Exploring Creation through Zoology

Genesis 1:20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

 

Last school year, I made a last-minute curriculum change decision. Instead of teaching through Apologia’s Exploring Creation through Astronomy, I thought we would try something new, something that looked “kid-friendly”. Meh. I chose a Christian Kids Explore text (used) that covered Earth and Space. I won’t go into details lamenting the entire textbook and lackluster experience. Many people seem to enjoy the series, and that’s great for them. I think we should all find what works for our families and stand by those decisions. I ended up piecing together short units based on the subjects in the text and hardly using the text at all. My advice? Get your hands on things before implementing them.  We did some neat projects throughout the year, as you can see…

Measuring melting rates and movements of pure ice “glaciers” versus “glaciers” full of sediment.

 

Showing the earth’s layers.

 

 

On the upside, I have gone back to Apologia. I wanted to try something new, see if there was something…better? Anyway, the Young Explorer series offers everything we need in a rich science study, and God is glorified in the process. To ice that cake, Pinterest has become a homeschooler’s goldmine, offering up everything from applicable Netflix suggestions to corresponding art projects and where materials can be had for less money.  The kidlets have created their binders already, and I have the first lesson printed out, with each lessons taking two weeks to complete, topped off with an experiment.  Once I purchase my lesson planner, I’ll scribble in the lesson plans and get to focus on the best part of all – gathering experiment supplies and LEARNING TOGETHER!

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Articles and Opinions

I’m going to do something a little differently here today, and share some links to things I’ve read recently.  I am not claiming authorship of anything I refer to below, other than whatever thoughts I share as introductions.  If you would be so kind as to share, in as few or as many words as you’d like, the articles that you enjoyed the most or the least, I would ABSOLUTELY appreciate it.  You might even feel like leaving an explanation, but I won’t hound you for one.  Without further ado, for your reading pleasure…

• If you are attempting to garden (not just flowers) and have toyed with the idea of storing away extra for the winter months, the following succinct blog post may be of use to you.  Sometimes it is nice to have someone else doing to calculations when it comes to deciding how much to plant for storage. 🙂  New Life On A Homestead

• No matter where you are on the spectrum regarding the use of electronics and youth, the following short article includes references to an author’s work, recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and educated opinions on the subject.  Digital Dementia?

• The following is my favorite blog in the whole wide world, even if I do’t always agree with the author’s choice of words.  All of the writing is engaging and controversial, and I LOVE IT!  The Matt Walsh Blog

~Ma