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If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may lead us. ~ Adlai Stevenson

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

When Things Come Together...

It is a lovely feeling when things come together, AND when your kids appreciate that they did! Back when we were planning to "do a real science curriculum", I bought everything I needed for a year of biology, including a bunch of dissection supplies. We didn't end up using the curriculum, but I still have all these awesome supplies, so we're starting a dissection and/or anatomy unit, and I thought we would start with the earthworms. We have the dissection guide as well, but I wanted something more... something to introduce the kids to more information about the creature they'll be taking apart, and then I remembered that I had a copy of this book sitting, unused until now, on my shelf:


I went ahead and pulled it out, and sure enough, there is a chapter on earthworms! So I read it aloud, and it was really good! We learned about movement, food choices, why they don't like sunlight, even reproduction.

I think it makes a great set-up for today's planned dissection activities, and yes, I'll be taking pictures!



We also finished up the Mesopotamia section in K12's Human Odyssey yesterday, at long last, reading about Nebuchadnezzar and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. When I mentioned the gardens, The Boy asked me to hold on a minute, and ran from the room. He shortly returned with this book, which happens to mention those same gardens in a section of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!


He was delighted that he already was familiar with the topic, and able to add in something I hadn't thought of. Our readings also followed very nicely on the heels of the final installation in The Gilgamesh Trilogy, since the K12 book talked abut Gilgamesh and Ishtar.

Anyhow, once in a while everything does seem to come together almost effortlessly, and it is so delightful when it does! I hope you have homeschool moments like this too!

2 comments:

  1. Gary Larson (The Far Side) wrote a great book for kids called There's A Worm in my Dirt! Your kids might enjoy it if you can find it at the library.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous5:10 AM

    That's wonderful! When our kids enjoy learning and the challenges we present, I think that really makes a huge different.

    ReplyDelete

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
Emerson

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