Learning About Science

We love all things science in our house, so the kids are always excited to review products that are based around it. We're every-day-learners, and even though we slow down on the schoolwork during the summer months, we always make sure to incorporate some educational activities. This  Learning About Science Collection, Level 3 (Cursive) from WriteBonnieRose is the perfect summer inclusion to our day.

WriteBonnieRose is produced by Bonnie Rose Hudson. She is an accomplished author, a homeschool advocate, and a contributor to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (the parent company of The Homeschool Review Crew) and SchoolhouseTeachers .com. Her desire for "every child to feel the love of God and know how special they are to Him" is shown through many of her resources. She offers everything from coloring books to games to history to literature to science and more. She has a heart for missions and is often updating her freebies list. I think her Exploring with Jake series would be a fun addition to anyone who wants to learn about countries all around the globe and understand how to pray for the people who live there.   

    

The Learning About Science Collections are geared toward elementary students. Level 3 covers life science, earth science, and physical science in the following books:

• Kinds of Animals and How They Live
• What's Going on Inside Plants?
• Life in the Ocean's Hidden Zones
• Forecasting and Understanding the Weather
• Discovering Rocks, Minerals, & Crystals
• Exploring the Earth's Landforms
• Energy and Its Many Forms

My 8-year-old is a self-proclaimed animal enthusiast and an explorer-in-training. I gave him and his 6-year-old brother the option of which book we were starting with, knowing full well which one he would suggest, ha. As expected, Kinds of Animals and How They Live was our first book.

This 18-page ebook is dedicated to learning about the main animal classifications: vertebrates, invertebrates, fish, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, arthropods, and mollusks. There is an explanation for each group along with a handful of animals belonging to it. Each animal has a brief description, a simple picture that can be colored, and the name of it in dashed lines to be traced. We chose the cursive version of the collection, so our animal names and classes are in cursive (while the text is in print).

There are all sorts of interesting facts included. You'll learn what makes iguanas different from most lizards, what a strawberry poison frog eats, how many eyes scorpions have, how much a lion weighs, and more. If you have a fanatic who is often found sitting with animal fact books (and telling anyone who will listen what he has read), he might not learn any new information. However, most kids, like my other son, will be in awe with the information. 

My 8-year-old enjoyed chiming in with additional facts. To make the size references a little more relatable, we extended a tape measure across the house. To know that a salt water crocodile can be 23 feet long is one thing, but seeing that it can span the area from our front door through our kitchen is another. Even my animal boy was amazed to have that perspective. 

I know my boys are going to be excited with the Life in the Ocean's Hidden Zones book. We've studied oceanography a little, as my resident zoologist naturally has an interest in the animals in the water, too. This book is a similar format to the other. It divides the ocean into zones, lists a few animals that live there (except the first zone which lists 21 animals!), gives a short characterization of it, and includes a picture and traceable word. In this book, you'll learn about the sunlight zone, twilight zone, midnight zone, abyssal zone, and the trenches zone. 

 

Fun facts included in this book include the purpose of the narwhal's tusk, where cuttlefish hide their tentacles, which animal has 10-inch eyes, why the blobfish's stomach is coated in dark tissue, why the tripod fish got its name, and more. 

Another book I think they're going to really enjoy is Discovering Rocks, Minerals, & Crystals. My kids each have a rock collection, and our next two vacations have plans for specific rock finding. This book will teach them so much more than recognizing the pretty colors. It explains about igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. It also has a general description of minerals and elements. The format of the book is the same as the others. I can already vision their excitement at getting to look up pictures of these rocks so they can color theirs to look realistic. 

Some of the interesting information that's listed is which crystal is so heat-resistant that it can be used to line ovens, which rock produces asbestos, which rock is made from marine animal skeletons, which rock is dark lava, and more.

These mini science books are a wonderful introduction to the world around us. They are designed to point to God's design from the tiniest cell to the vast universe. Each book ends with a review section that asks multiple choice questions with pictures. There is also a downloadable introduction to the series that includes dozens of links for further learning on each of the topics. You could easily take these books as a starting point for deeper study. 

The Learning About Science Collection, Level 3 (Cursive) is packed full of information, but done so in a way that is perfect for elementary students. The simple pages and snippets of facts keep the little ones engaged and interested without feeling overwhelmed. I can't wait to complete the series with my kids.    

Currently, Bonnie is offering a 50% discount on all 3 levels of Learning About Science Collections! (You can choose from Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 print, and Level 3 cursive. Buy one or buy them all!) Use coupon code REVIEWCREW50 to get each bundled learning set for only $6 a piece. For less than a dollar per book, you child can learn all about science in a simple, but fun way.

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You can read more reviews about the other levels in this collection on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Tasty Tuesday: Sea Serpents

Sea Serpents???

Yes, yesterday was Sea Serpent Day! Did you ever know there was such a FUN day to celebrate??? We couldn't neglect the mighty sea serpents lurking deep in murky waters. We just had to honor them!

With map in hand and courage in heart, we set sail on our pirate ship couch across the ocean blue living room. The warm sun on our skin, the salty water sprinkling our lips, the wind tickling our faces. The vessel sliced through the rugged waves. The lure of a treasure kept our focus. Suddenly, there was a rumbling deep below and our ship began to rock. A grotesque face emerged from the black-blue waters. We sprung to action as one slimy tentacle - larger than we'd ever seen -  coiled around the ship. Frantically, we began to fire sock cannonballs in hopes of escaping from an eternal water prison. But the monster responded with more force, more fury, more strength. He squeezed tighter and we heard the distinct sounds of wooden planks cracking. With one final resolve, we aimed our last cannonball directly at his heart. BOOM! The sound was almost deafening. We held our breaths. Time seemed to stand still. Then slowly, the tentacles unraveled and the ship was set free. We watched as the creature sank into the abyss. Ho! Our adventure could not be thwarted. On to the treasure!   

