A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Science

Creation Based Apologetics

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So the other day I asked my lad if he would be interested in doing an apologetics course.  He surprised me by saying yes! As he’s reaching the stage of questioning everything it’s good to give them ideass to think through and answers to consider.  I thought about doing a creation based apologetics course with him and thought I’d share the results of my research with you. 

creation based apologetics

Why Creation Apologetics

Depending on your child, they simply might not have thought through the truths of scripture or given much thought to how non-creation science connects with the bible.  There is so much we don’t know.  Like for instance, I don’t believe in evolution but I can’t explain how speciation/natural selection makes a cat look different in one climate over another.  How some wild cats are large like jaguars and snow leopards and other wild cats are as small as a housecat but very feral.  How this happens makes zero sense to me so when people question it all… I understand that.  Having resources to help make sense of all it matters. 

Making a point of studying creation apologetics gives over dedicated time to your student so it gets done.  I don’t know about you but I have a busy teen.  Working, schooling, helping around the house, and spending time with friends takes up the bulk of his time.  Finding solid time to actually think through faith, science, and it’s interconnectivity isn’t the easiest thing for a teen to do.  Therefore adding it as part of his course load makes it much more doable. 

Types of Creation Apologetics

Now, I’ve long known that people have different ideas about evolution.  Some believers are creation scientists all the way through to the bone, others don’t quite get how there are dinosaurs and mammals…. and so called proofs of evolution.  Others again are like me and don’t buy into evolution, but natural selection and the sheer variety of animals and the interconnection of species is a bit mind-boggling. Yet other believe in intelligent design and there are a variety of takes on how that works.  Designer created and then left everything to evolve/naturally select, on it’s own. Or Designer created and then guided changes.   It’s actually quite interesting to see how people try to make it all fit together, and sometimes try to meld two worlds together. 

Biblical Creationism: follows the teaching in Genesis.  God created all life.  Tends toward a young earth philosophy. 

Intelligent Design Movement:  This movement wants to encourage discussion by not only teaching evolution, but to encourage the asking of questions considering alternatives to evolution.  This means looking critically at evolutionary ideology, considering the flaws in evolutionary theory, and keeping an open mind to alternative explanations.

Progressive creationism.  This thought process is that God created life over a period of millions of years. It takes an old-earth approach, and believes that new lifeforms emerged fully-formed not slowly through evolution at different times. 

What I found

Answers in Genesis takes a very biblical, creation as written in the bible approach.  They have a six courses in creation apologetics.  They used to do it as one Master Class.  Now each of those courses is done individually and each contains several lessons within. 

Creation Illustrated, the magazine.  Produces good articles, might answer questions, or spur some additional thinking.  Not a curriculum per say, but creation-biblically based.  Could make a creation based apologetics course out of several magazines I think.   If you are interested, I reviewed unit studies from them a while back. 

You could check out BioLogos. They do hold to an ancient view of the earth, and believe that evolutionary theory can be reconciled with the Bible’s teaching about Creation.  Francis Collins (the head of the human g-nome project) teaches the course on DNA technologies and ethics. Worth checking out.

Another resource to check out is Reasons to Believe. Even just introducing teens to their website would be a good thing. Their online learning resources look good, but their courses were geared more to college age. They do, however, have an Educator’s Help Desk page that has tonnes of resources to help you find a suitable curriculum, along with a list of recommended resources. Note: some of their recommendations are secular sources, and some are Christian. You may want to watch their video on using secular textbooks to hear their rationale. They makes some good arguments.

If you look on Christian Book Distributors you’ll find a whole whack of books from a creationist viewpoint.   With some time you could easily put together an apologetics course that is creation based. 

creation based apologetics

Have I missed anything?

So tell me, have you found any creation based apologetics courses?   If so, please tell me!   I’d love to check them out. 

Under the Stars

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This past summer I had the opportunity to head down to Pinery at night a few times to watch the sun go down and let the stars come out.  Did you know that my lad thoroughly enjoys the quiet of watching a night sky?  It’s just a nice time to sit, talk, or even just sit in silence observing.   Then peeking at the moon at it starts to shine?   Oh, it’s marvellous to be out under the stars.

