• Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

dy•nam•ic constant change, progress, activity

  • HOME
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Reviews
  • About
tina robertson
  • 7 Step Planner
    • DIY Best Student Planner
    • DIY Easy Home Management Binder
  • Unit Studies
    • Creation to Ancients
    • Middle Ages to Reform
    • Exploring to Revolution
    • World Wars to Today
    • Science
    • Free Art Curriculum Grades 1 – 8
  • Self-Paced Homeschool Courses
  • Shop
  • Homeschool Helps
    • Dynamic Subscriber Freebies
    • Exclusive Subscribers Library
    • Ultimate Unit Study Planner

Teach Homeschool Science

54+ Fun Books Turned Movies to Spark a Love For Reading

December 16, 2020 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Living in a world of visual learners, we need numerous ways to nurture their love for reading. Today, I’ve rounded up 54+ fun books turned movies to spark a love for reading.

Whether you want to do a comparison between a book to a movie or want to breathe life into language arts, you’ll love the choices here.

54+ Fun Books Turned Movies to Spark a Love For Reading

Books Turned Movies

Click on the book cover for the book link and the corresponding movie link is under it.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Too, here are a few questions to stir your creative conversations about the movie.

I like to have a set of questions to give my kids ahead of time. They can think about the answer while the movie is playing, then discuss afterwards.

  • What do you think is the message of the movie? Which part in the movie makes you feel that way?
  • What do you predict will happen?
  • Are there any expressions which you don’t understand?

Teaching Language Arts with Movies

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Comparing Kids Books to Movies

Additionally, here are a few ideas if you use the book with the movie.

  • Instead of having a child write, use compare/contrast visual charts.
  • Then use a rating system. Did your child like the movie or book best? We did this while watching and realized many times we loved the book better, but not always. My kids would just down a few words for the part they either liked or didn’t on the movie, then we’d compare at the end.
  • Do a character sketch. Instead of writing about the character, have your child draw them from what they think they look like from the book. Compare their visualization with the movie.

Click on the book cover for the book link and the corresponding movie link is under it.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Teaching Reading with Movies

And besides turning the caption on in movies for beginner readers which is a fun tip, here are a few other ways to teach reading with movies.

  • Look for movies which align closer to the book because I’ve found for visual learners it’s easier to remember the story.
  • Character sketches can be drawn in reading journals then write the traits.
  • Although the movie is not like an audio book, it can still be viewed like that. Have your child predict outcomes.
  • Have your child listen and watch with the closed captions for figurative expressions and new vocabulary words.

However, unlike an audio book, a movie is visual. Your child’s spelling can improve by watching the captions.

In addition, remember I have the free form, Free and Useful Editable Movie Report For Homeschool which you can use in place of a book report.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Another one of my favorite resources to teach about movies and language arts is by Literary Adventures for Kids.

Check out Poetry and a Movie.

We loved doing the unit Poetry and a Movie.

54+ Fun Books Turned Movies to Spark a Love For Reading

Is The Book Better Than The Movie

Additionally, deciding whether the book or movie is better is normally a cause for great conversation in my home. 

I read one time when a book turns movie it can focus on the outside of the character while a book spends time describing what a character is on the inside. I agree.

True, some movies are better, but as a book lover overall I prefer the descriptions in books.

Click on the book cover for the book link and the corresponding movie link is under it.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

54+ Fun Books Turned Movies to Spark a Love For Reading

Appreciating Literature Through Movies

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Movie link.

Homeschooling with Netflix

Next, I have this list too of books turned movies which can be found on Netflix.

  • There is a series of Unfortunate Events.
  • Anne Frank.
  • The Lorax
  • Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2.
  • Pride & Prejudice.
  • The Indian in the Cupboard
  • War Horse
  • Mowgli from The Jungle Book
  • White Fang
  • The Cat in the Hat
  • Jurassic Park
  • Green Eggs and Ham
  • Benji
  • Les Miserables
  • Richie Rich
  • E.T.
  • Fiddler on the Roof
  • Magic School Bus
  • Chicken Little

Another fun resource you’ll love to get is the guide to use Movies as Literature. It’s very comprehensive.

Lastly, the list above is by no means complete, but it has many different levels of books turned movies; I know you’ll find one or two to interest your kids.

