science

Geronimo Stilton The Curse of The Cheese Pyramid Barbie Mummy

July 25, 2022 | Leave a Comment
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Geronimo Stilton The Curse of The Cheese Pyramid is another fun book in the series of Geronimo Stilton books. It is the second book in the series.

Elementary students will love taking their favorite Geronimo Stilton book and turning it into a mini unit study with a few hands-on activities.

The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid is another adventure for Geronimo Stilton. He is off to Egypt to the Great Cheese Pyramid.

Geronimo Stilton The Curse of The Cheese Pyramid Barbie Mummy

So, this hands-on activity I am sharing with you today, mummifying a Barbie gives kids a little bit more understanding of the mummification process.

And you can easily tie in science and history perfectly with the fun book The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid. Matter of fact most of the books highlight some kind of geography or history.

Even if your kids are older like middle or high school the same activity can be altered to make it a bit more challenging so that the whole family can join in.

Books Of Geronimo Stilton

If you don’t know about Geronimo Stilton books let me give you a quick little overview. The fun series is aimed at early readers or ages 7 to 10 years old

And they follow the many and varied adventures of Geronimo Stilton editor and publisher at The Rodent’s Gazette.

Too, they read similar to a graphic novel.

Geronimo Stilton Four Cheese Box Set (Books 1-4)

For instance, the words are highlighted in different fonts, sizes, and colors. The series make it an engaging read for kids.

They are silly and outlandish which makes it especially great for reluctant readers.

Another point about the different fonts and colors of words are that some are for emphasis.

However, quite a few make great lessons for vocabulary, spelling words, and introduction to the eight parts of speech.

So be sure to make note of the words for several chapters.

And have your child look up the words and make flashcards to round out this mini lesson.

You certainly can use this fun book as a spine for language arts. Too, you can use this spine as independent reading or for a read aloud.

Ancient Egypt Mummifying a Barbie Craft

However, one of the best parts of each book is that you can add hands-on activity as Stilton is always on a globe-trotting adventure.

Today, since Stilton is off to Egypt, we learned about mummies in Ancient Egypt

Look at this short list of supplies to make a Barbie mummy.

A Barbie or similar doll (we grabbed a cheap one from Dollar Tree)
Gauze
Cooking oil
Salt (we used Epsom since we had that)
large dish big enough for the body to lay in
Essential oils
Scissors and construction paper

First, we made a death mask from construction paper and laid it aside.

Your kids can get elaborate with this part or keep it simple.

Then we made simple canopic jars by drawing them on paper.

After drawing the jars, we cut them out and taped them into a tube shape.

A quick google search will show you what each of the four gods, Hapy, Imsety, Duamutef and Qebhsenef looked like and which housed which organs.

We also used our TOOB Organs to examine the organs closely,

Then, we laid them out and talked about each function as the kids pretended to extract the organ and place it in the canopic jars.

Barbie Mummy

Next, this portion of the activity can be done or finished while you read aloud.

Have your child finish the death mask. And let your child draw them with whatever art medium they choose. We used markers.

First, the brain was pulled out through the nose, but considered unimportant in ancient Egyptian times, it was just tossed out.

Then, the stomach, intestines, lungs, and liver were extracted and placed in the correct jar.

The heart stayed in place in the body. Use tweezers for this part and let them pretend they are extracting each part.

Next, Egyptians would cover the body in salt to remove all moisture, this would take weeks but for the sake of time we waited just a few minutes.

We used Epsom salt as we had a ton on hand already.

And then we placed our prepared body in a large tupperware container and covered it in salt as well as we could.

Finally, the body would be anointed with oils and wrapped,.

If you have some on hand add essential oils to a little bit of cooking oil to add to the sensory experience, pour over the entire body.

We tightly wrapped our Barbie head to toe and then affixed her death mask with a bit of tape.

Obviously, you know your child best and can include the parts that you would choose and gloss over those that might be too much for a younger child.

