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When You Are Afraid of Homeschool Science Gaps

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When You're Afraid of Homeschool Science Gaps @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

I was given a free copy of this book and I was paid for my time. However, paid for my time does not mean paid off.  ALL opinions are my own and for sure I will always tell you what is on my mind. Your experience may vary. When I do accept a review it’s because I am giddy to tell you about it. Read my full disclosure here.

Homeschool science gaps or holes in what we’re teaching can make us panic, but we have many resources at our finger tips, which can lessen homeschool fears and one valuable tool is Air Is Not Oxygen: Essential Science You Should Have Learned … But Probably Didn’t.

Did You Miss these Essential Science Concepts?

First, look at these three other posts, Free Moon Journal, Electricity Hands on Science Activity and Erosion Easy Hands-on Science Activity where I share easy hands-on activities from Air Is Not Oxygen because I don’t want you to miss them and the free printable.

There were several things that drew us in to want to use and review Air Is Not Oxygen, but the main lure I was giddy about was that it explains science concepts in a way easy to understand.

This reminds me of other curriculum that we have been drawn to that gives us the broad strokes, which I feel are important for several reasons.

One| Covering the essentials are stepping stones to in depth studying.

I have always confessed that I run the other way from science topics, but not my boys.

Tiny is no exception. So not only am I sure that he is covering essentials, which are easily explained like Newton’s laws and changes in the earth, but having a basic framework gives Tiny a foundation on which to build a solid science study.

Two| Broad strokes means mastery.

Mastery learning appeals to both a student that is advanced or a student that struggles with basic concepts.

This means that Air Is Not Oxygen can be used with elementary aged children or kids getting ready to enter high school, who may not have covered basic science concepts adequately.

For a child that is younger and has a love for science, they’ll love mastering concepts quickly instead of using a spiral approach to science.

Also, Air Is Not Oxygen is a great fit for an older student who may feel like he is behind. Quickly covering basic essentials gives a high school student a boost in science and can rekindle his love for science.

Three| If a mom student is science phobic, he’ll love this book.

I was especially drawn to this book because it fits the way I think kids and adults should learn when they may not like a subject.

With few details and emphasis on hands-on activities within each chapter, it makes learning science simple, fun and interactive.

What Would Your Ideal Homeschool Science Curriculum Contain?

Air Is Not Oxygen draws you into the subjects because they are witty, short and concise.

When you’re short on time (who isn’t these days), you’ll love the fact that many of the supplies for science activities are things like paper cups, plastic spoons, pie pans and straws, which are things you have around your house.

I don’t need another exhaustive list to make of science supplies we wouldn’t use later. I like uncomplicated supplies and your kitchen and home will have most of the supplies.

For quite a few of the activities, Tiny just gathered up the supplies and he was ready to go.

Did I mention the chapters are short? Tiny easily read the book in just a few days.

Of course, we went back and did the activities, but the short chapters with simple explanations was a huge hit with him.

I like the What You Learned bullets at the end of the chapter because it made for a quick review.

And if I could make up my own science curriculum it would certainly be a lot like Air Is Not Oxygen  , with no worksheets, lots of easy hands-on activities to do with multiple ages of children and a review.

If you are like me, you want to be able to explore curriculum freely and jump around from topic to topic. I gave Tiny the book and instead of reading it in order, he started with Newton’s Laws, went to the chapter on electricity and headed over to earth changes, then fossils and after that I can’t remember.

I love the fact that Tiny could skip around and learn what interested him first and I can plan our unit studies by picking and choosing activities that match our unit study topic.

You’ll want to include this nifty resource in your must-haves for science curriculum.

Product Facts a Glance 2

Here are a few other things you’ll want to know that made a difference to me.

  • Author Bill Morelan, Ph.D is a pioneer homeschooler, teaching his two daughters at home in the early 1980s. Both of his girls went on to achieve advanced degrees, and today one is a highly-respected elementary teacher, while the other is actively involved in the homeschool movement.
  • The book covers physical, life and earth and space science.
  • It is a multiple age resource and that includes adults who may be lacking in their science education.
  • It is a super resource for myth busters, like air is not oxygen.
  • It meets the national Science Standards.
  • Concepts are simplified for clarity.
  • Each chapter has more than one hands-on activity.

Purchase the book here: Air Is Not Oxygen: Essential Science You Should Have Learned … But Probably Didn’t!
Grades: elementary to high school
Type of Format: paperback
Price: $12.95

I highly recommend this book if you are a science phobic teaching mama, have a kid that loves science or one that feels he may have missed out on some essential concepts.

Hugs and love ya,

Tina Signature 2015c

All product information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Also, grab these free resources to round out a study about life, physical and earth science.

