States and Their Capitals Online Game

My son is in 2nd grade and learning States and their Capitals, to gear up to learn all about the U.S.A. next school year.
So, we found this game, which he is enjoying.

VectorKids - State Capitals Game

Rainbows- What do they Mean?

Roy G. Biv- Remember this mnemonic for learning the order of the colors in a rainbow?

1. Red
2. Orange
3. Yellow
4. Green
5. Blue
6. Indigo
7. Violet

Here at Wonderopolis, you can show your kids why rainbows even appear.
Then, here is an easy, do-at-home science experiment on how to make a rainbow!

Donna Young's Homeschooling Resource Page

Have you ever visited Donna Young's Homeschooling Resource pages?
They are incredible and extremely useful! 
*Nature Journal Sheets
*Chore Makers
*Handwriting Worksheets
*Book Lists (according to subjects)
and so much more!

DonnaYoung.org is a printable and information provider of items which are of use to those who homeschool, teach, run a household, and work in an office. DonnaYoung.org offers free homeschool planners, homeschool planning tips, calendars, household planners, and printables in various subjects.

U.S. Mint Lesson Plans

Did you know that the U.S. Mint provides Lesson Plans for your classroom?
All grades, many subjects, many ways of learning something new!
Language Arts, Math, Science, Technology and Social Studies are covered, as well as Grades K- 12!
Very nice resources provided, too.

Time Management Tips

Time Management Suggestions

Set your priorities. The first milestone was the realization that teaching my daughter to read was the most important thing to focus on at that time. Her two big brothers could afford to take a break, if necessary, while I concentrated on her for awhile. I found that my children who are not struggling can catch up in a short time. You may decide that it is necessary to ease up on the amount of curriculum you cover with them during the school year and spend some of the summer break working to pick up the slack.

Realistically look at your daily schedule. What activities could we drop, or at least put on hold for a while? Music lessons, sports, field trips, even extra church activities may need to be set aside. Remember, this is not a permanent situation. It is often more difficult for us as mothers to give the extra activities up than for our children.

Extend your teaching time. For me this meant getting up earlier in the morning. It is much more productive for me to get myself to bed earlier and have more hours in the morning than to plan to get things done after the children have been put to bed. The energy I hope to have in the evening hours is somehow nonexistent. As for my children, I began making sure they were up, breakfasted and ready for the school day by 8. Look at your schedule to see what works best for your family.

Delegate within the family. My husband encouraged me to look at my daily tasks and determine which of my responsibilities I could turn over to the children. For example, we set up a simple breakfast and lunch menu and my three older children (10- and 8- and 7-year-olds) were each responsible for one day a week. As a mother, your time is more stretched. It is important to free yourself from some of the more repetitive tasks. Generally, our children can take on a lot more responsibility than we give them credit for. Once the initial (rather messy) training period is completed, this turns out to be a real blessing.

Delegate outside of the family. Recently, someone suggested hiring a homeschooled teen in the area to come over for an hour a day to do some of the teaching with the other children. It is important to note that I, as parent, am the one who needs to be focusing on my struggling learner. If funds are tight, consider instead checking history, science, and literature videos out at the library to keep your other children productively entertained during the tutoring session.

Interactive Weather Maker Online

What would it be like to be a real weather person - not just someone who reports the weather, but someone who can actually control it? Well here's your chance.
Using our Interactive Weather Maker, you'll be able to turn a sunny day into a windy day. Or create a rainy day. And if you create the correct conditions, you can make a blizzard - complete with a whiteout!
http://www.scholastic.com/kids/weather/

Typing Tutor: FREE Typing Program

Rapidtyping.com - Learn and Practice Typing

Fast typing is a skill that is extremely useful in life, although not all children get properly trained in typing. While many schools often try to offer typing to some degree, usually funding and resource limitations either limit or prevent typing classes.