Genesis by Catherine Zoller

I used to love playing "what's that" when reading to my children. "What's that?" I'd ask, pointing to a bug or a dog in the story. They'd race to be the first to shout the answer. If the illustrations were colorful and complicated, I'd changed it to, "Where's the bug?" or "Where's the dog?" I still remember my kids' excitement as they searched the page to find the object in question. This is the kind of reading that makes wonderful family memories.

Catherine Zoller's Genesis is the perfect "What's that?" book. Each page of this beautifully illustrated book is a treasure chest of colorful and zany animals, insects, birds, and people, just waiting to be opened.

The text, written in poetry, along with the colorful and zany illustrations make this a very fun book to read as a family. The subject matter and the vocabulary make it educational.

Zoller tells the story of Genesis from creation to Abraham in words that not only entertains, but also challenges the listener. She uses words such as dedicated, interpreted, and corporate, as well as testimony, communion, and implement. Not the type of vocabulary usually associated with books written for this age group; but, by reading a few pages at a time, discussing the pictures and talking about the meaning of the more difficult words, parents are provided a perfect opportunity to share not only a great story, but also their faith.

Genesis is a delightful book, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. For more information, log on to CatherineZoller.info.

Wright on Time: Arizona

Review of Wright on Time by Lisa M. Cottrell-Bentley.

Finally, a children’s fiction series about homeschoolers that is fun, educational and family-friendly. Each book in the series relates the adventures of the Wright family as they travel the U.S in an RV. Fifty books are planned, one for each state.

These are easy-to-read chapter books that entertain and educate similar to the Magic Tree House series, but without the magic. As you read each book, you’ll experience adventure, humor, and positive family values, qualities that are not often found in today’s children’s literature.

In this first book, Arizona, your children will learn about Arizona, bats, and minerals as they follow Nadia and Aidan Wright deep into a desert cave located in Arizona. Weird noises, mysterious objects, and “freaky awesome” bats will definitely keep your children’s interest; and when they are done, they’ll be asking for the next book in the series!

Be sure to visit the Wright on Time Web site to read Nadia’s Blog, read biographies of the characters, and learn which state will be featured next in the series.

New Homeschool Web site Coming 2010!

I will be launching a new homeschool Web site for homeschoolers in 2010. I need your help. Would you please take 5-10 minutes to complete this homeschool survey?
Click Here to take survey

Thanks and have a blessed day!

Cindy

Exploratorium Science Snackbook, 2009 Edition, Review

The Exploratorium in San Francisco is 40 years old this year, and one of the ways they are celebrating is the republication of The Exploratorium Science Snackbook. It was originally published in 1991. This new edition has been updated with new snacks (miniature science exhibits and investigations), illustrations, references and teaching tips. Although it was created for students in grades 5-12, it can be used with all grades with adult supervision.

Part One includes snacks that focus on sight and visual perception. Part Two: electricity, energy and matter; Part Three: light and color. Part Four: Force and Motion; and Part Five: Sound.

Teachers and parents can use the snacks as demonstrations, lessons and labs. Students can use the snacks for science fairs, science lab projects, and to earn science badges.

Each snack includes an introduction, a list of materials needed, instructions how to complete the snack, and an explanation of the science behind it. Photos and illustrations are included to help you visualize the project.

Materials needed for the snacks are not always readily available, so you will need to do some shopping around for some items. There is a list of science supply resources in the back of the book. One that is not on the list that I would recommend for homeschoolers is Home Science Tools. I recommend that you purchase your science supplies as needed and keep them in a safe place for your whole homeschooling career.

The Exploratorium Science Snackbook is an excellent resource for homeschool science labs, especially for those of you who do unit studies. As you study each different science topic, you can use the snacks in this book as a resource for science labs.

