Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers (Review)

by Susan Kilbride

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Overview

Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers was written to help homeschooling parents teach science concepts to their children through guided hands-on activities. Most of the activities can be done using common household items. Instructions include what to say to teach each concept and what you need to do to prepare for each activity.

Specifications

About the Book

Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers was written by Susan Kilbride, a homeschool mom with a biology degree. She wrote this book to help you teach science concepts to your children using the same methods she used when teaching her own son.

Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers consists of twenty chapters of guided activities. Chapters one through ten include activities for children ages 4–7; chapters eleven through twenty include activities for children ages 8–13.

Each chapter begins with a materials list, so you'll know exactly what you'll need to complete the activities within the unit. You'll probably already have most of the materials at home, but you may need to get some things from the library, grocery store, or hardware store. You'll need to photocopy worksheets/templates from the book for some of the activities. Most of the activities can be completed within a typical class period, and the activities can be completed individually or in a group setting. A test is included at the end of each of the chapters designed for ages 8–13.

Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers includes activities in the physical, life, and Earth sciences and introduces the following topics:

Ages 4-7

• The Five Senses (Taste, Touch, Sight, Sound, Smell)
• Human Body Systems (Digestive, Respiratory, Circulatory, Skeletal, Nervous)
• Dinosaurs (Naming, Herbivores and Carnivores, Fossils, Extinction, Paleontology)
• Animals (Mammals, Reptiles, Amphibians, Birds, Fish)
• Insects (Spiders, Butterflies, Bees, Ants, Woodlice)
• Magnets (Attraction, Power, Poles, Magnetic Fields, Induced Magnetism)
• Space (Sun, Planets, Moon, Constellations)
• Health (Teeth, Diet, Exercise, Germs, Vitamin Safety)
• Plants (Seeds, Roots, Stems, Leaves, Flowers, Growth)
• Animal Ecology (Habitats/Biomes, Predators/Prey, Food Chains/Webs, Defenses)

Ages 8-13

• Insects (Classification, Exoskeleton, Life Cycles, Parts, Communication, Defenses)
• Microscopes and Microscopic Organisms (Lenses, Parts, Protozoa, Fungus)
• Atoms and Molecules (Atoms, Molecules, Crystals)
• Matter (States, Physical and Chemical Properties, Melting, Freezing, and Boiling Points, Solubility)
• Chemistry (Density, Surface Tension, Mixtures/Solutions, Conservation of Mass, Polymers, Electron Shells, Ions, Acids/Bases)
• Weather (Temperature, Water Cycle, Humidity, Barometric Pressure, Wind)
• Force and Motion (Force and Friction, Gravity, Inertia, Acceleration, Action/Reaction, Centripetal Force, Magnetic Force)
• Simple Machines (Work, Inclined Plane, Wedge, Lever, Pulley, Wheel and Axle)
• Light and Color (Direction, Visibility, Reflection, Refraction, Spectrum, Wavelength)
• Plants (Stomata, Photosynthesis, Respiration, Adaptations, Flower Parts, Cloning)

It is recommended that you complete the units in the order in which they are presented in the book, but you can easily jump around non-related science topics or incorporate specific activities into your existing science curriculum. If you want to try it before you buy it, Susan Kilbride offers two of her unit studies as free downloads. Take at look at Beginning Plants (Ages 4-7) and Atoms and Molecules (Ages 8-13) to see how the activities are structured.

Things We Noticed

As mentioned, there is a materials list at the beginning of each chapter, but you'll have to read through each part to find out what specific materials you need for each activity within the chapter. Also, not every activity is illustrated. If you're a picture person, you may need to read through some of the activities a couple of times to get a good understanding of what you or your child needs to do to complete them.

Recommendation

We recommend Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers to home educators wanting to introduce science concepts through hands-on activities. You'll find activities that are appropriate for both elementary and middle school children.

Summary

Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers is a helpful resource for home educators. Through guided hands-on activities, you can easily introduce many life, physical, and Earth science concepts to your children. If teaching science concepts is out of your comfort zone, if time is an issue and you need an easy way to include science lessons in your homeschool, or if you want to incorporate hands-on activities into your child's existing science curriculum, this may be the book you're looking for!

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Published on February 19, 2014 by iamhomeschooling.com