Puzzles as Science Resources

 

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this puzzle in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

Thinking and Puzzle Our Way Through a Science Resource 

What is gray matter? Where is the frontal lobe? What is another name for your skull? Our children are now able to answer these questions and more after putting together the Doctor Livingston JR. Human Brain floor puzzle courtesy of Genius Games. 

We previously learned about the entire body with the Dr. Livingston JR Human Body Floor Puzzle and the human heart with the Doctor Livingston JR. Human Heart Floor Puzzle. So, now it is time for the human brain. With the 100-piece puzzle and the anatomy guide, our nine and seven-year-old children learned about neurons, the cranium, the facial bones, the eyes, and more. 

When completed the human brain floor puzzle is 28 inches by 25 inches and depicts a cross-section of the head at 500% magnification. There are 28 different parts that you and your children can label using the anatomy guide. The back of the anatomy guide shares 14 fun facts which include details like: 

• A normal adult brain weighs around 3 pounds...
• Your brain is like a powerful computer...
• Neurons can send information up to 260 miles per hour...

Knowing What We Like 

Both our children really like these floor puzzles. They find them intriguing and interesting. Each time they put the puzzle together, they find they can complete it more quickly as they are more familiar with where the different parts of the brain go.

I like the high quality of the puzzle pieces. I also like the fact that the puzzle is not the typical square or rectangle. You really have to think about the shape to put together the human brain floor puzzle. All of the pieces and the anatomy guide fit together nicely into the puzzle box. I definitely appreciate that we can store the puzzle safely when it is not in use. 

Our daughter and I had a lot of fun putting together the human brain puzzle. It is a nice, simple activity that we can do together that also is educational and works on developing thinking skills. 

I would recommend the human brain floor puzzle to families who wish to spend time learning anatomy together. Whether you homeschool or not, this is a good addition to your puzzle collection. 

Do you want to get 20% off any of the puzzles offered by Genius Games? Use the promo code: KIDSPUZZLES. 

Read more about the human heart puzzle here: Puzzles are Great Fun! A Review of the Human Heart Floor Puzzle

Science Lessons and Investigations: A Review of Two Grades

I received COMPLIMENTARY copies of these books from Timberdoodle in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

Science can be both an exciting and a challenging subject to teach in one's homeschool. As parents, you get to curate your child's curriculum while you learn alongside them or share your own knowledge. One of the challenges I find is planning and following through with experiments and hands-on science learning. That is where Science: Lessons and Investigations comes into play. 

Two Science Books 

We received the second and fourth grade editions of Science: Lessons and Investigations published by Evan-Moor courtesy of Timberdoodle. We started using the books this summer even though we hadn't officially graduated to these two grades yet. 

Each book is similar in setup. The chapters have a vocabulary and various vocabulary activities. There are also readings with questions of varying levels, projects, and investigations or experiments to complete. 

Grade Two has 14 units on topics such as: 

• What do plants need to grow? 
• How do animals help plants? 
• How do wind and water change the shape of the land? 
• How do maps show land and bodies of water? 
• What is matter? 
• What do scientists study? 

Grade Four has 13 units and includes

• Teacher pages
• Unit concept pages
• Explore activities 
• Reading selections
• Concept vocabulary and vocabulary reviews
• Concept comprehension
• Extended writing prompts 
• Projects 
• And an answer key 

These books are really geared towards teachers (or parents). To help you teach the lessons, there are written objectives and an explanation as to the learning approach. Permission is also given for photocopying for a single classroom so the book really isn't set up to just hand over to your homeschooler. 

For both my children, I have been removing the pages we will complete and they will also be stored in a binder for each child. This way they have what they need and I keep as many of the teacher-oriented pages in the book. 

So far with our soon-to-be fourth grader, we have studied plant life structures, animal life structures, human life structures, and erosion and weathering. In the coming weeks, we will be studying patterns in the earth's crust, national disasters, and more. We might try our hand at making a homemade seismograph, investigating waves, and making a shadow puppet theater. 

I like how there are a variety of activities within each lesson so I can pick and choose which ones we will do. Having a variety also allows our son to pick and choose from the different questions and investigations. All the materials are listed for the investigations so you can easily prepare ahead of time. 

My Thoughts 

As the books are written with more of a school setting in mind, we did have to make modifications to some of the lessons. For example, the animal life structure exploration activity was written for a class of students. We needed to adapt it for our two children. And since the book allows for teachers to copy it for their classroom, many of the student pages are printed on the back of teacher pages. So we will have to put it all together in our binders when we complete the lessons. 

