The Curiosity Files™ E-book: The Dung Beetle

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has recently launched a new product line called The Curiosity Files™ where you join Professor Ana Lyze in exploring some of God’s amazing creatures that are a bit on the unusual side.  Zombie Fire Ants, Cicada Killing Machine, and Quicksand are just a few of the titles that I considered putting my request in to review, but I managed to narrow down my choice to the Dung Beetle.

I don’t remember ever seeing a Dung Beetle until we were camped in Alabama for the first time.  My boys had taken our puppy for a walk and excitedly returned to our RV showing me the pictures of the ‘cool bugs’ they’d seen—of which the Dung Beetle was one.  I couldn’t believe it! I had to go out and find one myself. It didn’t take long, just a short way down the trail, we found a little bug pushing along a huge ball of dung.

After that, how could I pass up the opportunity to dig a little deeper? I have to admit, since the e-books are targeted for 8-13 year olds, I really thought they’d be too young for my teenagers, but the information they contained I found to be appealing to both younger and older children- especially if your older children just need a brief change of pace or your younger children want to listen in with the big guys.

Professor Ana Lyze takes you on a journey to discover the world of the Dung Beetle while sharing interesting facts and observations. The first few pages tell you about the Dung Beetle, followed by a short quiz to determine how close your child was paying attention. From there, you’ll find bible memory verses, copywork pages, vocabulary lists divided between elementary and jr. high/high school levels, math, literature, history, notebook pages, lapbook pages, coloring pages, craft ideas and even a lab that includes growing your own dung beetle farm.

The Dung Beetle is a really cute and fun short unit study and I’m glad I didn’t let the age range deter me from checking out this series—though I do feel that many of the activities were a bit young for my kids.  However, the e-book contains some great information, it’s informative and humorous, not to mention it talks a lot about poop- something kids seem to love hearing about.       

You can view a sample of the Dung Beetle here and if you determine that The Curiosity Files™ are a good fit for your family, check out the package deal—you can get  all 9 Curiosity Files ™ e-books, The Blue Diamond, Dung Beetle, MRSA, Puffer Fish, Red Tide, Zombie Fire Ants, Blue-Footed Boobie, Cicada Killing Wasp and Quicksand for instant download for only $46.00. The bundle is also available on CD.      

You can read what other TOS Crew Members thought of  The Curiosity Files™ at The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew blog.

*I received this product free of charge as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew in exchange for sharing my honest opinion of the product with my readers.

The A to Z Guide to Home School Field Trips: A Review

The A to Z Guide to Home School Field Trips is a book that has been a staple on our shelf off and on since we started homeschooling 12 years ago. There were times that I’d trade it off or pass it on thinking we’d finally finished with it, only to regret my decision and purchase a copy once again. Since one of my favorite subjects is field trips, I decided to share some of the resources that I use that I really love and this book is high on that list.

Edited by Gregg Harris, pioneer in the homeschooling movement, The A to Z Guide to Home School Field Trips is a comprehensive resource with 70+ field trip ideas ranging from common post office, police department or grocery store outings to less common visits with plumbers, butchers or even to a funeral. This book is designed to literally turn any outing into an educational adventure.

Each topic or field trip idea is broken down in five categories.

• Background Information
• Questions that you might ask
• Activities for follow-up
• Vocabulary Words that are helpful to know
• Tips from Barnabas, or Biblical application

There is also a small box at the top of each topic page that allows you to record contact information, hours of operation, the address and best time to visit for each possible field trip which you may choose to use. In addition to this small box, there is also a Field Trip Planner page in the back of the book that can be reproduced for your own families use that is more detailed.

At times I’ve thought my children may have outgrown this valuable resource and yet each time I pick it up I continue to learn something new which leads me to believe that though it would be better geared towards families with children in Jr. High down, it is appropriate for all ages.

What resource have you found valuable when it comes to planning your own homeschool field trips?

