MEL Science - Chemistry Experiments Delivered to Your Door

I won't lie, when I opened the box I was a bit intimidated.  All those unfamiliar chemicals looked quite "official" and a little scary.  But I am an adventurer and LionHeart looked too excited for me to let him down.  Besides, sometimes text books can suck the fun out of learning.  These kits definitely  looked like they were about to kick the fun factor up several notches.

Experiment #1 Burning Magnesium

The first experiment we tried was Burning Magnesium.  Thank goodness for the video links to all of the experiments.  LionHeart is a visual learner.  While I poured over the written instructions, he watched the video.  Here's what happened:

Experiment #2 - Fire in A Bottle

After opening the contents and setting everything up, imagine how disappointed we were to discover that the ethanol alcohol was not included - either that or I had misplaced it! We substituted isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.  A quick Google search taught me that the two are not the same chemically.  I was ready to give up when LionHeart, my little scientist, urged me to try anyway.  Each time LionHeart inserted the lit skewer, it kept going out before he could get it to touch the alcohol.  For the short time that it was lit, we saw a slight fire in the bottle. LionHeart was intrigued by the bubbly cauldron effect created and spent another 30 minutes toying around and discovered that if you insert the skewer sideways the fire stays lit.  That's what I really love about science - it stokes the fire of  a curious mind.

Molecular Balls as viewed in the app

How It Works

MEL Science is a subscription service.  Each month you'll receive a chemistry set with 2-6 experiments.  The kit will include just about everything you need.  There are a total of 38 interactive hands-on chemistry sets.  Each set comes with all of the supplies and a description card that gives a quick overview of the experiment, safety precautions and a link to the video that demonstrates the experiment.  The MEL Sciene app serves as a virtual 3D microscope that enables your child to better visualize what happens in each experiment at the molecular level.  The website also provides more information about the topic if your learner is interested.

When you purchase a subscription, your first shipment includes two chemistry sets and the Starter Kit, The starter kit includes includes a Borosilicate glass beaker and flask (for use with excessive heat), virtual reality glasses (to observe molecules and crystal lattices from the inside - wow!), a macro lens that turns your smartphone into a microphone (so cool!), a tablet stand, large syringes, safety glass (of course), tray and Lion Heart's favorite, the solid fuel stove burner for use with experiments that require an open flame.

The Experiments

Click here to see a list of the experiments available through the MEL Science subscription service.  MEL science takes the intimidation factor out of chemistry and inserts the WOW factor.  This is how  children get really interested in science.  The mind-bending chemistry formulas can come later.  For now, let them fall in love with chemistry.

Virtual Reality Lessons

MEL Science also offers virtual reality lessons that cover all main topics of chemistry.  Difficult chemistry concepts are easily explained in bite-sized 3-7 minute virtual reality videos.  Students can use the VR glasses that come with the starter kit to enjoy these mini-lessons.  What fun!

Why I Love myON ~ Independent Summer Reading

I found a wonderful way to keep LionHeart engaged with reading and to ensure that Fortnite doesn't take over his life this summer.  myON is a digital book library, containing thousands of enhanced and age-appropriate titles for PreK-12.  I like that it suggests books based on his interest.  He chooses what he wants to read and the placement test determines the appropriate Lexile level.  He even has the option of having it read to him and the words are highlighted.  My favorite aspect of myON is the comprehension quiz.  He already knows that he must score 3 out of 5 or higher in order to "earn" his game time.  I still believe in reading to my child, so in addition to his independent reading, I chose books that he would probably cruise smooth past in the library.  Together we'll read about Wangari Maathi, Ida B. Wells, Bob Marley -- important historical figures he should know.  But when he chooses what to read, he can enjoy his Fantasy Basketball and Greatest MMA fighters.  I think having choice in reading material is very important.

Digital Texts

myON has unlimited access to digital texts available on and offline for reading.  The placement test ensures that book titles match reading and Lexile level. The more a child reads in his current level, the more confident he becomes and the more his reading improves.

