School and Stuff » Archive
Free ready to print school book cover designs
Feel free to print and use these free school book cover designs. Just do not offer them on your own site or blog, or print them to resell them. These free school book cover designs are meant for A4 size books, that have plastic book covers, or one can cover the book and design the old fashioned way with plastic. There is a slight white border around the designs, should you feel any trimming is needed, but, … Read entire article »
Filed under: free images, general
Free educational image to print into a poster
I created this image that is free to copy and paste and print out into a poster about 40cm x 60cm (A2) as a reminder of when I used to prop my eldest son Basti on my hip, when he was just a few months old, and stand in front of an educational poster on the wall. The poster had the numbers one to ten on it, and I would hold his hand in … Read entire article »
Filed under: free images
3 puppies and 6 puppy eyes free image
This is a free image of 3 cute little puppies that you can copy and paste and print out as a poster to use on the wall of a bedroom or wall of a classroom. I took the photo and give you the right to copy it and save it to your computer for printing it out, for free. It can help little ones learn that 3 x 2 is 6, or that 2 x … Read entire article »
Filed under: free images
Cute little sing a long song and video to learn numbers
In this educational counting video, the word for each of the numbers one to ten appears next to the numeral of each eg 3 three, 4 four – and what’s particularly effective, I think, is that the words are written in small letters ie not 5 FIVE, but 5 five. I feel that kids should learn to write in small letters, not capitals, unless they’re specifically learning about capital letters. ONE DOES NOT WRITE IN ALL CAPS, IT’S LIKE ONE IS SHOUTING AND IT’S JUST NOT NICE! The tune for this little educational video is really catchy. It’s sweet. Little kids can learn to count to ten, and see the numbers before them at the same time, appearing, and disappearing when counting backwards. Yeah – learn … Read entire article »
Filed under: Short YouTube educational videos free to watch online
Does a growing population really mean less food to go around?
This interesting little cartoon educational video shows how it may not be a huge or growing population that means less food resources for everyone. It seems there’s plenty of food, but due to issues like war, road infrastructure not being what it could be, and poverty, poor under nourished people cannot access food, or people trying to get them food cannot transport the food to them. The video suggests that less hungry people is not going to get the remaining hungry people fed, unless the real problems are addressed, like building better roads and having less wars. Unfortunately nothing much can be done about natural disasters other than building houses further away from the edges of the ocean (in the case of tidal waves) and building stronger buildings (in the case … Read entire article »
Filed under: Short YouTube educational videos free to watch online
Do not make healthy school lunches TOO healthy
Kids need a bit of energy to get them through a school day. They do a lot at school, 5 days a week. It does help to give school kids healthy meals and plenty to drink, especially water, but do not let those meals be outrageously “healthy.” How much energy are kids going to get during a school day if all they have in their lunchbox is lettuce and tomato? They might even get sick of totally bland school lunches and not eat at all while they are at school! I’m not saying throw in some chips and sweets, a chocolate or two, or a doughnut (keep the treats for weekends, and even then, try limit the amounts somewhat), but do think about what your kids are eating at … Read entire article »
Filed under: general
Free online typing speed tests (or fun games?)
Free online typing speed tests seem like fun games to me, and not really tests, but if online typing speed tests help improve my typing speed, then I don’t care if they are thought of as tests or games, as long as they are free, and help me improve my typing skills! Why do people want to type faster? Well, if you’re just messing around typing letters to your friends, I don’t think it really matters what speed you type, or if you’re using only two fingers, but if you are earning money from typing or using your pc for writing online articles, then speeding up will mean you can get more work done, and make more money! Children typing up their school projects will also get those projects completed sooner … Read entire article »
Filed under: Free online educational games, general, writing
Free educational games for little ones at Smart Tutor
Some of the free educational games are for not so little ones, including parents! I just tried out a free game or two, online at Smart Tutor, and they’re great fun, and cute too! At Smart Tutor, in the Game Zone that has free educational teaching games to play right there online, I tried out: Space Rocks, where I explored factors (and discovered that I’d forgotten what factors were!) but after a few rounds I picked it up again, and feel that Space Rocks is a very educational game that kids can play often, to help exercise the brain, help them with maths, and not end up like me forgetting what factors are! Catch a Fish, is the next free game I tried. I chose the “easy” game play option after having been … Read entire article »
Filed under: Free online educational games
Free online general knowledge game for trivia nuts
This sweet little free online educational game should help all those who struggle with those general knowledge questions at school, or elsewhere (or those that enjoy them!). It’s great fun for testing and improving your general knowledge. Even though the answers must be typed in, it’s an ideal and fun trivia game for moms and kids to do together, (or dads and kids, or brothers and sisters, or friends) – just both sit close to the computer, and yell out what you think the answer is. If your answers are different, don’t fight over who gets to quickly type in whichever answer the two or more of you decide on! Try and spend some fun and educational quality family time together. So if you’re a trivia nut, get your … Read entire article »
Filed under: Free online educational games
A free online game that exercises the brain and improves memory
This free online game here below is educational in that it’s easy for most to do, and at the same time helps improve your memory skills. One should exercise the brain as often as possible. Exercising the brain is like exercising any other part of the body. Now exercising the brain is not exactly physical exercise, and it does not mean shaking the head about. More often than not you would be sitting down to exercise your brain, to do some thinking, and this is fine as long as you do also get out and do some physical exercise from time to time too. Sometimes though, one does neither form of exercise, or is only into physical exercise (and can’t stand learning for exams etc!) Many computer … Read entire article »
Filed under: Free online educational games
What with the 2010 World Cup and all, do you know your flags?
