One Minute Science Mysteries!

Once again we were introduced to a new favorite from the TOS Crew! 

When you have children that love science and mysteries, One Minute Mysteries: 65 More Short Mysteries You Solve With Science! is a winning combination. This award winning book published by Science Naturally helps in "Bridging the gap between the blackboard and the blacktop." 

 

One Minute Mysteries: 65 More Short Mysteries You Solve With Science! as you probably guessed is the second One-Minute Science Mysteries books.  Each fiction and non fiction story, as the title implies, takes about a minute to read.  After reading the story, children are then challenged with brainteaser type questions that help them to utilize their science knowledge and critical thinking skills.  

In One Minute Mysteries: 65 More Short Mysteries You Solve With Science! you'll read stories and solve mysteries about gravity, sonic booms, magnets/non magnets, rocks and measurements.  

More specifically, this book is covers topics in: 

• Life Science
• Earth and Space Science 
• Physical and Chemical Science
• General Science 

We thought the book was challenging and enjoyable. The book is geared for children ages 8-12, but I found that my younger children (4&6 year old boys) also enjoyed it and were able to interact with us.

Eric and Natalie Yoder, a father-daughter wring team, have worked together on several books.  Each available for purchase through Science Naturally for $9.95.

• One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science!
• One Minute Mysteries: 65 More Short Mysteries You Solve With Science!
• One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Math!

You can also purchase the I Love A Mystery Set, which includes all three of the books listed above, for $24.95.

These books would make great summer reads.  The are stories are short, but the lessons really pack a punch!

See what other TOS Crew members have to say about the Science Naturally Books here.

Science & Math Activity Bags {Review}

A few years back I participated in an Activity Bag swap for preschoolers.   I found a swap group online and signed up to do one of the pattern matching activity bags.  It was really simple to do.  I gathered the supplies that I needed and assembled ONE activity bag for 20 different children.  Even after a few years, those bags still get pulled out pretty much on a weekly basis. 

When I found out that we had the opportunity to review for Activity Bags I started jumping up and down!  Literally! 

Activity Bags were created by two homeschool moms, Paula and Sherri, that set out to have fun, educational and independent activities for their preschoolers.  The idea was to have activities ready for younger siblings to do while their older siblings were working on their school.

Activity Bags have since grown, and they now have several Activity Bag books for preschoolers as well as children in K-8th grade.  The books that they currently offer are:

• Preschool Activites in a Bag - eBook 1
• Preschool Activites in a Bag - eBook 2
• (Preschool Activites in a Bag - eBook 3 is in the works)
• Science Experiments in a Bag- eBook 1  Biology, Nature and General Science
• Science Experiments in a Bag - eBook 2 Chemistry, Human Body and General Science
• Science Experiments in a Bag - eBook 3 Chemistry
• Reading Games in a Bag - eBook 1
• Math Games in a Bag - eBook 1
• Travel Activities in a Bag - eBook 1
• Coordinator Book - for those that was interested in hosting swaps

  

     

 

   

 

We were given the Science Activities in a Bag eBooks 1,2,3 and the Math Games in a Bag eBook for this review. 

When Sherri and Paula created the Activity Bag books they created them in a format that makes it very simple for several moms to get together, each take an activity, assemble them and then swap.  But, if you are a homeschooler you know that we are famous for thinking outside of the box, right?! 

I decided that for our family right now, the best way to use the Activity Bag books was to do the individual experiments and games with out assembling all of them prior to use.  I think that, for us, we will work through the experiments and games one by one and then assemble the Activity Bags for the ones that are our favorites. 

For example one of the experiments that we have done so far is the Dancing Peanuts.  It is from the Science Experiments in a Bag -eBook 2.  In the experiment the kids start with a glass of water and baking soda.  Next they add 5 peanuts, and then vinegar.  The peanuts dance by moving up and down in the glass.  This is one of the experiments that we will make a bag for, because I know it is something that they will want to do over and over again. 

