July 1999 Issue

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An Online Educational Community

A newsletter that educates parents, teachers, and
students.

July 1999 Issue #2
Tracey Powell, Editor, mailto:editor@innovamultimedia.com
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Welcome to your second issue of "An Online Educational
Community". Check out our website at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com

If you think a friend might be interested in reading this newsletter,
pass it along in whole or in part.

You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a
subscription.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to our newsletter, fill out the form at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/newsletr.html

Each month we will focus on a different educational theme and base
our feature article and learning tips around that particular theme.

The theme of this month's newsletter is "Making summer holidays
both educational and fun!"

Our feature article,"Between You and the Teacher", introduces a
summer learning plan, a learning schedule that will keep your child on
track for the next school year. Our section, "Learning Tips", lists six
ways you, the parent, can create a fun-and not too lazy-summer
routine for your child.

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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> What's New at innovamultimedia.com
=> Feature Article
=> Lesson Plans
=> Education Sites
=> New Releases
=> Upcoming Products
=> Learning Tips
=> Whale Stuff
=> Feedback

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What's New at innovamultimedia.com
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For all you students out there we have made a couple of new
additions to our free stuff page. Check it out at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/freestff.html

First, we have completed our "Wallpaper" section, where you can
choose between any number of different "A Whale of a Tale"
wallpapers. And get this! They are all 100% free! Start
downloading at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/walpaper.html

Secondly, we have just finished our "coloring book" section.
Here children will be able to download, and/or print off some
of their favorite "A Whale of a Tale" characters and scenes to
color by themselves. These pages can be found at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/coloring.html

Parents and teachers, we have recently incorporated a new
"reviews" section, a sort of brag book. Here you can read what other
individuals have to say about our products and how their family,
friends, and students find these programs both educational and fun!
Read these testimonials at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/reviews1.html

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FEATURE ARTICLE - BETWEEN YOU AND TEACHER

Author - McGraw.Hill - Making children more successful at
http://www.MHkids.com/html/f_sitemp.htm
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Statistics show that all children lose educational ground in the
summer. So much so, that teachers often spend the beginning
of each school year reteaching the material they taught the
previous year. Every child - both good students and those who are
more challenged - can benefit from a summer learning plan, a
learning schedule that will keep them on track for the next year. But
how much is too much? And how do you know whether your child
needs a special kind of help - tutoring, summer school, or another
kind of special educational experience?

Consult your Child's Teacher. Your child's current teacher is the best
source of information about your child's learning needs - and the time
to discuss those needs is well before the school year is out so that the
appropriate arrangements can be made for the summer months.

Learn about Curriculum Expectations. You will also want to find
out what will be expected in the year to come by acquainting
yourself with the school's grade-level curriculum. You can obtain that
curriculum from your school's office.

Find out What Your School Offers. Many schools offer summer
tutoring programs, small group instruction, and summer school.
School programs have several advantages - they are geared to
your school's curriculum, they employ their own teachers, and
they are held in the familiar setting of the child's own school. They are
also usually affordable.

Investigate Your Summer School Options. Learn about other
summer schools in your area. Sometimes a child can simply benefit
from a change in his or her learning environment.

Consider Private Tutoring. Tutoring can be expensive, but it offers
the advantage of a one-on-one experience. Your school
probably can offer you a list of recommended tutors - and that
list may even include your child's own teacher. Make sure you
are consistent about tutoring sessions - set regular appointments
throughout the summer (at least once a week). Make sure that
you support any "tutoring" homework at home.

Consider Educational Camp. Many summer camps, both day and
overnight camps, have an educational focus. Invention camps,
science camps, drama camps, art camps and writing camps can help
your child develop learning skills - all while having fun!

Be Creative! Consider "small" interventions, as well as large ones.
Many community libraries and bookstores have summer
reading clubs - usually with an incentive program. Make letter
writing an integral part of your summer. Ask your child's teacher if
they can exchange letters or emails through the summer months to
check in on each other.

Don't Worry about Going Overboard. Many parents worry about
bogging their child down with too much educational activity in the
summer. Your child will probably let you know when it's too much -
and the relaxed mood of summer will allow you both plenty of time to
stop and smell the roses.

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Lesson Plans
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Teachers, check out free A Whale of a Tale lesson plans on
our website at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/lesson1.html

Surf into Science 1 - "Seasons" at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/Sci1c.html
introduces kids to the four seasons, gets them to identify signs and
changes associated with each season, and lets them examine how
seasonal change affects animals, birds and humans.

Leap into Language 2 - "Dictionary Fun with Little Blue" at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/Lang2b.html
gets kids to locate words in a simple dictionary and alphabetize
to the second letter.

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Education Sites
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Check out some of these INNOVA recommended resource sites:

Students, visit kidsworld ONLINE at
http://www.kidsworld-online.com/
where you can enter contests, complete puzzles, or check out the
numerous cool links.

While you're at it check out HEADBONE Zone at
http://www.headbone.com/
where you can play games, read jokes, and make friends. Only two
rules apply at HEADBONE, be smart and have fun! HEADBONE
requires parental permission for kids under 13 who want to start their
own hbzmail (free email) accounts or be eligible to win prizes.

Parents, check out family.com at
http://family.go.com/
where you can find activites for the kids, a homework helper, parenting
tips and much, much more! A truly informative site!

Also, check out ParentsPlace.com at
http://www.parentsplace.com/
a website that is updated daily and contains a wealth of information
for today's parent. Departments include family,
work, fun, health, and many more.