I think you’ll love these other resources:

  • Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens
  • 12 of the Best Books For Beginner Readers Being Homeschooled
  • How to Easily Add Language Arts to Homeschool Unit Studies (& Resources)
  • Free and Useful Editable Movie Report For Homeschool
  • How to Choose the Best Middle School Literature And Favorite Resources
  • 20 Ideas for Bringing Writing Alive through Unit Studies
  • What You’ve Got To Know About Teaching Reading Comprehension
  • When Should I Start Teaching Spelling in Homeschool?

Do you have a favorite book turned movie?

2 CommentsFiled Under: Be an Exceptional Homeschool Teacher, Do Unit Studies, Homeschool Multiple Ages of Children, Homeschool Simply, Homeschool Teens _ From Teen to Graduation, Homeschool When Nobody Wants To, Middle School Homeschool, Reading Lists, Teach Homeschool Language Arts, Teach Homeschool Science, Teach Unit Studies Tagged With: homeschool, homeschoolreading, language arts, languagearts, movies, read aloud, reading, reading journal, readingcomprehension

How to Build Elementary Homeschool Curriculum Directly From Amazon

July 11, 2020 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

How to build elementary homeschool curriculum directly from Amazon is easier than you think.

Whether you’ve homeschooled from the beginning or suddenly have been thrown into homeschooling, you’ll love the flexibility of being able to choose from Amazon.

I love supporting vendors who sell homeschool curriculum, but in person conventions did not happen everywhere this year because of the pandemic.

Having an option to build your elementary homeschool curriculum is vital and I made this easy for you by creating lists in my Amazon store.

How to Build Elementary Homeschool Curriculum Directly From Amazon

Elementary Homeschool Curriculum Directly From Amazon

First, the essential subjects that you want to teach in the elementary years are language arts, math, history and science.

Of course this doesn’t mean these are the only ones, but those four are the basis for a solid foundation.

Too, in the elementary years one-to-one tutoring does not take as long as the academic load that homeschooled kids in the upper grades carry. While it’s true a younger child may need more breaks, the workload is still pretty flexible in the elementary years and you have time to add other subjects for enrichment.

Now that you understand the 4 BIG ones as I call them, you also need to know how to break down language arts components.

Here are the components of language arts and based on your child’s age, ability, or level, you need to decide which ones he will need to do.

  • Reading. This includes reading aloud.
  • Phonics. Normally you want to do this until about 4th grade.
  • Spelling. Phonics is the precursor to spelling. Don’t be so quick to teach formal spelling because a child needs input first which phonics does.
  • Penmanship (no this is not composition). This is just what it means, learning how to write. It’s done in the early grades.
  • Composition comes after penmanship and it is about teaching a child how to compose his thoughts.
  • Grammar. Normally you start this in the second or third grade.

Language Arts Curriculum from Amazon

Keep in mind the subjects you cover in the elementary grades are just a rule of thumb.

Because kids can be all over the place on levels, I am giving you the big picture so you know how to choose.

It’s worrisome to not know which subjects to introduce and when to introduce them. I want you to be in the know.

So look at the subjects below based on grade level.

  • If your child is at grades 1 or 2, you want to choose a reading program, a phonics program, and a writing program.
  • If you child is at grades 3 to 4, you want to choose a reading program, a phonics program, a spelling program, a writing program or composition program and a grammar program.
  • If your child is at grades 5 to 6, you want to choose a reading program, a composition program, a spelling program, and a grammar program.
  • Science and history can be as easy as reading a book in the earlier grades and then progress to taking more time like from 3rd grade on.

Also, to be sure you’ve covered the bases for subjects, use my checklist for curriculum resources below

You can download an editable copy over at STEP 5A of my free 7 Step Homeschool Planner.

Additionally, I have this super helpful post How to Know What A Homeschooled Child Should Learn Yearly.

Now, look at lists I’ve created for you to give you choices on the different variety of curriculum.

By using the guideline above where I explain what to choose in each grade, you’ll be sure you won’t miss any vital curriculum for a grade.

  • If you’re teaching a new reader, choose a phonics program from the Elementary – Phonics (Up to 4th Grade) List and beginning readers from the Elementary – Teaching Reading & Beginner Readers.
  • Click here for the Elementary Spelling List.
  • Click here for the Elementary – Writing (Penmanship OR Composition) List.
  • Look at this Elementary – Reading List to get you started. Pick a few books along with what your child is reading for history and science and you have an excellent reading program.

Homeschool History and Science from Amazon

In addition, history and science are considered core subjects in some states.

