we’re using Easy Peasy for Science

 

 

If you’ve been homeschooling for a bit by now then I’m sure you’ve heard rumblings about Easy Peasy or All in One Homeschool.

 

 

I’ve slowly been replacing other curricula with Easy Peasy.  Science being one of them.

 

 

Honestly, there is so much to love about this program. It’s well laid out and easy to follow. It promotes independent learning. It’s written to be aligned with PA homeschool standards. PA is among the more stringent states which helps me feel confident that what they’re learning is robust. Also, my kids are having fun! That’s not my guiding light when making educational choices for them…but it is a nice perk!

Learning is a blend of both online activities, readings, games and printables. Click here if you’d like to peek at the full Scope & Sequence.

 

 

Printables, like lapbooks, are linked in the daily schedules. This makes it SO easy to implement! I’ve always wanted to incorporate more lapbooks but I’m the girl that drools & thumbs her lips in the big box stores because there are too many choices! Too many choices paralyze me and trigger my “second guesser” instinct! That’s how I’ve felt about lapbooks. Easy Peasy makes it so…well…easy. And peasy!

I have found that for us using notebooks (rather than file folders) works best for our lapbooking. This way I can include other projects right into the same book. Plus, we’re enjoying the scrapbook-y feel. And it looks so neat and tidy! I have a thing for organized and tidy. This year I’m using composition notebooks. I like them best. Maybe it’s nostalgia?

 

 

The only thing I’m adding to our Easy Peasy Zoology studies is using Apologia’s Swimming Creatures as a read aloud. And that’s really only because a friend offered to let me borrow it.

 

Overall, I’m really enjoying this program and we will definitely continue to use it next year!

 

…danielle

school lite: the one where we listened to Fiddler on the Roof and pinned the capitals

 

 

Every Fall I convince myself I’m a year round school kinda girl. 

 

 

Then every Summer…I totally change my mind!

 

 

I’m so wishy washy!

 

 

I just can’t mentally handle year round hard core school.  But.  I also can’t handle being bored.  Boredom just begs for bickering.  And I can’t handle bickering either!  And since we’re broke and can’t buy our way out of boredom…School Lite it is! 

 

 

We don’t do anything crazy heavy though.  While Trevy is off to Summer School (he goes three days a week during the month of July) for a couple hours we might…

 

 

Listen to Isaac Stern’s Fiddler on the Roof violin solo.  But don’t be too impressed cause it wasn’t my idea…it’s just something we’re reviewing!  I have to say…it was a beautiful way to start the day!

 

 

We’ve also been talking about and reviewing the 50 States.  As postcards come in from the swap we’re participating in…we talk about that State and fill in the corresponding page of a coloring book I picked up from Target in last year’s dollar bins.

 

 

The kiddos take turns reading the info on the back.

 

 

We’re hanging the postcards on the wall as we study that state.  To review, I wrote the capitals on little sticky notes and hid them around the house.  I then asked the kids review questions and if they answered correctly they could go find a sticky note and stick it on the correct state!

 

That was fun and we’ll definitely do it again!

 

 

We work on a little Math.  Toby fractions.  Bristel addition/subtraction review.

 

We might watch Lets Make a Deal and probably wear our jammies most of the day.

 

Yesterday Toby read from Character Sketches.  Bristel never did read at all.  Oops.

 

 

But she did make Miss. May May (Trevy’s school aide) a chocolate sprinkled pretzel.  An idea she gleaned from flipping through my current Tastefully Simple Magazine.  It was all her own inspiration and she even modified on her own.  I didn’t have chocolate chips to melt so she asked if she could use frosting instead.  She’s totally gonna own a bakery or something someday!

 

 

We played a super fun Solar System review game and (I wanted to read a chapter too but we) had an impromptu play date.

 

There was a lot of down time!  Which was wonderful…

 

 

 

That’s how we did Summer Lite at our house yesterday.

 

 

…danielle

 

linking up to

 

exploring astronomy: solar system race to the sun hopscotch review game

 

 

I snuck outside while they were watching tv and drew the solar system on our driveway.

 

 

 

She noticed that I’d excluded Pluto and was highly offended.  Oops.  Guess she’s decided not to subscribe to the Pluto isn’t a Planet team.

 

 

I had a couple ideas for ways to use our chalk solar system. 

 

 

Race to the Sun review game.