Literacy Tools

I really love the literacy tools! There is an embedded dictionary and a zoom feature.  Also, because each digital book is a personal copy, your child will be able to use all sorts of literacy tools to really interact with the text.

Drawing Tool (Brush)

Students can identify important concepts in photos and illustrations throughout the book.

Sticky Notes

Students can annotate and add symbols while reading to mark passages, document theories, ask questions, remember connections or respond to the text. Sticky notes can be attached to highlighted text.

Shapes

Students can create on-page shapes and reposition, resize, change the color or remove them.

Journal / Notebook 

Students can create long text notes within the book reader that can be accessed within their account journal, and used to complete parent assigned writing projects.

Citation Creator

Students can learn the importance of citing sources and proper formatting, helping avoid plagiarism.

 Students can use a highlighter, brush tool, shapes and sticky notes to identify, markup and connect story concepts.

To Purchase

I purchased myON through the Home Buyers Co-op for $39.95 for the year! So glad this resource is now available to homeschoolers and families.  Initially, it was only available through school districts.  To purchase, click here for myON.

Clever Dragons ~ Online Learning for Boys

As a working, single-parent homeschool mom I am busy.  Busy, beyond busy! There are times when our day moves like a bullet train.  If we don't get as much done as I would like, my homeschool guilt surfaces.  We homeschoolers bear a heavy responsibility and we want to make sure we get it right.  When I had the opportunity to review Clever Dragons, an online curriculum that could potentially lend a helping hand, I jumped at the chance.

Clever Dragons 

My Right-Brain learner is computer savvy and uses YouTube to teach himself anything he wants to learn.  I had my fingers crossed that he would like Clever Dragons.  I loved all of the things I read about it so I really wanted him to like it.  It's an online, game-based learning environment created specifically for boys ages 7-12.  When he logged on and was immediately excited about creating his Mini Me (avatar) that was a definite plus.  He was pretty impressed that Nike was included in the gear he could purchase for his Mini Me, but disappointed that more African-American hairstyles, like Afros and Locs weren't included.

Learning Paths


The Learning Paths are the core educational areas.  The math section was the first area LionHeart visited.  The philosophy behind Clever Dragons is that drills and practice don't have to be boring.  Practice and repetition are always more fun in game format.  The more you play, the more you master.  There are no feelings of feeling of failure, just fun.  I watched LionHeart answer a question incorrectly and say to himself, "I'm going to keep trying so I can earn some coins." Core subject areas of Clever Dragons include Language Arts, Science, Geography & History, Music & Arts, and World Language studies. I especially love that keyboarding is included in the curriculum - a necessary skill. Parents can create unique learning paths based on the child's interests and strengths.  LionHeart loves dogs, so I will be sure to add the learning path on Dog breeds. Click here to read more about learning paths.

 Videos

LionHeart is a visual learner and the use of videos as a teaching tool are perfect for him. He has been skipping the videos and heading straight for the lessons. He likes to work this way.  It's almost as if he has to see the need for the learning video first.  He loves that the videos are short and the explanations are straight forward, but would like to see more animated graphics.  His favorite videos are the ones uploaded by users, probably because he creates NBA2K17 videos.  I'm sure he'll be uploading his own.

Games

This is what I love most of all about Clever Dragons ~ the learning through games.  My son is a Right-Brain, kinesthetic, visual learner.  Exploring, discovering and watching is how he learns best.  He is also an avid video game player so learning games are especially appealing to him.  Best of all he can earn coins by answering questions correctly.  Virtual currency is a powerful motivator.  Virtual currency can be used to build castles on Castle World, feed virtual pets and more.  In the process, users learn budgeting skills. Re-taking a quiz is not drudgery when you can earn more coins. Through games, LionHeart can learn the states, how to type, classical music and more.  I noticed that he was much more willing to explore core subjects and new concepts through games.  A homonym worksheet would be a struggle, but learning homonyms through a game is a way to earn coins.  It's all about the coins! He loves earning gold coins and gives me constant updates about how many coins and badges he has earned.  The pride is real!

