Science

How Cities Work Activity Book

September 16, 2020 By Annette1 6 Comments

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!

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.

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:

Let’s Fly a Plane

July 15, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

You may remember that I reviewed Let’s Ride a Wave a couple weeks back. Today I have another in the series called Let’s Fly a Plane. Another well done book from the Everyday Science Academy series. It is chockful of good science information for the junior crowd. Come along… let’s discover what it takes to fly a plane!

What am I reviewing?

Let’s fly a Plane! Launching into the science of flight with aerospace engineering. Created by Chris Ferrie who writes science books for children. Sourcebooks Explore is the publisher, the length is 40.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my review for Raincoast Books. Chris Ferrie’s series Everyday Science Academy seeks to answer the big science questions that children have. Let’s Fly a Plane is no exception to that goal.

Let’s Fly a Plane, the details

Just as in Let’s Ride a Wave, Red Kangeroo plays a pivotal role. She asks the question that begs to be answer “How can something so big stay in the sky when I cannot?” Dr. Chris comes to answer the question.

Using accurate language over colour filled pages, Dr. Chris helps his readers understand terms like thrust, drag, friction,life and airflow. If you miss any of the definition they are also provided in the glossary.

You’ll find the text easy to read. An easy to read font the remains consistent throughout it’s 40 pages.

You will appreciate the details provided as you learn about all the things that help keep an airplane up in the sky.

No science book would be complete without experiments to help cement the learning. Let’s Fly a Plane is not exception to that rule.

Should you get it?

For sure! It’s a fun, informative book with good experiments for children 4-8 years old. The bright colourful pages will keep their eyes on the page while a parent reads to them. In fact, go out and get the whole series! 🙂

Let’s Ride a Wave

July 1, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

One of the things I’ve been doing for the past few years is marking a papers for a biology course. It’s been a good field to venture into and I enjoy doing it the longer I do it. I’m learning to connect with my students and offer them better, more specific feedback. Part of marking this biology course is seeing if my students understand waves…not just ocean waves though they play a role, but also wavelength, sound, light etc. Let’s ride a wave! would be an excellent book to help some of my struggling 9th graders. Let me tell you all about this latest review.

Introducing Let’s Ride a Wave!

Let’s ride a wave! is part of a series called Everyday Science Academy. Chris Ferrie has put together this series to help answer questions children have about the world around them.

Red Kangeroo asks the question while sitting at the beach “I wonder if the waves ever stop?” Dr. Chris steps in to help Red Kangeroo understand.

Starting with watching the ocean waves, Dr. Chris helps the reader understand that some waves you see, like the ocean waves, and moved along to other waves you see the results of but can’t actually see.

Sourcebooks has put together a brightly coloured 40-page picture book to help 5-9-year-olds understand the physics of waves. Chris Ferrie helps children dive into the science of light and sound waves. I have the pleasure of reviewing this book for Raincoast Books.

You’ll find the text easy to read using accurate terminology. Learning about ultraviolet, electromagnetic, wavelength, tides, x-rays and more. At the close you’ll find a glossary in language easy enough for children to understand but detailed enough to be accurate.

I LOVE that experiments are included to test out ideas! From listening to different pitchs and tones, to making your your wavelengths.

Should you get it?

Yes, if you have any interest in any questions, or learning more about how waves work as light and sound. Let’s Make a Wave! is a fantastic primer into how waves work. It’s great for elementary students as is, giving steps into learning physics, and the excitement of having questions answered.

If you are struggling to make sense of your grade nine/ten biology, reading picture books like this one make complex ideas simple enough to understand. This gives the building blocks you need to further advance your studies.

Others in the series are (affiliate links)

Let’s get moving.
Let’s Ride a Plane. (review coming soon)
Let’s Make a rainbow.

If looking for additional physics resources, check out SchoolhouseTeachers.com. They have a variety of physics courses from Red Wagon and other sources from grade five and up.

How to Avoid These 9 Homeschool Science Mistakes

April 24, 2020 By Annette1 4 Comments

This post is sponsored by College Prep Science. Copyright 2020 by Greg Landry. I want to welcome Greg Landry to the blog today. He has some advice for us to keep us from making common homeschool science mistakes.

