Here's some pictures of these creepy critters that have been following us on our journeys...
at the Greenbrier Schoolhouse
at Rose Hill Plantation
a "SPIDER" plant.... Biltmore*LOL* Funny don't you think???
Spending Our Days With Learning, Family, and Fun ~
Monday, August 30, 2010
Spiders, spiders, everywhere...
Lately we have taken some short family trips and it seems that we have ran up on a "wolf" spider on each trip...
Here's some pictures of these creepy critters that have been following us on our journeys...
at the Greenbrier Schoolhouse
at Rose Hill Plantation
a "SPIDER" plant.... Biltmore
*LOL* Funny don't you think???
Here's some pictures of these creepy critters that have been following us on our journeys...
at the Greenbrier Schoolhouse at Rose Hill Plantation a "SPIDER" plant.... Biltmore*LOL* Funny don't you think???
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Learning Sign Language...
Today we started something new in our curriculum... SIGN LANGUAGE
The last couple of years, DD has taken a "performance" sign language class at our HS co-op... she learned sign to a couple of songs each semester and then would perform them with her group of friends in a recital at the end of each semester... She really developed a love for sign.. So when our local library offered signing classes this summer, we signed up... They used the "Signing Time" videos, which though made for younger kids, are wonderful...the only downfall to the class was it was only 1~2 times a month and for less than an hour...
Now we happen to have been blessed by a wonderful young lady who taught sign at the co-op because she is offering a weekly FREE sign class at her dance studio... of course, I signed both kidlets up to take the class... but I worried about what to do in the time between classes when they would come home and I wasn't able to help them... I looked into buying "Signing Time" videos and the cost was just way to much for our budget...
But, I have found the cure to our problem... and it's called "American Sign Language for Kids" from Learning Tree... These are videos that teach kids (my kids age) ASL in a way that is enjoyable and fun... They loved it!! Not only are they affordable, but the DVD is easy to follow, with lots of repetition for practice, social tips, and mini quizzes... they were a captive audience and loved it...
I am very pleased!! If you'd like to check it out before buying, you can rent it here on YouTube for $3.99...
Happy Learning!!!
The last couple of years, DD has taken a "performance" sign language class at our HS co-op... she learned sign to a couple of songs each semester and then would perform them with her group of friends in a recital at the end of each semester... She really developed a love for sign.. So when our local library offered signing classes this summer, we signed up... They used the "Signing Time" videos, which though made for younger kids, are wonderful...the only downfall to the class was it was only 1~2 times a month and for less than an hour...
Now we happen to have been blessed by a wonderful young lady who taught sign at the co-op because she is offering a weekly FREE sign class at her dance studio... of course, I signed both kidlets up to take the class... but I worried about what to do in the time between classes when they would come home and I wasn't able to help them... I looked into buying "Signing Time" videos and the cost was just way to much for our budget...
But, I have found the cure to our problem... and it's called "American Sign Language for Kids" from Learning Tree... These are videos that teach kids (my kids age) ASL in a way that is enjoyable and fun... They loved it!! Not only are they affordable, but the DVD is easy to follow, with lots of repetition for practice, social tips, and mini quizzes... they were a captive audience and loved it...
I am very pleased!! If you'd like to check it out before buying, you can rent it here on YouTube for $3.99...
Happy Learning!!!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Free Internet Resources...
I love FREE things... and FREE homeschool stuff is even better!!!
There are so many sites that you could literally create a whole years curriculum and only spend the cost of the monthly internet charge, paper, and ink for the printer...
So here's some of my favorites...
Dynamic 2 Moms this is an incredible site with lapbook, notebook, and unit study resources for history and science...The pieces can be downloaded and printed seperately so you can print only what you will use...They even include background info which makes it easy to teach the material...I love the fact that they are willing to share all their hard work with everyone in the homeschool community!!! 2 wonderful ladies!!
Homeschoolshare is an on-line cooperative effort of several homeschooling moms to provide free but quality literature-based unit studies and resources. You can find all sorts of unit studies, lapbooks, notebook and stuff in between for every subject, theme, or idea you have. And the cross book lists that coordinate with other curriculums like Sonlight, FIAR , and Usborne are fantastic!! Definitely a 2 thumbs up for this site!!! (p.s. I use it literally every week or so)
Guest Hollow is another one of my favorites... You can find a complete 2 yr. American History curriculum, a science curriculum focusing on the human body (different levels for preschoolers through 6th grade), and a Ancient World History program. They also have some great printables, information, articles and resources for a variety of homeschooling subjects like math, language arts, and science.