For example, for older children you can add ideas like labeling the organs, give them spelling and vocabulary words like sarcophagus, hieroglyphic, and etc.

Too, you can extend the lesson by having them give a presentation in front of the whole family on the mummification process.

Geronimo Stilton The Curse of The Cheese Pyramid covers everything from mummies to pyramids as well as mentions of camels, pharaohs, and the eye of RA, giving you a large base for a unit study.

I can’t wait to dig in a little deeper and share more hands on activities with you! What do you think? Are you going to add this to your list of hands-on activities?

Other Resources You’ll Love

Super Easy and Fun Aquarium Jar Craft For Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

July 24, 2022 | 1 Comment
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Your kids will love this fun aquarium jar craft for summer activities for middle schoolers. Whether you’re diving into a study about the oceans or doing a shark unit study, hands-on activities are the way to go. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips.

Either use an upcycled jar or a mason jar from Dollar Tree. This easy aquarium craft for summer activities for middle schoolers is a multisensory approach to learning.

Not all middle schoolers are at the same level of maturity, so a hands-on approach is effective at getting information in.

Super Easy and Fun Aquarium Jar Craft For Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

In addition, no matter how easy of a project, it can help the information stay in little growing brains.

When we study a particular topic I like to include as many hands-on activities as possible and they range from super simple to more involved.

In addition, with shark week looming I started brainstorming fun and easy ways to learn about sharks and other ocean creatures in a unique way.

Besides, this is easy enough to make for a fun summer activity or to use for a homeschool summer co-op.

Craft For Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

First, I gathered up some of our favorite books to fit the theme.

Ocean Anatomy,
Basher Ocean, and
The Big Book of Blue for reference.

We really enjoy the illustrations and the way the information is provided in simple little nuggets.

Next, before introducing the mini aquarium jar craft learn a few facts about the ocean.

For example, start with the fact that the ocean is a vast and mostly unexplored part of our Earth.

And it is filled with many beautiful and at the same time frightening creatures.

Encourage your child to be a marine biologist if just for the day.

Learn about a couple of creatures, their habits, feeding, characteristics, and what part they play in the oceans ecosystem.

Ocean Craft for Tweens

Have your middle schooler go through your ocean themed books. And the pile of plastic ocean animals. Choose just two to learn about. Here are the easy stipulations.

First, the animal had to fit in the small plastic mason jar from the Dollar Tree.

Second, the animal has to be one that your child is interested in learning about . This way he can research and learn about the animal for the rest of the assignment.

Although you may school year round, you can use assignments like this in summer to keep writing to a a minimal while sneaking in some learning through summer crafts.

Next, look at this easy list of supplies.

A smooth upcycled jar or plastic mason jar from Dollar Tree
Gravel or sand
Plastic ocean animals
A Hot glue gun
Distilled water
Essential oil or hand sanitizer

How to Make a Simple Jar Aquarium Ocean Craft

Begin by using a smooth upcycled jar or mason jar from Dollar Tree.

Sometimes the empty name brand jars have a good amount of writing and raised designs.

However, jars like spaghetti and pickle jars are good choices. Once you soak the label off they are usually smooth.

I pick up a couple of these plastic mason jars from Dollar Tree every so often because they are great for not only storage but also crafts.

Start by putting hot glue on the bottom of a piece of coral or plastic aquarium plant.

Press into the bottom of the jar.

And if you don’t have one in your plastic animals you can easily make some with craft foam.

They will stand upright and hold up to being soaked in water.

Next, add a layer of gravel or sand, just a bit to cover the bottom.

Next hot glue some of the animals in place.

We didn’t want our animals floating upside down or all piled up on the bottom.

And the glue shows very little through the jar.

We chose a giant squid and whale shark

Add just a tiny bit of hot glue and press them into place.

Once glue is cooled and hardened slowly add distilled water to ⅛” from the top of the jar.

You can add a bit of blue food coloring if you like too.

But previously we found that it made it too cloudy to see well.

