Gears! Gears! Gears! educational and fun building toy!

As an elementary science teacher and a homeschool mom, I have always loved toys that are educational and fun.

Gears, Gears, Gears offers a fun way to learn, and right now Groupon has a great offer for 3 different sets.  Pay only $2.99 shipping, or get free shipping if you spend over $15.

• $9.99 for a Gears! Gears! Gears! beginner building set ($27.99 list price)
• $12.99 for a Gears! Gears! Gears! school set ($24.99 list price)
• $17.99 for a Gears! Gears! Gears! Crazy Creatures building set ($44.99 list price)

Gears! Gears! Gears! Building Sets

Gears! Gears! Gears! Building Sets (Up to 64% Off). 3 Sets Available. Free Shipping on Purchases of $15 or More.

More details at Groupon


There are affiliate links in this post that help support this site at no additional cost to you.  Read the full disclosure policy here.

Pin It

Frugal Science Activity....Project Feeder Watch

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is known for many great outreach projects.  They love getting children involved in science and offer many free opportunities to do so  (Great Backyard Bird Count, NestWatch, ebird).

They also offer an opportunity to be involved in some real science that is available for a small fee.

Project Feeder Watch is only $15 ($12 if you are a member).  The project runs from November through April.  This is a great opportunity for your children to observe, classify and enter data, about birds that visit your yard, onto a real science website.  You also have an option to submit paper forms by mail.  You will receive a calendar, and identification charts and the instructions you need to complete the project.



They also have a Homeschooler's Guide to Project Feeder Watch, that you can download with lesson plans for you.

If this sounds like something your children would enjoy, I encourage you to check it out!!


This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as MOM. Pin It

FREE Tools for Teaching Science at Exploratorium

Diane Flynn Keith has provided me once again with a cool science link!  Yesterday she featured a link for the Exploratorium, which is a museum in San Francisco.  I haven't had the pleasure of visiting there, but it sure looks like it would be a fun place to go!  In the meantime, I can visit their website!  One of the links caught my eye since we are in the middle of baseball tryouts at my house.  It is the Science of Baseball. 
Here is a sampling of some of the subjects:
Science of Gardening
Microscope Imaging Station
Sheep Brain Dissection
Sport Science

Check it out! Pin It

FREE Science opportunity----Nest Watch

Do you have any birds nesting in your yard?  A mallard duck in your garden?  Maybe a robin under your deck?  Why not turn this event into your homeschool science for the spring?  Once again, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology wants our help.  They have created a website called NestWatch.org.  If you have nesting birds near you, they would like you to help them by recording certain data on their website.  Here is what the site states: 

Anyone can monitor nests - it's a rewarding way to spend time outdoors and participate in science.

NestWatch is a continentwide citizen-science project and nest-monitoring database of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, funded by the National Science Foundation and developed in collaboration with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. 

This project is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant No. 0540185. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Here is another chance for your family to do REAL Science!  Check it out! Pin It

The Great Sunflower Project---"Real Science for your kids"

As March came in "like a lamb" up here in the North, we are anxiously looking forward to spring.  Spring means green grass, gardens and baseball, around this house! 
You too, may be thinking about a garden this spring and here is a wonderful way to use your garden as a way to do some "real science" with your children. 

The Great Sunflower Project wants your help in counting bees!  The requirements to do so are very minimal.  Plant "Lemon Queen" sunflower seeds, watch them grow and count how many bees come to them in a 15 minute period.  You will then record your results on their website.  What a fabulous opportunity for your children to see how real scientists go about their work.  Check out the website for complete details. Pin It

Free Science of the Olympic Winter Games lesson plans

I always love to create and use lessons around things that interest my children.  Of course the Winter Olympics are something of high interest to them right now.  NBC and Lessonopoly have teamed up to create science lesson plans.  Here is a link to lesson plans for grades 6 and up.  I'm sure they can be adapted to work with younger students also.  Check it out here at Lessonopoly. Pin It

Free Science Activities at Understanding Science

Here is another helpful website for free Science activities grades K through high school.  The sample activities can be found by following the Teacher tab.  Having taught elementary science for many years, I have used the University of Berkeley materials many times, as they teach children the process of doing science so well.  Pin It

Friday Deals, Not to Miss

I "tweeted" about this yesterday....but in case you missed it, today is Friends and Family Day at Walgreens, in stores only.  This is a 15% off coupon for eligible store items, and 20% off of Walgreen brand items.  It might be time to save money and stock up!
They are also offering a deal on 4X6 prints.  Order 25 prints and get 25 prints free.

