Planning Time - Science

Science is the bane of my homeschool. I don't like science and I don't want to teach it. I also don't like how science is taught. (This is probably the reason I dislike the subject. I was public-schooled, you know.)

Emily doesn't have a science credit this year since she has nearly finished her three required science classes. She has a few experiments to finish from Chemistry that we have saved for her to do this fall.

Thankfully, I found The 101 Series. This is a DVD-based curriculum that gives a nice overview of the science topics for the non-science-oriented child. James will be doing Biology 101 this year since he is a freshman. I add a dissection lab to this curriculum to round out the content. (Anyone want to teach James dissection? I. Do. Not. Do. That.)

The structure I use for this curriculum is for the student to watch the DVD section of the current module and read the text pages.Suggested activities and readings are included with each module, so I usually assign some outside reading from the library and short reports to summarize the information. We complete most of the suggested activities and experiments. Sometimes a field trip is suggested. Once those activities are complete, I have the child re-watch the DVD lesson and re-read the lesson before taking the end-of-the-unit quiz.


Suzy will be doing some experiment and reading from the book Exploratopia. We are starting with some kitchen science experiments. She will be doing experiments twice a week and writing them up on the other days.

A Different Approach to High School Chemistry and Biology

Someone recently wrote to my homeschool group's email list asking about high school chemistry. She said, "I’m not sure that I can teach high school chemistry at home, it wasn’t my favorite subject.  How did you handle this subject at home and can you recommend an avenue of support for a class like this?  I can probably do it, but not without some outside support."

Many people suggested our local co-op's classes which use a series of popular Christian textbooks. Since I am on the leadership team of the co-op, I do realize that many people love these textbooks, but they haven't been right for our family. I wanted to give her a different perspective. This is what I wrote to her:


We have not used science textbooks for high school or junior high in our homeschool. I personally feel that they are too much like "school" and that is one of the things I want to avoid - doing a subject a certain way, just because that's how it's done in school. My own personal (and apparently unpopular) opinion is that most high school science textbooks do a poor job of actually teaching science concepts, as they are bogged down in detail and overly complex. Since none of my kids (so far) has shown an interest in science careers, I feel comfortable giving them a basic grounding in the topics. If I had a child that wanted to enter a science field, I would ensure that they received a thorough education to prepare them for college level courses.

My daughter in 11th grade is currently using Chemistry 101 from Timberdoodle - http://www.timberdoodle.com/Chemistry_101_p/101-375.htm. She likes it. It is a DVD-based curriculum with a printable "guidebook" (textbook). A suggested schedule with additional activities is included, which we follow quite closely. She is also using the Quality Science Labs MicroChem kit - http://www.qualitysciencelabs.com/chemistry-labs/microchem-kit-standard-edition/ - to provide the lab portion of this course. My daughter is currently working through this kit as well. I highly recommend it as it contains EVERYTHING you need other than common household items like granulated sugar or a black marker.

She also used the Biology 101 DVD course, along with a dissection lab taught by a friend of mine.  http://www.timberdoodle.com/Biology_101_p/101-365.htm

My oldest son used Switched-on Schoolhouse for Chemistry - http://www.aophomeschooling.com/product/12sos1100s/. He liked it well enough, but I wanted something different. He also used the Quality Science Labs MicroChem kit since I didn't think the SOS lab simulations online were thorough enough. He is taking Chemistry in college right now and says his high school course was adequate for preparation. For his Biology, we muddled through a course I put together myself after we realized how much we did not like the traditional textbook approach.

I hope this helps some of you figure out your options for high school science courses.

Red Blood Cells (Mine!)

Examining red blood cells under the microscope wasn't written in the lesson plans, but it seemed like a good idea! So we hauled out the microscope. (David said, "I love using the microscope!" Who knew?) I pricked my finger and made a slide and we were in business! Good thing David knows how to make it focus. lol

Science Lesson Plans Complete

Science - my LEAST favorite subject.

The younger two kids (5th and 7th grade) will be finishing up Considering God's Creation - their curriculum from last year. All that's left is the Human Body section. So they will be doing anatomy this year. Suzy is also taking a co-op class called "It's Not Magic, It's Science" and James will be doing a Backyard Ballistics class, which I hope will be more science-oriented than not.

Emily will be doing Biology for 10th grade. I buck the popular trend and do NOT use Apologia. I could probably write a whole post on why not, but suffice it to say, it's just not a good fit for us.

So, she will be using Biology 101, from Timberdoodle, which is a DVD-based curriculum. There is a printable book on one of the DVD's and a set of lesson plans. This will fit our needs nicely. We do have a microscope and bunches of slides to further her learning and I have set up dissection labs with a friend of mine who actually likes Science.

David will not be doing Science this year; he's already completed Biology, Chemistry, and Physics and I will also be giving him a half or full credit (still figuring that out) for Introduction to Robotics. He and I are discussing the possibility of doing a Mechanical Engineering class this year since he is not doing Robotics again. I have a textbook for that on my Kindle.