Teachers, visit Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site at
http://www.carolhurst.com/
Here you will find a collection of reviews of great books for kids,
ideas of ways to use them in the classroom and collections of
books and activities about particular subjects, curriculum areas,
themes and professional topics.

Check out Edusites at
http://www.icenter.net/~constant/index.html
This on-line repertoire is under continuous development. Its purpose
is to provide assistance to teachers in search of new ideas to integrate
in their daily classroom teaching.

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New Releases - Surf into Science 3
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A Whale of a Tale: Surf into Science 3 is an interactive multimedia
Science program designed to help students, ages seven to nine, learn
basic Science skills.

The program covers the following topics:

1. Environment: Freddy the Flying Fish loves to explore his
natural surroundings or ecosystem. The three types of animals
that make up an ecosystem, namely producers, consumers and
decomposers are studied here. Also, Miranda the Sea Otter
introduces her seacoast ecosystem while Freddy researches the
types of trees found in a forest ecosystem.

2. Earth: Sid the Seagull examines the different layers of soil
(topsoil, subsoil, bedrock), while Penny the Puffin studies the
different parts of plants (flower, leaves, stem, roots). The four
important parts of the flower are introduced here. Discover the
different landforms of the Earth with Albert the Albatross, who has a
bird's eye view.

3. Weather: Percy the Penguin studies and predicts the weather
while Penny the Puffin investigates the different types of clouds
overhead. Examine air in motion, how it originates, and how it is
measured, with Penny the Puffin.

4. Energy: Rocky Barnacle investigates magnets and what they can
do, discovering the Law of Magnetic Poles. Old Tom the Turtle
learns how to make electricity, grind flour, pump water,
sail ships, transport goods and turn water wheels through
studying wind and water power. Research ways to capture and
use solar energy with Amy.

To find out more about our Surf into Science 3 program, visit
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/surfsci3.html

Call our toll free number, 1-877-8INNOVA or 1-877-846-6682, if
interested in ordering this or any other product.

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Upcoming Products - LessonBuilder (Beta version now available)
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TEACHERS! Build custom courses with INNOVA's free
LessonBuilder program!

Do you want to create courses on your computer that incorporate an
eclectic blend of curriculum-specific topics? Do you have students
whose learning needs fall outside the traditional
curriculum structure and who require special emphasis in certain
areas but not others?

LessonBuilder is a new concept in computer education that is
designed, by teachers, around the needs of teachers. LessonBuilder
allows you to arrange our curriculum-specific "A Whale of a Tale"
lessons in whatever way you require. Create a different course for
each student in your class, for example, or interdisciplinary courses
that show the relationships between different areas of the curriculum.

LessonBuilder is a free program currently available in Beta version on
INNOVA Multimedia's website. It also comes with one free "A
Whale of a Tale" lesson. Come download LessonBuilder at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/LBuilder.htm
and e-mail us your comments. We always welcome feedback!

A more detailed description of this product will follow in the
"New Releases" section of the next issue.

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Learning Tips

Author - McGraw.Hill - Making children more successful at
http://www.MHkids.com/html/f_sitemp.htm .
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6 WAYS TO SET A SUMMER ROUTINE FOR YOUR CHILD:

1. Make a list of summertime rules. As a family, decide what your
summertime rules will be if they are going to be different than
your school time routine. Consider how much television your
children will watch, what chores they will be expected to do,
summer bedtimes, etc. Turn the list into a contract and have all the
family members sign it.

2. Create a summer budget. Decide how you will handle allowances
and other expenditures in the summer. How much money will your
child be able to spend at the pool, for instance? How much will you
spend at the amusement park, movie theater, etc.? How will you
keep track of how much is spent?

3. Plan an event to signal the start of the summer. The first day
of summer vacation should be special. Consider planning a
summer outing of strawberry picking, a bike hike, or taking a walk to
the library to sign up for a summer reading club.

4. Develop a summer reading schedule. Make sure you set aside
time each day to read with or to your child. Be creative about
your reading. Read in your treehouse, at your local park, or under the
stars with a flashlight.

5. Consider a family volunteering experience. Investigate ways
you, as a family, can make a difference in your community and
make that an integral part of your summer experience.

6. Evaluate your summer. At the end of your summer, ask each
family member to write down three things he or she liked about his or
her summer routine and three things he or she didn't. Consider both
the routine and the activities. Then tuck the notes away to help you
plan the next summer.

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Whale Stuff
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Check out these INNOVA recommended whale sites!

The WhaleClub at
http://www.whaleclub.com/community/mission.html
"A gathering place for marine mammal enthusiasts." The WhaleClub
website serves to increase awareness towards marine mammals and
the oceans they live in. A great site with lots of info!

Visit SeaWorld and Busch Gardens at
http://www.seaworld.org/
where you will find animal resources, educational resources and
programs, adventure camps, and a whole lot more!

Whale Trivia:

Killer whales don't chew their food. They swallow their food
whole or tear it into large chunks.

Baleen whales, like other mammals, have a slower heart rate
while diving.

Researchers have found debris such as tree bark, plants, sand,
stones, and paper in the stomachs of beluga whales.

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Feedback
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If you have comments or suggestions concerning our online
newsletter or website, please direct them to
mailto:editor@innovamultimedia.com

Your comments and suggestions will be published in the feedback
section of future issues.

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editor must be obtained to reprint or cite the information
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Where Learning Comes First!