Showing posts with label science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science. Show all posts

Friday, October 9, 2020

NatureGlo's eScience MathArt & Science Course Bundle Review #ComplimentaryProductReceived

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My family had the privilege of trying a one year access to NatureGlo's eScience MathArt & Science Course Bundle from NatureGlo's eScience for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum at home. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.



NatureGlo's eScience is a neutral worldview (non-faith based viewpoint) math enrichment (MathArt) and science live and self-paced online courses and curriculum for home and school educators and students. It is founded and directed by Gloria Brooks; a nature lover, longtime RVer, and curriculum writer. She has been teaching since 1997 and holds a BA in k-12 education.

The NatureGlo's eScience MathArt & Science Course Bundle is a private bundle created only for The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Crew. It has roughly 25 courses with lessons in MathArt, Marine Biology, Herps (Reptiles & Amphibians), Botany, and Geology. Class content is completely digital with a year access. These self-paced classes are pre-recorded and include PowerPoint presentations with slideshows, study guides, lesson enhancing YouTube videos and web resources. Each class has a study guide and sometimes quizzes (using Quizlet) you can base grades off of also and participation and completion of activities can be recorded by parents. The study guide has questions and an answer key.

 

Roadmap

 

There are two ways to go about having your student do the courses. You can have them follow NatureGlo's eScience MathArt & Science Roadmap or go through the courses and lessons how you choose. This makes it more flexible. If you choose to follow the roadmap you will need to go in order of all the lessons, how they are presented. If you choose to skip around you may do so, but you have to be in the "My Courses" list in the "Student Dashboard". Once your student has selected and clicked on the course they would like to do they can scroll down and click on the first green bar lesson on that course page to start. This is courseware, which means when students go through and finish a lesson they can mark lessons complete and earn a digital award per lesson section they finish.

 

My Courses in the Dashboard

 

These courses are recommended for ages 10 and up. Content is appropriate for upper elementary, middle and high schoolers. Each course can be used with multiple students in the same household. You can either share one account or make individual accounts for each student using different emails/password per child's account so they can go at their own pace. These courses could be applied towards middle school and high school credits depending upon your state homeschool requirements. This can be used as a standalone curriculum, typically for very relaxed or unschooled families. Other families that homeschool in a more ridged way can use this as a supplement to their learning.


NatureGlo's eScience MathArt & Science Course Bundle Lessons:

MathArt Courses
  • Introduction to MathArt
  • MathArt: Patterns & Shapes in Nature – 1 Lesson
  • Math Connections with the Real World – 6 Lesson Unit Study
  • MathArt in Ancient Cultures – 6 Lesson Unit Study
  • Mathematics in the Arts & Sciences – 6 Lesson Unit Study
  • MathArt: Patterns in Nature – 6 Lesson Unit Study
  • Bubbleology – 1 Lesson
  • The Life & Mathematical Art of Leonardo da Vinci – 2 Lessons
  • The Life & Mathematical Art of M.C. Escher – 2 Lessons
Marine Biology Courses
  • Oceanography, Marine Plants and Invertebrates – 6 Lessons
  • Jellies, Mollusks and Whales of the World – 6 Lessons
  • Marine Invertebrates and Fish – 6 Lessons
  • Cephalopods, Marine Turtles, Snakes and Mammals – 6 Lesson Unit Study
  • Dramatic Deep Sea Creatures – 6 Lessons
  • Tide Pool Communities – 1 Lesson
  • Marine Zoology – Mandarinfish, Hermit Crab, & Queen Conch – 3 Lessons
  • Marine Zoology – Seahorses, Beluga Whale, and Loggerhead Sea Turtle – 3 Lessons
Herps (Reptiles & Amphibians) Courses
  • Herps Explorers: Anatomy, Caecilians & Crocs – 6 Lesson Unit Study
  • Herps Explorers: Frogs, Geckos & Chameleons – 6 Lesson Unit Study
  • Herps Zoology: Poison Dart Frog, Python, and Caiman – 3 Lessons
  • Herps Zoology: Marbled Salamander, Children’s Python, and Galapagos Tortoise – 3 Lessons
  • Marine Reptiles
Botany Lesson
  • Exploring the Giant Redwood Trees – 1 Lesson
Geology Lesson
  • Intro to Rockhounding – 1 Lesson

 

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We received NatureGlo's eScience MathArt & Science Course Bundle which is a private 25-course bundle of lessons in MathArt, Marine Biology, Herps (Reptiles & Amphibians), Botany, and Geology. I had reviewed NatureGlo's eScience MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle before and we enjoyed the courses so much that we wanted to review this as well.

When you go to each course they all have the same format. The courses have a main PowerPoint slide video that Gloria does. Some of the videos, since they were live previously, have kids that are interacting with her on them. There is a study guide that she has made to go with the main video. There are other resources in the form of links, projects, activities, and videos. This content is sourced from other parts of the web.

Since we had already finished the MathArt courses except Bubbleology previously I had my daughter Teela who is 12 pick some courses she wanted to start from the "My Courses" page. We were expected to use minimum of three weeks of lessons for this review. We had a 6 week period. My daughter picked Botany: Exploring the Giant Redwood Trees, Geology: Intro. to Rockhounding, and Bubbleology because they were all one lesson long and would take about a week each.

We learned a lot about the Giant Redwood Trees the first week. I hope to take my family to see them someday. They are such awe inspiring massive specimens. We learned about the largest and tallest of the redwoods and the 3 main species: Dawn and Coastal Redwoods and the super giant, the Sequoia tree. We learned about logging that happened in the 1850's too. We are sad that so many of these magnificent and mighty trees were chopped down for lumber. There was a lot we learned from the extra resources too. We enjoyed going to the many web resources, literature, activities and videos. We however, couldn't listen to Grandmother Cedar Audio story, see Redwood Ed, Giant Sequoia Groves - Interactive Map, and The Three Trees PDF because the links were broken. We also got to explore the redwoods virtually by live webcam.

