  Cindy Rushton is gearing up to host one of our all-time favorite online homeschool events, the 2010 Ultimate Homeschool Expo – and has graciously allowed us to share one of the many resources that will be available as part of this vast homeschool resource library / event.  This is a great audio and ebook set that she actually sells on her website, but she is giving away on the Membership Site. Here's the info for you:

A Quick Start for Notebooking Mini-Set! by Cindy Rushton - Need ideas for encouraging your young writers andQUICK?  Ready for a FUN way to encourage your most reluctant writer to write AND like it??? This fun-filled, hands-on workshop is one that you simply CANNOT miss!!  Cindy Rushton, who has become known through the years as THE BINDER QUEEN, uses Notebooking for EVERYTHING! She will show you how to begin whether your child is a toddler or the most skeptical high schoolers.  This workshop is sure to light a fire that will equip YOU to help your children deepen their studies and document learning all along the way! TOPICS FOR THIS WORKSHOP INCLUDE: Hey! Do I Have A Chance At This??; Why On Earth Notebook???; Down to the Nitty Gritty…WHAT Do I Need and HOW Do I Do It?; Step-by-Step Through Notebooking; Scrapbooking! YES! You CAN Have Fun Homeschooling; Hey? What is Legal?  What All  Goes Into A Notebook???; Developing FUN Studies That Teach and Inspire!!; Copywork…Answers to ALL of Your Questions; Taking the Writer From Reluctant to Researching; Ideas, Ideas, Ideas, There’s Gotta Be One for You; PLUS Much, Much More! PLUS! Cindy doesn't stop with the workshop, she also includes the Q/A Session after the workshop AND her handouts/samples of student notebooks.

Here are the downloads. RIGHT click these and "save as" to your computer:

Let’s Try Notebooking Audio Mp3 (Cindy's main workshop)
 

Questions and Answers Session Audio MP3

Handouts
 

Samples of Student Notebooks

Neat, huh? This is just ONE of the scores of awesome gifts included on the Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2010 Membership Site. You'll also find hundreds more ebooks, audios, interviews, vendor booths and freebies – plus a full week of live workshops & seminars coming up soon. It is a resource site you can access all year long., and we highly recommend this event for veteran and newbie homeschoolers alike… Definitely check it out.

ULTIMATE HOMESCHOOL EXPO 2010

Raising Kids to Be Entrepreneurs (streaming video, 23 minutes) - Today we are featuring this great talk by Cameron Herold who shares some of his own experiences growing up as a "different" entrepreneurial kid -- and then sharing why/how you should help your kids develop their own entrepreneurial skills. There's loads of tips, examples, and helpful information here for homeschool families, though this was not an address specifically for a homeschooling audience. Content Note: This video is really geared to parents, and not to children. Be aware that the speaker uses a few salty words during his presentation - probably nothing you wouldn't hear in some PG movies, but we would recommend that parents watch the video before sharing with children. There is a LOT of good info in here, otherwise we would not post it. If a couple of off-color words would offend you, do not watch it. Otherwise, glean what you can, it is well worth the effort.

Plus Bonus Ebook!


EARNING AND LEARNING: 101 Ways for Your Young People to Earn an Income (PDF ebook) - Lots of young people would like to earn their own money, but aren't sure how to go about it. You'll get all sorts of creative ideas and inspiration in this unique "idea book" -- a collection of profiles of kids with their own businesses, business, service and product ideas, common sense tips, and suggestions for young entrepreneurs, from pre-teen to young adult.

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 Home Science Experiments! (links)  -University of Wisconsin-Madison Chemistry Professor Bassam Z. Shakhashiri shares the fun of science through this way cool page which contains over two dozen fascinating and fun science experiments you can easily do at home. These are tried-and-true kid pleasers, and are all great fun! Check them out and bookmark the site!



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Fun & Music Down on the Farm (mp3 audios) – Today, let's take a fun trip out into the country and down on the farm, courtesy of our sister site, HomeschoolRadioShows.com and these classic children's stories and songs from yesteryear.

First up is a  jolly version of the classic children's song, "Oats, Peas, Beans"; then a visit with "The Little Crooked Man" (of the Mother Goose rhyme) with his crooked cat and crooked mouse; a journey with "Uncle Don Down On The Farm", and finally we'll stop in for a delightful concert put on by a little mouse and a whole menagerie of barnyard animals. All of the above classic audios = loads of fun for kids of all ages. Enjoy your visit down on the farm!

Click here to go to today's audio resources!

Learn the States & Postal Abbreviations (PDF ebook) – This nifty 29-page e-book by Joy Miller of fiveJs.com includes everything you need to teach your children the states and postal abbreviations — lesson plans, worksheets, flashcards, printable maps, and more. Written to be used with children of any age, this e-book will equip your children with information much more useful than learning just the states and capitals. A great teaching resource for your young learners!

Click here for today's resource!