Pea of Sweetness

Discover the Magic of Science with the Beginner's Science Lab {Holiday Gift Guide 2015}

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There is nothing better than seeing the kids’ faces light up when they learn something new or watch something they don’t expect. Hands-on science activities always seem to produce those moments, and they learn so much while at the same time really enjoy the experience. A gift kids will enjoy that encourages learning? Perfect!
Disclosure: I received the product complimentary to facilitate my review. Regardless, all opinions are my own and those of my family.
Lakeshore LearningIf you’re looking for educational gifts children will love, Lakeshore Learning is a great place to go! They offer a variety of products for Infants – 11 years old as well as educational products for parents that encourages learning in all areas! If you have homeschooling families on your list, educational products are a big hit! Of course, as a homeschooling mom, I love getting our children educational products as well! Of course, any parent can appreciate educational products!
For our Lakeshore Learning review we received the Beginner’s Science Lab. It is recommended for ages 5-11 (or grades K-6) and includes easy to follow step-by-step instructions.
Lakeshore Learning Beginner's Science Lab
What I love about the Beginner’s Science Kit is that it includes a variety of experiments with a variety of materials and even includes safety materials. Some experiments share materials while others use different materials. The best part is, the box itself is the perfect storage system for all of the materials.
Lakeshore Learning Beginner Science Kit Review
The book is written with simple instructions. Because our children are younger (ages 9, 7 and 5), I did the reading and writing and let them do the activities. Older children may be able to do it on their own but would still need adult supervision, of course.
Although I’m sure the projects would be done more easily in the order provided by the book (because the projects that share materials are follow each other), we decided to skip around. Our kids wanted to do the biggest, “coolest” experiment first, of course, which is the volcano, but I ultimately decided to save that for next week – the final week of our homeschool year.
We have done a few of the other projects, and the kids have really enjoyed them. This is definitely something they really want to do. It’s always a good thing when kids love to learn!
Some of the projects use strictly the materials that are provided with the kit. The kit is very extensive to even include measuring spoons, beakers, etc. Of course, things like water will need to be provided by you.
Some of the projects are more basic like this color project that is a hands-on and visual way to teach primary and secondary colors.
Lakeshore Learning Review Beginner's Science Lab Colors
Other projects, require a little more and may even need items from around your home. Some projects I couldn’t do right away because I didn’t have the items – like plastic cups (we almost never use plastic cups), but others simply used items most people would have readily available like bowls and spoons.
The kids had a great time sculpting the Space Sand under water!
Lakeshore Learning Review Beginner's Science Lab Space Sand
Each project is followed by a question session. What did you think would happen and what actually happened? I assume this is supposed to be asked all at once, but I wanted to challenge the kids to really form a hypothesis before we began the project, so I asked them before we began what they thought would happen. I think if you ask them after the fact, they may not actually say what they thought would happen because it might be so wrong or different from what really happened.
We would then talk about what really did happen. Following each question is a detailed, scientific explanation of the project. Although I did read everything from the text, I did also ask a few questions – for example, it notes the Space Sand is covered with a hydrophobic substance, so I asked them what they think hydrophobic means by breaking the word down into parts. Of course, that’s what I love about learning, we can always find moments to help them learn new things!
Lakeshore Learning Review

Lakeshore Learning Review

Overall, I think the Beginner’s Science Kit is great. It includes such a great variety of items and projects. The projects are presented in a way that is easy to follow and allows for teachable moments. It really has been neat to watch their faces when something totally unexpected happens. It’s also exciting to really watch them explore and want to discover more for themselves.
I’m a huge advocate for educational gifts. Children really learn a lot through play, and this Beginner’s Science Kit really offers many educational opportunities. The best part is, it offers them in a way that is simple to set up and use, so anybody can do it! You don’t have to be a science whiz to use this with your children! This would make a great gift for any children between the ages of 5-11 – particularly children who love hands-on projects!