 

A part of my rock and mineral collection.

 

The next week we learned about Rockhounding. This was all about rock and mineral collecting. My family loves looking for interesting looking rocks and minerals and bringing them home with us when we can. We have gone agate and diamond hunting before too. The agates we usually find around here, but I found a nice one at the Crater of Diamonds State Park when we were looking for diamonds on our Memorial Road Trip in 2010. We also love going to rock and mineral shows to see what others have found. We learned about basic and advanced rockhounding equipment and I remembered that I have a hand loupe magnifier that I purchased when I was taking my Master Gardeners courses. We learned about storing and labeling your collection, good rockhounding practices. We also watched the video on Holleywood Ranch that is in Oregon where rockhounds go to dig specimens, especially petrified wood.

The third week we learned about Bubbleology. This was all about the science and mathematics of soap bubbles. We learned about how bubbles are made, soap bubble physics, soup bubble mathematics (minimal surface), etc. The main lesson video was a bit different than the other two lessons we watched. It was more interactive and had poll, quiz and short answer questions to answer that popped up in the middle of the video. There were 6 questions to answer and there was no right or wrong. We loved the other resources of links and videos. The link to the Soap Films in Action had a problem loading for us, but we loved the videos of Melody Yang.

There were things that could have been better. I wish some of the links were not broken and that the links would open in a new window instead of having to go back and forth between the Resource Virtual Library Pages and the links on the page. This would certainly make the learning flow a lot better. I also had some bonus? courses that were not in the Roadmap list that were in "My Courses" list, these were: Sharks Online Unit Study Free Sample Lesson, Herps Explorers: The Komodo Dragon, Invertebrates: Insects of the World, Mammals: Wildcat, Gray Wolf, and Right Whale; MathArt: Polygons and Patterns in Nature, and MathArt: The Geometric Beauty of Snowflakes. I might have purchased these "extras", on my own, but I am not certain. We were not given a list of the courses except from the Roadmap. If these "extra" courses should have actually gone with the Roadmap they should have been listed there...but they were not, so I wasn't sure.

There is a lot of content to NatureGlo's eScience MathArt & Science Course Bundle other than what we have experienced so far. I can't wait to have my kids go through the Marine Biology courses because that was always my favorite in school and the Insects of the World Course looks neat too because it has a science, history, literature, art, and math connection. 25 courses is a lot to consume and there was so much in the lessons we went through that even I learned along with my kids. We can't wait to delve in deeper.

 

Follow Them on Social Media:



Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for NatureGlo's eScience MathArt & Science Course Bundle...
NatureGlo's eScience MathArt & Science Course Bundle { NatureGlo's eScience Reviews}

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Apologia Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition Review


This post contains affiliate links that will benefit the blog. My family had the privilege of trying Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition from Apologia for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. is the #1 publisher of creation-based science and Bible curriculum. They focus on Christian based homeschool curriculum. Their products are all taught from a biblical worldview. They have creation-based science, apologetics, language arts, Constitutional Literacy, and resources and books to help homeschooling families succeed.

Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition by Sherri Seligson is a creation-based general science curriculum consisting of a Student Textbook, Student Notebook and Solutions and Test Manual with one Test Packet. It is geared towards 7th grade to help students transition out of elementary to middle school, and to prepare for high school. Students will explore a wide range of science topics such as earth science, chemistry, physics, life science, biology, marine science, environmental science, science and creation, etc. This is great for homeschool science for middle school.

This Basic 3rd Edition Homeschool Science for Seventh Grade Set includes:

  • Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition Student Textbook
  • Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition Student Notebook
  • Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition Solutions and Test Manual with one Test Packet
Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition Student Textbook is a hardbound textbook. This textbook has a total of 14 lessons/modules that explain general science and its many wonders. The book starts out with Apologia's Instructional Support that explains the curriculum parts. It then has a student notes section about the book with a course overview, activities explanation, lab equipment needed, and a description of learning aids available. Then it goes onto the table of contents. Each lesson has: a “Quaestio” which is basically means question in Latin, "What To Do" sections in green boxes, "Explore More" sections in purple boxes, vocabulary words in blue bold text, color pictures and charts, Experiments located on grid paper, Creation Connections and Think About This in gold text, "On Your Own" (OYO) Questions and writing prompts in dark blue boxes; and at the end of each lesson: Summing Up, Answers to the "On Your Own" Questions, and a study guide. At the end of the textbook there is a Lab Supply List, Index to help find things in the book, and Image Sources.

Lessons:

  1. The History of Science - Search For the Truth
  2. Scientific Inquiry and the Scientific Method
  3. Documenting and Interpreting Experimental Results
  4. Scientific Analysis and History
  5. Earth Science - Astronomy
  6. Earth Science - Geology and Paleontology
  7. Earth Science - Meteorology and Oceanography
  8. General Chemistry
  9. General Physics
  10. Life Science
  11. General Biology
  12. Marine Science
  13. Environmental Science
  14. Science and Creation

The Student Notebook is spiral bound which makes it easier to lay flat and stay open. This is a required consumable workbook and each is intended to be used by a single student with the textbook. At the beginning of the notebook there is an Introduction. This Introduction has Parent Notes, About Not Taking, About Experiments, About Grading, Grading Experiments, Experiment Grading Rubric, Recording Grades, Experiments, Exams, Grade Recording Chart, Student Notes, Taking Effective Notes From Science Texts, and Lesson Schedule. The middle section of the workbook consists of: What To Do prompts, Vocabulary to be defined, Summaries to be filled out, OYO questions to answer, History of Science timeline instructions to follow, etc. for the student. The last section in the workbook is the Appendix with a Lab Report Checklist, Lab Report Grading Rubric, and Image Credits.