I really like how the Science Activity Bags not only include the experiments, but experiment logs, with observation questions and additional experiment suggestions.  I was happy to see that they also suggest for the children to draw what happens in the experiments. 

 

Each of the Science Experiments in a Bag have 25 experiments in them.  Some of the experiments included are:
 
eBook 1

• Catch a Web - observe intricate patterns of spider webs and draw them.
• Feasting Yeast - see how yeast and sugar can inflate a balloon.
• Fungus Amungus - learn how to grow mold.
• Worm Farm - learn what earth worms do that is good for soil.

eBook 2

• Big Bubbles - kids make their own bubble frame and make some pretty big bubbles too!
• Crayon Creations - see how heat changes a solid to a liquid, and then by cooling the liquid, how it changes back into a solid.
• Siphon It - learn how a siphon works.
• Spinning Around - how heat makes a spiral turn.

eBook 3

• Get Gluey - learn how to make glue from vinegar and milk.
• Lots of Lava - make a volcano with flowing lava.
• Seltzer Rocket - learn what happens when gas builds up.
• Sun Burn - learn how to cut a string by the sun's rays.

The Science Experiments in a Bag eBooks are available for $15.00 each.  You can also purchase the Science in Experiments in a Bag eBook Bundle, which includes ebook 1,2 & 3 for $39.00. 
 

We also got the chance to review the Math Games in a Bag.  This eBook has 32 games in it!  The games are geared for kids in elementary grades.  Some of the games included are:

• Telling Time
• Trickster #1 - find out how all roads lead to 99
• Word Problems
• Place Value - roll the dice and put numbers in the correct place value. 
• Number Writing - practice writing numbers

We were pretty impressed with the games included in this book, although I felt that they were more for the younger elementary grades.  There are lots of activities to help students master things that they are already learning. 

The Math Games in a Bag eBook 1 is available for $15.00.  Here are some sample pages from this  book.

Activity Bags has a short survey on their website to help them better gage the wants and needs of their customers.  If you take just a few minutes to fill this out they will send you a free eBook sampler of the different Activity Bag books available.

I recommend Activity Bags, they are an easy and inexpensive way to incorporate fun, hands on learning activities that can be used independently!

 

 

Check out what other TOS Crew Members have to say about Activity Bags!

Disclaimer:  We received the Activity Bag eBooks mentioned in this review at no cost to us in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Creation Illustrated

As nature lover's, we were pretty excited to receive 4 of the most recent Creation Illustrated Magazines for a TOS Crew review!

Their mission statement is:
Our purpose is to share the wonders of God's creation. By revealing fresh insights of His infinite wisdom, gentle touch, undeniable justice, redeeming love, and flawless design, pure truth shall bring renewed peace. Each part of this publication is offered as a reprieve from the daily rigors of life so that all can look to the future with unbridled gratitude and hope.

These magazines are full of beautifully detailed pictures of God's Creation that almost take your breath away.  Each issue is focuses on nature, scripture and living. 

For example, the latest Spring edition includes:

In Nature

• Giving Thanks
• Flying Jewels {hummingbirds}
• Yellowstone
• A Lens on Creation

In Scripture

• Creation Day 6 - The Creation of Humans {an ongoing series}
• Creation Highlights
• Creation Stewardship

In Living

• Bloom Where Planted {a wonderfully encouraging article}
• Genesis Cuisine {this month featured 3 yummy smoothie recipes}
• Children's Story
• Youth Photo Contest
• Resource Guide

In addition to all of those articles there is an instructional guide for homeschoolers and teachers to glean key glean key spiritual and character-building lessons from each article.  There are also creation activities and a word search puzzle.

Amazing pictures!

You can order your own subscription, which is delivered quarterly directly through Creation Illustrated. 

$19.95/ year
$37.95/ 2 years
$53.95/ 3 years

Add $5.00/year for Canadian postage
Add $10.00/year for Foreign postage

You can also try before you buy by requesting a free trial issue.