Learn About Leap Year Free Notebooking Page, Human Body Unit Study and Five Free and Fun Hands-on Science Activities.

 

Erosion Hands-on Easy Homeschool Science Activity

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Easy hands-on homeschool earth science activity @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Tiny still hasn’t had his fill of easy hands-on science so we are keeping our science groove going. Today, I am sharing an erosion hands-on easy homeschool science activity to learn about earth’s changes.

Using the the book Air Is Not Oxygen: Essential Science You Should Have Learned … But Probably Didn’t ( which is a total keeper for us at this point), Tiny has been going through one fast activity after another.

Earth Science – Exciting?

It has been a nice break from the chemistry which has he has been doing. Me?

I love the fact that most of the activities are so easy he can do them on his own, the supplies are easily found in my house and the activities don’t take much time to do.

Earth changes 1

Look at what he gathered up to learn about earth changes:

  • Pie pan.  (we already had this big roaster pan so are using it, but you could easily use a small pie pan. nothing fancy)
  • Sand. (we had a jar in our storage room when we left overseas and are loving the fact that when we come back, we had instant supplies. Of course it would be better if we could grab some sand outside, but we don’t really have sand near where we live now.)
  • plastic cup and plastic spoon (for wave making). Tiny grabbed a straw too in case he wanted to compare the spoon to the straw. After he started doing it, he grabbed some blue dye for the water and we had some sea shells we used just because we had them. But dye or seashells are not necessary either, we just had them.
  • dry measuring cup, ruler and permanent marker.
earth changes 2
Geography bundle -- North Star Geography and WonderMaps
earth changes 3

The instructions called for pouring a couple of cups of sand in one end of the pan, so Tiny decided he needed to measure it.

He ended up pouring all of the sand in the pan because he realized our pan was bigger than a cake or pie pan.

Next, the instructions said to put an inch of water in the pan. He measured an inch before he started pouring the water.

earth changes 4

Then he started slowly pouring the water so as to not disturb the sand.



At this point, we decided to add the shells because not only did we have them, but they could be used as visual markers for how the shore moved.

earth changes 7

Then grab the plastic spoon and start making waves.

Hands-On Science Bundle

You’ll also want to check out these fun hands-on science ideas!

earth changes 6

Though our erosion was fast, it was pretty easy to understand how the earth changes over time when we compared the two shore lines.

We talked about earth changes that were slow like weathering and erosion and other changes that are fast like earthquakes and landslides.

I am telling you, if you want easy hands-on science activities for any age and that are quick, you’ll love Air Is Not Oxygen: Essential Science You Should Have Learned … But Probably Didn’t.

Yikes, we are loving having an all science week.

Hugs and love ya,

Also, grab these other activities we did from this book:

Electricity Hands-On Science Activity
Free Moon Journal Activity and I have a free Earth Science Lapbook that would go great with this activity.

2017 Physical Year Calendar –2 Pages Per Month At A Glance

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

2017 Physical Year Calendar Dreaming 2 Pages at a Glance @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Today, I am sharing the 2017 Physical Year Calendar –2 Pages Per Month At A Glance with you. It is the dreaming option.

What I am so passionate about in my 7 Step Homeschool Planner is to keep it ever changing with color options and functions.

That is part of the reason I luv using it each year.  But some things, like this color combination makes my heart go pitter patter too.

I know you love this color option, so I bring it back each year.

Curriculum Pages for Planner

Each month has a different color for the month name and on the note section, I kept the background white and bright.

It has a top right section, which is a task list.

Separating that from the bottom section which is more of a to do list for the month, it helps to divide priorities.

I tend to keep a running lists for tasks whether they are due that month or not.  And my to do for the month at the bottom is just that, things that need to get done by that particular month.  I think the reason I put that list at the bottom is that I am hoping it will go away too. {ha ha}

Whether you want to add an academic school year that runs from July to June {find them here on STEP 2. Option 2} or this physical year calendar for 2017 or you’re obsessed and using both like me, you decide what works for your unique planner.

Guess what? You can get it now for .99 cents!

TOS

Important: READ THIS FIRST.
Before you email me asking where your download link is or tell me that it is not working, read this to ensure that you get your pretties timely and that you don’t pay for something and not get it.

• All my products are digital. You will not receive a physical product for anything in my store. A digital physical year calendar does not mean a physical product or calendar.
• Downloads are INSTANT. When you pay, you will receive an email with a download link INSTANTLY. Depending on your internet connection, the email could be just 30 seconds or so, or a bit longer. The point is it will be soon, not a week later,etc.
• The email with the download link will go to the email you used for paypal. If you used your husband’s paypal, your downloads will go to that email. Please check that email and your spam before emailing me telling me you can’t find it.
• Please put my email tina @ tinasdynamichomeschoolplus dot com (of course substitute the right symbol for dot) in your address/contact list so that your product does not go to spam.