Having taught science to several thousand homeschooling and college students over the past 20+ years, several things stand out to me. I’ve put together a list of 9 homeschool science mistakes and 9 concrete steps we can take to better prepare our budding scientists.

Mistakes 1 and 2

Mistake #1 – Generalizing the names for, and thus the way we teach, science. Call it Biology, Chemistry, Physics, etc. and not “General Science”, “Physical Science”, etc., even in the young grades. Doing this virtually eliminates the intimidation that comes with “Physics” etc. in the high school years and clarifies what you’re teaching in the middle grades.

For example, at College Prep Science, rather than a homeschool year of “Physical Science,” we teach a semester of “Pre-Physics” and a semester of “Pre-Chemistry.” Rather than a homeschool year of “Life Science,” we teach a semester of “Pre-Biology” and a semester of “Pre-Anatomy and Physiology.”

Mistake #2 – Not doing enough testing.

Testing in the sciences prepares our students for the rigors of high school level homeschool science, college science, standardized testing, and assures that they are learning the material and how to take tests. Of course, it should be age-appropriate, but we should be testing.

Mistakes 3 and 4

Mistake #3 – Teaching science year-round.

I know that many parents are proponents of year-round school (no summer break), but I believe it’s actually counter-productive. From experience with thousands of students, I believe that students need to know they can work hard for a prescribed period of time and then have a total break from classes for a while.

Mistake #4 – Not starting the high school sciences early enough.

I know it’s easy to put off starting the high school sciences, but it’s important, especially if the students may be a college science major. Critical decisions should be made going into 8th grade. The critical factor is being ready for standardized testing and being able to fit in the needed sciences in the high school years. High school Biology should be taken in the 9th grade for most students and in the 8th grade for very capable students who will likely be science majors.

Mistakes 5 & 6

Mistake #5 – Not beginning to take the ACT early enough.

Success on this standardized test is critical for college admissions and plays a direct role in how much financial aid a student will receive. Taking these tests twice per year beginning in 9th grade gives students experience and confidence which enables them to do well when they take this test for the final time in 11th or 12th grade. See my article on this topic, “6 Reasons to Ditch the SAT and Laser Focus on the ACT.”

Mistake #6 – Not training students to write good lab reports.

As a college professor, I saw the pain of students who came in as science majors without good lab report writing skills and experience. Students get better at this with experience – there’s no substitute for that. Lab reports are simply the written record of the scientific method. It takes lots of practice to develop the skill needed to do well on these.

Homeschool Science Mistakes 7, 8 & 9

Mistake #7 – Not creating a lab manual for every science class.

A lab manual is a collection of observations, data collection, and lab reports from a class. This gives students one place to neatly keep all of this information and gives them a sense of accomplishment. It’s impressive to have them lined-up on a shelf from all of their science classes. It’s also required by some states or umbrella groups for homeschoolers and some colleges want to see lab manuals as evidence of labs being completed.

Mistake #8 – Being squeamish on Creation.

Despite what you may hear in the media and elsewhere, God wrote the book on science. We need to boldly teach our students about God’s creation. Science and the world around us support biblical creation.

Mistake #9 – Not using graphing extensively.

Graphing, when done regularly through the middle and high school grades has a unique ability to develop critical thinking skills in students that not only benefit them in math, science, and academics in general, but also in life! We encourage families to have students construct one graph daily as part of their homeschooling day. They can graph anything. Let them run with it and you will be surprised at how creative they are. The resulting skills can be very beneficial.

Homeschool dad, scientist, and former college professor, Greg Landry, offers live, online homeschool science classes, the Homeschool Mom’s Science Podcast, in-person two-day science lab intensives nationwide, freebies for homeschool moms, and homeschool print publications that students can be a part of.

Science Experiment Fails

February 11, 2020 By Annette1 4 Comments

My son has been working through Apologia Biology over this past semester. With his studies he is engaging in a wide variety of experiments. Sometimes he deigns to let me take part and it’s a hoot sharing the wonders of discovery with him. Every once in a while though he runs into an experiment that I simply can’t find the ingredients for or that try as he might, he can’t get to work properly. Highschool science is sometimes a challenge for him. What is a lad to do then? What does one do with science experiment fails?

