Apologia Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics {A Review}

A homeschool science curriculum that is a great introduction to physics and chemistry.

Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics 

The Essentials - What you need to know

• Apologia 
• Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics  and Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics Notebooking Journal
• Grade K - 6
• A hardbound textbook and a spiral bound journal. 
• Textbook: $39, Journal: $24

The Review

Apologia does a fantastic job with their young explorer series of homeschool science curriculum.  Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics is no exception.  Written by Jeannie Fulbright, the textbook is comprehensive, yet easy to understand.  Written for elementary students, grades K - 6, I wanted Zippy to use this book because I believe that it will help her achieve a solid introduction to the subjects, before moving on to "real" chemistry and physics in high school in just a few short years.

The books are of the highest quality both in physical appearance and content.  The textbook is a hardbound textbook sized book.  It is well organized with a table of contents, index, answer key and extensive supply list.  As with other Apologia books in the young explorer series there is a through introduction on how to use the book along with the journaling notebook. With these sound instructions, I believe that anyone would feel comfortable teaching science.  The text has fourteen lessons including topics of matter, atoms, compounds, mixtures, simple mechanics, motion, kinetic energy, sound, light, thermal energy, electricity, and magnets.

The methodology of this series is based heavily on the Charlotte Mason approach.  The notebooking journal adds another layer to the learning.  As it says in the Note from the Author at the beginning of the journal,  "It provides a place for students to complete the assignments in the test as well as many optional activities, and will serve as their individual notebook."  Extra extensions to the text include crosswords, copywork, mini books, additional hands on activities, project pages and field trip sheets.

In addition to all the wonderful resources to be found in the text and notebooking journal, Apologia provides a course website with online resources.  One of my personal favorite links is the video showing how to blow a bubble with bubble gum, which is part of an activity in chapter 2.

Zippy is still having a blast working her way through this book.  There is a lot of really information rich text, but there is just as great an amount of trying it out.  More than I
have seen in any of the other young explorer series. So much, in fact, I felt a little overwhelmed. It makes sense that a book about chemistry and physics would have so many actives as these concepts are so well suited to them.  Just think, when we cook we are using chemistry, and that is an activity many do every single day.  Many of the "try this" activities throughout each chapter are simple activities requiring things that are really found around the house and take just a few minutes to complete.  At the end of the chapter, and additionally in the notebooking journal, there are more complex projects.  Zippy's favorite project so far involved playing with density.

Thinking back on my own public school science education, I know that I learned all the concepts in this book, but I learned most of it in high school and college.  This book does not shy away from big information like atoms, the periodic table, even Newton's Laws of Motion.  It shares this big information in such an understandable way, with the help of lots of activities, without sounding patronizing that even a young child would be able to comprehend. The other aspect of this book that I absolutely love, love, love is the Christian worldview.  Science is a beautiful lens that can help us see the hand of the Creator.  There is scripture in the copywork, sprinkled throughout the text, and the author is always careful to give glory to God in her writing.

For the duration of the review period we used. Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics as our sole science text.  We tried a couple of different approaches to the activities.  Zippy read through the whole chapter, completing the notebooking activities and end of chapter questions then did the activities.  For a difference chapter she did the activities as she came to them in the chapter.  The second approach probably worked the best, pedagogically speaking.  I would suggest, as a parent, to look ahead, review all the activities, and collect in one spot all the materials necessary for that chapter.  We got hung up a couple of times because of my lack of foresight.  

All in all, I love this book.  It is proving to be the perfect introduction to some complex topics.  By learning these concepts now, I believe it is setting Zippy up to be more successful in science in her higher education.

God's World News {A Review}

A monthly news magazine with a Biblical world view for kids.

God's World News

The Essentials - What you need to know

• Publisher: God's World News 
• Product: God's Big World
• Age Range: Pre K - Kindergarten
• A thin magazine that comes in the mail monthly.  God's Big World shares short news stories with simple words that little ones can understand easily along with maps, photos and ties to the Bible. Along side the magazine is a large collection of searchable articles online. 
• $28 for a years subscription for home use.  (To look at other subscription rates please see their website.)

The Review

God's World News publishes six different monthly news magazines for children.  Each is aimed at a different age group.  The magazine that we reviewed was God's Big World aimed at children pre-k to kindergarten.  Over the review period we received three magazines: the August, September and October 2013 editions.  We also received a bonus wall map of the world.  

