Creative and engaging HSing with a math/science/tech twist (Warning: STEM)

[stripe]

Thought I'd make a place for those who put a particularly mathy/scientific twist on their kids' education to meet up and exchange ideas and inspiration, rather than if such a thing is wise.

[stripe]

I've also started a Social Group.

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/group.php?groupid=170

[Woodland Mist Academy]

We are enjoying The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination.

 

We try to read a poem or two from it each day during our science time or during tea.

 

The book includes a CD with poets performing their own work. (Not all the poems are on the CD.)

 

Looking forward reading other suggestions. :001_smile:

 

Thanks for starting the thread.

 

ETA: The back of the book contains a glossary with both scientific and poetic terminology, suggestions for further reading, and brief biographies about the poets.

Edited March 27, 2012 by Hilltop Academy

[Amber in AUS]

I'm keen on new ideas. I've just worked out this is Bugsy's passion. I probably would have picked up on that sooner if i didn't loose a year of my life with Possum :lol:

[Woodland Mist Academy]

We are enjoying The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination.

 

We try to read a poem or two from it each day during our science time or during tea.

.

 

Just to clarify: I didn't mean that for our science time we read two science poems and that's it. We read the poems in addition to our 1.5-2 plus hours of science. ;)

[GoVanGogh]

Well, I know I have said this before on other threads, but DH and I feel that one of the best things to do for children is give them lots of broken electronics (and whatever other broken items you can find) and let them tear them apart.

 

DH has been in the tech field for 25 years. :001_huh: He has a great many co-workers/friends that have been in the field even longer. One things they all talk about is taking everything apart that they could get their hands on and how valuable that experience is.

 

Our neighbor was a history teacher (slash football coach :tongue_smilie:) in middle school but last year switched to teaching "technology" classes. DH has had several long conversations with him about how tech is taught in schools today. DH feels strongly that kids today have a great deal of 'surface' knowledge about technology (like how to use PowerPoint at an early age), but don't have a deep enough understanding of how the gadgets actually work. This hinders them when they go on to college to study either technology or engineering.

[Jen Becker]

This is us! Science is our main topic of conversation through the day. This week we're hacking together a BristleBot, starting by tearing apart my electric toothbrush!

[Alte Veste Academy]

We are enjoying The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination.

 

Oooh, thanks for reminding me of this. It's been on DD's wish list and I think I'll get it for her for Easter.

 

(Because who doesn't love a book of science poetry for Easter?! :tongue_smilie:)

 

Well, I know I have said this before on other threads, but DH and I feel that one of the best things to do for children is give them lots of broken electronics (and whatever other broken items you can find) and let them tear them apart.

 

DH has been in the tech field for 25 years. :001_huh: He has a great many co-workers/friends that have been in the field even longer. One things they all talk about is taking everything apart that they could get their hands on and how valuable that experience is.

 

Our neighbor was a history teacher (slash football coach :tongue_smilie:) in middle school but last year switched to teaching "technology" classes. DH has had several long conversations with him about how tech is taught in schools today. DH feels strongly that kids today have a great deal of 'surface' knowledge about technology (like how to use PowerPoint at an early age), but don't have a deep enough understanding of how the gadgets actually work. This hinders them when they go on to college to study either technology or engineering.

 

:iagree: DH is highly respected for what he does and I can't tell you how many stories I've heard from his family about his disassembly antics as a child. :lol:

 

Honestly, I think that a lack of knowledge of how things work (and missing out on the discovery aspects of that as a child) is, in large part, responsible for society's general lack of common sense. Someone has to think about things beyond the superficial surface. Someone has to think in terms of systems, mechanics, etc.

[Lucy the Valiant]

I'm just eagerly listening in. :)

[stripe]

Not to beat a dead horse, but this is one of the things Crawford talks about in Shop Class as Soulcraft. You can read a big article by him in lieu of reading the book, in the NYTimes magazine.

Edited March 27, 2012 by stripe

[MissKNG]

Great thread and group!

[Alte Veste Academy]

Not to beat a dead horse, but this is one of the things Crawford talks about in Shop Class as Soulcraft. You can read a big article by him in lieu of reading the book, in the NYTimes magazine.

