Thursday 19 August 2021

Science in Your Homeschool

 Science in your homeschool can be filled with loads of fun adventures in your kitchen and beyond.  When I was a member of the Homeschool Review Crew we  reviewed some amazing science curriculums however the one thing I found is that you don't need an official curriculum to enjoy learning about the science of the world around you.  Science is a subject that is huge in scope from every day science in your kitchen to working in a laboratory. Do not forget to tap into field trips such as going to the museum, look for community expo's or watching programs like Kill it, Cut it, Use it.


Define: Science
  • The word science comes from the Latin "scientia," meaning knowledge especially knowledge based on reproducible data.
  • Science is the systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation. 

From this definition we can see that science is not solely about science labs and microscopes, formulas and chemicals it's all about the world around us. The sciences need not fill you with fear the high school years can be a wonderful time of learning alongside your students and discovering amazing things together.
Experiment 8 - Colorful Flowers

More on Science on this blog:
Curriculum we have reviewed:

Kitchen Experiments

Books 

On the WWW

On YouTube
  • Smarter Every Day Channel. The very first clip we saw was Mystery of Prince Rupert's Drop at 130,000 fps. Destin covers really interesting topics covered and explained in layman's terms and if he uses scientific jargon he is careful to explain it.
  • For fun we visit the Slo Mo Guys. On this channel, Gavin Free and Dan Gruchy take a $150,000 high speed camera to show you the world hundreds of times slower than you can see with your own eyes. . One of our favourite videos is Giant 6ft Water Balloon
  • The Super Slow Show by the Slo Mo Guys brings on science educators to explain what is happening in the experiments 

Our Microscope

You do not NEED a microscope to enjoy science at home but if you are able to save up and purchase one it opens up a whole new world for you and your children to enjoy. A few years back I spent a long time researching microscope options and settled on the Sonlight's Variable Voltage Microscope. You can read all about it's technical specifications and watch a YouTube walk through.

If you are living in Australia you can not order in science specimens they will not be allowed past customs. If you are wanting to purchase dissection specimens you can order them from Southern Biological in Melbourne. They also stock a full range of items for science use at home and they also ship to New Zealand.

In the USA I highly recommend Sonlight's science resourcesand the resource kits from Rainbow Resources.


What are you using that I could I add to this list ?

Chareen

Find the other ABC posts in this series here:

  1. A is for Art Lessons at Home
  2. B is for Books Where do You Purchase Yours? 
  3. Charlotte Mason a Round Up of Posts 
  4. Delight Directed Education
  5. Encouragement for Weary Homeschooling Mothers
  6. For the Children's Sake  
  7. G is for Geography
  8. Homeschool Bloggers  
  9. Instagramers to follow who are homeschooling
  10. Joy in Your Homeschool Journey
  11. Know Yourself - Stop the Comparison Game  
  12. Life Skills in Your Homeschool
  13. Math Resource for Home Education
  14. Netflix in Your Homeschool
  15. Olympics 2021
  16. P is for Podcasts  
  17. Quintessentially Homeschool
  18. Read-A-Loud in Your Homeschool
  19. Science in Your Homeschool

Featured from last week the letter P...

This Week over at Our Homeschool Notebook the topic is S is for Sea creatures 

 

Please link up your posts starting with the letter S for this weeks ABC Blogging

Thursday 12 August 2021

Read-A-Loud in your Homeschool

 Reading out loud is one of the biggest gifts I received as a homeschooler.  I have the most precious memories of cuddling on the couch with my young children working our way together through our latest story. I was thrilled to find a move called Read Aloud Revival by Sarah M.  She also host an amazing Read-Aloud podcast to encourage you.

"Every child ought to know the pleasure of words so well chosen that they awaken sensibility, great emotions, and understanding of truth "- Gladys Hunt

Read-A-Loud in Your Homeschool

Over the years here on the blog I have shared numerous of our favourite read out loud books under

What's my all time Favourite Read A Loud ?

Oh my I have a few that have really impacted me.  I think top of the list would be Carry On Mr Bowditch. I so enjoyed this read aloud from Sonlight that I took out our encyclopedia to research him and all it had was a few lines with a reference to this book as the definitive work on the man.