Depending upon your approach to science, you will want to preview the books as they talk about millions of years and animal adaptation. But since this is your homeschool, you can adapt this science resource to your own needs. 

This is a good base for developing a science curriculum for your homeschool. There are many creative ideas for investigation and discussion. Adding in books and field trips, you can really bring excitement to your science lessons this homeschool year. 

I'll be sharing more photographs of our projects and the book on my Instagram account this week.  

"Science units build upon prior knowledge and experience and allow students to apply their understanding in a creative way. Each unit guides students through exploring the science concept and includes hands on activities to extend learning."

Grade Two: Science Lessons and Investigations 

Grade Four: Science Lessons and Investigations 

If you are looking for more resources to go along with your science lessons, please check out these reviews: 

Puzzles in Our Homeschool and Anatomy Puzzle for Kids: A Review of the Dr. Livingston JR Human Body Floor Puzzle. 

Including Art in Your Homeschool: A Review of Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this activity from the Timberdoodle in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

Our children love art – especially our seven-year-old daughter. She is always asking me if we can make a craft, paint, or sew. She loves expressing herself in art and music. But I don't always like the prep work and cleanup required. So, I love art kits like Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh because everything we need is in one package with minimal clean-up needed. 

Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh is part of the 2022 Sixth-Grade Curriculum Kit. The package states ages 5-99 which seems just about right. A young child may not create as intricate designs but they will still enjoy recreating Van Gogh's famous artwork. 

What is Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh? 

This is an art kit with four scratchboards produced by Djeco. It comes with a booklet and a wooden stylus for scratching away the top layer of the cards.

The four paintings that inspire the scratchboards that are included in the kit are (although my interpretation may be mistaken): 

1. The Starry Night 
2. Sunflowers 
3. Fishing Boats at Sea
4. The Large Plane Trees 

The Inspired by kit by Djeco is designed in France, so you will find the information and instructions printed in French, English, German, Spanish, and six other languages. I've found most Djeco products are self-explanatory, though. You can figure them out without too much written instruction. 

Ideas for Using Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh in Your Homeschool 

Read about Vincent Van Gogh prior to starting your artwork. Look at the four paintings used for inspiration and others to look for themes, favorite subjects, and colors. Just keep in mind that Van Gogh led a troubled life where money problems plagued him, and he ultimately committed suicide. You will want to preview any materials regarding his life before you share them with your children. 

After recreating the paintings using the scratch cards and stylus, ask your children if they recreate these paintings or others by Van Gogh with other mediums. Take out your paints, watercolor pencils, or even crayons to get creative. 

Finally, go on a field trip. There are many museums that have Van Gogh paintings on display. If you do not live near one of them, visit the website for the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam to view his works of art and learn more about the artist. (They even have a spot labeled for children, but I would still preview it before sharing it with your own children.)

Our Thoughts 

I really like that there is no wrong way to produce the art on the scratch cards. You can leave as little or as much blue as you wish. Or you can reveal lots of the colors underneath as you create your own work of art. 

It all fits neatly in the envelope. It is easy to put away in between working on the pictures. As a family that has a lot of homeschool materials and resources, I value resources that are neat and tidy to put away for storage. 

It would be great if there was more than one stylus as both my children would like to work on their pictures at the same time. But having one leads to our practicing our patience. 

Our nine-year-old son stays it "helps you make art" and is a "guideline for making art." He noted that you can add things. He added his own boat to his boat picture and a letter M on the sail. Our seven-year-old daughter enjoyed working on the trees card together with me. She said Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh is "good for kids." She liked that they showed you examples so you could draw similar pictures yourself. 

I would recommend Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh to families who wish to include art in their homeschool days in a unique way. The lessons about Van Gogh and the completion of the scratch cards can take as long or as short as you wish. This provides you with great flexibility and is a good fit for the 2022 Sixth-Grade Timberdoodle Curriculum Kit.

Looking for more Unique Products from Timberdoodle? 

Read my review of Tenzi here: Dice, Decks, and Boards: Tenzi Game and Tenzi Card Deck. 

Read my review of a fun crystal art kit here: Art in Our Homeschool: A Review of Tiger Crystal Art Card Kit. 