Lesson Planet is a search engine that makes it easy for teachers to search over 200,000 teacher-reviewed online lesson plans and 150,000 online worksheets.
The Homeschool Mom is a site that offers a wonderful place to get tons unit studies and homeschool lesson plans for everything you could think of. It's home to thousands of quality resources where you can also find planner sheets, forms, menus, articles, websites, and more.
The Homeschool Channel is a website that offers videos, articles, interviews with leading authorities in homeschool styles, homeschool speakers, and some great FREE programming that can be used by itself as a class. My kidlets and I have enjoyed some great shows and learned tons by just clicking on the link. Shows like "Drive Thru History", "Creatures that Defy Evolution" , "The Constitution", "Answers in Genesis", and the "American Heritage Series"...
American Heritage is a site where you can order a CD for FREE that contains a full history curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Math Mammoth is a curriculum that you pay for, but you can sign up for the FREE package of 300 worksheets and sample pages;
Spelling City is the ultimate online spelling program... you can use lists that have been pre-made by others, or make up games using your own lists... You can use it as your spelling program or as a go-along for the program you are already using and the best part is: it's FREE!!!
Then finally there is the SCOTT FORESMAN Online Grammar program for grades 1-6...here you can find your complete grammar curriculum for FREE and can print off worksheets if needed or just do the work on paper from the screen... the choice is yours...
Well, I hope these links are going to be as helpful to you as they have been to me the last several years... With the economy in such a slug, it makes it even harder on the homeschool family...
Happy Learning!!
There are so many sites that you could literally create a whole years curriculum and only spend the cost of the monthly internet charge, paper, and ink for the printer...
So here's some of my favorites...
Dynamic 2 Moms this is an incredible site with lapbook, notebook, and unit study resources for history and science...The pieces can be downloaded and printed seperately so you can print only what you will use...They even include background info which makes it easy to teach the material...I love the fact that they are willing to share all their hard work with everyone in the homeschool community!!! 2 wonderful ladies!! Homeschoolshare is an on-line cooperative effort of several homeschooling moms to provide free but quality literature-based unit studies and resources. You can find all sorts of unit studies, lapbooks, notebook and stuff in between for every subject, theme, or idea you have. And the cross book lists that coordinate with other curriculums like Sonlight, FIAR , and Usborne are fantastic!! Definitely a 2 thumbs up for this site!!! (p.s. I use it literally every week or so) Guest Hollow is another one of my favorites... You can find a complete 2 yr. American History curriculum, a science curriculum focusing on the human body (different levels for preschoolers through 6th grade), and a Ancient World History program. They also have some great printables, information, articles and resources for a variety of homeschooling subjects like math, language arts, and science. Lesson Planet is a search engine that makes it easy for teachers to search over 200,000 teacher-reviewed online lesson plans and 150,000 online worksheets. The Homeschool Mom is a site that offers a wonderful place to get tons unit studies and homeschool lesson plans for everything you could think of. It's home to thousands of quality resources where you can also find planner sheets, forms, menus, articles, websites, and more.
The Homeschool Channel is a website that offers videos, articles, interviews with leading authorities in homeschool styles, homeschool speakers, and some great FREE programming that can be used by itself as a class. My kidlets and I have enjoyed some great shows and learned tons by just clicking on the link. Shows like "Drive Thru History", "Creatures that Defy Evolution" , "The Constitution", "Answers in Genesis", and the "American Heritage Series"...
American Heritage is a site where you can order a CD for FREE that contains a full history curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Math Mammoth is a curriculum that you pay for, but you can sign up for the FREE package of 300 worksheets and sample pages;
Spelling City is the ultimate online spelling program... you can use lists that have been pre-made by others, or make up games using your own lists... You can use it as your spelling program or as a go-along for the program you are already using and the best part is: it's FREE!!!
Then finally there is the SCOTT FORESMAN Online Grammar program for grades 1-6...here you can find your complete grammar curriculum for FREE and can print off worksheets if needed or just do the work on paper from the screen... the choice is yours...