Help where do I start finding great books to read out loud to my family?

A side note on Learning to read: 

While reading out loud to our children is important as it imparts so many linguistic skills to our children.  One of the most often asked questions is how to teach children to read or why is my child still not able to read?! There are multiple factors that influence your children's ability to learn to read. I wrote a mini five part series on this a few years ago.

The series is not about the different methods used to teach reading but rather about some of the factors that influence a students ability to learn to read.  

What are some of YOUR favourite Read-A-Louds ? 

Chareen

Find the other ABC posts in this series here:

  1. A is for Art Lessons at Home
  2. B is for Books Where do You Purchase Yours? 
  3. Charlotte Mason a Round Up of Posts 
  4. Delight Directed Education
  5. Encouragement for Weary Homeschooling Mothers
  6. For the Children's Sake  
  7. G is for Geography
  8. Homeschool Bloggers  
  9. Instagramers to follow who are homeschooling
  10. Joy in Your Homeschool Journey
  11. Know Yourself - Stop the Comparison Game  
  12. Life Skills in Your Homeschool
  13. Math Resource for Home Education
  14. Netflix in Your Homeschool
  15. Olympics 2021
  16. P is for Podcasts  
  17. Quintessentially Homeschool
  18. Read-A-Loud in Your Homeschool

Featured from last week the letter Q...

This Week over at Our Homeschool Notebook the topic is R is for Race Cars 

 

Please link up your posts starting with the letter R for this weeks ABC Blogging

Thursday 5 August 2021

Quintessentially Homeschool

Welcome to week 18 of  Blogging Through the Alphabet 2021.  This week Desiree is sharing Q is for quit. I'm so sorry my post is up late today! I saw the following on a friends wall on Facebook and thought I could not have said it any better.  Today's word for the letter Q is Quinessentially!  The first time I heard this word was in a writting class taught by Andrew Pudewa and I've loved it ever since. 

Define Quintessential: representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class 

The truth is that: 

Homeschool is calm. It’s quiet. Homeschool is loud. It’s messy.
Homeschool is a kid showered and dressed for the day.
Homeschool is a kid still in pajamas at lunch.
Homeschool is coordinating folders and notebooks.
Homeschool is broken pencils and worn binders.
Homeschool is a thoughtful production.
Homeschool is a train wreck.
Homeschool is a clean workspace.
Homeschool is a cluttered table.
Homeschool is co-op groups and field trips.
Homeschool is seclusion and not leaving the house for days.
Homeschool is music and laughter.
Homeschool is a failed test and anger.
Homeschool is met with approval.
Homeschool is misunderstood.
Homeschool is grading papers.
Homeschool is hiding in the bathroom.
Homeschool is wrapped up by noon.
Homeschool is still going strong after dinner.
Homeschool is Mary Poppins.
Homeschool is Cruella de Vil.
Homeschool is a carefully planned meal and gathering around the table.
Homeschool is a Hot Pocket at their desk.
Homeschool is costly materials.
Homeschool is alphabet magnets and free printables.
Homeschool is more time with your kids.
Homeschool is more time with your kids.

---oOo--- 
 

What are some of YOUR favourite parts of Homeschooling ?

Chareen

Find the other ABC posts in this series here:

  1. A is for Art Lessons at Home
  2. B is for Books Where do You Purchase Yours? 
  3. Charlotte Mason a Round Up of Posts 
  4. Delight Directed Education
  5. Encouragement for Weary Homeschooling Mothers
  6. For the Children's Sake  
  7. G is for Geography
  8. Homeschool Bloggers  
  9. Instagramers to follow who are homeschooling
  10. Joy in Your Homeschool Journey
  11. Know Yourself - Stop the Comparison Game  
  12. Life Skills in Your Homeschool
  13. Math Resource for Home Education
  14. Netflix in Your Homeschool
  15. Olympics 2021
  16. P is for Podcasts  
  17. Quintessentially Homeschool

Featured from last week the letter P...

This Week over at Our Homeschool Notebook the topic is Q is for quit

 

Please link up your posts starting with the letter Q for this weeks ABC Blogging