The General Science, 3rd Edition Test Pages and General Science, 3rd Edition Solutions and Test Manual are packaged together. The test pages has a test for the student to complete after each module. This comes in a softcover and is in black and white. Within the solutions manual are answers to the study guide, summary and tests. This comes in a glossy softcover and is in black and white.


Author Sherri Seligson on General Science's Big Ideas:


How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I used this curriculum with my daughter Teela who is going into 5th grade and 11 years old. Even though this is actually for middle schoolers I think she did well with the content, but some of the lessons took her longer than it suggested, especially since she was distracted with summer. It suggests the each lesson/module should take about 2-2 1/2 weeks to complete, working four days a week for 45 minutes to an hour to work on this so the student completes the course in 33 weeks. For this review we did this for about five weeks starting at the beginning of the book, which got us through Lesson 1 (The History of Science - Search For the Truth) and Lesson 2 (Scientific Inquiry and the Scientific Method) during the review period.

Explore More activity about the distribution of food coloring in both cold (Teela's right) and hot (Teela's left) water.

The textbook has a lot of wonderful full color pictures and charts that make the learning a lot more fascinating. You could make spelling lists with the vocabulary words from each chapter too. I love the wonderful lesson by lesson lab supply list located in the back for knowing what to have on hand for the activities from each lesson. It is super helpful! Having an answer key for the "OYO" question sections was a tremendous help to me as well.

General Science Experiment for Surface Tension of Water

We loved using the link to the course website that is referenced in the textbook. It had a lot of fun third party websites that contributed more information to the study of different things. We especially loved links on: How to make Ancient Egyptian Papyrus, Model Si Nan of Han Dynasty, Greek Philosophy, Roman Coliseum, The Copernican Model: A Sun-Centered Solar System, Galileo Journey to Jupiter Project, Video about Surface Tension, Medical Evidence in the Old Testament, Mars Global Surveyor photos, online tour of The Lowell Observatory, Mars Rover Mission, Great Salt Lake State Park, etc. There was a lot more too.

Teela reading the textbook.

The Student Notebook is all in color like the textbook. I like that they also have activities that included science Experiments and Explore More sections from what was taught in the textbook. These were lots of fun and were hands-on way of learning the material. Teela loved these the best.

Teela working out of the Student Workbook.

Having the Test Pages and Solutions and Test Manual was very helpful as well. These come shrink wrapped together. I didn't have to print these out myself and had them for Teela to work from. I am glad that these were given in the set we received.

I love the Apologia's Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition. I would recommend this highly to anyone searching for a creation-based curriculum about general science for middle school grades in homeschool. Apologia also has other great homeschool curriculum for science as well that I would love to check out and some others that I have reviewed here.

Follow Them on Social Media:


BUY IT
Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition Basic Set is $119.

An MP3 audio CD and a Video Instruction Thumb Drive are also available for purchase as well to accommodate all types of learning styles. We; however, did not receive either of them for this review.

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Apologia Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition...

Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition. {Apologia Reviews}

Crew Disclaimer

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Tied 2 Teaching STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading Review


My family had the privilege of trying the STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading from Tied 2 Teaching for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum at home. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Tied 2 Teaching is owned by a father of 4 children that his wife homeschools. He has been teaching in the classroom since he received his K-8 certification in 2002 from Texas Tech. He has taught Middle school Math and now currently is teaching upper elementary. Him and his wife create teaching quality materials for teachers of both home and classroom to make their lives easier and save the teacher time preparing/planning.

STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading is a bundle of PDF downloads. This includes over 70 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) design challenges from the STEM with Close Reading series. This is a full year of activities with the idea to do one activity per week. These are categorized by month of the year and are seasonal with bonus extras that you can do as well. In addition to the STEM activities directions these also have a high interest close reading passage and writing assignments included so your student has a more rounded curriculum because it integrates ELA (English Language Arts) into the learning as well. Close reading requires students to analyze, evaluate, and think critically about a given text. The STEM activities you can do with readily available materials you have around the house or the classroom. These are great for grades 3rd-6th. This comes as a compressed zip file of multiple PDFs and is about 859 MB.

STEM Design Challenges Included:


January STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • 100th Day of School STEM Challenge – Spaghetti Tower Design Challenge
  • Marshmallow Snowman Challenge
  • Civil Rights Monument Design Challenge
  • Sled Design Challenge

February STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Valentines Day STEM Challenge – Cupid’s Bow Design
  • Groundhog Day STEM Challenge – Groundhog Burrow Design Challenge
  • Valentines STEM Challenge – Love Bug Design Challenge
  • Presidents Day STEM Challenge – Lincoln’s Cabin Challenge

March STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • St. Patrick’s Day STEM Challenge – Build a Leprechaun Trap
  • Basketball Tower STEM Challenge
  • St. Patrick’s Day STEM Challenge – Build a Rainbow Bridge
  • New Hat for Cat Challenge Read Across America STEM

April STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Jelly Bean Tower Challenge
  • Easter STEM Challenge Design a Carrot Carriage
  • Earth Day STEM Challenge – Design Something Useful
  • Earth Day STEM Challenge – Upcycled Birdhouse

May STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Design a New Droid
  • Paper Airplane Design Challenge
  • Pipe Cleaner Challenge
  • Lighthouse Design Challenge

June STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Foil Boat Design Challenge
  • Giant Pyramid Challenge
  • Steamboat Design Challenge
  • Zip Line Design Activity

July STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • House of Cards Challenge
  • Doghouse Design Challenge
  • Alien Spacecraft Challenge
  • Airplane Design Challenge

August STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Building Block Tower Challenge
  • Index Card Skyscraper Challenge
  • Paper Table Challenge
  • BONUS Building Block Challenge MEGA PACK

September STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Apple Boat Challenge
  • Pencil Tower Challenge
  • Totem Pole Challenge
  • Balloon Tower Challenge

October STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Spider Web Design Challenge
  • Witch’s Parachute Halloween STEM Challenge
  • Bony Bridge Challenge
  • Sugar Cube Arch Challenge

November STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Parade Balloon Challenge
  • Thanksgiving Table Challenge
  • Cranberry Tower Challenge
  • Pilgrim Shelter Challenge

December STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Cardboard Reindeer Challenge
  • Funky Christmas Ornament Challenge
  • Straw Christmas Tree Challenge
  • Christmas Tree Tower

BUILDING BLOCK CHALLENGES
  • Build a Dinosaur
  • Build a Nation’s Flag
  • Design a New Bug
  • Build the Eiffel Tower
  • Design a Superhero
  • Design a Toilet Paper Dispenser
  • Design a Cactus Paperweight
  • Build a UFO
  • Build a Treasure Chest
  • Design a Totem Pole

ADDITIONAL STEM CHALLENGES
  • 100th Day of School Glasses
  • 100th Day of School Crayon Tower
  • Kingdom Hearts Valentines Castle
  • Candy Heart Tower
  • Design a Candy Box

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

My daughters who are 10 and 8 and I had fun together doing four of these projects. We picked out four that looked like the most fun and that we had the materials at home for. We did the Earth Day STEM Challenge – Upcycled Birdhouse, Foil Boat Design Challenge, Building Block Tower Challenge, and Design a New Bug Building Block Challenge. In my family we love doing STEM activities!

I really like that these STEM projects have reading and writing assignments as well. This enriches the learning experience even more and gets the students minds thinking about all the aspects of the challenge. Each STEM activity has a PDF with a QR code to scan with your code reading electronic device or link to click on to get to the reading passage. The reading assignment has comprehension questions to answer after the passage is read. The pages also had my daughters ask, imagine, plan, create, and improve upon the design they made. They were asked to research, test out their design, and make improvements on it if needed. They were also asked to show their steps and write what went well and what they could improve upon.


Zari's Birdhouse STEM Challenge.
  
Earth Day STEM Challenge – Upcycled Birdhouse
We were told to gather recyclable items up and build a bird house with them. There was a page in the PDF that had the design challenge, design criteria, material suggestions, and a little about the final project. The assignment had Zari read a passage about birds flying south during the winter then answer the comprehension questions. Then she designed and built her birdhouse using the materials we had gathered up around our home. This PDF had pictures of other people's projects for examples as well which was very helpful. Zari built her birdhouse much like the picture of the one in the PDF made out of a coffee container.

Foil Boat STEM Challenge.

Foil Boat Design Challenge
We were told to design and build a boat using only a 12" X 18" sheet of aluminum foil and see how many pennies it could hold before it sank in the water and try to build one to hold the most pennies before sinking. This one had a QR code and link as well, but we noticed that the link in the PDF didn't link to the right url for the questions so instead we had to search in the search bar for the correct webpage. Thankfully we found it using the heading on the question sheet for the design challenge reading. I am not sure if the QR code works because I do not own a device that can read those. After reading the passage about life saving boats they answered the comprehension questions. Then they designed and built their boats using the foil and proceeded to place pennies one by one on their crafts, counting them until they sunk. This PDF had pictures of other people's projects for examples as well which was very helpful. Zari's boat was rectangular and flat on the bottom it held the 210 pennies that we had without issue. Teela's boat held the 210 pennies for a moment then started taking on water. Her boat didn't have as solid of sides as Zari's.

Building Block Tower Stem Challenge

Building Block Tower Challenge
We were told to build the tallest tower out of Legos to be able to support a tennis ball. We unfortunately didn't own a tennis ball so we used an orange instead. The reading assignment was How tall is the Eiffel Tower?. The link worked great in this one and went to the correct page. After reading the passage about the Eiffel Tower they answered the comprehension questions. Then they designed and built their towers using the Legos we had and proceeded to place the orange at the top to see how well they built it. This PDF had pictures of other people's projects for examples as well which was very helpful. Teela's tower was a little taller than Zari's in this activity, but they both held the orange without toppling over.

Design a New Bug
We were told to build a new bug out of Legos. The reading assignment was Are You Scared of Bugs?. The link worked great in this one and went to the correct page. After reading the passage about bugs they answered the comprehension questions. Then they designed and built their bugs using the Legos we had. This PDF did not have pictures of other people's projects for examples.

These activities were lots of fun and some were more challenging than others. Both Teela and Zari had fun with the STEM projects. The written assignments were a little more advanced for Zari, so I told her she could write less. I highly recommend these though because they cover so many subjects in one project and my kids enjoyed them.

Follow Them on Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tied2teaching/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tied2teaching/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tied2teaching/
Hastags: #hsreviews #tied2teaching #iteachtoo #STEM

BUY IT
Right now the Tied 2 Teaching STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading bundle is $30 not $60, so you save $30.

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Tied 2 Teaching...
STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading {Tied 2 Teaching Reviews}

Crew Disclaimer

Friday, February 8, 2019

The Herbal Academy and Homestead Bloggers Network $297 Giveaway!