We think that Creation Illustrated would make a wonderful addition to any family's reading list, nature lover's especially! 

Disclaimer:  As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in
exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are mine.

 

 

Be sure to check out what other TOS Crew members are saying about Creation Illustrated! 

TOS Crew: Dive Into Your Imagination!

Being on the TOS Crew has been a huge blessing for our family.  We have been given treasures to review that we would not necessarily find on our own.  Dive Into Your Imagination is one of those such treasures!!

Dive Into Your Imagination was started by Annie Crawley, A.K.A Ocean Annie.  With her experience as an underwater cinematographer and scuba diving instructor, and her passion for our environment and ocean, Ocean Annie gives us a fabulous ocean education!

Members of the TOS Crew were given the opportunity to review one of the 3 Dive Into Your Imaginations DVD's.  The choices were:

What Makes a Fish a Fish? - the first DVD in the Dive Into Your Imagination series. This DVD teaches children about astounding fish from around the world. How do fish take a bath? Learn the truth about sharks. Play hide and seek on the reef. The underwater realm provides boundless opportunities for parents to learn and laugh with their children. An upbeat original score celebrates the ocean and brings it to life. The DVD has three audio tracks.

Who Lives in the Sea? - teaches children and their parents about animals living in the ocean. Why do dolphins move so fast? What kind of noise does a sea lion make? Did you know turtles walked with the dinosaurs? Meet whale sharks, octopus and blue-footed booby birds! After your kids watch this DVD, they will want to swim like a dolphin and laugh at the nudi, nudi, nudibranchs!

Dive Into Diversity - teaches children about all the variety of life under the sea and how animals rely upon one another for survival. Take a ride to a depth of 1500 feet in the deep sea with a submarine pilot! Find out what happens on the reef at NIGHT. Learn what eating ice cream and brushing your teeth have in common. Answer questions like, why do crabs have claws and what can grow three feet in just one day?

While they all looked great, we chose the What Makes a Fish a Fish? DVD.  I remember the first time I put it on.  The kids were not in the science/ ocean video kinda mood for some reason but I, as Mom, over ruled and we watched it {smile}.  With in about 30 seconds Little Bits was yelling excitedly about the different fish!  Then, one by one, the other kids became glued to the video.  They were calling off names of fish they knew, and were very interested in to learn the names of the ones they didn't.  They especially liked learning about the Stone fish, that guy was super cool!!

We learned things like what makes a fish a fish {of, course}, about sea anemones and sharks, what fish eat and how they take a bath! 

This is a great video and all my kids loved it!  I would love to have the others in the series.  We found What Makes a Fish a Fish? very informative.  Not informative in a boring documentary way but in a fun and engaging I could watch this again and again kind of way.  Annie is a wealth of knowledge and her passion the ocean overflows in the this wonderful video. 

Included in our review, we were also given the PDF study guides that go along with the DVD we received.  Can I just say W-O-W!  I could not believe how much information was in these babies!  We downloaded the Pre K - K and 1-3 grade guides.  Just to give you an idea of how much is in this guide let me just tell ya that it is 374 pages long.  They are full of lesson plans, discussion questions as well as coloring and activity pages {things that would fit nicely into a science or nature notebook}. 
This series would make a great addition to any homeschool library.  I believe that these DVD's are worthy on their own, would nicely compliment a study of swimming creatures and ocean life or they would also be great as a stand alone science curriculum for student in 3rd grade and under.

Each video is available directly through Dive Into Your Imagination for $19.95. For the months of May and June, Annie is offering FREE Shipping!

The PDF's are also available for sale.  The guides are available as a printed version for $299 for the whole set of 6, which would the Pre K - K and 1-3 grades for each of the 3 DVD's.  They can also be purchased as individual PDFs for $69.95.