Each magazine was 24 pages and contained about 15 stories.   Some stories are very, very short, sometimes only a sentence or two. They use simple words and there are lots of lovely, color pictures, maps and illustrations.  Some stories, labeled read to me, are a bit longer, in smaller print and use longer words.  My son does not read yet, but the super short stories could be read by early readers. Almost all the articles also have teaching tips at the bottom of the page in really small print.  The tips expand on the topics and give the adult reader a little more information.  The articles cover a variety of science and social studies topics.

The name of the publication is God's World News, so it is not a surprise that scripture is frequently used. Sprinkled through each issue is a section called Bible2Life where the editors draw lines from the article to scripture.  An example that I especially enjoyed was an article on animal conservation.  The Bible2Life made the point that people who are helping endangered animals are being obedient to God's command for humans to have dominion over the animals given in Genesis 1:28.  

Throughout the magazine there are puzzles that tie into the topic just explored.   The magazine does not have glossy magazine pages, rather the pages are thick paper which makes writing with a pencil or coloring with crayons or colored pencils easy.  The puzzles were a little hard for my four year old son.  Some we did together or I modified.  An example of this was a puzzle about the seasons.  There were four pictures each depicting a different season and the words winter, spring, summer and fall above each pictures.  The child was supposed to circle the correct word for each picture.  My son and I looked at the pictures together and he said which season was correct for each picture.  

I used the magazines as part of our preschool at home.  I read one story per day and did the accompanying puzzle if there was one.  I think that the articles were well chosen for their audience.  So many had topics that would really interest young children like transportation, dinosaurs, animals and weather.  Some of the articles were clearly tied to the season.  One article that we liked  was in the September issue.  It was about how Georgia, which is called the peach state, is producing blueberries.  There were pictures of blueberries and peaches. The Little Dude's favorite foods are juicy fruits.  We had been eating fresh peaches from the grocery for several weeks and he asks for blueberries whenever he gets a chance.  Blueberries are also one of the biggest crops in Michigan.  There was  a photo of children picking peaches.  We recently went on a field trip to pick apples, so he was familiar with the concept.  Because of the season, all of these events were fresh in his mind and it was easy to talk about the peaches and blueberries and where where came from.  There was also a map of the United States and a question:  "Which state do you live in?  What is your state famous for."  It proved a wonderful opportunity to talk about where we live and where our food comes from.  

This thin monthly publication is a treasure trove of information that can help a young child see into God's wider world.  I would recommend this magazine.

Zondervan Homeschool Mom's Bible {A Review}

A beautiful Bible filled with encouragement for homeschool Moms.

Homeschool Mom's Bible - NIV

The Essentials - What you need to know
• Zondervan 
• Homeschool Mom's Bible - NIV 
• Age Range: The devotions in this Bible are targeted toward moms of homeschooling children.
• A hardback book with thin pages and a paper dust jacket.  It is a comfortable size, niether large, nor pocket sized.
• $34.95

The Review

This review was a bit of gift for me.  The Bible that I generally use I got almost twenty years ago. It is well used, highlighted and written in and to tell the truth a little shabby looking.  This beautiful book was a joy to read not only because it is the inspired word of God, but because of the new, crisp pages.  It is not a large book, about the size of any church pew bible, measuring 8 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches. It fits nicely into a tote bag.  I requested the New International Version (2011 update) because that is my personal reading preference.  There is also a King James Version available. The type is standard print, not large print.

As far as basic Bible features there is a table of contents, list of books of the Bible, a preface by  the Committee on Bible Translation, which is in every NIV Bible, table of weight and measures, short topical index, and a few pages for notes. It does not have a lot of Biblical scholarly extras, commentary or concordance but it does have a wealth of encouragement for the homeschooling mom.

There is a beautiful forward written by Vickie Farris wife of HSLDA founder Dr. Michael Farris, talking about how we need to pause in the busyness of our homeschooling days to spend time with God's word. There is a few short paragraphs about the publishers and one short paragraph about Janet Tatman, the author of the devotionals sprinkled throughout the text. Then there is half a page About the NIV Homeschool Mom's Bible where Janet explains how the book is organized.  The book contains 365 devotionals, each a page long or a little less.  Every day of the year has a devotional chronologically ordered starting with January 1.  They are spread throughout the scriptures every few pages.  It dawned on me, after a few weeks that if I read the scripture between the devotionals it would give a nice framework for reading through the Bible in a year. I always wanted to do that and with this new tool intend to do so starting January 1 of next year.   The one thing that I deeply appreciated about the introduction to the devotionals while they are designed to encourage the homeschool mom they do not take away from the supremacy of scripture.  Janet ends her introduction with these words "More important than any of the special feature of this Bible is the text itself..."

