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*Lindsey*
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I will have a 2nd grader and a Kindergartener this fall. I want to combine science lessons for them and am looking for suggestions on what book(s) would be our best starting point. I will have a lot on my plate this fall, so simplicity is key.
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Lindsey
Mama to DS (11), DD(9), twin dds(7), DD (5), DS (4), DS (3), and 5 angels in heaven.
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JodieLyn
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Why not just go outside. Talk about the trees and the flowers and the bugs and the birds and the rocks. Let them draw pictures of what they see. Get yourself some nature guides if you don't know anything about the critters and plants you'd encounter. Look things up on the computer together if you can't find information otherwise.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: March 09 2010 at 10:37am | IP Logged
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JodieLyn wrote:
| Why not just go outside. Talk about the trees and the flowers and the bugs and the birds and the rocks. Let them draw pictures of what they see. Get yourself some nature guides if you don't know anything about the critters and plants you'd encounter. Look things up on the computer together if you can't find information otherwise. |
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Ditto!!! 
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Jen Mackintosh
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dakotamidnight
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| Posted: March 09 2010 at 10:39am | IP Logged
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You might try just reading science books & doing some simple projects - The Magic School Bus is a good set that would work for both ages.
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SuzanneG
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We spend lots of time outside, playing, walking, observing, watching birds at our feeder, digging in the dirt and reading books from the library. Be interested and excited about nature (even if you're not  ) FUN STUFF!
Keep it FUN and just enjoy being outside. Definitely no curriculum or lessons needed!
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Suzanne in ID
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JodieLyn
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Oh yes, Suzanne did bring up a good point.
There is nothing so interesting for a child as an adult who is interested in something.
When my son is helping in the garden and yells excitedly about seeing a worm.. me being interested is the best thing that can happen. Because I'm interested then he listens to what I say about the worms helping the garden. (keeping it short.. there'll be another worm and another opportunity for more) And he'll remember it.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
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*Lindsey*
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| Posted: March 09 2010 at 11:30am | IP Logged
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Ok, that sounds like what we already do. Awesome!
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Lindsey
Mama to DS (11), DD(9), twin dds(7), DD (5), DS (4), DS (3), and 5 angels in heaven.
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CrunchyMom
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You might include some read alouds that reinforce what you are doing outside, like Holling C. Holling Books or Thornton Burgess.
My 5 year old LOVES Thornton Burgess, especially his Bird Book. We went to a little morning tour at our local educational farm where they talked about the animals staying warm in winter. When they looked at the chickens and talked about how they stay warm, he said "They also eat food to stay warm." Which, he picked up from the winter chapters in the Bird Book. *I* learn a lot from reading the bird book!
We plan on starting Pagoo in the summer or fall since my husband is a Holling C. Holling fan (only just realized). I was discussing the books as an option and mentioned Paddle-to-the-Sea, and my husband was so excited because it was one of his FAVORITE books as a child and actually inspired the series of nighttime stories he invented to tell the boys about "Dusty" and his friends "Salty, Sandy, Sawdusty, Flakey, Sparky, Clammy, and Rocky." It never occurred to him to look into getting the original book for the boys; I guess his teacher had read it aloud one year in school.
Anyway, I think there are lots of living books that can help fill in some information while inspiring observation, but all you have to do is read them. No formal curriculum needed.
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Lindsay
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Helen
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| You might include some read alouds that reinforce what you are doing outside, like Holling C. Holling Books or Thornton Burgess. |
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We love the Thornton Burgess books especially Seashore Book for Children (Your library might have them.) We also read the Holling C. Holling books but my kids were older - 3rd and 4th grade.
Another great author is Jim Arnosky. With the younger children, you could easily spend a year with his books coupled with nature study. He has some lovely books on how to draw animals. The libraries tend to stock his books.
Last summer I had a homeschooling mothers luncheon at my house. The moms also decided to have a curriculum & book swap/sale. I told the moms if they didn't know what to do with their remaining books to just leave whatever they had left over and I would get rid of the books. (There were about 25 homeschooling moms in attendance.)
Lindsey, you might find this interesting. I had a lot of 1 & 2nd grade science text books and curriculum books from different vendors remain behind. This is the category that I had the most duplicates and leftovers.
Here's another thread with
Nature Read Alouds
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Ave Maria!
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4Real Forums : Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
Topic: suggestions for 2nd grader and K'er