The other day we were out later than expected and we were able sit out under the stars and watch the fireflies flitting around under the night sky. We grabbed out the lawn chairs and then sat together watching and laughing together.  It was a lovely time together that too often we don’t take.  Computers and household chores too often get in the way don’tcha know?  

Under the Stars
Deep space background with nebulae

Over the years we’ve had opportunities to learn more about the night sky.  Two years ago he went with his Cadet Corp to the London Observatory. Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory is located at Western University, if offers classes in Exploring the Stars as well as allowing the public to book private viewing times.   Canada has a number of observatories that are well worth checking out. 

Understanding the vocabulary

Just as with any field of study, astronomy has its own specific language.  As you observe the night sky you’ll be introduced to such words as zenith, meridan, eclipse and more.  This video gives you a bit of an introduction.   You’ll also find a large list through vocabulary lists.

Books and Resources to Help in Explorations

Ooh.. talking books!  This is always fun!

50 things to see in the sky is a helpful book with simple drawings introducing you to 50 different elements to look for in the night sky.  From things you can see with the naked eye, to items you’ll need a telescope or an observatory. 

Did you know there are places around the world that are tourist attractions just because of their unique perspectives on the night sky?  You can see things there that are specific to an area.  I found Dark Skies to be fascinating.  So many phenomena I had not known about.

I’ve looked at a lot of books about the moon, exploring the moon, going to the moon, rockets and what not.  I’ve made a list of many of them. 

Crafts and Activities

In my geography area on my pinterest board you’ll find a number of solar system/moon/outer space ideas to explore.  From making solar system project, to using marshmallows to make constellations, or learning about women in space.  These is just so much to learn about our expanding universe it’s so interesting to learn about. 

In my science board you’ll discover a number solar based science activities and experiments.  Doing the moon phases, solar activities, or learning about sun sneezing.  🙂   It’s amazing all you’ll discover under the stars.  Stars, galaxies, constellations, black holes, and more.  So much to see as we stand here looking up at the beauty above us. 

One of the things my son really enjoyed making and led to an impromptu study of the night skys, constellations etc, was when we made this light planetarium from Kiwi Crates.  This was such a good project for us to do and he asked so many questions and we learned so much about how planetariums work and the fun of looking for stars and constellations in the night sky.   This book is a Planetarium came in very handy. 

So what about you?   Do you get stilled to silence at the beauty above us?  Do you find it fun to see what constellations you can find? Have you taken the time to study the solar system with your children?  What is the most amazing thing that you have discovered about what’s out there?  

The Secret Life of Viruses

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Disclosure: I received an advanced readers copy (The Secret Life of Viruses) through Raincoast Books.

Helping children understand how viruses work is the first step to enabling them to protect themselves in a virus-ridden world.   The Secret Life of Viruses is a picture book geared to helping our younger children understand how viruses work.  This helps them know how to protect themselves and reduces the fear that some children have.  

Affiliate links will be used in my review, no cost to you, and helps to support my blog. 

The secret life of viruses

The Details

Sourcebooks explore, part of sourcebookkids brings us The Secret Life of Viruses by Mariona Tolosa Sistere.   This science-based picturebook is part of the Ellas Educan Collective.   A hardcover version will be available in August 2021.   The Secret Life series also contains the Secret Life of Boogers and the Secret Life of Boo-boos. 

The Ellas Educan Collective is a group of six female scientists.  They wish to promote women in leadership positions.  Their goal is to create a sustainable world, as they empower women and engage people in science.  

The Secret Life of Viruses is written for children 4-8 years and covers 32 pages. Colourful illustrations fill the pages connecting well to the text that is in simple, but informative language.   I received an ARC version from Raincoast. 

I just love picture books that are a combination of good information and good illustrations.  Mariona Tolosa Sistere has given me just that.   Not only does she make the science of understanding how viruses work easy for children, but she writes in an engaging tone. 

In The Secret life of Viruses readers will learn what a virus is, what types of viruses there are, how they reproduce, what they do inside your body, and how they spread.   They will learn what a pandemic is and how to stay healthy.  You’ll even get a history of viruses in history.     The bright colourful images draw in the eye and the shapes would intrigue children. It’s actually kind of fascinating to see all the different shapes that viruses are don’t you think? 

