Wordless Wednesday Delbin Practices His Violin

Delbin is now playing violin for extracurricular music. I used to play in 6th-12th grades.

Funtastic Unit Studies Science Unit Studies For Homeschoolers and Teachers Review

Funtastic Unit Studies Science Unit Studies For Homeschoolers and Teachers.

My family had the privilege of trying the Funtastic Unit Studies Science Unit Studies For Homeschoolers and Teachers for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

If you have been following my blog for a while now you know that my family loves science and unit studies. We love learning about the world around us and think that hands-on projects and lessons are great for learning because we seem to learn a whole lot more by experimenting: asking lots of questions, researching, hypothesizing, testing, troubleshooting, and analyzing. Unit Studies help us focus on one particular theme/topic in our studies for our homeschool. These themes/topics are approached from several different angles. There is so much more visual, auditory, tactile kinesthetic, hands-on, and project oriented learning within Unit Studies and this is precisely why we love them so much!

Potato People for "Our Senses" unit study.

Science Unit Studies For Homeschoolers and Teachers by Funtastic Unit Studies is a wonderful full size softcover book that gives homeschooling parents and teachers the keys to a well rounded science curriculum. There are a total of 20 different science unit studies in this book. It is separated into two age groups. The first half is for ages 4-7 and the second and last half is for ages 8-13. The whole book is about 200 pages and has answers to tests and worksheets at the end so you can grade everything easier.

It is good to read each unit before you start so you can have everything ready. Some preparation and supply gathering will need to be done ahead of time for the activities. Each chapter starts off with a list of materials needed to do the unit. These materials are stuff that most people will have already around the house or that you can get fairly easily, inexpensively other places. Some units; however, require additional materials you might not have like specific media or a scientific instrument. There are also instructions in each unit with how to prepare all of the activities in each part with the listed materials.

Salt and Sugar difference activity for taste.

The units have roughly 4-8 parts. They start off with and an introduction to the unit. Each part usually has something to read to the student and activities to do.You can skip around with these lessons. These lessons don't have to be taught in any particular order, although it is probably better to do so. At the end of each unit for ages 8-13 also has a test for the student to see what they have learned. Each unit takes about two weeks or less to finish. They have simple diagrams to illustrate concepts that will be learned with the units.

What is Covered in the Table of Contents...

The unit studies for Ages 4-7:

• Chapter 1: Our Senses
• Chapter 2: The Human Body
• Chapter 3: Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life
• Chapter 4: Animals
• Chapter 5: Insects and Their Kin
• Chapter 6: Fun with Magnets
• Chapter 7: Stars and Planets
• Chapter 8: Health
• Chapter 9: Beginning Plants
• Chapter 10: Animal Ecology

The unit studies for Ages 8-13:

• Chapter 11: Insects
• Chapter 12: Microscopes and Invisible Creatures
• Chapter 13: Atoms and Molecules
• Chapter 14: Matter
• Chapter 15: Chemistry Fun
• Chapter 16: Weather
• Chapter 17: Force and Motion
• Chapter 18: Simple Machines
• Chapter 19: Light and Color
• Chapter 20: Plants II

Answers to Tests and Worksheets

Glass Bottle Water Orchestra

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

My girls are perfect age for the 4-7 units since they are 4 and 7. My boys are good ages for the 8-13 units since they are 13 and 14. I did the very first unit about senses with my girls for this review because my boys were off at camp and other activities with their friends for the summer. Jaedan who is my 13 year old did participate in the making of the potato people at the beginning of the unit.

The senses unit study is divided into seven parts. We worked on about 3 and a half parts per week in order of how they were arranged in the book.

We had some trouble finding some of the items because my home is just not as well stocked as I thought it was. For example I didn't have any baby food jars because I don't have any babies in the house any more. I used to keep them for craft projects, but when I moved I got rid of them. I have been purging a lot lately too and found that some of the items I got rid of might have actually been useful for some of the activities. Other items I was having a hard time finding in my home since the move (probably still in a box somewhere). Also, this book seems a bit dated because it asks for a "tape recorder"...I am not sure who has these any more. At any rate, my supply of things needed was lacking. I had to substitute some things with others we did have because of my budget. We ended up using brown bottles instead of clear for the glass soda bottles for making the water music. We tried to do the activities with what we had though and managed to pull it off reasonably well.

My kids enjoyed the activities and even though I felt a little disorganized because of my lack of supplies we had fun doing them together. While doing this unit my younger children learned a little more about their senses. Making the potato people was their favorite activity. These science unit studies for homeschool are well laid out in this book and we are excited to do more of them this upcoming school year. I recommend these great science ideas for teachers and homeschoolers because they are fun and educational. 

