Homeschooling

Something Rotten

July 7, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Imagine, you are driving down the road, and like any other day you see a piece of roadkill lying there. But today is different than any other day, today you think.. oh.. I wonder, I wonder why that animal died, I wonder just how a snakes fangs work, so you pull off the road, pick up that dead snake and take it home with you. And thus a love of roadkill and all it can teach you is born. Learn of this fascination in Something Rotten, my latest review from Raincoast books.

Heather Montgomery walks us through the intriguing world that is roadkill, taking us through learning about parasites released Burmese pythons are giving to the native snake population (not a good thing), we learned about how red wolves might not actually be wolves but be a combination of coyote and wolf genetics, and how the Tasmanian devil is helping people.

Roadkill has never entered my radar of being a fascinating study until I read this book and then it was a like a whole new world opened up for me. The things to learn, the use that scientists can put them, and how they benefit the living, not only of their own species but in the lives of other living beings as well. It is simply amazing.

When you add up the amount of animals killed on the road it’s a staggering amount, then think of all the people involved in those kills and how some of them will be injured or lose their lives. Roadkill becomes a serious matter. It’s no small wonder that more and more animals bridges and underpasses are being built.

So what do you get?

Eleven chapters, 176 pages, text written with the middle schooler in mind, black and white images, and a fascinating look into the world of dead animals and scientists from around the world. She includes a section on steps people can take to save lives as well, which includes projects that people of all ages can take part in.

What did I think?

When I got the book I thought I would be bored out of my mind. 🙂 Like seriously ROAD KILL????? What in the world could be remotely interesting about roadkill? Then something good happened, I got hooked. Somewhere between learning how snakes fangs fold and coyotes I got hooked. I wanted to know what new and amazing thing she would discover next. Every time she turned a new corner I wanted to know more.

I was occasionally surprised like learning that throwing food out the window is a REALLY bad idea. It teaches animals to come to the road for food and while there, what do you think happens? Death to the animal and potential injury to other people. Do you want to be responsible for that? I don’t. I’ll save that apple core to toss at home eh? Won’t you? Another surprise was learning about a contagious cancer! Who would have thought!?!?!?! Totally surprised me.

Now this book is not for the faint of heart. If you are easily grossed out or can’t handle anatomical descriptions, it’s not the book for you. But if you have an inquiring mind and are fascinated by all things animal and don’t mind a bit of messiness (which by the by isn’t over the top but it is factual) this is an extremely interesting book. I’ll be adding it to the pile of books my lad will be reading, and guessing it won’t take him long to go through.

Something Rotten: A Fresh Look at Roadkill
Heather L. Montgomery
Kevin O’Malley (illustrator)
Bloomsbury Kids
176 pages, 10-14 years old, softcover, non-fiction
Roadkill, science, scientists, research, biology
Reviewed for Raincoast books.
Where to find Amazon

11 Ways to Study Geography

July 6, 2018 By Annette1 2 Comments

One of the things my guys and I like to do is go camping. We tend to like camping in places where there are new things to discover like lakes, rocks and paths we haven’t previously taken. We have some favourite places to go like Half-Way Lake, Cypress Lake and Grundy Lake. Ways to explore geography, nature, swim, kayak and just have fun. Going up to the north gives us a chance to explore a very rocky terrain, so different from where we live, and there are small lakes everywhere it seems. It is so much fun.

Other than getting out there and seeing things, because honestly I can’t afford to fly around the world and see all the different things I want to see and to show my lad, how do I help him have a well-rounded sense of the world we live in? To delight with him over the wonders of creation and all the different ways the world has been shaped? To that end, let us learn all the ways you can study geography.

Country studies as a whole unit or by provinces or cities

Studying geography can take in you in many different directions.

You can do unit studies like these: Or focus on the food, the dolls, the bread, dances, music, or any aspect of their culture. You can even do a study focusing on the animals of different counties (like snakes, dogs or cattle from around the world).

One of the things we did was study countries for a week and then follow it up with a meal. So much fun to pull it all together that way. Here’s one we did on Azerbaijan and Finland. I did others, I just can’t find them all right now. 🙂

You might want to check out these Island studies and all that was incorporated. Looks like they had so much fun!