The Clever Dragon Weekly

The writer in me really loves the newspaper feature of Clever Dragons.  Another core subject area ~ writing ~ is interwoven into the program in a fun way.  The newspaper is written by Clever Dragon users and moderated by staff.  Users will have the opportunity to practice different writing formats, including poetry, prose, recipes and more.  I plan to encourage LionHeart to write about his “cheat codes” for NBA2K17.  As an incentive for submitting writing, users get a free issue of the paper as well as special items for their Mini Me.  Deadlines are each Thursday.  I just love it.  Real world experience!

My World

LionHeart is a very creative child and he loves to use his creativity in the My World section.  He can create clothes, have a pet, decorate a home and connect with online friends.  What kid doesn't want to have his own house! In My World he can also practice pet care-taking skills because he actually has to feed the pet.  He can even design his own clothes and sell them to his online friends.  Wow! LionHeart is a budding entrepreneur and this feature will allow him to hone those skills. There is also a feature that allows you to indicate when your online friends are also your real life friends (pictured above with his twin homeschool buddies who also use Clever Dragons).  When you can't learn with friends in person, the next best thing is online.  The chat rooms are heavily moderated for safety concerns.  According to the website, Clever Dragons provides a "Facebook-like experience for kids, all in a safe, controlled setting."

For the Parents

If you need documentation for your homeschool portfolio area, the Parent Portal is your friend.  Opt for the premium subscription, which allows you to customize the learning experience by assigning specific lessons, requiring a specific lesson be complete before exploring other areas, and see a list of incorrect answers, which can be used for further learning.  The premium subscription also allows you to set goals with your child, track how much time is spent on specific tasks, and document the learning through custom reports.  You can also designate the grade level as you see fit or stretch across several grade levels, as I did.  Parents also receive weekly email reports.  I personally love this feature because it reminds me to utilize all the parent features.  Having the option of choosing specific assignments, educational videos, practice work, and learning assessments makes Clever Dragons much more than an educational game fill-in.  


The Founders

Dr. Johannes and Swenja Ziegler, parents of five, are the creators of Clever Dragons.  They, along with a team of team of educational experts including teachers, academics, and homeschooling parents, developed this program with boys in mind. 

Word Root 4 - The Critical Thinking Company

The Critical Thinking Company's Word Root Level 4 teaches vocabulary by first dissecting the words and defining each part - the root, prefix and suffix. Once the student learns these parts of the words, this knowledge is used to decode unfamiliar words.  There is a pre-test included to get you started and a post-test to use once the text is completed to see how much has been retained.

Students then attempt to master new words through the following lessons: matching words with their definitions, filling in a sentence with the correct word, writing the definitions of words, and writing complete sentences for each word. There are also plenty of review lessons included.  

The program is thorough, but for KingMan he felt something was missing.  It was a bit confusing for him and too much was left out for him to determine the correct answer.  For example, if he determined the meaning of a word incorrectly, then all of the subsequent work would be incorrect as well.  Maybe this was intended as a part of the "critical thinking" process.  But it frustrated KingMan.  In some ways, the lessons assume some knowledge of Latin, which KingMan did not have.  Another frustrating aspect was similarity of meaning.  If a prefix or suffix had similar meanings, how was he to determine which to use?  

For example, KingMan deduced that dogma meant one thing in Word Roots, but when he went to Dictionary.com the definition was different.  For example, in Word Roots dog/dox is defined as "opinion, praise" and ma as "something done."  So when KingMan wrote his sentence, "My dogma about Oklahoma City Thunder has always been overpowering."  He was using "praise and opinion" in the right way.  But when we looked up the definition for the word on Dictionary.com it said, "a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true."  Kingman's response to me was, "how can it be an opinion and incontrovertibly true?" I  think some additional discussion about the roots would have been helpful in determining proper usage.

