KarenAnne, about GEMS...

[lisabees]

We got the materials in the mail! I was surprised at how nicely it is laid out for me.

 

We're going to start with Life Through Time.

 

Are there any creatures/plants/lava dirt that you needed to order online? Is there anything else I need to know? Did you skip over anything or make any changes?

 

We also got River Cutters, Plate Tectonics and Earth, Moon and Stars. I cannot look through those yet, as Life Through Time is overwhelming enough! :D

Edited December 6, 2010 by lisabees

[Guest]

Life Through Time is wonderful, but it can seem overwhelming at first glance.

 

My dd had a pile of plastic bugs, fishes, sharks, dinosaurs, farm animals, etc. -- the ones that come in the tubes at your average toy store -- and for the most part, we used these! We even had some plastic seaweed, although you can also find some kinds of water plants at pet stores -- they're pretty inexpensive. I had dd do the setting up of the scene in the terrarium each week rather than having it all done; she read the list of what new things entered the picture, helped me search for examples in the old toy box, out in the park, etc. She got quite elaborate, tying up fish on clear wire so that it looked as though they were swimming.

 

At one point we set up a separate aquarium with a couple of goldfish, snails, and a frog, but the main terrarium had plastic stuff only as far as animals were concerned. If you live anywhere near an aquarium, it can be fun to go look at their tidepool exhibits, jellyfish, slugs and sea worms -- those are things you usually don't find in the plastic animal department!

 

I found liverwort somewhere -- don't remember where, but maybe at the plant store? There were so few varieties of plant life for so long that I did try to hunt up samples of those. We dug up moss and lichen on field trips. In our rock collection there were a couple of volcanic rocks, so I plunked those in. We used regular old dirt but talked about how the volcanic rocks were gradually ground down into granules originally. When specific trees and other plants came into play, we took branches of local trees, bushes, clover, and grasses.

 

What's important to think about is the big picture: that tank will look incredibly arid, desolate, and empty for the first couple of weeks, and even then, slugs and bugs and that sort of thing predominate for a long time on land while other things are evolving in the ocean. That's what I think the unit gives you so brilliantly: a visual and visceral understanding of just how long everything took, and how very very short a while mammals have been around. I approximated rather than spending a lot of time and money looking around for every single thing the unit discussed.

 

You can either do the drawing and discussion of the terrarium fairly quickly, or you can do it slowly and in more depth, reading other books along the way (those mentioned at the back of the teachers guide are good places to start, since they were chosen specifically to go with the activities). I think we took about eight weeks to go through it.

 

If you have other questions or I was unclear here, feel free to PM me! I hope you really enjoy these units. Life Through Time and Plate Tectonics are my absolute favorites ever.

[BridgeTea]

WooHoo! We get a new subiforum AND we get to talk about GEMS some more?? Life is good!

 

We did our first GEMS unit - Bubble-ology - which was nice and short, and was a great unit to cut our teeth on, so to speak. It's laid out so simply, but leaves room for creativity and exploration, which was my goal: to get my girl playing with science. I also had her totally involved in the prep work instead of doing it myself. No other tweaking beyond that.

 

The other units I purchased are Plate Tectonics, River Cutters, and another chem-based one. (-'m in a car and can't recall. Also need to stop texting soon....blech!). Anyway, the Life one sounds like fun, I love your suggestions for acquiring the materials, KA, and now I am pumped up to start another unit in January. I don't have a particular order I plan to do them in, so I may tag along with someone else. Just say when!

[Allearia]

Life Through Time is wonderful, but it can seem overwhelming at first glance.

 

My dd had a pile of plastic bugs, fishes, sharks, dinosaurs, farm animals, etc. -- the ones that come in the tubes at your average toy store -- and for the most part, we used these! We even had some plastic seaweed, although you can also find some kinds of water plants at pet stores -- they're pretty inexpensive. I had dd do the setting up of the scene in the terrarium each week rather than having it all done; she read the list of what new things entered the picture, helped me search for examples in the old toy box, out in the park, etc. She got quite elaborate, tying up fish on clear wire so that it looked as though they were swimming.

 

At one point we set up a separate aquarium with a couple of goldfish, snails, and a frog, but the main terrarium had plastic stuff only as far as animals were concerned. If you live anywhere near an aquarium, it can be fun to go look at their tidepool exhibits, jellyfish, slugs and sea worms -- those are things you usually don't find in the plastic animal department!

