Susan Kilbride is a homeschooling Mom who happens to have a degree in biology. Early on in her own homeschooling journey, she noticed many parents were either intimated by trying to create their own science curriculum, or simply didn’t have the time. Susan began a quest to put together a resource for parents, teachers and kids that would not only be educationally sound, but fun for kids. The result was “Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers”. It is perfect for homeschooling families and classroom teachers alike.

If you are looking for quality science units, but simply don’t have the time to put a unit together, Susan’s book is perfect for you. If you want to supplement your existing science program, I definitely recommend taking a close look at the book. Those of you who might be a little scared of trying to put together your own science lessons for fear you might get something wrong, fear no more, the answer is just a click away.

“Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers” is geared for ages 4-13 and is broken up into two different age ranges: 4-7 and 8-13. As the parent, or classroom teacher, you know best where you child or student fits regardless of age. There are ten chapters for ages 4-7 and 10 chapters for ages 8-13. The book also includes tests, answers, and worksheets. The back cover of the book has six full color camouflage pictures as a challenge for your child. I had to look hard for a few of them!

Each chapter is broken up into digestible parts, and includes needed information about the topic as well as supplies to carry out each  experiment. The learning activities are clearly scripted for you should you need that extra help. Each lesson has pictures and worksheets to help further explain the lesson.

Examples:

The Human Body (ages 4-7)

• Part 1: Digestive System
• Part 2: Respiratory System
• Part 3: Circulatory System
• Part 4:  Skeletal System
• Part 5: Nervous System
• Part 6: Recommended Movies

Atoms and Molecules (ages 8-13)

• Part 1: Definition of an Atom
• Part 2; Definition of a Molecule
• Part 3: Crystals
• Part 4: Characteristics of Molecules
• Part 5: Parts of an Atom
• Test

My daughter and I have been using Susan’s book this semester. It is easy to follow because everything is laid out very well. My daughter is enjoying the experiments and learning at the same time. That is a plus for us both. Another reason I like this book is because it fits the learning style of my daughter.

The lessons build upon each other, so you might want to follow the order they are listed, however, if you have already learned about a particular topic, feel free to move forward or skim the lesson before moving on.

Most of the supplies needed for experiments are easily found around your house, the grocery store, or craft store. They are not expensive items at all. The lessons are not intended to be done independently by the child, but rather with a learning coach.

See book at Amazon

I belong to lots of online forum groups. I find the groups provide support, ideas, tips, links to great resources, new friendship opportunities and so much more. Some groups are Yahoo groups and the rest I have bookmarked. I think I have a pretty good balance or variety of groups from which I draw…special needs, unschooling, right-brained visual learners, Christian homeschool groups, creative thinkers, eclectic learners, singles (meaning only children) and so forth. One group I have not visited is the secular homeschool circles. I have lots of friends who do belong to secular homeschool groups for various reasons. I know many, not all, but many secular folks do not want to utilize a Christian curriculum, they desire to keep that part separate, focusing on a totally secular homeschool curriculum. I respect their decision. Many don’t want any references to God or religion in forum posts either.

I integrate the Word of God into our schooling. However, I choose curriculum based on how well it meets my daughter’s learning style. We have used and continue to use various Christian curriculums with great success. We also use programs that do not focus on any form of religion. I am a Christian, so I believe it is my job as a parent to train my daughter in the way God directs me. My bent is certainly toward a Christian world view. I select quality Christian resources whenever I can. In other words, I am not going to go out of my way to select a secular curriculum, and I am not going to select a Christian curriculum simply because it is Christian. Sometimes curriculums are “labeled” in hopes of attracting certain customers. I look for quality AND what I believe.

I think I have shyed away from secular homeschool groups in general because I had a crazy notion they were all atheists or wiccans of some sort. I am sure there are many who are and more who are not. As I dig a little deeper into these groups, I am finding most simply want to have a support group where religion is not discussed as a part of schooling. I have also come to realize that there are Christians in secular homeschool groups just as there are secular folks who belong to Christian support groups. Sounds like the makings of a healthy balance of ideas.

I am learning that some folks simply prefer to teach academic subjects without any references toward one religion or another.  That makes sense in that some religious and secular curriculum may have a slant. I know I am picky about religious curriculum and secular curriculum. Whenever we come up against something that goes against what we believe, we simply discuss why we believe as we do. Reading and discussing things we don’t believe helps my daughter answer others when asked why she believes as she does. 

It is important to choose any curriculum, not just Christian or secular, very carefully. You have to make sure it matches up with what you as a family believe, and it is important to make sure it is academically solid. I have to say it is also important not to isolate yourself from others because of a preconceived notion such as I held about secular groups in general. 

What about you? How do you feel about Christian curriculum or Christian homeschool groups VS secular curriculum or secular support groups? Weigh in with your comment.

1+1+1=1 is offering an update to their printable pack for The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

New items added are:

• 3 Part Cards
• 1-10 Puzzle
• Read & Write the Room Cards
• Graphing
• Tracing
• Matching Activities

If you don’t have the original set, don’t worry, you can download it at the same site. I believe the original link was actually going to Brown Bear. Here is her corrected link.

Poetic Power contacted me about several upcoming contests they are running. Their next contest involves essays and has a deadline of February 15, 2012. The contest is open to homeschoolers as well as public and private school kids.

