First it is important that kids experience the joy and pain that comes from handling money. Usually there is great joy when kids make money, great joy when they spend it, but no joy when the money is all gone. How many of us have experienced the excitement of the Friday payday only to blow it all over the weekend and be broke on Monday? This is not a good feeling but hopefully it taught you a great lesson. Often the best lessons in life come not from our successes but from our failures. You need to allow your children to experience the same type of lessons. Yes you should teach your children how to budget, but don’t always bail them out when they blow the budget. By doing this you can set a bad precedent that whenever I get into trouble, mommy and daddy will bail me out. This may be cute when your child is 5 or 6, or even 14 or 15, but when they are 40 or 50 and the same thing is happening it is not so cute anymore. The next time your child spends all of their money on that PS3 video game and they don’t have money for the school trip, let them miss the trip. Sure they may kick and scream and not like you for a while however, the lesson they learn will be one they never forget. 

It is also good to allow your children to make money decisions now while their decisions only affect their lives. Parents often make the mistake of managing all of the money for their children and though the intention is good it only works if you are allowing your children some decisions in the process. It is great to tell your children what to do with their money but don’t do it all for them. Let them make some choices even though you know some will be good and some will be bad. Some will make them money and some may cost them money but that is ok because they are learning. By the time they are adults hopefully they will know the difference between the two. 

As crazy as it sounds when kids make money decisions failure is good and mistakes are a wonderful thing. Obviously no parent wants to see their child make bad decisions but sometimes that will be the only way your child will learn so allow your children to make them. Remember your children don’t have to be perfect but they have to grow and mistakes made in the training ground of the home can help lead them to growth. 

About the Author:
Nicole Clemow is one of the founders of Money Toolkits, which is a global on-line school that educates parents on teaching kids about money. For more information check out http://www.squidoo.com/kids-makingmoney.

The G minor pentatonic has a great earthy quality that makes it ideal for blues, rock and jazz music. In fact, just about everyone will love this scale. The notes in the G minor pentatonic scale are: 

G – Bb – C – D – F – (G) 

If you play these notes anywhere on the guitar fingerboard you will be playing the G minor pentatonic scale. Here’s the most common fingering pattern for the scale: 

G – using your first finger behind the third fret, sixth string 

Bb – played with the fourth finger, sixth fret, sixth string 

C – first finger, third fret, fifth string 

D – played with your third finger behind the fifth fret, fifth string 

F – first finger, third fret, fourth string
G Minor pentatonic scale pattern 

—————————
—————————
—————————
——————-3—[5]-
———–3—5———–
-[3]—6——————- 

Keynotes indicated as [ ]

Here is the same scale one octave higher: 

———————-[3]-
————–3—6——-
——3—5—————
-[5]———————-
————————–
————————– 

Now for another popular way to play the G minor pentatonic scale: 

———————————
———————————
———————————
————————-3–[5]-
————-1—3—5———
—1—[3]———————- 

Notice how in this instance the first note is not the keynote. Remember it’s vitally important to identify where the keynote is situated in the scale as it will help you transpose the scale into different keys. 

Our next project is to pre-record a background to practice the G minor pentatonic scale over. Many rock and pop songs use chord progressions derived directly from the notes in the pentatonic scale. 

Typical chord progression(s) would be: 

G /// | Bb /// | C /// | D /// || 

or 

G /// | C /// |D /// | C /// || 

One of the key ingredients to creating your own individual style is learning the names of the notes in each scale rather than just learning a fingering pattern. 

About the Author:
Mike Hayes is a guitar teacher, author, performing musician and session guitarist with over 30 years of professional experience. Find out more about how to learn guitar fast with his popular FREE e-course

The Top Sites
www.starfall.com
www.exploratorium.edu
www.enchantedlearning.com
www.brainpop.com
www.pbs.org

Note: Normally we would not include commercial sites on this list. However, so many people nominated a number of commercial websites, it seemed unfair to leave them off the list and they have been included.