The devotionals themselves are short and chock full of encouragement.   They range in topics and address all aspects of the homeschooled life.  They include a scripture, devotional and prayer. They all hold a nugget of truth.  I have my devotional time first thing in the morning.  Reading scripture and this short encouragement helped me to start my day with a right mindset.  I would recommend this Bible to any homeschooling mom. It would make a great gift too.

The Presidential Game {A Review}

A board game that combines learning with fun.

The Presidential Game

The Essentials - What you need to know

• The Presidential Game
• Age Range: 11 to adult 
• A board game with a board, pieces, and rules. There is also an optional tool to help play the game online. 
• $35

The Review

It was an exciting day when the Presidential Game showed up on our doorstep.  Zippy asked what the big box was, I said a game.  It was like Christmas.  She could not get the box opened fast enough. There was ooohing and aahing over the quality box and its contents.  She opened all of the plastic baggies with pieces (there are a lot of pieces) and organized them. Then the questions started.  How do you play, what are the rules, what are all the pieces for?  Well, there nothing for it but to break out the rules and play a game.  But first I had to find something for my four year old son to do.  This game is definitely for older children to adults.  The recommended ages are 11 to adult, but I could see a smart 9 or 10 year old getting the concept.  It can be simple, but it can also be complex depending on the people playing.  

In the blue box we found a quality cardboard game board with a map of the United States.  Each state has a circle on it.  Most states are a solid color, but four states had a picture of George Washington on them.  There is also a nice plastic organizer which holds red and blue round plastic chips, 3 red dice, and 3 blue dice.  There are also thin cardboard square that say "Vote Democrat" and "Vote Republican".  These cardboard square fit nicely over the square plastic containers that contain the pieces and dice.  There is also a deck of cards, a score keeping notepad and the election rules, the rules of the game.

Before the game the players decide if they are going to be Republican or Democrat and how long the game is going to be.  According to the directions 30 turns, which is the most on the score card, takes about an hour.  We played much shorter games.  The basic idea of the game is to secure at least 270 electoral votes at the end of the game.  Each state clearly has noted on it how many electoral votes it gets.  The players secure the states with votes, each chip representing a vote. Votes are gained (or lost) by the roll of the dice.   There can be a fair amount of strategy with the votes.  Zippy played several times learning a little more about strategy each time.  One time she played with her dad she decided to forcefully go after the states with the biggest number of electoral votes, she lost because she concentrated so hard on the big states that she lost sight of the bigger picture and lots and lots of little states added up to more votes.

There were two options for play every turn.  One option was very straight forward, roll the dice and put your votes down.  The other was a little more random.  There were more choices where votes can be put and there was a politics card.  These cards were my favorite part of the game.  They added a little randomness, and some of them rang quite true of our political system.  An example of a card would be "The United Auto Workers (UAW) just endorsed you.  Add 5 votes to Michigan".  They could also take away votes, so it is a risk to play with them. The cards can be funny. They also have a lot of local flavor, some references were so local I had to look them up learning something in the process.   Fair warning there are some touchy political subjects in the cards including legalizing marijuana, immigration and  racism.  They also touch on some moral issues such as alcoholic drinking,  gambling, and marital indiscretions.  While I, personally, did not agree with some of the political views, they represent the views of certain political entities in the United States.  Frankly, they led to a lot of discussion.  Many, many why questions were asked and answered and I believe that my daughter now has a better grasp of our political leanings and why we choose to vote the way we do.

This game was a lot of fun to play. We have played it several times.  I look forward to the next big family gathering (either Thanksgiving or Christmas) because I know this game will be a big hit.    

People Keys {A Review)

A helpful tool to understanding how your child (or even you) works and thinks.

PeopleKeys

The Essentials - What you need to know
• PeopleKeys
• DISC Career Style Report
• Age Range: 13 to adult
• An online test that identifies the students personality style, using the DISC system.  The results can be printed.
• $12.00

The Review

We are at a place in life where the question "what do you want to do when you grow up" is becoming a little more urgent.  I wanted to review this product from PeopleKeys because I hoped it would give my daughter a little more insight into what she might enjoy doing as a career so we can begin to plan high school and higher education. I think that it accomplished that goal.  