Idea Spawned

I was actually a bit stymied by this until I read a blog post where a gal mentioned her son (I think) watching youtube videos for the experiments she didn’t have the ingredients for. Brain fart… like seriously, why didn’t I think about that??? Don’t you think it’s a fantastic idea though?

The Problem Experiment, Solution One

We ran into this one experiment that my son sent me out shopping for. He gave me a list for some upcoming experiments, one of which was meat tenderizer. Well, I searched London for meat tenderizer going to several different stores and calling others. One store was positive they had some and I had a delightful chat with a young man as we searched the store, but I ended up empty handed with lots of apologies. 🙂

I had to tell the lad that we needed to figure out an alternative for this experiment. I had a box DNA package that I had picked up a while back that had a recipe for making DNA so he used that. This one used a different methodology so we figured it was worth a shot. It was part of a kit that had a number of DNA related experiments in it. I’ve linked a couple of kits below that aren’t quite the same but close.

Solution Two

The lad had some success with this kit. I had wanted him to do a lab report with this experiment but watching his frustration I told him to choose a different experiment. In the meantine it was most excellent that he could watch this experiment being done by another family.

Watching this video below I can just imagine the fun my lad will have doing the plastic rock experiment.

It has been such fun watching other families do some of these apologia experiments, and it’s a great back up for when we have science experiment fails, or simply lack the ingredients to do them properly.

I urge you to check out these experiments yourself, if only! 🙂 My son really enjoyed doing this experiment I found below.

Solution Three: Failed Science Experiments

Our third solution to failed science experiments is simply to try again. Sometimes you miss a step, or you timed something wrong, or random chance just had it not working. So try it again! My lad did this with a mould experiment. The first time he didn’t cut the cheese fine enough, the second time he did but thought he’d add a twist, and the third time he did it perfectly. His crow of delight was totally worth all the effort. 🙂

There are so many good experiments out there. Let not the lack of ingredients stymie you. Don’t get caught up in your science experiment fail. Watch videos, try it an alternative method or simply try it all again. Just do it, you’ll learn so much!

Others in this Series

Two Mistakes to Avoid in Homeschool Biology, Chemistry, and Physics

February 10, 2020 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Do you ever struggle with knowing how to teach biology, chemistry and physics to your homeschool children? Learn more about how to do this in this sponsored post. Some freebies for homeschool moms are included.

Homeschool biology, chemistry, and physics curriculum, labs, and classes are the core of high school science and the thrust of middle school science as it prepares homeschooled students for high school level science. As a former college professor who has also taught thousands of homeschooled high school students, I believe that we should be careful at both of those levels to avoid two common mistakes:

High school level homeschooled students who are likely to be college science majors should be taught very differently than students who will likely not be science majors and students who may not be attending college.

We created two separate types of classes to best address the biology, chemistry, and physics needs of each group – “college prep” and “life prep.” The depth, breadth, and pedagogy of many college-prep biology, chemistry and physics classes leave many “non-science” students frustrated, uninterested, and ultimately learning very little. I find that students in this situation often miss the big picture and they don’t have an overall understanding of the subject matter that is so critical in these sciences. They can’t see the forest because they’re lost in the trees. Our “life prep” classes are basic high school level classes, enable students to see the forest, and will allow them to learn science through the lens of their God-given interests and talents.”

Ten years ago I originated the “pre” classes (Pre-Biology, Pre-Anatomy & Physiology, Pre-Chemistry, and Pre-Physics) as a means of minimizing the intimidation of high school level science and preparing middle school age students for specific high school level classes – rather than generalities such as “physical science” etc. This is a significant factor as they prepare for high school level science.

The thrust of our Christian / creationist worldview homeschool biology, chemistry, and physics online classes (and lab curriculum) is to give homeschooled students access to science that is focused on scientific inquiry, critical thinking, process reasoning, data collection, and the graphical and written representation of research. We want to prepare competent, confident students for their remaining high school years, their college years, and life.