 

I wanted to mention that I put this book on DH's wish list. Like my DS9, my DH was/is a doer, tinkerer, puzzler. For some people, work needs to be hands-on in order to hold their interest. I always think of Thomas Edison's problems in school when I think about how some of the brightest scientific minds are done a disservice by our educational system. Brains work differently, and shouldn't we all be so incredibly grateful for that? How else would we have ballet and neurosurgery and plumbing and glass blowing and iPads and pottery and national parks and space exploration and...

[besroma]

:lurk5: I'll be following along. Great idea!

[Barb_]

:lurk5: I want to hang out for a while too. I need to sign off and can't contribute right now, but I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with.

[FairProspects]

Well, I know I have said this before on other threads, but DH and I feel that one of the best things to do for children is give them lots of broken electronics (and whatever other broken items you can find) and let them tear them apart.

 

DH has been in the tech field for 25 years. :001_huh: He has a great many co-workers/friends that have been in the field even longer. One things they all talk about is taking everything apart that they could get their hands on and how valuable that experience is.

 

So you mean the fact that ds disassembled his coat rack and punched holes in the walls with the screws at age 3 was a good thing? :lol:

 

I do get kind of sick of finding broken and ripped apart stuff everywhere, though.

[MelAR05]

Watching and listening. :D

[Xander]

Well, I know I have said this before on other threads, but DH and I feel that one of the best things to do for children is give them lots of broken electronics (and whatever other broken items you can find) and let them tear them apart.

 

One caveat for anyone thinking about doing this with their kids - teach them about capacitors before they start taking things apart.

[ChandlerMom]

Curious which math/science curric you are using, and do you use more than one?

 

We seem to do several different programs concurrently. :D We are using everything from Waldorf-inspired (OM) math/science to AoPS. I like weaving the different bits together.

 

Maths:

OM

Zaccaro's books (ECM, CM, and RWA)

Sadlier-Oxford

AoPS pre-Algebra (tabled right now)

 

Sciences:

OM (nature)

RSO Life science

Intellego unit studies

BFSU

 

How about you? [And thanks for the book recommendation!]

[ChandlerMom]

One caveat for anyone thinking about doing this with their kids - teach them about capacitors before they start taking things apart.

 

:lol: Good idea! :lol:

[LittleIzumi]

Well, I know I have said this before on other threads, but DH and I feel that one of the best things to do for children is give them lots of broken electronics (and whatever other broken items you can find) and let them tear them apart.

 

DH has been in the tech field for 25 years. :001_huh: He has a great many co-workers/friends that have been in the field even longer. One things they all talk about is taking everything apart that they could get their hands on and how valuable that experience is.

 

Our neighbor was a history teacher (slash football coach :tongue_smilie:) in middle school but last year switched to teaching "technology" classes. DH has had several long conversations with him about how tech is taught in schools today. DH feels strongly that kids today have a great deal of 'surface' knowledge about technology (like how to use PowerPoint at an early age), but don't have a deep enough understanding of how the gadgets actually work. This hinders them when they go on to college to study either technology or engineering.

 

Thrift stores are great for this. I grabbed a super-old camcorder and let the girls tear it apart with a screwdriver. That was fascinating.

 

 

We finally had a science museum open up here, but it's almost an hour away so we haven't checked it out yet. However, the big university (also nearly an hour away) has some fun science options. We are heading up there tomorrow (ditching our only charter school day of the week, lol) for a 3-hour class where they'll extract their own DNA, learn about hearts, there will be a cow heart dissection, etc.

 

Now, I do have a question/issue. The Sponge wants to build a horse robot. She means Shetland-pony-sized. She has been going on about building a horse robot for MONTHS. I've tried to help her to see how that's a bit advanced for now, but it's not working. :lol: We did a month-long unit on horses to try and fill the horse drive, but it didn't work. Now I've got a ton of books about robots. :001_huh: We have a tiny horse robot from the hobby store, but that's also not enough. She found some scrap wood and started telling me how to cut horse legs, lol. She doesn't know any programming at all though. I need help to either figure out how to do this or how to convince her to wait until she's older than SIX. :lol: I am going to get her a book all about the anatomical details of horse movement, but that's the only plan I've got for now.

[LittleIzumi]

Curious which math/science curric you are using, and do you use more than one?

 

How about you? [And thanks for the book recommendation!]

