You guys know I love Science! I want to share with you a fun product from Timberdoodle, Stepping Into Science. Stepping Into Science is published by Thames & Kosmos and is recommended for kids ages 5-7+. This all-in-one kit makes science with your little ones convenient.
Using this Science kit, students will study 5 main topics through 29 experiments. These topics include Biology, Physics, Chemistry, air and water.
I am using Stepping Into Science as part of G's 2nd grade curriculum. I really like the convenience of a grab and go science program. Apart from common household items like water, vinegar, paper towels, crayons, etc., everything else is included.
Since there are 29 experiments, you can do 1 experiment a week to fill your school year or you can adapt and use it as best fits your needs. I find that G likes to sit down and do several experiments at one time so that is how we use our kit. I love that experiments are simple and easy to expand on for kids that want to learn more! In this particular kit students will learn what makes a magnify glass magnify, how air pressure indicates weather, how suction cups work, why soap bubbles are round, how air resistance depends on an object's size and shape and so much more! If you are looking for an easy to use, affordable Science kit for your young student, we would definitely recommend Timberdoodle's Stepping Into Science.
We celebrated G's 7th birthday over the weekend (a tiny bit early)! It was a bit of a whirlwind as we planned it last minute but we wanted A to be able to celebrate with us before she heads back to college tomorrow. G picked Baby Shark Theme 🦈
It is with a heavy heart that I announce that our beloved rescue dog, Stevie (affectionately referred to as Stevie Dawg here) passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 24th at home. He was so loved and the house has felt so empty without him. I'm so thankful for the 9 1/2 years we had with him and all the memories.
C turned 16 this week! I’m so proud of him and all his accomplishments. He is now taller than both David and I (and he may have another inch or two to go - who knows). He passed his driving test yesterday with a score of 98. We love you C!!
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| Singing to C |
Level 6 is in the books for D and what a season! She was suppose to compete at State last week and 2 days prior she ended up spraining her ankle. While we were all bummed for her, we are so thrilled with the amazing season she had and all that she accomplished. Way to go D, we are so proud!
We celebrated David's birthday last week. He's finally catching up to me 😉. A was able to make David a cake and come home for a few hours on his birthday to celebrate, so fun!
I have a fun high school product to share with you today from Timberdoodle, Java Programming. We were blessed to receive a one-year subscription for both B and C to use for 1 high school credit. This introductory programming course using the Java language requires no previous programming experience. You may remember our review of CompuScholar's Python Programming back in January 2020. This course can be used as an introductory coding course or it can be used to prepare for the AP Computer Science A exam. There are different syllabus options available for both options. As previously mentioned, this course is intended to last approximately 2 semesters (1 high school credit upon completion); however, students can move at their own pace whether that be faster or slower.
The format for this Java Programming course is simple. This course contains 24 required chapters and lessons with an optional additional 9 chapters and 4 supplemental chapters as well.
What topics are covered?
Required
Optional
Within the lesson text pages there are live code boxes where students can write code directly into their web browser, After executing it they can see the results. Within the lessons are "Work with Me" sections for additional hands-on practice. And each chapter also end with an auto-graded test. Most chapters also contain additional homework exercises as well as a larger hands-on coding project where students demonstrate skills learned.
I really appreciate that all lesson quizzes, chapter tests, and hands-on coding projects are all auto-graded in this course. Everything is completed online in a web browser. I do want to mention that there are optional chapters that do offer projects that require and external IDE and would be teacher/parent graded if completed, but there are rubrics provided for that if you choose to have your student complete them.
I like that through my teacher account I have access to teacher's guides for lessons, both quiz and test answer keys, activity guides, etc. We are using this course as a self-study so I am pretty much hands-off but I really appreciate having everything so if one of the kids needs help or a hint on something I can easily do this.
Java Programming is currently included in Timberdoodle's 11th grade curriculum kit. If you are looking for an introductory programming course, this one is great. CompuScholar's courses are well organized and makes coding very approachable for those with little or no previous programming knowledge. It has become a go-to in our homeschool.
I have another homeschool product to share with you today from Timberdoodle, The Nomadic Professor: US History 1 & 2. This digital course is geared for high schoolers (grades 9th and above) or students aged 14+. This course qualifies for high school credit and /or can also be used to prepare for the AP and CLEP tests.
US1 or American History 1 is broken into 10 units starting before Columbus looking at the pre-Columbian Americas through The Constitution and its ratification. US2 or American History 2 is similarly broken into 10 units beginning with Washington's presidency through the end of the Reconstruction era.
I really like the "nomadic approach" outlined above - guided, flexible, transparent and content-rich. I also really like the organization of this course as well. Each unit has materials needed or specific to that portion available for each session. I appreciate that the course material is easily accessible and available in print-friendly versions for the students to use! These courses use a combination of engaging videos and text to help history come alive.
Every unit includes a unit preview, pre-quiz, the unit material, summary and structure terms, post quiz and a document lesson.
Above you can see what will be covered in Unit 8: European Rivalries
I have really enjoyed that there are both pre-quizzes and post-quizzes to test the students knowledge of the material so they can see what they are learning and check that they are understanding the information. The document lessons are great as well. This is where students will look at historical literature and focus on different skills for historical literacy. They are taught to look at the source, contextualize about that source, read and infer about the claims/evidence/implications, and corroborate if other sources agree or disagree.
I really love the building your structures concept. It’s where you take the historical concepts and piece or connect them together, you need to be able to explain the definition of each of the terms and how they connect.
So for this first unit, students will need to be able to define or explain Mesoamericans, the Neollithic Revolution, Olmecs, Teotihuacan, Maya, glyphs, and Tenochtitlan. This can be done a number of different ways but it’s such a great way to solidify what you have learned and understanding how it fits together, so neat!
If you are looking for a US History curriculum for your high schooler or a course to help prepare your student for the AP and CLEP tests The Nomadic Professor would be an excellent choice!