Historical byproduct

Geography often happens as by-product of history. It helps to see where history happens, and you can often understand why battles happen if you understand the lay of the land and the importance of it. For instance, if you don’t understand the inundation of the Nile you would never understand why the bulk of Egyptian life happened around the Nile River.

Next year my lad wants to study Canada and the wars, I am imaging that we will be making salt dough maps of countries, or making puzzles showing the lay of the land so we can understand why some battles were so fierce in the battles due to the advantageous positions they gave.

Maps

I’ve heard of several families that put a map on their kitchen table or some place where family regularly sits to social or do school work. “Pass the salt.. It’s sitting near Uraguay” type of things can be said. Another put a world map on the wall in front of the toilet, in a nice frame, but it’s another way to learn while otherwise occupied.

One homeschool mom even made a map of her town. Isn’t that a great way to learn some mapping skills?

Or you could take a road trip to a far off place and have your children follow along with their own maps. Putting together this global puzzle might be fun today. MegaMaps might suit you well.

Youtube Channels

Youtube has often come to my rescue when I’ve wanted something about a place or country. What you learn in one video can send you on a rabbit trail after idea and before you know it, you’ve filled up your day with learning.

Geography Now. along with National Geographic. are the channels I am most familiar with. There is also Geography focus and Darron Gedge.

Involving Others:

Involving others as you learn geography can be a fun way to engage multiple skills. You could get penpals, invite international students into your home, arrange a postcard swap, send Christmas cards and more. You can visit people from other countries and learn about where they are from. We live in such a multi-cultural society, isn’t it a good thing to learn from them? When my sister moved out west she mentioned how much she missed having thunderstorms. Apparently in British Columbia you don’t get a good thunderstorm. I would never have known that if I had asked her one day what was bugging her. Connections eh?

We went caving two years ago in Pennsylvania (just a couple of guided tours). It sparked an interest in my lad and we’ve watched a few videos since then.

Books:

Oh, the geography you can learn from books! From learning about cities around the world like Rome or Tokyo, learning different ways you can travel (terrain matters), natural places, and so much more. You can also use a book like Penny’s World to teach map making skills. The geography book might be a useful additon. If you need some help choosing good books, some good advice. Visiting Europe might be just what you are looking for, I know it intrigues me for my lad’s studies next year.

Games

Lizard Point Quizzes are fun, free, interactive map quizzes to help you learn about the world around you. Hundreds of map-based quizzes to help you learn countries, states, cities, physical features and more. It’s rather fun and certainly taught me how much I don’t know about where countries are! WOW I was surprised. Three chances you get followed by an opportunity to see the correct answer.

Seterra is another one with lots of quizzes to help you learn your countries, flags, and more. Suggested to me by Sheila.

Board Games are often a great way to enhance geograhy skills. One of our favourites is called Take Off and another called Risk.

Some geography-based board games (just click on image to learn more)

Art

You can use art as you learn. Making salt dough countries, volcanic eruptions, as well as flags. You could simply for a term, focus on doing an art project from around the world. Adding art just makes for a fun, hands-on way to learn about geography.

You could study how erosion changes the path of rivers (a science experiment that could also be an art project). Or using pastels as you learn about Nova Scotia. You never know what you might find that inspires you to dig deeper into the world we live on.

Hands-On Geography: Australia Awesome and Deadly Animal Art.

Subscription boxes.

You could use a number of different subscription boxes to easily introduce food, art and culture from different countries around the world. There is little Passports (see a review), or (see a review). Other boxes that you might not know of: National Geographic, The Atlas Crate from KiwiCo., Mysteries in Time, and Junior Explorers.

Other Geography learning ideas.

Somtimes you just need something quick, here are 35 Hands-on Geography Activities to do in 15 Minutes or Less.

5 Ways to Raise a Natural Geography-Lover. Isn’t this what we want to do?

Geoscavenge – A Rock and Mineral Hunt. I thought this was an interesting way to make hunters think!

Three no fuss ways to explore with littles.

Geography Curriculum Ideas.

Free Worksheets

Want some worksheets to go along with all the learning you are doing?

