OK Go - Genius to Give a Go Yourself

Normally I do not like music videos. They tend to ruin songs for me. (I like what I conjure in my own head while listening better.) Sometimes, though, someone breaks out and impresses me.

Such is the case with the band Ok Go. My son came home one day and wanted to show me some of their videos because he knew I'd like them. And, boy, do I! They are pure creative genius. They're done in such a way that I can appreciate the songs by themselves, separate from the videos, but I can appreciate the videos for their innovation as well. These are entertaining but educational.

Ok Go has several clever music videos. The following are my three favorite.* 

The first is one big Rube Goldberg machine. A few years ago one of my boys was in a biweekly science class with some other homeschooled boys and I remember on one of the days the boys were tasked with building their own Rube Goldberg. I thought it was a brilliant idea. Watching this video should make kids want to put on their thinking caps and get to work building something themselves. The link above is THE place to go for lesson plans, etc. to take the next step. I'm thinking that with winter coming and the holidays and needing a break in between some other bigger unit studies, we'll take a week or so and have some fun with this. (A Rube Goldberg lesson would be a nice addition to studying physics as well.)  

Incidentally, a peppy song titled "This Too Shall Pass" is handy to have on one's playlist.

The clever video for "The One Moment" isn't just creative and fun to watch but also a highly satisfactory way to ponder the impact and importance of a single moment. (Also, HOW do they get their timing so perfect?)

Finally, the following version of "Needing/Getting" is exceptionally smart. The enormity and scale of the project is insane but impressive. The ability to nail details is inspiring.

*While I do like much of their music and many of their videos, I am not recommending everything they sing and do.

BIO: Inspiring Introductory Science Videos

Frank Gregorio has put together some amazing video trailers that are fantastic and inspiring and, I think, are a great way to introduce science topics. Between the stunning video and moving music, they really grab your attention and give enough information that they "hook" you on the subject.

Introduction to Life

Introduction to Biology

Introduction to Biochemistry

Introduction to Cells

Some people have complained about the "bad science" in the Intro to Life video. I saw it as a springboard for discussion. The questions are posed about what makes something alive--movement, reproduction, etc., and then it says, "but water moves," "fire reproduces..." Well, water flows, fire spreads, but this is a great introduction to scientific thinking. What is the difference? Does water act for itself, like something that is alive, or is it acted upon, because it is not alive? 

Anyway, I really like these videos for kicking off topics.

BIO: Flowers - Reproduction and Pollination

Mmmm.  The air is intoxicating right now with the heady fragrance of flowering trees and bushes. Between the lilacs, the honeysuckle, the flowering pear trees, the cherry and apple blossoms, and many more perfectly perfumed petals, I am in springtime heaven!

I purposely waited for now to focus on flowers and flower reproduction in our biology studies. At the end of our ecology unit we spent some time specifically on bees in general and also on what is happening to them ecologically speaking. It was timed to flow into flowers and pollination.

For this topic, I highly, highly, highly recommend watching Disneynature's Wings of Life!  Someone has put a slightly altered, misnamed, and perhaps pirated copy on Youtube that you can watch for free (see below) but after watching that version I loved it so much I had to purchase it. (Bonus:  as of the date of this post, the multi-format is 43% off at Amazon!)

Before diagramming the parts of a flower, I gathered several different flowers from my yard to dissect and inspect.

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We went on a walkabout looking for pollen, pollinators, and to again identify pistils and stamens on flowers in various stages of life.

Pollen!

More pollen on the stamens and a fertilized pistil.

We could observe the bee's pollen sacs on her legs.

Happy spring homeschooling!

Kahoot!

Never be afraid to listen to your teenagers and learn from them! For a recent Family Home Evening, one of my teens introduced us to Kahoot! We. LOVED. It. We played game after game, all of them centered on things relating to the LDS Church. He explained that they play Kahoot! in Seminary on occasion, and he's played it in some of his public high school classes as well, on those subjects. I was intrigued, then hooked, and stayed up that night creating a Kahoot! of my own to use in our homeschool the next day.

Kahoot! says it is "making learning awesome." I would agree. There are so many possibilities! You can look up and play any Kahoot! already created, and they exist for pretty much any topic, including the inane and absurd. (Because anyone can create a Kahoot!, some of them are... less than worthy. These can range from being ridiculous, to wrong, to basically illiterate.) There are some seriously good ones out there, though, and it really is a great tool for motivating, challenging, and engaging students (or families, groups of friends, co-workers, etc.).