The Herbal Academy provided me with this promotional information, giveaway, and offer to share with my readers. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Perhaps you, like myself, have been on a mission to incorporate a more natural approach to your family’s wellness. You’ve revamped your homemade meals with fresh, healthy ingredients, researched holistic ways to approach common ailments, and tried using essential oils and herbs in your own health routine!

Sound familiar?

I know it can be challenging to begin this holistic voyage! How do you start? Who do you trust?

If you have a desire to move from the unknown to the confident, I have great news for you today!


The Herbal Academy just announced the release of their brand new foundational herbal programs today including, get this, new printed versions complete with textbooks, topic specific companion booklets, and compiled recipe and monograph books!

There is truly nothing like these printed programs available that I know of!

The revised herbal programs boast of the very latest research available and feature expanded lessons, fresh videos, hundreds of recipes, new multimedia resources, and experiential exercises that will take your learning off your computer and into your kitchen!

Your basic beginners herbalism class by herbal academy

Early-bird registration is NOW OPEN with two enrollment bonuses including $25 off your tuition and a $70 herbal goodie bag with a print package purchase! Hurry because early bird pricing ends February 20th!

Explore the new programs here!

The many new features of the newly revised Introductory Herbal Course, Intermediate Herbal Course, and Herbalist Path Packages include:

● New lessons and expanded lessons
● Brand new compiled Recipe and Monograph Books for each program
● Dedicated and beautifully presented Materia Medica charts for each body system
throughout the courses
● Hundreds of Expanded Herbal Monographs
● Fresh downloadable booklets highlighted in each course
● Dozens of new videos added throughout course units
● All new media and learning charts
● New experiential exercises
● The revised courses include the very latest research, presented in a clear, easy-to-
digest way!
● You’ll also notice dozens of new educators in the courses, including herbalist-adored
Guido Masé!
● Longer installment plan options offering more manageable monthly payments!




ENTER TO WIN!

One (1) winner will receive a Complete Enrollment in the Introductory Herbal Course (value $297) courtesy of The Herbal Academy in collaboration with Homestead Bloggers Network. Giveaway ends February 13, 2019 11:59pm.

Click Through Here to See the Course Syllabus!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I wrote this post to let my readers know about this course and giveaway. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

WriteBonnieRose Learning About Science Collection, Level 1 Review


My family had the privilege of trying the Learning About Science Collection, Level 1 from WriteBonnieRose for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

WriteBonnieRose is a website created by Bonnie Rose, a regular contributor to Schoolhouse Teachers and The Old Schoolhouse® magazine for the past 6 years. WriteBonnieRose creates curriculum, and printables for homeschoolers. She has activity packs, coloring books, copywork, games, notebooking, and unit studies. You can find curriculum on subjects including: Geography, American History, World History, World War History, Holidays, Literature, Math, Missions, Reading & Writing, Science, Spelling, and Sports. She has curriculum for ages preschool through high school.

The Learning About Science Collection has three different levels with the last level having a print and cursive version. Learning About Science Collection, Level 1 is the first of the levels and is a science curriculum for younger elementary students. With 172 pages total, it covers: life science, earth science, and physical science. These are in seven books that are in digital PDF format. These seven books explore these topics: how plants grow, common fruits and vegetables, animal habitats, senses and body systems, life cycles, the earth’s layers, earthquakes, volcanoes, states of matter, and more. This does not talk about the origins or age of the earth and all measurements are given in both English and Metric. Level 1 is perfect for grades 1-3.

Learning About Science Collection, Level 1 Books:
  1. Familiar Plants and How They Grow: Key parts of a plant, what makes a plant, life cycle of flowering plants (14 pages)
  2. Fruits and Vegetables Around the World: 28 fruits and 28 vegetables (37 pages)
  3. Animal Habitats of the World: 78 animals, 18 habitats (51 pages)
  4. Our Senses and Systems and How They Work: 5 senses, major body systems (19 pages)
  5. Learning About Life Cycles: Life cycles of some popular animals (27 pages)
  6. Earth: Layers, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes: crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core; movement of plates, movement of magma (12 pages)
  7. Exploring States of Matter: 3 states of matter, how some matter can change states (12 pages)

Zari working on the Familiar Plants and How They Grow section.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:
Once ordered, Learning About Science Collection, Level 1 was sent to our email. From there it was downloadable and printable in PDF format. Each book is a separate file, so there are seven individual downloads plus a file for discussion helps.

This homeschool science curriculum is great for younger children. In each lesson there are some paragraphs of information to read, some pictures to color, and some key spelling words to trace. I read the paragraphs to her and she would color the pictures and trace the words. The paragraphs are in a tone younger kids can understand. I love that it also incorporates practicing handwriting with the science and coloring. Then there is a review section in which the student is asked questions to see if they could remember the information. After this section there are pages that hold a review answer key for parents/teachers to check students work.

I used this with my youngest daughter Zari who is going into 2nd grade. We did the first unit, Familiar Plants and How They Grow. We worked through this averaging three days a week during the review period. She learned about the key parts of plants like the seeds, flower, pistil, stamen, stem, and roots. She also learned about the plant life cycle. We would then explore online and outdoors on plants further. Both Teela and her even grew their own seedlings from flower seeds.


Flower seedlings we grew from seed.

She enjoyed learning more about plants in this lesson. She can't wait to learn more about the other subjects. We highly recommend the WriteBonnieRose Learning About Science Collection, Level 1 to other homeschooling kids grades 1-3. These are great as unit studies or a whole science curriculum. These would also be great as a starting point to then dig deeper into the subjects by looking up more information or hands on activities.

