The icon for this Web page is a picture of Jeremy which was taken at La Place des Jardins in Montreal, Quebec during our 1997 St. Nicholas Day/Hanukkah holiday. During the Christmas holidays, the train takes car loads of children on trips around the mall.
We made a 2004 March Break craft suitable for St. Patrick's Day and the "Old Man" in a "Pot of Gold" by cutting out a "Leprechaun Smiling w/Clover's Around" pasted onto heavy card and using it as the body of his toy.
This Web site is dedicated to fire safety.
A free online service of "...Healthy Families, Healthy Communities, a not-for-profit organization with a mandate of enhancing quality of life by provideing parents and caregivers with the resources they need to make informed choices."
These fun, and sometimes educational, family-friendly games, are brought to you by Canada's public broadcaster.
I created this Web page for Jeremy during the 2006 Federal election when I learned that his Grade 5 class was not studying the election.
"America’s Promise — The Alliance for Youth leads in forging the multi-sector partnerships that are the only effective strategy for ensuring the well-being of all of our young people."
"[It] grew out of the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future in 1997. At that gathering in Philadelphia, Presidents Clinton, Bush, Carter and Ford, with Nancy Reagan representing President Reagan, challenged America to make children and youth a national priority."
"Kidzap.com is a safe, fascinating and uplifting place for your kids to go on the Internet. With the many built in parent controlled safety features, kids can learn and have fun while parents are able to ensure their children are safe"
The founder of Kidzap.com was a guest on "The Hour of Power."
If you enjoy How's that Made on TLC, you'll enjoy How Stuff Works. The topics are as diverse as "Learn about the bio-chemical reactions that make bread taste so good!" and "...Now you can understand what a cruise missile is and how it works!"
"Funology.com is the best place on the Web to find things to do. Not just while you’re sitting at the computer, but anywhere. Things to do by yourself or with your friends, your parents, your pets, anyone. We’ll teach you a million and one ways to make things, explore the world, and discover skills you never knew you had. It’s one place where you’ll never be bored!"
"Enter the SciZone to find interactive games, as well as Our Brainz, where Science Centre staff explore new and interesting science topics; The Home Lab, where you can download fun science experiments to try at home; and Where's the Science? a quirky science column that explores questions ranging from "Why is burping in space a no-no?" to "What's a golfball got in common with melting snow?""
For more Kids Concoctions, search "site:www.hgtv.com "John E. Thomas" children crafts" on Google.
Offers quizzes and links.
"Puzzlemaker is a puzzle generation tool for teachers, students and parents. Create and print customized word search, crossword and math puzzles using your word lists."
Jeremy did this cute craft over his 2004 March break.
Cool Crafts for Kewl Kids
This is the home of MakingFriends paper dolls.
"Raise a Reader is a campaign designed to combat illiteracy by promoting reading to children at an early age, setting the groundwork for a lifetime of literacy skills and a healthy interest in reading. There are two main objectives of the Raise a Reader campaign: to create awareness of children's literacy and to raise funds and resources for children's literacy programs and organizations."
This is a great site I discovered during Christmas and Hanukkah last year. I made the White House and the menorah. The White House was extremely realistic.
To be perfectly candid, I enjoyed this Web site more than Jeremy. I made the Megabyte 1.0: "The Paper Cat ". It really is a good thing!
"Welcome to my odd, little world of paper toys, holiday cards, valentines, sun boxs, baskets and bags, origami and ephemera... all for you to make.
It is my wish to amuse and delight."
Her wish was granted when I visited this exquisite site. It has an Old World feel and the toys are delightful. In particular, I loved the "Liberty Star for Independence Day - a little tricky."
Kinder Korner is a Resource Website for teachers and others interested in early childhood education, Pre-K through 2nd Grade.
Have a K-12 Math Question? Find the answer here.
Jeremy is currently learning his times tables. The tests on this Web site, which are completed and marked on-screen, are really helpful.
These tests are similar.
Here's an empty times table that you can print out. This Web site also has interactive internet flash cards.
This site has a Quick Flash interactive internet game that teaches your child how to complete multiplication problems quickly.
"Human Anatomy -- the best anatomy site for kids, teens, teachers, families"
Once upon a time, I taught summer science workshops. The following Web sites have variations on some of the projects that we did:
I bought a compound microscope for Jeremy at a local flea market. It is amazingly difficult to find online lessons using them. The following are some.