Because my kids love these, and because they are easy to create and I can do anything I want with them to use them in our studies, I am all over this. Here are two that I created in the past week. 

Reproduction in a Flowering Plant

Human Anatomy Pre-Quiz

In addition to using Kahoot! in our homeschool, I want to create some for future Family Home Evenings, family reunions with family history, and in other settings.

Try it!

BIO: Ecology - Creating Mini Biomes

It would be awesome to have the budget to travel to every single biome in the world during a unit on biology/ecology. You can fake that with a trip to some top notch zoos or aquariums (14 thumbs up and a van-full-loud "Huzzah!" for Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium in Nebraska in that respect--plus, it's just our favorite zoo).

You can also get up close and personal with identifying and matching plant and animal life to their proper biomes by creating miniature ones at home. 

For our unit, we created two:  a desert and a rainforest. Our local Walmart had an impressive variety of plants from all over the world, many of them identified by country. I had my kids go through all their old toys to find plastic animals and separate them into like ecosystems. (There were a few that we weren't sure exactly what they were so that made for some bonus research.) 

For the desert we used an old, large glass bowl. We put a layer of rocks on the bottom for drainage, then used some soil especially for cactus and succulents. No one wanted to chance touching the cacti, so I got to sacrifice for science. Lo and behold, some cactus plants have spines even in their roots, so this proved trickier than I thought. I did end up with bits of spine stuck in my fingers, but I lived.

The cool thing about creating a mini rainforest is that if you do it right, you get to watch the water cycle in action and you really do have a rainforest. I purchased a medium-sized, inexpensive glass aquarium to do this in but you could use anything clear that you can seal off, including a soda bottle. I just wanted it on a larger scale. Select your plants based on type, but also find varying sizes to represent the forest floor, the understory, the canopy, and an emergent tree. Again, we put a layer of rocks on the bottom for drainage, then I used just regular potting soil with fertilizer in it. We planted our flora, placed the fauna, and then thoroughly watered the soil. After that we put the cover over the aquarium. (Depending on the type or fit of your cover, you may need to use packaging tape to help seal it better.) We put it near a sunny window.

We didn't have to wait long for evaporation and transpiration to begin. That was followed by condensation... and "rain."

After a few days it's a good idea to take the top off and let some fresh air circulate. When you do this, let your kids get their faces and hands inside. It will smell and feel like being in a jungle!

Look! Raindrops on our plants!

We let ours air out for a while then we put the cover back on and watched it happen all over again.

BIO: Ecology - For Little Learners

One reason I have stuck with unit studies over the years is that it allows our family to "be on the same page," as in studying the same topic together, while adapting for different ages and stages. 

Regarding the topic of Ecology, Animal Friends is a great introduction for younger children. They will easily see how each animal has its own habitat and diet needs and it will segue beautifully into learning about habitats, ecosystems, and biomes on an elementary scale.

BIO: Ecology - Current Events

Newspapers are another great resource for unit studies.  In just the course of a couple of months there was an abundance of current events directly related to our unit and I shared them with my kids, following that up with a discussion when the topic led to one.

New Tiny Frog Species Found in India

New "Ant-Like" Bee Species Only in Western U.S.

"Feral Hog Apocalypse" in Texas

Wisconsin Hunter of Feral Cats a Target

Hundreds of North American Bees Face Extinction

Rusty Patched Bumblebee First to Be Endangered

Want Ad for Python Killers in Florida

Federal Cyanide Trap in Idaho Injures Boy, Kills Dog

Family Speaks Out After Cyanide Bomb

Cyanide Bombs Common in Utah and West

Group Asks for Idaho Ban on Cyanide Bombs

Utah Prairie Dogs Have Their Day in Court

China's Massive Pollution Problem

China Exports Pollution to Western US

(These last two aren't as current as far as publication goes. I looked them up, having remembered reading about it before.)

BIO: Ecology - Resources

I am often asked how I put my unit studies together, or what they look like. In an effort both to share that information and to keep better personal records on resources we've used, I've put together a fairly comprehensive list of the books, videos, and websites we used in our latest Ecology unit study. There is a good chance I have missed a book or site or two, but I've kept track of probably 95%.

