Freshman Year Thoughts | Science

I'm planning on blogging a series with thoughts on resources and curriculum for 

courses for Zoey's 9th grade year. We are starting to think about what it is that we want our year ahead to look like and I'm hoping to create a running list of those ideas that are of interest to Zoey here. This will help us with our planning and budgeting and help me to feel a bit more organized while looking at the year ahead. 

There is a homeschooling high school group that I belong to on Facebook and I asked for thoughts and recommendations for a biology course that was at the high school level, that was secular and had lots of hands on labs. Zoey loves hands on when it comes to science. Labs are especially important now that we are talking high school. 

Right now I have requested several high school biology textbooks from area colleges through our library loan system so that we can look through them in person and see which ones we think may be the best fit. Once we find one that we like, I'm planning on purchasing the text(s) used. These books all align themselves with the biology lab kits available through Quality Science Labs. When Zoey saw the labs, she was adamant that this is what she wanted. She LOVES labs and especially dissections! Knowing that this is something she is interested in will give me the time to budget and plan, as we will also want to ensure we are able to get our hands on a better quality microscope than the one we currently have. 

In combination with the biology textbook, biology lab manual and lab kit, and microscope it was brought to my attention that a subscription to The Great Courses Plus program would be beneficial,  not just for biology, but for many other subjects/interests as well. Last year we had a subscription to BrainPop! which we have since canceled. It was interesting and we used it a lot for science and health during Zoey's 7th grade year, but I think Zoey is aging out of the content and the way that it is presented.

Recap...

Resources we are thinking about and/or interested in learning more about for 9th grade science/biology:

- Glencoe Science Biology Textbook

- Holt Biology Textbook (Oak Meadow uses this AND our local high school uses the 2010 version of this text)

- Prentice Hall Biology Textbook

- Quality Science Biology Lab Manuals, Lab Kits, Microscope  

- Subscription to The Great Courses Plus lectures

Library books to request throughout the year:

- The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
- The gene : an intimate history / Siddhartha Mukherjee
- Evolution Vs. Creationism by Eugenie C. Scott
- Science, Evolution and Creationism by Institute of Medicine

These are the ideas and resources that we are currently thinking about. This list will be added to and tweaked between now and next year, I am sure!

A Fun Fungi Adventure Hike!

We are so lucky to have so many resources available to us here where we live when it comes to life-learning environments. Today there was a foraging fungi hike hosted at Kemp Natural Resources Station with Cora Mollen and Anne Small of Northstate Mycological Club. It was free for anyone interested and you were to bring your own basket and a knife if interested in bringing home any specimens found. I knew we had to go!

We were tickled to discover that some friends were planning on going as well and it worked out perfectly to go together since Zoey had just spent the night at this friend's house the night before (for a back to school party...so, if they look tired, it's because they are!). 

It was a bit of a rainy, soggy and damp day which is actually pretty perfect weather for mushroom hunting!

I really wish that I had thought to bring something to record with, we saw so many specimens and I couldn't recall everything once I was back at the car after hiking and chatting for over two hours. 

It was so neat to have such a range in ages all partaking in this activity. This was our small group...there were two groups of about - 10-12 people and we split up in the woods to see what we could find and then we all met back at the pavilion and shared our finds and talked about what things were, characteristics of different specimens, etc.

I was excited to find the one pictured below which is called, Hygrocybe Conica or the Witch's Hat mushroom! Very fun!

And someone else found what they call Witch's Butter...

These are our finds that we ended up bringing back home.

I honestly cannot think of a better way to spend some free time! Out in the woods, learning, having fun with friends! Life doesn't get much better! 

2017 Total Solar Eclipse

Zoey had dance class right up to the moment of totality here in our area in Wisconsin so we were incredibly thankful that Zoey's friend that we were dropping off afterwards let us stay at her house for a bit so we got to see what we could using the pinhole technique and by taking a peek through a welders mask. Very cool!

And here are some eclipses found in shadows!

Science | Finding Out Blood Type

I'm a bit late in sharing these photos from Zoey's science unit on blood. We actually did this at the end of February...oops! For this "experiment" she used a blood type kit to determine what blood type she was. She was so excited to do this activity...every time she gets blood-work done at the clinic she is so excited...crazy girl! She thought that this was even more fun, seeing that she got to get to do it herself. She put antiseptic on her finger and then used the needle/punch to prick her finger to get the blood needed for putting on the test card. Depending on how the blood reacted within each circle she was able to look at a chart and determine what blood type she is.

Crazy fun with learning happening here!

Science | Heart Dissection

So these pictures are already from a few weeks ago, I'm just a bit behind in posting what it is that we're up to...we've been busy! Next week is spring break for the public schools in our area, I think we're still going to do a bit of school "light" that week just so we don't lose our steam. We'll be sure to try and fit in some fun though for sure!

Zoey shared that the heart dissection was the most fun out of all the dissections she's done so far. I think she says that about all of them though. :)

The heart was definitely the most challenging to make cuts on. The fatty tissues and muscle was quite tough to get through. But the struggle was well worth it.

For those that may not be regular readers, we are following Guest Hollow's Human Anatomy curriculum for science this year and WE LOVE IT!  So very many hands on activities and the books that are scheduled in are fantastic. Zoey is really learning a lot, as am I. For all the dissection labs we were able to get supplies from Home Science Tools.

If you are at all squeamish you may wish to look away...

I love that Zoey is getting this experience with hands on learning. It's quite amazing.

This afternoon Zoey has her drama class with the local homeschool co-op and then later this afternoon she will be taking a class from Outschool for the first time. Her first online class. I'm hoping our internet connection can handle it as well as our clunky laptop and that she likes the class. I still can't quite believe that she yes to taking the class, usually she is quite wary of anything to do online. The class does have to do with acting though so that may have something to do with her interest and enthusiasm! It will be fun to share an update of how it went shortly!

Wishing you a productive week!