George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

If you know our family, you know that we love reading and that books are some of our favorite review items. My kids enjoy reading for a while each day on their own as the foundation of our education is literature, but they especially love when my husband or I read aloud to them. We read all sorts of books, but we've all grown to love biographies. We like reading about the lives of people, knowing that that events actually took place. The kids are fascinated to study the actions, vocabulary, foods, dress, and thinking of past periods and seeing the ways in which our lives differ.

The books from YWAM Publishing are our favorites for biographies, and I often recommend them to others. We like them so much, in fact, that we own over 30 of their books from various lines including the Heroes of History, the Christian Heroes: Then & Now, the Heroes for Young Readers, and even a couple of their audiobook biographies. When it came time to choose our next book, the kids all agreed on the title, mostly because of a peanut song that they sing, ha. They were eager to learn more through George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist by Janet and Geoff Benge.

George Washington Carver's life started with tragedy. He was sickly and small, born to a young slave woman. His father died before he was born, and shortly after, he and his mother were kidnapped by bushwackers. By God's grace, his masters, the Carvers, were able to reclaim the baby and bring him back from the brink of death. They had loved George's mother and never mistreated her or her children. They raised George and his older brother as their own. George grew up loving the outdoors and everything that went with it. He knew more about plants than anyone in town and often helped people tend their vegetation. He continued to learn on his own by experimenting in nature, and though he impressed those around him with his practical knowledge, he was never satisfied. He dreamed of furthering his education through formal schooling. At 11-years-old, he packed his few belongings and went on a search for knowledge.

The next few years were filled with ups and downs. George learned all he could where he was. Then he would pack up and move to a new place. Each time, he'd find work, offering to do anything and everything he could to make money while he lived with his employers. Even though he was an honorable and hardworking young man who earned the respect of everyone who knew him, he still dealt with racism and malicious people. His teenage years took many twists and turns, but each road lead to furthering his education. It was also a bumpy path through his college years, but he persevered through hard word and ingenuity.

George's passion for nature grew throughout his life. He continued helping anyone he could, but his passion was farmers, specifically black farmers. He wanted them to thrive and have the same opportunities that their white counterparts did. George was offered a job as head of the Agriculture Department at Tuskegee Institute, an all-black college run by Booker T. Washington. There, he truly found his calling and changed the course of the world.

God gave George Washington Carver the knowledge and motivation to find alternatives that impacted lives. Known as the Wizard of Tuskegee, he convinced farmers to change their crops, came up with many uses for both sweet potatoes and peanuts, created the Farmer's Institute to teach local farmers better practices of farm work and also taught practical tips to the wives, taught that if you look around, there are plenty of ways to make what you need yourself and save money, and became an influential scientist. George saw opportunity where others saw hardship. George Washington Carver's influence changed not only the way people lived, but they way they thought, as well.

Along with the book, we received the digital unit Study Guide. The guide helps to further your study including geography, social studies, and history, to name a few. It is designed to benefit all learning styles, group and individual study, and a wide range of ages.

The guide includes the following:

• Key Quotes - six well-known quotes that can be used for memorization, understanding meaning, and displays
• Display Corner - a list of objects, books, and photographs from Carver's life and places he lived that could be gathered and displayed to bring life to learning
• Chapter Questions - four questions for each chapter: vocabulary, factual, comprehension, and open-ended interpretation (answers are at the end of the guide)
• Student Explorations - essay writing, creative writing, hands-on projects, audio/visual projects, arts/crafts 
• Community Links - meaningful field trips, guest speakers, service projects
• Social Studies - reproducible maps, geography, terms/vocabulary, timeline, conceptual questions, 
• Related Themes to Explore - history, science, literacy, music, military, popular culture
• Culminating Event - project displays, cultural food, music, activities, oral presentations
• Books and Resources - books, movies, documentaries, National Geographic articles, websites

The kids and I always enjoy the deeper study that comes from using the unit study guide. There are many different activities that reflect a wide range of learning styles, so there's something that appeals to everyone. Because there are so many options, it would be difficult to use the entire study. One thing that we always do with these studies is discuss the comprehension questions at the end of each chapter. It helps to review the story and understand it more fully. We especially enjoy the vocabulary review. Words like jubilantly, timidity, prestigious, systematically, and substantially are some of the words that are highlighted.