This free online educational game right here tests your knowledge of the flags representing different countries. Teams from 32 countries will be playing soccer matches at this year’s 2010 Fifa World Cup in the host country, our very own South Africa. There are so many South African drivers driving around with South African flags attached to their cars in one way or another, showing their support and how excited they are about South Africa hosting the 2010 World Cup, that I’m sure any visitor to South Africa around now, and during the World Cup will never forget what the South African flag looks like, but how many flags of these visitors and soccer team players countries would you recognize (and know which flag belongs to which country?) It’s not only national … Read entire article »
Filed under: Free online educational games
Free online educational game that teaches how plants grow and reproduce
Came across this really educational online game where one can learn how plants grow and reproduce. It’s a free online game, and fun to play. This educational game shows how a plant grows better if its leaves can easily reach sunlight, if its roots grow well and absorb lots of nutrients from the soil, especially if those roots can reach down to dead bugs in the soil, from which the roots can get some extra nutrients. One clicks on little crosses (like a small plus sign) on the plant to grow roots, stems, leaves and flowers. One also makes seeds drop to the gound. This is with the wild plant version which I played. I totally sucked at it, and in the end (about ten minutes … Read entire article »
Filed under: Free online educational games
Healthy School Meals equals better Concentration at School
When my eldest son, Basti, started grade 1 about 7 years ago, I heard that the grade 2 teacher was suggesting that a few kids go see someone with their parents, and were ending up on Ritalin. At the time, what I’d very briefly heard about Ritalin did not excite me, or make me want to consider getting Ritalin for my boys. I considered my boys to be pretty wild at times (Zooty was in pre primary), but perhaps more so just regarding each other – they often seemed like they wanted to kill each other – but, still, I did not want to even hear it suggested that I put them on Ritalin. So, I read a few magazines, and decided what I should do to avoid the Ritalin thing. I … Read entire article »
Filed under: general
The gods of the Inca Religion
The Inca believed in and worshipped many gods. Everything that was important to the Incas had a god (the sun, the moon, and rain.) Above all the Inca gods was the creator, Viracocha. He was father and mother of the moon and sun, and also of the other Inca gods. He was thought of as an elderly man with white hair and a beard. Viracocha was most probably ruler of destiny, and was invisible. Verbal stories passed down many generations of Inca families tells that Viracocha rose up out of Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is found between Peru and Bolivia, not far from Copacabana. Late Titicaca is not only beautiful, but mysterious too. In the year 2000, a large temple was found in it. The powers of nature, most importantly the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, Inca Ancient Civilization, Projects
The one thing I always drum into my kids’ heads at exam time
I probably drive my boys (now 11 and 12 and in grade 6 and 7) absolutely dilly with my drumming – it’s probably really like drumming – they probably hear “Boom boom boom,” and wish their mom would just keep quiet so that they can think! The boys know I won’t stop, though, and hopefully, just hopefully, a little gets through to them. They also know I usually add on a few things to the “Now, boys, what’s the one most important thing to remember when you finish your exam today?” I’m usually driving them to school for their exam when the discussion (lecture) takes place, and their answer to the above question is sung in unison, quietly and in an ever-so-bored manner, but the words do just reach the back … Read entire article »
Filed under: exams
Creative writing exam pointers I gave my grade 7 son
Basti’s spelling is not that hot, and his writing not that neat, so I tried to think of what I could tell him to hopefully get him a fairly decent creative writing exam mark. The creative writing exam that he wrote today (Friday 4 June) was his last exam for this term, thank goodness, as it’s been a tough time with lots of learning – both boys deserve their holiday so much now – when it starts next week Wednesday. There is some work we know of for Basti that will be due at the end of the first week back at school, that we may just touch on these 5 week school holidays, so as not to start the new term overwhelmed at all the schoolwork and … Read entire article »
Good grief I think skip school and start a blog instead
Phew! Just finished “asking” my 12 year old son, Basti, his Natural Science, in preparation for tomorrow’s grade 7 NS exam. Ouch. That’s a lot of learning for a 12 year old, and the modules are TOUGH! Okay, okay, i will probably calm down soon enough, but WOW, he didn’t sail through this Natural Science “asking session” like he usually does with all his other subjects – and it’s not even his worst subject – his two worst, at the moment (last year, and first term test results this year) are Arts and Culture, and EMS (Economic Management Science) – so why this sudden wobbly? Hm, well, perhaps he’s just tired? It’s 5 days of school exams down, and 3 to go. Basti has been learning really … Read entire article »
Filed under: Aged 10 to 14, exams
What were the Incas famous for?
Incas are particularly famous architects and masons. In Peru, stonework (masonry) by the Incas is famous for being detailed – stone walls made from big stones that fitted together with outstanding precision, like two perfectly cut puzzle pieces. No cement was used. A wall built with stones and without using any cement is known as a dry stone wall. The stones fitted together so perfectly that even a blade of grass could not grow between the stones. What is particularly amazing about these walls, usually built with pretty big stones, (and is also amazing about the Inca), is that the Incas didn’t know about using iron and steel for machinery to help them transport the big stones, but they got their stones transported, and their strong walls built … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, Inca Ancient Civilization, Projects
Is it the end of the world to not do matric?
Well, if the main aim is to just stay home, doing nothing other than play computer games and go to the beach or mall with your friends, then yes, it could be the end of an ideal world for you, not to do matric, while your parents must spend seemingly forever taking care of you. If, however, you have some plan in mind, have already tried it out, and it’s really working, meaning you could end up with a successful career or own business, and no matric results are needed for this, then go ahead. Just be 100% sure (that the idea is going to work) first. Try out the idea in your spare time, while still at school. Work out how much money you would have to make to take care … Read entire article »
Filed under: Aged 14 to 19