 

Math:

MEP

Miquon

Singapore CWP

MathRider

Math Bingo

sometimes we play around on Khan Academy

 

I have Beast Academy and Zaccaro Primary Challenge Math for next year. We also do several kinds of logic--Primarily Logic, Building Thinking Skills, chess, reasoning activities, etc.

 

Science:

BFSU--almost finished with I, will start II after...

RSO (Life now, Chem later)

tons of living books

a weekly science class

Youtube/Happy Scientist/Bill Nye/library videos

local activities when they pop up at the universities or museums

[MissKNG]

Math:

Singapore Math (spine)

Beast Academy

CWP

MEP

Keys to Measurement

Various other books like Basher books, Penrose

Cyber Chase has been an obsession lately

 

 

Science:

Christian kids explore Earth and Astronomy

Basher books

All sorts of other books and materials:tongue_smilie:

[FairProspects]

Math:

Math Mammoth

Beast Academy

Singapore

Zacarro's PCM

Marilyn Burns Math books (various)

City Creek Addition the Fun Way

Miquon (for younger)

 

Science:

Supercharged Science

Intellego Unit Studies (for next year)

Engineering is Elementary Units (for next year)

Nature center classes

Engineering, computer, electronics, & robotics classes

Edited March 27, 2012 by FairProspects

[Chrysalis Academy]

Can we still play if we are more into the S&M, and not so much the T&E?

 

Oh, that did not sound good at all!! ;):D But you guys know what I mean.

 

The biggest thing I've been trying to change/improve in our hs, (ironically inspired by posts by 8FilltheHeart on the Circe thread) is to transform our math time. Really change my whole approach - not our curricula, which are great - but change how I teach.

 

So today, we started math time with a discussion of problem solving, cribbed from the Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire book, and one of the TED talks that Beth linked to. We made a problem-solving "bible" and posted it on the bulletin board. We talked about all the problem solving steps, and about how computation (which we'd been focusing on) is only about 20% of the whole problem-solving process. It was awesome.

 

Then, she solved a bunch of problems from MM. We decided we will start every day with problem solving/word problems (I will be looking for more good resources, I have the Singapore CWP books which we'll probably start with, and the star problems from BA).

 

Then she went on to a regular lesson on divisibility, and worked through a huge table, making predictions about patterns and prime numbers, and in the middle of it piped up happily "I love math. This is fun."

(ok, so yeah, this was the happiest day of my brief homeschool life! :D)

 

The we read the first two chapters of LOF-Goldfish, on the couch, with some tea.

 

I'm really inspired to keep the focus on math as problem-solving, and to back the heck off, and let her learn to struggle with problems and solve them (and reap the satisfaction of so doing) on her own. I am wayyy too impatient, and have such a hard time leaving her in that place of trouble and frustration where you have to spend some time to get anywhere worth going. This is what I'm trying to do to improve math ed at our house - just back the heck off. Stay out of the way. Sit down and shut up. and all that . . .

 

Too worn out to talk about science, but science is my first love, and we spend a lot of time on that too!! I'm just so jazzed about the math thing now. This is why I started homeschooling.

[Pen]

I have allowed my son to dismantle mechanical things, like an old bike, but I have been concerned about safety with regard to electronics. They generally have warnings about not opening up the insides except by a qualified technician.

 

What actual dangers are there with regard to electronics items (old computers, old digital cameras etc.), including perhaps sharp parts or heavy metals? What about unplugged electric items?

[nono]

Can we still play if we are more into the S&M, and not so much the T&E?

 

 

:hurray::hurray::hurray::hurray: Best line about this whole topic over all the days!

 

 

:lol:

[GoVanGogh]

I have allowed my son to dismantle mechanical things, like an old bike, but I have been concerned about safety with regard to electronics. They generally have warnings about not opening up the insides except by a qualified technician.

 

What actual dangers are there with regard to electronics items (old computers, old digital cameras etc.), including perhaps sharp parts or heavy metals? What about unplugged electric items?

Don't do computer monitors or televisions. Everything else - as long as you aren't planning on plugging them back in and attempting to use them - should be safe.

Two of DS's favorite things to take apart: an old Polaroid camera (lots of interesting gears) and our old home security system. Security system was from 20 years ago and was quite big and chunky compared to latest models.