Crafts: Shark Sun Catcher

 

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We love making sun catchers in our homeschool from coffee filters. Because they are relatively inexpensive, we have been able to make a variety of crafts from coffee filters over the years to hang in our windows. Today let's make a shark-themed sun catcher! 

Since we will be making a sun catcher today, let's talk about sharks' senses. Sharks have keen senses that help them hunt. From excellent hearing to sensitive eyesight, they can easily seek out their dinner. Sharks can hear low-pitched sounds rather well and their eyesight allows them to see in the dim waters better than we can. The location of the sharks' eyes helps them see in almost every direction. They are also super sensitive to smell and their sense of touch is also developed to help them hunt. 

Materials 

• Coffee Filter
• Gray markers
• Spray bottle
• Construction paper (white, gray, red)
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Tape 

Steps 

1. Gather all your materials. 

2. Color the coffee filter with gray markers. 

3. Spray the coffee filter with water to create the effect. 

4. Cut out the pieces for your shark from the construction paper. 

5. After your coffee filter is dry, glue the pieces onto your gray coffee filter. 

6. Hang your shark in your window.

Do You Want to Learn More About Sharks? 

SchoolhouseTeachers.com offers over 400 courses for your homeschool. Included in those courses are All About Animals and Everyday Games. In Crafts: Create a Shark Filled Ocean, I shared about the course All About Animals but if you aren't ready to dive into that particular science course with your first or second grader, you can add in fun shark-themed games using the ones found in Everyday Games.

In Everyday Games, you will find lessons for language arts and mathematics using a shark theme. There are addition and multiplication games, as well as games featuring synonyms, antonyms, verbs, nouns, and more! You can print the games out and use them as many times as you want to help your children learn their math facts or their language arts facts.

Now Through September 6, 2024! 

Dive into our Shark & Sea BOGO Sale at SchoolhouseTeachers.com! From July 22 to

September 6, buy one annual membership for $269 and get another year free! Did you

know that sea turtles can live up to 100 years? Our courses have the longevity and quality you

need with hundreds of courses available for all grades. Don’t let this deal swim away!

Dice, Decks, and Boards: Navigate the High Seas through Critical Thinking

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this one-person puzzle game from Timberdoodle in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

As you know, we love games in our homeschool, especially those that help our children challenge themselves. Having the opportunity to review the one-person puzzle game courtesy of Timberdoodle was a joy in our homeschool. Both our nine-year-old son and our seven-year-old daughter enjoyed working through the different puzzles and modes of play in Pirates Crossfire by Smart Games. 

What is Pirates Crossfire? 

This one-person puzzle game has four modes and five levels of difficulty. The general idea is to use the puzzle challenge booklet to place some pieces on the board and then use your critical thinking skills to fire out where the rest of the pieces go. Of course, there are restrictions as to where you can put the pirate and navy ships depending on which mode you are playing. 

The game is packaged in a sturdy box for storage and comes with: 

• A puzzle booklet
• The base for the game 
• Two rock pieces 
• Two pirate pieces 
• Four navy pieces 

Once you or your children decide upon which mode and which difficulty you want to play, you pick a challenge. You look in the puzzle booklet to see which pieces you need to add to the base first. You will always put the rock pieces on the board first. After that, you will use the hints (when provided) for placing the navy and pirate ships. 

Different Modes (I am sharing our son's descriptions and my notes for the different modes.) 

Peace Mode: My son shared that the ships can't hit each other. (The ships are armed with cannons on each side.) After you place the rocks, you need to make sure that the ships' cannons are not pointed at another ship. (They can be pointed at the rocks.)

Pirates Win Mode: "No pirates get hit, all navy get hit." In this mode, you need to make sure that all the ships' cannons are pointed in the right direction. You need to make sure that the pirate ships can shoot at the navy ships. 

Navy Ships Win Mode: In this mode, the goal is the opposite of the Pirates' Win mode. 

Total War: "All ships must be in (the) line of fire."

There are answer keys for all the challenges, but when just trying the starter level, I think, the Total War is the only mode where you might need to check the answer key for the solution.

Using Pirates Crossfire in Our Homeschool 

This one-person puzzle game is perfect when you are homeschooling children of multiple ages. While working with our daughter, I can easily hand this game to our son to keep him amused in an educational way while he waits for his one-on-one homeschool time. He can still work on a variety of cognitive skills like planning, spatial insight, problem-solving, concentration, and flexible thinking while he is playing a fun game.