*Holiday Special!!*

Lakeshore Learning offers such a wide variety of great educational products both in stores and online! You can receive 20% off any single nonsale item with this special coupon! This coupon is valid through 12/31/15 at 11:59pm PST, so be sure to take advantage of this great 20% off coupon to get a gift your kids will love!

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Pea of Sweetness Holiday Gift Guide

Critical Thinking Company Review

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As our children continue to get older, I encourage independent learning. I love resources that not only help them learn on their own but actually teach them how to use resources to help them learn. Surfing the Net: Science from The Critical Thinking Co. is a resource that helps children use the Internet to learn science!

The Critical Thinking Co. offers award-winning educational products for grades PreK-12+ in a variety of subjects like reading, math, science, writing and history that go beyond just learning the subjects and encourages children to use critical thinking.
For our Critical Thinking Company review we received the Surfing the Net: Science Physical Workbook. It is a paperback book containing 250 pages of inquiry-based worksheets for free Internet videos, articles and games recommended for Grades 3-6. It covers a variety of Science topics many of which are new to us, an although they are definitely learning new topics, the key focus of Surfing the Net: Science is teaching them how to find information on the Internet.
We have been using the Surfing the Net: Science Workbook with both our older children (ages 7 and 9) who are currently at the 3rd Grade level. Because of their special needs, they are delayed readers, though, so I knew this wouldn’t be an independent study, but I knew it would be a great introduction because as they are advancing in their reading and using the Internet more (our daughter has particularly made major advancements in reading this year) they will need to know how to use it efficiently for finding answers.
The Surfing the Net: Science book starts with a simple (but very thorough) 2-page introduction on how to use the book. It explains how each topic covers critical thinking inquiries in five different capacities, how it can be used in different ways for the different age and even designates the more challenging questions.
Surfing the Net: Science is divided into 6 Sections:

  • Animals
  • Atmosphere
  • Ecosystems and Habitats
  • Energy
  • Geology
  • Plants
  • Space

Each Section is then divided into more focused topics. There are 6-8 topics per section. For example, the Animals Section is divided into Amphibians, Animal Cells, Birds, Fish, etc. It shows all topics covered on the Surfing the Net: Science page. Each topic is between 3-5 pages. Because we were working together, it would take us a little longer to complete a page because I would ask them the questions, have them answer and then write down the answer. Sometimes we would complete the topic in one day, but other times we would only do one page per day. Generally 30-45 minutes is our stopping point because after that our kids lose interest. We have been using it as our main Science curriculum 3-4 days per week.
Critical Thinking Company Review
The Activity Layout always begins with a key word search. In the Introduction it notes the importance of the key word search because, as we know, search results can get overwhelming. It includes a link to a video lesson that is helpful on using key word searches, and I highly recommend watching it!
Additional activities are marked by icons that note to either Watch a video, Play a game, Search for images, View an animation, Use a website, Use an interactive website, Take a quiz or Read an article. The author spent a lot of time selecting the resources for this workbook. She noted that she chose not to include YouTube links because although there are educational resources on YouTube, they can be unreliable and there can be many videos that are inappropriate for children.
I think that’s an important point here – Surfing the Net: Science isn’t designed for just free surfing of the Internet. Even if your children are older and may be surfing the net on their own, they are guided to the appropriate websites either with your assistance or directly by the book itself. There are even links for the activities available online rather than having to type them all in, though I find it’s important to practice the key word searches. I think practicing key word searches, though, is definitely something to do with parent supervision!
Pages 183 – 250 of the book are the Answers. If you’re like me, you probably often learn a lot of new things yourself when teaching your children (which I love!) so having an answer key is always helpful!
Overall, I have found Surfing the Net: Science to be a great Science curriculum for our kids. It’s really challenged them to think beyond just learning science to how to get the answers. Although I do help them with it, I challenge them to tell me what key words I should use and, of course, to answer the questions, do the activities, etc. I like that it is teaching them how to use educational resources on the Internet.
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The Critical Thinking Company Review
 
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