Math "Switch"

Decided to switch all the kids to Switched-on Schoolhouse for math. Mainly this is a record-keeping choice. I just need to save time wherever I can and if SOS will grade math for me, that's one thing I don't have to figure into my day. It's the thing that always gets left behind anyway, when time is tight, and then I end up WAAAAAYYYY behind on it.

So, David and Emily have been taking the placement tests online and as soon as I can figure out how to add James and Suzy to my already-created account (should be easier than it is), they will take them as well. I assume Suzy will start with grade 3, but I have no idea where to put James or Emily.

I've enjoyed Math-U-See and still would use it in a perfect world. But in a world where the mom has to work 4-5 hours of every school day, that same mom has to go for time-saving procedures wherever possible.

I think I am also going to use SOS Science - Chemistry for David next year and someone gifted us with a 7th grade Science Emily is going to use. I may have James work through that one as well. Or I will get him another level if it's too difficult.

Science Institute Field Trip

Last Friday we visited Cranbrook Institute of Science and the Bat Zone located on the same campus. Our field trip was sponsored so we had no cost to attend, which was a huge blessing!

We started downstairs in the special exhibit which was about climate change in Michigan and several other special exhibits.

Did you know mastodon bones were found in Michigan? Quite close to where we live, in fact.

Saw an adorable little shrimp animal.

Progressing upstairs to the regular exhibits, we first saw some large fossil skeletons like the T-rex that's terrorizing Emily, as well as a humongous sea turtle. An extensive mastodon exhibit has a full-size model of that animal and much information, including the local connection.

Other exhibits were cultural differences between people groups, a kinetic machine (see photos), rocks, crystals, and botany, among other items of natural history.

We took a break for lunch and then headed to the bat exhibit. The Organization for Bat Conservation has a laboratory that houses over 90 bats, as well as a sloth, sugar gliders, and probably some other animals too. We got to see the animals up close and personal, as you'll see in the photos.

Since the bat house is in a separate building, we were able to enjoy the lovely sunny day as we returned to the museum for a few more minutes before heading home.

Note: James was much happier than he appears in photos. It seems that he has a personal conviction that prevents him from smiling for posed photographs.

Enjoy the photos! (Despite James and his pout....)

Oh yes, I forgot to mention - you won't see David in these photos as he was unable to attend.

Struggling with Science Expectations

I wrote this post a couple months ago but didn't post it then. Further thought on the subject has not changed my mind, so here goes!

Science 3 credits

• Biology 1 credit
• Chemistry or Physics 1 credit
• Plus 1 additional credit 1 credit

That is David's science requirement for graduation (class of 2013).

College expectations for high school graduation are also worthy of consideration, though basically the same: Biological & Physical Science 2 years required including 1 year of biological science and 1 year of physical science; 3 years strongly recommended. At least 1 year of a laboratory course is also strongly recommended. Biology, chemistry and physics should be taken if possible.

So, he is taking Biology this year, like a dutiful home-schooled 9th grader. But we both hate it. OK, maybe HATE is a strong word. I was all prepared to love the Apologia books, since one hears mostly wonderful things about them, but can you say "overkill", boys and girls?

It's just too much information!

I am finding the same thing with the Apologia upper level books that I found with the elementary ones. TOO MUCH DETAIL. I read some of David's Biology aloud to him and "learned" a lot about fungi. I put "learned" in quotation marks because I didn't really learn anything although I read it.

Oh so useful. Can you hear the heavy sarcasm in my voice? I have made it to 43 years of age without knowing about the classifications of fungi and I have not missed the knowledge. Why does my 14yo need to know it? He's not going to be a biologist or a doctor and, as I said, he has ZERO interest in life science.

Of course students need a basic grounding, but this level of detail seems unnecessary to me. If I ever "learned" it, it didn't stick. To be totally fair, I looked at a secular publisher's biology book online and compared it to the Apologia chapter on biology and the information is very similar in depth and scope. So, it isn't just Apologia, but science textbooks in general?

Isn't that one of the reasons I chose to teach my children at home? So they don't have to do exactly what the schooled kids are doing? Why should we use a boring text if we don't find it interesting or effective? What if I can motivate him to learn Biology better in another way?

I was actually thinking about just setting these books aside and doing some "delight-directed" science learning instead.

Thoughts???

I have not stopped thinking about it. I am very seriously considering changing curricula, although not replacing the books with anything specific. I just don't find the "read-a-boring-chapter-and-then-answer-nitpicky-questions-and-then-take-a-long-test" method of education very effective.

David probably will go into engineering or computers in some way. Therefore science (Physics especially) is of importance to him. NOT Life Science though. He is utterly uninterested in Biology.

OK, so what I've chosen to do is find some interactive activities online to replace some of the boring text. I've found several already for Module 5. The experiments are, of course, interesting to him - at least for the most part. So, we'll keep those. And I will require a learning journal.