Another totally unrelated deal is through US Youth Soccer Association and Sports Authority.  Here is a $10 off coupon when you spend $50, at Sports Authority.  Soccer season will be here soon.  The coupon is good until Jan. 2011.

Just a reminder, next week is the Great Backyard Bird Count, a free science activity for anyone interested.


Follow me on Twitter, and or become a fan on Facebook, and you can keep track of updates that might not necessarily appear on 2 Make Ends Meet. Pin It

Old Navy and Popular Mechanics...Design a Magazine Cover...win $500 shopping spree

Here is an opportunity for your artistic children to design a magazine cover.  This is in-stores only and takes place through February 21.
Old Navy sends a lot of great e-mail offers, with opportunities to print great coupons.  You can subscribe to e-mail here.
Pin It

The Great Backyard Bird Count---FREE Science activity

What a fun way for your kids to participate in science.  The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual event that is hosted by The Cornell Department of Ornithology and the Audobon Society.  The dates of this year's count are February 12-15, 2010.  You don't need to be an expert to participate.  You just need to be able to count and then submit your counts on their website.  How fun for your children to see their results included in the tallies from all over the country!

Check it out at The Great Backyard Bird Count.  There is a lot of fabulous information about birds on this site also.

Happy Bird Counting! Pin It

Free Online Seminars from Homeschool Science Academy

If you are a homeschooler, you might want to take advantage of these free online seminars.  Greg Landry is the director of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory at Appalachian State University.  He is also a homeschool dad with a desire to teach young people.  He has a program where students can take online science classes for a semester.  He also offers the following Free 45 Minute Online Seminars:

• "Top 10 Academic Mistakes Homeschoolers Make - and How to Avoid Them"
• "Anatomy and Physiology of the Pancreas"
• "SAT and ACT - What You Should Know"
• "There's Life in the Blood"
• "So, You Want to be a Doctor - What it Takes Now and What to Expect"
• "How to do Well on Timed Tests"
• "But What About Socialization?"
• "What You (students) Can Learn From My TA's.. the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"
• "What I've Learned from Human Cadavers.. about Life, Death, God, and Anatomy"
• "Working Toward Academic Excellence - A Practical and Biblical Guide"
• "Teaching the Sciences - 6th - 12th Grade"
• "Sports Scholarships for Homeschooled Students - How to Get Them"
• "Creation Clues - The Urge (to go) and Other Rarely Thought of Human Body Characteristics"

If you are interested, take a look at his website, Homeschool Science Academy Pin It

Free Supercharged Science with Aurora Lipper

If you have ever had trouble teaching science at home, here is a fabulous resource that just might be the perfect fit for you!  Aurora Lipper is a highly gifted scientist, mom, teacher, researcher, etc. and she offers a FREE curriculum download and FREE teleclasses, usually once a month.  She also has fabulous curriculum to purchase. 
As a former elementary science teacher myself, Aurora's style of teaching is very much the way my teaching partner and I taught.  Her curriculum is very hands-on and very exciting for the students.  You will learn with them as well!!!  Click on Free Supercharged Science which takes you to her website. 
This is what you will get: 
The Science Experiment & Activity Guide includes over 30 experiments. Here are some of the topics it covers:

 Roller Coaster Physics

 Crystal Farming

 Volcanoes

 Aerodynamics

 Hot Air Balloons

 Physical Forces

 Static Electricity

And of course lots more.

 My boys (ages 13, 11 an 7) have participated in several of her FREE teleclasses.  They were fabulous!  We would do more, but they are usually on a day we are at our homeschool co-op class.  :(

Give it a try!!

Happy Experimenting!!! Pin It