As a special for the Homeschool Crew and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and followers Annie Crawley of Dive Into Your Imagination, Annie is willing to GIVE you a set of PDFs with purchase of the DVDs, meaning for FREE!  When you place your DVD order, just let her know in the notes that you are a Homeschool Parent!

Take a peek at what others on the TOS Crew are saying about the Dive Into Your Imagination DVD's!

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are mine.

TOS Crew: Creek Edge Press

We got selected to review for Creek Edge Press through the TOS Crew.  To be honest, I had not heard of Creek Edge Press prior to this opportunity, but I am so glad that I have now. 

Creek Edge Press is a company, created by a homeschool mom named Amy Kate Hilsman, that creates educational task cards.  The cards are made up around a specific subject.  With in these task cards are activities that were designed around some of the best ideas from the Charlotte Mason, Classical and Montessori education styles.  Let me break it down little further....(from the Creek Edge Press website)

Classical – The tasks point to key vocabulary that students will use in future years of study. The tasks encourage students to read, think, and respond. The research tasks facilitate a habit of reading for detail, preparing the grammar stage student for work in the dialectic stage.


Charlotte Mason – The tasks rely on narration, in a variety of forms, as a primary means of response to reading and listening. The student encounters meaningful ideas and beautiful expression within the materials chosen for study.

Montessori – The parent prepares a learning environment and the student engages in research tasks indicated on the cards. While the topics on the cards are specific, the tasks are purposely open ended to allow for individual investigation and response at the student's pace.

 

Creek Edge Press' goal was to create an affordable tool that pulls together the best of these educational styles that would create a discovery based, research oriented, independent learning environment.  The task cards were designed with students in grades Kindergarten through 8th grade.

 

We were given the choice between History, Science or Geography task cards and we chose the Earth & Space Task Cards.   I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these task cards!  What a fabulous idea!  I love how they are laid out with 4-9 tasks per card.  She suggests that students complete 1 task card per week (which seems quite reasonable to me) but there is plenty of room for flexibility. 

Like I said, we chose Earth and Space science.  I think this was a good choice.  Let me share a few of the suggested activities through out the 35 Earth & Space Cards:

• Encyclopedia Research
• Making information booklets
• Making Posters & Collages
• Vocabulary Words
• Clay Models
• Sketching Ideas
• Mapwork
• Suggestions for Further Reading
• Topics for Narration

In addition to the task cards, we received the included task card manual that explains the ideas behind the task cards and how to use them.  How to prepare the environment fort he task card approach as well as a book list (living books, yippee!)

I  know that I already said it but again, I really LOVE these cards!  I have been trying to get my girls a bit more independent and these cards have been one of the tools that I have been using : )  I just think the task card approach is a wonderful idea!  The ideas and book suggestions are great.  In the future I would love to purchase or review the History Cards, I bet they are really neat too.

Did I mention how affordable these cards are?  To purchase the Earth & Space Task Card along with the Manual the cost is only $18.00.

The subjects that Creek Edge Press currently has task cards available for are:

• Science - Life Science, Earth & Space, Chemistry & Great Scientists, Physics & Digital Science
• History - Ancient World, Medieval World, American History, Early Modern World, Modern World, Geography & Culture
• Art - Art & Artists
• Grammar Reinforcement
• Music - Music & Composers

The task cards vary in price from $18.00 -$90.00, the most expensive being a Complete History Package. 

I have to admit, the task card approach has made me want to really reconsider my curriculum choices for next year because I like them so much!

You can see what other members of the TOS Crew think about Creek Edge Press HERE.

We received the Earth & Space Task Cards from Creek Edge Press at no charge for review purposes only.  We were not compensated in anyway nd the opions expressed here are my own. 

TOS Crew: Nature Nuts Game

We love all things nature!  Whether it be birds, animals, plants, bugs or anything else that the Lord created, we are all about it!  So when we were asked if we wanted to review the Wise Alec: Nature Nuts, Travel Game and Expansion Set by Griddly Games we were all very excited. 