Two pages are devoted to quizz questions with the answers given later. 

Should you get The Secret Life of Viruses

Whether you are young or old, The Secret Life of Viruses is an excellent primer into understanding the world of viruses.   It would work well just for helping elementary students understand viruses and be a good introduction to older students.  I love using picture books with older students as it can spur on questions they have and possible research opportunities. 

It’s not perfect, in places it feels a little “teachery”. But the information presented is solid, and sometimes you need the teacher-aspect to make the point more clear.  🙂   I liked that accurate terminology was used when delineating categories, and simple language was used where it could be easily done.  

From Here to There

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Inventions are often the workings of a society, helping people do things better for themselves or for others.  From Here to There gives us nine stories.  These stories are all about inventions that changed the way the world moves.   From bicycles to wheelchairs all the way up to rockets. 

Affiliate links will be found in this review.  No cost to you, but helps to support my blog. 

from here to there

Throughout history people have needed to get from point a to point b.   In From Here to There, we learn about inventors who have helped us to get more mobile.     

Nine inventors are profiled.

  • Manned balloon flight – Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier
  • Bicycle – Kari Drais 
  • Steam Locomotive – George Stephenson
  • Automobile – Bertha and Karl Benz
  • Bus – Eric Wickman
  • Rocket – Robert Goddard
  • Wheelchair – Herbert Everest/Harry Jennings
  • Robot – George Devol
  • Ship Design – Raye Montague

I received an advanced reader’s copy from Raincoast books.   One of the negative side effects of getting an ARC is that they often arrive in greyscale which makes it hard to share the delight of the images. Almost all of its 96 pages are filled with images created by Gilbert Ford. 

So What Do I Think?

I LOVE the positivity found in almost every story.  The… this is the problem I see, this is how I think we can solve it and this is how we help each other out!  I love it.  I love the “I think I can, so now I’m going to figure out how I can” attitudes shown by each inventor. 

My appreciation for the variety of inventors.  Not all men, nor all women, along with variations in country of origin, skin tone, and backgrounds.  Inventors come from all over the place and it’s fantastic to see!  I loved reading the stories about what inspired each of them, and how they caught a break. 

Can you imagine the usefulness of having a computer help design a ship? It would take so much work to input the data, but then letting a computer figure out the fine details.  HUGE time saver.   Or the ease of having a wheelchair that folds in half?

If you are studying inventors, researching vehicles and/or transportation, important people in history, or just want to read a book that inspires… this is it!  From Here to There is an inspiring read for youth 8-12 years of age.  Author Vivian Kirkfield takes an inventor, shares their childhood dreams.  She then shows pitfalls along the way to success.  Engaging stories within a friendly biographical style. 

Marie’s Ocean

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You know what I love?  Well okay, one of the things I love?   Picture books that have meat to them.  These are books that not only entertain a child, but also teach.  Marie’s Ocean introduces us to the life and work of Marie Tharp.  Don’t know who she is?  A remarkable woman you lived in a time when what women could do work-wise was limited, and yet, she forever left her mark in history.   This is my review for Raincoast books.  

Affiliate links will be used. 

marie's ocean

Who is Marie Tharp

In Marie’s Ocean we get to know about Marie Tharp, a girl who was fascinated by the world from the time she was quite young.  She was determined that one day she would sail on a ship.  One obstacle – she lived in a time when women were not welcome aboard a working ship.  They were considered bad luck… it took years before she was able to work on a ship, but in the meantime, she studied and worked.  Eventually, she proved there was a rift, and through that, the theory of continental drift. 

What do you get?

I received an ARC version of Marie’s Ocean for this review.  You’ll find it comes as a hardcover picturebook of 68 pages.   Published by Henry Holt and Company Books for Young Readers, and written by Josie James.    After reading this woman’s biography I find myself wondering if Ms. James will tackle any other women of history. 

Written with children 5-9 years old, I can easily see older students using this well-illustrated picture book was a primer for a study of Marie Tharp. 