These first three books we learned from together as I read them aloud. It's a good idea for every unit study to have at least one read aloud. The Last Egret is a true story from the journals of Charlie Pierce, written in an adventurous chapter book.

As you'll see later, chapter books/read alouds are accompanied by stacks of nonfiction. This particular unit was geared toward kids between the ages of 12 and 17. Some things were a bit over the 12-year-old and I adapted them. I did use some picture books; I value them and they work. Assignments and discussions then are tailored to ages and capabilities, obviously going deeper and expecting more from older kids.

We are so blessed in this era to have easy and free access to fabulous video content. YouTube has enhanced unit studies tenfold! Though not everything of value is there (like Planet Earth, which I highly recommend) there is a wealth of goodness to be found there, such as the video below.

Colleges and universities have put a wealth of information and educational resources on the Internet, along with high school teachers, museums, foundations, etc. They often have pages for children with games, video, worksheets, experiments, slide shows, and more. I definitely like using those. I was super excited to find ProCon.org, too, and will probably use it for critical thinking, debate and discussion on other topics. For this unit, we discussed at length the arguments ProCon had on Climate Change.

Without further ado, here is the full list of  Ecology resources we used.

Books

Ecology from DK Eyewitness Science

Ecology and Plant Life, A Prentice Hall Illustrated Dictionary

Water, a Natural History by Alice Outwater

Wetlands (Learning About the Earth) by Holly Endres

Biomes - Wetlands by Duncan Brewer

Welcome to Everglades National Park by Nadia Higgins

Let's Take a Trip--The Everglades by Cheryl Koenig Morgan

Everglades by Jean Craighead George

Deadly Waters:  A Mystery in Everglades National Park by Gloria Skyrzynski **

Last Egret:  The Adventures of Charlie Pierce by Harvey E. Oyer III **

The Great Salt Lake by William Lee Stokes

Seductive Beauty of Great Salt Lake by Ella Sorensen

Forest (FL Inside Guide) by David Burnie

There's an Owl in the Shower by Jean Craighead George **

The Book of North American Owls by Helen Roney Sattler

Biomes Atlases Tropical Forests by Tom Jackson

Animal Homes by Tammy Everts and Bobbie Kalman

DK Animal Homes by Barbara Taylor

Who Really Killed Cock Robin? An Eco Mystery by Jean Craighead George **

The Amazing Honey Bee from Reading Discovery Nature Series

The Honey Makers by Gail Gibbons

Several various pamphlets on pollination and properties of honey from local honey specialty store

The Water Hole by Graeme Base

A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry

National Parks Coloring Book by Peter Copeland

Rangers Activity and Sticker Book from the National Park Service

The Story of Smokey Bear by Robin Bromley

**Fiction/Chapter Book based on ecological principles

Video

Planet Earth from BBC

Nature Works episodes from New Hampshire Public Television

Nature Boom Time episodes from National Geographic Kids

Burmese Pythons in Florida

Eden at the End of the World - National Geographic

Odzala:  Islands in the Forest - National Geographic

USEPA videos

We're Even Polluting Space

Websites and Online Articles

Instant Hawaii - Meddling with Mongoose

Silent Spring information

History of DDT

Polychlorinated Biphenyl information

Monocultures and Affect on Bees

How a Bee Sees Flowers

Rainforest Foundation

Rainforest Alliance for Kids

Missouri Botanical Gardens - Biomes

Biology Junction Ecology Unit

Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences - Environment & Ecology

Pro & Con Arguments of Climate Change

Graph of Earth's Temperatures for Past 2000 Years

History of the Environmental Protection Agency

Illegality of Beekeeping in Utah

Hinckley's Be's

Gordon B. Hinckley's Way to Be! is a classic, and it fits perfectly as the next phase of morning devotionals that coordinate with our BIO year:  "9 Ways to Be Happy and Make Something of Your Life."

I decided to use Hinkley's "9 Be's" inside a mini unit on bees inside our ecology studies. I created a notebook page for each chapter or "be." Feel free to use them with your own devotionals.

Big Thumbs Up for NATURE BOOM TIME

A couple of months ago I came across a gem of a resource. Since I can't get my kids to the Everglades right now (no matter how awesome a field trip that would be and how much I would love to do it) I wanted some good video to watch while we learned about it, and I didn't want to have to pay for it. 