Follow Them on Social Media:

BUY IT
Learning about Science Collection Level 1

You can save 50% on the bundled Learning About Science, Levels 1, 2, and 3 with coupon code REVIEWCREW50 through August 15, which means you can get each set of ebooks for $6 per set at https://writebonnierose.com/products-science/.

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for WriteBonnieRose...
Learning About Science collections {WriteBonnieRose Reviews}

Crew Disclaimer

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Apologia Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology Review


This post contains affiliate links that will benefit the blog. My family had the privilege of trying Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology from Apologia for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. is the #1 publisher of creation-based science and Bible curriculum. They focus on Christian based homeschool curriculum. Their products are all taught from a biblical worldview. They have creation-based science, apologetics, language arts, Constitutional Literacy, and resources and books to help homeschooling families succeed.

Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology by Jeannie Fulbright and pediatrician Brooke Ryan, M.D. is a creation-based human anatomy and physiology curriculum that is part of the Young Explorer Series consisting of a Student Textbook, Jr. Notebooking Journal, Notebooking Journal, and MP3 Audio CD. It is geared towards grades K-6. Students will explore the human body inside and out with fascinating facts, engaging activities, and intriguing experiments. This covers many subjects, such as the body systems: skeletal, muscular, respiratory, digestive, cardiovascular, nervous and more! Also included is nutrition and health, embryology, DNA, etc.

This includes:
  • Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology Student Textbook
  • Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology Junior Notebooking Journal
  • Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology Notebooking Journal
  • Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology MP3 Audio CD



Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology Student Textbook is a hardbound textbook. This textbook has a total of 14 lessons that explain human anatomy and physiology and its many wonders. The book starts out with Apologia's Young Explorer Series Instructional Support that explains the curriculum parts. It then has a table of contents and Introduction which tells you about the lesson increments, narration, notebooking activities, personal person project, projects and experiments, course website, textbook, and supply list. Each lesson has: colored boxes that contain things to contemplate with activities to do, vocabulary words in bold, scripture in italics, color pictures and charts, questions and writing prompts in light blue text; and at the end of each lesson questions to summarize of what was learned (in the "What Do You Remember?" section), notebooking activities, personal person project, and a large project or experiment. At the end of the textbook there is an Appendix with a Answers for the Narrative Questions, Photo and Illustration Credits, and Index to help find things in the book.

Lessons:
  1. Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology
  2. The Skeletal System
  3. The Muscular System
  4. The Digestive and Renal Systems
  5. Health and Nutrition
  6. The Respiratory System
  7. Life in the Blood
  8. The Cardiovascular System
  9. The Nervous and Endocrine Systems
  10. The Nervous System Extended
  11. Your Senses
  12. The Integumentary System
  13. The Lymphatic and Immune Systems
  14. Growth and Development

There are two slightly different notebooking journals. They are both spiral bound. The regular Notebooking Journal is for older elementary students (meant for grades 3/4 and older) and the Jr. Notebooking Journal is for younger elementary students (meant for grades K to 2nd/3rd). These are both consumable books and each is intended to be used by a single student. The main differences between the Jr. Notebooking Journal and the Notebooking Journal is that the Jr. Notebooking Journal has handwriting lines for copywork and writing assignments, beginning letter clues for the crossword puzzles, and coloring pages are in the Jr. Notebooking Journal instead of "What Do You Remember?" questions that are in the Notebooking Journal. Both versions have both manuscript and cursive copywork. The junior version also gives a lot more guidance and less writing. At the beginning of the journals there is a suggested daily schedule that outlines four to seven assignments per lesson. At a pace of two daily assignments per week, this course would take a full year.

The Audio CD contains the complete audio recording of the course Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology. It is read by Jeannie Fulbright (the textbook and journals' author). This is great for auditory learners, slow readers, or students with other learning disabilities that make reading difficult. This is an MP3 CD so you have to play it in a MP3-compatable CD player or a computer.

Zari coloring in the Jr. Notebooking Journal.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I used this curriculum with my daughter Zari. I used the Jr. Notebooking Journal with her because she is 7 years old and in 1st grade. She has trouble reading larger words so I read some of the instructions to her and helped her through some of the writing as well. It suggests two days a week to work on this, but for this review we only did one day per week for about seven weeks starting at the beginning of the book, which got us through Lesson 1 (Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology) and Lesson 2 (The Skeletal System) during the review period.

The textbook has a lot of wonderful full color pictures and charts that make the learning a lot more fascinating. You could make spelling lists with the vocabulary words from each chapter too. I will probably do this when I teach my daughter Teela next out of the regular Notebooking Journal. I love the wonderful lesson by lesson supply list located in the front for knowing what to have on hand for the activities from each lesson. It is super helpful! Having an answer key for the "What Do You Remember?" sections was a tremendous help to me as well.

Zari experimenting with water droplets to magnify text in the book in a "Try This" section.

We loved using the link to the course website that is referenced in the textbook. It had a lot of fun third party websites that contributed more information to the study of different things. We especially loved links to the Egyptian Medicine, Microscope History, Inside the Cell Video, How Big is a Cell? interactive, DNA Double Helix Video, Human Skeletal System Using Pictures, Label the Bones, and The Amazing Regenerating Rib. There was a lot more too, but I did run into a few links that no longer worked as well and need updating.

Both the regular Notebooking Journal and the Jr. Notebooking Journal were in black and white except for the pages at the end that you cut out and paste onto other pages throughout the journals, for example; the mini books. The cut and glue pages reminded me a lot of a lapbook in this regard. I like that they also have copywork and activities that included science experiments and observations from what was taught in the textbook. These were lots of fun and were hands-on way of learning the material. Zari especially loved the coloring and drawing pictures to illustrate things...like the cell. She also loved the cutting and pasting because she was good at this.