 

I like to have them pick a number between 1-20 to decide who goes first.  It’s easy peasy and has eliminated the griping.  I’m a big fan of less griping.

 

 

Whoever wins the number pick gets the first review question.

 

Each correct answer means a hop to the next planet.

 

 

I know his feet positioning looks like he’s ready to run the other way…but he really enjoyed this game a lot.  Even if the eleven in him won’t let him admit it!

 

 

We also just hopped forwards and backwards down the solar system naming the planets in order.  In the direction we were going, of course. 

 

 

Another way we’ll play (an impromptu play date interrupted us though) is to use a squirt bottle to erase random planets and see if we can remember and name the missing one.

 

 

Just a little fun School Lite stuff we did today!

 

 

Other Solar-y System Stuff:

Space Rocks a Chapter by Chapter review

2 Super Fun Asteroids Games

My Solar System Pinboard

 

 

…danielle

the dog days of summer (weekly wrap)

 

 

In my life this week…

 

It’s the dog days of summer around here. 

Basketball camp for him, swim camp for her, summer school for Trevy, enrichment (or review products ) for all, baseball tournies for our AllStar, trips to the beach and Grams’ house for a swim.  I love lazy (or is it crazy?) summer days!  Even though we still do school lite during the summer…it’s so much more relaxed.  And I have totally needed pressure free time to gather my homeschool (and just plain old) mommy wits and prep for next year.

 

 

In our homeschool this week…

 

We’re using the summer months to focus on wrapping up projects we didn’t quite finish during the school year and working through products we’re reviewing.  The only real curriculum (meaning non-product review) that we didn’t finish up was Exploring Astronomy.  So we’re still plugging along in it.  If you’re planning to or already using Apologia’s Exploring Astronomy you might be interested in my Solar System pin board.  Lots of great ideas including Red Ted Art’s Blog ah-mazing ideas for solar system crafts!  We’re also finishing up our volcano project.  The kids had such a blast experimenting with the right explosion formula this week…

 

 

We learned that the ratio of vinegar to baking soda made all the difference in explosion size.  And also, that when it comes to food coloring…less is MORE!

 

 

Helpful tips to share…

 

I’m always looking for good movies to add to our Netflix que.  Just in case you are too…here’s some that we have lined up:

 

Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!

The Patriot (we already watched this one and decided to let our oldest join us)

How Smart are Animals?:NOVA Science

The Velveteen Rabbit

Back to the Secret Garden

God of Wonders

Space Dogs

 

Because all of our family units are unique…be sure to check out Plugged In to see that the movies I mentioned are good choices for your family!

 

 

My favorite thing this week was…

 

Definitely the beach!

Bristel learned how to boogie board!

And Tobes learned how to go “crabbing”.  I had no idea there were so many creepy crawly things on the ocean floor with us!  Just waiting to nibble little tootsies!

 

 

Things I’m working on…

 

 

Getting all my curriculum for next year planned and purchased.  Also creating a better binder.  Oh Boy, do I need to get more organized! 

 

 

Although after hem hawing for ages…I’ve finally decided to go with Spelling Work Out for both kids this year.  Shew.  One thing down!

 

 

I’m reading…

 

I borrowed The Well Trained Mind from my library and I don’t just love it…

 

 

I

 

 

L-O-V-E

 

 

this book!  In fact, it’s already added to my CBD cart just waiting for me to finish my check out!  If you’re homeschooling and haven’t read it yet…you really need to!  It’s just chalk full of practical advice and suggestions.  How did I manage without it?

 

 

…danielle

 

 

I’m linking up to these wonderful blogs:

 

 

how to charm your grounding rods

 

 

You know those nasty looking metal rods that stick out of the ground around your house?

 

 

Supposedly the purpose is legit.  Grounding rods or something like that, says the Hubs.  Which I guess is important. 

 

 

 

 

But they look like they’re suited for more ominous ends.

 

 

Gouging out eyes.

 

 

Impaling unsuspecting little running with abandon bodies.

 

 

Before you start panicking– the kids are fine.

 

 

But those stinkin’ rods send  my worry wart into over drive.  My kids are addicted to running around with abandon.  We have 3 metal poles sticking above ground around the perimeter of our cape cod.  I like to emphasize cape cod because I think it’s the most charming of house styles.  We have an older fixer upper-ish house…I emphasize the charm where I can so I don’t get overwhelmed by the still-need-to-do list!