This product is a really quick, painless way to get a wealth of information.  The test is online.  We were sent a list of instructions and a link via e-mail which we followed to a test.  I read the questions to Zippy to make sure that she understood the vocabulary.   One type of question asked the student to put words in order from what is most like them to what is least like them.  That portion led to quite an interesting vocabulary lesson but in the end she understood what the questions were asking and I believe that we got an accurate assessment.  There were also multiple choice questions.  The assessment did not take very long to do.  When the end came it surprised me because in the beginning they make clear that the test will take some time to take.  When the test portion was over it offered an analysis that could printed out.

You may be asking what is DISC? DISC is a personal assessment tool.  At the most basic level it classifies a person with four different aspects:  Dominance, Influence, Stable, Compliant.   There are many applications for the DISC assessment tool.  The test that Zippy took, the DISC Career Style Report, is actually designed to look at a person's strengths and weaknesses in the workplace and suggest potential careers based on the test information.

This assessment tool offered more than just a list of potential jobs.  First it described her style.  It gave a general description then it went into some detail in how her style interacts with other people, with projects and time management.  Everything in the report was phrased in the context of an employment situation, which was a little odd for me to read about my thirteen year old daughter, but this test is meant for thirteen and older and it is an assessment of how a person would react in a work environment.  There were also three boxes that gave bullet points of general characteristics, motivators, and her ideal environment.  I'm glad that this portion of the analysis was first.  It allowed me to hold up their assessment to what I know of my child. She could hold it up for herself and ask the question is this how I behave in this situation or that?  I agreed with the vast majority of this description, which allowed me and her to accept that the list of careers might be something that she would be a good fit for.

The analysis then when on and described Zippy's professional style and give some interactive workplace characteristics.  Then it gave some tips for her particular style in the workplace.  Every style has strengths and weaknesses.  This really gave some wonderful insights in how to interact with other styles, people who see the world differently.  Zippy is a high I, by the way.  Here is an example of one of the tips it gave her: high Is have a loose interpretation of time, and it suggested that other people may be more structured in their timeframes.  It gave several suggestions on how to not be late for important appointments.  I found this to be especially enlightening as a parent because it gave me some insight into my child.  I know that I am almost her complete opposite on the DISC spectrum.  It helped me to work out some frustrations that we were having with schoolwork.  Because right now her workplace is her school, which happens to be in our home.

Last, but certainly not least is the lists of occupations enjoyed by a particular style.  It gave lists for the two styles that she scored the highest in.  In total there are more than one hundred different occupational choices.  A really nice starting place to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up.

Overall I think this would be a valuable tool for any middle or high school student who is looking to understand how they interact with people and how that might affect the job they may have or one day have.

Doorposts - Beauty in the Heart {A Review}

A Bible Study perfect for young women.

Beauty in the Heart - A Study of Godly Beauty for Young Women 

The Essentials - What you need to know
• Published by Doorposts 
• Beauty in the Heart - A Study of Godly Beauty for Young Women 
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• A large paperback or e-book.  A Bible study focusing on beauty.
• $14.00

The Review

We reviewed the paperback book.

This is a collection of studies around the theme of Godly beauty.  Each lesson leads the student through a specific method of Bible study.  The methods included are: inductive, verse study, character study, book study, word and topical study, and chapter study.  The book is designed teach the student how to study the Bible.  There are nine studies with a short review at the end.  Each lesson is broken into 5 sections, so each study should take a week to complete.  According to the introduction to the book, each section should take 5 - 20 minutes to complete.  Each section is also conveniently broken into tasks such as reading, answering questions, underlining and looking things up in various reference materials.  There are addition suggestions for study at the end of the each lesson.  With the additional suggestions this one study could easily last for a whole year.

Each lesson packs a lot of information.  Since each lesson is a different kind of Bible study there is a short checklist of how to do the study and what the student will need.  For example, the first study is an inductive Bible study.  The student reads and observes, interpret and organizes, then applies.  Supplies needed are Bible, Bible Alas, Study Bible or Bible Commentary, colored pencils and an English Dictionary.  As each section is a different method of study the supplies needed are also different.  The introduction mentions that in order to get the full benefit from the study it would be beneficial for the students to have Nave's Topical Bible and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.  Each study uses a different methodology for study, so there was no pattern to the study, which adds flavor to the learning.   The study used the King James version of the Bible.  We used the New International Version and had no trouble with the transition between translations.

