The kids presented their semester long Astronomy projects this week. Each student created a slideshow presentation utilizing Google Docs Slideshow software (similar to PowerPoint). They did a fantastic job of doing their own research, image gathering, slide development and then presenting it to an audience. Very proud of the work they accomplished in just 2nd and 4th grade. It was fun to teach them the technology and watch the way they made their projects their own.
For science we are studying Geology now and we just began our Science in a Nutshell rock and mineral kit. For rockhound Maria she could not have found a more interesting topic, Ciaran is a bit less convinced and has been working along reluctantly so far. For texts this semester we are just emptying the local library of all childrens books related to the topics we are studying. Also getting ready to start our botany study at the arboretum, this year we will follow the life cycle of an apple tree.
By the end of the year it seems science and history will once again top their list of favorite subjects. For history the younger two are studying about ancient Rome and learning about how elephants were used for soldiers. I am continually amazed at how much Sirah picks up and remembers at just age 5. The other day she told me about Phillips son Alexander the Great and about the caste system in ancient India. Maria is moving into more modern history and just finished up the end of the slave trade and is ready to move into her last book of Story of the World.
Programs like Digging for the Truth, Rough Science and MythBusters seem to also further their interest in these subjects as do all the museums and hands on activities we tend to do. I am looking into finding a year of science experiments for next year, a nice pre made kit with everything I could possibly need to do 4 experiments a month for the year? Any great experiences or ideas?
March 11, 2009
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The Glory of Kings is a great science curriculum for grades K-3. It is literature-based, so you will need to be willing to make trips to your local library. It has a lot of fun experiments, games and activities. There are 3 unit studies contained in this 1 year curriculum: Human Body, Space, and animal classifications. Each lesson plan also has a short devotional that goes with it, so when children learn about their bones, they also learned that God made Eve out of Adam's rib, when they learn about amphibians, they also learn about how God sent the plague of frogs against the Egyptians. More information on this curriculum can be found at www.silverliningpress.org.
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