Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 9/30/11

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Music Notation Training – Practice naming the notes.

Homestyler – Create your own home designs.

How to Do Research – Great infographic on the steps to doing research.

ZisBoomBah – “We've created ZisBoomBah to help educate kids and parents about food in an easy and fun way that all ages can understand. We do this by providing free food games, tools and information that is both fun and educational. Our USDA Award winning game Pick Chow! Plate features a plate where kids create meals by drag and drop food choices from all the USDA food groups. In order to achieve the highest star ratting possible, kids must create a balanced nutritious meal. After they have finished with their selections they can save their meals and we'll send the recipe off to their parents! It's truly a great way to get kids involved with cooking while giving them the knowledge to make smart food choices. Kid friendly meals have become that much easier to create!”

Faux Flash – online flash cards

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Image: Pat Hensley

Trip 2011 Statistics

Thank you everyone for your patience while reading about our trip out west. I hope I haven’t bored you with all the details and memories but it was a great trip and I learned so much! As I wind up the trip I thought I would share with you some statistics from our trip that I found interesting! Please come back next week for my regular educational topic posts!

1. Days on the road: 62

2. States traveled through: 9 different states

3. Miles traveled: 11,500

4. Amount spent on gas: $845

5. Things learned: impossible to number!

6. Budget: 61% spent on lodging, 26% spent on food, 8% spent on gas, 5% spent on other.

7. National Parks visited: 11 - Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Glacier, Arches, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Great Sand Dunes,

8. National Monuments: 7 - Devils Tower, Craters of the Moon, Timpanagos Cave, Pipe Springs, Cedar Breaks,, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Natural Bridges

9. Wildlife seen: buffalo, big horned sheep, black bear, grizzly bear, coyote, ducks, birds, eagles, hawks, mountain goats, marmots, prairie dogs, 1 snake

10. Nights camping: 7

11. Tires purchased: 2

12. Oil changes: 1

13. Average daily cost for 2 people: $173

The Great Adventure 2011 – Heading Home 8/25/11 -8/29/11

For more pictures, click HERE

8/26/11: We are winding our way back east. We left Cortez, CO this morning and headed east by way of the scenic byway. We went up to Ouray and came down the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton and Durango. The mountains were absolutely beautiful! There was even snow up on the mountains. I was surprised that temperatures went from 94 to 54 when we got above 12,000 feet elevation. Eventually we ended up in Alamosa, CO for the night.

8/27/11: Today seemed to go on forever! The road we planned on taking (Hwy 10) was closed and we had to go down to Trinidad, CO to cut across to Hwy 50. It was all flat and boring. We stopped a couple of times but didn’t find any treasures. Finally we got to Hutchinson Hampton Inn. We went to Fazolis for dinner which is like fast food Italian dinners.

8/28/11: We had a really nice drive today until we got near St. Louis and the traffic got thick. We finally stopped in Mt. Vernon, IL for the night at a Hampton Inn. At least we are on the far side of St. Louis so we won’t have to fight the traffic tomorrow morning.

8/29/11: Planned on stopping in Knoxville for the night but we were so close to home (about 4 hrs.) that Don pushed it and we got home about 9pm. By the time we unpacked most of the stuff, it was midnight. And then we were so keyed up and overtired, we didn’t go to bed until 2am! It was a nice drive home but it seemed like it took forever!

What I Learned Today:

· There are major temperatures changes when you get higher in elevation.

· It is best to go through big cities on the weekend!

· There is no place like home! (and my own bed!)

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Image: Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 – Mesa Verde National Park 8/25/11

For more pictures, click HERE
We had a nice drive from Monticello, UT to Cortez, CO. Along the way we found a great antique shop where Don found some treasures. When we got to Cortez, we got a room at the Baymont Inn before heading to Mesa Verde NP. The drive was beautiful. We stopped at the overlooks and enjoyed the scenery and the cliff dwellings. It always amazes us when we see these and think of the people who lived here and their lives.
We also found a Walmart to refill prescriptions and bought some supplies. We looked at the map and decided that tomorrow we will head towards Durango and Great Sand Dunes National Park.
What I Learned Today:
· I’m glad that I didn’t live in the days of the cliff dwellers!
· President Teddy Roosevelt made Mesa Verde a national park in 1906.
· The elevation of the park is above 8000 feet.
Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original Image: Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 – Utah 8/24/11

For more pictures, click HERE
We had a long day driving today. We went through Bryce Canyon NP, Capitol Reef NP, Glen Canyon NRA, and Natural Bridges NM today. We didn’t get to do a lot of hiking because it was thundering most of the day and it is not a good thing to be the tallest thing out on high ground during that time. We did stop and take lots of pictures though when we could.
Eventually we stopped in Monticello, UT for the night at The Monticello Inn ($54 per night).

What I Learned Today:

·         Natural Bridges NM was Utah’s first national monument.

·         The scenic road in Capitol Reef NP was closed. There is lots of construction going on in all of the national parks.

·         Lake Powell is the second largest man made lake in the US next to Lake Mead and is located on the Colorado River. It was made by damming up the Glen Canyon with a controversial dam.
Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original Image: Pat Hensley