As someone else mentioned - second hand stores are a great source for cheaper, older items to tear apart. We do keep our own old/broken stuff, but once or twice a year I take DS to a second hand store and let him pick out some stuff to dig into.

 

Curious which math/science curric you are using, and do you use more than one?

Math:

Singapore with supplements of Key To... series

Currently using the business math program from Simply CM

 

Science:

Whatever strikes our fancy!

We have used...

Apologia

BFSU

Elemental Science (probably what we will use most of from here on out)

Pillbug Project

 

We keep a membership to a science museum and a nature center, plus I am always on the lookout for science/nature programs throughout the community. I have also planned out various unit studies and often just buy a science kit and read some books related to kit.

I also try to plan out an engineer-type study every year. We have studied bridge construction and architecture in the past. I had planned on doing electronics this year, but DS ran off and started studying it himself. :lol:

 

I recently bought a membership for TWIG from Carolina Biological but life has gotten in the way, so we haven't started using it yet.

[stripe]

What is OM math /science? Oak Meadow??

[Alte Veste Academy]

Curious which math/science curric you are using, and do you use more than one?

 

All three kids start Miquon first. DS5 is still working through it. When they need more, I start them on Singapore and we mostly do the IP/CWP. I have sampled MM and RS but like SM better for us. We also do LOF and the RS games for fun.

 

From AOPS, I use Kitchen Table Math and Beast Academy. I will be doing the Pre-Algebra myself over the summer. I'm seriously excited about it, which cracks me up.

 

Some extra resources:

 

Primary Grade Challenge Math

 

Mathematical Activities: A Resource Book for Teachers (My MIL just bought this for me and it looks great.)

 

The Wonderful World of Mathematics ( so wonderful!)

 

The Giant Golden Book of Mathematics (with NEW MATH!! including computers :lol:)

 

How Math Works

 

Mr. Base Ten Invents Mathematics

 

You Can Count on Monsters

 

Anno's Math Games (and the other volumes)

 

The Secret Life of Math

 

Math Games and Activities from Around the World (and the 2nd volume)

 

Real World Math for Hands-On Fun

 

Math Art

 

Curve Stitching

 

The Cryptoclub

 

Everything Kids' Math Puzzles Book

 

The I Hate Mathematics Book

 

Math for Smarty Pants

 

Family Math

 

Games for Math

 

To incorporate into history studies, I have used too many picture books to mention and these:

 

Inventing the Future

 

From Zero to Ten: The Story of Numbers

 

Agnesi to Zeno

 

Mathematicians Are People, Too (and the second volume)

 

String, Straight-Edge, and Shadow (not to be missed)

 

American History Math

 

Fourscore and 7

 

I also have a crazy number of science and math books on a separate Amazon wish lists. I have a bit of a problem. :lol:

 

We do inquiry science and use way too many books to even think of listing them here. My favorite book on teaching science is Nurturing Inquiry. Organizing Wonder is a close second. I also like Science Notebooks.

 

I need recommendations for engineering and technology. I think I'll get the kid Mindstorms this fall for school...or save it for a Christmas present.

 

one of the TED talks that Beth linked to. We made a problem-solving "bible" and posted it on the bulletin board. We talked about all the problem solving steps, and about how computation (which we'd been focusing on) is only about 20% of the whole problem-solving process. It was awesome.

 

Oh, that sounds wonderful but I missed that TED talk link. Do you mind posting it again?

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

Here is the post to the TED talk originally posted by Beth that you asked about . . . it was great!

[Alte Veste Academy]

 

Here is the post to the TED talk originally posted by Beth that you asked about . . . it was great!

 

Thanks!

[lewelma]

We do a "real" science investigation each year that takes about 2 months. My kids explore a topic long enough to come up with something they are interested in finding out, something that you cannot look up. Then we design an experiment or observation, collect data, analyze it, and then evaluate our study for hidden assumptions, alternate conclusions, and future studies. I have written the first week up for this year's project here http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=361740

 

Although we must memorize some facts, understand some concepts, and learn some skills, this investigation is more about the high level thinking: application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

 

Ruth in NZ

[woolybear]

Thrift stores are great for this. I grabbed a super-old camcorder and let the girls tear it apart with a screwdriver. That was fascinating.