 

I found liverwort somewhere -- don't remember where, but maybe at the plant store? There were so few varieties of plant life for so long that I did try to hunt up samples of those. We dug up moss and lichen on field trips. In our rock collection there were a couple of volcanic rocks, so I plunked those in. We used regular old dirt but talked about how the volcanic rocks were gradually ground down into granules originally. When specific trees and other plants came into play, we took branches of local trees, bushes, clover, and grasses.

 

What's important to think about is the big picture: that tank will look incredibly arid, desolate, and empty for the first couple of weeks, and even then, slugs and bugs and that sort of thing predominate for a long time on land while other things are evolving in the ocean. That's what I think the unit gives you so brilliantly: a visual and visceral understanding of just how long everything took, and how very very short a while mammals have been around. I approximated rather than spending a lot of time and money looking around for every single thing the unit discussed.

 

You can either do the drawing and discussion of the terrarium fairly quickly, or you can do it slowly and in more depth, reading other books along the way (those mentioned at the back of the teachers guide are good places to start, since they were chosen specifically to go with the activities). I think we took about eight weeks to go through it.

 

If you have other questions or I was unclear here, feel free to PM me! I hope you really enjoy these units. Life Through Time and Plate Tectonics are my absolute favorites ever.

 

Thanks so much! I finally have some kids together we may try to do this for, it is great to hear how important the tank is and that it is worthwhile. And especially how to use what you have, I don't want to buy a bunch of special stuff that won't add to the unit. We already have tons of animals. I got Plate Tectonics from the library to look at, but we will probably do this first.

[Capt_Uhura]

Ok OK alright already....I'll take a look....if one of you kind people will provide a direct link to the Plate Tectonics and Life Through Time. :001_smile:

[swimmermom3]

Lisa, I am anxious to hear how Life Through Time goes for you. That is one of the books on my wish list as Swimmer Dude is into evolution.

 

Karen, with GEMS it is helpful to hear how you adapt it to working with just one child. We started with Global Warming and The Greenhouse Effect in conjunction with the Thames & Kosmos Power House. There are times I still feel overwhelmed, but everything we have done has worked out and that is so rewarding. It helps to have my dd home so I can adapt some of the group activities like the global warming game. She spends so much unplanned time working with her brother on science that I may have to come up with a credit for her. In January, we are starting with Only One Ocean and dissecting a squid.

 

Recently, I have found that history is getting pushed to the back burner and we are extending our science time. Swimmer Dude came up with a schedule that I enjoy as far as we do GEMS two days a week for 1.5-2 hours and chemistry the other three in a more traditional format. I thought having 2 subjects going at once in science would be difficult but we have enjoyed the variety.

 

GEMS is probably one of the best science curricula I have purchased and I have purchased a few. If they had a homeschool packet, life would be perfect.:D

[lisabees]

Ok OK alright already....I'll take a look....if one of you kind people will provide a direct link to the Plate Tectonics and Life Through Time. :001_smile:

 

Run...

 

http://www.lhsgems.org/gemslifethroughtime.html

 

http://www.lhsgems.org/gemsplatetectonics.html

 

Edited December 6, 2010 by lisabees

[Guest]

[quote name=swimmermom3;2236877

GEMS is probably one of the best science curricula I have purchased and I have purchased a few. If they had a homeschool packet' date=' life would be perfect.:D

 

I'm so relieved and happy that it's going so well for you. I have talked with the GEMS people about the need for them to market to homeschoolers, but they are kind of at a loss as to how to proceed. I suggested a materials kit, which would be SO tremendously helpful for homeschoolers, because this is the biggest stumbling block, particularly for people with more than one child. Perhaps a few more of us could write to them suggesting this or anything else you have in mind, and it might go somewhere.

 

I talked with a really nice guy named Tim; his email is tereneta@berkeley.edu

[Guest]

Ok OK alright already....I'll take a look....if one of you kind people will provide a direct link to the Plate Tectonics and Life Through Time. :001_smile:

 

I am, sadly, link-challenged; but you can find all the stuff at http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/GEMS

 

Click on Teacher's Guides. Then you will find you can look at them by topic, age group, etc.