Again, this may be a part of the "critical thinking" aspect of the program. If your child enjoys sleuth work, he may enjoy Word Roots.  On the other hand, if you have a straightforward learner, who prefers more explanation, this may not work.

Word Roots is a part of Timberdoodle's 10th Grade Curriculum Kit.

How to Recognize Bad Reasoning - The Fallacy Detective

I jumped at the chance to review the Fallacy Detective because I live with the Great Debators, otherwise known as my two sons.  All of a sudden, I have gone from knowing everything to not very much.  Well, we may as well put that faulty reasoning to the test.

The easy-to read Fallacy Detective is 38 lessons on how to recognize bad reasoning.  It was written by homeschooled brothers Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn.  The book doesn't look boring and there is plenty of white space and comic illustrations throughout.  The chapters and review questions are short, yet engaging and thought-provoking.  It's the kind of book that doesn't get the eye roll when you pick it up and announce that it's time for some lessons on logic.

What I love even more is that some of the expressions my children say "old people use," are included as lesson topics, for example,"Loaded Question, Straw Man, Slippery Slope" and my favorite "Bandwagon."  I can't tell you the number of times I have urged my children to not jump on the proverbial Bandwagon.

There is an answer key included, as well as game instructions in the back of the book for you to create your own Fallacy Detective games.  I used it on LionHeart just the other day.  We were visiting a new recreation center and he asked if he could walk to the nearby 7-Eleven with this "friends."  I gave him the you know this is going to be a long conversation look and began with a simple question.  Are you saying that because you played basketball with a boy for two hours he is now your friend?  LionHeart smiled sheepishly knowing the answer to the question: assuming someone you just met is a friend is most certainly employing faulty reasoning.

There are so many great topics in this book that will help young people become critical thinkers, such as "Red Herring, Analogy, Snob Appeal, Propoganda," and KingMan's favorite: "Generalization."  He loves to tell me, "mom you are making a generalization!"  The book is written for ages 12 an up, but we enjoyed reading it together as a family.  The Fallacy Detective is a must have to develop critical thinking skills in a fun way.

Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: 180 Daily Teaching Lessons

Oddly enough, my oldest son loved grammar.  In fact, it was one of his favorite subjects.  We used Rod and Staff to lay the foundation.  It was a thorough program, but not always easy to finish in a year.  The Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: 180 Daily Teaching Lessons seemed like a good substitute.  We examined the grade 11 text.  After a couple of lessons, Kingman complained that, "Nothing is clear.  You have to make assumptions."  I think coming from a curriculum that explains each concept in depth to one with succinct explanations may have been a big jump.  Upon closer examination, I discovered that concepts are explained well enough.  They are straight to the point with 1-4 practice questions.  This program was created to get you through what you need to know about grammar quickly.

If you are familiar with Daily Grams, you will probably have an idea of how this works.  In fact, the writers of the curriculum suggest using the text as a review book.  I would agree.  If you are finished with grammar study in your homeschool, but want to keep those grammar skills fresh as your juniors and seniors prepare for Accuplacer or CLEP exams, The Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: 180 Daily Teaching Lessons is a great review guide.

If you just want to review a specific aspect of grammar, the table of contents breaks it all down.  For example, under the lesson on colons there are exercises on use with a bibliography, divided, words, lists, ratios and more.  So you can zero in and be specific.

Another great way to use this guide would be through oral activities.  We used to do it all the time with Rod & Staff because there were just so many exercises.  To get  through them, we would do half orally.  The Easy Grammar Ultimate Series makes it easy as each lesson should only last 10 minutes.  Everyone has 10 minutes to review grammar orally.

Because the text is laid out in such an organized fashion, it makes it easy to jump around.  But the author suggests moving in sequence. It all depends upon how you plan to use the guide.  If you are a fan of Daily Grams, then I think you'll like this.  But I would suggest combining it with another grammar curriculum to round out a complete language arts program.  The Easy Grammar Ultimate Series is a part of complete homeschool curriculum for 11th graders.  For more information, click here.