So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and peruse through the list at your leisure. Click on a site and explore it for awhile, then come back to view even more great sites. A few new aspects of our list include the category of Music, as well as a variety of relevant and fun math and science sites.

All of the sites listed are safe, proven and used by thousands of parents just like you. So enjoy reviewing and using them this year!

Reference

Time4Learning
http://www.time4learning.com

Ed Helper
http://www.edhelper.com

School Express
http://www.schoolexpress.com/

Learning Page
http://www.learningpage.com

Tools for Educators
http://www.toolsforeducators.com

Britannica
http://www.britannica.com

Discovery School
http://school.discovery.com

Homeschoolers Reference Desk
http://www.geocities.com/homeschooldesk/

Internet Public Library
http://www.ipl.org

New York Times Learning Network
http://www.nytimes.com/learning

Enchanted Learning
www.EnchantedLearning.com

Wikipedia
www.wikipedia.com

Miscellaneous

Autism Today
http://www.autismtoday.com

Ideal Lives
http://www.ideallives.com

Study Stack
http://www.studystack.com

How Stuff Works
http://www.howstuffworks.com/

Study Spanish
http://www.studyspanish.com

Living Spanish
http://www.livingspanish.com/

To Learn English
http://www.tolearnenglish.com/

Songs for Teaching
http://www.songsforteaching.com/

Education Creations
http://www.educationcreations.com/freestuff.htm

Lesson Plan Central
http://www.lessonplancentral.com/

Time Savers for Teachers
http://www.timesaversforteachers.com/

Great Resource for K-8
http://www.kids.gov/

Time4Learning
http://www.time4learning.com

How Color Affects Us
http://colormatters.com

Click Schooling
www.clickschooling.com

CurrClick
http://www.currclick.com

Math

The Math Worksheet Site
http://www.TheMathWorksheetSite.com

Math Goodies.com
http://www.mathgoodies.com

Math Playground
http://www.mathplayground.com

Math Drills
http://www.math-drills.com/

Math.com
http://www.math.com/

Algebra Help
http://www.algebrahelp.com

WebMath

http://www.webmath.com

Cool Math Games
http://www.coolmath-games.com

BigBrainz
http://www.bigbrainz.com

Living Math
http://www.livingmath.net

Math and Aeronautics
http://www.planemath.com

Home School Math
http://www.homeschoolmath.net

Math Slice
http://www.mathslice.com

Music

Creating Music
http://creatingmusic.com

Learning Instruments
http://playmusic.org

High School

High School Ace
http://highschoolace.com/ace/ace.cfm

Homework Spot
http://www.homeworkspot.com

Explore Learning
http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm

Best Colleges
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college

Preparing Your Child for College
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Prepare/index.html

Science

BrainPOP
http://www.brainpop.com

Chem4Kids
http://www.chem4kids.com

Exploratorium
http://www.exploratorium.edu

InnerBody
http://www.InnerBody.com

Science for High School
http://www.scienceforhighschool.com/

Cosmeo
http://cosmeo.com

NASA for Students
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html

Astronomy for Kids
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=ss&id=127

Nine Planets
http://www.nineplanets.org

StarChild
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov

The Electronic Zoo
http://netvet.wustl.edu/e-zoo.htm

Smith Life Science
http://www.smithlifescience.com/

The MAD Scientist Network
http://www.madsci.org

Try Science
http://www.tryscience.org

Science & Technology Education
http://www.ftexploring.com/

Skateboard Science
http://www.exploratorium.edu/skateboarding/

Amusement Park Physics
http://www.learner.org/interactives/parkphysics/index.html

Acorn Naturalists
http://www.acornnaturalists.com

Super Charged Science
http://www.superchargedscience.com

Arts & Crafts

Art Lessons for All Grades
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/lessons.html

