It’s Friday, June 7, 2019, and time for a Virtual Field Trip for Charlie and I to go on. Which will keep Charlie busy and off the PS3 this summer. The Recommended Website: Kokomo Glass Factory sounds pretty interesting. I can’t wait to see what Charlie thinks of Kokomo Glass Factory as well as David. Age Range: All (All grades; children with parental supervision) Discover the artistry of hand-mixed sheet and colored glass made at the Kokomo Opalescent Glass company, in Kokomo, Indiana by watching this YouTube video. This video gives the history of the Kokomo Glass Factory. You’ll see how the stained glass sheets are made as well. To see some of the products the Kokomo factory makes, head on over to their website where you can view their image galleries: Blown Rondel Being Made, Rondel Gallery Bullseye Panes Dalle De Verre Gallery Laminate Glass Gallery. There are some beautiful pieces of glass work here! And if you are lucky enough to live near Kokomo, Indiana, you can take a tour in person and witness the artistry of glass making for yourself. |
YouTube: How Marbles are Made Age Range: All (All grade; children with parental supervision) This YouTube video shows the amazing craftsmanship in making marbles. This 4-1/2 minute video shows the process of making recycled glass into beautiful marbles – not only for games, but for industrial tasks. Learn more about marbles here: History Raw Materials The Manufacturing Process And to see even more details of what goes into the process of making marbles, here is a 2-part video from the Discovery Channel. |
Age Range: 9 -18 (Grades 3-12; younger children may enjoy these too, with adult supervision) Take a virtual tour of a family’s chicken farm in Ontario, Canada.
When you get to the site, choose from these tour locations:
- The Barn’s Exterior
- The Empty Barn – Cleaned and Ready for New Chicks
- See the Day-Old Chicks
- The Partially Grown Chicks
- The Fully Grown Chickens
- The Control Room
Click on the hot spots for more information about each area.
When you are done with those tours, there are videos at the bottom of the home page:
- The Life of Chicken Farmers
- Caring for Chickens
- Emergency Systems
- Farm Food Safety
- Biosecurity
The videos are only about one to two minutes long.
All Hands on Deck
Age Range: 5-18 (Grades K-12, with parental supervision) Take a multi-media learning adventure aboard the USS Constitution (aka Old Ironsides) that incorporates language arts, reading, math, science, art, and social studies. Lessons are categorized by grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12.
When you get to the landing page of the website, we recommend that you watch the companion video (19 minutes long) that provides a sort of virtual field trip into the ship’s past. In the movie, a modern day ship visitor named Julie steps into a time-warp and meets characters from the ship’s past who tell their stories revealing the history and legacy of the USS Constitution.
Note: To download and watch the video, when you get to the website’s landing page, click on “Set Sail” and a new page opens. Click on “Table of Contents” and then click on “Video” on the left side of the screen.
After watching the video, use the “Table of Contents” to explore the free curriculum that covers the USS Constitution‘s construction, the crew, and life aboard a 19th century warship. Discover the teamwork required to sail the ship and engage in battle.
The online curriculum has lessons and activities that require students to solve math problems, make maps and diagrams, and write essays and poems. You’ll find suggestions for getting started, vocabulary helpers, activity sheets to print out, and much more. You’ll also find:
- Recommended Resources – Get recommendations for further reading, fun field trips, movies, music, and games, and a list of items to have on hand.
- Scuttlebutt – Enjoy humorous tales and interesting historical facts and anecdotes to extend the lessons.
This tribute to the legacy of the USS Constitution is designed for classroom use, but can be tweaked to suit any homeschool environment.
Thank you,
Glenda. Charlie and David Cates