True North: Our Canadian Homeschool: Discovery Education

Showing posts with label Discovery Education. Show all posts

Hands-on Earth Science with Discovery Education

I just love new terms. Fresh and shiny, just ready for lots of new ideas, new resources and new explorations! I love starting each new term knowing the promise of the learning that is ahead!

We have begun our new science unit for this term. The unit is on Earth Science. We continue to enjoy the great benefit of having my daughter's friend join us for science. This makes it so much richer. If you haven't ever done this I encourage you - invite a friend along!!

Chemistry was so great last term that we have decided to carry on with the same format using Discovery Education’s Teams Earth Science.

I picked up some of the needed materials on the weekend and got it organized.

Here is a list of the videos that are in this series:

TEAMS: Earth Processes: Maps and Models
TEAMS: Earth Processes: Mountain Building
TEAMS: Earth Processes: Rocks and Soils
TEAMS: Earth Processes: Sedimentation
TEAMS: Earth Processes: Time and Position
TEAMS: Earth Processes: Weathering and Erosion

Our daughter is also doing Adaptive Curriculum and if we have time I will also have her do the Hands of a Child Lapbook of The Earth.

Todays lesson on Maps and Models had a model of a contour map, so the girls covered the page with a ziplock bag and built their contours with different colors of clay. They turned out very well.

We are looking forward to the future lessons this term and another great opportunity for hands-on science! Blessings!

Diabolical Chemical Pursuits!

This month we have started the hands-on portion of our chemistry unit. We have invited a friend of “Little One’s” along to join us in our diabolical chemical pursuits!

I started by taking a look at the Teams Chemistry Unit in Discovery Education (you will need a subscription to Discovery Education). Though it is definitely “old school” I really like the way that it breaks down the steps of each experiment, tells the student where to pause the video and go and do it on their own. When the teacher is leading, he gives the student all of the information as he is showing the students the techniques and outcomes of the experiments.

TEAMS: Chemistry: Part 01: Observing Matter and Changes

(Full Video)

TEAMS: Chemistry: Part 02: Properties of Matter

(Full Video)

TEAMS: Chemistry: Part 03: Mixtures and Solutions

(Full Video)

TEAMS: Chemistry: Part 04: Chemical and Physical Change

(Full Video)

TEAMS: Chemistry: Part 05: Rates of Change

(Full Video)

TEAMS: Chemistry: Part 06: Vitamin C Testing

(Full Video)

TEAMS: Chemistry: Part 07: Density

(Full Video)

TEAMS: Chemistry: Part 08: Concept Using and Assessment

(Full Video)

There is a PDF that goes along with each lesson with all of the materials that you will need as well as the student worksheets and lesson plans.

Back in the summer I asked other home educators in our area if anyone would like to partner with us in sharing the chemicals for the experiments in these units. Two other families were willing and so I made a list and ordered the chemicals from New Horizons Scientific. They were very helpful as some of the names weren’t the same but they knew the chemicals that we would need. I have included the list as a here as a jpeg so that you can quickly save it if you would like to do this unit. It ended up costing a little over $20.00 per family.

Some of the other supplies needed are household items like baking soda, cornstarch, vinegar, sugar, fruit juices, steel wool, food colouring, bleach etc. One of the other families is just wrapping this Chemistry unit up. Both of our children have completed the Adaptive Curriculum Unit on Chemistry, have done the Discovery Education Teams Chemistry and are planning to give our children some exposure to the Periodic Table. I was thinking about having little one do this project and see some videos from this site. I was also thinking that this activity would be worthwhile.

Well, I hope that this will encourage you as you enter the world of Chemistry!!

Blessings!

Discovery Education - Jeff Corwin

Today I just wanted to share about some great nature videos we have enjoyed several times over that are on Discovery Education. Discovery has so many different Jeff Corwin videos that we are planning on watching more as we study Ecosystems this year for Grade 7. Jeff Corwin’s enthusiasm for nature is infectious! Especially his love of snakes and reptiles!! Though at times we have not agreed with Jeff Corwin's standpoint on evolution, we have still enjoyed these videos and the amazing animals that he has shown us. Blessings!
Here is a list of the videos that are currently on Discovery Education (you will need a subscription to login):

in this Series

The Jeff Corwin Experience: Africa: Namibian Ecosystem

(Full Video)

The Jeff Corwin Experience: Africa: Zanzibar's Archipelago

(Full Video)

The Jeff Corwin Experience: Alaska: An Extreme Environment

(Full Video)

The Jeff Corwin Experience: Amphibians

(Full Video)

The Jeff Corwin Experience: Anaconda

(Full Video)

The Jeff Corwin Experience: Animal Encounters