Here is the Elementary – History & Geography List and here is the Elementary – Science List.

After you add the Big Four core subjects, you can add other subjects. By starting with the Big Four, you know that you have the essentials covered.

If you have many learners under the age of 7 or 8, then covering the Big Four for the day is solid. As your little ones get older and as you have time, you can add other subjects which interest your kids.

Sometimes lesson plans can be too lofty for the elementary ages, but remember play is still a huge part of the learning day too. There is no need to fill your day with too many subjects.

The Big Four subjects a.k.a. language arts, math, science and history are the same ones all the way to High School. There is a lot of years to cover those subjects so include plenty of hands-on activities too.

Elementary Homeschool Curriculum

Look at these other tips I have for you:

  • How to Build Middle School Curriculum Directly From Amazon
  • 20 Nature-Inspired Kids’ Novels to Nurture Interest In the Outdoors
  • 6 Boy Approved Books Which Spark the Love of Reading
  • 6 Tricks for the Kid That’s NOT in Love with Reading!
  • How To Get Your First Homeschooled Child Reading
  • 10 Fun Things You Can Teach Using Geronimo Stilton Books
  • Homeschool Colorful Reading Journal to Motivate Kids
  • 3 Ways to Choose the BEST Writing Curriculum (for a Growing Homeschool Family)
How to Build Elementary Homeschool Curriculum Directly From Amazon

The beauty of choosing curriculum directly from Amazon is that you not only can meet your kids’ needs, but also meet state guidelines if you have them.

You’re off to a great start this year!

Hugs and love ya,

1 CommentFiled Under: Choose Curriculum, Homeschool Simply, Kick Off Your Homeschool Year, Lesson Plan, Teach Homeschool Math, Teach Homeschool Science, Teach/Which Subjects to Teach/Cover EVERYTHING Tagged With: curriculum, cursive, elementary, homeschoolreading, language arts, languagearts, math, phonics, reading

41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids

May 27, 2020 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This list of 41 easy hands-on faith-neutral science activities for kids is not only fun, but simple to do at home. These awesome activities for kids can be used in multiple ways.

Look at these 4 ways on how to use these quick hands-on faith-neutral science activities.

  • If you’re homeschooling for faith-based reasons you want to add your own science worldview. Doing faith-neutral science activities doesn’t mean you need to leave your faith checked at the door; it does mean you can add your family’s values to an activity. Whether you homeschool for faith-based reasons or you’re a secular homeschooler, you can use these activities;
  • To respect a multitude of beliefs if you’re teaching a co-op, it’s best to have on hand science activities that all kids can do regardless of belief or lack of it;
  • Because activities don’t have to be complicated, these are ideas you can do at home with little prep; and
  • Last, but not least, the BEST list of ideas always comes from educators like us using what we have in our home or things we can purchase easily at the local store.
41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids

Faith-Neutral Science Activities For Kids

So these ideas comes from the brilliant and creative homeschool moms in my Facebook Group. (Yes, I’m biased). Hats off to them for being awesome home educators.

1. Check the Accuracy of the 5 Second Rule.

You need three petri dishes and gummy bears. Test the idea that if you pick up food from the floor before 5 seconds would it have bacteria.

One dish is labeled as the bacteria of a gummy bear which didn’t touch the floor, one for a gummy bear which was on the floor for 5 seconds, and one that was on the floor for a minute.

Put the dishes away for a week and check the results. How to test the results? After 3 days my son checked it and using a marker he circled areas where bacteria was growing and then checked again after a week.

2. Compare Transparency, Translucency, and Opacity.

Paint mason jars with a mixture of white glue and food coloring (or paint). When you put a light inside, you can see how opaque or translucent the jar is.

3. Learn about Aerodynamics.

We rolled old socks into balls and threw them around. Then, we compared the looser sock balls, tighter sock balls, and tried an unrolled sock. We talked about aerodynamics, then threw some more socks! 

4. Make a Fraction Salad.

Science includes math. So when you study fractions make a fraction salad. Cut grapes in halves, apples in quarters, and bananas in sixths (or eighths, depending on the size of the fruit). Then we ate it!

5. Growing Ivory Soap Science.

Microwave Ivory soap for about a minute or stop every few seconds so your kids see the changes in the soap. Discuss air pockets. Microwave another bar to compare to see why Ivory soap expands and why it’s lighter.

