Years ago my now college junior wanted to dissect a frog — a real one. I tried convincing her Biology class wasn’t far off. I felt she would enjoy the experience better at co-op instead of home. And honestly, did we really need to explore the topic so early? She was only in fifth grade. My efforts focused on my needs too. Where would I
Exploring Ionic Bonding with Home Science Tools
Welcome back! Today’s post is the third and final installment of chemistry lessons I have developed for my high school students. We are exploring ionic bonding by customizing a kit from Home Science Tools. If you have ever mistakenly added salt to your iced tea, you know how similar salt and sugar appear. While these two compounds may look the same, they obviously taste very different.
The Harvest Homeschool: Agricultural Activities for the Classroom
Apples, cucumbers, beets, kohlrabi, pumpkins, and zucchini – these are just a few of the vegetables that come to mind when I think of the fall harvest season. I grew up in a rural area so access to farm fresh fruits and vegetables has always been relatively convenient. I recall very fondly the heat of the late summer days when my brothers and I would
Exploring Covalent Bonding with Home Science Tools
As I shared previously, I wanted to provide my high school age children with a solid foundation in chemistry to jump start the new school year. We are off to a good start (see my previous post on the nomenclature of chemical compounds) and I am delighted to share the next lesson with you today – the first of two on chemical bonding. We are exploring
Building a Solid Foundation in Chemistry with Home Science Tools
My daughter is dual enrolled in a chemistry course this fall at the local community college. As a junior in high school, she has had her goal of becoming an environmental engineer for many years. As her brother is just now beginning his high school years, I wanted to provide each of them with a firm foundation in chemistry this summer. Though we had previously
Homeschool High School Health and Nutrition
My 11th grade daughter and I are excited about the homeschool high school health and nutrition text from Apologia. The two of us have never seen such a thorough and truly enjoyable textbook on this subject. I have two homeschool graduates now. I sure wish they had had this resource! Don’t miss the giveaway at the end! Homeschool High School Health and Nutrition What I
Using the 5E Lesson Model with Generation Genius
When I was teaching full time in the public school classroom, one of my favorite resources was Bill Nye the Science Guy. Periodically, I would share the videos with my students to fill in gaps or keep each of my fifth grade classes in sync with one another when classes were cancelled due to assemblies or holidays. We would occasionally talk about the experiment the
Elementary Homeschool Curriculum – Oak Meadow 5
When my daughter was young, she was all about exploring, making things with tons of tape and cardboard, asking lots of questions, wondering “why’s” and always eager to learn new things. So when we were looking for a elementary curriculum, we wanted something that would nurture this spirit of exploration with lots of hands on projects – yet would still cover all the bases. We