Despite the hazards, our exploit consumed only a portion of the day. We still had plenty of time for other fun, sea-serpenty activities.

 We colored frightening pictures.

We read books about sea creatures.

We noticed that while we delved into our first book, a sea serpent stole the rest of the them and carried them off into his lair. We had to carefully and quietly retrieve the books from the sleeping monster.

For lunch, we dined on a luxurious sea serpent meal. (Truthfully, it was only mock-serpent. Shh, don't tell my kids. Real monstrous sea serpents are endangered, you know.)

Mock sea serpents are really very simple to prepare but require only the finest ingredients.

You'll need hotdogs and raw spaghetti noodles. Both will need to be cut/broken in half.

Gently slide the spaghetti halves into the cut ends of the hotdogs.

Using a sharp knife, cut a half-inch incision in the other end to form the mouth.

Here's something not many people know - sea serpents really are gentle creatures when they're born. They live nice, peaceful lives and are friends to the fishes. The trick to turning them into ferocious beasts, bred to destroy is cooking them in boiling water.

They despise boiling water.

When they are thoroughly angry - but before they are roasted alive - remove them from the torture chamber and place them back in the deep ocean where they can freely wreak havoc on their once-friends the fish, the sharks, and the unsuspecting ships. Sit back and be amazed by their fierce vengeance.

You might even catch some of the action, if you're lucky. Your pictures may be compromised though if you're holding a fussy baby in one arm and trying to take pictures with the other.

We watched a sea serpent as it silently floated beneath the surface. Within minutes, it leaped out of the water and took a huge bite out of a ship as it dragged it down below. 

 Hearing the commotion and smelling dinner, a second serpent quickly approached.

The first serpent, possessive of its feast, attacked the other. He finished him off like an appetizer before heading back to his ship meal.

There were no survivors.

Then the kids asked to help birth more sea serpents.

They're a vicious bunch.

And what sea serpent day would be complete without a frothy, serpenty-green drink???  That evening, we enjoyed Sea Slurpents while we reminisced about our adventure-filled day. 


Next time you're sailing the open sea in search of hidden treasure, keep a vigilant eye on the horizon. You just might spot the shadow of a mighty sea serpent lurking below.



Sea Serpents
Ingredients:
hotdogs
spaghetti noodles (3 per hotdog)

Directions:
1. Cut hotdogs in half; break spaghetti noodles in half.
2. Carefully insert 6 noodle halves into the cut-end of each hotdog. Make a half-inch slice in the other end of the hotdog to form the serpent's mouth.
3. Cook according to spaghetti instructions. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well.
 
Recipe idea adapted from Feed Our Families.


Sea Slurpent
Ingredients:
limeade 
carbonated soda
lime sherbert

Directions:
Mix limeade and carbonated soda in a glass. (We carbonated a liter of water using our SodaStream and added a packet of True Lime.) Add 2 scoops of lime sherbert.

Linked to TGIF Linky Party, the Sunday Showcase, Show-and-Share 

Dive Into Your Imagination

I am fascinated by the ocean. The fish, the animals, the colors, the variety - God's creation is amazing! My hubby got his scuba certification when he was a teenager and loved the experience. Since there are no oceans to scuba dive in Michigan, we have to settle for the next best thing - videos. We've had the privilege to watch What Makes A Fish A Fish? which showcases God's creation beautifully.

Annie Crawley, aka "Ocean Annie,"  is the founder of the Dive Into Your Imagination company and the producer of the video. Annie is an underwater cinematographer, educator, motivational speaker, scuba diving instructor, and boat captain. She's traveled all around the world and has created award-winning books, DVDs, and motivational art based on her findings. Annie created Dive Into Your Imagination to change the way the next generation views the ocean. She wants children and their parents to fall in love with all the animals of the sea "because we protect what we love."

What Makes A Fish A Fish? teaches children about fish from all over the world. The footage and quality are beautiful! It's very informative and fun to watch. My kids (6, 4, 2) had fun pointing out the things they recognized and loved learning about new things, too. The 37-minute video is divided into 8 chapters:

1. What Make A Fish A Fish
2. Sea Anemones and Their Friends
3. Hide and Seek on the Reef
4. Frogfish Are Funny Looking Fish
5. Bath Time for Fishes
6. Don't Be Afraid of Sharks
7. Dinner Time for Fish
8. Fishes, Fishes, More and More Fishes

Along with the DVD, we received the teacher guide. (We used the prek-k version, but there is also one for grades 1-3.) It's nearly 300 pages and is very extensive! It is written for the classroom setting, but can easily be adapted to use at home. It's not just work pages, coloring pages, and facts. The guide includes activities like painting a pillowcase to camouflage into the scene in the video, play acting like frogfish, and working together as a team like the sea anemone and clownfish.     

What Makes A Fish A Fish? is the first video in Dive Into Your Imagination. The series also includes Who Lives in the Sea? and Dive Into Diversity. Each DVD costs $19.95. The teacher guides are available for $299 as a printed version of the entire set or $69.95 for an individual PDF. Also, shipping is FREE until the end of June, and as a bonus if you purchase a DVD and mention that you are a homeschool parent, Ocean Annie will gift you a set of the PDFs for FREE as well! 

I recommend taking advantage of these deals now and experience the awesomeness of Dive Into You Imagination.

You can find more reviews of What Makes A Fish A Fish and the other 2 videos on the TOS Crew blog.  

* Disclaimer - I was sent this product in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.