 

 

  :: smile ::

 

 

Those rods are anything but charming, though.  And my clever Hubster came up with a great idea to make them safe and maybe…just maybe…even charming too!

 

 

Here’s what we did…

 

 

 

Most outdoor garden pots have a perfectly grounding rod sized hole in the bottom.  If you have the right equipment, you can always drill a hole yourself.  We actually did that last year with plastic pots.  But we wanted something a little easier on the eye.

 

 

So we bought new pots at Christmas Tree Shop for just $7ish bucks each.

 

 

 

Fill the pot with soil.

 

 

Depending on how creative and/or green your thumb is…

 

 

choose plants to fill them.

 

 

I opted for a mature tomato and zucchini plant.  They were just $10 bucks each at Walmart.  And since I’m not gifted with growing things I thought my luck would be better if I opted for plants that are flowering already.

 

 

Enlist the help of any little people you might have on hand.

 

 

I assure you, they will LOVE getting dirty!

 

 

Wah-lah!

 

 

No more nasty metal rods just waiting for a 911 moment to happen.  Replaced now with what I hope will be some yummy home grown veggies!

 

 

It’s the perfect solution for us!

 

 

I also convinced the Hubby that we needed to plant flowers in the old mailbox that still lives, no longer used for mail, by our front door.

 

 

Cute…don’t you think?

 

 

 

…danielle

gifted hands on netflix instant stream

If you know anything about Trevy’s story…then you won’t be surprized to learn that Gifted Hands is on our family’s must watch list.  Although Dr. Carson is not an advocate for Infantile Spasms and Hemispherectomies…his work blazed an extraordinary trail.  Down which our family would eventually tread. 

And you have no idea how excited I was seeing it nestled among the other newly added instant stream options on Netflix!

If you haven’t watched it and you have even a smithereen of interest…

I say go pop some corn.  And snuggle in.  After all, it’s summer tv season.  What else is there worth watching right now?!

…danielle

Christian Kids Explore Chemistry (a TOS review)

 

Science is one of those subjects that scares me just a lil’ bit.

 

 

Oh…I loved Science as a school kid.  Especially all things involving animals and anatomy.  I just knew I wanted to be a vet when I was little.  I’d try to nurse bees who’d lost the stingers back to health.  Snuggle every stray creature I happened upon.  But Physics?  Chemistry?  Unh uh!  Made my knees knock! 

 

 

And in some ways still does.  It’s one of my homeschool mommy insecurities.

 

 

Enter…

 

 

 

 

Bright Ideas Press offers more than Science products too!  I highly encourage home educators to snoop around their website and explore all the various options.

 

 

But today – we’ll be chatting about Chemistry.

 

 

 

 

 

Christian Kids Explore Chemistry ($39.95) is one of four different Science curriculums in the Christian Kids Explore series.  You can also purchase a separate resource cd (on sale $9.95) to help making copies easier.

 

 

It was like the Author’s “Don’t Be Afraid!” and “Don’t Be Intimidated” notes were written just for me!

 

 

And it wasn’t just empty words either.  Everything is super organized and easy to understand.  In fact, they even tell you how much time to plan for per lesson and recommend how many times you should teach Science per week!  How did they know I’d need my hand held?! 

 

 

In this curriculum (target: 4th-8th grade) you’ll find 30 lessons divided into 5 different unit studies.  Covering topics like The Basics of Chemistry and Atoms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click me to read the table of contents.

 

I love that vocab is incorporated into each unit study!  Because it’ll make us all sound smart.  Also, I’m a fan of anything that saves me time and brain power!  I love that there is a listing of materials (click here to get an idea of materials you’ll need) needed for the hands-on projects.  The kids love wearing their safety goggles (aka sunglasses) and lab coats (aka robes) for experiments.  Because looking like a mad scientist makes everything more fun!

 

 

We did not have a chance to fully explore this curriculum during our review but I’m in love with it!  In fact, I intend to use Christian Kids Explore Chemistry as our primary Science next year!  And everybody knows…if you give a mom a curriculum she loves…chances are she’ll be purchasing the rest of the set too!

 

 

Christian Kids Explore Chemistry definitely gets two thumbs up from our fam.

 

 

…danielle

 

 

**Disclaimer:  As a member of the TOS Crew, I received a pdf version of this product in exchange for my honest and timely review.  All opinions expressed here are my very honest own.  Click here to see what other TOS reviewers thought of this product.**

exploring the stars with Trevy too

 

Bristel: Mommy, can we go outside and look at the moon? It's aaaamazing tonight!