[redsquirrel]

Oh, I wanted to do life through time SO badly but I did get overwhelmed at the huge materials list. There was just no way I could get all that stuff. Plant store? Not around here.

 

Please let us know how it goes. I will do it vicariously, ok?

 

I think I will write them about the need to toss a bone to homeschoolers. I see so darn many GEMS kits that my kids would love but I just don't have the time or .. I guess the gumption to get it all done.

[lisabees]

Thank you Karen. Yes, if it was made for homeschoolers, the program would certainly be less daunting. Really - isn't it even more difficult for a public school teacher to get all of these materials??

 

Bridget, we should plan to keep tabs on each other's progress. I will be happy to share pictures with all of you!

[swimmermom3]

I'm so relieved and happy that it's going so well for you. I have talked with the GEMS people about the need for them to market to homeschoolers, but they are kind of at a loss as to how to proceed. I suggested a materials kit, which would be SO tremendously helpful for homeschoolers, because this is the biggest stumbling block, particularly for people with more than one child. Perhaps a few more of us could write to them suggesting this or anything else you have in mind, and it might go somewhere.

 

I talked with a really nice guy named Tim; his email is tereneta@berkeley.edu

 

I will write to him. It can't be that hard if they start with the kits like you suggest. They have someone that puts them together already for the classroom. I would agree that putting the materials together on your own can be daunting, but here there is a fairly large supply of stuff left from other kits we've done. If I need to get specialty items, I can usually find them at Home Science Tools.

 

Oh, I wanted to do life through time SO badly but I did get overwhelmed at the huge materials list. There was just no way I could get all that stuff. Plant store? Not around here.

 

Please let us know how it goes. I will do it vicariously, ok?

 

I think I will write them about the need to toss a bone to homeschoolers. I see so darn many GEMS kits that my kids would love but I just don't have the time or .. I guess the gumption to get it all done.

 

Redsquirrel, often the lists look worse than they are. I hope you do get a chance some time to try one. So far, it's been worth the extra work, but I also know I won't be doing as many as I had wanted to this year. Next year, with just one child home I am hoping to go a little crazy. (Yeah, I know, a few of you are saying, "What's new?")

[Guest]

Oh, I wanted to do life through time SO badly but I did get overwhelmed at the huge materials list. There was just no way I could get all that stuff. Plant store? Not around here.

 

 

The single thing I got at a plant store, I think, was liverwort, which doesn't grow in our area. If I hadn't been able to find it easily, I'd just have had dd look it up, draw a picture, cut it out and stick it in the terrarium. When other kinds of plants are mentioned, you find out what's in the same general category (mosses and lichens; grasses; trees with needles; etc.) and substitute what's local (and free). Life Through Time is one of the most extensive in terms of different kinds of materials than most other guides use.

 

And what Lisa says is very true -- once you've done one or two teacher's guides, you have a lot of the basics on hand and don't have to start from absolute scratch any longer.

 

It's also VERY, VERY true that the time your spend hunting down these items pays off in spades in terms of engagement, enthusiasm, and active learning.

[Capt_Uhura]

Et tu Swimmermom.....I'm doomed.....

[Capt_Uhura]

Ok so your investment is the approx $30 for the teacher's guide and then scrounging for the materials for the units? Are there student books? I know I know...I should probably do a search. I'm curriculum-searched out at the moment. I'm trying to do CPO Life Science and ACS Middle School chemistry....not like I need something else on my science plate.

[Corraleno]

If anyone is interested in buying Life Through Time or Plate Tectonics, PM me. I think the GEMS units are great but I just don't have the time and I'll never get around to using them.

 

Jackie

[BridgeTea]

Ok so your investment is the approx $30 for the teacher's guide and then scrounging for the materials for the units? Are there student books? I know I know...I should probably do a search. I'm curriculum-searched out at the moment. I'm trying to do CPO Life Science and ACS Middle School chemistry....not like I need something else on my science plate.

 

The Teacher Guides are all I used/will use (other than the supplementary reading, documentaries, etc). The materials list for each guide is found on their website, which somewhat factored in to which ones I ended up buying. IIRC the materials lists were for a classroom of kids, so if you're only gathering for one or a few at least the amounts needed aren't as crazy as they first appear. (An adjusted materials list for home use might be a good suggestion to make to our buddy Tim.)