Well, I hope these links are going to be as helpful to you as they have been to me the last several years... With the economy in such a slug, it makes it even harder on the homeschool family...
Happy Learning!!
Expedition : Africa
I was really excited to have the opportunity to review Expedition : Africa for TOS. I’ve been a fan of unit studies since we started our homeschool journey 6 yrs. ago because it is a great way to cover the same topic and information but with kids of all ages and adults too (I always learn something new with every study)…
Africa is such a magnificent continent and so much to learn that it can be somewhat overwhelming to a homeschool mom when trying to plan out a unit study and lesson plan as you wonder about what and how much to cover. That is one of the great “teacher aspects” of Amanda Bennett’s “Download N’ GO” products. We have had the opportunity in the past to use a couple of these units and I have been thoroughly pleased with each one. So I was really happy to be able to help kickstart our new year with one of these great units.
Each Download N’GO unit is a week long study and incorporates all the various aspects of traditional unit studies including vocabulary, science, history, geography and much more. With “Expedition: Africa”, the daily objectives were:
Day 1: Where on Earth is Africa?
Day 2: Some of the special places in Africa?
Day 3: A bit of history
Day 4: Cool things to know about Africa
Day 5: Fun and games in Africa
These units are by no means quickie or skimpy even though they are made to be completed within a week. They are written in a relaxed style and easily adapted to your families’ personal learning styles.
The book suggestion lists are great with 8-10 books listed for use for each day. Of course it is up to you how many books you use and what to cover from each one. And in no way do you have to use all of these books as they are just suggested reading. I had no trouble locating most of these books through my library search engine. The books are of various reading levels so that they can be used easily from grades K – 4th… and beyond as this unit is used with a second grader and a 5th grader. If you can not find the books mentioned, book substitutions are easily used and plugged in. Honestly you could actually do this unit without any books at all and your students will come away having learned tons about Africa, but the books really enrich and add the “living” aspect to the unit.
Links and videos are also included in the unit and this is an aspect that I really like since both of my kids are audio-visual learners. But there are so many ways that these units could be used by families with learners of all types.
And if your a lapbooker or notebooker , the minibooks and printables are perfect for you. The only drawback to this for me is the cost involved in printing. And I found that what works best for us, is using the unit as it is on our computer and only printing the components that will actually work for us and I print most of them in black and white and the kids color them (which is fun for them as well as saving me some money).
The activities really help the learning stick through fun and creative play. The arts are covered as the music of Africa is brought in. Spelling/vocabulary needs (one area where I have a hard time covering when trying to create my own lesson plans) are met as Mrs. Amanda gives you the words and fun lapbook minibooks to use to incorporate them in your kids work…
I personally like that missionaries are covered as it helps span even more of the curriculum bridges by including bible. Learning about the weather, animals, and terrain of Africa alone will be enough to have your kids asking for more.
And my FAVORITE section of the DNG Expedition : Africa unit, and that would be the “FUN FAMILY IDEAS”. These are great fieldtrips, things to do at home, great recipes and just all-around wonderful ideas for making the learning come alive and help make my goal of creating life-long learners a reality… Using these units can really make your homeschool fun!!
And at only $7.95 each and easily available for download from TOS they are a bargain in helping the homeschool family to find “fun” and “education” in the same study.
Africa is such a magnificent continent and so much to learn that it can be somewhat overwhelming to a homeschool mom when trying to plan out a unit study and lesson plan as you wonder about what and how much to cover. That is one of the great “teacher aspects” of Amanda Bennett’s “Download N’ GO” products. We have had the opportunity in the past to use a couple of these units and I have been thoroughly pleased with each one. So I was really happy to be able to help kickstart our new year with one of these great units.
Each Download N’GO unit is a week long study and incorporates all the various aspects of traditional unit studies including vocabulary, science, history, geography and much more. With “Expedition: Africa”, the daily objectives were:
Day 1: Where on Earth is Africa?
Day 2: Some of the special places in Africa?
Day 3: A bit of history
Day 4: Cool things to know about Africa
Day 5: Fun and games in Africa
These units are by no means quickie or skimpy even though they are made to be completed within a week. They are written in a relaxed style and easily adapted to your families’ personal learning styles.