 

 

We finally had a science museum open up here, but it's almost an hour away so we haven't checked it out yet. However, the big university (also nearly an hour away) has some fun science options. We are heading up there tomorrow (ditching our only charter school day of the week, lol) for a 3-hour class where they'll extract their own DNA, learn about hearts, there will be a cow heart dissection, etc.

 

Now, I do have a question/issue. The Sponge wants to build a horse robot. She means Shetland-pony-sized. She has been going on about building a horse robot for MONTHS. I've tried to help her to see how that's a bit advanced for now, but it's not working. :lol: We did a month-long unit on horses to try and fill the horse drive, but it didn't work. Now I've got a ton of books about robots. :001_huh: We have a tiny horse robot from the hobby store, but that's also not enough. She found some scrap wood and started telling me how to cut horse legs, lol. She doesn't know any programming at all though. I need help to either figure out how to do this or how to convince her to wait until she's older than SIX. :lol: I am going to get her a book all about the anatomical details of horse movement, but that's the only plan I've got for now.

Ds wanted to build a helicopter at age 6. I thought of large models, but no, he wanted something big, but not quite full size. I said we really needed to learn how to do this. Maybe find someone to help? No, he wanted to do it right away. He found some wood and started building. A propeller out of 2x4s. Poor guy was really frustrated when it wouldn't fly and then he was just done with the whole idea. Just wanted to share because it your dd reminded me of it.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Well, I know I have said this before on other threads, but DH and I feel that one of the best things to do for children is give them lots of broken electronics (and whatever other broken items you can find) and let them tear them apart.

 

DH has been in the tech field for 25 years. :001_huh: He has a great many co-workers/friends that have been in the field even longer. One things they all talk about is taking everything apart that they could get their hands on and how valuable that experience is.

 

Our neighbor was a history teacher (slash football coach :tongue_smilie:) in middle school but last year switched to teaching "technology" classes. DH has had several long conversations with him about how tech is taught in schools today. DH feels strongly that kids today have a great deal of 'surface' knowledge about technology (like how to use PowerPoint at an early age), but don't have a deep enough understanding of how the gadgets actually work. This hinders them when they go on to college to study either technology or engineering.

 

Two weeks ago, dh sent the kids to retrieve a lawn mower sitting out in a neighbor's trash. They also came back with a computer CPU. They spent the next day taking it apart. At one point, Rutabaga came in and explained with all the confidence of a worldly teen that he'd gotten one part out, but that power supplies were almost impossible to remove. Then his 9 yo little brother walked up behind him and handed him the power supply with a grin.

 

Every time that I was looking for Artichoke (the 9 yo) for a new set of lessons that week, I found him crouched on the garage floor, pliers and screwdriver in hand, taking something else off.

[MelAR05]

 

I also try to plan out an engineer-type study every year. We have studied bridge construction and architecture in the past. I had planned on doing electronics this year, but DS ran off and started studying it himself. :lol:

 

 

I was wondering if you could share more about what you did. My 9 yr old daughter loves this stuff but I am at a loss on how to help her.

 

TIA!

[freerange]

Thrift sto

Now, I do have a question/issue. The Sponge wants to build a horse robot. She means Shetland-pony-sized. She has been going on about building a horse robot for MONTHS. I've tried to help her to see how that's a bit advanced for now, but it's not working. :lol: We did a month-long unit on horses to try and fill the horse drive, but it didn't work. Now I've got a ton of books about robots. :001_huh: We have a tiny horse robot from the hobby store, but that's also not enough. She found some scrap wood and started telling me how to cut horse legs, lol. She doesn't know any programming at all though. I need help to either figure out how to do this or how to convince her to wait until she's older than SIX. :lol: I am going to get her a book all about the anatomical details of horse movement, but that's the only plan I've got for now.

 

If you want to f eed the fire, she could read Mylor by Michael Maguire.

[Greenmama2]

Ds wanted to build a helicopter at age 6. I thought of large models, but no, he wanted something big, but not quite full size. I said we really needed to learn how to do this. Maybe find someone to help? No, he wanted to do it right away. He found some wood and started building. A propeller out of 2x4s. Poor guy was really frustrated when it wouldn't fly and then he was just done with the whole idea. Just wanted to share because it your dd reminded me of it.

