I’m trying to get some posts written and scheduled before the big move! LOL Unit studies are soooo time consuming but I have a notebook where I keep a running list of resources for each theme.
As always, I try to list things for all the different ages.
Most of the books can be easily found at your local library, on Amazon, or Paperback Swap.
BOOKS (All book covers should be clickable links.)
Well, I ALMOST missed this section of history. LOL We were going to do vikings then Marco Polo (which does include ancient China). NOW we are going to do vikings, ancient China, and THEN Marco Polo. Makes much more sense that way. LOL
I’m trying to type this all up while waiting for my nail polish to completely dry. Glitter nail polish is evil but it’s also pretty… LOL
Hands of a Child Mayans, Aztecs, Incas Lapbook (On sale right now!!) The great thing about Hands of a Child packs is that they have everything you need. There is a answer key AND a study guide!
Free Clip Art – for making your own notebooking pages, lapbook minibooks, coloring sheets, whatever.
So sorry for my lack of sewing posts lately. I did manage to cut the pieces for Cailey’s Tinkerbell costume! Step one – complete! LOL I should have a tutorial up by the end of the week.
Then Deanna comes in yesterday and tells me that she would like me to make her a long black skirt to wear to the Halloween party on Sunday. Nothing like waiting until the last minute! LOL AND she wants makeup like this -
Yep… Nothing like the last minute!
Anyway, since I have a lot of sewing to DO but nothing to SHOW, I thought I would do a post about hands on science for homeschooling! FUN!
OH! Legos!!! A great hands on unit for boys especially!! This is from The Homeschool Post.
This is an AWESOME idea for this time of year!!! Basically you just fill your pumpkin with soil, water it every so often and watch the seeds grow! This idea comes from Growing in PreK. Although it says Pre K, I think this would be excellent for any elementary age child!
I <3 the Crafty Classroom!!! This fossil craft would be an AWESOME addition to a fossil or dinosaur study! The page has more hands on idea for fossils. And you should check out all the other themes on the right side bar. AH-MAZ-ING!!!!!!
This is BRILLIANT!! What a great way to show the molecules in the different layers of the atmosphere! A really good visual from Science Matters.
E Is for Explore has a lot of great ideas to show static electricity! And we are quickly approaching the time of year when static electricity will be zapping us on a daily basis….. LOL
I thought this was just brilliant. I would never have thought to use a soggy graham cracker to represent the tectonic plates! Thank you to the Homeschool Den!!!! This page has a lot of other ways to explore plate movements.
Another perfect for fall science experiment!!! This one was put together by Science Sparks with a guest post by Rainy Day Mum.
The Science Behind Who Gets Magical Powers would be great for high school biology. It’s not exactly hands on but it is definitely an attention grabber for those HP fans!!!
If this shows up (FINGERS CROSSED!!!) it will be a video from BBC One that shows how your ear works.
Launch a rocket from a spinning planet with this guide from NASA Space Place.
Water Cycle Wonders from Practical Pages. And while you’re there, check out allllll the other amazing things on this blog!
Another brilliant idea!!! This can be found at Momma Owls Lab.
Here is another one that isn’t actually hands on but definitely an attention grabber. It shows the skeletons of different cartoons!! How cool is that???
Speaking of skeletons, we had an interesting science time yesterday. LOL Cailey was petting Bonnie and asked if a cat has bones in its tail. Instead of just saying yes and moving on, I looked up cat skeletons on Google to show her. Then we dragged out our DK Eyewitness Skeleton book and looked at all the different types. That led to dragging out the starfish as an example of exoskeletons! LOL
Whenever your kids ask a question, don’t just answer it. Help them explore it. See where it leads! You never can tell….. LOL Science is a natural topic for kids. They are always wanting to know the how and the why of everything around them.
We haven’t been doing any “actual” homeschooling since we decided to move. There have just been a thousand things going on around here…. BUT they have still been getting their daily dose of science just by being interested in the things around them. Such as, “why are the leaves turning colors and falling off the trees?” “Why do squirrels collect nuts?” “Why are the buzzards circling over there?”
Sometimes you even get really lucky and can add some history in, too. “Why do we use pumpkins on Halloween”, can be both a science and a history question!
And don’t forget with Thanksgiving just around the corner that the opportunities to combine the two subjects will continue! Weather, crop growing, and the different animals of the New World just to name a few science items to go along with the history!
And I just had to pause this post to explain how the earth tilts for the different seasons and why there will most likely NOT be any snow in Georgia this winter…. LOL Geography AND science in one question! LOL
I need to get sewing on Cailey’s costume but all I reallllly want to do is take a nap! LOL I am trying to fight an oncoming cold….. WAH!! I do NOT need a cold right before we move!!! AND right before Halloween!! Not to mention that I am still having awful fibro flares. I think they are due to having to get up at 4 am this week to take The Hubby to work. WAH!!!!! BUT when we move he will have more decent hours! YAY!!!!
What a title. LOL I have been planning away today! I almost have things planned out for the Cs for the first couple of weeks. Yes, I know…. I said I was thinking more along the lines of unschooling…. I find that I am not able to give up that much control yet. LOL That being said, they will have a lot of areas that will be completely led by them. Our animal studies, for example, will be based on whatever animals they are interested in at the time.
SO, Ancient Rome. That will be our first history theme. Here are the books I am planning to use:
Holy Cities: Rome by Saviour Pirotta
DK Eyewitness Books: Ancient Rome
World History Encyclopedia by Parragon Publishing
History in Stone: Ancient Rome by Philip Steele
The Life of a Roman Soldier by Don Nardo
Magic Tree House Research Guide Ancient Rome and Pompeii by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce (I will be getting “Vacation Under the Volcano” from the library)
The Time Warp Trio: See You Later Gladiator by Jon Scieszka
A Child’s History of the World by Virgil M. Hillyer
Will we also be using 2 different lapbooks mixed together. One from Homeschool Share and one from Dynamic2Moms. I will be sharing all our crafts and stuff as we go along.
For science I have a whole bunch of kits from The Young Scientist Club that we will be going through. The first one will be on measurements. If you are looking to buy the kits they are MUCH cheaper through Amazon than the monthly club. You get 3 kits for a little more than one kit.
For math Cailey will be using Saxon Math 3, Colin will be playing games and Joshua (J2) and Deanna will be using Khan Academy along with their text books (Saxon for D and Bob Jones (?) for J2). They LOOOOOVE Khan Academy!! And so do I! LOL
For Biology D will be using Abeka. She LOOOOVES their science books, they are all she has used since we started homeschooling. J2 will be starting physics! YILES!!! He will be using Khan Academy and HippoCampus.
My goodness, it’s gonna be a BUSY year!!! LOL
Now, for the My Little Pony!
Cailey has a skort that she LOOOVES but it has gotten entirely too short for her. She was getting tired of having to wear it with leggings so I decided to fix that for her. I had a small remnant of My Little Pony fabric that I pick up for next to nothing so I made a big ruffle out of it and attached it to the bottom of the skort! All fixed! She loves it! YAY!!!
I am sloooooowly making progress on the McCall’s M6553. SIGH…. I wish I would hurry up already! LOL
I want to thank everyone that commented yesterday. THANK YOU!!!!! You all are AMAZING!!! THANK YOU, again!!! I have the best readers ever!
OOH!!!! I have WONDERFUL news!!! A friend of mine will be starting a Bags of Hope and Love <3 with her congregation!!! YAY!!! Isn’t that GRRRRRREAT!!!! Let’s just keep spreading the hope and love as far and wide as we can!!! Let’s see how many kids we can reach!! WOOO HOOOO!!!
