• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The River Houses

A National Network of Local Homeschool Societies

  • Subscribe!
  • Home
  • Topics β–Ύ
    • Arts & Music
    • Astronomy
    • Books & Libraries
    • Collections & Collecting
    • Friday Bird Families
    • Great Stars
    • Holidays & Anniversaries
    • Language & Literature
    • Lunar Society Bulletins
    • Maps & Geography
    • Museums & Monuments
    • Natural History
    • Poems-of-the-Week
    • Quick Freshes
    • Research & News
    • States & Countries
    • Terms & Calendars
    • Weekly World Heritage
  • Homeschool Calendars
  • Six Books
  • TWOC β–Ύ
    • The Lunar Society of the River Houses
  • About Us β–Ύ
    • Our Mascots
  • Shop!

πŸŒ• THE LUNAR SOCIETY of the River Houses

“Men work together,” I told him from the heart,
“Whether they work together or apart.”

β€”Robert Frost

The Internet provides exceptional opportunities for homeschool students to participate in real academic research projects in a wide variety of fields. The Lunar Society is another big and wonderful River Houses plan that will bring those students together. Instead of leaving homeschoolers to work in isolation, the Lunar Society will encourage students who are participating in online research to share their accomplishments each month on an easily remembered occasion: the day of the full moon.

Here is a selected list of some of the online research projects that are available now and that we think are suitable for homeschoolers working at an advanced middle school or high school level. You and your students can join any of these projects today. They cover a wide range of academic fields and research areas and so will appeal to many different interests; some require active participation while others are more passive; some are indoors and some are outdoors; all will help students learn valuable practical and academic skills.

  • ➒ Benchmark Hunting β€” Benchmarks are fixed geodetic survey markers used in map making. Tracking them down in the field is not only fun, it also helps contribute to nationwide mapping efforts.
  • ➒ Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) β€” This is an umbrella project supporting a great variety of individual research applications that use your computer’s idle time to work on scientific calculations. All you have to do is download a small application that runs in the background on your computer, and while you’re sitting back and relaxing, it will be analyzing data on earthquakes or proteins or galaxies. We already participate in three of these projects (and there are many others also available):
  • ➒ [Asteroids@Home (asteroidsathome.net) β€” A project sponsored by the Astronomical Institute of Charles University in Prague to determine the shapes and orbital characteristics of asteroids in our solar system. (Here’s a placeholder page for our River Houses Asteroids@Home team.) NOTE: Asteroids@Home is temporarily offline as of January 2022 because of hardware problems; they hope to be back in operation soon.]
  • ➒ Einstein@Home (einsteinathome.org) β€” A project sponsored by a group of international scientific organizations to search for gravitational waves and pulsars in space. (Here’s a placeholder page for our River Houses Einstein@Home team.)
  • ➒ MilkyWay@Home (milkyway.cs.rpi.edu) β€” A project sponsored by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to study the structure and history of the Milky Way galaxy. (Here’s another placeholder page, for our MilkyWay@Home team.)
  • ➒ eBird (ebird.org) β€” A project to map bird observations in your local area and around the world, sponsored by Cornell University. eBird includes the Great Backyard Bird Count (every February) and Project FeederWatch (specifically for backyard bird-feeder watchers).
  • ➒ Fireball Reporting at the American Meteor Society β€” A project to track fireballs (exceptionally bright meteors) and estimate their altitude, direction, and possible areas of impact. Here’s the very basic profile page for the observations I’ve contributed; we may be able to use something like this to create a River Houses team page at some point. This is a difficult project to work on consistently because it’s naturally unpredictable, but if you enjoy skywatching you should look into it so you will know how to document any future observations you may make. (For observers outside the United States, try the associated International Meteor Organization.)
  • ➒ NASA Solve β€” A wide assortment of NASA-sponsored earth and space projects that “citizen scientists” can join.
  • ➒ Nature’s Notebook β€” Help scientists track the progress of the seasons across the North American continent with this citizen science project sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Phenology Network.
  • ➒ Personal Weather Station Network β€” Get your own weather station for your backyard and connect it with thousands of others around the world.
  • ➒ U.S. Geological Survey National Map Corps β€” Help to verify and update local map data in your community and make an important contribution to improved mapping all across the United States.
  • ➒ U.S. Library of Congress “By the People” Project β€” An excellent opportunity to help tag and transcribe historical documents at the Library of Congress. If you have history-minded students in your homeschool this site is definitely worth investigating. (They also have “For Educators” recommendations on how to use these projects with students.)
  • ➒ U.S. National Archives “Citizen Archivist” Project β€” Another excellent opportunity for history-minded students to help transcribe and analyze historical documents at the U.S. National Archives. There’s an ever-changing list of missions (projects) available to work on, ranging from letters sent to Abraham Lincoln to soldiers’ records from World War I.
  • ➒ Wikimedia Commons Photo Challenge β€” Do you have a budding photographer in your homeschool? The Wikimedia Foundation (sponsor of Wikipedia) has a monthly photography contest to encourage people to produce freely available images on a variety of themes in order to help improve Wikipedia. We put up a special River Houses post about the Photo Challenge every month.
  • ➒ Zooniverse β€” A big clearinghouse for “citizen science,” with dozens of research projects available in many different fields. This is one of the best places to explore if you want to find a new homeschool project to take up.