Here are the details:

Students submit one non-fiction essay, 250 words or less on any topic. The essay can be submitted online or mailed in.

Online submission– http://www.poeticpower.com

Mail submission–Creative Communication, 159 North Main Street, Smithfield, UT 84335.

There are three contests each year with upcoming deadlines of Feb 15 and July 18. There are 10 winners in each grade division of 3-6, 7-9, 10-12.

Winners receive $25 and a book that includes their essay. Other writers of merit will be invited to be published. There are no costs to enter, or to be published.

Do your kids ever get confused when working with contractions and possessives? Sometimes kids confuse contractions with compound words where the words are joined together to form new words.

Possessive words can confuse kids because many times they look similar to contractions. Because of the easy confusion, it is always a good idea to include both in various spelling lessons in order to teach the difference between the two.

Look at these examples:

Possessive using an apostrophe:
The dog’s collar is new. (singular, one dog)
The dogs’ collars are new.(plural possessive)

Possessive without an apostrophe:
 Its collar is new.
 Her necklace is new.

 Contraction of two words such as:
it and is; is and not; I and would
 It’s a new collar.
The collar isn’t new.
 I’d like a new collar.

If your children are a little more cooperative than my sweet girl, head off any frustration they might experience by letting  them play online games to help learn to correctly use contractions, compounds,  and possessives. Fun seems to squelch frustration pretty quickly, and you win because they learn an important skill without shedding a tear.

Raising Aarons and Mama’s Learning Corner are offering lessons for kids about the Fruit of the Spirit.

This resource includes lesson printables and a Fruit Chart so that your child can see each time they display a Fruit of the Spirit. This is great for those visual-spatial kids.

Jackie

I hope everyone is back in the saddle again so to speak. I know some of you have changed curriculums or just started homeschooling. January and August seem to be the two start-up times for homeschooling.

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you know that as part of my daughter’s homeschool writing curriculum, she writes her very own anime fan fiction blog and we edit together. Anime continues to grow by leaps and bounds in this country. There is a huge fan base here in the United States. .

Because of my daughter’s great love of anime, it only seemed natural to merge it into her home school lessons. She is very into sketching, so her art lessons include anime drawing. She has her anime sketches posted all around her room. She even posts them on an anime artist site. She creates AMV’s ( anime music video ) and posts them on YouTube. Here is a link to some of her AMV’s. Recently a particular site invited her to submit a Christmas AMV for a contest they were running. She was so proud! Being recognized for her work was a thrill for her. I must admit, I was a very proud Mom too!  For theater arts or drama, she has anime cosplay outfits. She acts out various scenes. Her dream is to attend one of the many anime cons such as MegaCon, Dragon Con, A-Kon, AWA…

Here are a few of her anime drawings.

Writing fan fiction is so very different from what I learned about traditional writing as a student. I embraced that difference and learned something new myself.  Blogging is not our only avenue for writing lessons, but it is her favorite. If you would like to take a peek at her blog, it is Bleached in Anime. The lingo is unique to anime lovers. If you are not an anime fan, it might be a little strange. It has taken me a while to become a fan (o.k., I am still traveling the anime road hoping to become a fan, but shhhh, don’t tell my daughter).

The blog is a little behind now due to all the holidays, and she has writer’s block.  It’s not too bad for a dyslexic, CAPD kid. I think her success with blog writing just proves that Special needs learners can succeed if we give them the right tools.

I truly want you to share how you teach writing in your homeschool, so please don’t be shy! If we all share ideas and techniques, we have the chance to learn something new. I would love to get some dialogue going.

If you happened to try to read my blog Monday sometime after 9:00a.m., you may have noticed WordPress suspended my blog. I contacted them because I knew there must have been some sort of mistake. Happily, around 1:30, WordPress contacted me with apologies for suspending my account by accident. Seems their system did  it, not an actual human. Mistakes do happen. I am happy everything is back to normal because I love WordPress!

Does your child seem to learn things easier through songs? Rhythm Rhyme Results (Educational Rap.com) is offer a super freebie. They will let you download a rap song titled, “What Does the Constitution Do?”.

They will also throw in a lyrics sheet, four versions of the song (normal speed, slowed down, missing words, and karaoke-style), worksheets, and answer keys.

Go to their website and look on the right side of the page under the blue “Download Now “ icon. You will see:

                                                                          Download a Free Song!
                                                                          What Does the Constitution Do?

                                            Email*

DO NOT click on the blue “Download Now” icon just above this. That is for purchasing an item. Enter your email address. They will will email a download link to you very quickly.

Here is what the site says:

Description

This song teaches the contents of Articles I to VII of the Constitution. It explains the structure of the US government including Congress, the executive branch, including President and Vice President, as well as the Supreme Court and its justices. It also discusses state’s rights, Constitutional amendments, and approval of the Constitution.

The teaching materials at the bottom of the page, include videos, lesson plans, worksheets, and activities help teachers and homeschool parents generate teaching ideas for the song topics. Students will better understand Articles I to VII of the Constitution.

This social studies song is suitable to help teach the US Constitution and Constitution Day to elementary school students (4th grade, 5th grade and 6th grade), middle school, high school, home school, and college classes.

They also list correlating State Standards for: Texas, New York, Massachusetts, California, Florida, and Illinois. They say: State standards listed here are representative of school standards across the United States.

This is a link to free resources on the website. I don’t know if this is a standing offer, or if has an ending date.