 

The price of the guides vary, but I think I paid less than $14 for some of them. On the Berkeley GEMS homepage there is a link on the lower left to "sites and centers". I happened to have a training center near me, and ordered through them at 20% off. Some lucky ducks have libraries that carry them.

 

(I've not used CPO or ACS, so I don't know if the GEMS would add to or overwhelm what you are already doing.)

Edited December 7, 2010 by BridgeTea

[redsquirrel]

The materials list is one reason I end up at TOPS every time. They have two lists, one for homeschoolers and one for classroom use. They also have lots of the stuff for sale at their site (thread, heavy duty foil, seeds, etc) and they also sell some complete kits. Very different approach in general, hard to compare, but TOPS is much more homeschool friendly.

 

Life through time was the first GEMS kit I investigated and I just freaked out when I saw all those things to collect, even knowing I could adjust for one kid. I am glad to hear it is one of the most involved.

 

Of course, I am the woman who couldn't even handle "creepy crawlies and the scientific method." I am regretting that now.

[lisabees]

 

Of course, I am the woman who couldn't even handle "creepy crawlies and the scientific method." I am regretting that now.

 

I really want to do that and the Bug Zoo book!!! I wish life didn't have to get in the way or I would have time for all of this fabulous stuff. :D

[swimmermom3]

I really want to do that and the Bug Zoo book!!! I wish life didn't have to get in the way or I would have time for all of this fabulous stuff. :D

 

Dinner, laundry, and orthodontist appointments are so annoying when there is all this great stuff to read, see, and research, eh?

 

KarenAnne, at what grade did you do Life Through Time?

 

Lisabees, which child of yours is doing this unit?

[Corraleno]

I really want to do that and the Bug Zoo book!!! I wish life didn't have to get in the way or I would have time for all of this fabulous stuff. :D

Both of those books are great for summer projects, and the materials lists are really minimal (things like paper towels, TP tubes, large jars or yogurt tubs, a few cheapo plastic Critter Keepers (~$5 at Walmart, much cheaper than pet stores). You can do a lot of them on the spur of the moment — grab a rinsed-out yogurt tub, add some sand or sugar and go catch an antlion, or put dry paper towels on one side of a pan and wet ones one the other, add some woodlice (roly-polies), and see which side they prefer. Then read about them to find out why they prefer it wet (they breathe through gills!) When you find a big colony of woodlice (like under a flowerpot or a large rock) see if you can find this spider nearby, which feeds exclusively on woodlice. Then freak your kids out with pictures of the roly-poly's gigantic sea-dwelling cousin!

 

We did a bunch of Creepy Crawly projects last summer, and DD is getting the Bug Zoo book for Christmas, so we'll be doing lots more in the spring. And we still have 7 mantis ootheca to hatch, so we will have hundreds of baby mantids, plus DD found a twig with a tidy little row of katydid eggs, so we're really looking forward to hatching those. I was soooo not a "bug person," before we started studying them, and now I think our insect studies have been the most fascinating and rewarding part of homeschool — and the kids would agree with that, too.

 

Jackie

[lisabees]

Dinner, laundry, and orthodontist appointments are so annoying when there is all this great stuff to read, see, and research, eh?

 

KarenAnne, at what grade did you do Life Through Time?

 

Lisabees, which child of yours is doing this unit?

 

You know me a little too well, I'm afraid. I'm thoroughly enjoying the book, Everyday Editing, that KarenAnne suggested. A perfect complement to those Killgallon books! Ds14 doesn't mind doing it either. It's very interactive and quite the confidence builder. His great sentences are hanging up around the house. :lol: I'm so embarrassing, aren't I?

 

Once we go through sentences, we will use a similar (improvised) technique for paragraphs.

 

Lisa, ds11 will be doing GEMS. I have a feeling the 17 year old will enjoy it also! ;)

Edited December 7, 2010 by lisabees

[lisabees]

Both of those books are great for summer projects, and the materials lists are really minimal (things like paper towels, TP tubes, large jars or yogurt tubs, a few cheapo plastic Critter Keepers (~$5 at Walmart, much cheaper than pet stores). You can do a lot of them on the spur of the moment — grab a rinsed-out yogurt tub, add some sand or sugar and go catch an antlion, or put dry paper towels on one side of a pan and wet ones one the other, add some woodlice (roly-polies), and see which side they prefer. Then read about them to find out why they prefer it wet (they breathe through gills!) When you find a big colony of woodlice (like under a flowerpot or a large rock) see if you can find this spider nearby, which feeds exclusively on woodlice. Then freak your kids out with pictures of the roly-poly's gigantic sea-dwelling cousin!