Normally we incorporate many of the hands-on activities to further our study, but things have been a bit different around here lately, and we haven't had a chance. We do have plans though to make a Chutes and Ladders board game to demonstrate the obstacle George Washington Carver experienced in this life, create a crossword puzzle about him, plant an egg carton garden, and make our own peanut butter again. There are many other activities, projects, and ideas to supplement the learning.

George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist has motivated us to find uses for things that are no longer "useful," look for purpose in our lives, and to love people--all people--as God loves them.

"Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise. At no other time have I so sharp an understanding of what God means to do with me as in these hours of dawn. When other folks are still asleep, I hear God best and learn His plan."

~ George Washington Carver ~

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You can read more reviews of this book and other titles from YWAM Publishing on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Theory Thursday: Water on a Penny

Have you ever taken the time to figure out just how many drops of water will fit on a penny? You know, one day that information will be very vital to your well-being. For instance, you're at the grand prize stage of a game show, and the final question is "How many drops of water will fit on a penny?" Or what if an evil villain is overtaking the world and the only way to stop him is to answer "How many drops of water will fit on a penny?" Or if one day you need a science project for your kids and answering "How many drops of water will fit on a penny?" seems like a good choice for the day. 

See? This is a very important question. One day you'll be thankful you read this post. Trust me.

Start by filling an eye dropper with tap water.

Squeeze a drop of water, one at a time, onto a penny.

Make sure you count each drop as it drips.

The water will create a big bubble. Keep adding drops and counting until it spills over the edge.

 In the meantime, give the toddler his own water and a bulb syringe.

Get some towels to clean up the mess.

 And since this is science, try different approaches of filling the bulb.

Eventually, the others will realize how much fun the toddler is having making a mess experimenting that they'll want to join in.

Get more towels.

Jake made comments like "Yikes! I'm making a mess everywhere like a real scientists." and "I'm making my own scientist potions."

And then came the declaration that made all 3 children laugh hysterically. As he sprayed the water out of the bulb, he said, "I even made it backwash!"

And then I got more towels.

Oh, you're still waiting on the answer to the million dollar question? Well, Jake and Alyssa had a hard time getting a single drop every time they added water. I got 17 the one time I tried. I've heard that you can get anywhere from 25-40 drops on a penny though.

So, go try it yourself so one day, you'll be prepared to save the world.

Theory Thursday: Color Concoctions

Two scientists insisted that they needed to conduct a series of experiments. They transformed my kitchen into a laboratory.

They gathered their test tubes and secret ingredients . . .

 . . . and the experimenting began.

These scientists were extremely careful in their selections, making sure not to cause any adverse reactions.

Scientist Jacob discovered that when he poured the red mixture into the blue, a new purple potion was created.

They also learned that mixing blue and yellow resulted in a green blend.

And adding the green liquid made the solution . . . remain green.

The experiments required complete concentration. This research was of the utmost importance.



And what were they making with all these solutions???

Why, popsicles, of course!

We used Sun Drop (green), Red Pop (red), Juicy Juice orange-tangerine (yellow), ice blue-raspberry Kool-Aid (blue), Crystal Lite orange sunrise (orange), and  Emergen-C Blue (purple). If the colors were not quite the shade I wanted them to be, I added a drop or two of food coloring.

My little scientists had so much fun pouring the contents of the different test tubes into their beakers and watching the colors mix and blend into new shades. 

They especially liked eating their experiments. All in the name of research, you know.

They learned about color combinations and even cooled off a little from the high temps outside.

The experiments were a success! But think what they could do with more resources. Does anyone want to sponsor their evolving research? All donations are non-tax-deductible and can be made payable to Raising Leafs. All proceeds will be used to further their experimentation.

I wonder what concoctions they'll create next. Strawberry-Pepsi-mocha? Or grape-green tea-orange juice?? Or chocolate milk-lemonade-root beer???  

Or maybe I'll leave the mixing to the scientists and stick with taking the pictures.