Beginning Word Roots: A Review

Everything has a beginning.  This is how we began our study of root words.  Trees have roots and so do words, I explained to Lionheart, who wondered aloud, "why do I have to do this!?"  I wanted him to understand that the key to unlocking the meaning of new and unfamiliar words is understanding their roots.  Sharing this tidbit made teaching this abstract concept a bit more relevant to his young life.

Word Roots, published the by Critical Thinking Company, was our first adventure into vocabulary study.  More efficient than studying random lists of vocabulary words, Word Roots, instead focuses on prefixes, suffixes and roots.  Understanding the meaning of a specific prefix or suffix helps unlock far more words and their meanings.  For example, in Lesson 15, the root word "port," which means to carry, is the focus.  Pair "port" with the prefixes "ex, im, sup, trans," and 4 more words are decoded.  I encouraged Lionheart to treat it like detective work to make it fun!

The first 3 lessons of the text focus on prefixes, suffixes and roots, separately.  Each concept is defined, followed by simple exercises for practice.  The layout is nice and there is plenty of white space and a few illustrations so as not to overwhelm.  Other exercises include drawing a line from the word to its picture representation, defining the words, and filling in the blank with the correct word.

Lessons 4-7 focus on prefixes and roots, while lessons 8-11 focus on roots and suffixes. Breaking up the concepts in this way decreased confusion for Lionheart and allowed for plenty of practice to attain mastery.

Lessons 12-24 combine all three concepts: prefixes, roots and suffixes.  There are 10 reviews  that increase in difficulty as the child progresses.  One review includes matching the word with the correct meaning and creating words by combining the correct prefix and root word. Another review involves circling the correctly spelled word, for example:  fertile, fertill and furtile. By the last review, the child is asked to write a complete sentence using a word from the choice box.  I expect Lionheart to be pretty challenged by this exercise, especially given the choice of words, which includes "revivify."  I had to look that one up myself!

By the end of the book, with a little hard work, Lionheart should have expanded his vocabulary and  be able to use his knowledge of prefixes and suffixes to decode new words like vivacious, when broken down means viv (live, live) and acious (having the quality of).

Word Roots is a part of the Timberdoodle 4th-6th grade homeschool curriculum package.

Marie's Words - SAT Vocabulary Study

"Some may wonder how I have the temerity to use such grandiloquence in my language.  But if you look closely, you will see that rich language is ubiquitous and does not happen in a fortuitous way.  If your words are tenuous don't take umbrage with me because I happen to be a superlative writer." What!?  If you have no idea what these words mean it's time for you to pick up a box of Marie's Words.  I am a word nerd so we are going to have so much fun with these cards.

Marie's Words was created by a high school junior who needed a visual way to study for the SAT.  Brilliant idea! There are 550 word cards chosen from literature and SAT word lists.  On the front of the card is a visual representation of the meaning and on the back is the word, the pronunciation, the definition, synonyms, antonyms and the word used in a sentence. The size of a small flashcard, there are so many fun ways to use these cards to study vocabulary.  I picked 5 random cards and came up with the above paragraph.  This is what KingMan came up with his 5 random word cards:

"Draymond Green flagrantly fouled Kevin Durant. But Durant's fidelity to his team was not fickle and no one can flout that fact. How do I know? Well, I love basketball so much I could write a tome about it."  This exercise was so much fun and required that KingMan understand the meaning of the word and be creative in its usage.  I absolutely love the illustration for the word tome.  That visual!

While I love Vocabulary Cartoons, after the exercise is complete, the only way to review is to go back through the workbook.  Who wants to do that? Marie's Words encourages review in a myriad of ways, which is essential for committing to memory and, more importantly, using new vocabulary. The cards come hole-punched so you can easily slip them on a ring and review the old-fashioned way.  But the 5 word card sentence game was so much fun I plan to use it as a morning warm-up in our homeschool.  We even made a game out of finding the most ridiculous substitute for a simple word like poor: "His entrepreneurial spirit is a safeguard against living a impecunious life."  Marie's Words makes vocabulary study fun!