“College prep” online classes for students who will likely be college science majors
“Life prep” online classes for students who likely won’t be college science majors or likely won’t attend college

– Homeschool Biology – College Prep (9th-12th) – Two Semester Class
– Life Prep Homeschool Biology (8th-12th) – Two Semester Class
– Homeschool Chemistry – College Prep (10th-12th) – Two Semester Class
– Life Prep Homeschool Chemistry (9th-12th) – Two Semester Class
– Life Prep Homeschool Physics (9th-12th) – Two Semester Class
– Homeschool Human Anatomy & Physiology (9th-12th) – Two Semester Class

– Homeschool Pre-Anatomy & Physiology (6th-9th) – One Semester Class
– Homeschool Pre-Chemistry (6th-9th) – – One Semester Class
– Homeschool Pre-Biology (6th-9th) – One Semester Class
– Homeschool Pre-Physics (6th-9th) – One Semester Class
– Homeschool ACT Prep Bootcamp (8th-12th)

In the words of a homeschool parent…

“Greg, …what you did for our daughter will have far reaching effects. You showed her that learning can be enjoyable…”
Thankful in Indiana
Jim H.

Note: These online homeschool science classes also include lab experiments and graded lab reports in Professor Landry’s virtual homeschool science laboratory. Students attend class weekly (either live or by recording), turn-in homework, and are tested on a regular basis. These classes are all inclusive and provide students with an enjoyable, comprehensive science experience.

Homeschool dad, scientist, and former college professor, Greg Landry, offers live, online homeschool science classes, Homeschool ACT Prep Bootcamp, the Homeschool Mom’s Science Podcast, in-person two day science lab intensives nationwide, freebies for homeschool moms, and student-produced homeschool print publications.

We are All Greta

January 4, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

Valentia Giannella wants to inspire us to take action just like Greta has. Together we can work to save the world. Therefore she put together a book called We are All Greta. I took the time to read it back when I was really sick for a week. Today I take the time offer my review for you.

Who Is Greta?

Greta is a 16 year old girl from Sweden. She was an ordinary girl, enjoying life until she was 8. At that time she noticed her parents disliked waste of electricity, food and water. She learned about climate change and how it was affecting the planet. By 11 years old she became depressed and was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and selective mutism. She became very focused on climate change, so much so that she did a Ted Talk on the topic.

What I am Reviewing

We are all Greta: Be inspired to save the world, written by Valentina Giannella is 128 pages long, written with middle schoolers in mind. It is filled with infographics, charts, illustrations and treaties to encourage us to treat the world better in a variety of ways. 18 chapters round out We are Greta along with references and a bibliography.

The Details about We Are All Greta

18 chapters round out the pages of this stiff paperback book.

Chapter 1 tells us who Greta is and why we should care about her words.

Chapters 2-16 talk about different aspects of living the world and how they relate to climate change. Topics include such things as living in cities, fossil fuels, water, plastic and more. No specific action is suggested in these chapters.

Chapter 17 gives ideas about specific things a person can do.

Chapter 18 defines words and gives links to sites.

Pages that are coloured are ones that are encouraging action. Turning of lights and appliances you don’t need. Not replacing things if you don’t have to and other such advice.

Thoughts

We are all Greta is a thought-provoking book, guaranteed to get youth thinking about the world we live in and how to a thoughtful part of it. We do need to not be wasteful or thoughtless about what we do.

My problem with the book is this. I don’t believe in climate change. I just don’t. So when I read books like this an inner part of me scoffs at the poor science and the fear-mongering it provides. But that said, I appreciate books that work to create thinking individuals. People who can look at how to create sustainable agriculture with open eyes. Individuals who can better ways of handling the waste we produce… from reducing the amount we make to better utilizing the remains of society.

With that thought in mind, yes, please do read We are all Greta. Stop and think about what is being talked about. Then go read some opposing opinions. Do some indepth research. Come to your own conclusions. And think. Just think.

Science

How Cities Work Activity Book

What I am Reviewing

Details for How Cities Work

Should you Get it?