But the process of 1 - read a chapter, 2 - answer questions, 3 - take a test usually leads to 4 - forget the bulk of the info to make room for the new info. I'd prefer my kids to glean some principles that they actually retain. Hopefully this will work.

Microscope Intro

From Microscope Intro

David got his Biology slides on Friday. Finally. And he was excited to explore all of them! The others were also excited!

From Microscope Intro

He even offered Emily the chance to peer through the viewfinder.

From Microscope Intro

From Microscope Intro

Now he wants to make his own slides, so we need to get some blank slides. Anyone have any lying around gathering dust?

Going Coco-nuts!

Suzy wanted to see what was inside a coconut.

So we bought one and there it sat in the fridge for weeks.

She kept asking, "When can we open it?"

I kept putting her off.

But yesterday, we finally went for broke.

I found a good website with pictures (and a creative name, lol).

They got out their supplies. Do you know what you need to open a coconut?

Hammer, nail, towel, bowl, knives.

James read the instructions aloud to Suzy and they did it all themselves. At least until it came time for the tedious cutting and peeling.

They didn't find it especially tasty.

Enjoy our adventure to the tropics!

Check the SLIDESHOW for even more pix!

General Science Experiment

After a rough start, Emily (age 12) is doing better with her Apologia General Science. She found out she can do most of the experiments on her own and that writing her experiment journal isn't as terrifying as she imagined.

She asked for pictures to be taken of this experiment and posted on my blog. :-) So you can share in her joy.

A Big Yellow Hug, or Science Alive at the Library

Science Alive is a great program that our library usually hosts every summer. If you have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it. Mr. Neill from Science Alive visited our library today and brought 5 exciting animals to share - chinchilla, tortoise, armadillo, anteater, and python. Everyone gets to look and touch the animals. Mr. Neill does a great interactive presentation with interesting facts and stories as he brings the animals around to each child.

Here is a slideshow of the pictures. If you'd prefer to click through to the album, you can click on the slideshow or try this LINK.

Dino Dig Photos

James went to a Dino Dig yesterday. It was really good! The program is 3-1/2 hours long and is good for all elementary ages. James was put in a small group and they worked together to uncover six bones from a box of sand. Beforehand they were given instruction on what they were looking for and how to work like a paleontologist. Afterwards, there was a long but engaging presentation on how the bones fit together, the anatomy of the dinosaur, and how a paleontologist can use the clues from the bones to discover how the dinosaur died.

And the phrase we never ever heard? "Millions and millions of years ago" Way cool! The woman who did our program goes to the church where the program was held

If you can't see the slideshow (connection issues), click on it and you can view the pictures (and captions) in my web albums at Picasa.

Finding the Babies videos

Here are a couple videos of the "finding the babies" science experiment we did last week.

Eggs in Motion (Apologia Physical Science)

Eggs, cardboard, 2 stacks of books, and a video camera were David's supplies on Monday as he did one of his first physics of motion experiments from his Apologia Physical Science textbook. He's working his way through the book independently for the most part, although I of course check his questions and tests. I also like to watch his experiments and this one promised to be quite cool.

He prepared the area and then set up the video camera on the tripod and proceeded to shoot eight short videos of his egg rolling. I've posted one here for you. (It's short!)











We didn't waste the eggs. lol

Owl Pellets

We were given the opportunity to order free owl pellets. (Thanks, Michele, for the tip!)

NOTE - I get a LOT of hits on this post from people googling "free owl pellets". :-) The result just below mine in your google search is this one. Try that for your no-cost owl pellets. Updated March 2010 - I've been told this is no longer an option for free owl pellets, at least not in most cases.]

Did you know owl pellet dissection kits sell for about $20? I saw them at the Nature Center.

If you'd like to try a NO-MESS owl pellet dissection, here is a GREAT website. I've written a whole blog post about it - HERE.

When the pellets arrived, I put them aside for a rainy day - and today was the day! David was busy with another project (his Mandalorian armor) so the pellet dissection kept Suzy, James, and Emily busy for an hour or so on Tuesday.



First they measured their pellets and then soaked them in warm water. Em's and Suzy's got very gooey right away - lots of fur in theirs. James was larger and harder - more bones.



They used toothpicks and tweezers to pick apart the pellets. Once they were soaked, they came apart easily but many bones were very small.



These facial expressions were quite involuntary! LOL



This is a skull that James found in his pellet. He is holding on to the long orange teeth.



Here are the bones they were able to glean from the pellets. We dumped the wet fur - nothing quite so nasty as wet fur, especially when it's been regurgitated, dessicated, disinfected, and rehydrated. lol I think once they're dry, I'll have the kids glue them to cardboard and then they can write in some labels of what they are.

I should have taken a picture of the dry pellets. I do have one left for David, so maybe I can photograph that. I really thought he'd see the cool things they were finding and want to join in, but his spray painting and plexiglass was apparently far more intriguing.