Nancy Larson Science 1 Homeschool Kit Review

I was given the privilege of reviewing the Nancy Larson Science 1 Homeschool Kit. We received the box in the mail and were so excited to open it up to see all the goodies inside!

This is what we found:
Pine cones, tree cookie, hand lens, x-ray set, Live Butterfly Garden with Butterfly Larvae Coupon, Ladybug Land with Ladybug Larvae Coupon, insect learning cards, plastic insects and spiders set, and the following books: What Do Scientists Do?, Peterson First Guide to Trees,Trees to Paper, Familiar Insects and Spiders, Your Insides, and The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree.

Included was an amazing teachers manual containing the lessons and answer keys. The lessons are presented in dialogue form which I really like, as it presents each lesson so clearly and simply for the little ones to truly grasp and understand it all.

It also has student booklets and assessment sheets, once again, very clear and very simple to use making the material very easy to understand for the kids.

And last but not least, a special CD loaded with photos, glossaries, word cards, science word labels, teacher's masters, and other materials to help you teach.

The curriculum covers the following:

• Developmental Biology—Describing the Life Stages of Human Beings
• Botany—Observing Trees
• Earth and Space—Exploring Sunlight, Water, and Soil
• Zoology—Investigating Animals and Their Habitats
• Anatomy—Discovering What Is Inside Our Bodies
• Entomology—Examining the Characteristics and Life Cycles of Insects

I liked that the subjects it covered are really the subjects that interest the kids. They can really relate to all of them and they are brought down to a level that the kids really get it.

We covered Developmental Biology, which the little ones really enjoyed and fully understood.

We then skipped on to Anatomy which just fascinated them. They loved the true to size X-ray cards which gave them a really clear picture of what their bones look like inside. And the lesson plans were so great and easy to teach. We have read the book "Your Insides" included in the kit, at least a dozen times. It is a fabulous book that gives great info on a very simple level. Ask my 5 year old what happens when you eat food and he will give you a full account. Its really sweet seeing the little guy using words like "esophagus" and "intestines":) And he gets it!

But I have to say, one of the highlights of the kit, of course, is the Butterfly Garden! Unfortunately, where we live, we couldn't get the butterfly Larvae shipped to us, so we opted for the next best thing... silkworms! And there is an entire section on the differences and similarities between butterflies and moths, check out the photo below of us discussing it:

Our silkworm garden:)

I just love the way the information in given over, I wish they had every subject layed out like this. Here is a link to an example of one of the lessons: http://nancylarson.com/sample_lessons/s1sample1.pdf

So all in all, I really like this Homeschool Kit. It is so user friendly, has lots of great information and hands on activities and is just easy and simple to use and understand.

Here is a direct link to their website:

http://www.nancylarson.com/science1.html

Go check it out!

*** GIVEAWAY WINNER ~ ShternieK!!! ***

Congrats to "ShternieK" on winning the Pick and Draw Giveaway!

Please post your e-mail address on my comments (I won't post it publicly) so I can get your info and mail you the cards!

Parshas Chayei Sara Arts'n Crafts

We woke up at 6am this morning (nothing new:) and the little guy decided that he wants to MAKE a well (the well that Eliezer met Rivkah at)... so this is what we came up with, including the camel:)

The camel is made out of an egg carton, clothes pegs and pipe-cleaners. The well is made with a Tupperware, Popsicle sticks and a pale that picks up water- he had so much fun with it!

We printed a bunch of projects out from www.chinuch.org and this is one of them: A picture of a well, a camel, the sun and a dish to drink out of for the camel. The little guy decided to glue Popsicle sticks to his well... i really recommend this website, it has so much to offer.

We are reading Kind Little Rivkah, a really sweet book about Rivkah at the well and her kindness to Eliezer. You can get it here:

While the little guy worked on his project, my munchkin painted in her Dora coloring book. Here she is:

This is our schedule board. We tried workboxes, but it didn't quite work for us. So instead, every morning we sit with our cards and decide what our schedule for the day will be. We have lots and lots of options so it really works well. The kids get really excited about picking what they want to do and then as they finish one task, move on to the next. Hey, it works for us!

We received this game as a gift and my little guy had such a ball playing it. It says it is for ages 3 and up, but my munchkin didn't quite have the patience for it (she just turned 3) but the little guy loved it. It really helps them practice their letter recognition, both upper and lower case. I think (if I have the time) I will make a Hebrew letter version with print and script.

And thats what we've been up to!

Have a great week!

Parshas VaYeira Shabbos Questions and Bereishis Curriculum Review

Here is a great packet I found on www.chinuch.org - It is a synopsis of the weekly Parshah with questions and answers... I found it to be perfect for asking questions on the Parshah at the Shabbos table-

You can download it here:

Sefer Bereishis Shabbos Packet

I was then given the wonderful opportunity to review A Creative Curriculum- Bereishis by Chani Marcus.

Their Bereishis curriculum provides you with 26 creative lessons covering the book of Bereishis. Each lesson contains a worksheet as well as numerous activities, discussions, projects and tools to engage the students, drive the lessons home and make the stories come to life.

It says it is appropriate for grades 3 – 6, but it can definitely be tweaked and simplified for younger kids.

It comes with a list of Projects for all year long as well as a complete lesson plan for each Parshah in Sefer Bereishis.

Each lesson plan comes with the following:

G-Goal

P-Project

D-Discussion

W-Worksheet

A-Activity

S-Story

An-Anticipatory Set

X-Extra-Curricular

V-Visual

It is jam packed with info and ideas, and I highly recommend it!

You can check out her website here: Aleph Champs

She also carries fabulous Hebrew reading books and workbooks and flashcards, all of which we have and love using-

So go check it out!

Wishing all a wonderful Shabbos,

Homeschooling with a bunch of little ones...

Yes, homeschooling can definitely have its fair share of challenges- but my attitude on life is to make the absolute best out of whatever situations are thrown your way, fix the things that don't work and keep the things that do.

That being said, we have little munchkins of all ages, from early elementary to preschoolers to toddlers so it is a constant mission to keep the little ones busy and engaged while working with my big guy who is so smart and curious, its sometimes hard just keeping up with him!

So like I mentioned in a previous review, we have that fabulous book, Tasks Galore which has given me so many great ideas, quick and easy to prepare and keep the little ones busy for decent amounts of time until they are ready to move on to the next "task".

Here are some things we have been doing and work wonders:

Finger painting with half a cup of water mixed with half a cup of corn starch with a drop of food coloring. The "paint" hardens as it is put on the paper, making it have a sandy texture afterward. Paint on black paper, the paint shows up more then on white

Using pegs to match up upper and lower case letters of the ABC

Using pegs to match up colors on a paper plate

Matching pegs to laminated colored index cards

Beading a necklace out of salad macaroni

Sorting colored erasers into different colors in an ice tray. Using colored markers, I colored each square in the ice tray different colors, showing the munchkins where to place the correct colors. This could be done with small tongs or pincers, or just by hand

Beading plastic beads onto pipe cleaners (more sturdy then string, easier for little hands and fingers)

I made this box out of a container, cut a slit in the top and use it like a charity box. The slot has some resistance to the plastic shapes so the munchkins have to really push it in there. I made another one with a few small slits in different directions and they use Popsicle sticks to push in.

And this is a really sweet gift I received today for one of my kids from a friend of ours in Arizona. Here is her website, it makes a very sweet gift for a little one!

http://www.myspecialpushka.com/

Its a never ending search for more of these little tasks for the little ones-

feel free to send some tried and true my way!

A great week to all,

Weekly Plan- Parshas VaYeira

So I found a fabulous weekly planner somewhere in my files. I have no idea where I got it but it looks perfect for us and the way our week goes.

Because we dont have a strict routine, I like this planner because it just highlights what I want to get done. It dosnt matter when or how long each activity takes, but as long as it is done over the week, by Shabbos, then I know I am in good shape!

Now it is just a Theme Planner, meaning that it is planned around the weekly Parshah or Jewish Holiday. It does not include Hebrew Reading or writing, although I would like to incorporate that at one stage. For now, here it is:

And here is a pdf version with clear boxes:

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B1yNhR_r8JrmMTQyZGI5MTUtYTRjZC00YzNjLTgxMzctYzZjMTVhNjBlMDg1&hl=en

(I usually love color and graphics, but for this planner, I left it pretty simple)

And here is how I filled it in for the week:

Theme:

Parshas VaYeira

Mitzvos:

Hachnasas Orchim (Hospitality to guests), Bikur Cholim (Visiting the sick)

Numbers/Shapes/Colors:

Triangle Tent

4 Entrances

3 Malachim

99– age Avraham Briss

100– age Sara gave birth

Hands-on Activity:

Build a tent with 4 entrances, someone pretend to be Avraham with food to offer “guests”

Snack:

Eat snack inside the tent that is built

Art:

Make a Tent out of paper with 4 entrances

Glue real sand to the floor

Make a welcome mat

Science/Discovery:

Discuss ways we can stay healthy, make a chart of healthy and unhealthy foods

Discuss ways that you are and how to be hospitable and host guests

Related Activities:

Discuss North, South, East and West

Make a compass (from http://www.youthonline.ca/crafts/makingacompass.shtml):

Supplies

Sewing needle, 1 inch long.

Small bar magnet (refrigerator magnets may work)

A small piece of cork.

A small glass or cup of water to float the cork and needle.

How To Make It

1. Your compass will work better if you first run a magnet over the needle a few times, always in the same direction. This action 'magnetizes' is to some extent.
2. Cut off a small circle from one end of the cork, and drive the needle through it, from one end of the circle to the other, instead of through the exact middle
3. Float the cork and needle in your cup of water so the floating needle lies roughly parallel to the surface of the water.
4. Place your compass on a still surface and watch what happens. The needle should come to point towards the nearest magnetic pole (north or south as the case may be)
5. If you want to experiment further, try placing a magnet near your compass and watch what happens.

Notes:

The earth produces a magnetic field. This field, although weak, is sufficient to align iron and other paramagnetic compounds such as your needle within it. By floating the needle on the cork, you let it rotate freely so it can orient itself within the earth's magnetic field, to point toward the north or south poles of the planet.

Books:

Hope someone finds this somewhat helpful!

Parshas VaYeira

Here are a few great resources and ideas for this weeks parshah,

enjoy~

A sweet Song about VaYeira

An adorable Welcome Mat project

A coloring book

The Parshah in a Nutshell with pictures from www.chinug.org, could be used for sequencing, coloring or a mini book

Have fun:)