The book suggestion lists are great with 8-10 books listed for use for each day. Of course it is up to you how many books you use and what to cover from each one. And in no way do you have to use all of these books as they are just suggested reading. I had no trouble locating most of these books through my library search engine. The books are of various reading levels so that they can be used easily from grades K – 4th… and beyond as this unit is used with a second grader and a 5th grader. If you can not find the books mentioned, book substitutions are easily used and plugged in. Honestly you could actually do this unit without any books at all and your students will come away having learned tons about Africa, but the books really enrich and add the “living” aspect to the unit.
Links and videos are also included in the unit and this is an aspect that I really like since both of my kids are audio-visual learners. But there are so many ways that these units could be used by families with learners of all types.
And if your a lapbooker or notebooker , the minibooks and printables are perfect for you. The only drawback to this for me is the cost involved in printing. And I found that what works best for us, is using the unit as it is on our computer and only printing the components that will actually work for us and I print most of them in black and white and the kids color them (which is fun for them as well as saving me some money).
The activities really help the learning stick through fun and creative play. The arts are covered as the music of Africa is brought in. Spelling/vocabulary needs (one area where I have a hard time covering when trying to create my own lesson plans) are met as Mrs. Amanda gives you the words and fun lapbook minibooks to use to incorporate them in your kids work…
I personally like that missionaries are covered as it helps span even more of the curriculum bridges by including bible. Learning about the weather, animals, and terrain of Africa alone will be enough to have your kids asking for more.
And my FAVORITE section of the DNG Expedition : Africa unit, and that would be the “FUN FAMILY IDEAS”. These are great fieldtrips, things to do at home, great recipes and just all-around wonderful ideas for making the learning come alive and help make my goal of creating life-long learners a reality… Using these units can really make your homeschool fun!!
And at only $7.95 each and easily available for download from TOS they are a bargain in helping the homeschool family to find “fun” and “education” in the same study.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Asheville Weekend Adventure... (Part 2 ~ Saturday)
This morning we started out by sleeping in... or should I say that I slept in and DH and the kids went and putted a few on the greens next to the hotel.. I really enjoyed the good sleep, I must have needed it!! *LOL*
Then we headed out on our journey for the day, stopping to have breakfast at a neat restaurant downtown called "Tupelo Honey" , where I feasted on homemade biscuits, milk gravy and country ham while DH had "Eggs Betty" (their version of Eggs Benedict)...while waiting on our table we walked across the street to a little street fair where the kidlets each managed to wrangle a cool and funky "spoon" necklace out of their dad...
This is a picture of what they look like... however my kidlets got spoons with "crop circle" patterns on them... I found out though how to make them, since I thought they would be a neat Christmas gift idea... You can check that out here...
After which we headed out and wound up at the Western North Carolina Nature Center ... This is a is a living museum of plants and animals native to the southern Appalachian region and one of only 32 facilities in the nation to be participating in the "Red Wolf Reintroduction Program"... and the good news for us was that they are members of the zoo reciprocal program, so we were able to get in for free using our local zoo passes.
Right now, they have the "Beauty of Butterflies" exhibit where you can walk through a butterfly house full of flowers... Your hands are sprayed with "sugar water" and the butterflies LLLOOOOOOVVVEE it, landing all over the kids...
Then we visited the "Colburn Earth Science Museum" where the kidlets completed a hands-on learning scavenger hunt and were given their choice of a small "gem" to take home with them... Now we need to go home and do a "RockHound" unit while their interest is peaked..
We finished the night off with dinner at a great Italian restaurant, walking around downtown and looking at all the cool shops, the kids drinking their first "COKES" from a bottle and DS coming away with some neat "Tiger Eye" marbles...
We're so excited!!!
YUMMY!!!!
Happy Travels!!
Then we headed out on our journey for the day, stopping to have breakfast at a neat restaurant downtown called "Tupelo Honey" , where I feasted on homemade biscuits, milk gravy and country ham while DH had "Eggs Betty" (their version of Eggs Benedict)...while waiting on our table we walked across the street to a little street fair where the kidlets each managed to wrangle a cool and funky "spoon" necklace out of their dad...
This is a picture of what they look like... however my kidlets got spoons with "crop circle" patterns on them... I found out though how to make them, since I thought they would be a neat Christmas gift idea... You can check that out here...
