BRIGHT IDEAS PRESS E-ZINE VOLUME 3 ***************************************** Thank you for subscribing to the Bright Ideas Press E-Zine. Our mission is to make available practical, fun, and affordable geography, history, and science materials. Bob and I want to encourage and equip you with news, information, and ideas to make your homeschooling journey easier. Each issue (sent sporadically!) will have tips and suggestions that will be both informative and FUN. We know how busy you are, so we'll jump right in! ***************************************** Table of Contents: Focus on Science ***************************************** 1. A Favorite Science Project 2. Cool Science Sites for Kids 3. Science Sites for Educators 4. Two-for-One! 5. The Scientific Method 6. Christian Kids Explore Biology 7. CKEB Yahoo Group 8. High School Science 9. A Scientist’s Quote 10. Hands-On . . . 11. Homeschool Chat 1. A Favorite Science Project Tonight we are having a homeschool gathering for ladies in my church. Everyone is to bring their favorite hands-on project idea. I have so many it is impossible to narrow down! Last night, as I was speaking with our oldest son, JB, on the phone, I asked him about some of his more memorable science projects. He mentioned the time we did the Jello cell as one of his favorites. (I had to laugh because I always say that “any time Hogans add food to a study, it’s a hit!”) The project JB was referring to was done when he was 12. The assignment from his science co-op teacher was to do a diagram of a cell. We tossed around ideas until we came up with the Jello cell. We gathered ingredients to represent the different parts he was required to show. Our friend Regina decided pickle skin would be perfect for the ribosomes. JB remembers running next door to borrow a pickle to “put in the Jello!” (No doubt adding to our reputation as weird homeschoolers!) We used noodles for mitochondria and a slice of hard boiled egg for the nucleus. It turned out fabulous! When he brought it in he found that everyone else had either drawn their diagram or made a salt-dough model. The teacher (a hard-core grader) gave him an *A* on the spot! While my friend, Stephanie Redmond, was writing the elementary science curriculum, Christian Kids Explore Biology, I asked her to add the Jello cell project and it is now a favorite with lots of other families as well. Total time: 3 hours (Jello has to set in two stages for a 3-D effect) Total cost: Under $4.00 Total Memories: Priceless! 2. Cool Science Sites for Kids www.strangematterexhibit.com/ I LOVE this site! Dive inside a soda can to see atoms up close and find out more about what’s inside. This website is all about “Discovering the Secrets of Everyday Stuff!” Using animation along with photography, videos and special effects, the whole family will find something interesting here. The printable lessons are quite handy. 3. Science Sites for Educators Try these science quizzes for ages 10 and up: www.syvum.com/squizzes/science/ or this site with dozens of quizzes: www.quia.com/web Although this is a subscription based website, the site says, The Quia Directory (a FREE feature) is a great starting point for new users. It is a collection of thousands of activities categorized into 50 subject areas. All of the activities in the directory were created by educators using Quia's tools and templates. These activities are the best of the more than 2,000,000 activities that Quia's users have created since the site's inception. Quia's editors continually update the directory with new activities and new categories. Frank Potter's Science Gems www.sciencegems.com/ Super links to Great Science Resources for students, parents, teachers, scientists, engineers and mathematicians. More than 14,000 Science Resources sorted by Category, Subcategory, and Grade Level. 4. Two-for-Ones I am a big fan of “two-fers.” Whether store specials or schooling, I like to save both time and money. To this end, I love the fact that so much of science is also geography! I looked up a few terms in The Living Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language (1972). Here are some (partial) definitions that I found: Earth Science: Any science dealing with the earth or any part or aspect of it, as in geology, geography, oceanography, or seismology. Biology: The science of life which treats generally of the life of animals and plants, including their morphology, physiology, origin, development, and distribution; the lives of plants and animals in a certain region.... Geography: The science which treats the surface of the earth, dealing especially with such aspects as topology, climate, the ocean, and plant and animal life.... So you can see that Biology, Oceanography, Astronomy, Migration, Weather, etc. are both science and geography. Remember this as you choose what you are teaching in order that you may take advantage of “two-for-one” and get two subjects in at one time! 5. Scientific Method One science concept that intimidates some parents is the Scientific Method. Suggestion: think of it as just a process of orderly thinking. We all want our kids to be problem solvers and logical in their thinking. We all must problem solve every day. The Scientific Method is just one way to reinforce this. Here’s a brief summary of the Scientific Method. (Please remember that it isn’t so much the terminology that is important in the younger grades but the idea of a step-by-step process for problem solving.) The Scientific Method Observation: collecting all the facts you can. Hypothesis: making an educated guess based on your facts. Experiment: testing the hypothesis. Theory: the hypothesis which seems correct after experimentation. Proof: the ability of the theory to stand up under any test put to it. Of course, not every scientist follows all five steps exactly, every single time. But it does provide a framework that has proven successful for many problem-solving situations. This site may be of help to you in teaching the scientific method: www.nceas.ucsb.edu/nceas-web/kids/main_pages/experiment.htm 6. Christian Kids Explore Biology Brand New! Check out this attractive and easy-to-use book by Stephanie Redmond and published by our company, Bright Ideas Press. This user-friendly, one-year science curriculum for elementary students includes teaching lessons, gorgeous coloring pages, hands-on time, memorization lists, review sheets, creative writing assignments, and an awesome supplemental book list! Christian Kids Explore Biology (CKEB) is written for 3rd through 6th graders, it can easily be scaled down for younger students, making this an excellent choice for teaching all your elementary-aged kids together. The schedule of 35 weekly lessons calls for teaching twice weekly, allowing a family time for projects, exploration of resource books, field trips, etc. The conversational style gives students the basic information they need, making this an ideal first course in life science; especially useful for those following a classical approach! Includes a 45 page supplemental (and optional!) booklist. 300+ pages $29.95 For more information, as well as to see the Table of Contents and read a sample chapter, visit: www.BrightIdeasPress.com 7. CKEB Yahoo Group FYI - there is a dynamic yahoo discussion group for those using (or interested in using) Christian Kids Explore Biology. Go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ChristianKidsExploreBiology 8. High School Science For junior high and high school science I highly recommend the books and CDs published by Apologia Press. This company is owned by Dr. Jay Wile. Read about him at his website: www.highschoolscience.com Our youngest son Tyler has used Biology, Chemistry and Physics courses from Apologia Press and although science is not Tyler’s main interest, he has done well in, and enjoyed, these courses. 9. Quote of the Day One of my favorite quotes, from one of the greatest inventors of them all, (a man obviously familiar with the scientific method) is this: “Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work.” Thomas A. Edison (1847 - 1931) What a wonderful reminder that we are to keep looking, keep thinking, keep praying, and keep trying!! 10. Hands-On Geography Science and geography are closely intertwined. But none of us likes boring textbooks or dull explanations of geography. Besides, a hands-on approach is much more fun and better for long term retention! That’s why we created a yahoo discussion group for hands-on geography. This is a place where parents can share their great ideas or geography questions. Come join us, read back messages, and pick up cool ideas for making geography meaningful in your home. Interested? You can sign-up now by sending a blank email to: Whole_HOG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Also, check out the book that inspired the yahoo group: Hands-On Geography by Maggie S. Hogan. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ **************************************************** We appreciate you, our customers. Feel free to contact us: Bright Ideas Press 877.492.8081 contact@BrightIdeasPress.com http://www.BrightIdeasPress.com Blessings! Maggie Hogan