Because there is so much information in each day Zippy was overwhelmed.  One of the very first tasks in the the study is to read the entire book of I Peter.  We started and stopped all in one day.  My original plan was to hand her the book and have her complete the days on her own.  I would then look at the answers to make sure they made sense.  There is not an answer key.  But because of the overwhelm I went back and broke the days up even further.  It was easy to do because the days are broken up into tasks.  It took us more than two weeks to get through the first lesson, but it worked for us to break it up so much. The way that the book is structured really lends itself to giving the student just the amount of information that they can handle and I appreciated that organization. Another thing I especially liked about the study is the little grey boxes in the outer margins of the book.  They give insight into the study and often relate to online resources.

I believe this study would be appropriate for adults and college age students as well a young women.  While the topic of beauty is especially apt for the middle school aged girl, it can still serve older students and women as a reminder of what we are in Christ.  I would recommend this Bible study for women both young and old.

MacPhail Center for Music {A Review}

Music lessons for homeschoolers in your home.

MacPhail Center for Music

The Essentials - What you need to know

• MacPhail Center for Music 
• Grades K-12
• Live, on-line music lessons using Sykpe.  There are technology requirements: a fast internet connection, microphone and web camera. For more info on the technical aspects you can check out MacPhail's online lesson webpage.  
• Price {from MacPhail's website}
  Special Introductory Pricing - Individual Instruction - Four Online Lessons for $111.  Receive four 30-minute individual online lessons from an outstanding teaching artist, from the convenience of your home. All K–12 homeschool students are eligible to participate in this package, a 25% discount from standard tuition rates.
  Daytime Flex Packs for Live Online Lessons offer flexibility to accommodate your busy schedule and help you achieve your unique musical goals. Simply schedule 8 Live Online Lessons during the 18 week semester on any weekday from 9 am – 3 pm CST. Unexpected scheduling conflict? Our cancellation policy gives you the option of canceling your lesson up to 48-hours in advance, without forfeiting the lesson. Whether you travel for work or leisure, juggle kids' extracurricular activities, or live in an area where options for studying your instrument are limited, MacPhail's Daytime Flex Pack can help you experience the joy of music-making. Standard pricing will apply after introductory lessons at $37 per 30-minute lesson.

The Review

This was one of the very best musical education experiences that Zippy has had.  I was very pleased with the entire process from the first contact through the final drum lesson.

The lessons are done through Skype.  This was a new and exciting experience for me.  Before lessons could begin I had to install Skype. It was painless and the people at MacPhail were available every step of the process. To start Kristin, the Online Manager, sent an informative e-mail describing the process from installing Skype to matching Zippy with a teacher.  Then Kristin and I had a face to face conversation via Skype to check to see if all of my technical requirements were functioning properly.  We went over the basics and she had Zippy bang on her drum to make sure the sound was coming in clearly.  Then she matched Zippy up with a teacher and we set the up the first lesson via e-mail. Kristin also checked with me via e-mail in the middle and at the end of the lessons.  If any issues arose, I felt comfortable in contacting her. For this review we had four lessons, one lesson per week for four weeks.

A short background on Zippy's drumming.  She played the drums for two years in small band in a small school.  Then she had six months of drum lessons. Zippy was matched with David as a teacher.  I really had no expectations or goals for the lessons.  Zippy likes to play the drums and I thought this would be a fun and educational for her.  David was organized, professional and patient.  I think she learned as much from this four week lesson run as she did in the six months of lessons prior.  Previously Zippy was taking lessons with the goal of trying out for a local youth symphony. She did not feel confident when auditions came around in the Spring.  I believe that if she took lessons with MacPhail with that same goal she would be prepared to audition.

While there was a general plan, David was very willing to meet Zippy where she was technically and in what she wanted to learn.  Every lesson he reviewed what she learned previously, instructed her on new information and gave her three goals to accomplish in her practice for the week.  The structure provided by the teacher made a huge impact.  It allowed Zippy to focus on what she needed to do.  Beforehand there was no mention of a book and I figured that I would have to order one.  I was delighted to find there was no book, instead David utilized Evernote an information sharing and storage application. In Evernote the teacher provided a a pdf e-book of drum sheet music, mp3s of practice rhythms, and written information as well. He used Evernote during the lesson to notate goals that Zippy should work on during the week.  Evernote is also capable of recording sound.  One week Zippy recorded her practice for David to analyse.  Another week David recorded the lesson so Zippy could go back and practice what he showed her during the lesson.  I was minimally involved.  My involvement primarily consisted of scheduling practice time for Zippy during our homeschool day.