Kinder Art
http://www.kinderart.com

Crayola
http://www.crayola.com

Draw Space
http://www.drawspace.com/

Draw Your World
http://www.drawyourworld.com/index.html

Drawing/Sketching Lessons
http://drawsketch.about.com/

Kids Art
http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/kidsart.htm

Reading

Starfall
http://www.starfall.com

Reading A-Z
http://www.readinga-z.com/samples/preview.html

TLS-Books
http://www.tlsbooks.com/

Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.net

Ambleside Online – Free homeschool curriculum
http://www.amblesideonline.org

Dolch Words
http://www.mrsperkins.com

Reading Games
http://www.tickettoread.com

Writing

ABC Teach
http://www.abcteach.com

Scholastic – Student Activities
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/learn.jsp

Online Writing Guide
http://oswego.org/staff/tcaswell/wg/para.htm

The Write Site
http://www.writesite.org

Spelling City
http://www.spellingcity.com/

Teacher’s Lab
http://www.learner.org/teacherslab/

Geography, History and Virtual Travel

Colonial Williamsburg: Electronic Field Trips
http://www.history.org/trips

Natural Wonders of the World
http://www.field-guides.com/sci/natwon/index.htm

Teacher’s Guide Virtual Field Trips
http://www.theteachersguide.com/virtualtours.html

CyberBee
http://www.cyberbee.com

Global Online Adventure Learning Site
http://www.goals.com/Index.htm

The Jason Project
http://www.jasonproject.org

Virtual Field Trips
http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours

Xpeditions @ National Geographic
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions

K-12 Africa Guide
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Home_Page/AFR_GIDE.html

States and Capitals
http://www.50states.com

Life in the Middle Ages
http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/ma/mahome.htm

New Perspectives on the West
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest

The American Civil War Homepage
http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war

The Civil War Homepage
http://www.civil-war.net

The Oregon Trail
http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/Oregontrail.html

Geography Worksheets
http://homeschooling.about.com/od/freeprintables/qt/geogprintables.htm

White House for Kids
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids

Lewis and Clark
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark

Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/homepage/lchp.html

History – Many subjects
http://www.history.com

Homeschooling

Homeschool.com
http://www.homeschool.com

Homeschool Reviews
http://www.homeschoolreviews.com

Homeschool Blogger
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/home.php

Homeschool Buyers Co-Op
http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org

Homeschool Freebie of the Day
http://www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com

Homeschool Classifieds
http://www.homeschoolclassifieds.com

The Well Trained Mind
http://www.welltrainedmind.com

Helping to Homeschool
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/homeschool-highlights/

The Homeschool Mom
www.thehomeschoolmom.com

Homeschool Helper Online
http://homeschoolhelperonline.com

Homeschool Share
http://www.homeschoolshare.com

A to Z Teacher Stuff
http://forums.atozteacherstuff.com

All Things Homeschool
www.allthingshomeschool.com

Homeschool How-to
http://www.homeschool-how-to.com

Homeschool Buyer’s Co-Op
www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org

Teacher Vision
http://www.teachervision.fen.com

Educational Games

Family Fun
http://www.familyfun.com

Teach With Movies
http://www.teachwithmovies.org

Fun Brain
http://www.funbrain.com

Discovery Kids
http://kids.discovery.com/games/games.html

I Know That
http://www.iknowthat.com

Jigsaw Puzzles
http://www.jigzone.com

Sesame Street
http://www.sesamestreet.org/games

About the Author:

This article was reprinted from Homeschool.com which is loaded with great material to help you homeschool your children as well as to help you set up a home business so that you can take care of your financial needs and still stay home with the kids.

So the question is: which scales should we learn and which scales can we drop of at the nearest bus stop? 

High on your priority list should be the minor pentatonic scale. This is the scale most guitar players learn first. The problem is they tend to get it confused with the blues scale which is similar but not the same. 

Minor Pentatonic scale system – F minor pentatonic. 

The notes in the F minor pentatonic scale are: 

F – Ab – Bb – C – Eb – (F) 

If you played these notes anywhere on the guitar fingerboard you would be playing the F minor pentatonic scale. 

