Archived Newsletters

The EnchantedLearning.com Weekly Newsletter Feb. 24, 2002

The EnchantedLearning.com Weekly Newsletter
February 24, 2002

Below you'll find a sampling of what's new at Enchanted Learning.

====================================================

*** SPRING CRAFTS AND ACTIVITIES ***
It's nearing the end of February. Get ready for March and springtime with Enchanted Learning's crafts, activities, print-outs, and information pages.

Spring Crafts

St. Patrick's Day Crafts (March 17)

Easter and Spring Crafts

*** BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE MOBILE ***
Make a simple mobile that shows the metamorphosis of a butterfly, from egg to larva (caterpillar), to pupa, to adult butterfly. You can make this project from a paper plate, construction paper, and yarn.

Butterfly Life Cycle Mobile

*** "THE TEST OF TIME" ON-LINE NOVEL ***
"The Test of Time" is a new on-line novel by I. MacPenn about dinosaurs, science, and time travel. You'll want to read each new installment of this exciting story as it comes out -- and you'll only find it at Enchanted Learning!

"The Test of Time," I. MacPenn's Exciting New Novel of Dinosaurs, Science, and Time Travel

*** ARTISTS, WITH ART ACTIVITIES ***
For each artist, you'll find a page on the artist and also a related art activity designed for young students. So far, we have:

- Alexander Calder, an American artist and inventor of the mobile
- Joseph Cornell, another American artist, who created assemblages in boxes
- Katsushika Hokusai, 18th-century Japanese painter and printmaker
- Joan Miro, an abstract artist from Spain
- Piet Mondrian, an abstract artist from the Netherlands

Artists, with Art Activities

*** SALLY RIDE, FIRST AMERICAN WOMAN IN SPACE ***
Astrophysicist Sally Ride became the first American woman to travel in space, in 1983. And she has the most appropriate name of any of the astronauts!

Sally Ride, First American Woman in Space

*** "SPACE FIRSTS" QUIZ PRINT-OUT ***
Do you know who has spent the most time in space? Who was the first person in space? Who was the first woman in space? Who was the first person to walk on the moon? Read our page on astronaut records, then take the quiz, with these questions and more.

Astronaut Records

"Space Firsts" Quiz Print-out

*** SQUID LABEL-ME PRINT-OUT ***
Come visit our new "Label-Me!" print-out, on the squid. Read the definitions, then label the diagram.

Squid Label-Me! Print-out

Many More Label-Me! Print-outs (for all ages)

*** ELEPHANTS ***
Elephants are fascinating mammals, the biggest land animals in the world. First read our main Elephant Print-out. Then go on to our other elephant information print-outs: African Elephants, Asian (or Indian) Elephants, Mammoths, and Mastodons. Take our Elephant Quiz. And check out our K-3 Elephant Theme Page, with elephant finger puppets, elephant stationery, and more.

Elephants: Print-outs, Information, and a Quiz

*** RHINOCEROS PRINT-OUT AND QUIZ ***
Read about rhinos, then answer ten questions about them.

Rhinoceros Print-out

Rhinoceros Quiz Print-out

*** MEDALS AND AWARD CERTIFICATES TO MAKE FOR KIDS ***
Here you'll find medals and award certificates you can print, in color or in black-and-white. Award them to students for outstanding performances in sports, spelling, math, and other subjects.

You can also make our wearable medal. This one is a craft, not a print-out. Children will enjoy wearing these medals, which are made from the top of a metal juice can, decorated and attached to a ribbon.

Medals to Print Out and Award to Kids

Make a Wearable Medal

Award Certificates to Print Out and Award to Kids

*** FIRE TRUCK CRAFTS AND ACTIVITIES
Make a fire truck from a cardboard box, make tiny fire truck treats from graham crackers, print out fire trucks to color, and paint fire trucks interactively in our on-line coloring pages.

Fire Truck Crafts and Activities

*** TRANSPORTATION CRAFTS (TRUCKS, TRAINS, BOATS & CARS) ***
Do you want more than fire trucks? Check out these vehicle crafts. Make a tiny candy train from wrapped candies. Build a little birch bark canoe from construction paper. Make a simple sailboat that you can really sail. You'll also find coloring pages to print out, travel activity books for your next trip, and more.

Transportation Crafts (Trucks, Trains, Boats, and Cars)

*** 3-D HEART MOBILE ***
Make a fun mobile with strings of hanging 3-D paper hearts.

3-D Heart Mobile

*** CLOZE ACTIVITIES FOR EARLY WRITERS ***
Cloze print-outs are fill-in-the-blank activities. Each page has a word bank. Students practice their reading comprehension skills by figuring out the right word in context for each blank. (And, yes, the word "cloze" has a "z" in it!)

