‘Tis the season to have a little fun with holiday math and science carols! Here’s a big assortment to sing with the kids. Test Tubes Bubbling(Sung to Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) Test tubes bubbling in a water bathStrong smells nipping at your nose.Tiny molecules with their atoms all aglowWill find it hard to […]
Here’s a fun science experiment to do with the kids that’s quick, educational and involves things you probably already have at home. Best of all, it’s really fun! I found the directions here but this experiment can be found all over the internet. This is a messy experiment that would be well suited for outside, […]
We have a new favorite science experiment book in our homeschool! I was lucky to preview an advanced copy of The Science Spell Book: 30 Enchanting Experiments for Kids earlier this year and immediately fell in love with it. It’s is one of my favorite children’s science books that I’ve read, and I’ve read a […]
Here’s a way for kids to be creative, spread awareness to protect our oceans and coral reefs, and possibly earn scholarship money through their art right now. The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation’s Science without Borders® Challenge is an annual art contest open to kids 11-19 years old, with scholarships of up to $500 […]
Our twelve year-old son, Alex, has been carrying around a huge science and history book for 3 days, devouring every page of it and talking to anybody who will listen about what he’s reading. The book is one that I reviewed recently for NetGalley, which I ordered after reading it because I thought it would […]
Here’s a wonderful infographic to help you and your kiddos identify 60 different trees by their fall leaves! The poster (courtesy of MJ Sales Umbrellas, which is no longer online but had a surprisingly helpful blog) helps kids learn about simple versus compound leaves, palmate versus pinnate leaves, and lobed versus not lobed leaves (see […]
Continuing in our series of absolutely free curricula in every subject for every grade, here’s a round-up of resources for math, science, history, language arts and more that are absolutely free for third grade. (Note from Alicia: This post was compiled as part of a series for my homeschooling column at Examiner, which is no […]
Here’s a fabulous astronomy freebie! Lie Back Look Up has created a wonderful 6-page stargazing diary for families to print out for free. It includes pages for kids to draw the constellations they see, draw the moon, track its phases and more. Find the stargazing diary here. Be sure to look around the rest of […]
Homeschooling in the middle school years doesn’t have to be expensive. There are many outstanding curricula for math, science, history, language arts and more that are absolutely free. Here are some of the best free resources for 7th graders in each subject. Note: This is a tiny fraction of what’s available online for free […]
Looking for a comprehensive chemistry course for the middle school level? The American Chemical Society provides their entire 691-page curriculum for free as a PDF download or online resource. Middle School Chemistry: Big Ideas About the Very Small is designed to be an 8-10 week course, with each lesson requiring about 45 minutes to one […]
Here’s a great freebie, courtesy of Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. They offer their 9th grade curriculum, “Fat Dogs and Coughing Horses,” absolutely free online. They say: The 9th grade biology curriculum is already full and teachers often feel pressured by trying to cover everything during the course of the school year. With that […]
Here’s a wonderful freebie for your nature studies. The Cornell Institute of Ornithology offers its 12 page BirdSleuth Explorer’s Guidebook absolutely free to download and print. The full color booklet includes lots of great stuff for identifying birds, including some fun activities and worksheets to fill out. Pages include: Wake up your ears What’s a […]
Here’s a great freebie for nature studies and botany lessons. Go Botany, a fantastic web site that has all kinds of plant identification tools, offers these printable cards. They say: Practice your identification skills with these handy plant quiz cards! Even when you cannot get outside or sample live plant specimens, you and your […]
We checked out a fabulous book from the library yesterday and it got our youngest daughter, Fiona, excited about finding and identifying feathers. Plume, written and illustrated by Isabelle Simler, was New York Times selection for Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2017 and you’ll be able to see why. I just find it enchanting and simple, […]
Looking for some fun ways to work nature studies into your homeschooling this month? Here are all kinds of wonderful ways to use nature to work science, math, writing, art and more into your learning. Whether you live out in the country or are stuck inside an apartment this month, there are still ideas to […]
Purple cabbage, like elderberry juice, is a natural pH indicator. That means that it changes colors depending when you add substances to it of varying pH levels. More acidic substances, like vinegar and lemon juice, turn it more pink. More basic substances, like dish detergent, turn it more blue. We came up with this experiment […]
Here’s a fantastic science freebie! The innate immune system is your first line of defense against many pathogens. BioLegend is offering their newest poster on Innate Immune Signaling, which covers TLR, NOD, Lectin signaling pathways, and more. You can learn more about innate signaling with their webpage and request this FREE poster and many others […]
Looking for some great resources to help teach physics? The American Physics Society offers a wealth of great resources for kids of all ages — free. The APS’s PhysicsCentral provides physics-related comic books to read online, along with coloring books, activity guides, podcasts and vodcasts, physics games, book suggestions and more. The comic books, which […]
Most people are familiar with the fun science experiment where you microwave a bar of soap to see what happens. The soap grows bigger and bigger into a sort of giant soap cloud, which kids can poke and squish (and even use in the bath or shower). It’s important when we do fun science experiments […]
If you’re going to be having turkey this Thanksgiving, here’s a great way to make use of those bones afterwards. Make bendable bones! This simple science experiment teaches kids the importance of calcium — and is also just really cool. Here’s what you need: A jar large enough to hold a chicken or turkey […]
It may be snowy and cold, but there are still lots of opportunities for science and nature studies this month. Here are five great ways to do some science and nature studies with your kids in January. Start a weather tree. Kids can use weather trees to track the weather for the year, either simply […]
Here’s another great free science curriculum that homeschoolers can take advantage of. San Diego State University has developed a full curriculum of biology lessons for prospective or practicing teachers, complete with experiments, discussion questions, teacher guides, and more. Note as of 7-17-14: The links to this curriculum are currently not working at the SDSU site. […]
Netflix has announced plans to offer an all-new series based on its most popular educational program, The Magic School Bus. The new series, The Magic School Bus 360°, will be produced by Scholastic Media, who also created the original series. Magic School Bus 360° will feature updated versions of the school bus, students and Ms. […]
Here’s a wonderful way to teach your little ones about weather. Mr. Printables has created a delightful printable weather station that is available for download absolutely free! Mr. Printables says: What’s the weather like where you are? Create your very own neat printable weather station to hang on your wall and report today’s weather like […]
Here’s another helpful science resource that’s free online. The American Chemical Society offers a free high school level curriculum on energy that contains lesson plans, handouts, experiments, video links and more. The curriculum can be viewed online or downloaded as a 152 page PDF file. ACS says: Energy Foundations for High School Chemistry is a […]
Here’s a wonderful resource to help teach evolution. The National Academies Press offers all of its evolution-themed science publications free online. One of the most helpful books is the NAP’s 88-page Science, Evolution, and Creationism, which was written by a team of experts from the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences and Institute […]
Here’s a sweet freebie to help with your child’s nature studies. Hobby Farms offers these printable bird sighting sheets to print out. They say: Use this bird-sighting chart to document what birds are nesting around your home and when you see them. When your chart is full of feathered creatures, print yourself another page! The […]