Here’s the most common fingering pattern for the scale: 

F – using your first finger behind the first fret, sixth string 

Ab – played with the fourth finger, fourth fret, sixth string 

Bb – first finger, first fret, fifth string 

C – played with your third finger behind the third fret, fifth string 

Eb – first finger, first fret, fourth string 

F Minor pentatonic scale pattern 

————————-

————————-

————————-

—————–1—[3]-

———1—3———–

-[1]—4—————–

 Keynotes indicated as [ ]

 Keynotes are important as they identify the key of the scale pattern when it’s moved around the fingerboard.

Pentatonic scales are five note scales, notice how both the first and last notes of the scale are exactly the same letter name.

Play the scale slowly listening closely to the ’sound’ of each note. when you are ready to move on try playing the next pattern, it’s exactly the same notes only an octave higher.

F minor pentatonic played one octave higher:

———————-[1]-

————–1—4——-

——1—3—————

-[3]———————-

————————–

————————–

Once the octave fingering and the sound of the notes become familiar try playing the original scale, stop for four beats, play the octave version, wait four more beats and then go back to the original version.

Continue practicing like this until everything works on autopilot.

Creating a backing track.

Our next project is to record a backing track that we can practice our scale over.

A good idea is to use power chords derived from the names of the notes in the scale. Therefore any of the following notes will work as keynotes for power chords:

F – Ab – Bb – C – Eb

Typical chord progression(s) would be:

F /// | Ab /// | Bb /// | C /// ||

or

F /// | Bb /// |C /// | Bb /// ||

Make up your own progressions and record them for 5 – 10 minutes. That way you will have plenty of backing track to solo over. If the backing track is too short you will be just starting to develop your ideas and the background will stop.

About the Author:
Mike Hayes is a guitar teacher, author, performing musician and session guitarist with over 30 years of professional experience. Find out more about how to learn guitar fast with his popular FREE e-course, by clicking here

As part of the leadership team for the ESV Study Bible, one thing I wanted to make sure we included was a number of charts, because they can be helpful visual aids to make explicit the logical organization in a chapter. 

In an earlier post on Asking Questions of the Bible, I suggested asking texts the journalistic questions (who, what, when, where, why, how). 

Putting your answers in a chart allows you to see quickly the contrasts and similarities that the author is highlighting. 

For example, take Hebrews 1:1-2a:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. . . .

It’s easy to read that quickly. But instead of skimming it, try breaking it down so that you can slow down and see more:

*implied 

You can then move on to vv. 2b-3: 

. . . whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. . . . 

Here, instead of a chart, it might help simply to list the seven things that the author is affirming about who Jesus is and what he has done: 

Jesus is the God-appointed messianic heir of all things.

Jesus is the creator of the world.

Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory.

Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s nature.

Jesus is the upholder of the universe by his powerful word.

Jesus is the one who made purification for our sins.

Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God, the Majesty on high. 

I haven’t added much to what the wording of the text says—just a clarifying word or two. But the value here is simply to “unpack” the contents—which can help us to meditate upon these distinct aspects of Christ’s splendor and work. 

Another way to meditate on Christ’s work in this passage is to put it through the grid of prophet-priest-king:

So my suggestion: get your Bible and try to make a chart today. 

Article printed from Justin Taylor: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor

URL to article: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2009/12/02/bible-tip-make-a-chart/ 

URLs in this post: 

 Asking Questions of the Bible: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2009/11/18/asking-good-questions-of-the-bible/

We’ve recently discovered a new product that takes away this dilemma and ensures a fun family gaming experience. Newly released from the folks at bEQUAL, in partnership with DreamWorks, the Madagascar Animal Trivia DVD Game will be a hit with your entire family.