See the variety of cloze topics we have available:

- Travelers in space (Yuri Gagarin, John Glenn, Sally Ride, and even "Monkeynauts")
- Inventors (George Washington Carver, Elijah McCoy, the Wright Brothers)
- History (French and Indian War, Paul Revere, Lewis & Clark, Jackie Robinson, and the Titanic)
- Science (Mary Anning, Butterfly Anatomy and Life Cycle, Frog Life Cycle, Volcanoes)
- And Paul Bunyan!

Cloze Activities for Early Writers

*** THOMAS JEFFERSON ***
Thomas Jefferson, drafter of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the United States, was one of the most important figures of early American history. This great man was also a lawyer, diplomat, architect, inventor, scientist, agriculturist, writer, and revolutionary thinker.

You'll find a page on Thomas Jefferson, a timeline of Jefferson's life, and also a quiz print-out on Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson

Timeline of Thomas Jefferson's Life

Quiz Print-out on Thomas Jefferson

*** JOHN ADAMS, FIRST ONE-TERM PRESIDENT ***
Read about John Adams, the first Vice-President and the second President of the United States. Adams was the first President to live in the White House. Find out about the controversial and unpopular positions he took that led to his becoming the first one-term President.

John Adams, First One-Term President

*** JAMES MADISON, FOURTH PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. ***
James Madison, the youngest member of the Constitutional Convention, was later elected the 4th President of the United States. His term as President included the War of 1812, and saw the introduction of such new inventions as steamships and gaslights. Later in life, Madison worked against slavery.

James Madison, Fourth President of the U.S.

*** PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH PRINT-OUT ***
Students can read about George W. Bush, President of the United States, then answer five questions about his life.

Pres. George W. Bush Print-out

*** STATUE OF LIBERTY QUIZ ***
Read about the Statue of Liberty, then take our quiz. There's even a picture of the statue that you can color.

Statue of Liberty Print-out Quiz

*** QUIZ ON GREAT AFRICAN-AMERICANS ***
Read our page of short biographies of great African-Americans, then take a quiz.

Short Biographies of Great African-Americans

Quiz Print-out on Great African-Americans

*** GLOSSARY OF EXPLORATION TERMS ***
Find out what longitude, latitude, doldrums, analemma, and other exploration terms mean.

Glossary of Exploration Terms

*** NEW PAGES ON POLAR EXPLORERS ***
We've added pages on five explorers of the polar regions.

Roald Amundsen was the first person to reach the South Pole, and also the first person to go to both North and South Poles. After kids read the page, they can take our quiz.

Admiral Richard Byrd was the first to make an airplane trip over the North Pole; he also made many trips of exploration to Antarctica.

Robert E. Peary led the first expedition to the North Pole. Read a page about Peary, then take a quiz on his life and adventures.

Sir James Clark Ross went on early missions to both the Arctic and the Antarctic. He named two Antarctic volcanoes after his ships, the Terror and the Erebus.

Sir John Franklin was an explorer of northern Canada and a British governor of Tasmania. He took the same ships, the Terror and the Erebus, to Canada, where they became trapped in Arctic ice. Come find out what happened to this doomed expedition.

Roald Amundsen (information page, plus quiz print-out)

Admiral Richard Byrd

Robert E. Peary (information page, plus quiz print-out)

Sir James Clark Ross

Sir John Franklin

*** PEDRO MENENDEZ DE AVILES ***
Founder of St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States, Pedro Menendez de Aviles was a brutal conquistador. He and his soldiers took Florida for the King of Spain by murdering the French colonists who were already there.

Pedro Menendez de Aviles

*** NEW ESSAY TOPICS FOR EARLY WRITERS ***
We've added many new essay topics to our collection of print-outs designed to get children started on a variety of writing activities. Here is a sample:

- My Personal Hero
- My Favorite Part of School
- What I Want to Be When I Grow Up
- An Invention I'd Like
- An Act of Kindness
- My Best Vacation Ever
- Invent a New Olympic Sport

... plus many more.

Essays and Writing Activities for Early Writers

*** NIKOLA TESLA, INVENTOR OF THE RADIO ***
The Serbian-American Nikola Tesla invented the radio, the fluorescent light, the induction motor, remote-control devices, and more than 100 other inventions.

Nikola Tesla, Inventor of the Radio

*** METEOR QUIZ PRINT-OUT ***
What exactly are meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites? There's an entire section of Zoom Astronomy on them -- 5 web pages, plus a new quiz print-out.

Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites

--------------------------------

All this, and much more, on our What's New page.

====================================================
The Enchanted Learning Project provides educational content to children and schools worldwide.

The World Wide Web is starting to change the face of education, and Enchanted Learning is a part of that. You can help make this happen through your donation, by clicking here.

All donations will be used to keep Enchanted Learning online. (You need to be 18 years or older to donate.)

We appreciate your support. Thank you!