Have you ever just run out of ideas? Or maybe knew what you wanted to teach, but didn't want to rely on a traditional textbook format? Science is one of those subjects that most families add to the studies as much as they can. They want lots of hands on experiments. We recently had the opportunity to try out Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers ($16.95, Ages 4 - 13) from Funtastic Unit Studies.
Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers gives parents and teachers a different approach for teaching a subject that many fear teaching. We all know that it's hard work to teach a subject that sometimes is hard to understand or just plain boring to learn about. Using typical textbooks does not help students to grasp the concepts that are being taught. This is where the different approach comes into play.
Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers covers a wide variety of topics from studying about the human body to learning more about physics. As you start looking at each topic, you are provided with a list of materials you will need to complete the experiments that are being suggested. Several activities are suggested for each scientific topic, including animal habitats, plants, magnets, stars and planets, weather and chemistry. Each subject is also broken down for younger students, ages 4 - 7 and older students, ages 8 - 13. This allows parents to teach the same subject for multiple grade levels.
Under each suggested activity, parents/teachers are provided with an explanation or reading to do with their children, and then an experiment/activity to do. These are all easy to plan for and complete experiments. Most are using everyday materials you may already have in your homes or science cabinets.
Included also in most chapters is a section on additional activities or reading/videos that you can watch to go along with what you are learning.
We have been rotating Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers through our science classes for a couple years now. I love the unit study approach for science, since this style works really well for kids that are struggling and need a hands-on learning style.
Some learning topics contain 4-5 activities each. This provides a weeks worth of science/learning experiences. You can easily pick and choose each activity that you want to complete, depending on how indepth you are learning about each topic.
Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers is also easy to use since it is not time consuming. You can plan out your activities and I always ordered extra books from the library to read along with the science topics that we are covering.
The kids have thoroughly enjoyed the Animal Habitats study. We have been learning about animals also. (I wish I could include pictures, but I accidentally deleted some files and lost the pictures as I was downloading them. So there was no back-up.) While learning about snakes, we done crayon rubbings of our tires. Some of the activities are also fun activities, such as making pizzas while learning about turtle shells. From then on, every time your child sees a piece of pepperoni, they will think of turtles. Making a food web out of old magazine pictures also has made an impression more than just reading from a text book.
I love how little planning and work there is for me to do. Using Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers has been so easy. I also love the ease of doing the activities throughout the book. I Love that I can been repeating this material through their early middle school days. You simply adjust what you are teaching the activities that you want to do.
I also love the suggestions that are provided throughout the book for some of our favorite science shows, Magic School Bus. You do not need to get extra books from the library or watch the shows, but they are there just in case you do. Again, you are in the driver's seat for each lesson. There's no right or wrong ways to really do this.
Still not sure if Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers is going to be a fit for your family? You can check out two different unit studies for different age groups to see if this will work for your family.
Plants
and
Molecules
We are going to continue using Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers in our classroom. There are so many ways to make adjustments for our kids and they all enjoy the materials & activities. Each time we cycle through a section, I make adjustments to what each of the kid's goals for learning will be in each unit. This allows me to make the work harder for them as they mature.
If you are looking for a non-textbook approach teaching and exploring science with you children, then Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers is definitely your answer. You cannot beat getting your science "curriculum" for only $16.95.
Several members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew were given the opportunity to try out Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers with this families. You can see how they enjoyed it by clicking on the link below.
