What is Funtastic Unit Studies?
I received a physical glossy, paperback book entitled, Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers Ages 4-13 By Susan Kilbride. The book is written for homeschoolers by a homeschooling mom but could easily be used in other settings as well. The experiments/activities could be easily adapted for a group setting like a co-op or even for a summer camp.
Before you even open the book, flip it over, and you have a full-color glossy hunt and find camouflaged animals worksheet (answers included in the pages in the back of the book).
Inside the book, it contains 20 chapters that each start with a list of supplies needed to conduct the at-home experiments. Most items are household or easily obtained things.
Each chapter unit also lists the age group of students to whom it is directed, with the first 10 chapters intended for those ages 4-7, and the last 10 chapters for those ages 8-13.
The chapters include:
For 4-7 year olds:
Before you even open the book, flip it over, and you have a full-color glossy hunt and find camouflaged animals worksheet (answers included in the pages in the back of the book).
Inside the book, it contains 20 chapters that each start with a list of supplies needed to conduct the at-home experiments. Most items are household or easily obtained things.
Each chapter unit also lists the age group of students to whom it is directed, with the first 10 chapters intended for those ages 4-7, and the last 10 chapters for those ages 8-13.
The chapters include:
For 4-7 year olds:
- Our Senses
- The Human Body
- Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life
- Animals
- Insects and Their Kin
- Fun with Magnets
- Stars and Planets
- Health
- Beginning Plants
- Animal Ecology
For 8-13 year olds: - Insects
- Microscopes and Invisible Creatures
- Atoms and Molecules
- Matter
- Chemistry Fun
- Weather
- Force and Motion
- Simple Machines
- Light and Color
- Plants II
Each chapter is separated by 4-8 parts that take a segment of the topic and describe it in more detail and includes activities. The latter chapters for the older kids, starting with Chapter 11, each end with a test, and some include worksheets.
Also included are answers to the tests and worksheets
Also included are answers to the tests and worksheets
How Did We Use It?
I was asked to complete at least one unit in the book, which was expected to take about 2 weeks. I chose to begin with my youngest child and focus on the 2nd chapter, The Human Body and then move on from there to include my 13-year-old as well, starting with Weather.
The skeletal system:
My first step was to familiarize myself with the layout of the book and then prepare to present it to my children. The book really explains everything well, so this step didn't take much time at all. The list of materials is the first thing in each chapter, and then each Part within each chapter describe a different aspect of that chapter's topic. I chose to look over the entire chapter, one part at a time, so I was prepared to move forward and not have to stop for me to read what to do next.
How the stomach and esophagus work:
Steam
...
We made our own rain/miniature water cycle:
And, our own weather vane
What Did We Think?
I was so excited the day the book arrived and got started reading how to use it to teach my children. All of my kids love hands-on learning, but my youngest is the most hands-on, active learner I've ever seen. I thought the chapters were easy to follow and provided informative science lessons while the kids were having fun. I appreciate that it provided the answers to everything so I didn't have to second guess myself and I love the easily accessible materials list at the beginning of each new chapter.
I am a unique homeschool teacher in that I prefer to follow a guideline of what my child needs to know and then let me be free to fill in the blanks, so I really appreciated that this book provided a fantastic guideline, complete with the learning goals and valuable information, all wrapped up into the Parts within each chapter but not as a precisely scripted format I had to follow word for word.
I also thought the experiment/activities were all very newbie me/non-scientist fail proof, which I absolutely was relieved about, because I have a history of somehow being able to mess up the point of an experiment since they often don't seem to work for me even though I follow the instructions to a tee. This book walked me through every activity/experiment with excellent diagram illustrations and instructions that didn't make me look like a fumbling rookie.
FREEBIE ALERT:
Check it out for yourself with TWO FREE PDF units from the book and some additional freebies from Funtastic Unit Studies.
I am a unique homeschool teacher in that I prefer to follow a guideline of what my child needs to know and then let me be free to fill in the blanks, so I really appreciated that this book provided a fantastic guideline, complete with the learning goals and valuable information, all wrapped up into the Parts within each chapter but not as a precisely scripted format I had to follow word for word.
I also thought the experiment/activities were all very newbie me/non-scientist fail proof, which I absolutely was relieved about, because I have a history of somehow being able to mess up the point of an experiment since they often don't seem to work for me even though I follow the instructions to a tee. This book walked me through every activity/experiment with excellent diagram illustrations and instructions that didn't make me look like a fumbling rookie.
Read what other members of the TOS Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:
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