After which we headed out and wound up at the Western North Carolina Nature Center ... This is a is a living museum of plants and animals native to the southern Appalachian region and one of only 32 facilities in the nation to be participating in the "Red Wolf Reintroduction Program"... and the good news for us was that they are members of the zoo reciprocal program, so we were able to get in for free using our local zoo passes.
Right now, they have the "Beauty of Butterflies" exhibit where you can walk through a butterfly house full of flowers... Your hands are sprayed with "sugar water" and the butterflies LLLOOOOOOVVVEE it, landing all over the kids...
Then we visited the "Colburn Earth Science Museum" where the kidlets completed a hands-on learning scavenger hunt and were given their choice of a small "gem" to take home with them... Now we need to go home and do a "RockHound" unit while their interest is peaked..
We finished the night off with dinner at a great Italian restaurant, walking around downtown and looking at all the cool shops, the kids drinking their first "COKES" from a bottle and DS coming away with some neat "Tiger Eye" marbles...
We're so excited!!! YUMMY!!!! Happy Travels!!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
My homeschooling goals for this year...
Homeschooling where my children are enjoying the subject ~ laughing and learning at the same time...
Homeschooling where no complaints or "I don't want to" can't be heard...
Homeschooling so that we have time to explore all the rabbit trails that come up...
Homeschooling so that when the school day is done, my kidlets learn from their free play and want too...
These are my goals for this year and for every year after... To make a love of life-long learning!!
Happy Learning!!
Homeschooling where no complaints or "I don't want to" can't be heard...
Homeschooling so that we have time to explore all the rabbit trails that come up...
Homeschooling so that when the school day is done, my kidlets learn from their free play and want too...
These are my goals for this year and for every year after... To make a love of life-long learning!!
Happy Learning!!
You might be a homeschooler if.....
...you have administered a spelling test from the bathroom
...you have 2 maps hanging in your living room and a white board hanging in your dining room
...you have to explain to the park ranger that your children are not skipping school but are working on a hands-on nature study
...you actually LIKE your own children and couldn't imagine any other way of life than being able to spend as much time as possible with them and consider that a joy
...your bookcases look like the reference section of the library
...you load your dishwasher in between teaching fractions and geometry
August Homeschool Class at the Zoo...
Today was our first HS science class at the zoo for the 2010-2011 school year... It was fun...
We have a new teacher named "Jason"... Our previous teacher Chad, left to go and start a HS program at a zoo in Ohio.. Jason did a great job, but he looks os young...not much older than the kids he's teaching, even though he says he's 23.. *L*
Today's lesson was on "GEOLOGY"... the kids learned about the 3 types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary...
They got to look at some great pictures of floating pumice from volcano,
and a great shot of some sedimentary rock from Antelope Canyon in Arizona...
then they got to look at several types of rock under a microscope...
They touched petrified wood and looked at a spearhead made from granite... then they finished off the class with a trip outside to look at some man-made rock and compare it and getting to pet a chinchilla...
A pretty good first day of class!!!
Happy Learning!!
We have a new teacher named "Jason"... Our previous teacher Chad, left to go and start a HS program at a zoo in Ohio.. Jason did a great job, but he looks os young...not much older than the kids he's teaching, even though he says he's 23.. *L*
Today's lesson was on "GEOLOGY"... the kids learned about the 3 types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary...
They got to look at some great pictures of floating pumice from volcano,
and a great shot of some sedimentary rock from Antelope Canyon in Arizona...
then they got to look at several types of rock under a microscope...
They touched petrified wood and looked at a spearhead made from granite... then they finished off the class with a trip outside to look at some man-made rock and compare it and getting to pet a chinchilla...
A pretty good first day of class!!!
Happy Learning!!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
GIVEAWAY!!!!
I have been authorized to give away a copy of the "Download N' GO" ROLLER COASTER unit study... Just click on this link, read the review and be sure to leave me a comment... Be sure to leave me a way to contact you... I'm going to put all the names in a bowl and let me kidlets pull out the winner...
GOOD LUCK!!!
21. Being able to take weekend trips
22. enjoying the sunshine
23. watching "Let's Make a Deal" with the kidlets (their favorite show)
24. chocolate
25. great Italian food
26. watching my DD dance in her room
27. time to spend doing nothing
28. my friends
29. the opportunity to make new friends
30. Clorox ~ makes my life so much easier
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Freebie ~ while it lasts...