As a typical boy, he does not just solve the puzzles but creates backstories for the adventures of the pirates and the navy as he works on the challenges. He also created his names for the different levels of the difficulties and the puzzle pieces themselves as he was helping me write this review. For example, the booklet calls the difficulties: starter, junior, expert, master, and wizard but he calls them first-time puzzling, good puzzler, teacher of puzzling, king of puzzling, and golden wizard king of puzzling. (I love how invested he was in using and reviewing Pirate Crossfires.)

After our daughter tried several puzzles in Horse Academy, she wanted to try her hand at Pirates Crossfire. She was not as successful with these challenges as they do require one to critically think in a totally different way. The pieces must fit together and meet different criteria depending upon which mode you have chosen. So while there is one correct answer, you come to a different way than her previous experience. I think it is great that Smart Games produces so many different puzzle games and that Timberdoodle offers than in their various curriculum packages. 

Our Thoughts 

I would highly recommend Pirates Crossfire. It is an excellent, high-quality one-person puzzle game. I think the inclusion in the 2022 Sixth-Grade Timberdoodle Curriculum Kit is spot on. While our nine-year-old son was able to complete all the starter puzzles without much help, he was having more difficulty as he tried harder puzzles. 

I like that through trial and error our son was able to puzzle out the solutions. It was also very easy for him to get the hang of the challenges. He could easily move through the different modes to show me how the game works. He was really good at explaining the game which to me means that it is well-written and easy to understand. 

With multiple modes and 80 challenges, Pirates Crossfire has longevity and replayability. And as a one-person puzzle game, it will help entertain you and your children during those moments when you or your children have some free time. It would be perfect for your family with your homeschool or not. So get ready to navigate the high seas through critical thinking with Pirates Crossfire. 

Book Club: Book Review of The Military Guide to Disarming Deception

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

Over the last several years, I have seen how important it is to have discernment. Reading the Bible and trusting in the Word of God are even more valuable today as the world moves farther and faster away from its teaching every day. This is part of the reason why I wanted to review The Military Guide to Disarming Deception: Battlefield Tactics to Expose the Enemy's Lies and Triumph in Truth by Col. David J. Giammona and Troy Anderson. 

The Military Guide to Disarming Deception 

This 233-page paperback book is the second book by the authors, Giammona and Anderson. In the foreword, Dr. Robert Jeffress states, "Because we are at war with powerful forces of darkness, we no longer have the luxury to sit back and watch from the sidelines." To help prepare readers, The Military Guide to Disarming Deception looks at spiritual deception, deception in the world system, and personal deception. 

In the preface, we learn that "the purpose of this book is to train people of all ages to fight and overcome deception" (17). As military leaders have used deception throughout history, the authors examine how Satan and evil use deception too.

Each chapter opens with a personal experience relating to the military as told by Colonel David J. Giammona. The rest of the chapter relates back to the real-world story shared with Bible quotes and a multitude of references from a variety of individuals including Reverend Kevin Jessip, Paul Pickern, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Derek Gilbert, and others.

After presenting ways in which we may be deceived, the chapters close with tactics, techniques, and procedures. These are generally all very practical pieces of advice such as asking God for discernment, reading your Bible, and finding a pastor and church that preaches the truth of God's Word based on the Bible. 

My Thoughts 

I think if you were sitting on the edge of being deceived, this book would really be eye-opening. As our family has been living in a world where we have directly felt the deception of family and friends who lack discernment, I don't know if I learned a whole lot of new ideas. I agree that God's image and Word are being distorted. I agree that Christians are questioning God but not what they see on TV, the news, social media, and other places. Division is being created. The authors remind readers of Ephesians 4:14. We shouldn't be "blown here and there by every wind of teaching," but that is what is happening. New groups are questioning and rewriting the world around us — and never based upon the Word of God.

I truly appreciate the practical suggestions at the end of each chapter. They are good reminders to continue doing the things we are already doing in our house, such as listening and critiquing with discernment, reading the Bible, and homeschooling our children. So while I was hoping that The Military Guide to Disarming Deception would equip me specifically with ways to reach family and friends, I did find it encouraging that the authors put into words ideas that many see as farfetched.

I would recommend this book to those seeking guidance in today's world. If you are afraid of what you have seen on the news or read on social media, this book helps break it down and examine it from a Biblical worldview. I think it provides excellent reminders for all to seek God and read their Bible. I hope it helps you expose the enemy's lies.