For instance, let’s say you were doing a unit on sound. You could have your child research sound on the Internet. Next, assign some nonfiction library books and/or biographies related to sound. Then using the index and the “tuning fork” icon in the Snackbook, select snacks that relate to sound and have your child complete them for lab. For art, have your child illustrate a concept learned from his or her research. Play a sound-identification game. Download and print off worksheets or coloring pages from the Internet related to sound. Many of these can be found freeing by doing a search for “sound” and “worksheet” or “sound” and “coloring page.” Finally, have your child write a report or research paper (depending on age level) on the topic. Instant unit study!

Energy: Its Forms, Changes, & Functions

Energy: Its Forms, Changes, & Functions (Investigate the Possibilities) (Investigate the Possibilities Series)is part of a Christian-based science curriculum written by Tom DeRosa and Carolyn Reeves. The other sets in the series, which are published by Master Books, are Matter and Forces and Motion. Each set contains three, paperback booklets with color illustrations.

Energy includes 20 hands-on science lessons that cover such topics as energy, light, heat, magnets, electricity, and solar, wind, water and nuclear energy. Each lesson contains an introduction to the topic, lab instructions, an explanation of the results of the experiment, connections to other ideas related to that topic, an opportunity for students to expand on what they learned, andan assessment to determine what your child learned.

Supplies will have to be gathered ahead of time and include such items as dry cells, sandpaper, marbles, pipe foam insulation, convex lenses, insulated wire, battery holders, knife switch and thermometer. In other words, these are items that are not impossible to find, but you will need to purchase them ahead of time. Equipment can be ordered from places such as Home Science Tools. By purchasing your equipment a little at a time using books like this, it’s a good way to create your science supply kit for K-12^th grade.

The teacher’s guide includes objectives, notes and answers to the assessment questions.

The student journal is where students write observations about the investigation and answers to the assessment questions.

Each three-book set is only $18.00, well worth the price. I recommend Energy for children in 1-8^th grade, depending upon the student’s science aptitude. For younger students, this could be part of a complete science curriculum. Add some library books and you have everything you need for lab science. For students in 6^th grade and up, this could be used as enrichment to complement a science textbook. I would also use this for special education purposes for older students.

Math Puzzles and Brainteasers

Math Puzzles and Brainteasers, Grades 3-5 and Math Puzzles and Brainteasers, Grades 6-8 by Terry Stickels

Someone once said, “Bad reasoning as well as good reasoning is possible; and this fact is the foundation of the practical side of logic.”

Logic IS practical. By developing skills in logic, your child will not only improve math skills, but he or she will also learn important problem-solving skills. Problem-solving skills will help your child at school, home and work.

These two volumes of Math Puzzles and Brainteasers are the tools you need to help teach these important logic skills; and best of all, they’re FUN! Each book includes more than 300 math puzzles and critical thinking activities such as word puzzles, Sudoku, analogies, and cryptograms. Also included are word problems that cover subjects such as money, time, and measurements.

There's something for everyone, regardless of skill level. The math brainteasers require skills ranging from simple adding and subtracting to determining probability and algebraic thinking. And the answers, included in the back of the book, encourage students to redo the problem until they get the correct answer.

Besides being fun, Math Puzzles and Brainteasers provides practice in IQ-testing skills, which may earn your student a college scholarship! And who doesn’t need that!

For more information or to purchase, log on to the Wiley Publishing Web site.

A Fun Resource for Book Reports and Other Writing Projects

Animals at Work (ASPCA Kids)
by Liz Palika

This delightful book from the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is a child’s guide to working dogs, cats and horses. Young readers will enjoy learning about the many jobs these animals do, how they are bred and trained to do these jobs, and the care it takes to keep them in working condition. The readers will meet, among others, dogs that answer phones, horses that dance, and cats that encourage reading!

There are color photos and eye-catching illustrations on every page that make it fun to read. The text is easy to read, but substantial enough to result in an authoritative resource which students can use to write reports and other composition projects. The 134-page book includes a complete index and a resource list of organizations that can provide more information.

The ASPCA currently has three other titles in the series: Kids Making a Difference for Animals, Amazing Pet Tricks, and Having Fun with Your Dog. For more information or to purchase, log on to the ASPCA Web site.