The finer details for Marie’s Ocean

Josie James is both author and illustrator.    I enjoyed learning how sounding works and seeing the paths the ships took.  It was excellent to learn her work progressed as she worked through her studies. 

This mixed-format picture book is detailed in both illustration and word.  We are privy to her thoughts and explorations, an excellent primer into the life she lived so well. 

I found the variety in which the material was presented an integral part of the story.  Seeing her bravery in standing up for her findings, her dismay that she couldn’t present her own work, observing her discoveries, and the pictures of what it all means. 

Marie's Ocean, sample page

At the close of the book we’re given the rest of Marie’s story and how for so long she and her work forgotten. She is now known as one of the four greatest woman cartographers. 

Should you Get Marie’s Ocean?

If you have any interest in oceanography, geography, science, noted women of history, numerology, or more….you can find much of interest in Marie’s Ocean.  This meaty picturebook is a great introduction to all those fields.  Teaching children what you can do as a woman if you are good with numbers, or are determined to follow your dream, or just want to follow where your research takes you.   

Marie was so patient and yet observant, willing to speak her observations and prove them.  There is so much you can do with it, the biggest of course is… just enjoying the story!  So go out, get a new book for your shelves.  🙂 

Review: NatureGlo’s eScience

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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.

I have reviewed NatureGlo’s eScience program in the past.  My son LOVED IT.  He used it for a full year and learned so much about math, art, science, history and how it all intertwined.  Just so very intriguing.  Ergo, when the opportunity came up to review the MathArt and Science Course Bundle, I leapt at the opportunity.  I was particularly interested in the Marine Biology courses and wanted to do this all for myself.   

My lad had the benefit of my learning as when he told me about his learning over the day, I could also tell him what I learned.  🙂  Marine Biology is fascinating, especially the way it is laid out in this course!

What I Received

I received one year of access to NatureGlo’s eScience MathArt & Science Course Bundle. This was a special bundle designed just for the Crew and comes to us from NatureGlo’s eScience.  It gave us a chance to sample a variety of the courses that NatureGlo provides to its audience. This is a private 25-course bundle, containing courses from Glo’s MathArt and natural sciences classes. In my opinion, it is geared forstudents in upper elementary to lower highschool.

The 25 courses were

  • Botany (redwood trees)
  • Bubbleology
  • Geology
  • Herps Explorers (three separate units)
  • Herps Zoology (two separate units)
  • Introduction to MathArt
  • Invertebrates
  • Marine Biology (six separate units)
  • Mammals
  • MathArt (six separate units)
  • Marine Reptiles
  • Marine Zoology (two separate units)
  • Math Connections with the Real World
  • Life and Mathematical Art (two separate units)

The Details about NatureGlo’s eScience

Nature Glo’s eScience is so easy to use. Once you are logged in and have your courses in front of you, you click on what you want to do and then you are off.  You’ll have the lesson on one side, and lesson outline on the other. 

You’ll find that each unit is a separate study covering specific topics.  Each unit is broken down into easily managed pieces.  One day you might complete a couple of slideshows, another day fill out a PDF, and yet another day complete a project. Nothing is too onerous and leaves you time to supplement if you want to know more or to just learn what Glo presents. 

Units vary in length from one to six lessons.  The length of each unit is clearly shown, and even though it’s one lesson, you may decide to do it over several days. Every unit within NatureGlo’s eScience course is self-paced.  Doing them in the order listed makes sense but I did play around with doing some of the lessons in a different order. This made it fun and it still made sense but it was better to follow the lessons the way they are laid out. Learning still happened. 

To help you track where you are, as you complete each part of a lesson you mark complete at the close of each lesson.

The quiz that I ran into was done in a matching game format. It was easy to do and was timed but it didn’t feel like a “pressure to complete” timer.  Just an encouragement to keep moving.  🙂   Below you’ll find an image of a partially completed quiz.  If you connect two and they are incorrect they will flash red. 

How I used NatureGlo’s eScience

I predominately played around with the marine biology courses.  So fascinating!   It was great to work my way through the lessons and occasionally make side trails as I wanted to learn more.  Like when I went to youtube to learn more about comb jellies instead of waiting for a future lesson with video!   