Zari drawing animal cell anatomy and labeling parts in the Jr. Notebooking Journal.

The Audio CD is very useful for Zari because she can't read the textbook on her own yet. She liked listening and following along a whole lot better and the lady that reads has a nice voice that makes it more interesting. You can also listen to the MP3's in your car on the road traveling if you have a MP3 player there. I liked that I was given the option of listening too because I could hear what she was learning about without reading the text myself.

I love the Apologia Educational Ministries Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology. I would recommend this highly to anyone searching for a creation-based curriculum about the human body for elementary grades in homeschool. Apologia also has other great homeschool curriculum for science as well that I would love to check out and some others that I have reviewed here.

Follow Them on Social Media:

BUY IT
Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology Student Textbook is $42. The Notebooking Journal and Jr. Notebooking Journal are $29 each. The Audio CD is $29.

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Apologia Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology...
Apologia - Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology Reviews

Crew Disclaimer

The Herbal Academy Botany & Wildcrafting Course Kickoff!


The Herbal Academy provided me with this promotional information and offer to share with my readers. I am getting something for free in return for posting this information. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

The Botany & Wildcrafting Course, curated by the amazing Herbal Academy team of herbalists and botanists, is now open for registration at an introductory price of $149 ($50 off right now)!! I reserved my seat in class, and cannot wait to begin this journey. To give you an idea of what is included in class, lessons cover topics like using the dichotomous key for plant identification, identifying botanical families and patterns in nature, drawing herbs, making a pressed herbarium, wildcrafting for wild edibles and herbs, drying herbs, and much, much more.

If you too are interested in learning more about botany and foraging, check out the course page here: https://theherbalacademy.com/product/botany-wildcrafting- course/

Learn how to wildcraft and identify plants confidently in the Botany & Wildcrafting Course!
CLICK HERE to ENROLL!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this course for free for posting this information. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

NatureGlo's eScience MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle Review


My family had the privilege of trying the MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle from NatureGlo's eScience for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

NatureGlo's eScience is a neutral worldview (non-faith based viewpoint) math enrichment (MathArt) and science live and self-paced online courses and curriculum for home and school educators and students. It is founded and directed by Gloria Brooks; a nature lover, longtime RVer, and curriculum writer. She has been teaching since 1997 and holds a BA in k-12 education.

All NatureGlo's eScience online learning courses are live and then recorded for you to be able to view them when ever your schedule permits. Class content is available for up to a year after subscription enrollment. The live classes meet at a specific time and date and uses the Zoom Live classroom platform. Students can access the live classes by Zoom live links and can access these classes by computer, phone, or other mobile device. If you are doing the live classes it is recommended to have access to a microphone and web cam so communication can go both ways. All self-paced classes are pre-recorded and include Slideshows, study guides, lesson enhancing YouTube videos and web resources. The 1-3 week short courses are recommended for ages 8 and up and the 1-6 week courses are recommended for ages 10 and up. Content is appropriate for upper elementary, middle and high schoolers. Each course can be used with multiple students in the same household. These courses could be applied towards middle school and high school credits depending upon your state homeschool requirements. Each class has a study guide and sometimes quizzes (using Quizlet) you can base grades off of also and participation and completion of activities can be recorded by parents. Additionally, each 6-week course has a certificate of completion at the end.


How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We received the MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle to review. This is a set of four online 6-week courses bundled together. These courses specifically take mathematics to the next level by linking it with science, nature, art, history, culture, music, archeology, language arts/literature, etc. These cross-curricular connections are beneficial to learning and make the curriculum more well-rounded in a more hands-on unit study type fashion. This course helps students realize that math is so much more than just numbers on a page. It is intertwined with all that the world has to offer.

The MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle Includes Four 6-week Courses in:
  • Math Connections with the Real World (Live Classes January-February 2018 Tuesdays)
  • MathArt in Ancient Cultures (Live Classes January-February 2018 Wednesdays)
  • Mathematics in the Arts & Sciences (Live Classes March-April 2018 Tuesdays)
  • MathArt - Patterns in Nature (Live Classes March-April 2018 Wednesdays)

NatureGlo's eScience MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle

We were told to choose one of the courses in the MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle to focus on for this review. We chose the MathArt in Ancient Cultures. It is a 6-week class that focuses on learning about the incredible connections there are between mathematics, art, and architecture in ancient cultures.

When we logged in we had access to our classes under the "My Courses" tab in the member dashboard. Then we clicked on the MathArt in Ancient Cultures picture. This took us to the course.

On the main page it tells you how to access the course when it is live. We did not do this, we only did the course after it was recorded. This I felt made it easier for me and my family to work around our schedules and do it when we could instead of a set time and date. The main page has all the lessons in the course listed along the right side of the page and so we clicked those in sequential order. This gave us access to downloads, videos, slideshows, interactive pages, activities, projects, etc. and once the lessons were done we were able to check them off. Once marked done the check mark beside each turns green from gray, the lesson is crossed out with a line through it, and the words turn gray from red. If we had been to the lessons, but hadn't finished them the words turned yellow from red to indicate you had been there that day.