Additionally to keep the water from going bad you can add a couple drops of antibacterial essential oil . Hand sanitizer works as well.

Add a bit of hot glue to the threads on the lid, Then, screw into place to keep it from leaking.

Finally, you can add quite a bit to this activity by watching a documentary.

Watch a document while your child puts the jar aquarium together

Too, create the mini aquarium during read aloud time with an ocean themed book keeps wiggly learners interest.

A few more ideas to make this fun are to use chalk pastels. Sketch your chosen animals for a fresh art piece.

Chalk pastels are more intriguing than everyday crayons. Also, have your child create a large model of their animal with paper mache.

What ocean crafts do you like doing during summer with your middle schoolers?

Other Ocean Crafts for Middle Schoolers

Fun Making Ocean Layers Soap | Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

July 13, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you’re diving into a study on the ocean layers, doing summer activities for middle schoolers, or want to do an Ocean Unit Study and Ocean Lapbook, our kids will love this ocean layers soap. Also, look at my page Homeschool Middle School for more fun tips.

Besides, there is no better way to learn than with a fun hands-on activity that demonstrates an idea you are trying to get across.

And yes, you could even make this fun soap activity for Shark Week.

Fun Making Ocean Layers Soap | Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

The ocean is a huge and mostly unexplored part of our earth. As a matter of fact only about 20% of it has been explored and mapped by humans.

It is made up of 5 layers and each is different not just in depth but in temperature.

Too, the life that lives in each layer is very different.

It is fascinating, mysterious, scary, beautiful, and changing.

Today, we are going to create a beautiful bar of soap to demonstrate the 5 layers of the ocean and we can learn quite a bit while completing this activity.

Also, you’ll want to grab a couple of books to reference throughout.

And one of our favorites is Ocean Anatomy because of its beautiful illustrations and concise bites of information, even a high schooler enjoys it!

Another great one, especially for littles is The Big Book of Blue, another one with great illustrations.

Also, Basher has a great line that cover a lot of science as well as other topics.

We used Oceans as a reference during our soap making as well.

In addition, I’ll be sharing some research questions for each layer to challenge your child.

This will encourage them to use a reference book or internet, whichever you prefer to find out the answer.

We are going to make just enough today to make a couple of bars but you could easily double or triple the recipe for a larger batch.

Too, if you have access to a microwave this project would make a great activity for your co-op as well.

Layers of the Ocean

1. The Trenches (Hadalpelagic Zone)

First, The Trenches (Hadalpelagic Zone) is the deepest and darkest layer of the ocean.

It ranges from about 20,000 feet down to an estimate of 36,000 feet. It is freezing and the pressure is enormous there.

Hadal is named after Hades, Greek God of the underworld. While not a lot, there are some creatures that make their home there.

And a question: What is the deepest trench in the ocean? ( The Mariana Trench)

2. The Abyss(Abyssopelagic Zone)

Second, The Abyss(Abyssopelagic Zone) has crushing pressure and extremely cold temps.

And this part of the ocean ranges from about 13,700 feet down to 19,700 feet.

Ocean life is still scarce here but not nonexistent. This layer makes up about 83% of the total ocean.

And a question for your children: Name 3 creatures that live in this zone.
Chemosynthetic bacteria, tubeworms, and small fish, sharks, invertebrates and some crustaceans.

3. The Midnight Zone (Bathypelagic Zone)

Third is The Midnight Zone (Bathypelagic Zone).

The only light you will find in this mid layer of the ocean is from bioluminescent fish.

The Midnight zone ranges from 3,280 feet to 13,135 feet down into the depths.

And a question for your children: What is bioluminescence?
It is the production and emission of light from living organisms.

4. The Twilight Zone (Mesopelagic Zone)

Fourth is The Twilight Zone (Mesopelagic Zone).

Below 660 all the way down to 3,280 feet deep this layer is where some whales travel to eat.

Some of the animals here are darker and thinner for camouflage.

Too, squid and octopus are lurking at these depths.