Please don’t misunderstand me, the lessons come complete with their own videos, but sometimes I just chose to seek out my own sources since I’m so curious about what I’m learning about.  🙂   Very informative lessons that make you curious to find out more information. 

I appreciated how I could see where I was in the lesson as I progressed along.  Lessons completed being striked out, lesson current in yellow, and upcoming lessons in purple.  It’s nice to know when you have a quiz coming up isn’t it?  🙂 

I was able to finish the jellies, mollusks and whales but not additional courses. I’m trying to decide if I want to do dolphins/turtles or fish next.   I’m also looking to start the Marine Zoology 1 course.  I figured marine zoology and marine biology belong together right?  🙂  I am hopeful by year-end to complete all the marine courses that NatureGlo offers in this bundle. All six of the marine biology as well as marine reptiles, and marine zoology 2.   I am finding it to be a nice addition to the marine course from another vendor.

I did run into one video that was informative but felt geared to young children. My choice was to look for another video that suited my demographic better.  Don’t be afraid to do that. You know your students best, and watching something more suited to their age bracket makes sense.  It’s hard to pick something that works well for all age groups.

Should you get NatureGlo’s eScience?

I haven’t looked at the MathArt courses again, nor at the Herping or Geology courses.  The Herp courses sound interesting.  I enjoy watching youtube videos from reptile owners, and the amount of information out there to learn is fantastic; and they are animals… who wouldn’t want to learn more about them?  When I finish marine zoology perhaps that will be my next stop!  🙂 

You can tell that Glo loves her job.  Her enjoyment of math, art, nature, history, and science shines through in all her material.  I urge you to check out NatureGlo’s eScience today.

If you’d like to check out my previous review I’d be delighted. 

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natureglo1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@natureglo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natureglosescience/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nesschool/
YouTube: youtube.com/user/1hasc

A bunch of us over the crew have been enjoying this specialty pack from NatureGlo’s eScience.  Read all 50 reviews by clicking the image below. 

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How Cities Work Activity Book

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Oh… How Cities Work is a rather neat activity book that I can’t wait to tell you all about!   Stickers, colouring, word searches and more fill the pages.  Help your children understand how cities work! Tall skyscrapers, bustling waterways, and even the city architect!  

How cities work activity book

What I am Reviewing

How Cities Work (activity book) is a lonely planet kids book.  A book that is illustrated by James Gulliver Hancock that helps your children understand the workings of a city through hands-on activities.  With over 200 stickers, word searches, writing assignments, mazes and such like you’ll explore most aspects of city life.   Written for children 6-8 years old. 

I am reviewing this book on behalf of Raincoast books.    A companion book to go along with this activity book is How Cities Work.  These books are part of the How Things Work Series.    This series includes such books as Trains and Airports, and you may remember How Animals Build that I reviewed a bit ago.  

Details for How Cities Work

With so much going on in a city environment, there’s plenty here to discover, explore and get creative with.  Stuffed full of facts about the inner workings of the city.  You’ll discover wonderful illustrations of scenes including rush-hour traffic, garden centres and building sites. There is plenty here to keep your children occupied and challenged either at home or on the road. 

Activities include:  Search and finds, colouring, spot the difference, add stickers, design a poster, word search, writing assignments, mazes, etc. 

Among the pages you’ll find six pages of more than 200 stickers.  I love that it’s not just a “put a sticker on” book, but it’s also a “thinking it through” exercise of figuring out what is going on and use a sticker to fix it!   Or today we’re learning about animals in a zoo, can you help the escaped animals get back to where they belong. 

how cities work stickers

The illustrations, done by James Fulliver Hancock, match those of How Cities work (another in this series).   Fitting these two books together will help your children learn a great deal about the workings of a city.   They are well done, fitting smoothly together. 

Should you Get it?

Yes! It’s a fun book and well worth getting.  It will not only teach your children various functions of a city, but also let them have fun while doing so.  How Cities Work (activity book) is informative and gives your children a productive way to utilize their time well.  🙂 

Other books to pair this with that I have reviewed are: