Homeschooling Science Part One
Out of all the subjects that I teach to my kids, science is
the hardest. Why is that? I love science, I enjoyed it in high school
and college, and I love nature. So why
is it so hard?
the hardest. Why is that? I love science, I enjoyed it in high school
and college, and I love nature. So why
is it so hard?
I think it might have
something to do with the fact that my kids are still quite little. Finally I went online to see what the kids
were learning about at the public school this year. What I found was that they were learning
about weather, the change in seasons, and the cycle of a year. Well, that made me feel a lot better!
something to do with the fact that my kids are still quite little. Finally I went online to see what the kids
were learning about at the public school this year. What I found was that they were learning
about weather, the change in seasons, and the cycle of a year. Well, that made me feel a lot better!
I thought it might be nice to share some of the resources we
are using this year for Science.
are using this year for Science.
First and foremost we will be reading a lot of books. These are pulled from all of the cores that
we have used so far from Sonlight. This is not an exhaustive collection of
course, it is just the beginning. I
fully support interest led learning, so when there is a subject that really
catches the eye of my children, we will follow that, taking more books out of
the library.
we have used so far from Sonlight. This is not an exhaustive collection of
course, it is just the beginning. I
fully support interest led learning, so when there is a subject that really
catches the eye of my children, we will follow that, taking more books out of
the library.
Every morning we have circle time. It is a time where we read our Bible story
for the day; we do some morning stretches and sing some silly songs. But, the favorite part for my kids is doing
their calendar. We have a magnetic
calendar from Melissa & Doug that the kids do together. And the favorite part on the calendar is the
weather. They talk about what is going
on outside our window, decide on how warm (or cold) it is, what the weather
might be like for the whole day, and how that will impact our time
outside. It is something we have been
doing since Emma was two. It has gotten
more advanced as the years have gone on, but what is going on outside our
window has always been a part of it.
for the day; we do some morning stretches and sing some silly songs. But, the favorite part for my kids is doing
their calendar. We have a magnetic
calendar from Melissa & Doug that the kids do together. And the favorite part on the calendar is the
weather. They talk about what is going
on outside our window, decide on how warm (or cold) it is, what the weather
might be like for the whole day, and how that will impact our time
outside. It is something we have been
doing since Emma was two. It has gotten
more advanced as the years have gone on, but what is going on outside our
window has always been a part of it.
Another resource that I absolutely love this year is the
Wild Kratts games on PBSkids.org.
Seriously, if you have not checked out this free resource, you
should. It is amazing the information
that Emma and Jack will report back to me after they have their screen-time on
the computer.
Wild Kratts games on PBSkids.org.
Seriously, if you have not checked out this free resource, you
should. It is amazing the information
that Emma and Jack will report back to me after they have their screen-time on
the computer.
I also love the Magic School Bus shows, which are on Netflix
instant. There is an entire Magic School
Bus curriculum for science, but we do not have that. Instead the kids will watch a show and then
tell me about what they have learned and draw pictures in their Science
notebooks. I love to be able to give
them something to watch that has educational value, so they feel like they are
getting to watch something fun, but also learning at the same time.
instant. There is an entire Magic School
Bus curriculum for science, but we do not have that. Instead the kids will watch a show and then
tell me about what they have learned and draw pictures in their Science
notebooks. I love to be able to give
them something to watch that has educational value, so they feel like they are
getting to watch something fun, but also learning at the same time.
Being outside is another big resource, at least until the
snow flies around here. Getting out into
nature not only helps my kids concentrate better on their other school
subjects, it allows them to get dirty and messy and explore God’s creation
around them. Some days they spend a lot
of time digging up worms and chasing butterflies, and others they go outside to
sit in their tree fort for a bit then come back inside. I try and give them the freedom to explore,
and then report back on what they are doing.
snow flies around here. Getting out into
nature not only helps my kids concentrate better on their other school
subjects, it allows them to get dirty and messy and explore God’s creation
around them. Some days they spend a lot
of time digging up worms and chasing butterflies, and others they go outside to
sit in their tree fort for a bit then come back inside. I try and give them the freedom to explore,
and then report back on what they are doing.
Finally, we do include some
experiments. However, these seem to
be few and far between. It is something
that I struggle with doing, and will touch on it more next week in Part 2 of
our Science resources for this year.
experiments. However, these seem to
be few and far between. It is something
that I struggle with doing, and will touch on it more next week in Part 2 of
our Science resources for this year.
For a couple of years we mainly did science during the
summer. I spend a lot of time out in the
garden, and having the kids involved in that is such a huge learning experience
for them. But, they are becoming pros at
planting seeds in the dead of winter and nurturing them to grow into something
edible in the summer, so we need to keep going.
summer. I spend a lot of time out in the
garden, and having the kids involved in that is such a huge learning experience
for them. But, they are becoming pros at
planting seeds in the dead of winter and nurturing them to grow into something
edible in the summer, so we need to keep going.
Is there a subject you
struggle with teaching? What do you do
to make sure you cover everything?
struggle with teaching? What do you do
to make sure you cover everything?
I love that you have such a hands on Science curriculum! I know that you are educating them and fostering a love of the outdoors which is pretty amazing Mama! As always, love the pictures!