 

We did a bunch of Creepy Crawly projects last summer, and DD is getting the Bug Zoo book for Christmas, so we'll be doing lots more in the spring. And we still have 7 mantis ootheca to hatch, so we will have hundreds of baby mantids, plus DD found a twig with a tidy little row of katydid eggs, so we're really looking forward to hatching those. I was soooo not a "bug person," before we started studying them, and now I think our insect studies have been the most fascinating and rewarding part of homeschool — and the kids would agree with that, too.

 

Jackie

 

Oh Jackie, we will definitely be doing that! You were the inspiration from another thread. Thank you for the links - how cool. I am actually a bug person. And I'm cool with snakes, mice and spiders too.

 

It's that darn praying mantis, though, that haunts me. You enjoy them for me. ;)

[Corraleno]

It's that darn praying mantis, though, that haunts me.

:lol: You just need to start with a cute little baby mantis and raise it yourself.

 

See how cute and friendly they are?

 

Jackie

Edited December 7, 2010 by Corraleno

[Capt_Uhura]

OH we raise (well, buy the egg case and wait for them to hatch) mantis' every year. I love them! WE were even lucky enough to watch an egg case in the wild emerge! Talk about coincidence! It was a wonderful sight to behold. It was great fun for the kids to go back to that pond all through the summer and find mantis' about.

[Capt_Uhura]

What Bug Zoo Book! People, People, please provide a link!!! We LOVE BUGS!!!!!

[Corraleno]

Bug Zoo, by Nick :001_wub: Baker

 

And if you're interested in a great book on mantids, I got this one for DD for Christmas.

 

Jackie

[Capt_Uhura]

Gosh darn, a second too late. I just hit the buy button at Amazon. Wait, if I type quickly, I can likely combine the two orders.

 

Correlano, I sent you a PM regarding the GEMs books.

[lisabees]

:lol: You just need to start with a cute little baby mantis and raise it yourself.

 

See how cute and friendly they are?

 

Jackie

 

I'm running for cover!!! :lol:

 

I just spent the last half hour looking (unsuccessfully) for the photo I took, years ago, of the praying mantis that scarred me for life. He was so mean, I'm telling you!

 

But, alas, I should face my fear. Tell me how I can raise some of these guys...

[Corraleno]

I'm running for cover!!! :lol:

 

I just spent the last half hour looking (unsuccessfully) for the photo I took, years ago, of the praying mantis that scarred me for life. He was so mean, I'm telling you!

 

But, alas, I should face my fear. Tell me how I can raise some of these guys...

The Amateur Entomologists Society has a good care sheet on mantids.

 

Once they're fully grown, if you feed them large grasshoppers (we had an unlimited supply of free grasshoppers last summer), I recommend cutting the back legs off them before you put them in the tank. They will kick hard and can injure the mantis (and they keep kicking even after the mantis eats the head :ack2:). If you can't handle cutting the back legs off, you can chill them so they're slower. Our mantis learned to pull the back legs off grasshoppers before eating them — I was amazed at how smart insects can actually be.

 

Oh, and speaking of smart insects — if you haven't watched Attenborough's Life in the Undergrowth, definitely add it to your insect studies. It's absolutely incredible.

 

Jackie

[redsquirrel]

See, now I have looked for stuff like roly bugs around my house and I can only find a couple.

 

I might get Creepy crawlies with any christmas $$ I get.

 

I did ask for the boys to get a ladybug kit and a butterfly kit from my mom as a christmas gift. I told my brother to get them the grow a frog kit. I think that is more grammar stage stuff, letting them watch the life cycle, but I also know they will really like it.

 

Maybe I can figure out some experiments to do with ladybugs or a frog. Attraction to light or dark etc.

[Guest]

KarenAnne, at what grade did you do Life Through Time?

 

I think we did it the summer between 5th and 6th grade. But as with all the GEMS units, they are really suited to being used for a range of ages. i could do Life Through Time again right now with dd, 14, and it would be just as engrossing. I'd just use different books to go with it.