 

My almost six year old wants to build herself a pair of feathered wings. She understands she won't have the muscle power to flap a pair big enough to support her but she is convinced she can build something she can glide with. She has been collecting feathers and studying the anatomy of owl wings for quite some time now. I'm not sure why owls in particular...

 

Fabulous thread and group by the way. My Amazon wish list just got a whole lot bigger!

[Mommyfaithe]

WOW!!!!! Awesome list...thanks. I LOVE Miquon and have used it with every one of my kids.....off to check out Kitchen Table Math!

And a bunch others.....there goes the budget! Good thing I cleared off that shelf:auto::D

 

 

All three kids start Miquon first. DS5 is still working through it. When they need more, I start them on Singapore and we mostly do the IP/CWP. I have sampled MM and RS but like SM better for us. We also do LOF and the RS games for fun.

 

From AOPS, I use Kitchen Table Math and Beast Academy. I will be doing the Pre-Algebra myself over the summer. I'm seriously excited about it, which cracks me up.

 

Some extra resources:

 

Primary Grade Challenge Math

 

Mathematical Activities: A Resource Book for Teachers (My MIL just bought this for me and it looks great.)

 

The Wonderful World of Mathematics ( so wonderful!)

 

The Giant Golden Book of Mathematics (with NEW MATH!! including computers :lol:)

 

How Math Works

 

Mr. Base Ten Invents Mathematics

 

You Can Count on Monsters

 

Anno's Math Games (and the other volumes)

 

The Secret Life of Math

 

Math Games and Activities from Around the World (and the 2nd volume)

 

Real World Math for Hands-On Fun

 

Math Art

 

Curve Stitching

 

The Cryptoclub

 

Everything Kids' Math Puzzles Book

 

The I Hate Mathematics Book

 

Math for Smarty Pants

 

Family Math

 

Games for Math

 

To incorporate into history studies, I have used too many picture books to mention and these:

 

Inventing the Future

 

From Zero to Ten: The Story of Numbers

 

Agnesi to Zeno

 

Mathematicians Are People, Too (and the second volume)

 

String, Straight-Edge, and Shadow (not to be missed)

 

American History Math

 

Fourscore and 7

 

I also have a crazy number of science and math books on a separate Amazon wish lists. I have a bit of a problem. :lol:

 

We do inquiry science and use way too many books to even think of listing them here. My favorite book on teaching science is Nurturing Inquiry. Organizing Wonder is a close second. I also like Science Notebooks.

 

I need recommendations for engineering and technology. I think I'll get the kid Mindstorms this fall for school...or save it for a Christmas present.

 

 

 

Oh, that sounds wonderful but I missed that TED talk link. Do you mind posting it again?

[nono]

I have a natural leaning towards S & M. (Probably in both ways...:tongue_smilie:) Last week, I finally taught Days/Weeks/Months that I'd gloss over in FLL. The kids have gotten so into Astronomy, that we could have a conversation about it, and in 5 minutes, they finally "got" it because of their better working knowledge of the solar system.

 

For me, I have to teach heavier on S & M first, because it's my vernacular. Math makes everything else in the world make sense to me. I find it is a way to help me teach all the rest, over and over! So, in addition to things like the kids helping my dh build computers, program universal remotes, etc., I look for S&M as my lead into all the arts. And then, I get something like this in the mail:

 

Uncover the mysteries of mathematics in our featured lesson, GoFigure. Participate in engaging activities that highlight geometry as well as measurement. Homeschool groups are encouraged to investigate gardens that exhibit the use of shape, pattern, symmetry, and balance. After garden exploration, design your own garden plot for bulb "planting."*

 

It made me smile.

 

*Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA

[nono]

Oh, and what we use? Honestly, we have a couple of streams of science going right now -- Astronomy, Botany and Oceanography. (Can't help the Oceanography part as we live a couple blocks from the Atlantic). I realized pretty quickly that in these early years with my kids, I don't need much more than the library, the internet, the willingness to do some experiments and Netflix documentaries. :)

 

Math? I'm pretty sold on Miquon/Singapore as our core. LoF Elementary is fun, but I don't really see it teaching Math as much as giving me hooks back into other subjects, which I think is the opposite of how many folks see that series.

