These are what I consider 'Everybody Books' or 'Picture Books' but they are amongst my favorites: In the Woods, Whose Been Here by Lindsay Barrett George as well as In the Snow... In the Garden... and Around the Pond... actually, most anything by her is great. I also love anything by Jim Arnosky and Jean Craighead George. They engage the reader and invite discussion... allow for connections with nature.

My daughter expressed a similar interest when she was just 5. For a year, I tried to expose her to what I could find online. Since then, we've found a local class for 4-6 yr olds and have made contact with a private tutor with whom I exchange English lessons. I've organized all the resources I've found online on Squidoo. http://www.squidoo.com/FunWithMandarin :D

Wow! Thank you everyone - I actually almost missed this thread as I didn't stop by until 10:25 p.m. I am very glad I did. :D

Do you still need Oregon ??

I never learned piano myself, but I did learn clarinet.... when my DS (age 4) asked to learn piano, I was surprised. We just started using Music for Little Mozarts and so far, I like the program. It's his favorite 'school activity', as well.

That is a GREAT suggestion! I will add this to Our Dynamic Earth this week! Thank you! I was also informed of a great resource for chemicals, Home Science Tools has all the chemicals mentioned in the volcano experiment. Each of the chemicals necessary are less than $5 for 30 grams except the zinc powder which was only 15 grams. Plenty of extra to repeat the experiment! :D

I use Old-Earth explanations in my Earth Logic curriculum, Our Dynamic Earth. For more information, check out my blog Science Logic. :D

The Handbook of Nature Study is an excellent resource. As Aimee said, it is rich with information about animals, observations and anecdotes about animals. It also has lessons that include leading thoughts, methods and questions for observation or study. It should NOT be considered a field identification guide, however. It won't help you identify the name of a particular tree or insect.

Check out used book stores, too! Particularly if you think you'll want to use them in the months/years to come. We have several that we've picked up used and we use them all the time. Our favorites are Golden Guides (usually very inexpensive), Peterson, and those published by the Audobon Society.

A sample is available here, Earth Logic: Our Dynamic Earth. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or questions. The complete curriculum is available for purchase on my blog.

Yes. It is available on my blog. Please let me know what you think of the complete unit. I'd be more than happy to hear your thoughts so that I can continue to improve it as I move on to develop future units. :D Eva

I am currently teaching a science course for middle-level girls (ages 9-12) and they requested the following units: Geology, Ecology and Chemistry. I'll thereby be writing the units accordingly. A little hodge podge but it will help maintain my sanity. I hope to release Life Logic: Ecological Explorations in mid-summer. Chemistry Logic in early fall. I'll then proceed with the other units (Weather & Climate, Astonomy, Plants, Animals, Electricity & Magnetism, and Simple Machines) If following the WTM method, each unit in Earth Logic (for example) can be used together. However, for those not following WTM, each unit will stand alone. The Ecology unit will assume some basic knowledge & understanding of food chains, predator/prey, herbivore/carnivore, etc. but the lessons will be successful without previously having taught the Plant or Animal units. Mixing & Matching is definitely do-able. It's what I do in our homeschool, as mid-year my kiddos said, "Mom. We are tired of learning about animals. We have lots of questions about the earth and rocks. Can we switch?" :D Eva

Each lesson varies in terms of duration. I'll try to put estimates on each. That is a good suggestion, thank you. The only lesson that requires more difficult to obtain materials is the volcano demo - that is partly why I included it in the sample. I'll do some more investigating in regards to possible venues with which to obtain those chemicals. Thank you!

I just completed writing the first volume of a middle-level (logic stage) science curriculum, Earth Logic: Our Dynamic Earth. It is 93 pages and includes language arts connections, scientific inquiry, web links, demonstrations, and extension activity suggestions. I have a sample available as a free download, here is a link to the sample. If it is well-received, my hope is to write a series for Life Sciences as well. Life Logic: Ecology, will be released first, mid-summer. I'm releasing them in this way because I am currently teaching a science course for middle-level girls and these are the units they requested (Geology, Ecology and Chemistry). :D

I just completed writing the first volume of a middle-level science curriculum, Earth Logic: Our Dynamic Earth. I'm teaching the lessons right now to a group of 10-12 year old girls and my DD (6 yrs) sits in on the lessons and understands most of the material. It is 93 pages and includes language arts connections, scientific inquiry, web links, demonstrations, and extension activity suggestions. It is available on my blog.

I should clarify though, that the lessons are secular based. But the 'old-earth' lessons could be modified or omitted depending upon your personal beliefs.