Freebies:

Here's a link to a page that has two free pdf units from the book:
http://funtasticunitstudies.com/science-unit-studies-book/

And here's a link that has some other, unrelated, freebies:
http://funtasticunitstudies.com/lessons-and-activities/

BUY IT
The new edition of the Funtastic Unit Studies Science Unit Studies For Homeschoolers and Teachers  sells for $16.95.

Read other reviews for Funtastic Unit Studies Science Unit Studies For Homeschoolers and Teachers...

SimplyFun Shape Whiz Board Game Review

My family had the privilege of trying SimplyFun Shape Whiz for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

SimplyFun is a company that is dedicated to providing fun products that also teach important skills. These award winning educational games help families spend more quality time together and create meaningful relationships. SimplyFun has games for all ages and and stages, even ones especially for special needs and autism.

My family loves all types of games; whether it be board games, card games, video games, relay races, competitions, etc. We love testing our skill, wit, speed, and strategy. Games are great opportunities to get together with family and friends and have a great time. They help us learn how to: take turns, think ahead, make choices, have consequences for our actions, cooperate, work as a team, and be a good sport. We love family game night because it strengthens family ties & bonds, and builds memories. We also love educational games for homeschool and we always like getting new games to add to our collection because it means a chance to try something different.

My family got the opportunity to try a SimplyFun game called, Shape Whiz. Shape Whiz is a fast paced card game that teaches 2D geometry, shape measurement, and math symbols. It is for 2 to 4 players and is geared towards ages 10 and up. With this board game for kids you learn about all kinds of Geometry: signs and symbols, angles, curves, sides, line of symmetry, parallel lines, polygon, same or equivalent, approximate area, area of a rectangle, area of a square, area of a triangle, area of a parallelogram, area of a trapezoid, area of a circle, approximate perimeter or circumference, perimeter of a polygon, circumference of a circle, and Pythagorean Theorem.

Contents of Shape Whiz

Included in the game's box are 80 Shape Cards, 40 Whiz Cards, and an instruction booklet on the rules of how to play. The Shape Cards have two different sets; 45 total simple shapes (9 blue shapes in 5 sizes) and 35 total complex shapes (7 green shapes in 5 sizes). These have a shape on a grid on the front and shape properties on the back. Whiz Cards tell you a geometry clue and question for helping you to find the correct Shape Card. Whiz Cards are double sided. The instruction booklet has nice color diagrams and helps you with the game play. The main points it goes through and tells us are: what's in the box, game objective, game set up, game play, game end, principles of geometry, and credits.

Shape Whiz Game Objective

The objective of the game and layout is fairly simple. You can play Shape Whiz one of two different ways. You can use both the green and blue shape cards for advanced play or just the blue shape cards for a simpler version of the game. Each player gets a stack of shape cards and puts down three of them in front of them facing up so that you can see the shape of each. Then a Whiz Card from the deck is played in the center of the table. The objective of the game is to race your opponent(s) to find the correct shape from all the available shape cards facing up that matches the geometry clue or question on the Whiz Card in play. Everyone playing must accept that the shape card picked first is a match or flip the card over to check the shape properties on the back to make sure that it is. The first person that gets rid of their Personal Shape Card Stack wins. The games are supposed to be only take about 10-15 minutes.

The above math error we found in the Shape Whiz instruction booklet and the correct math in Google.**

My boys are just the right ages for this game since they are 13 and 14. They have touched on all of these geometry concepts in their math books, but needed some review. Before we started we reviewed all of the instruction booklet. We went over everything including the geometry principles. Right away we found a error within the booklet. On page 7 of the rules booklet, down at the bottom, it says, "Circumference of a Circle: C = 2 * π * r² (π ≈ 3.14)". It is supposed to say Circumference of a Circle: C = 2 * π * r (π ≈ 3.14). **

Also we thought that when it comes to the shapes with curves, the rules for if a shape has sides and how many were a little arbitrary. The game refers to circles and tear drop shapes as having no sides and a half circle/oval as having two. Some mathematicians say that a circle has infinitely many infinitesimal sides. The question, "How many sides does a circle have?", is too ambiguous to have a definite answer. "Side" is a term that, in my honest opinion, should only be reserved for polygons, a plane figure with at least three straight sides and angles. But the booklet does spell out their definition of the words angles, curves, different length sides, line of symmetry, parallel lines, polygon, same or equivalent, and side. Their definition of a side is "a line between two points", so if you go with that definition for the game you are good to go, just remember that some of their definitions don't always apply for some geometry.