 

Oh, and more on S & M being the lead into the arts. Last night after tap class, while the kids were changing shoes, my ds says to me, "Can we go home and watch a documentary?" One of the other moms, a teacher, pulled me aside, and said, "I don't think I've ever heard a 5 year old ask to watch a documentary before. Great job on getting him to know what one is, and getting him to like them!" I thought that was so kind of her to do.

 

Finally, The Universe documentary series is where I taught the kids about the use of melodrama.:tongue_smilie:

 

 

(Sorry to be all over the place with this but I'm just getting caffeinated for the day, and very uneven.)

[jcross222]

My kids are very sports and car-minded. I found these videos to be particularly interesting to explain physical science concepts http://www.nbclearn.com/portal/site/learn/science-of-nhl-hockey

 

Also my kids love the show Top Gear on BBC. It has brought about several discussions regarding combustion, fuel efficiency, drag, etc.

I have this book on my wish list, I intend to use it in the fall when we start our year of physical science http://www.amazon.com/Car-Science-Richard-Hammond/dp/1405364068/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I36TYZ6Q329FS4&colid=2HBHNY9D6GKCO

 

Otherwise, we joined the lego club on currclick and participate in the montly lego challenge here http://legoquestkids.blogspot.com/

We have exhausted all Magic School Bus books and videos and are still working through the list Bill Nye videos.

 

Math has been MUS for all from the start. My 7th grade twins are using Derek Owens for Pre-Alg this year with great success. I have just purchased some daily word problem books during scholastic.com's dollar days sale that I plan on starting soon.

 

Finally, I am on a never ending look out for a good combustion engine model for the kids to put together. All I've seen so far have not had many good reviews.

[walkermamaof4]

Sorry for my ignorance, but what are Basher books?

[ChandlerMom]

What is OM math /science? Oak Meadow??

 

Yep. I have no trouble focussing on STEM, but needed something to help keep me honest with the OTHER stuff (esp for my 6yo 'flower child' dd), so we started OM a month ago. Even my Spock-child LOVES circle time, knitting and playing the recorder. :lol: She was the one when I told them, "next week we will add a new curriculum I think you'll really like," she asked excitedly, "Does it have more science?" Um...not exactly. :lol:

[Xander]

Sorry for my ignorance, but what are Basher books?

 

These (and others like them):

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Basher-Science-Physics-Dan-Green/dp/0753432900/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Periodic-Table-Duplicate-Elements/dp/0753415119/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biology-Life-We-Know-It/dp/0753417316/

 

(clean links - no affiliate kickbacks)

[walkermamaof4]

These (and others like them):

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Basher-Science-Physics-Dan-Green/dp/0753432900/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Periodic-Table-Duplicate-Elements/dp/0753415119/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biology-Life-We-Know-It/dp/0753417316/

 

(clean links - no affiliate kickbacks)

 

Thanks! Amazon cart filling up again!

[walkermamaof4]

What would you recommend for the first thing to let a kid take apart? Second? Third?

[*Jessica*]

Is it safe to let kids take apart a laptop? We have one that is barely working and I'm expecting its death very soon. My 6-year old would love to tear it apart with help from Daddy, who has built his own computer so has a decent amount of knowledge. I know computers have to be recycled properly because of their components. Does that mean I need to worry about lead, mercury, and/or who-knows-what-else?

[simka2]

Can I ask you science people for some ideas?

 

One thing Dd came home from ps with was a great science journal/notebook. It seemed like a composition book combined with a lapbook. Because it was a composition book it took up little space and provided a great place for science vocabulary as well.

 

I would like to model our science after this for awhile, bit I am not sure how to go about it. The other kicker is that I would like to let the kids pick an area of science to gather info on and research, a bit interest driven at first, with me steering them later to fill in holes.

 

Ideas? I guess at it's most basic I am looking for simple templates to accompany different science themes.

[stripe]

What if neither I nor my husband know anything about building stuff? I am the one who assembles IKEA furniture in my household, but the last time I soldered was in middle school, aside from an electronics project I helped the kids with at an activity. I took a metalwork class in 6th grade (! -- it was required, honestly, I'm not that old!) and in 7th grade I built an AM radio on the weekend at some class my mom signed me up for. In short, I don't know much.

[stripe]

I'm interested but clueless!