I finished now, actually. Just seeking feedback to know whether I need to make any modifications. I am hoping to offer both a print and ebook option - though print will be more $ due to costs of printing/shipping. "Our Dynamic Earth" is an 11-week unit (2 lessons per week / more if extended activities are done). I've included background information and discussion questions so each lesson is pretty extensive. There are 93 pages. I'll be posting more on my blog soon.

I agree completely Jean. Even in the classroom with 30+ students doing the same experiment... inevitably we would end up with 30+ different results. The person/people doing the experiment is a variable... how you measure, etc. can have an effect.

I do! In fact, I'm in the midst of writing an earth science curriculum for the Logic Stage. I am a former science specialist (before kids) and have a lot of experience with that level even though my kiddos are young yet. If I get good feedback from my earth science unit, I'll be writing units for life sciences, physical sciences and chemical sciences, too. Let me know if you may be interested in knowing more.

I am in the process of writing an earth science curriculum for middle level (logic stage). I am using WTM as a guide and thereby each complete curriculum will provide a year of science (Life, Earth, Physical and Chemical). My intent is to create a curriculum that is all-inclusive. By that I mean, all the background information is included. There is no need to buy other books or materials (other than consumables for the hands-on / experiments). Additional readings are suggested for those wishing to go farther. Additional activities for many of the lessons are also provided. I could really use some feedback from other homeschoolers. Is it user-friendly? Does it make science more approachable? If you were to buy the complete curriculum, would you want it in print format or as an ebook? The first unit (Vol 1 - Our Dynamic Earth) is nearly 100 pages thus far so I want to make it as cost-effective as possible. Here is a link to download a free sample. Please take a look and let me know what you think.

Your order, even though it was placed as a bulk order, will show up on your bank statement as separate charges for each vendor. However, it will state Amazon.com not the vendor.

I have just recently put together a middle-level (logic stage) earth science curriculum. Here is a link to a free outline and lesson plan sample. Let me know what you all think of it. I'm still tweaking it so any suggestions are welcome. I'm using the 4 year cycle as a guideline but am producing individual volumes (Earth Science will be available in 3 volumes) so that parents/teachers can pick and choose and teach according to student interest, etc. My future plans include units on astronomy, weather & climate, plants, animals, ecology, chemistry, and electricity & magnetism. I would like some feedback before I proceed with the other units. Thanks, Makita

I have just recently put together a middle-level (logic stage) earth science curriculum. Here is a link to a free outline and lesson plan sample. Let me know what you all think of it. My future plans include units astronomy, weather & climate, plants, animals, ecology, chemistry, electricity & magnetism. I would like some feedback before I proceed with the other units. Thanks, Makita

We tried doing life sciences for a full year (1st grade)... I had divided the year up into quarters (3 months plants, 3 months animals, 3 months ecology, 3 months human body). However, in the midst of our animals unit (which was further subdivided into smaller themes - invertebrates, vertebrates, etc.) my kiddos said, "We are tired of learning about animals. We want to learn about earth. About rocks and outer space." I thereby switched gears to keep their interest and focus. It is working much better now.

To give a little background, when we first started homeschooling in the fall of '07, I asked my DD (then 5) what she wanted to learn about. Her reply was, "China!" We did a unit study on Ancient China and at some point she said to me, "I want to learn to speak Chinese." We searched for resources and in the fall of '08 were fortunate that the Language Institute (a local company that provides immersion preschool in Japanese and Spanish as well as private tutors for a variety of languages for all age levels) began to offer a Mandarin Immersion Class for 4-6 year olds. All year, the class has been small - just 4 students of which my daughter is the oldest. They meet 2x a week for 1 hour sessions. Each session is 6 weeks (thus 12 hours of instruction). This coming summer, the institute is going to change the class to a Mandarin immersion preschool; 2 half days each week. They have invited my daughter and the other students to continue with the preschool, stating that they will modify activities to their level and essentially have 2 groups. Only 2 days remain in the current session. As my daughter will be 7 in Sept, I am considering not continuing. Though I love that she would be exposed to Mandarin for 6 hours a week - I don't think it would be in her best interest to be surrounded by younger learners. 7 is such a huge developmental stage. Am I wrong? Our intention is to continue with Mandarin with the instructor via one-on-one private tutoring. But how frequently? 1 hour a week? It is significantly more $$ ($30 per hour) so I am a little apprehensive. She would move at her own pace though so she could learn more material. What say you ?? Thank you for your input.... Makita