Fortunately For You Books is offering a "Pockets of Time" workset for Magic Tree House Book #28 "HIGH TIDE IN HAWAII"... These are great, especially for those of us who like to lapbook or notebook... They really get the kids involved and promote learning by allowing your hands-on learners a way to show their comprehension skills by cutting, sorting, reasoning, and sequencing...
This is the monthly freebie for August and you can check it out here....
This is the monthly freebie for August and you can check it out here....
Friday, August 13, 2010
Weekend Adventure in Asheville, NC... (Part 1~ Friday)
This weekend we took off to Asheville, NC, as a little celebration for starting our first week of the new school year and because we just like to take lil' weekend trips close to home... So, we took off Friday afternoon for ~ 2 hr. drive through the mountains in the rain... Checked in to our room, and sat and watched it rain for about another 40 minutes then the power went out and we decided to head out and check out the town...
Our first stop was for some dinner... We ate at a restaurant called the "Fiddlin' Pig'... Yep, it was BBQ and delicious!! They have a live Bluegrass show and clogging... We got a front row table and enjoyed our meal and the music... DD even got to participate and square dance with the cloggers and other diners which was right down her alley... and now even DS said he thinks it would be fun to learn to clog after watching men of all ages dancing..
[caption id="attachment_772297" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="The bluegrass band at the "Fiddlin' Pig""]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_772295" align="alignright" width="225" caption="DD square dancing and having a blast!! "]
[/caption]
After we ate, we drove out to the Grove Park Inn... It is a historical hotel that has had quite a reputation as being one of the world's finest since opening in the early 1900's... Presidents (President Obama recently stayed there and played a round of golf), dignitaries, and others have stayed there... We went inside and took a look at it... The architecture of the building itself with it's rock fasade and the gingerbread roof line (DD described it as a "fairy tale" hotel) is absolutely beautiful... They have on display the original china pattern that was used, as well as, a room bill dating back to 1914 for 7 nights that totaled $287.00, which was an incredible amount of money at that time...
Down several of the corridors are pictures of several celebrities that have stayed there... DS was thrilled to see pictures of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison there... I was thrilled to see a picture of Margaret Mitchell (Gone with the Wind) and Sandra Day O'Connor (one of my idols)... Our little impromptu tour provided a little piece of history for FREE...
Our first stop was for some dinner... We ate at a restaurant called the "Fiddlin' Pig'... Yep, it was BBQ and delicious!! They have a live Bluegrass show and clogging... We got a front row table and enjoyed our meal and the music... DD even got to participate and square dance with the cloggers and other diners which was right down her alley... and now even DS said he thinks it would be fun to learn to clog after watching men of all ages dancing..
[caption id="attachment_772297" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="The bluegrass band at the "Fiddlin' Pig""]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_772295" align="alignright" width="225" caption="DD square dancing and having a blast!! "]
[/caption]After we ate, we drove out to the Grove Park Inn... It is a historical hotel that has had quite a reputation as being one of the world's finest since opening in the early 1900's... Presidents (President Obama recently stayed there and played a round of golf), dignitaries, and others have stayed there... We went inside and took a look at it... The architecture of the building itself with it's rock fasade and the gingerbread roof line (DD described it as a "fairy tale" hotel) is absolutely beautiful... They have on display the original china pattern that was used, as well as, a room bill dating back to 1914 for 7 nights that totaled $287.00, which was an incredible amount of money at that time...
Down several of the corridors are pictures of several celebrities that have stayed there... DS was thrilled to see pictures of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison there... I was thrilled to see a picture of Margaret Mitchell (Gone with the Wind) and Sandra Day O'Connor (one of my idols)... Our little impromptu tour provided a little piece of history for FREE...
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Fun with Roller Coasters... Our Download N'Go Review
This week, we have spent our time learning about “ROLLER COASTERS” with help from Download N’ Go unit studies, a product from Amanda Bennett. This was not our first time using a Download N’ Go product, but I can’t say enough about them. We LOVE them!!
