TED Talks

TED Talks are a great way for older students to expose themselves to current events, learn about recent advancements in science and technology, and gain new perspectives about the world around them, the people who live in it, and how ongoing change will effect both the Earth and its citizens.

Science Blogs to Explore this Weekend

The Da Vinci Science Center offers a variety of blog topics from exploring nanotechnology to taking a closer look at the connection between art and science.

The New York Hall of Science's Explaining Science Blog presents science as a series of humorous, easy to understand comics perfect for a bit of weekend learning.

You can also check out the United Kingdom's Science Museum Blog where you can read about a wide range of science topics, experiments, and discoveries.

Learn about Bugs and Other Insects

If you're anything like my co-partner, Code Name Queen, you call your mum down when there's so much as an itty bitty spider in the tub or an ant on the counter investigating some melted popsicles at the height of summer.

But if you're anything like me, you absolutely love any little critter that slitters, crawls, or squirms its way through life. You'll poke anything with a stick, and if none are available, you'll get hands-on all over that lil' bugger. If this sounds like you, go head over to the Iowa State University Entomology Department. You can view image galleries of nearly every common gross, cool, and slimy critter here and here. And if you don't fancy sleeping tonight, you can check out a page of notes on the problematic creatures living around, on, and yes, inside you, too. (Just joking about those last two. Probably.)

Learning about Wolves

Wolves, like every other organism on this planet, are a vital component of our global ecosystem. You can learn more about them here. Besides, don't you owe it to your furry, friendly canine friends to learn more about their ancestors? (Please disregard the previous sentences if you are scared or/harbor any kind of dislike or resentment towards Fido.)

American History Resource

If you're studying American History, this resource provides documents, essays, speeches, biographies of influential people, and information about American presidents that you may find useful.

Science Sites for Kids

On the linked webpage, you can find a great list of science sites for young learners. The website is fairly old, so some of the sites may have moved or been erased by link rot, but the majority are still working. You can also check out the main website for more collections of websites ranging in topic from dinosaurs, history, math, and space to comics, coloring, and crafts.

More Interactives

You can browse a list of more than 300 educational interactives right here. Sort by grade level and/or subject to find the one that's just right for what you're looking to learn today.

Study Physics Online

Whether you're a middle schooler interested in physics or a high school physics student looking to study for a test, the following resources might interest you. In the Physics Classroom, you can learn the alpha particle to zeroth law of thermodynamics of physics. Then head over to Physics World to test yourself on what you've learned. (Make sure you check out the lists of physics, science, astronomy, chemistry, and biology resources on the sidebar while you're there!)

You can also check out Physics 2000 for something a little more advanced.

If you still can't get enough science, go check out this website about the new and exciting field of nanoscience.  You can also check out Science Daily for news from a wide range of disciplines.

Science Fair Project Ideas

Are you looking for an idea for your school's next science fair? Science Buddies can help. Just enter your grade level and answer a short questionnaire about your interests and hobbies, and you'll be presented with a list of fun science fair projects specially chosen just for you.

You can also check out their blog for weekly science experiments you can do right at home with your friends or family. If you're looking to pursue a career in science or engineering, Science Buddies can help you browse through and narrow down your options and see a sneak peek of what the future could have in store for you.

Resources for Going Green

Whether you love living on planet Earth or you'd rather be an alien living in a distant galaxy billions of light-years away, Earth is the only planet we have, at least for the foreseeable future. In light of the hundreds of new articles, research papers, videos, and campaigns focused on the effects of pollution, the dangers of global warming, and the worrisome loss of bio-diversity happening right now, it's becoming increasingly important for citizens to be well-educated on the problems facing today's society and how they can do their part to slow rising temperatures, decrease carbon emissions, and stop the extinction of hundreds of species with which we share this planet.

At Recyclebank, you can learn more about recycling, composting, and cutting down on household waste. You'll earn points for doing so. Once you have enough points, you can redeem them for awesome rewards like movie theatre tickets and virtual magazine subscriptions. It's learning at it's most rewarding!

In the Environmental Protection Agency's game Recycle City, you can "see how... people {can} reduce waste, use less energy, and save money by doing simple things at home, at work, and in their neighborhoods."

You can learn more about the issues at the EPA's official website as well.

You can also calculate your individual carbon footprint and get advice on how to lessen your impact on the environment right here.

Lastly, if you are interested in learning even more about this topic, please check out Rachel Carson's novel Silent Spring.

Build a Body

Have you ever dreamt of having a spare body lying about so you fool your parents and trick your friends? Unfortunately, science hasn't quite advanced that far yet, but you can build a virtual body and learn about all of your body systems and organs and how they all work together to form a cohesive whole that lets you be, well, you!