MY GUARANTEE: To treat you like I want to be treated which means I know at times technical problems may cause glitches, so I will do everything possible to make your experience here pleasant. I value your business and value you as a follower. I stand behind my products because they are actual products I use and benefit from too. Though I cannot refund purchases after you have been given access to them, I will do what I can to be sure you are a pleased customer.


Linking up @ these awesome places:
Thoughtful Spot|Homeschool Nook|Mommy Monday|Sunday Blog Hop|Faith Filled Parenting|Modest Monday|Motivation Monday|Inspire Me Monday|Turn It Up Tuesday|Titus 2 Tuesday|Laugh & Learn|Tuesday Talk|

Learn About Leap Year Free Notebooking Page & Resources

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Learning about Leap Year free notebooking Page

Seizing the moment or in this case the year, the leap year, we took a rabbit trail off our unit study to look up a few websites and read about the leap year. Today, in learn about leap year free notebooking page, I rounded up a few websites to learn about why a leap year was started.

Can you believe poof in 4 years how your homeschool and kids will change? Anyway, the subject this month is too cool to pass over, so we took a day today to dig in and learn about it.

Look at few facts to think about or research:

    • February normally has 28 days.
    • Every fourth year, February has 29 days.
    • The fourth year is called a Leap Year.
    • When did the practice of adding leap year begin?
    • What is significant about 1582?
    • How do you keep track of your birth day if you’re born on February 29?
    • What are the differences between the Gregorian and Julian calendars and why it matters?

Look at these free downloads and background information:

Download the Free Leap Year Notebooking Page!

Hugs and love ya,

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

Free 31 Days of Dinner Ideas (February) Organize with Me!

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

31 days of dinner menu

And yes, I know February doesn’t have 31 days, but I want you to have tons of dinner ideas at your fingertips! Today, in sharing my free 31 days of dinner ideas (February) organize with me post, I want to encourage you to take baby steps toward easing your homeschool load.

Free 31 Days of Dinner Ideas

Hear my heart. Menu planning may seem like one more thing in your whole long list of things to do to get organized, but homeschooling begins with the home.

That means making top priority your family and health. The result is a lighter homeschool load because things like cooking just fall into place when you have a plan.

When I get bogged down with menu planning or cooking, I have learned to step away from school for a day or even delay it for a few hours until I get a handle back on what is important.

Taking a baby step that is really huge meaning it’s a small step with a large payoff because having a plan each month you have a direction each week for what you are buying at the grocery store.

Too, by giving you a menu plan for the area I struggle with the most and maybe you too, which is dinner because I don’t want to think about what to make for dinner, I am hoping to help you to get dinner on the table faster, with meals your family likes.

So my menu plans each month reflect what my family likes to eat, but from it I am hoping to inspire you on to creative ideas for feeding your family.

Guess what? If you stick with me for the whole year, we will both have MORE than 365 dinners! Maybe we will make a cookbook together. (okay, okay)

Why Menu Planning for the Month Blows Away Weekly Planning

Back to a few more tips I want you to know.

  • Organizing for the month is so much more easier than the week. It takes about 20 or 30 minutes longer, but you get relief for the whole month. Have you noticed how fast the end of the week gets here? Before you know it, you have to menu plan AND lesson plan. No thank you. I want one of those huge tasks done. I don’t like beginning of the week stress.
  • Planning 31 meals for the month regardless of the days of the month gives you options and flexibility.
  • Monthly planning is for rebel cooks because contrary to what some people think, you are not stuck with having to cook what is on that day. No, you have 31 choices to choose from. Nobody said you have to cook what is on each day, unless of course you want to. Either way 31 day menu planning is about options! Give me 31. That is why this month and every month will have 31 days of dinner ideas and it has nothing to do with how many days are in the month. You always get to decide if you want to follow it to make the dinner idea each day or change it around and choose something else from the list.

I have a few more tips I will be sharing next time, but for now grab my dinner ideas below.

DOWNLOAD HERE 31 DAYS OF DINNER FOR FEBRUARY.

(where possible, I linked recipes for your quick reference. However, I have been cooking for a long time, like you probably have to and have many recipes not on line. Eventually, I will have my recipes on my site or link for you, but in any case, I want you to have the ideas.)

DOWNLOAD HERE FREE 31 DAY MENU PLANNER . To plan 3 meals a day and it is editable!

Let me know how you’re doing with organizing those meals!

Hugs and love ya,

Tina Signature 2015c

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.