Though aimed at the middle and high school crowd, Marie's Words could easily be used with a younger child.  I plan to pull out the words with super silly illustrations to study with LionHeart.  He is a right-brain learner and these cards will light up the right side of his brain with the hand-drawn illustrations on the front that attempt to convey the definition of the word and help you retain the meaning more efficiently.  The more creative and zany the drawing, the more it will stick.  LionHeart will get a kick out of the illustration for words like wrath, jocular and hiatus.  The gap in the teeth illustration for hiatus - get it? Funny! He'll never forget that one.

This is one of my favorites.  I'm sure LionHeart will get the meaning of this one right away.  Can you guess?

I also like that words within the words are highlighted whenever possible.  The illustration for tantamount highlighting the word amount is brilliant!  The illustrations for indigent and forbearance are equally clever. I've got all kinds of game ideas and incentives swirling around in my head using these cards.

Marie's Words includes instructions for two games: "Picture Word," and "Wordsmith."  But you can definitely make up your own.  We will play the vocabulary version of the popular card game "Concentration."  We'll start with the pictures face up.  The player will have to choose a card and correctly define it.  If the player is not able to do so, the card is set aside.  The cards that are set aside will be the ones that end up on the ring for further study. At the end of the week, we'll replay the game and put the missed cards back into play.

The only thing I didn't like, and this may be petty, but I'm anal - is that the box that holds the cards is not very sturdy.  It's quite flimsy and mine fell a part.  I'm sure a plastic recipe card hold will serve the purpose, but a Marie's Words box would have been nicer to store the cards.  I also would like to have seen a bit more diversity in the people represented in the illustrations.

But I know this guy is happy that SAT vocabulary prep will bring loads of family fun.

Bring the Magic School Bus Science Home

The Magic School Bus series was one of my favorite ways to introduce science lessons with both of my sons.  It was a science lesson and a real story line.  Unlike educational videos that often only provide information, the Magic School Bus was an adventure to get lost inside of exploring subjects such as decomposition, digestion and microbes, just to name a few.  Imagine bringing the science out of those episodes and books and into your home?

SPECIAL OFFER: Through the end of the weekend you can receive 50% OFF a year’s subscription through Educents… and FREE shipping in the Continental United States! Ships to Canada for $2/month. This deal is amazing... just $10 per month, DELIVERED!

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If you have children (ages 5-12) who enjoy the Magic School Bus books or videos–and if you like doing science experiments with them–then you'll LOVE The Magic School Bus Science Club!

Developed by a team of Harvard graduates, scientists, and educators, the award-winning Magic School Bus Science Kits are delivered monthly right to your doorstep. Children will explore science through experiments that will spark an interest and curiosity in science.

Each kit includes a colorful manual based on The Magic School Bus characters, as well as everything you need to complete at least seven experiments related to that month’s theme.

What is included?

1 year subscription includes 12 Magic School Bus kits + FREE SHIPPING in the Continental USA (Ships to Canada for $2/month).

Each kit includes:

   

Detailed, large 12-page colorful manual that is full of experiments and topic information

   

Each manual is based on the popular Magic School Bus books and TV series

   

Includes an adult section so that adults with no science background will find the kits easy to use

   

Materials and information necessary for a range of interactive experiments

   

Online Clubhouse for further exploration on each kit topic

   

Certificate of Completion

Kit Topics:

Would your family have fun with this? If so, now’s a great time to sign up:

Through the end of the weekend you can receive 50% OFF a year’s subscription through Educents… and FREE shipping in the Continental United States! Ships to Canada for $2/month. This is an incredible deal! It's just $10 per month, DELIVERED!

You can even create and print off your own gift cards to let your children know about the surprise.

Enjoy your exploration alongside Ms. Frizzle!