MathArt in Ancient Cultures 6-week Class Lessons:
  • Lesson #1 – Ancient Babylonians & the Plimpton 322
    • Main Lesson Slideshow and Study Guide Downloads
    • Main Lesson Videos with NatureGlo
    • DK Find Out! – Ancient Babylonian History Interactive
    • Ancient History Connection – Video (2:07): Ancient Babylonian tablet – world’s first trig table
    • Music Connection – Videos: Ancient Mesopotamia and Sumerian Music
    • Going Beyond – Additional Web Resources, Projects, Activities & Videos
  • Lesson #2 – Ancient Greek Math & the Platonic Solids
    • Pre-lesson Activity – History Connection – DK Find Out: Ancient Greece
    • Pre-lesson Interactive Activity – Polygons
    • Main Downloads & Lesson Videos with NatureGlo
    • Lesson Interactive Activity – Platonic Solids
    • History Connection Video (7:18) – Plato: Biography of a Great Thinker
    • MathArt Connection: Making the Platonic Solids & Others
    • Literature Connection: Plato’s Allegory of a Cave
  • Lesson #3 – Pythagoras & the Music of the Spheres
    • Pre-lesson Activity – History Connection – DK Find Out: Ancient Greece
    • Main Lesson Downloads & Videos with NatureGlo
    • Activity – Pythagorean Theorem Interactive
    • Video (5:45): Mini Biography: Pythagoras
    • Going Beyond – Web Resources, Projects & Videos
  • Lesson #4 – Ancient India’s MathArt: Rangoli, Mandalas & the Story of 1 – 9 & 0
    • Pre-lesson Activity – Ancient India & Arts & Crafts
    • Main Lesson Slideshow with Study Guide Downloads
    • Theater Connection – Ancient India Shadow Puppetry: The Gazelle
    • Art Connection – Video (4:48) How to Make Rangoli Using Kitchen Utensils
    • Literature Connection – Video (10:27) Ancient Indian Folk Tale: Presence of Mind
    • Going Beyond – Web Resources, Projects & Videos
  • Lesson #5 – Zellige Moroccan Tiles & Other Tessellations
    • Pre-lesson Activity – History of Moroccan Zellige
    • Main Lesson Downloads and Videos with NatureGlo
    • Math, History & Art Connections – Videos
    • Art Connection – eHow: How to Draw Islamic Art Video (2:31)
    • Literature Connection – The Lion, the Hedgehog and the Donkey (Moroccan Fable)
  • Lesson #6 – Maya MathArt
    • Pre-lesson Activity – The Maya Calendar
    • Main Lesson Downloads and Video with NatureGlo
    • Literature Connection – Gift to the Hummingbird
    • History Connection – Mayan Cities
    • Going Beyond – Web Resources, Projects & Videos
    • Art Connection – Video (3:59)
    • Student Certificate of Completion

We were learning about: Babylonians, Plimpton 322, Cuneiform script, Ancient Mesopotamia and Sumerian Music, Ancient Greece, Polygons, Plato, Platonic Solids, Pythagorean Theorem, Pythagoras, Ancient India, Indus Valley, Rangoli, Moroccan Zellige, Islamic Design, drawing Islamic Art, Mayan Calendar, Mayan Cities, etc. As you can see MathArt in Ancient Cultures covers a lot of ground and we could go into these even deeper with the extra resources they also add to the curriculum in the Going Beyond sections of the lessons. We loved the interactive websites, stories to read, educational videos, and hands-on art projects the course had to offer.

Lesson #2 - Interactive Activity - Polygons

My boys are ages 15 and 17. I had them do the study guides provided besides all the other stuff in the curriculum. This gave me good feedback on what information they were retaining. Some information like the Pythagorean Theorem and polygons we had already covered in previous math lessons, but it was good review for them. My girls who are 7 and 9 (almost 10) also sat in on most of the learning and did the fun art projects with us. All my kids are very hands-on so the projects like building Platonic Solids or creating a Rangoli are very satisfying. This offers them opportunities to do projects offline as well. I do wish though that a supply list for the art projects were provided ahead of time because I did not have colored sand or mirrored jewels for the Rangoli art.

Make Rangoli Design Video Stills

I did like that they gave us the option to watch the pre-recorded version or look at the slides ourselves and just read and discuss the information with each other. We liked doing the later because we found that the pre-recorded version didn't add anything more to the learning experience. I felt that the slides in the pre-recorded video lecture should have been expounded upon by the teacher and not just read word for word by the teacher or the student. We also were not able to watch these lectures live because of previous engagements and so we couldn't interact or ask questions to the presenter.

Most of the curriculum information had been curated from a number of different websites by Gloria Brooks and most, if not all, were outside sources not of her own creation. I noticed stuff from YouTube, DK Find Out!, Brainingcamp, blogs, and other websites. This is both a good and a bad thing in my opinion. On the one hand, the curriculum has been gathered from all over the web for you, the parent, to help teach the lessons so you don't have to take the time to gather all the information together yourself. On the other hand, even though I received the course for free to facilitate this review, I feel that the exorbitant price of this course for other homeschooling families really should reflect more on the content created by the presenter and/or curriculum writer and involve high quality content from them also...unfortunately, I am not seeing this.

This course, in my opinion, would be best used as a supplementary course. While this course did keep my younger kids engaged my older kids did not like the way it was presented to them. They said it was a little juvenile. I felt instead of 10-18 years of age these were more aimed for 8-13. I don't know that I would pay the steep cost to purchase this myself even though this is a 4 course bundle, you do get it for a whole year, and you can use it for the whole family. However; I will have to look at the rest of the content in more depth to really know what this whole bundle has to offer. I am excited to see the Math Connections with the Real World course next because there is stuff about Golden Ratio, Fibonacci, and the Egyptians!

Follow Them on Social Media:

BUY IT
Purchase it HERE.

All FOUR classes - Single Payment of $597 $536.40, 10% off
or
All FOUR classes - 3 monthly Payments of $199.00

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for NatureGlo's eScience MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle...
MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle {NatureGlo's eScience Reviews}

Crew Disclaimer