What do comic books have to do with learning? Spiders and bug spray were meant to be introduced. Don’t you think? Sure, we need spiders. Lots of them in fact. Why? Because spiders eat flies. That’s why! I hate flies almost as much as these 8 legged wonders. OK, I don’t HATE spiders. I think they are pretty amazing. I just do not want to share the same space with them. Is that too much to ask? But what do spiders have to do with anything homeschool related? My boys would roll their eyes at us and scream, “Spiderman!”. While I try to teach them the abilities of arachnids, they would be trying to invent that cool webbing stuff that comes out of Peter Parkers wrists that enables him to swing through New York above rush hour traffic. But now that I have the boys’ attention, I’m going to try to keep it. Why not find some way to science and comics? When I heard there were comic books that could help my children learn science, I was excited. My kids love comic books and the magic of Manga learning tools seem like a perfect fit! What is Manga? It’s a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels, typically aimed at adults as well as children. Why does it matter? And what does it have to do with learning? I’ve discovered this tremendous resource for teaching kids science and all about the human body. Rather than a dry text and diagram textbook, concepts are covered in a story-based format that’s also visual, so learners of all kinds have more to glom onto, and it’s easier to recall. Sort of like our trusted and true pal Ms. Frizzle of the Magic School Bus, but for a slightly older children depending on the book. Last but certainly not least – it makes learning fun! Imagine if your child requested to re-read a science text book. That’s what these amazing books can inspire. We started on the Survive! Inside the Human Body series, and even I am learning! Topics covered in this book series about the human body: Human Body (anatomy), Digestive System, Circulatory System, Nervous System, Personal Wellness, Effects of Food on the Body, Medicine & technology, and Genetics. But there are also advanced topics in this format like the Universe, Physics, Linear Algebra, and more available from Shockingly Awesome Learning on Educents.com. See inside the books in this cute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmpxhYmBAaM (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]=’EMAIL’;ftypes[0]=’email’;fnames[1]=’FNAME’;ftypes[1]=’text’;}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true);
Science: Learning About Cells-Mitosis We stumbled into a unit on cells this week. Don’t you love the freedom of homeschooling? We happened to be able to gain access to a microscope, some plant cell slides, and a science teacher all at the same time… excitement was born! While all I could say was, “That slide looks neat,” the teacher was able to share his love for cell division with the boys. In five minutes, the boys transformed from boys trying to use a microscope, to biologists trying to identify the different stages of cell division. God’s creation is truly amazing! Here’s how I helped fuel the flames of excitement: First: We watched a few videos on cell division: We loved Crash Course: Mitosis (He a fast talker, but does great overviews!) We also loved Bozeman’s “Phases of Mitosis” Although these video’s are targeting high schoolers, my boys caught the main ideas without a hitch! Then I stayed up waaay too late creating a Cell Cycle Flip Book kit for each son (for both plant and animal cells). The boys have been busy today coloring, cutting, arranging and flipping about cells. It’s been a fun and productive morning! I posted my cell flip book kit for anyone to grab a copy just a while ago. ***Be the first to comment on this post AND send me an email saying “I would love a Cell Flip Book for my Kids” and I will email you a free copy!
Bug of the Day Don’t let your boys find out you are scared of bugs, spiders, snakes, or other creepy crawly things. I have masked my fear behind curiosity. When the boys discover something that they think might frighten me, I take a picture and then we go research about that creature. I find this keeps me sane and they never gain the ability to use my kryptonite against me. This delightful little creature was discovered on my most recent walk with my 11-year-old. Isn’t he NOT cute? My research indicates that this guy is a Stink Bug and is a “watch out” species. Because of our milder winter and warmer weather this invading species may be a big problem. Apparently, they love the same berries that we are enjoying! How about you? What do you pretend to careless about to shield yourself from your boys? (Get it? Shield yourself?) [leadpages_leadbox leadbox_id=142a79846639c5] [/leadpages_leadbox] [leadpages_leadbox leadbox_id=143dc6846639c5] [/leadpages_leadbox]
Dragonfly Freebie for Your 3rd-5th Graders Free is good, right? Here’s a fun freebie for you! You will find this product in my store. Remember: The site is a FREE member site. It is easy to sign up. There are tons of amazing free and for purchase resources out here! Join our Summer Bucket Series on Facebook. Simply jump over. Like our page. Click “get notifications”
Dancing Popcorn Dancing Popcorn? We are embracing science experiments lately. Thank goodness for YouTube! This experiment is called: Dancing Popcorn Make it a full science experiment by downloading these resources… Read More »
Science for Homeschoolers What do the mating habits of crickets, hydrochloric acid, and Jupiter all have in common? Science! So why do we teach science anyway? I have good news for you who fear science.Science is simply curiosity. It is important to explore scientific topics with your children so that their minds are stretched and they become problem solvers. Do not get hung up on trying to figure out which areas to focus and what ideas need to be learned. Simply explore your world from a scientific perspective. Be prepared to dig deeper where there is interest. Short list of Science topics to explore: Scientific Method The human body Plants Animals Gardening Survival Techniques Electricity and Magnetism Atoms and Elements Weather Planets and The Universe Creation vs. evolution Health Forensic Science Natural Medicine Light If you can think of a topic, there is a scientific question to be answered! Science Resources: Science buddies Dancing popcorn Creation Science Marine Biology Thanksgiving Science Experiments (Good any time of year) Electricity and Magnetism Science notebooking and journal pages My Opinion: God is a scientist! When we teach our children to be curious, they want to learn more. The incredible thing about studying science is that the deeper you explore, the more God reveals Himself to us. What a delight to look for a scientific answer and to discover the brilliance of our God! [leadpages_leadbox leadbox_id=143dc6846639c5] [/leadpages_leadbox]