Ray of Sunshine #4...Aquarium of the Pacific

 

http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/

The Aquarium of the Pacific is located in Long Beach, CA. It looks like an amazing place if you like the sea and the creatures in it. Their webcams are just what the doctor ordered if you need some undersea zen moments. Miss Bunn particularly found the Anthias and Wrasse Exhibit webcam to be very soothing in full screen mode.

Click the link above to get to their main page. Click on exhibits and then webcams to be taken to the webcam page. Their are several to choose from. Penquin Habitat (both above and below water), Sea Jellies, Tropical Reef, Honda Blue Cavern, Anthias and Wrasse Exhibt, and Shark Lagoon. Can you say "Why wait for shark week"?

At the bottom of each webcam screen click on the "Aquarium Webcam Resource Kit" to find lesson plans, short educational videos, worksheets, and web-based activities and resources for K-8th grade students.

The Aquarium is offering an Online Academy to bring educational programming as well as fun and entertaining activities to the public during the current closure.There you will find both on-demand videos and activities for all ages (grade levels K through 12 are listed) and a schedule of interactive live programs with aquarium educators, from virtual classroom sessions to Pacific Pals puppets. Check back often as the page will be updated regularly with new content and live dates as they become available.​ There is even a Sea Star Certificate to print out for kids who have tuned in to one of the programs.

SO much to do there and now we have the time to do it! Enjoy!

Ray of Sunshine #1 for these Dark Times...

Bored at home? Here is something that you can get lost in for hours on end.

Open Culture is a website dedicated to "bringing together high-quality cultural & educational media for the worldwide lifelong learning community. Web 2.0 has given us great amounts of intelligent audio and video. It's all free. It's all enriching. But it's also scattered across the web, and not easy to find. Our whole mission is to centralize this content, curate it, and give you access to this high quality content whenever and wherever you want it."

Here you will find free classes, ebooks, audiobooks, movies, language lessons, resources for kids, lectures and more!

Sounds like fun to us! Enjoy!

Tooting our own horn

Now I'm sure that everyone has written down their New Years Resolution and is well on their way to slowly but surely dwindling on the enthusiasm.

But if learning a new language was part of that list - Annville Free Library has a fun way to keep on top of that!

We have recently gotten Pronunciator.  This will help you study from your phone and computer.  It also allows you to download and print items out.  And the complete bright side is - it's completely free for you!

Learn languages you never dreamed of knowing.
Simply follow the link and it'll ask you to enter your library card number and it would be who of you to enter your email address (for your sanity sake).

See or call a librarian if you have any questions and we'll be happy to walk you through it.


LET THE LEARNING BEGIN!

A Fun New (to me) Word Game!

Hi Peeps! Long time no blog! What can I say? Things get a little crazy in library land sometimes.

Miss Bun and I just had to share this word game with you. It's free, it's fun, and it's challenging! What you do is come up with a word to match a definition. The game sessions are timed and you rack up points and badges as you go along. Be sure to register so your stats are saved. It's free...remember? Anyway...check it out and have a blast! Just click on the graphic!

Bundle: Money Uncomplicated is their Motto!

Bundle is a pretty intriguing site that aims to help all of us "get smarter about money. Together."

So if you wonder how other people spend theirs and how it compares to how you spend yours or how other folks are dealing with a problem that you're having, get thee on over to the Bundle site.

 According to their FAQ's they update spending data every quarter, the people and stories you'll find there are real folks & situations, and Bundle promises
"to be an independent, unbiased source of money information and advice."

You might want to take a look at their 2010 Bundle Report: How America Spends to get started.

I wonder how many people actually own a piggy bank? Oh, and let's break that down by age, income, & gender.

Prom, Duck Tape & Scholarships! Oh, My!

Hey, Peeps! Here is a nifty, creative contest that can bring in some money for you & your school if you happen to be going to prom this year. (AND you follow all the rules and are 14 years of age or over, etc.)