I asked Zippy how she felt about the lessons.  "It was awesome." "He was a really great teacher." She asked for more lessons as a birthday present.  That speaks for itself.

The lessons took place during the day in our home.  This was exciting to me, as a mom, for three reasons. First Zippy works best earlier in the day.  This means that she is sharper for the lessons, so she could get the most out of it.  Second I did not have to take the time to drive anywhere. As a one car family it is sometimes difficult to manage homeschool activities that happen during the day.  Third, I did not have to find someone to watch the Little Dude or deal with a four year old in a waiting room. Zippy was on the first floor taking lessons and I took the Little Dude upstairs to play, both children were happy.

A word about price.  When I first looked at the price I was a bit daunted.  It is more expensive than most lessons that I have priced locally in the Detroit area. After experiencing the quality of teaching and the resources that were made available to Zippy  I came to the conclusion that while initially it seems more expensive it did prove results and thus is a better value.

If you are looking for high quality lessons for your homeschooled child from the comfort of your own home MacPhail Center for Music is the way to go.

I wanted to share one last thing.  Zippy's crowning achievement for the four lessons was the skill of a drum roll.  Here is a short video:

Hands of a Child {A Review}

Lapbooking and notebooking made fun.

National Parks (Notebooking)

The Essentials - What you need to know

•  Hands of a Child 
• National Parks 
• Grades 4 - 8
• A notepack e-book (also available in other formats) with reading information and printable notebook pages.   It is a pdf file, so it is necessary to have Adobe Reader, a free program, to access it. 
• $12.00

The Review

I was so pleased to be chosen to review this particular notebooking package.  Hands of a Child publishes quality lapbooking and notebooking materials.  In addition we have a very personal connection with this topic, which made learning about the national parks an even more enjoyable learning experience.

A lapbook is typically a folded book made from a file folder or two filled with mini books on a given topic. A notebook, by contrast, is a three ring binder with pages in it.  One of the things that I like about Hands of a Child is the wide variety of formats there are available for any given topic.  For instance, National Parks can be purchased as a lapbook e-book, lapbook CD, printed lapbook, printed lapbook + CD, lapbook kit pack, and notebook e-book.  There is some additional coast for the CD and printed lapbook formats.  We reviewed the notebook e-book.

I received the pdf file in an e-mail and opened it with Adobe Reader.  The title read "National Parks a complete notebooking unit".  There is some generally information on what a Project Pack is, explaining how to do a lapbook.  Then it talks about how to adjust the Project Pack to the needs of your child, whether that be making it simpler for a younger student or expanding on the content for an older student. Then a lovely table of contents (I love organized books), and a chart detailing a 6 day guide to reading, activities and vocabulary words.  Then there is a nice list of resources: a related reading list, a list of related materials from Hands of a Child, and a bibliography.  Right before the text itself, there is specific instructions on how to complete each activity (notebook page).

The twelve pages of text gives information on many of the National Parks some of which includes location, habitats, number of visitors, things to do and animals. It also highlights some of the issues facing the parks today and some geologic and natural features in the different parks.  Did you know that Isle Royal, part of the great state of Michigan, is the least visited National Park?

Directly after the text there is a nice glossary of Vocabulary words and their meanings.  Then there is 16 pages of printable notebooking pages.  Each activity has appropriate pages available.  The student fills in the notebooking pages using the information in the text section.  Then the pages are hole punched and put into a three ring binder, or folder.  At the end of the e-book is an answer key.

Zippy completed the unit in six days.  There were times when she felt it was really content rich and there was a lot of writing. This unit is doable in six days but could be easily, maybe even desirably extend to two or three weeks.

Zippy's favorite National Park is Yellowstone.  Check out the postcard she made (it is a geyser not a volcano I was told). Yellowstone was the first National Park and had unique geologic features like geysers and interesting animals.  Her Granddad also works summers there, so we have informally learned a lot about the Park over the last year and half.   It was fun to formally learn a little more about Yellowstone. That is the real beauty of Unit Studies is that with all of the selection of topics it is easy to find materials on whatever topic piques the students interest.  It lends itself well to a delight directed learning approach.

Yellowstone Mountain Goats