calledtobehome Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 What have you done or what do you plan to do to make things fun? We have the KF first animal encyclopedia so we are going to start there. I have decided to allow my boys(6&5)to pick the animals they would like to learn about along with library book. I'm just wondering if you add any coloring sheets or something else to your animal study? They already have a love for science but I want to make sure it continues to grow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pata Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 We added weely experiements, narration sheets and some ongoing projects like habitat posters. You can see my plans and some of her completed work here. Hope that gives you food for thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemykids Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I’m working on a life science curriculum based on TWTM…. Some things that we have done to spice up life science thus far: Collect various insects and keep them around as pets Narration art pages "Grow a pet" life cycle kits Silly experiments Scientific experiments Making various types of bird feeders Internet links Nature walks Duck ponds Zoo visits Farm visits Coloring pages Acting out the animals Science readers Be on the lookout for my program! I will compile all of this and more, in an easy to follow format. I’d love to say I will be finished with my curriculum by fall, but I’m not sure. Life is busy with four children! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I'm in the planning stages... Animals: I have a ton of animal books and just ordered the encyclopedia. We're going to start this summer as ds asked to learn about animals, convenient that. I'm planning a weekly field trip to somewhere (nature walk, zoo, petting zoo, nature centere, etc). I might get a kit to look at insects or something. We've done butterflies and an ant farm. The kits at Insect Lore have been very good. I'm going to make a big wall chart for classification and then when we read or learn about a new animal we can put it on the chart. I did this in a small way last year and ds really got into it. I'll keep the classification pretty simple...mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates, reptiles, etc. Human Body: I have a few Magic School Bus books and ordered an encyclopedia. I plan on making a life size tracing of him and putting it up on the wall. Then we'll add body parts to it as we study about them. I have some Janice Van Cleve books for experiements and ordered the Magic School Bus kits (haven't used them so don't know if they will be good or not). Plants: I ordered the WTM recommeded spine and then we'll do it in the spring. I plan on more nature study and gardening to go along with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Inman Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 We used the Evan-Moore Science Works series (Animals with Backbones, How your Body Works, and Plants). They are great books that lay out a lot of experiments, notebook pages, worksheets, activities to do along with reading your spine materials. We had a blast with them :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atozmom Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 A great book for the human body is My Body by Teacher Created Resources. You can find it at Rainbow Resources among other places. You trace your child on a piece of butcher paper. There are reproducible pages you copy about each organ. It gives you a brief description of the organ and its function. You then color it and glue it on your body that you drew. There is even a placement guide in the beginning of the book. We love it! You can find coloring sheets for animals, bugs and plants just by googling free coloring sheets. There are many free sites available. Another great resource is Janice Van Cleave's Big Book of Play and Find Out Science Projects. (can be found on Amazon) There are some very simple hands-on projects that are fun for kids. (you might be able to find some of her play and find out books at your local library) We have also bought seeds to grow small plants. You can find small garden kits just about everywhere. In fact Target carries some small clay pots that contain the seeds, soil and everything needed. They are in their dollar section. Let them take pictures of the plants as they grow. They can use rulers and record the growth. It would make a great little scrapbook. HTH:) Ann-Marie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 We also found videos & fun activities online. National Geographic for Kids was one site we frequented. Several of the books we got from the library also had websites listed that we visited. For coloring sheets I would just google the name of the animal plus printable coloring sheet and that usually returned something we could use. We really enjoyed our Life Science last year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcara Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 We did a lot of the free animal lapbooks from www.homeschoolshare.com last year. It was perfect for my dd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 We used the Draw Write Now books for animals, and Shoot and Sprout, Buzz and Bite from WP for insects. For seeing the different life stages of insects we did butterflies, fruit flies and meal worms. Meal worms wer the easiest and the best. You get to see so much more, and they are so clean, and don't fly! Don't miss the mealworms! We haven't finished SSBB yet, DD is looking forward to a leaf collection. We are doing human body next. I got a book called Gross Anatomy with human body board games and DD can't wait to play it. It works great as a spine too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemykids Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Oh yes, Anatomy and Botany! LOL. My kids loved The Body book, which I plan to include in the curriculum. There are also other life sized poster and anatomy models you can buy. (and games and puzzles) Don’t forget hands on gardening, there’s nothing like it for the study of plants. You can add leaf rubbings to your collections to aid in the retention of details. Going to the library and getting tons of books like Susan mentions in the WTM just can't be beat. My kids love science so much that we are constantly doing the different types throughout the year. (in addition to our science curriculum) We have frequent library trips where they are encouraged to follow their interests, and science is always a winner. So the library is a great catalyst to enthusiasm! A really good free resource for your studies is Learning Page.com. Have fun! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calledtobehome Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 I'm loving all the great ideas and resources. I'm also happy to know that we are on the right track! We have already done the butterfly garden this spring and it was a huge hit. We had 3 baby robins to hatch on our front porch. I'm going to look into the mealworms my boys will love that. We also have a great library system and we will continue to utilize it to the fullest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 (edited) We're going to put the studied animals up on a "tree of life" in positions vaguely corresponding to phylogeny. Whenever possible, we're going to go to the zoo (we have a membership) and observe the animals. Once we've covered enough animals that we're running out of room on the tree, we're going to get to human origins as a prelude to studying the human body. I also have a unit study planned on Arizona, which will include a focus on plants and animals of the desert along with local history, prehistory, geography, etc. Edited June 5, 2009 by Ravin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakblossoms Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I'm still trying to figure out if I should just fold my younger guy in with his brothers. They are probably doing Chemistry. How long are you planning to take for science each week? I know my other guys were very interested in Life Science and animals at this age. They still are, but they just absorbed it like crazy around the ages of 6-7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Oh yes definitely, TWTM tells you to fold in your younger ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I just got Elemental Science Biology. Wow. I had already planned biology, done half of our animal study, have a ton of books on the shelf and have SSBB from WP, and I am so excited about this. I can't recommend it enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemykids Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 It does look good, I agree! :) Who knows if I'll ever complete mine anyway, LOL, at this rate! I'd like too though, since I have already put some time into it. It's fun. Noeo science and REAL science look good too...so does that other Classical science that is free. The market seems to be saturated with grammar stage science programs. Maybe I should put up some samples to gauge interest? Okay, look for samples! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 A great book for the human body is My Body by Teacher Created Resources. :iagree: All of the above ideas are good. I started out "by the book" with lots of extra read alouds and picture books (the National Geographic books for this age, e.g. How Animals Talk) are mostly arresting pictures and a little text, and I found about 15 of them at goodwill for less than a buck each. However, about halfway through the year I thought kiddo was ready for more of a notebook kind of affair, and something more systematic, so I got REAL science bio, and have done the whole book (almost) since Dec. Without fail, kiddo has enjoyed the projects. Also, don't forget field trips. Zoo, aquarium, local wetland. Try to find an enthusiast. Kiddo and hubby spent a wet day in a pond, and on the way home my son, not prone to saying this, leaned over to Iggy (the guide) and said "Iggy, I love you.". We also got a fish at a U Fish place, looked at its swim bladder as we gutted it (and we then mummified it as part of Egypt studies). If you have any abilities, we had a good time dissecting a cow's eye, a sheep heart, etc. I would cut it in half and do a careful dissection on one side and let kiddo have at the other side. Xrays were a hit here. If you know anyone who works in the medical field, discarded Xrays of a fracture or a upper GI series with a small bowel follow-through are rather arresting to a 6 year old. Do the tadpole, do the butterfly, grow seeds in a milk carton with one side cut away (and covered with Saran, then bring the dropped side back up and circle the carton with a rubber band) to see the roots spread daily, etc. Our bird feeder has been a source of regular excitement. Don't miss the David Attenborough vids, like Life of Birds, Life in Cold Blood, Life in the Freezer. As stated in the WTM, when biology comes around at age 10, the goal is to get "Biology! Oh, good. I LOVE biology" as the reaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 It does look good, I agree! :) Who knows if I'll ever complete mine anyway, LOL, at this rate! I'd like too though, since I have already put some time into it. It's fun. Noeo science and REAL science look good too...so does that other Classical science that is free. The market seems to be saturated with grammar stage science programs. Maybe I should put up some samples to gauge interest? Okay, look for samples! :tongue_smilie: Well, I think one difference is that you are following TWTM recs to a "T", and keeping it secular ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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