The folks at ShurTech Brands, LLC are giving away 20 scholarships in celebration of their 10th anniversary to couples (and their schools!) who make their prom dresses & tuxes out of Duck Tape, make it to the top ten and survive 5 weeks (& 3 days) of online voting. Sweet!

Here are the prizes that go to each individual member of the prom couple and the school that hosts the prom:
First Place - $3,000
Second Place - $2,000
Third Place - $1,000
Seven Runners Up - $500

Check it out! Stuck at Prom

And while you're there take at look at the gallery of contests past as well as the current entrants for this year.

The sheer creativity plus fun factor is amazing!!! Enjoy!

Going On A Treasure Hunt!

Like a challenge? Like the great outdoors? Love puzzles? Like to collect things?

Well.....Letterboxing (or possibly it's much younger cousin Geocaching) might be for you!

"Zo, vhat ees zis Leterrbooxing ov wheech yo spek????" (Sorry, I went all Inspector Clouseau there for a second.)

So glad you asked!  Letterboxing is a game of hide and seek with clues. To play you need a compass, a trail name, a personal rubber stamp, & a logbook.

The letterbox (usually a waterproof plastic container that holds at least a rubber stamp & logbook,) is hidden by its owner at some location. Your job is to find it armed with the clues provided. Once you have found it, you stamp your logbook with the letterbox stamp & stamp your stamp in the letterbox logbook thus providing proof all around that you really did find the box. Cool, huh?

Evidently handmade stamp images are highly prized in the world of Letterboxing. So you get to be creative & physically active as well!

Here is a site that will give you all the info you need to get started (along with clues to find letterboxes) & then some:

Letterboxing North America

Don't worry if you are not from North America. Letterboxing (& geocaching) is global! Check out the Net for info on boxes in your neck of the woods.

Wondering about  letterboxing versus geocaching? Here is well written article by Trailhead Tessie from the SheltonTrails.org site comparing them: Letterboxing and Geocaching which also includes links.

What a great way for the whole family to enjoy the great outdoors this summer! 

Check out SnagFilms for all your Free Documentary needs!

Hello Peeps! Happy Spring to you all!

If you are interested in independent and free documentary films you will want to go to : SnagFilms where you can choose from 1,000 different films on many topics.

From their About page:

"SnagFilms is committed to finding the world‘s most compelling documentaries, whether from established heavyweights or first-time filmmakers, and making them available to the wide audience these titles deserve."


"We make it easy for you to find a film that shines a light on a cause you care about. You can then open a virtual movie theater on any web site, so any one can watch your favorite SnagFilms for free.
SnagFilms can be summed up in four words: Find. Watch. Snag. Support."

You can search by topic, what's hot, channels (of their supporters), and a to z

Topics cover everything from the humorous to the disturbing and all points in between. Films with adult content are clearly labeled as such.  Film lengths vary from minutes to hours but all appear to have commercial intros....FYI.

Here is just one of Miss Bun's favorites. Enjoy!:

Celebrate Lasers!

Ok, Peeps, who knew that 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the first laser?

"No!", you say? 

"Why, yes it is!" Miss Bun says.  

Check out these sites for a fascinating look at all things laser related:

LaserFest is ground zero for this celebration. It's mind-boggling!

Bright Idea: The First Lasers is an online exhibit produced for LaserFest by the Center For History of Physics of the American Institute of Physics.


(I've gotta say that the AIP does a fantastic job of bringing this branch of science to life especially for those of us with degrees in the humanities! Kudos!) Check it out!

Kid & the Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics are upon us so here are two sites that are full of fun, games, crafts, puzzles, printables & more to help keep kids engaged in this historic event.

From PrintActivites.com : Winter Olympic Printables

& from ActivityVillage: Winter Olympics for Kids

While you are at these sites be sure to take a look at all they have to offer!

Dangerously Addictive Word Game Alert!!!

If you like word games (and what bibliophile doesn't?) you might want to skip over this post if managing your time is a personal issue.