My YouTube search found me a fantastic miniseries that not only helped with our study of the Everglades but also with our entire Biology and Ecology units. Here is the series trailer, which is good to watch because it explains how the series came to be.

There are 14 videos in the series. Additionally, there are "Yeah Buddy, Friday" videos that have some interesting behind-the-scenes, preparation, and epic cross-country trip documentary.

What I love about this is that the Nature Boom Time videos are quality. They are interesting, informative, creative, and energetic. I am blown away (there's the boom part!) by the paper craft inserted for explanation. The time, work, and love that went into that!!! I also love that this is a brother and sister (and their best friend) taking on something huge together. 

It's no wonder Nature Boom Time won an award from and was picked up by National Geographic.

If you like Charlie and Kirby and what they do, they have also done some other DIY videos about other subjects.  Just head to World by Charlie on YouTube. 

Meanwhile, if someone were to ask you what the largest organism on the planet is, I betcha you'd never guess the answer.  Here it is:

BIO-- The Year of Life

Anyone who has taken my Unit Studies class knows that I like to carefully and prayerfully choose a theme for each school year and tie our units into that theme. This year's theme is BIO.

The theme of BIO lends itself to so much! I am really excited. We will be studying Biology, picking up/continuing with the subcategory of Ecology inside that, adding some Botany, and incorporating Health and Nutrition (which will include cooking for my youngest) and Anatomy. While I will do this on a higher level for my high school-aged kids, it will be Life Science for my youngest; this allows us to be learning about the same things and doing many things together while tailoring certain assignments and experiences to individuals at each level.

We'll also be doing a lot with biographies. I have started a Biography Club including some other homeschooled youth for one thing. We'll be incorporating Family History for another.

Creative Writing is another focus this year, and believe it or not, I've tied that into our year of life as well. (More on that in another post.)

Last but certainly not least, we are learning more about the Giver of Life and the way to pattern our lives after his by participating in the Godly Characteristics Series, and we are spending a lot of time learning about the Tree of Life and the path in this life that leads to Eternal Life.

Here are a few things from our first week. (Some other things will get separate, more detailed posts.)

We of course began with the root bio. Each of the kids had to find 25 words that contained the root and write down the definitions. Using words from their lists and, adding some others, I created some Bio Vocabulary Cards. Then individually they matched words to definitions, I went over additional root words and prefixes/suffixes for being word detectives, and then over the course of a few days they continued to match and rematch until they could get 100% correct.  After that we played Memory with the cards.  Here are the cards I created. (Hopefully the link above will take you to a downloadable set you can use. If it doesn't work <sigh> I'll keep trying to get it figured out.)

We did another whole-brained project, each child choosing what they wanted to draw to represent BIO:

We began a biographical writing series of my own creation. The first two assignments are below. (The first one includes a photo of me; I personalized these for each of us.) These writing assignments are meant to be introspective, journalistic and biographical, and the topic word is chosen based on things we are learning about in our other studies.

Ecology - Wetlands Scavenger Hunt #2

As I mentioned in the first wetlands scavenger hunt post, I wanted to visit more than one wetland area. This is because each wetland location will have similarities and differences with the other locations. It's important to recognize things such as every time you see cattails or rushes, you know they are in water (or super soggy soil frequented by water). Children will note that wetlands are always full of birds, but the bird species will vary somewhat due to migratory patterns, food preferences and sources, and so on. For instance, you will almost always see and hear red-winged blackbirds, but pelicans will not be at every wetland location. Also, variances of visible wildlife arise due to the time of day of the visit, the size of the body of water, the current (or lack thereof), the weather, the noise of the kids, the thickness of vegetation and accessibility of habitat areas, etc.

Here are some of my favorite photos from our second wetlands scavenger hunt.

Water Strider, also known as Water Skipper, Pond Skater, and Jesus Bug

Brown Damselfly

Longleaf Phlox

Blue-Headed Mallard Drakes feeding on algae.

Minnows

Brown-Headed Cowbird

American Coot

Blue Damselfly on Algae

FIVE Double-Crested Cormorants

Double-Crested Cormorants swimming

American Coot with 3 babies (left), Double-Crested Cormorant (right)

Female Red-Winged Blackbird

1-year Juvenile Male Red-Winged Blackbird

(another) Blue Damselfly

Cute Boy exploring nature.