Boost Your SAT Scores Easily

This review has been adapted from a review that I wrote for The Curriculum Choice titled Vocabulary Cartoons, SAT Word Power. 

I have to admit, when I find a book or resource that works wonderfully for my family, I love to tell everyone about it. That’s exactly how I felt when I originally found this book and when I found out that I’d be offering a review for the TOS Crew of a product that I already knew well and LOVED.  I was so excited by the results I saw right away that I literally carried this around in my purse so I wouldn’t forget to show it to my friends on homeschool outings.

Are you curious to know what has me so excited? Allow me to introduce Vocabulary Cartoons: SAT Word Power, written by Sam Burchers and published by New Monic Books, Inc.  Though there is an entire line of these incredible teaching books to choose from, my focus will be on the one designed to improve SAT scores because that is the book that we have used.  However, from viewing the website, it looks as though all the books in the Vocabulary Cartoon series are written using the same format.

Written directly to 7^th-12^th grade students, Vocabulary Cartoons SAT Word Power claims that your child can learn hundreds of SAT level words effortlessly, but just how is that possible? And the question you want to know is does it really work? In my experience of using SAT Word Power with my 13, 15 and 17 year old children, I would say, yes it certainly does.

How the book works

These books use mnemonics, a nifty devise that aids in the memorization process. It could be a phrase, a rhyme or an acronym that allows you to remember something by associating it with something you already know.  Confused? How about an example? Do you remember learning the colors in a rainbow in elementary school? My teacher helped me learn them by introducing the mnemonic, Roy G. Biv.  I already knew my colors; I just needed to learn the colors that made up a rainbow in order.  Remembering the mnemonic she gave me I was easily able to picture the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet by associating each letter in the name Roy G. Biv with a color. R= red, O= orange, Y= yellow; okay you get the point.  Another mnemonic you’re probably familiar with is the phrase, Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. The catchy rhyme makes this little tidbit of information easy to remember, doesn’t it?

Vocabulary Cartoons use the same principle but takes it one step further.  Not only are the vocabulary words linked with a word that you would know by association, they also introduce a silly cartoon drawing so you really see the picture in your head.  Are you familiar with the phrase ‘A picture is worth a thousand words?’  Never underestimate the power of a picture. In my opinion, this is invaluable for visual learners like my children and this aspect of the book is what really drives home the meaning and makes it stick.

How we use these books

Since I enjoy learning new vocabulary words as much as my children, we use this book together.  I’ll read the subject word, followed by the definition,  the link word or association word, show the kids the goofy cartoon while reading the silly sentence that describes the picture and then I’ll read the three sentences at the bottom of the page which you can see from the insert above, use the word in different contexts.

After we learn our new word, we will review the words we learned previously.  I do this by saying the vocabulary word and asking them to share it in a sentence of their own.  The book does have its own review system in place. Every ten words you’ll find a chapter quiz with matching and fill-in-the-blank questions that we choose to do orally.  My children love this book and will often pick it up between sessions so they can try to stump each other with the new words they’ve learned.   If you’d like to take a peek at the words included, you can do that here.

Time to wrap this Review Up

According to the publisher, Vocabulary Cartoons boost verbal standardized test scores and students learn 72% more words with 90% retention.

While I can’t attest to the claim that this book will raise SAT scores, since my children have not taken the SAT, I can say that they have learned a new word, effortlessly, in minutes each day and have retained what they’ve learned.

Vocabulary Cartoons, SAT Word Power sells for $12.95 and can be purchased through the publisher’s website.  I encourage you to check out this book and others in the series, you’ll find something for learners of all ages.

I’ve been impressed with the results that I’ve seen; whether my children ever take an SAT test or not, vocabulary is important to reading comprehension and communication skills, written or verbal.  I’ve found this book particularly helpful for my right brain children and look forward to beginning the second book in the series.  

You’ll find other reviews of this product here.

 Disclosure: I received this product from New Monic Books  free of charge in exchange for offering my honest opinion to my readers.