Look these projects over and see if any of them catch your interest and the interest of your students, and before you know it your little home academy will become a research powerhouse. πŸ”¬ πŸ”­ πŸ–₯ πŸ¦‹ πŸ” πŸ¦† βš—οΈ 🌸 βœ’οΈ πŸ“– 🌲 😊

But … what does all this have to do with the moon? πŸŒ• Well, there was a famous science-and-technology club in England in the late 1700s and early 1800s called the Lunar Society of Birmingham (because they met each month around the time of the full moon). They discussed current scientific developments, shared new research results, talked about new inventions, and generally had a grand old time.

I’m hoping that within the River Houses we’ll be able to bring together homeschoolers participating in a number of these group research projects, and each month at the full moon we can have a kind of round-up of the things our members have accomplished (and we can have a grand old time, too). Imagine hundreds (thousands?) of homeschoolers across the country learning about and contributing to interesting research projects with their River Houses friends. That’s the Lunar Society β€” a nice idea for the future.

What scientific discoveries have you made in your homeschool this month? 😊

❑ The friends who made the future: Learn more about the original Lunar Society of Birmingham in “TheΒ Lunar Men,” a fine short video from History West Midlands.

❑ Whether they work together or apart: Each month on the full moon we post a Lunar Society Bulletin with updates on some of the projects listed above. Add your name to our free weekly mailing list to get these bulletins and a host of other great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the year.Β πŸ—ž

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Newsletter!

It’s free! Your name and email address are never shared with any third parties.

CHECK YOUR INBOX (or spam folder) to confirm your subscription. Thank you! 😊

Search the River Houses

Recent Posts

  • πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ MEMORIAL DAY 2022
  • πŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Indigobirds, Old World Sparrows, and Allies
  • πŸŽ‚ HOMESCHOOL HOLIDAYS: Happy Birthday, Ralph! (Emerson, that is)
  • 🌍 πŸ‡ΈπŸ‡¦ WEEKLY WORLD HERITAGE: The Al-Hijr Site in Saudi Arabia
  • πŸ–‹ πŸŽ“ GRADUATION SEASON: β€œSet me free to find my calling”
  • πŸ—“ QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Families – Week of 22 May 2022
  • 🌎 πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ SUNDAY STATES: Colorado, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, and More
  • πŸ“β€‰β±β€‰πŸŒ‘ HAPPY WORLD METROLOGY DAY 2022!
  • πŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Bulbuls, Starlings, Waxwings, and Allies
  • πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦ HOMESCHOOL MUSIC & HISTORY: β€œTo find the hand of Franklin”
  • 🌎 πŸ‡±πŸ‡¨ WEEKLY WORLD HERITAGE: The Pitons in Saint Lucia
  • πŸ”Ž HOMESCHOOL RESEARCH & NEWS – May 2022
  • πŸŒ• RESEARCH PROJECTS for Homeschoolers – May 2022
  • πŸ–‹ πŸƒ WONDERFUL WORDS: Robert Frost’s β€œBirches”
  • πŸ—“ QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Families – Week of 15 May 2022

Post Calendar

May 2022
S M T W T F S
« Apr    
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  