Science Activities For Kids

6. Investigate Condensation.

Review the terms condensation, precipitation, and evaporation. Condensation is harder to understand and to see. So place a pea seed in a jar with lid and moisten cotton balls. Watch the pea sprout with the condensation built up inside.

7. Build a DIY Easy Bird Feeder.

You can use many things to build feeders, but we loved using left over pumpkin halves to build feeders in the fall.

Look at this other post How to Make Easy DIY Bird Feeders.

8. Science Art – Make Pressed and Painted Leaves.

After leaves fall from trees, press, then paint underside of leaves and make prints on canvas.

The Basement Workshop Store

9. Sprout a Sweet Potato.

Sprout a sweet potato is easy fun science or just to have some pretty green in your house at the time of the year when all plants seem to die.

10. Learn About Patterns – Perler Beads Creations.

Make easy patterns while learning about them or create themed ones like Minecraft using the Fun-Schooling Book.

Use Perler Beads to make your creations for any science topic or a science fiction creation.

Hands-on Science at Home

11. Learn about traction.

You need leftover boxes from your Amazon orders or any box will do, but normally we have plenty of empty Amazon boxes.

Make two easy ramps with your leftover Amazon and run toy cars down them.

Then, try sticking different things to the surfaces to create traction for the cars, like sandpaper, bubble wrap, whatever you have in the house. This is a quick and easy quick play to learn about ramps, speed, and different effects the surface provides.

12. What Affect Different Liquids has on Items?

Take gummy bears and put then in different liquids to see how it would effect them.

We used vinegar, salt water, baking soda, coke, water and just plain water. Compare the fun results.

13. Edible Math Graphing.

Use a bag of skittles (preferable big so you have enough to eat afterwards) and separate by color. Graph the results. Eat, enjoy and repeat. (oops with another bag)

Also, look at 25 Creative and Tasty Edible Math Activities That Keep Learning Fun.

14. Understand Dissolving.

Put salt in warm water and cold water and determine which ones dissolves more of the salt and why.

Faith-Neutral Science Ideas

15. Learn about Yeast and How It Produces Gas.

Make home made pizza dough and individual pizzas.

Learn about yeast and the gas production that causes it to rise while enjoying the end results and the different flavors of pizza.

16. Dissect Owl Pellets.

41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids

Easy science. Grab a kit and read a book about food chains to round out the experience.

17. Diorama of the Planets or 18. Diorama of Different Habitats.

Whether you use styrofoam balls, wood. or paper mache this is a fun project. Another idea is to make a mobile of the planets.

If you do habitats you can easily use what you have in the house and do one for the tundra, rainforest, and a desert.

Look at these fun and free printable planets and here is a printable to create a coral reef diorama , an Arctic polar animals diorama, an Amazon Jungle or Rainforest Animals, a Dinosaur habitat, and make Native American homes.

19. Grow (attempt) Celery.

Growing celery from the stumpbutt of one bought from the store can be fun even if it’s a fail.

Science is about attempting a variety of activities. Kids learn about what not to do in science. The celery did not grow, but the kids learned why to not over water vegetables.

Best Hands-On Science Activities

20. Make an Outline of the Human body and Add a Few Organs.

Picture courtesy luv of @loveandlearninghomeed

For younger kids make an outline of the human body and then have your older kids learn where body organs go.

Here is a link for the free printable organs.

21. Why do Leaves Change Color?

We looked at why leaves change color by soaking leaves in methylated spirit (denatured alcohol) which drew out the green (chlorophyll) and left the other colors.

Picture courtesy luv of @loveandlearninghomeed

22. Practical Math Using the Iditarod

Make a litter of sled dog puppies (socks filled with rice) to study the Iditarod.

Practice math by weighing your puppies (sometimes adding or removing rice), calculating food amounts, etc.

Also learn how dog sled pups are named. Make beef stew and serve in (brand new and washed) dog bowls and watch Sled Dog.

23. Make an easy spinal cord.

Make the spinal cord out of penne pasta and gummi rings, the pasta being the vertebrae and the gummi rings the disks.

Picture courtesy luv of @loveandlearninghomeed

24. Engineering Challenge.

Do an engineering challenge to build a shelter with materials you find.

Picture courtesy of @loveandlearninghomeed

25. Nature Observing.

Look for evidence of insects and animals. Read about habitats and trees in your local area, then take a nature hike.

26. Experiment with a resister to electricity.

Experiment with an electricity kit.