Question: How many species of animals live in the Twilight Zone?
There are over 700.

5. The Sunlight Zone.

Fifth is The Sunlight Zone.

This top layer of the ocean only extends down to 660 feet.

There is plenty of sunlight here, hence the name, and there is a wider range of temperatures within this zone.

Fun question: In this zone where divers explore, what does SCUBA stand for?
Self-contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

Layers of the Ocean Soap Craft

Next, have fun making this layers of ocean soap craft.

Here is your list.

Clear melt and pour soap base
Blue Mica Powder or Soap Colorant
Soap Mold
Your favorite essential oil scents or soap fragrance. (Grab the Caribbean Set with scents like Pina Colada and Ocean Breeze)
glass bowl or measuring cup
5 Small glass bowls for dividing up colors
rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle

First, cut your soap into 1” chunks and place in the glass bowl.

Heat in the microwave for 1 minute and then in 30 second intervals until completely melted.

Mix in your scents to the desired scent strength.

We are going with coconut and lime today for our ocean scented soap, but you can put in any scent or combination you like.

Next, divide soap evenly between your bowls.

We love these little glass dishes from Dollar Tree because they work well for everything from sauces to experiments and at only 4/$1.25 they are a great kitchen or science addition!

Work quickly and add some color to each bowl.

Add only a small amount to the first bowl and adding more as go. We added a tiny bit of green and some black to the last to help make it even darker.

Pour your lightest layer in the mold and spritz it with rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. This helps remove bubbles and will also help each layer stick together.

Let it set for 15-20 minutes to harden.

You will need to melt each layer in the microwave again for about a minute as it will harden while waiting.

However, no fret because it’s very easy to bring it back to a liquid state.

While we waited for each layer to melt we talked about that particular part of the ocean, looking up facts, watching videos, and reading our books.

Continue adding layers, lightest to darkest, spraying with alcohol between each.

Let your soap sit overnight then remove it from the mold.

More Ocean Activities for Summer

With just one activity we have covered science, geography, life skills, and art. Jot all those down in your Ultimate and Beautiful DIY Homeschool Unit Study Planner.

2. Ultimate DIY Homeschool Unit Study Planner
$5.99 Add to cart

Your child has used research skills, fine motor skills, following directions, reading, coordination, writing, and so much more!

The added bonus is that you are making memories while you learn about the ocean and its layers.

25 Great Homeschool High School Science Curriculum

July 12, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Several years before I chose a homeschool high school science curriculum, I was feeling anything but calm. Fast forward 20 years and I’ve learned there are many options to teaching high school science right. Check out my how to homeschool high school page for awesome tips.

And it’s hard to go too wrong when narrowing down the options for homeschool high school science.

However, before you can choose the right homeschool science curriculum for your teen you need to determine the answers to these 7 questions.

25 Great Homeschool High School Science Curriculum

Will your high school teen pursue a science career and want to dive deep or are you wanting to give him a broad overview?
What is your teen’s current attitude toward science? More on that in a minute.
How will your goals or expectations affect your teen? For example, will hands-on activities be priority over completing the science text or will a completed text be the only way to count a grade?

Science Curriculum for Teens

And here are the next four questions.

Determining the lab component is important. So, will you devote time to understanding how to count labs. By the way, I have you covered. Grab some tips here at my post How to Easily Meet the Lab Component of Homeschool High School Science.
Also, because homeschool high school science curriculum has exploded, do you want a Christian-based, secular or even faith-neutral science curriculum?
In addition, while not being totally fixated on grades, determine how you will grade? Will you grade only daily work and tests or will participation in discussions with you and hands-on activities be a big part of the grade? And finally,
what goals does your teen have? Ask him or her what they want to learn or get from the course.

It won’t take long to think about those seven questions and don’t forget some of this will change depending on the age of your teen.

If your teen is just entering high school, he may change his goals from ninth grade to twelfth grade.

Stay flexible and don’t forget to have fun. The high school years were some of the best years of my journey.