Post Categories

  • 🎡 Homeschool Arts & Music
  • πŸ”­ Homeschool Astronomy
  • πŸ“š Homeschool Books & Libraries
  • πŸ’° Homeschool Collections & Collecting
  • πŸ“… Homeschool Holidays & Anniversaries
  • πŸ“– Homeschool Language & Literature
  • πŸŒ• Lunar Society Bulletins
  • πŸ—Ί Homeschool Maps & Geography
  • πŸ› Homeschool Museums & Monuments
  • 🏞 Homeschool Natural History
  • πŸ—“ Quick Freshes for Homeschool Families
  • πŸ”Ž Homeschool Research & News
  • 🌎 πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Homeschool States & Countries
  • πŸ—“ Homeschool Terms & Calendars

Astronomy

  • American Meteor Society
    • – Fireball Reporting System
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day
  • Evening Sky Maps
  • Homeschool Astronomy (Sky & Telescope)
  • Hubble Space Telescope
    • – Learning Resources
  • NASA
    • – Asteroid Watch
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Our Solar System
    • – Spot the Station
    • – Webb Space Telescope
  • The Planets Today
    • – Light-Distance to the Planets
  • The Sky This Week (USNO)
  • Space Weather
  • Stellarium Night Sky Charts
  • Time and Date
    • – Eclipses
    • – Meteor Showers
    • – Moon Phases
    • – Seasons
  • Tonight’s Sky (hubblesite.com)
  • Virtual Planisphere

Books & Libraries

  • Baldwin Library of Children’s Literature
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • Classic Children’s Books (read.gov)
  • Folger Shakespeare Library
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Shakespeare’s Plays Online
  • HathiTrust Digital Library
  • In Our Time (BBC Podcasts)
  • New York Public Library Digital Collections
  • Project Gutenberg
  • US Library of Congress
    • – Children’s Book Selections
    • – Educator Resources
    • – LC Blogs
    • – LC Digital Collections
    • – Minerva’s Kaleidoscope
  • US National Archives
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Founders Online
    • – K–5 Resources
    • – Teaching With Documents
  • Vatican Library Digital Collections
  • WorldCat Library Catalog
    • – WorldCat Library Finder
  • World Digital Library

Museums, Parks, & Monuments

  • Art Collections Online
  • British Museum Collections Online
  • Google Arts & Culture Collections
  • Smithsonian Institution
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Smithsonian Museums
    • – Smithsonian Open Access
  • Timeline of Art History
  • US National Park Service
    • – Educator Resources
    • – National Memorials
    • – National Monuments
    • – National Parks
    • – Wild & Scenic Rivers Program
  • US National Wildlife Refuges
  • US State Parks
  • Watercolour World

Natural History

  • All About Birds (Cornell University)
    • – Bird Identification Guide
    • – eBird Online
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • BirdCast Daily Migration Maps
  • Time and Date
    • – Seasons
  • UC Museum of Paleontology
    • – Educator Resources
  • US Fish & Wildlife Service
    • – Education Programs
  • US Geological Survey
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Latest Earthquakes
  • US National Weather Service
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Nationwide Air Quality
    • – Nationwide River Conditions
    • – Wildfire and Smoke Map
  • Wild & Scenic Rivers Program

Maps & Geography

  • Antipodes Map
  • FlightAware (Planes in the Air)
  • Mapquest World Maps
  • MarineTraffic (Ships at Sea)
  • OpenStreetMap World Maps
  • Printable Blank Maps & Flags
  • Printable Outline Maps (d-maps.com)
  • River Runner
  • USGS Topographic Maps
  • World Factbook (cia.gov)
  • World Heritage Sites (UNESCO)
    • – Educator Resources
  • Zoom Earth

Civics & Social Science

  • 1776 Unites
  • Bill of Rights Institute
  • Constitution Center
  • C-Span Classroom
  • Foundation for Economic Education
  • Free Speech Curriculum from FIRE
  • History of the Western World (I)
    • – Western World (II)
  • iCivics.org
  • Learn Liberty
  • Mises Institute Economics
  • MyMoney.gov
    • – Educator Resources
  • Online Library of Liberty
  • US Founding Documents
  • US Government Portal
    • – The Congress
    • – The Supreme Court
    • – The White House
  • US Mint
    • – Coin Activities for Kids
    • – Educator Resources
  • US Postal Museum
    • – Explore the Collections
    • – Activities for Kids
    • – Stamps Teach (from APS)
  • Visual Capitalist

Post Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • April 2017
Sign up for our free newsletter and get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox every week!

All original content Β© 2017–2022 by The River Houses Β· The River Houses and the River Houses emblem are Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.