Picture courtesy of @loveandlearninghomeed

We determined that the current reduces when you add a resistor so the light bulb will be dimmer. We also added a fan to a circuit.

Homeschool Science Activities

27. Glow Germ Experiment.

This is a fun one to do in a co-op or with siblings. Click here to read about how to do the glo germ activity.

28. Learn about Capillary Action.

We explained capillary action by cutting celery stalks at the bottom and putting them in containers with food dye. After a few hours if you cut the stalk you could see the food dye had been drawn up, Then, after a day or so the leaves were showing the food dye.

29. Apple science.

Cut open a few different apples and inspect the seeds. Learn about how the number of seeds directly correlates with the pollination of the apples which of course will lead us into a study on pollination.

30. Understand about blubber.

Learning about the Arctic and Antarctica are doing a blubber hand. You insert one hand in ice water with just a glove or ziplock bag and the second hand is immersed in shortening (blubber) before put in cold water. The kids can compare the difference with the blubber.

31. Dissect a Shark.

Fun Science at Home

32. Make bouncy eggs.

Make bouncing eggs by soaking eggs in vinegar for three days.

The calcium of the eggshell will dissolve and leave the membrane of the egg which will be bouncy. This will be to demonstrate the effect of acid on minerals like calcium.

33. Learn about weight and floating.

Make boats out of tin foil and weigh them. Make a note. Then find things around the house and weigh them before putting them in the boat, again taking note.

Find things like pennies, paper clips and small toys. Make it a challenge by the winner being whoever gets the most things in their boat without it sinking. They can draw pictures in their science journals too.

34. Chemical reactions.

Use silly putty to show chemical reactions. Look at these activities for silly putty and then click here to learn about the chemical reactions.

35. Color of Leaves.

Pick up leaves and examine them with a magnifying glass.

36. Make balloon operated cars.

Here is a fun video lesson to watch on how to make an easy balloon operated car.

Science to Do at Home

41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids

37. Study Arthropods.

Finish your unit with an Arthropod scavenger hunt! Kids use a scavenger hunt to find certain arthropods, take pictures of them, and then create a beautiful power point presentation as their final assessment.

38. Make a tree book.

Put together a book on trees. This is a great activity if you have a ton of trees around. Go on a leaf hunt. Then iron them in wax paper and look up each leaf and write facts about them.

Put the wax paper in plastic sleeves and put them in a notebook and keep it as a keepsake to look at all year round to remind us of the different and beautiful trees we have around us.

39. Composting.

You get short term and long term benefits from this hands-on idea. Composting is quick to set up, but you do have to wait a few years to eventually get new dirt.

40. How does drag work?

Make paper airplanes. Here is a link on how to make a paper airplane.

41. Make crystals.

Make crystals out of a solution and measured the temperature to start with, in the middle, and at the end.

Make different colors, discuss about geodes and how they form as well as other crystals like ice, salt, and sugar.

The best way to teach is hands-on and having these faith-neutral science kid’s activities at your finger tips allows you to plan quickly with just a few things on hand.

What easy science ideas have you done?

Look at these other fun ideas you’ll love:

  • Kinder Gardening to Celebrate Nature and Science
  • How to Easily Make Fun Seed Tape With Kids
  • How to Make a Fun Kids Root Viewer
  • Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids (Middle – Upper Elementary)
  • 18 Amazing Kids Subscription Boxes to Try Right Now
  • 6 Fun and Free Nature Studies to Beat the Doldrums
  • 100 Brilliant STEM Activities Using Everyday Items

Hugs and love ya,

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities, How To - - -, Science, Science Based, Teach Homeschool Science Tagged With: hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, life science, physical science, science

Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids (Middle – Upper Elementary)

February 27, 2019 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Are you as excited for spring as we are? Living in Florida we are blessed with a long growing season so we are always excited to get some seeds sprouted indoors even while there are still the occasional chilly days ahead. To kick off a garden unit study I pulled out an old favorite activity to introduce again.

1 Kids exploring seeds Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids Middle - Upper Elementary @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

When the kids were toddler and preschooler age I loved to let them open and explore inexpensive seed packets (4/$1 at Dollar Tree). It was such a simple introduction to gardening, parts of a flower, and grasping where flowers, fruits, and veggies begin. A great simple hands-on science activity that engaged them for a long period of time.

Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids (Middle - Upper Elementary). You'll love these tips for an easy gardening unit study! Click here to grab them!

