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Science / Where We Used to Live (Australia posts)
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published January 28, 2010
The picture above is a rock called Gypsum. When wewere in Coober Pedy (known for its opal mining), we wentnoodling (looking around the piles of dirt brought outfrom the mines) for opal. We didn’t find much opal, butwe did find some beautiful crystal rocks called gypsum.It breaks easily into fine, needle-like strands.
Science / Where We Used to Live (Australia posts)
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published January 28, 2010 · Last modified March 29, 2016
I’ve included a picture with ED’s tiny hand. Now want to see something astounding? Check out this website: http://www.ironammonite.com/2009/12/surviving-cueva-de-los-cristales-giant.html In a cave in Mexico where the temperatures soar to 50 Celsius/122 Fahrenheit, there are gypsum crystals that make a grown man look like ED’s small fingernails! You can also check out the National Geographic website: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/crystal-giants/crystals-photography I found even the story of how they entered the cave (without perishing) and...
The ancient Greek foot soldiers were called hoplites. Thisword comes from “hoplon,” the shield each had to carry.Each hoplite provided his own armor. The shield was madeof bronze and leather. Each hoplite could choose thedecoration on his shield and often used a symbol ofhis family or city. The shield was very important, so much so that in Spartait was against the law for a hoplite to leave his shieldbehind in...
I gathered a number of items from around the houseand put them all into a ziploc bag with a flashlight. Thenbefore letting the kids sort, I made sure they saw examplesand understood the difference between something thatwas transparent: you can see obects clearly through and light passes throughtranslucent: you cannot clearly see objects, but light passes throughopaque: light does not pass through I was surprised by a number of objects...
This activity would be easy to create by clippingfood items from an advertisement. I got mine on saleat some point. There’s also a free file folder game athttp://filefolderfun.com/FirstGradeHealth.htmlwhere kids can sort items into grains, fruit, vegies,milk and meat. Anyway, here is DD sorting foods into the variousfood groups. PS — When I was talking to my hubby about the“food pyramid” he said, “Oh no, that’s outdated.” HappilyI could say that...
Ages 2-6: Preschool (Age 4) / Ages 2-6: Toddler/Preschool Activities / Arts and Crafts
by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published January 28, 2010
For this activity we needed cooked spaghetti (we usedfettuccine), bits of yarn or string and glue. We had onebowl of plain glue, and a bowl of glue + red food coloringanother with glue/yellow and another with glue/green. This activity worked best when I had them use a fork.My kids didn’t dip it in well enough to get a lot of glue.They really needed to stir it around a bit (and...
ED turns two next week! Wow! She continues to do many of the same tonging,spooning and sorting activities with ever moreconcentration. I love this picture below whereshe is just so intent on getting the eraser ontothe right spot! I usually set up one new activity for her on thelittle table in the kitchen each morning. I didn’tget a picture of the rice/bean tub in action, butput in a picture of...
This tub used to be considerably fuller, but over timelots of the rice/beans have been tossed! This is a sensoryactivity. ED (and the others!) have to feel through therice/beans for the hidden objects.
Do you believe education can be exciting, inspiring, and full of joy? We do too!
I love the quote by William Butler Yeats, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." It's about getting the kids involved, engaged, and fired up about learning (while juggling the rest of life too!)
A bit about me: I have my Master's from Brown University. I have more than 20 years of teaching experience. I was a high school teacher for many years both in the U.S. and internationally and also taught for the University of Maryland before leaving to homeschool my 3 wonderful kids.
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This post has links to dozens of posts and resources both for new and veteran homeschoolers for everything from finding homeschool curriculum to general homeschool advice and encouragement.
Click on the image above to see the History Units we covered in our homeschool.
What science topics could I teach my 5-7 year old - Homeschool Science Curriculum
Click on the image above to see the Science Units we covered in our homeschool from elementary through middle school (and beyond!).
A list of the books we've used most in history, science, math, language arts, etc.
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Units are also sold separately.
This is one of our most popular units. It covers the Layers of the Earth, Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, Volcanoes and More! It is included in the Earth Science Bundle (see the picture/link above).
Click the image to see our Biology Units on Animal and Plant Cells; the Biology Unit on Biomes, Food Chains, Symbiosis; Scientific Classification & Taxonomy (Domain/Kingdom/Phylum/Class, etc.); Botany - Plant Kingdom and Oceans and Oceanography.
Click on the image to see our Animal Bundle - including the Animal Unit, Life Cycles, the Rainforest, Winter (Polar Animals) & Hibernation, Chameleons, Wolves, Cicadas and more!
The Human Body Systems, Skeletal, Digestive, Circulatory, Muscular, Nervous, Endocrine Systems and More (with lots of hands-on activity ideas)! We usually study a different body system each year.
Click on the image to see our units on the States of matter, Properties of Matter, Electricity & Circuits, and the Chemistry Unit (Get to know the Periodic Table in a fun way!)
This is a free checklist I put together of the various science units I hope to cover in the elementary and middle school years.
Do your kids know the 4 largest countries? Which countries have the most people? The longest river? This packet covers basic world and U.S. facts and also covers geographic features and land forms.
Click on the image to check out our 100-page unit on World War I.
We have used AAS for 6 years! AAS is an affiliate link.
Dozens of posts about how to create a homeschool writing workshop.
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This is one of the best values we have... more than 20 PDFs with games, activities and worksheets to learn/practice the multiplication facts ($7.00).
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Click on the image to check out our 100+page Rocks and Minerals Unit.
This is a fun, hands-on unit for early elementary students!
How the body is organized from cells to tissues... organs to body systems
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