I recently took time to play the game with my sons, ages thirteen and ten, and can vouch for the game’s educational and entertainment value, but I thought I’d let the boys chime in and share their own opinions. To preface their remarks, I’ll say that these are some astute gamers – they’re not easily entertained by gimmicky products, and they bore easily with certain video games that are too easily mastered. We tested the game both on our home television and in our car’s rear DVD player.

Here’s what the boys had to say about the Madagascar Animal Trivial DVD game:

Adam – 10 years old: “This is a family trivia game about animals and it’s played on a DVD. Its theme is Madagascar, a new computer animated movie for kids. This game, in my opinion, is great for kids, even as young as five years old. I learned lots about animals playing this game.”

Eric – 13 years old: “Madagascar is a family-oriented DVD trivia game. Its questions about animal life can entertain people of any age. One feature that makes the game more enjoyable for everyone is Dynamic Leveling. Based on how many questions you answer correctly, the questions become harder or easier as you go on. The competition is fun for everyone, and anyone can win. Kids will have a great time showing their knowledge about animals with the backdrop of the movie Madagascar.”

I’m typically not a big proponent of video games, but I found the Madagascar Animal Trivia DVD Game to be a high quality product. As Eric stated, the Dynamic Leveling feature kept the game fair (even for Mom, who knows much less about animals than her boys!). Additionally, the game features a variety of question formats, stunningly photographed animal footage, and over 1600 questions on animals of all types, making it a true learning experience. Single player and time limit options are also available.

Great for families with school aged children, the one limitation I can see to this product is that only four people can play at one time…larger families may have to exercise some “turn taking”, as your kids (and their parents) will likely want to participate once they see this game. That said, I’d recommend the Madagascar Animal Trivia DVD Game for families looking to enjoy a new take on family game night, or an updated alternative to Slug Bug, car bingo, and family sing-alongs in the minivan!

For more information on Madagascar Animal Trivia DVD Game visit
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007Y4D9I/catholicmomcom 

About the Author:
Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons, webmaster of numerous web sites, including http://www.catholicmom.com. Eric and Adam Hendey are students, avid readers and gamers, and all around great guys. Visit Lisa at http://www.lisahendey.com for more information.

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Kids Halloween Activities.
Printable Kids Halloween Activities To Make Halloween More Fun Than Ever Before. Includes Puzzles, Mazes, Halloween Games, Math Worksheets, Coloring Pages And Much More. Ideal For Home Or School.

Kids Christmas Activities And Games.
Printable Kids Christmas Activities – Ideal For Entertaining Kids At Home Or School. Includes Word Puzzles, Mazes, Christmas Games, Math Worksheets, Coloring Pages, Christmas Cards, Gift Tags And Much More. Bonus Kids Christmas Party Games Included.

Birthday Magicology.
Learn How To Do Magic Professionally For Children’s Birthday Parties – Plan A Show, Get Clients, And Make Money! This Is A 12 Week Series Of Down-loadable Lessons Designed To Take You By The Hand And Lead You To Success In The Magic Field.

How To Start A Party Rental Business.
Complete Guide To Starting And Operating A Successful Party Rental Business That Can Be Easily Operated From A Home. Great Business For Families. Not Only Is It Profitable, But The Kids Love It!

Fun Children’s Activities – Parachute Games.
Exciting New Songs & Games For Parachute Play – Fun For Children Of All Ages! Fantastic Resource For Teachers, Camp Programs, Music Classes, Therapy Programs, Sporting Groups, Children’s Birthday Parties, Preschool / Early Childhood Programs, Singing…

The Complete Christmas Collection.
Christmas Recipes, Crafts And Kids Activities.

Kid Party Crafts And Games.
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Kids Easter Activities – Printable Easter Activities And Games.
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101 Kids Birthday Party Tips.
Save Time, Money And Your Sanity With These 101 Kids Birthday Party Tips.

FamilyNFriendsXmasTrivaGame.
A Fun Christmas Party Idea Priced At $7. Great For Kids, Teens & Adults. Best For US & Can (Questions Based On Popular North American Chritsmas Movies, TV Shows, & Songs).