I haven’t done it in years and wondered if it was kind of a babyish activity for them but with spring right around the corner I wanted to give it a try and I am so glad I did,  although my kids are almost 8 and almost 11 this activity was still a hit. I also added a few additional challenges to make it more age appropriate.

2 seed tray Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids Middle - Upper Elementary @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Set out an artist pallet with small wells or another divided container for exploration, I grabbed this divided serving platter from Dollar Tree. Pour your seeds out among the divided sections and add items for exploration like magnifying glasses, tweezers, a small knife for older children, and the seed packets themselves. Let your child(ren) spend a little time exploring and studying the seeds and see what observations they make.

3 supplies for seed investigation Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids Middle - Upper Elementary @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Gardening For Kids

If you have younger children joining in you can have them sort by size or by color. Let them match the seed packet to the seeds in the tray.

After they got a good look at each seed, seeing how they varied so much in size, shape, and color we cut open a few and looked side. We talked about how some seeds that are hard to sprout can be helped along in their germinating process by cracking the seed coat gently with something like fingernail clippers.

4 cut open seed Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids Middle - Upper Elementary @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

We also investigated seeds still in the apple, let your kids dig them out with a pair of tweezers to get a real firsthand look at them.

5 Apple seed investigation Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids Middle - Upper Elementary @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

I had the children investigate the seeds and compare as we did when they were younger but this time we dived even deeper into studying them, adding in some journaling, handwriting, spelling, reading, and more as well.

Gather all the books and gardening magazines you have on gardening and place them in a basket or scattered about the house. Use them in your morning time or as your science book during your garden study, this really helps give a little “meat” to your seed exploring time.

6 Seed packets and books Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids Middle - Upper Elementary @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Kids Garden

Make a list of spelling/vocabulary words associated with seeds and gardening that is age appropriate for your child. Younger children can use simple words like- seed, grow, and dirt while upper middle school children might learn heirloom, organic, and germination. These words can be used for spelling, vocabulary, or as journal starters.

My daughter is learning how to alphabetize so for practice I had her put the seed packets in alphabetical order, a practical hands-on application will sink and stick much better than a worksheet will for most children. Also alphabetizing books and magazines is great practice as well.

We also did the planting a seed and watching it grow we documented its progress. Have them draw a picture of what they see each day from seed to full-blown plant. Even older children can really get a lot out of watching the process firsthand, seeing the seed pod germinate and spread its tender little leaves out and roots down.  Radishes, lettuce, broccoli, and sunflowers are quick-sprouting seeds if you are looking for more instant gratification for the kids.

Next, I had the kids log seeds in a garden journal that was just a basic composition book. They listed our seeds and then added seed to a little dab of school glue next to it to compare and remember what each seed looks like. This gives the kids an opportunity to practice handwriting and spelling. Go a little deeper and use garden topics to kick off journal entries as well

7 Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids Middle - Upper Elementary @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Seed Activities For Kids

Finally, we used our gardening books and magazines that we had on hand to find and learn more about the seed packets we had. Research is an important skill to learn and children can gather information from the back of the seed packet but get even more in-depth information from books, living books that act as textbooks contain a lot of information to beef up a gardening study. We used these books to plan our garden, deciding what we would plant, plot size and shape, as well as some crafty ideas.

Supply List For Gardening and Seed Activities

  • Seed packets of various varieties and sizes
  • Magnifying Glass
  • Tweezers
  • A divided tray to hold everything
  • Gardening books and/or magazines
  • Composition book
  • Glue
Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids (Middle - Upper Elementary). You'll love these tips for an easy gardening unit study! Click here to grab them!

You’ll love these other fun hands-on activities:

  • Wildflowers Unit Study & Lapbook 
  • Hands-on Ancient Babylon: Hanging Gardens Fun Activity
  • Hands-on Ancient Mesopotamia: Easy STEM Irrigation Activity
  • A to Z List: 100 Fun Summer Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • Foraging and Feasting Nature Unit Study and Lapbook 

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities, Middle School Homeschool, Science, Science Based, Teach Homeschool Science Tagged With: hands on history, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, spring

Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)

June 14, 2018 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

There are many reasons to use an all-in-one homeschool curriculum and the best reason is that all the planning is done for you. Whether you’re new, feel like you don’t have time to lesson plan, or just need a teaching break, you’ll want to know these boxed curriculum providers or all-in-one homeschool curriculum providers.