Parents of younger children who haven't quite gotten around to The Talk have the option of setting up their children to learn about all body systems minus the reproduction system. (Though, if you're looking for a way to introduce your child to the 'birds and the bees,' Build-A-Body's non-graphic medical diagrams might be a good place to start.)

You will need to register for an account to use this resource, but it's free and it only takes a few moments. It'll also allow you to explore many of the site's other free resources.

Build-A-Body is a virtual interactive that allows students to place organs, bones, and connective tissues in their proper places while learning about the function of each part and body system.

Wolfram Alpha

Wolfram Alpha is an amazing search engine that serves as an advanced calculator, online dictionary, and virtual database of people, events, statistics, countries, nutritional information, weather, maps, science, art, technology, and more. To see examples of what you can look up with Wolfram Alpha, click here. Follow this link to go straight to the search engine itself. 

The search engine is free, but if you'd like to take it on the go with you, you can download the Wolfram Alpha app for your tablet or smart phone for a small fee.

Coding Resources

I promised a few posts ago that I'd compile a list of coding resources. Unfortunately, I don't know much about coding, so I'm going to direct your attention to this article entitled Ten Places Where Anyone Can Learn to Code.

Even if you don't have much of an interest in coding, you might want to check out the article anyway. In today's competitive digital age, being fluent in at least one coding language can give you a significant advantage when it comes to college admissions and getting that awesome job that fifty other people applied to as well. Plus, it looks great on your CV or resumé.

National Geographic Learning Resources

At National Geographic's official sites, students can access a wide array of learning tools and educational resources. You can read thousands of articles about new archeological finds, conservation efforts, climate change, strange and wonderful creatures, foreign lands and much, much more. You can also watch educational videos or browse through hundreds of breath-taking photographs of landscapes, weather, and animals from all over the world. Older students can click here to take a look, while younger students and struggling readers should head on over to Nat Geo Kids for content that's easier to comprehend but just as exciting as it's partner site.

Free K-5 Math Workbooks

At The Math Learning Center, you can download hundreds of pages worth of free material to help your student succeed.

Just click on the links below, select your child's grade level, and click 'download.' A PDF file will open up, and you will find various activities and worksheets if you scroll down about 20 or 30 pages.

Bridges Collection of Activities and Worksheets

Practice Books (Please note that these have not been revised to align to the current Common Core standards.)

Problem Solving with Story Boxes for Grades K-2

Introduction to the "beauty and excitement" of math for grades 3 and 4

Lessons and Activities:

• Kindergarten
• 1st Grade
• 2nd Grade
• 3rd Grade
• 4th Grade
• 5th Grade

I also found a free publication about becoming a better math tutor that I will be browsing through later today.

K-12 Reading and Writing Worksheets

K12 Reader provides free printable worksheets for students in grades K-12. Students can brush up on their spelling, reading skills, grammar, composition, and vocabulary. You can sort the worksheets by grade or by topic to find the best worksheet for you. Every worksheet comes with an answer key, and most have a mini-lesson at the top to further aid the learning process.

K-12 Math Worksheets

Math Worksheets Land is a great resource for math students of all ages. Whether you missed a lesson or you're trying to study for an upcoming quiz, Math Worksheets Land has the answer. You can sort worksheets by grade-level or by topic. The site is very straight-forward to navigate and will provide you with a guided lesson and two worksheets for every topic. If you know where your weak areas are in math, this can be a great resource to help you target them and turn them into strengths.

You can got a lot of free content on the site, but you might want to consider paying for full access if you're an educator. With a site subscription, you'll unlock answer keys, three homework sheets for each topic, three quizzes for each topic, three addition practice sheets for each topic, and a variety of tests for each grade level.

Collection of Online Interactives

Check out this collection of educational interactives from all over the Internet. They're meant mainly for students in grades K-5, but I have to confess that I had fun clicking around the site too. The site hosts links to science, math, ELA, social studies, music, art, and Spanish interactives and is very easy to navigate, so I'm sure that it'll be a breeze to find exactly what you want to learn about.

Free Learning Materials for UK Students

If you are currently residing in the United Kingdom, follow this link to order free learning materials by mail, courtesy of the Open University. Students from other nations can download the same resources for free onto their computers, tablets, or other electronic devices, and are welcome to browse the various other free learning resources around the site.

TED Talks

TED Talks online gives learners from all over the globe access to innovative talks given from the world's premier experts. The Talks range from subtly humorous to jaw-droppingly beautiful to awe-inspiringly ingenious. The Talks range in duration from five minutes to just over a half hour, so you can fit them into your morning train commute, your mid-morning coffee break, your lunch hour, or your late afternoon snack time. High schoolers and adult learners would likely get the most out of this resource, but middle schoolers can feel free to take a peek around as well.