Griddly Games also has a Wise Alec board game, that Nature Nuts can be an expansion set to.  We, however, are just viewing Nature Nuts as a travel game. 

I want to first say I was impressed with the packaging of this game.  That might sound a little lame, but if I am supposed to be able to travel with this game and four kids it needs be durable, which it most certainly is.  It comes in a sturdy, narrow box that stays closed by a magnet, very smart idea I might add.  There are no directions to lose because they are printed right on the inside of the box.  There are 200 playing cards and a dice which stay nicely tucked away when not in use by a clear plastic cover.  Now that I have all my Type A reader's attention : ) let's move on to the fun stuff! 

Nature Nuts comes with 200 Cards:

• 50 Animals Trivia Cards
• 50 Plant Trivia Cards
• 50 Earth Trivia Cards
• 50 Wise Alec Cards

Each of the trivia cards has 2 levels of questions on it so that younger children can play along with the older kids and adults.  For instance one of the Animal Trivia Cards has these two questions:

• Reptiles have these covering their skin.  What are they?   Answer: scales/scutes
• Some animals disguise themselves to look like more dangerous ones. What is this called?  Answer: mimicry

As you can see there is a big difference in the levels.  Which I think is great for a family style game, it makes it challenging to the older players as well as the younger. 

The way that you play Nature Nuts starts off this like:

• Get a pen and paper to keep score. 
• Then decide on a point goal to place towards depending on how long you would like to play.
• Roll the dice.  Depending on what color you roll, this tells who will draw a card for you and what kind of card is going to be drawn.  You will then be asked your trivia question. 
• If you roll the color purple then you get to pick up a Wise Alec card, and look out if you do.  Those Wise Alec cards can have you doing exercises, brainteasers or tongue twisters and winning or losing points in the process!
• The winner is the first person to meet the point goal!

We think the Wise Alec cards are neat, they really add a lot of fun to the game!  They have you do things like:

• Do your best bird call.
• Name 3 Mammals.
• Repeat this 5 Times - Six Sleek swans swan swiftly southwards.
• Do your best impression of a monkey.
• Do your best shadow hand animal complete with sound effects.

This game is simple, yet lots of fun.  It would be great to take on at trip.  Nature Nuts would be great for family game night or to play for science.  It would also make a great family gift for the holidays!

You can purchase you own Wise Alec: Nature Nuts Travel Game from Amazon for $14.99 plus shipping. You can also check Griddly Games' website for a local store near you.

If Nature is not your thing, but you like the sound of the game, have no fear!  They have a Sport's Buff and a Civilize This! version available as well as the full Wise Alec Game.

Hope you all enjoy this game as much as we have!

We received Wise Alec: Nature Nuts free of charge for review purposes.  We were not in any way compensated for this review and the opinions expressed here are my own.

A Quest for Shark's Teeth - An Educational Outing

It all started a few weeks ago when I bought the kids some shark books from a yardsale.  Alpha Boy immediately claimed them for his personal book box. 

The LSG Kids, my niece and nephew, on an anchor outside of the Calvert Marine Museum in Maryland.

One day Alpha Boy was looking at the shark books and we were discussing facts about them.  I had told him that they are always losing their teeth and that there was a place nearby (well about an hour away) that we could go and find some.  And keep them. 

You how you can tell your kids something and then you see a certain light in their eyes and total excitement?  This was one of those moments.  I knew that really wanted to make this happen. 


Today was the day.  I took my kids, my niece and nephew and off we went.  An hour away, 5000 punch buggies, 2 million yellow cars (you had to be there) and 2 quiet game winners later we were there. 

Arrr matey!

Our first stop was the Calvert Marine Museum (which is very inexpensive BTW).  I thought we'd be in and out in 30 minutes tops.  Boy was I wrong, the kids loved it here plus there was lots of stuff to do. 

