Teaching with Contests.com

Sometimes it can be hard to get the kids to settle down and do their homework. Experiment with ways that work with your kids to make sure their homework gets done. You can sit with them and do similar work-balancing your checkbook or reading-while they do theirs. And when they ask for help, provide direction, but not complete answers. When they start a report or need to study for a test, set them up comfortably so they can plan their drafts and study in a quiet area. CLICK HERE

• While you can’t protect your kids from everything, you can help them recognize and effectively deal with bullying of all types, including cyber bullying over the web. If someone is trying to bully your children, tell them to stand up for themselves politely, not to bully back and to tell an adult as soon as possible. (2 sources)    Click here and CLICK HERE

The America the Beautiful Quarters Program, new in 2010, brings selected national sites to this popular circulating coin.  Fifty-six different designs make up this series (one for each state, the District of Columbia, and each of five US territories).

For educators, the United States Mint offers free lesson plans (for grades K through 12) based on the new quarter designs.  What a great opportunity to connect history with the coins in the very pockets of your students! All information: CLICK HERE

Tallahassee, Fla. – Instead of asking a room full of adults how to get teens’ attention, is going straight to the source by asking middle and high school students for their ideas to help promote the program. Florida KidCare is the State of Florida ’s health insurance program for children under 19. Read the rest…

1. NOAA announces funding availability for Formal K-12 Education Projects

NOAA’s Office of Education (OEd) has issued a request for applications for *Formal K-12 Education Projects* that advance inquiry-based Earth System Science learning and stewardship directly tied to the school curriculum, with a particular interest in increasing climate literacy. To address this goal, Read the rest…

1. Cassini Scientist for a Day Essay Contest - Entries Due October 27, 2010

The Cassini Scientist for a Day contest challenges students to become NASA scientists studying Saturn. Participants examine three possible observations taken by Cassini and choose the one they think will yield the best scientific results. This choice must then be supported in a 500-word essay. Teaming up is Read the rest…

A national literary treasure is missing. Someone has stolen the original copy of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, so goes the plot in Nathan Miller’s comical children’s mystery, The Official Librarian: Bessy’s Back!, where a whimsical librarian named Bessy Beebody is forced to become a detective. Readers from 3rd grade to adult, will enjoy joining Bessy and her friend, Huddy, the talking film projector, as they search for Twain’s literary masterpiece. But it won’t be easy, especially with someone… or thing chasing them. Read the rest…

EARLY BIRD ANNOUNCEMENT

The Cassini Scientist for a Day contest challenges students to become NASA scientists studying Saturn. Participants examine three target images taken by the Cassini spacecraft and choose the one they think will yield the best results. This choice must be supported in a 500-word essay. Teaming up is encouraged. Winners will participate in a teleconference with Cassini scientists. Read the rest…

Join educators and space enthusiasts around the world to celebrate World Space Week, Oct. 4-10, 2010. This international event commemorates the beginning of the Space Age with the launch of Sputnik 1 on Oct. 4, 1957.

During World Space Week, teachers are encouraged to use space-themed activities. World Space Week is the largest public space event in the world, with celebrations in more than 50 nations. Last year, President Obama joined the celebration by hosting a Star Party at the White House. Read the rest…

NASA has once again landed on the lunar surface with the goal of colonization, research, and further exploration. Shortly after the return to the Moon, NASA has established a small outpost on the south pole of the moon called Moonbase Alpha. Utilizing solar energy and regolith processing, the moonbase has become self-sufficient and plans for further expansion are underway.

In Moonbase Alpha, you assume the exciting role of an astronaut working to Read the rest…