 

Me: Sure

 

Trevor: Trevor, go too???

 

Me: I go too and yes

 

Bristel: Trevor, who made the moon?

 

Trevor: Jesus

 

Me: Trevor, who made the stars?

 

Trevor: Daddy?

 

Me: Nooooo

 

Trevor: People???

 

Bristel: melts into a puddle of giggles.

 

Trevor (because he can’t resist a good giggle):  Pooooooooop?

 

Me:  Now you’re just being silly.

 

Trevy: grins and giggles like a fool

 

All of us: Went outside to appreciate the moon and learn that Jesus made the stars too :)

exploring astronomy: two super fun asteroid space rock games!

 

 

We’re still exploring space rocks and such with Apologia’s curriculum.

 

 

  You can see projects we’ve already done at this link. 

 

 

We worked on our lapbooks today and then played a couple super fun homemade games!

 

 

 

 

Navigate the Galaxy

 

To play have your children create a galaxy in the yard by using all outdoor toys and gear they can lift.  It is key that they can do this alone…because you’ll be pooped when it’s time to clean up!  

 

Once the yard is adequately littered with “asteroids”, “comets” and “meteors” you’ll need to grab a scarf or anything that can be used as a blindfold.

 

Assign one person to be the navigator and one to be the space ship. 

 

Blind fold the space ship.  For added fun…you can twirl him/her around a couple times.  Because everything is more fun when you’re dizzy! 

 

Now the navigator must verbally guide the blindfolded space ship through the galaxy to the space station at the other end.  If the spaceship hits anything they blow up.  It’s a special hoot when mommy plays the space ship!

 

Alternative Play:  Use index cards with navigation directions written on them.  (ex. 5 giant steps to the left)  Rather than blindfold the spaceship have him/her draw cards for directions through the galaxy. 

 

 

**********

 

 

Comet Tag

 

 

Leave the yard littered with all the "asteroids, comets and meteors”.

 

 

Choose one person to be the comet…or “it”.

 

 

Comet counts to 10 and then tries to tag the other players. 

 

 

Once a player is tagged they become the comet’s tail by hanging on to the main comet.  The goal is to tag everyone!

 

 

Why do kids love playing tag with their out of shape mommies?!  Seriously, they were belly laughing all the way!  Meanwhile, I was ready to collapse in the closest lawn chair!  Which btw…I was very happy I had the brilliant idea to make sure they could lift everything themselves.  Thereby allowing me to catch my breath while they cleaned up the galaxy! 

 

 

 

…danielle

 

 

linking up to…   Get Kids Moving

exploring astronomy: two super fun asteroid space rock games!

We’re still exploring space rocks and such with Apologia’s curriculum.

  You can see projects we’ve already done at this link. 

We worked on our lapbooks today and then played a couple super fun homemade games!

Navigate the Galaxy

To play have your children create a galaxy in the yard by using all outdoor toys and gear they can lift.  It is key that they can do this alone…because you’ll be pooped when it’s time to clean up!  

Once the yard is adequately littered with “asteroids”, “comets” and “meteors” you’ll need to grab a scarf or anything that can be used as a blindfold.

Assign one person to be the navigator and one to be the space ship. 

Blind fold the space ship.  For added fun…you can twirl him/her around a couple times.  Because everything is more fun when you’re dizzy! 

Now the navigator must verbally guide the blindfolded space ship through the galaxy to the space station at the other end.  If the spaceship hits anything they blow up.  It’s a special hoot when mommy plays the space ship!

Alternative Play:  Use index cards with navigation directions written on them.  (ex. 5 giant steps to the left)  Rather than blindfold the spaceship have him/her draw cards for directions through the galaxy. 

**********

Comet Tag

Leave the yard littered with all the "asteroids, comets and meteors”.

Choose one person to be the comet…or “it”.

Comet counts to 10 and then tries to tag the other players. 

Once a player is tagged they become the comet’s tail by hanging on to the main comet.  The goal is to tag everyone!

Why do kids love playing tag with their out of shape mommies?!  Seriously, they were belly laughing all the way!  Meanwhile, I was ready to collapse in the closest lawn chair!  Which btw…I was very happy I had the brilliant idea to make sure they could lift everything themselves.  Thereby allowing me to catch my breath while they cleaned up the galaxy! 

…danielle