Looking at the sting rays and skates up close.

We started off looking at the sting rays and skates.  There are very cool.  I got to tell the kids how I caught a skate years ago when I was fishing in the bay with friends.  : )  We got to see skate eggs, which was REALLY cool! 

The boys playing with an interactive trivia game screen.

Lots to see and learn!

The life cycle of a skate egg.

Real live skate eggs.  This picture doesn't do this exhibit justice.  It was really neat how you could actually see the babies moving inside the eggs.  Have you ever seen an egg like this?

 They had an awesome mural which captured Little Bit's attention.

Next we went to the discovery room.  I think we were in there like an hour or so.  There were sea hermit crabs, star fish, turtles and other cool critters.  There was a light house and a really cool boat the kids could go in.  The very best part of that room was the Dig Area where the kids could look for fossils and teeth.  And keep them.  One per kid to be exact.  Alpha Boy hardly left this spot other than running back and forth to ask the lady at the desk "Hey, what is this?" 

The Lil' Chef checking out a small diamond back turtle.

One of the tanks in the discovery room, that contains star fish, sea hermit crabs and several other critters.

Alphaboy was so content to stay at the Dig Area and dig and dig and dig!  The kids could keep one fossil of their choosing.  After finding several things worth to keep he finally settled on a Tiger Shark's tooth.

We got to walk thru the rest of the museum looking the different exhibits, including the many aquariums.  We got to see blue crabs, sea horses, lots of fish and my personal favorite, the jellyfish.  I was asking my little peeps, "How can anyone look at these jellyfish and wonder if there is a God?"  God is just such an awesome Creator! 

Just one of the neat exhibits we saw.

This was a HUGE case full of different fossils, sharks teeth and such.

  

At the museum they have an open window to one of the labs. The kids learned ALOT.  She showed us how to tell the age of a whale by looking at parts of it's spine.
This women reminded me of my grandma because of her accent.  Come to find out they were both from Munich, Germany.  I told her, "I knew I recognized that accent anywhere."



How can one look at this thing and not KNOW there is a Creator.  I mean, REALLY??

Maryland is know for it's Blue Crabs (and Old Bay).

nce we walked outside we were greeted by two ADORABLE otters!  I contemplaited how I could take one home with me. I could have just sat there forever and watched these playful little guys. 

I wasn't the only one who enjoyed the otters.

We also enjoyed the view from the lower level of the light house that is at the museum.  The top was closed for lunch and we didn't get to make it back.  After the light house, we got to check out lots of really neat boats, some old and some really really old. 


This was a neat little light house, I really wish we could have gone all the way up.

Checking out some old boat.  One of the boats was a two log canoe from the mid 1800's.

Before we left I asked a lady that worked at the museum how far it was to one of the state parks that we were going to go to for sharks teeth.  I also inquired about how far of a walk it was from the car to the actual beach (one place was like 2 miles!!).  This super kind lady told us just to go to her beach.  she offered for us to just park in her driveway so we wouldn't get towed.  Her beach was free and about a 3 minute walk from her house.  She was SO nice.  She even offered for us to just go inside her porch and grab some shark's teeth that they had if we didn't find any.  I really couldn't believe how nice this lady was. 

We were all having so much fun, nobody wanted to leave. 

We really enjoyed the beach, other than a kind older man that helped us find shark's teeth we had the beach to ourselves.  None of us wanted to leave, myself included.  It was so peaceful and relaxing.

On the way home we stopped for sundae's.  It was supposed to be the prize for the quiet game winners but instead everyone got one.  Well except for Little Bits, he had already drifted blissfully off to sleep. 



I really just thought we'd go and dig in the sand for a bit.  I never imagined how cool the museum would be or how much we would learn.  I thought we were just taking the day off but actually it turned into quite the little science lesson.

It was a good day!

This post is linked up over at Let's Hit the Road - Field Trip Blog Hop!  Great blog for the field trip enthusiast!