Happy Scientist Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 A homeschool friend of mine directed me to this forum, saying that I would find lots of useful information. She sure was right! I produce The Happy Scientist website, the Science Photo of the Day, and the Experiment of the Week email newsletter. I'm not here to sell anything. Instead, I am hoping to get a better idea of what science resources the homeschool community wants and needs. During my 22 years touring the country with my live science shows, I had the pleasure of working with many homeschool groups. I could always count on homeschool groups to ask new and interesting questions, and come up with creative twists on science demos. Now that I am focused on video production, I miss that, and hope to reconnect with that creative excitement through this forum. Anytime I can help with questions, projects, etc., please give a yell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Hi! Welcome. (Are you looking for suggestions?:D) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Welcome from another Jacksonville homeschooler. You have found a great community and I hope you find as much enjoyment and information from it as I have. Just skip all the designer purse threads and you'll be safe from any bad influences. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Welcome! :seeya: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Hi! Welcome. (Are you looking for suggestions?:D) Should we link the big "design your dream science program thread" that was on the K-8 Forum a while back? :sneaky2: Anyway, welcome to the Hive. We always need science folks around here. We tend to be largely humanities people :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetpeach Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Hello Happy Scientist: We're FB fans of yours! Keep up the great work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Welcome! We're huge fans also. My 5.5 yo son loves watching your videos and then attempting some of the experiments. Next on tap - butter making. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Yes!!! I am always in need of suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Should we link the big "design your dream science program thread" that was on the K-8 Forum a while back? :sneaky2: That is exactly the sort of information I am looking for! I will track it down! Thanks! :thumbup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Should we link the big "design your dream science program thread" that was on the K-8 Forum a while back? :sneaky2: This one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravinlunachick Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I will have to find your website; that sounds like something we'd enjoy! As a teacher, I really liked the Science Court tv series, where there was a story connected to the experiment, and opposing sides presented their hypothesis about what had happened. Lots of the activities would be too complex for little ones, so something similar (but maybe with less complex math?) would be great, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 This one? Wow! Great stuff! One of my biggest challenges is organizing the videos, experiments, etc. in useful ways. Coming from a museum education background, I was taught to present to a family audience. Ideally, a first grader, a high school student, and a college professor should all find the information understandable and interesting. It is a fun way to teach, but it makes it tough to chop resources into grade specific units. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Welcome! We're huge fans also. My 5.5 yo son loves watching your videos and then attempting some of the experiments. Next on tap - butter making. Be sure to have some fresh bread handy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Hello! So glad you're here! My science experiment loving son has been fascinated by your videos. :seeya: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Howdy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Greetings. We have appreciated your resources in the past. My kids have your science photo on their blog reader and sometimes call me over to see it and discuss. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Welcome! Glad you came by to visit us! :seeya: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 This one? There was a bigger one last fall. Might have been on secular science. I'm trying to remember some search words. It went on for pages and pages. Arggh! Where is that photographic memory when I need one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Welcome! We love watching your videos! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Be sure to have some fresh bread handy! I made some French bread yesterday, hearth raised, swapping in white whole wheat and rye for 1/3 of the flour. Apparently a small amount of rye can act as a mild preservative to permit day-old bread, though it never lasts that long in our house, so I cannot verify! In any case, it was great with the butter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 There was a bigger one last fall. Might have been on secular science. I'm trying to remember some search words. It went on for pages and pages. Arggh! Where is that photographic memory when I need one? Do you mean this one? Or maybe this one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrumm4448 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 We love your resources! I'm so glad you're here! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Huge fans here too. You're a movie star in our house. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerPoppy Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Welcome! We were just watching a couple of your videos this week, and my daughter loved them. It was pretty cute how she laughed so hard at the outtakes and then kept rewinding them. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamrachelle Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Welcome from another Jacksonville homeschooler. You have found a great community and I hope you find as much enjoyment and information from it as I have. Just skip all the designer purse threads and you'll be safe from any bad influences. ;) :iagree: Bwa ha ha ha. You might want to skip the kilt and TeA threads too... Welcome!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Welcome! Your site looks terrific -I see a subscription to it in my near future.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Welcome! Your site looks terrific -I see a subscription to it in my near future.:D Thanks WishboneDawn! I am working to take the site to "the next level" by organizing everything into study units, which is a big part of the reason I am here. I hope to find out what this community really needs, and then adapt my library of videos and experiments to fit those needs. At this point, I'm still getting a feel for these forums, their rules and guidelines. I am sure you get a lot of folks that come here to advertise their products, and I will not cross that line into spamming. Before I start asking "What do you want from a science curriculum?" or "What do you think about broad spectrum study units instead of grade specific units?", I want to be sure that I am shooting myself in the foot by breaking rules and annoying people.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland_Mom Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Welcome! We also love your videos! I recently found your Science Fair resources quite helpful. Many homeschoolers on this board study one or two science topics a year. Susan Wise Bauer's book "The Well Trained Mind," provides detail about a classical approach to education that many here follow. During the elementary years, exposure is one goal. Here is what a typical progression looks like: 1st grade: plants, animals, human body 2nd grade: astronomy, earth science, weather 3rd grade: chemistry 4th grade physics These topics are generally repeated for a total of 3 cycles through the major sciences. I think your website is already organized by science topic, which makes it helpful for homeschoolers to coordinate your resources with their studies. I'd love to see a resource that integrates your resources and a general science encyclopedia. Maybe a web page that says, "read this from xx encyclopedia, then watch this, then try this experiment." Thanks for such a great website! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 I'd love to see a resource that integrates your resources and a general science encyclopedia. Maybe a web page that says, "read this from xx encyclopedia, then watch this, then try this experiment." This is exactly the sort of feedback I am looking for. I actually tried working with one of the major encyclopedias, but was incredibly disappointed in the lack of accuracy in their online content. They wanted to water everything down to the point that many of the concepts wound up being scientifically wrong. Now, I am trying to fill that gap myself, but sure wish there were more hours in a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arghmatey Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 So many of my friends and I admire your work. We are FB fans. Thank you for being here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernm Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Because of this thread, I visited your site and I think it's great! The photo of the day is really neat! I could see that being turned into an iPad app! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Because of this thread, I visited your site and I think it's great! The photo of the day is really neat! I could see that being turned into an iPad app! I have talked to a couple of people about that, but am still looking for the right one to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 This is exactly the sort of feedback I am looking for. I actually tried working with one of the major encyclopedias, but was incredibly disappointed in the lack of accuracy in their online content. They wanted to water everything down to the point that many of the concepts wound up being scientifically wrong. Now, I am trying to fill that gap myself, but sure wish there were more hours in a day. Maybe linking it to a kingfisher science encyclopedia, they seem to be decent. Or to the Hakim science books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Thanks WishboneDawn! I am working to take the site to "the next level" by organizing everything into study units, which is a big part of the reason I am here. I hope to find out what this community really needs, and then adapt my library of videos and experiments to fit those needs. Personally, if you're looking at making home school specific units I'll say that I find traditional units as built for teachers with objectives and rubrics and such confusing. I prefer ones I can jump right into if that makes sense - a scripted or read aloud lesson bundled with experiments/worksheets/activities that I can supplement. I find teacher resources are often heavy on organizational aids that teachers have the training to make use of but just get in the way for me. I like open and go - Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World book and activity book and Writing With Skill/Ease programs are very much in that style. At this point, I'm still getting a feel for these forums, their rules and guidelines. I am sure you get a lot of folks that come here to advertise their products, and I will not cross that line into spamming. Before I start asking "What do you want from a science curriculum?" or "What do you think about broad spectrum study units instead of grade specific units?", I want to be sure that I am shooting myself in the foot by breaking rules and annoying people. Thanks for that! I don't think you'll find many of us urging you not to ask those questions though (I'd prefer broad spectrum units :D). There's a dearth of good secular science resources for homeschoolers so you coming here to ask questions is a bit like us suddenly walking over the crest of a sand dune and spotting an oasis. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Because of this thread, I visited your site and I think it's great! The photo of the day is really neat! I could see that being turned into an iPad app! You meant to say Android app, right? :D (Why yes I DID get a shiny new Android tablet for Xmas, why do you ask?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Maybe linking it to a kingfisher science encyclopedia, they seem to be decent. Or to the Hakim science books. The Hakim books are good. Building off some sort of spine? I always like that approach, it gives me the guidance I need but also allows me some flexibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Welcome! :lurk5: Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 The Hakim books are good. Building off some sort of spine? I always like that approach, it gives me the guidance I need but also allows me some flexibility. OK, I am new to the vocabulary here. I'm not familiar with the term "spine." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 OK, I am new to the vocabulary here. I'm not familiar with the term "spine." It is the item that you use as your main reference and then expand and build from there. So for example take one the Hakim science books and put it as the focal point with the experiments, supplementary videos, reading etc expanding from the topic studies in x pages. Much like the poster above mentioned. The spine is essentially the backbone of the topic you are studying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I'm with Dawn. Secular science is lacking. My oldest is in middle school now and I would love a good curriculum that's a little more challenging for him. Right now we are working on a lot of theory, which is easy in physics. This is a classical homeschool board so some of us follow a cycle of Earth Science/Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. In that order. This is what we do. It's nice to meet you Happy Scientist. I hope you stick around and learn lots from us. Off to check out your site! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Personally, if you're looking at making home school specific units I'll say that I find traditional units as built for teachers with objectives and rubrics and such confusing. I prefer ones I can jump right into if that makes sense - a scripted or read aloud lesson bundled with experiments/worksheets/activities that I can supplement. I find teacher resources are often heavy on organizational aids that teachers have the training to make use of but just get in the way for me. :D That is good to know. I come from a museum education background, so I tend to put all of my energy into the actual content instead of traditional lesson plans. I also tend to work "broad spectrum", aiming for resources that work at all grade levels. I love it when the entire family can watch a video or try an experiment together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 You meant to say Android app, right? :D (Why yes I DID get a shiny new Android tablet for Xmas, why do you ask?) Oh, yes. The videos are supposed to work on an Android, but I have not been able to test with one. If you find that they don't, please let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommie_Jen Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I am new to homeschooling and had no idea you existed until this thread! I had a lot of fun browsing your videos this afternoon. What a fabulous website to find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Welcome, Happy Scientist! I agree with the poster above, Kalah. I really wish there was a great secular General Science for 7th grade. I am currently using NOEO products and am very happy with the format. I love that it follows the classical model (nearly), but I like a general science to make sure we've covered the bases before high school. I have used Apologia General Science for this purpose, but I'd rather not have the YE Creation viewpoint being continuously pointed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 (Why yes I DID get a shiny new Android tablet for Xmas, why do you ask?) Ooh which one? And do you like it? (how to hijack a thread in 30 seconds - lesson 1) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Ooh which one? And do you like it? (how to hijack a thread in 30 seconds - lesson 1) A Le Pan (first generation. You'll notice a Le Pan II at Amazon as well). I got it just before Xmas for $170 at Amazon.ca but they're on sale now for $220. No one sens to have heard of the brand but the reviews are great and I love it. The compromises that make it so cheap are no front facing camera and very little memory but I don't care about the camera and it takes micro sd cards so the memory issue is an east fix. (I'm typing on it right now which I hope explains my horrible spelling. Still getting used to typing on a screen.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 A Le Pan You're right (of course) You even told me about it already... *I* am the one who needs more ram... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 It is the item that you use as your main reference and then expand and build from there. Thanks for the clarification. Up until recently, my site has been an invertebrate (spineless:tongue_smilie:), but I am now in the process of growing my own spines, as I am having a hard time finding a book that I like well enough to tie in with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Hi. :seeya: Happy to have you here. We love your videos as well. I love that we can learn science and laugh a bit as well. I'm not sure what I would want in addition to what you already have. I don't think specific lesson plans. Perhaps a specific experiment, a video to tie in, and a list of resources to go to take it further? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenvneck Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I'm with Mommie_Jen, I hadn't heard of your site until now, but I can see that I will be spending quite a bit of time there now! :D Also, I vote for more secular science programs, especially in the middle-to-high-school grades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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