What are the Branches of Science

First begin with understanding course descriptions.

For those of us who are not science majors sorting out the branches of science can be confusing.

All I knew was that in high school, I chose topics I loved for all four years.

Even if the topics are considered subtopics of the main branches of science, it’s still considered a study of science for high school.

I love these simple definitions from Study.Com where it says, “Physical science is the study of non-living things and the laws that describe them. The life sciences, which can also be called biology, have many subsets. The most common ones include botany, zoology, genetics, human biology, nutrition, and medicine. Earth sciences include geology, paleontology, meteorology, oceanography, and ecology.”

Homeschool High School Science Curriculum Sequence

Next, what is important to consider is the sequence.

As I mentioned before whether your teen is pursuing a college track or career track is a deciding factor for the sequence of courses.

For instance, if your teen is pursuing a college track, it’s important that you check first with the college to determine the science sequence and credits needed.

A good rule of thumb is to have your teen do all fours years and a lab. This way the science doors stay open. A teen may decide to pursue a science career five years after completing high school. A solid science background would be important then.

If your child is not pursuing a science career, then probably two or three years of science with a lab is enough. Look below at a couple of sequences for high school science courses.

High School Science Curriculum Sequence

3 years and 1 lab
physical science
biology and
chemistry

4 years and 1 lab
biology
chemistry
earth science
physics or an elective

And when I started homeschooling 20+ years ago, below were some of the sequences.

I think they’re still wonderful for our current day.

This one comes from Home Learning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp. It still stands solid.

And this sequence comes from College-Prep Homeschooling by David and Chandra Bryers.

Grade 9 Earth/Space Science
Grade 10 Biology
Grade 11 Chemistry
Grade 12 Physics

Grade 9 Physical Science
Grade 10 Biology Lab 1/2 credit
Grade 11 Chemistry Lab 1/2 credit
Grade 12 Physics

Next, something else to not forget is to think about your child’s mathematical abilities.

When you choose courses like biology or earth science first your teen has time to strengthen his math foundation.

My opinion is the sequence depends on your child’s math abilities.

I don’t think there is a right or wrong. If your child needs more time to strengthen his algebra skills, do earth science or biology first.

However, if your teen’s algebra skills are solid by 9th grade, then jump into physics right away.

As you can see there are many paths to cover the 3 main branches of science physical sciences, life sciences, and earth sciences.

Furthermore, look through these high school science curriculum to see the wonderful choices.

And a few pointers will help you in choosing a high school curriculum which meets your needs.

More Homeschool High School Teen Elective Resources

Whether you’re looking for a faith-based resource like Apologia or you are looking for a resource like Abeka’s physical creation, you’ll find a resource here.

In addition, if you prefer more of a secular or faith-neutral approach, look at R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey.

High School Homeschool Curriculum

Further, some curriculum are worktexts for students who may not want labs. PAC Works or Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum below are straight worktexts.

Furthermore, rabbit trails or subtopics under the main branches of science can be so fascinating.

Whether your teen wants to study marine biology or take a year studying the night sky it’s still science.

For example, anatomy, zoology, botany, and geology are more fascinating subtopics.

As I mentioned at the outset, you can see why your teen’s interest matter.

More important to me is the experience and hands-on activity. And nurturing my teen’s love for any branch of science.

Sure, we must record keep and maintain credits, but don’t choose completing a textbook over the experience.

Novare Physical Science
Introductory Physics
Exploring Creation with Physical Science

I still don’t view myself as a science mom, but I am a science lover and all three homeschooled grads still love science.

What do you think, can you find an option for your teen here?

In conclusion, you’ll love my other high school tips:

21 Fun Chemistry Homeschool Ideas for Kids

July 8, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

These 21 fun chemistry homeschool ideas show your kids how we use chemistry every day.

When I read an older book about chemistry, it mentioned every house which has a kitchen has a laboratory.

And it made the point that chemistry is about finding out about things. Finding out what things are made of and what changes they undergo. Everything!