Shape Whiz card game in play

My boys are always pretty competitive with each other. At first, arguments broke out over who was first putting their card down and whose card was correct. The shape properties on the back of the Shape Cards were confusing to them sometimes. My boys were over thinking everything which made the game drag out a lot longer than it was supposed to. They were also having trouble reading the greater than and less than symbols out loud correctly. Frustration levels were pretty high and I had to jump in the middle of the game sometimes to play referee. Once they got the hang of how to play better they did calm down and have a better game.

I wish I could say that this game was perfect. I wanted so much to give it a better review, but the math in it is a little flawed. I know that it is hard to please everyone when you are a company. Shape Whiz is a product that still has a lot of potential to be great in my opinion. It just needs a bit of reworking.

UPDATE: **I did contact SimplyFun and they have given me a new PDF copy of instructions with the circumference error fixed. Those of you that already have the game can get a new PDF version from the company or just fix the error in your own booklet.

BUY IT
If you do decide to purchase Shape Whiz, you can for $24. If Homeschooling you can join SimplyFun's program for Homeschoolers. Save 15% on every purchase for a year for just $19, receive 2 FREE games when you join and get access to other great benefits and specials.

Follow Them on Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplyfun
Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplyfun
Instagram: https://instagram.com/simplyfun/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/simplyfun/

Read other reviews for SimplyFun...

SmartKidz Media Library for Homeschoolers Review

My family had the privilege of trying SmartKidz Media SmartKidz Media Library for Homeschoolers for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

SmartKidz Media SmartKidz Media Library for Homeschoolers is a subscription based online streaming digital media learning library that hosts family-friendly educational programs for your family to watch, listen to and interact with. This is perfectly made for homeschoolers as the name suggests and since it is family-friendly it is all safe and appropriate content that you can let your child watch without having to worry. The site covers a broad spectrum of different subjects with an emphasis on the animal kingdom, history, science, social studies, world cultures, the fine arts, sports, and health. SmartKidz Media can be used on any device: TV, PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Tablet, mobile phone, and Roku. It has cloud storage so SmartKidz Media can be streamed any where, at any time. The library is ever growing and expanding. They have over 1000 educational videos, flash animated eBooks, fine arts music, interactive study guides, etc. They will be adding even more titles over the summer.

Menu bar tabs are across the top for easy navigation. Some have a pull down menu as well.

Navigation through the site is easy and straightforward. After you log in you will be brought to the main landing page. The main landing page looks like a bunch of images of media titles in a horizontal line that you can scroll through with the arrows on either side. If you mouse over any one of these images it will give you a synopsis of the video and how long it is, with an option to click it and "Watch Now". On the main landing page you can see different menu bar tabs across the top of the page under two sections: Family Media and Reading & Learning Center. If you mouse over a tab under the Family Media section it will bring up a pull down menu with links to all the different titles within that specific group.

Synopsis of programs are revealed when they are moused over.

There are two groups of menu tabs under Family Media: World of Discovery, and Music & Fine Arts. You can go to these individually or just stay on the main landing page to have access to all of them all on the same page. In the World of Discovery groups we have subjects in: Animals & Wildlife, Action Sports (coming soon), Documentaries & Culture, Health & Fitness, History, Lifestyles & Cuisine, Science, Travel & Adventure. In the Music & Fine Arts groups we have subjects in: Fine Arts, Classical Music, Cultural Music, Jazz & Blues Classics, and Relaxation Music.

Besides the Family Media section there are tabs at the top of the main landing page to go to the Reading and Learning Center section. This section has videos, flash-animated eBooks, interactive study guides, music, games & activities, and printable media. The tabs in the menu bar under this section are: Mighty E-Book Collection (flash animated eBooks that your child can read along to), Baby Signs Program (baby sign language videos and songs to help teach the pre-verbal to communicate), My Animal Family (video storybooks about animals that teaches values and respect), Quick Find Study Guides (clickable study guides for learning definitions, rules, and examples in language arts, math, science, social studies, accounting, and foreign language), Learning Special Needs (teaches personal, social, and coping skills to special needs in "Hear the Book" & "Interactive" media and printable supplementary teaching materials in PDF format), Living Skills Program (coming soon: teaches children how to live responsibly), Ready Set Sing (Karaoke and sing-along songs for kids), and Fun Zone (educational games and activities).

Part of the Quick Find Study Guides.