"The following activities are provided to help you investigate light, optics, and color. They were written by educators with input from scientists, researchers, students, and teachers. Students, teachers, and parents are encouraged to work together to begin an exploration of concepts that help us learn about how we see our world."
"To identify wool, cotton, linen, and silk with the aid of a microscope. To identity several natural and synthetic materials placed on a table."
"This exercise can be used to stimulate the investigative nature of your students as they use forensic plant pathology techniques with powdery mildew cleistothecia (the sexual stage of powdery mildew fungi) to prove their innocence in a mock murder investigation. The exercise is suitable for grades 7 -12 and does not require the purchase or maintenance of special cultures, since cleistothecia produced by powdery mildew fungi are easy to find on plants in nature. Dissecting and compound microscopes are required."
"In recognition of his significant contributions to American chess, Benjamin Franklin was inducted into the Chess Hall of Fame in 1999."
Play on-line Benjamin Franklin's invention.
January 17, 2006 is the 300th aniversry of the late Benjamin Franklin.
In the episode of Liberty's Kids entitled "Across the Deleware," there is one, if not two, bloopers.
In 1974, Gerald Abrahams wrote an interesting book called Not Only Chess. He called it a selection of Chessays. On page 42, "Abrahams tells the story about an English settler sending a small boy with a message to the British Commander General Rahl that George Washington was about to cross the Delaware River. The general was so immersed in a Christmas chess game, that he put the note in his pocket unopened. There it was found when he lay mortally wounded in the subsequent battle. Actually, Rahl was a Colonel, not a general. Col Gottlieb Rahl had 1,500 Germans (Hessians) in Trenton, New Jersey. Washington tried to crossed the Delaware in 3 places on Christmas Day in 1776. The only crossing near Trenton took 10 hours with 2,400 men. They crossed 9 miles away from Trenton and marched in sleet and rain at night. Washington attacked Trenton in broad daylight on December 26, 1776 around 8 am. Rahl, the commander, and 40 men were killed and a thousand men surrendered. The Americans had 4 wounded and 5 frozen to death. The battle took less than one hour. The note and the chess playing may not have happened."
See: "Not Only Chess" by Bill Wall
In "Across the Delaware," Colonel Rahl is depicted as being immersed in a card game when a man delivers the message. That may or may not have been a blooper.
The depiction of Rahl's troops playing Silent Night outside in front of a fire that same evening is definitely a blooper. In fact, the words were written by Fr. Joseph Mohr in Mariapfarr, Austria, in 1816 and the melody was added by Franz X. Gruber in Arnsdorf, Austria, in 1818.
"Help solve a make-believe mystery! Uncover hidden layers of the George Washington portrait and learn fascinating facts along the way...."
"...SAMUEL[, Ensign Samuel Ferguson, my 6x great-grandfather,] was at the Battle of King’s Mountain, South Carolina, 7 October 1780. He is listed as going with Thomas Peery (the distiller), Thomas Peery (the blacksmith), William Peery and John Peery...."
The following is a quote from Patrick Henry, Father of American Civil Liberties by Patrick S. Poole:
"In one instance a Rev. John Weatherford was imprisoned for five months on the charge of disturbing the peace by preaching. When Henry obtained an order of release, the jailer refused to let the prisoner free until he paid the prison fees, which had accumulated into a large sum due to the length of stay, added to the fact that the Rev. Weatherford refused to pay it. Weatherford was then released shortly thereafter, when he was informed that someone had paid his fees. It was not until twenty years later when Weatherford and Henry had removed themselves to Charlotte County that Weatherford learned for the first time that it had been Henry that had paid his fees. 4"
Rev. Weatherford was my 5x great-grandfather.
"Doug Phillips, the Vision Forum's president (and son of Howard Phillips, presidential candidate of the Constitution Party), celebrates the classic "noble dreams of youth": to "rescue the damsel in distress, explore uncharted lands with Columbus, or ride with Stonewall Jackson."
You can purchase American Revolution War themed toys at this sight, like a Minuteman fife ($35), a Revolutionary War field drum ($22), and a Patrick Henry hat ($23).
Send Jeremy or Rexanna an e-mail!
Optimized for Netscape 2.0 or better. Last Updated May 9, 2008.
Graphics provided by Animation Factory.
Copyright Rexanna M. Keats 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. All Rights Reserved.