Earth and Space

I love hands on learning! It makes learning fun. It breaths life into an otherwise hum drum, and possibly boring concept or subject matter. My kids enjoy the process of “doing” much more than just “thinking about doing”. It makes sense doesn’t it?

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things in this life to learn about that are not boring. But to have hands on opportunities while learning about them just changes the learning game altogether. Kids “get it” or understand it much better and remember it better too.

Bright Ideas Press has a fun hands on science curriculum for homeschoolers called Christian Kids Explore.

From the Bright Ideas Press website:

“This user-friendly, unabashedly Christian science curriculum includes teaching lessons, gorgeous coloring pages, hands-on time, review sheets, and an awesome supplemental book list! You can choose from Chemistry, Creation Science, Earth and Space, and Physics. Award winning, college professors-vetted, and parent approved!”

So lets give it a look, shall we?

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I was sent the Christian Kids Explore Earth and Space to review. It is a large book and contains 360 pages. It has six units divided into 24 lessons. Each unit has lessons with reading, hands on activities, coloring pages, and vocabulary. Each unit also has a historical timeline and a “wrap up” where the kids do additional activities and make a folder-book to “Show What You Know” . There are also further reading suggestions and resources.

This book was written by a very busy homeschool mother of three kids. Her name is Stephanie Redmond. In addition to being a homeschooling mom, she is a wife, Bible study teacher, author, and a military team leader. She has been married to her husband Andy for the past 29 years. Andy is an Air Force Officer. Stephanie says her main goal is to glorify God in all she does, and teaching her children from a Christian Worldview is a big part of that goal.

It would be very easy to turn these lessons into a unit study. We added some of the material from Unit 6 into our Space Exploration Unit Study we have been working on in our homeschool.

Subject lessons your student will learn about in this book include:

Creation
Earth’s Creation
Facts About Earth and its Structure

Lithosphere
Plate Tectonics
Caves
Volcanoes
Earthquakes
Rocks

Hydrosphere
Introduction to Water
Oceans
Groundwater
Glaciers and Icebergs

Atmosphere
Introduction to Layers of Air
Atmospheric Pressure
Humidity
Air Composition

Weather
Weather and Seasons
Cloud Formation
Precipitation
Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
Hurricanes

Beyond Earth
Makeup of the Universe
Sun
Earth’s Moon
Eight other Planets

For each lesson, it is suggested to:
     read the lesson
     fill out a daily reading sheet
     make flash cards with the vocabulary words, lesson facts, and scriptures
    define vocabulary in science notebook
    hands on activities and experiments
    read the suggested additional reading to enhance the learning
    go on related field trips
    keep all written materials and photographs in a science notebook

For each unit, it is also suggested to:
    complete timelines
    color the coloring pages
    complete the unit wrap up review and quiz
    make a folder-book

This book retails for $34.95 There is also a pdf copy of the reproducibles for purchase too for $12.95 (and currently on sale for $7.95), or you can just make photocopies from the book.

Though the suggested age range for this book is for grades 3-6, it is adaptable for younger and older students. I used this book with all of my kids ages 11, 9, 7, 4, 3, (but not the baby).
We worked on several lessons in the Christian Kids Explore Earth and Space. We are currently working on Beyond Earth Unit 6.

We made some fun Galaxy Capacino to enjoy as we read through the lessons and completed the coloring pages in Unit 6 about Space. It is basically home made hot chocolate, and while the mixture was swirling, we slowly dropped some instant coffee granules on top. It made this beautiful swirl pattern and looks like a galaxy in outer space. Read here to see how we make our homemade HOT CHOCOLATE.

While working through this unit, we also played in our Space Exploration Sensory Bin we made to go along with our Space ExplorationUnit Study we are doing as a family.

This is a great science curriculum resource for homeschoolers. It is easy to implement and is clearly written.   It is written from a Christian perspective and includes scriptures and discussions about what it says in the bible.

I am looking forward to doing a lot more activities and experiments with this curriculum. We will be making a 3D model of the earth, reviewing plate tectonics with boiled eggs, making a speleothem, making an edible sedimentary rock, make a ground water aquifer, charting the moon phases for a month each night, and so much more.

Titles available in the Christian Kids Explore science curriculum series include:

Christian Kids Explore Earth and Space (Grades 3-6)

Christian Kids Explore Physics   (Grades 4-8)

Christian Kids Explore Chemistry ( Grades 4-8)

Christian Kids Explore Biology  (Grades 3-6)

Be sure to check out the FREE SAMPLES listed on the links with each of the above curriculums. There are several free lessons and activities you can do with your kids for each book. It is a great opportunity to try the products free before you buy.

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Bright Ideas Press Is Very Supportive Of The Needs Of Homeschool Families.

From the Bright Ideas Press website: “Bright Ideas Press publishes curriculum that moms love. We promise to publish Christian-oriented curriculum that will fit into your hectic life, curriculum that is both affordable and easy-to-use with children of different ages at the same time. The team at Bright Ideas Press prays that our products and resources will not only simplify your life but also inspire, encourage, and enable you to effectively educate your children”.

Be sure to check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog to read what others have to say about this science curriculum.