Education.com, TLSBooks, 3D Geography, Student Handouts, and Help Teaching. There are oodles of places on-line to look, so suss out what you need and go looking for it. Chances are high you will find it. If you want to use NotebookingPages they have a large number of pages that will be useful for any geography project you have. This is a paid site though, just so you know. 🙂 Though as you can see, some of it is free. 🙂

And of course Schoolhouseteachers.com has an amazing geography section you might want to check out. Geography of the bible, living geography, everyday explorers (I’ve used this and found it thorough) and more.

Just so you know it’s currently on sale (until July 6). “The AMERICA sale is nearly over! Purchase a 1-year Ultimate membership for only $99 (reg. $179) and score over $130 worth of FREE bonuses. Plus, you’ll have a chance to win a laptop and patriotic jellybeans. Your whole family will have access to over 380 courses (PreK-12) in a variety of subjects as well as tons of homeschool resources and tools to help you stay organized and plan your child’s curriculum. USA Bonuses include a free tote, the 2018 TOS summer print magazine, a bundle of 16 e-books, and 4 TOS print magazine back issues. This is such a special sale that we added more. Every 100th subscriber WINS a laptop and every 10th subscriber receives patriotic jellybeans, made in the USA! At Checkout, Use Code AMERICA. Hurry this huge opportunity ends Friday, 7/6!”

Coupon Code: AMERICA. What is sold: SchoolhouseTeachers.com Annual Membership. Price: $99/year, locked-in pricing (normally $179/year)

Others in this series:

Coding.
Foreign Language.
Physical Education.
Math.
Financial Literacy.

Your turn

What geography resources have I missed? What are your favourites?

If Polar Bears Disappeared

July 5, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

If Polar Bears Disappeared is a full coloured, picture book that is guaranteed to delight your children as they learn about the world’s biggest bear and what might happen if they disappeared. Join me as I review this great publication from Roaring Brook Press.

Geared for children 4-8 years old, this book will be a great introduction to the topics of global warming, endangered animals, life in the north and the food chain. Lily Williams asks this important question: What would happen if polar bears disappeared? Have you ever thought through what might the end result be of such a horrible loss?

Imagine the beauty and power gone from the earth!

The beautifully illustrated pictures bring to life the wonders of the Artic, a place where polar bears, seals, caribou, lichen, and more live. We are drawn through a world where if too much ice melts in the Artic, even life in the desert will be affected.

So if we learn how to save the polar bears… perhaps we can learn how to save the whole earth?

My thoughts:

Even though I am not an advocate for global warming or old-earth teaching, there is much in If Polar Bears Disappeared that I simple adore. I love how author Lily Williams pulls in all the different aspects of life on earth that could be affected if Polar Bears Disappeared.

I urge you to get this book if you are learning about endangered animals, the food cycle or just trying to teach your students the importance of all the varied life on earth.

If Polar Bears Disappeared
Lily Williams
Roaring Brook Press
40 pages, 4-8 years, softcover, picture book
biology, global warming, life cycle, science
Reviewed for Raincoast Books

Adventures in Art

July 4, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Next year my son wants to base his studies around Canada and the various wars she’s taken part in. I look at it as a great time to examine a lot of different parts of the world along with it’s history, geography, science and more. Doing art I hope will play a big part of that. I decided to dig into my collection of art books for today’s post I felt some inspiration hit. The book? Adventures in Art.There are over 200 different art and craft projects listed in this paperback book. Projects that will appeal to a wide variety of individuals. I hope my lad will like some of the projects I pull out for him to do, but since there are so many options available to us, if one doesn’t appeal another might. 🙂

I can’t show you all the projects I’ve been looking at, but wouldn’t it be great to make salt dough maps of the different areas? Or even try to replicate a bridge or two?

I’ve been thinking through some ideas about how to paint some of the scenes that my son is sure to run across. or even the idea of making a wind puppet to but I don’t know if wind puppets were used in the war to show where the wind was at. I”m guessing some variation of that would be used in the Second War, but possibly in the first as a warning about poison gas.

I was thinking about how sometimes children would make small gifts to send to their fathers on the front and the idea of making a bookmark appealed to me. It might be interesting to see what the lad thought a dad far off would like to see from home don’t you think?

Anyways, this book is just laden with ideas to choose from. from making a banner, or a portable chess board, or even trying our hand at yard painting (instead of doing a salt dough map, do a yard painting one). It’s just fascinating the ideas I am finding. I’ll need to sound some of the off for the lad and see what he thinks. It will be fun don’t you think?