Can't believe DS is 9 almost 10!!!
This year, we are using Heart of Dakota Creation to Christ as a backbone for our bible and history/language arts studies, continuing with Beast Academy (and soon Art of Problem Solving Pre-Algebra) for math. I will probably move back and forth between the suggested science and our own science.
The great thing about homeschooling is that if you find something isn't working, you can change it - right there, on the spot. So far, we have decided that the Exploring Creation: Zoology 3 book by Apologia is not a good fit for us. Mavster already knows most of the information covered, and he is more interested in science for science's sake. He wants current science, not from a Biblical standpoint (which we covered last year). We are also not using the CD's about history - they are pretty hokie if you ask me, and the narrator is of a young earth perspective which drives both of us crazy knowing that dinosaurs were on the earth 65 million years ago, yet she believes the earth is only 4,000 +/- years old. We have lively discussions about supporting others in their faith and that everyone is entitled to their opinion. And then we look at science and make our own opinions. We believe that the "days" in Genesis could be any huge timeframe of millions of years rather than 24 hours.
Mavster requested more information on molecules and chemistry, so I downloaded a few iPad apps for him. We first tried Chemist Free which lets you mix things together in a mock lab to see what the reaction would be. It was fun because Ce + H20 = explosion. :) He wanted the full version with all the elements, so I told him he needed to spend some time learning the different chemical symbols so he would know what he was mixing. He used QRC Elements which teaches about the periodic table - matching symbols to the element on the table in a game format, and also learning the names of the elements. Spent nearly an hour working on it and then could identify enough of the elements that we went ahead and bought the full version of Chemist.
Tuesday we went back to our Chemistry book from Real Science 4 Kids and read about Mixtures, and did an experiment with oil and water and dish soap. Which led to a discussion about the oil spill in the Gulf and the mystery "dispersal agent." I've got to remember not to bring up too many world topics like that - he is so sensitive about it and was truly worried about the Earth for a while and needed to do something else to distract him from the topic. But I also used the opportunity to encourage him to help find/use clean energy supplies when he is grown.
Today we read another chapter on Chemistry about separating elements, and will do some paper chromatography tomorrow, but today he wants to freeze salt water so we can watch the water evaporate and leave behind the salt when we cook our ice cube... Yes, yes, I recognize the trouble with this. But he doesn't. I feel like I have this giant secret I am keeping from him. I could tell him that the salt water will not freeze, but that doesn't give him the chance to learn anything. His epiphany will be so much more powerful if I let him see for himself. It is *hard* not to tell him, but hopefully, this is one of many times where I let him experiment, without jumping in with the answer to the results. Can't wait for tomorrow!