What Is an All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum

First things first. There is a lot of confusion that swirls around the definition of what is an all-in-one curriculum. It is the same as a boxed curriculum. That may not tell you anything either because you may think that means it comes in a box. It may or may not.

Look at my easy definition below so you sound like a seasoned veteran when you curriculum shop.

The Definition of an All-In-One or Boxed Homeschool Curriculum

An all-in-one homeschool curriculum or boxed curriculum means that all of your core subjects like the 3 Rs and content subjects like science and history are included in the program. It means just what it says in that all of your basic subjects are covered. In addition, most all-in-one providers have teacher’s manuals or teacher notes along with suggested schedules on how to cover the material. Like a boxed cake mix, the curriculum comes with everything you need to begin homeschooling for a school year. Normally, you need very little extra supplies to start. The curriculum may consist of part physical books, part online, part dvd, or all physical book or all on line.

A lot of the options with this approach can be considered public school at home or workbook approach.

Big Ol' List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed). There are many reasons to use an all-in-one homeschool curriculum and the best reason is that all the planning is done for you. CLICK here to grab this list!

However, all-in-one curriculum providers have really changed since I’ve started and some take another homeschool approach like Charlotte Mason or even a unit study type of approach.

Because accredited has nothing to do with the rigor of the curriculum, you’ll want to be sure to read Accreditation Removing the Shroud of Mystery.

Advantages of All-In-One or Boxed Curriculum

Additionally, it’s important to understand the advantages of an all-in-one to see if it’s a good fit.

  • It’s all laid out which means the lesson planning is done. Some new homeschoolers are not comfortable with their freedom to homeschool and feel better having a pattern to follow.
  • Contrary to popular belief, they can save you money in the long run because you learn what you like or don’t like about teaching. You don’t spend years switching curriculum because you took the time to learn how to teach.
  • Not having to worry about lesson planning frees up your time to hone in on the weaknesses of your children that may need to be addressed this year.
  • Most companies provide you with a schedule on how to fit it all in for the day. It can be a great guide for time management and you can avoid the stress of over planning.
  • If you live in a state that has stricter homeschooling laws, an all-in-one curriculum can help you to comply with the laws of you state.

There are some disadvantages to any curriculum, but I’ll save those for another time because I want you to see the plethora of choices. I’ll add a few notes as I go along too.

And if I have a savings for one or two below, I’ll let you know too.

Choosing Curriculum When You’re New

Workbook Approach You Know in Public School

And remember these are curriculum providers NOT schools!

*Unless noted all of these are a traditional or workbook approach.
* Also, don’t be uniformed because curriculum is not accredited, only schools. Be sure you read my post about accreditation above if you need to understand the difference.

A Beka.

  • Christian
  • PK to 12
  • Accredited or Independent Study
  • Print-based and computer-based

A.C.E. (Accelerated Christian Education).

  • Christian
  • K to 12
  • Accredited
  • Colorful printed packs enhanced with CDs, DVD and computer software

Acellus.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • K to 12
  • Computer based online
  • Note: Homeschoolers have a love hate relationship with them. Some lessons are short and to the point, others seem overly easy or unnecessarily complicated. There are glitches at time and scheduling seems to be a problem. Overall, homeschoolers like the flexibility of homeschooling when they want to just login and go.

Alpha Omega LifePac.
Alpha Omega Switched-on Schoolhouse.
Alpha Omega Horizons.
Alpha Omega Weaver.

(Note: You save 10% by buying it from the Homeschool Buyer’s Co-op). Four different programs with different approaches and purposes from the same publisher.

  • Christian
  • K to 12
  • Accredited
  • Note: Weaver is a unit study approach and not a workbook-based approach.
  • Print-based, computer-based, and online homeschooling curriculum.

Bob Jones Press.

  • Christian
  • K3 to 12
  • Accredited
  • Print-based and video-based

Easy Peasy All In One.

  • Christian
  • PK to 12
  • Note: This is completely FREE and I will suggest it at times for new or struggling homeschoolers to start with this to see what will work and not work for you as the investment is only your time and whatever you choose to print.
  • Note: Easy Peasy All in One is a Charlotte Mason approach with a gentle workbook based approach.
  • Computer-based online.

Designed by Lee Giles beginning 2011 as she put assignments down for her children and saved them for the younger ones. It has grown in popularity over the years.

BookShark.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • K to 12
  • Print-based and some items computer- based
  • Note: BookShark is a literature-based approach.