First , I must say the Download N’ Go studies are an “easy to use” product with lots of information that is prepared so that it is easily researched by the child. I spent about an hour one evening looking over it (my personal preference, so I can hold books online) prior to the actual start of the unit and that’s it, so easy to use that you can actually just open up the laptop and go…
In the plan, you get a “5 DAY” study of a particular subject with daily objectives included. The objectives of “ROLLERCOASTERS” being:
Day 1: What is a Roller Coaster
Day 2: The History of Roller Coasters
Day 3: People and Places of Roller Coasters
Day 4: Science and Secrets of Roller Coasters and Rides
Day 5: Goodies and Gadgets of Roller Coasters
The lesson plan is complete. All the activities, go-alongs, and projects are there, done for you.
Each day is then broken down even further with added topics and information being compounded on each day. A book list is also given for EACH day with books that can be found at your local library. With this unit on “ROLLER COASTERS”, I had trouble locating some of the books that were recommended for use on particular days. However, I was able to obtain enough of them and some others using the search engine at my library. But in the unit itself there are enough links to great information that even without the recommended reading, there was more than enough information to complete this unit. One book that I got from my library that my kids loved was a tabletop book of roller coaster pictures called, " Roller Coasters: A Thrill Seekers Guide to the Ultimate Scream Machines" ...
Two movies that I just happened to be able to get through my library, that were not on the recommendation list, which my kidlets loved were “Roller Coasters” and Popular Mechanics “Rip-Roaring Roller Coasters” which gave you the idea of being on a roller coaster while being comfortable on your couch.
Talking about videos leads me to another extra that is included: links to video clips. All the research done, so you don’t have to. Your kids will love seeing different pictures of various roller coasters around the world, or “riding” in a bobsled coaster on YouTube.
Another important thing to me is the content. The age range of the “Download N’ Go” units are K-4th grade. I used this with a 2nd grader and a 5th grader, but I found the information was great for both of those ages, and the internet links found throughout the lessons made it easy for my son to help my daughter find information without any difficulty.
They just clicked on the link found in the unit. No worries that they would go somewhere inappropriate. And this was a great help with my DS and his independent study.
Science, history, and geography were also here with my kidlets learning about Europe and Asia, physics, discussing American Inventors and playing with a Slinky (which I picked-up as a go-along at Walmart). And don’t worry, spelling and vocabulary are in there too.
DS and DD loved building their own versions of roller coasters with K’Nex (which can still be found in the living room floor being played with)…
My kids loved the “County Fair” atmosphere in our schoolroom and that enhanced the learning fun about, not only roller coasters, but other incredible thrill rides. So needless to say, corn dogs, homemade
funnel cakes, lemonade, and popcorn were foods of choice throughout the week.
This was the first unit of our new school year and it was a really fun way to get things “ROLLING”...To see more reviews of this unit and others check out the Blog Tour at the Download N'Go Blog... You can find this and more DNG titles at "The Old Schoolhouse Store"...
Have a great week!!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Co-op is starting...
Well, summer is officially over... Tomorrow is the start of our fall co-op semester... I'm looking forward to it and at the same time dread it...
I really like the idea of the kids seeing their friends weekly and taking classes taught by someone other than myself and I really enjoy the opportunity to be out and have adult conversation. But the commitment of every week and the thought of how much of our regular school we miss because of it makes it almost bittersweet.
I have been considering and praying about the spring semester and looking at taking it off and just enjoying that 4 day school week and having Fridays to take field trips or just to kick back and relax and play...
So, this year I am teaching:
American History (Know Your America) starting with Columbus and early explorers and ending wherever we can...
Assisting my friend Michelle with a class called Grammar Punk which should be really fun...
And assisting my friend Kathy with a vocabulary class...
I really like the idea of the kids seeing their friends weekly and taking classes taught by someone other than myself and I really enjoy the opportunity to be out and have adult conversation. But the commitment of every week and the thought of how much of our regular school we miss because of it makes it almost bittersweet.
I have been considering and praying about the spring semester and looking at taking it off and just enjoying that 4 day school week and having Fridays to take field trips or just to kick back and relax and play...
So, this year I am teaching:
American History (Know Your America) starting with Columbus and early explorers and ending wherever we can...
Assisting my friend Michelle with a class called Grammar Punk which should be really fun...
And assisting my friend Kathy with a vocabulary class...
Well for now the backpacks are ready,the clothes are laid out, and lunch is planned... Time to hit the hay, another semester of co-op starts tomorrow!!
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