Over the weekend I found Babble which is an online version of the game known as Boggle. Babble, however, is played against the entire Net in 24 hour rounds. You must register to play but it is free. FYI: You can upgrade to Pro for a minimal price if you really get hooked.

With each grid you are given the number of words possible plus how many 4 letter (the minimum) & up words there are plus how many times each letter in the grid is used to start a word.

Sounds fairly simple? Wrong! This is a very challenging game that will make time literally fly by . . . so be warned.

Another very nice aspect of this game is the chat box on the right. Folks from around the globe play this game and are great at giving clues & encouragement.

Are you ready to give it a try? Go Babble!

Like Factoids? Like Fun Graphics? You'll Love This!

OnlineEducation is an interesting, albeit with somewhat mysterious origins, site that takes topics like A Day in the Internet and creates this:


Created by Online Education

There are other nifty topics like Videogame Statistics, Facts About Your Farts, What's Changed This Decade, Facts About Bottled Water & more. (FYI: some topics may be more edgy than others.)

You will also find some useful lists here such as 100 Free Tools to Write, Publish, & Promote Your Own Book and 100 Best Blogs For Homeschooling Moms (which also includes blogs by homeschooling Dads and kids plus lots of homeschooling resources).

This is what the Online Education folks have to say on their About page:
"Everyone has a natural curiosity, and we are here to give you a daily dose of wit, humor and knowledge to satisfy that urge. We cover all the bases of life that didn’t get a lot of attention at school."

By George, I think they've succeeded! Check it out!

Librarian Chick Rocks!

Ok, Peeps, here is a good-to-know-about site that lists "links to the best of the Internet's FREE resources for those with big brains and small pocketbooks!".

Librarian Chick

There are 28 categories (like Books/ Audiobooks, College/Student Loans, Foreign Language, Lectures/Speeches/Podcasts) with tons of free educational resources to check out so don't delay!

The brain behind this site is Stacy Reed who, in her free time, reviews software and websites for Tucows. She also runs a sister site on free and open source software, web applications & resources: FOSSwiki; a blog: She Dreams in Digital & more! (Wow!)

Gotta love folks who like to share, right?

Do You Know the Snowflake Man???

Wilson A. Bentley, aka "Snowflake Bentley", from Jericho, Vermont was only 19 when he made the world's first photomicrograph of a snow crystal in 1885. His process was so unique and innovative that professionals at first doubted his results and his veracity.


 "In 1898, at the age of 33, he began to publish articles of his findings and images. He published 49 popular and 11 technical articles about snow crystals, frost, dew, and raindrops, including the entry on "snow" in the 14th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica."

During his lifetime he filled nine notebooks with 47 years worth of observations and lived to see his book, Snow Crystals, published.

To learn more about this fascinating scientist & his work check out these links:

The Bentley Snow Crystal Collection of the Buffalo Museum of Science
(includes his photographic process, bio, photographs, notebook entries, articles & more!)

Wilson A. Bentley, The Snowflake Man
( by the Jericho Historical Society)

More resources below :

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

is the author's site about her 1999 Caldecott Award winning book that has good resources for classroom teachers & homeschoolers.

Kind of makes one look at the white stuff in a whole different way, doesn't it?

Enjoy!

Mind Your Manners @ the McCord Museum of Canadian History!

The McCord Museum of Canadian History in Montreal was founded in 1921, and embodies the vision of  passionate collector, David Ross McCord, whose abiding wish was to shed light on the history and cultures of his country and thus bring its people together.

Here you will find online exhibits, history online, thematic tours, educational resources and more!

The website of the McCord Museum is definitely worth a visit if you do nothing else but try the Mind Your Manners role playing game for the Victorian Era. (FYI: there is also one for the Roaring Twenties). 

 This online game has many delightful Monty Python-esque attributes. Be sure to have your sound on. (Miss Bun especially appreciated the fate of the lady who wore the wrong dress to the evening dinner at home.) The whole game is very amusing! And be sure to check out the other interactive games to be found on this interesting site. 