Calvert Education.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • PK to 12
  • Accredited
  • Print-based or digital-only format with e-textbooks.

Christian Light Education.

  • Christian
  • K to 12
  • Print-based

Christian Liberty Press.

  • Christian
  • PK to 12
  • Accredited
  • Print-based

MasterBooks.

  • Christian
  • PK to 12
  • Print-based (committed to putting ink on paper) or pdf downloads for about 90% of the products
  • mix and match bundles

Moving Beyond the Page

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • PK to 12
  • Print-based or computer-interface and you print lessons.
  • Note: Moving Beyond the Page is a literature-based unit study approach with a twist of classical, Montessori and unschooling approaches.
  • mix and match bundles

My Father’s World.

  • Christian

  • PK to 12
  • Print-based
  • Note: My Father’s World is a Charlotte Mason approach with a unit study twist.

Oak Meadow.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • PK to 12
  • Print-based
  • Accredited
  • Note: Oak Meadows incorporates nature-based learning and a Waldorf influenced approach.

Rod and Staff.

  • Christian
  • 1 to 10. (Their belief affects grade level meaning they feel most concepts should be learned by tenth grade.)
  • Print-based

Sonlight.

  • Christian
  • PK to 12
  • Print-based
  • Note: Sonlight is literature-based with a Charlotte Mason approach.
  • mix and match bundles

The Good and the Beautiful.

  • Non-denominational Christian
  • PK to 12
  • Print-based
  • Note: Follows a Charlotte Mason approach.

Time4Learning.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • PK to 12
  • Computer-based online

Timberdoodle.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular AND Christian options
  • PK to 12
  • print-based
  • mix and match bundles

Veritas Press.

  • Christian
  • K to 12
  • Print-based and online courses
  • Note: Veritas Press is literature-based with a Classic approach.

WinterPromise.

  • Christian
  • K to 12
  • Print-based and pdf. option
  • Note: WinterPromise is literature-based with a Charlotte Mason and unit study approach.

Homeschool Providers Worthy of Mention –
{Almost All-In-One}

Add a subject or two to make them complete.

These curriculum providers below are also popular because of their flexibility and excellent literature quality.

They require maybe one or two subjects to make them complete. I’m putting them here so you can have them as an option.

Beautiful Feet Literature.

  • Christian
  • K to 12
  • Print-based and downloadable pdf.
  • Note: Beautiful Feet is literature-based with a unit study focus on history.
  • Need to purchase: Math program and depending on your child you may need to purchase a composition, grammar, and spelling program.

Build Your Library.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • PK to 10. TBA 11, 12
  • Downloadable teachers guide, you buy your own literature
  • Note: Literature-based with a Charlotte Mason and eclectic approach.
  • Need to purchase: Math program and depending on your child’s need you may need to purchase separate spelling and grammar programs.

Torch Light. (new but worth mentioning)

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • K and 1 only available now
  • Downloadable teachers guide, you buy your own literature
  • Note: Literature-based with a Charlotte Mason and eclectic approach.
  • Need to purchase: Math program and depending on your child’s need you may need to purchase separate spelling and grammar programs.

Look at these super great programs I’ve used to complete the programs above.

WriteShop Junior
All About Spelling
Big Ol' List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed). There are many reasons to use an all-in-one homeschool curriculum and the best reason is that all the planning is done for you. CLICK here to grab this list!

You’ll also love these other tips:

  • 8 Components of a Boxed Curriculum 
  • How to Use a Boxed Curriculum without Giving Up Your Homeschool Approach 
  • The Big List of Unit Study Hands-on (and Hands-off) Curriculum

Hugs and love ya,

2 CommentsFiled Under: Choose Curriculum, Kick Off Your Homeschool Year, Plan For & School Year Around, Teach Homeschool History, Teach Homeschool Language Arts, Teach Homeschool Math, Teach Homeschool Science, Teach/Which Subjects to Teach/Cover EVERYTHING Tagged With: boxedcurriculum, curriculum, homeschool curriculum, new homeschooler homeschool curriculum

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

SHOP
HOW TO
BLOG

Footer

My Book – 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers: When You Don’t Know Where to Begin

Language Arts Luv (Because it works!)

All About Learning Press

Want EASY Planned Hands-on History?

Categories

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you need permission to print my free materials, please download and fill out this Printable Reproduction License.

Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Site Design by Sharon Hujik · Log in · Privacy Policy