Monday, May 31, 2010

Summer Science - Apologia Zoology 1

We have decided that we are going to hold off on Astronomy (we are at chapter 6) and pick it back up in the fall.  We are going to use Apologia's Zoology 1 this summer.  Zoology 1 covers the flying creatures (birds and insects) so it is best to do it in the summer.

The notebook is too advanced for K because of all the writing, so we are not ordering it but using free worksheets online.  We also purchased some binoculars for our bird watching outings.  We are setting up bird feeders on our deck soon to attract as many birds as we can.  My husband's aunt is an avid bird watcher and her whole backyard is FULL of different kinds of birds - it was so neat to see when we were in NY last year.  We will be using the "Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America" so when we take pictures of birds or see them on our nature walks or our porch - we can identify them.

For the insect portions of Zoology 1, we will be using the "National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Insects and Spiders Species of North America" to help us identify them.  There is a lot more we could do with insects but I want to see what the projects in the book suggest before we choose our own. 

One of the lessons involves ordering live caterpillars and watching as they form their cocoons and turn into butterflies right before our very eyes - so cool huh?

Here is a video using the butterfly kit we plan on purchasing:





Just like with all the other subjects, there is a mass supply of books and videos from the library and videos online to use with each lesson. We are so excited to start Zoology 1 and spend this summer, not only learning, but having fun!!

Image credits: Christianbook; Amazon

4 comments:

  1. I know!! I can't wait! ;-)

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  2. How did you like Apologia Zoology 1? We ordered it for Alex, but haven't recieved it.

    Marie-Anne

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  3. We didn't get very far but I enjoyed what we did do. However, Katie isn't very "sciency" and it was really hard for her to understand - so we put on the shelf till after 3rd grade or so and doing something simpler right now. If Alex is pretty good in Science, he will be able to get it and Apologia is the best you can get that is Christian - that is why we are saving them for later! :-)

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