How We Are Using SmartKidz Media:

I received a full year subscription to SmartKidz Media Library for Homeschoolers. In exploring the site we found all sorts of neat things to watch, listen to, play, and read about. We used this subscription as a supplement with our homeschool curriculum. We don't normally homeschool in the summer, but we do like to unschool and this is perfect for this too. I have found it invaluable to our learning because of the vastness of it all. There are so many subjects and topics covered that we can pretty much find something to go with what we are studying for the week.

SmartKidz Media Library for Homeschoolers is great for the whole family, but I have found that it has a lot of programs that are typically geared towards ages 2-8 years. My teenage boys (13 and 14) were a bit bored with some of the media offered because they thought that it was juvenile. My younger girls aged 4 and 7 were excited about it all.

We skipped around on the main landing page first. We watched Animal Journeys series and learned about migration of different animals and the Mysteries from Ancient Times series to explore some fascinating archeological mysteries. These videos are roughly 5-30 minutes long. Some of the health and fitness ones are longer than 30 minutes. They have fitness videos that are for adults, pregnant women, mamas with babies, and kids. I want to check out the Pilates videos in the future. We also had fun listening to and dancing to some of their Cultural Music and Relaxation Music selections. I loved the music from India and the Nature Impressions: Celtic Journey the most. The music is great to listen to while I am cooking or doing laundry. Teela and Zari did some puzzles and games in the game section too. There is so much to see and listen to in this library that we couldn't get to it all, but we plan on doing more of it this summer.

BUY IT
Purchase a $10 a Month (Membership is billed monthly) or pay $99 a year (Best Value! Prepay for the entire year and save $20)! Each membership plan includes a 14 day free trial before billing begins.

Follow Them on Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smartkidzhomeschool
Twitter: https://twitter.com/smartkidzmedia

Read other reviews for the SmartKidz Media...

IndoctriNation Public Schools and the Decline of Christianity in America DVD Review

IndoctriNation by Great Commission Films is a documentary that is about public schools and the decline of Christianity in America. In this documentary Colin Gunn takes his homeschooled family across the United States in a school bus that was purchased off of Craigslist. While on this educational tour he stops many different places to try and answer many questions about public education:

• The hotly debated question among Christian parents: should we protect our children by withdrawing them from the public schools or should we leave them in the system to try to influence schools for the better?
• Who established the American public school system?
• Are my kids physically and morally safe in the schools?
• Are the public schools religiously neutral?
• Should Christians try to be "salt and light" in public schools?
• Can the public school system be fixed or redeemed?

Lately there has been a rise in sexual sin, abortions, drug & alcohol abuse, and violence in public schools. It doesn't come to me as a surprise when Christianity has been banned from the public schools. When Christ is taken out of schools morality seems to be thrown out the window. The Bible and Christ's teachings about morals and values should be a key foundation to education. This foundation is broken when God, Christ, and Biblical teachings are removed. Things just start to crumble.

If you go far back in history you will see that America started with clear Christian convictions and practices. Government's involvement was a minimal part of education. It was the family's and church's responsibility, not the responsibility of the civil government to educate their youth. Homeschooling was never considered alternative education. It is so unfortunate that government run public schools have a history of trying to replace the church and family with state and are largely successful.

I grew up going to public school. I remember saying the pledge of allegiance with my peers in the morning at school. The words Under God in the pledge was a wonderful reminder to me that God was ever present and watching over me throughout the day. I remember one school I went to had taken those words completely out of the pledge because of some students whose parents were atheist and had pressured the school board to do so. This was a school I remember that had more problems than any of the others I had gone to. I am glad that I had a firm foundation in Christ growing up, because his beautiful teachings saved me from so much peer pressure to do wrong. So many of my peers unfortunately were so impressionable that they fell into temptation. Because I had a firm foundation in Christ I tried to be a shining example to my peers to resist sin. One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible is Matthew 5:16, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. I was trying so hard to be the salt and the light, but it was a difficult struggle because I also wanted to fit in at school. I am glad that I made the decision early out that fitting in was not as important as doing what was right.

My decision to homeschool my children was in part because of my experiences with public school and also because I wanted them to gain a greater understanding of Christ's teachings. I am thankful that I still have a choice to homeschool and that this right has not been taken from me. I am glad that I got to watch this documentary and learn some more history behind the government run public school system. This movie is a powerful testimony of why we need to homeschool our children! It is also a documentary that will open your eyes about public education.

Check out the trailer:


Follow them on Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndoctriNationMovie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/indocmovie
Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/indoctrination
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/IndoctriNationMovie