P.S. A "thank you kindly" to my sources in New Hampshire for alerting me to this site!

Hibernation Anyone??? A ThinkQuest Website has the Scoop!

Ok, so hibernation time is just around the corner (You're feeling very sleepy...) and in case you were wondering what that's all about take a look at this very good website created by a group of 5th graders for a competition put on by ThinkQuest (see below):

The Deep Sleep
Did you know there are four different ways animals deep sleep? Check it out!     

What is this ThinkQuest I speak of?

ThinkQuest  is a protected, online learning platform that enables teachers to integrate learning projects into their classroom curriculum and students to develop 21st century skills. It is provided as a free service to K-12 schools around the globe by The Oracle Education Foundation.

On the ThinkQuest site you will find the project area (here you can take a tour of ThinkQuest...fyi); a competition space where the technology contests happen and the ThinkQuest Library that houses all the projects and is a pretty nifty learning resource.There is also a professional development program for teachers.

School administrators must enroll their schools to participate in a project or competition but anyone can access the ThinkQuest Library and check out the competition winners.

You can search the library by age group, country, and subject category. There are over 7,000 websites created by students from around the world and they are amazing.  Enjoy!

OpenCourseWare from MIT! Get Your Learning On!

 
Wondering what MIT OpenCourseWare is?

Here's the scoop (from their About page): "MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity.

MIT OpenCourseWare is a free publication of MIT course materials that reflects almost all the undergraduate and graduate subjects taught at MIT.

• OCW is not an MIT education.                                           
  
• OCW does not grant degrees or certificates.
• OCW does not provide access to MIT faculty.
• Materials may not reflect entire content of the course."

 How cool (and educationally generous) is that!?!

There are 1900 courses listed. Some of them are Audio/video courses, some are translated courses. You can search them by several categories. And it's all FREE and no registration required.

There is also a key to what is included in each course. For example: Lecture Notes, Selected Lecture Notes, Assignments & Solutions, Assignments (No Solutions), Projects & Examples, Projects (No Examples), Exams & Solutions, Exams (No Solutions),  Image Gallery,  Online Textbooks, & Multimedia Content, etc.

There is also a newsletter & rss updates to courses you can sign up for.

Kind of puts a whole new spin on Life Long Learning, doesn't it?

Check Out the Most Famous Shipping Disaster in the History of the Great Lakes. . .

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that sank suddenly on November 10, 1975 in 530 feet of water without sending any distress signals. Her entire crew of 29 was lost.



The sinking of the "Mighty Fitz" became the most famous disaster in the history of the Great Lakes and was the subject of Gordon Lightfoot's hit ballad "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".

Here are some links to a wealth of information on this famous ship and her fate:

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum  
(Don't miss the tabs at the bottom of the page for more info.)

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
This site has many interesting links to explore, song lyrics, and midi-versions of the song.

Wikipedia's SS Edmund Fitzgerald
This site has a list of the crew as well as some very interesting external links to check out including Google Earth and NOAA.

History Channel's History of Halloween. . .

This month just wouldn't be complete without a visit to The History Channel's History of Halloween site.

Here you can explore & learn all sorts of things such as Halloween history (ancient origins, coming to American, today's traditions, around the world, historic haunts & superstitions) to pumpkin stencils to ghost hunting games to videos and more!

P.S. There are annoying adverts on this site so just use your esp powers and mentally make them invisible!

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Pumpkins.......and Then Some!

Ok, Peeps, this is the place to go for all your pumpkin informational needs: Pumpkin Nook!


Here you will find info on how to grow them, giant pumpkins, facts & education, recipes, fun stuff and more. Plus lots of links related to the two main pumpkin consuming holidays: Halloween & Thanksgiving.

One of Miss Bun's favorite pages is "Naming Your Baby" which assures us that what name you give your growing pumpkin is very important! (Who knew???)

Enjoy!