Category: Unit Studies

Nature Study Meets Citizen Scientist

Ann1 Comment

The Great Backyard Bird Count is coming soon!  This is a very popular activity for many AHE families.   For those that may not be familiar with this event, this is a fun way to incorporate nature study into your program and make a contribution to science at the same time.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of  what the bird population around the world looks like.    Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts.  Don’t worry if you know next to nothing about birds, the Great Backyard Bird Count website is full of resources to help you learn bird ID skills and what birds to look for in your area.  It takes as little as 15 minutes on any or all of the days of the event.    Log on to your free online bird checklist account and your numbers will be added to the worldwide tally.

Click on the image to head over to the GBBC website where you can learn more about the count, download activity pages and tally sheets and learn more about birds in preparation for the count.

My Place in Space – Lessons on Stewardship

Ann2 Comments

Stewardship is the theme of the adult Sabbath School Bible Study guide this quarter.   Here is an excellent resource from the General Conference of SDAs that teaches the concept of stewardship to children.  These lessons go beyond the stewardship of money -they direct children to the Bible to look at a broader idea of stewardship.  The lessons can be useful at home and in a Sabbath School or Children’s Church setting . Take a moment to browse the free downloadable files to find out more.  Click the image or link below .

MY PLACE IN SPACE 

Marking 500 Years

Editor2 Comments

Reformation Day resources useful for commemorating the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation.

SDA Resources
Truth Triumphant for Youth- A 23 chapter story of the Church in the Wilderness first published by Pacific Press in 1944.  Would work great as a read-aloud for the month of October.  Engaging reading full of pictures and diagrams.

Audio version of The Great Controversy -All 42 chapters available for free download and listening

Printable coloring pages of Seventh-day Adventist Church pioneers.  At total of 31 pages

Visionary for Kids – Several of the free magazines cover the topic of the Great Controversy.  The sidebar lists the issues.

Our Adventist Heritage – a full collection of multimedia study resources from the Atlantic Union Conference Teacher Bulletin

Adventist Pioneer Stories – listen online courtesy of the University Park Community SDA Church

 

Other Notebooking/Lapbook/Unit Study Resources

Reformation Unit Lap-n-Note from HomeschoolShare

Reformation Day Ideas and Activities from Beyond A Doubt

Protestant Reformers Notebooking pages from Notebooking Fairy

Outline for Gardening – Unit Study Idea

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Outline for Gardening is a 28 page booklet recently released by our sister ministry,  Sonlight Education Ministry (SEM).  It is an older publication not found in the SEM catalog, but is full of such possibility!

My first thought was that the booklet is a wonderful gardening curriculum outline.  Starting several months before planting season begins in your area, you can work on understanding each section of the outline and how it applies to your particular growing zone.The various sections lend themselves to different types of projects and activities.

For example, for Sunlight: Measure and graph the amount of sunlight several potential garden plots receive each day and use the information to choose the best garden plots.

Soil: Do a home soil test or send a soil sample to your area’s university extenstion service for testing.  Use the results to learn what the your soil needs and how to provide for those needs.

Variety selection:  Order several seed/gardening catalogs and let your child create a collage of the garden they would like to grow in the coming season.

The companion planting section is written in such a way as to add a very nice character development/spiritual growth aspect to your study.

Outline for Gardening is available for free download on the Sonlight Education Ministry website.  While you are there, be sure to check the Released Materials page to see what has been recently released.

 

September Links and Ideas

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September is here!  For many of us, Fall is just around the corner.  A few links and ideas to add a bit of interest and learning fun to this month.

Long-billed Curlew in evening sun, Morro Strand State Beach, Mor

Nature study ideas for September –  The Nature Conservancy’s bird for September is the Long-billed Curlew.  Click the name of the bird to learn the other names that it goes by.   The aster and the morning glory are the flowers for September.  Wouldn’t it be fun to press the flower of the month for a year and create a collection of pressed flowers?

September is Whole Grains Month.  The perfect month to add a new grain to your meal plans. What about trying a new bread recipe? Following a recipe is math, science and technical reading all rolled into one. Homeschooling fun!  And you get bread!

September 12th is National Day of Encouragement.  Why not celebrate by writing notes to friends and family.  Everyone appreciates a bit of encouragement!

September 24th is Punctuation Day.   Here’s a free printable punctuation poster in both UK English and US English.

 

**Research topics/ideas with a September connection:

The first Continental Congress assembled in Sept. 1774.  In 1776, the Continental Congress changed the name of the new American nation from the United Colonies to the United States.

Composer George Fredrick Handel finished Messiah on Sept. 14, 1741 after working on it nonstop for 23 days.

The Mayflower ship departed England, bound for America on Sept. 16, 1620.

 

 

 

 

 

August Links and Ideas

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August is here!  A few links and ideas to add a bit of interest and learning fun to the month.

Nature study ideas for August-  The Nature Conservancy’s bird for August is the amazing Painted Bunting.    The gladiolus and poppy are the flowers for August.  Why not take a day to learn more about these beautiful creations?

meteor

The Perseid meteor shower will be in ‘outburst’ this year, meaning they should show up at double the usual rate.  The peak of the meteor shower should be around August 12th.

Children’s Day is celebrated in August in several countries.  Why not create your own children’s day celebration?  Interview some seniors you know about their childhoods.  Learn what children used to wear and do for fun 50, 100 or 150 years ago!

 

Research topics/ideas with an August connection:

Anne Frank penned her last diary entry on August 1, 1944.

Christopher Columbus set sail on August 3, 1492 with the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.

The Krakatoa volcano eruption, one of the most catastrophic in recorded history, occurred on August 26, 1883.

 

 

*Perseid meteor image source: Kim MyoungSung

 

 

Free Adventist History Resources

Editor1 Comment

Free resources for those families who would like to incorporate Adventist history into their homeschool studies.

JosephBatesTN

 

 

Adventist Pioneers Coloring Pages courtesy of  Adventist Heritage Ministry.  

Audio stream of over 100 Adventist pioneer stories courtesy of the University Park SDA church in Oregon.

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                            Lest We Forget : A 5 part printable unit study for upper elementary- jr. high aged students.

Our Adventist Heritage is another set of free printable resources and project ideas looking at                               the lives of early Adventist church pioneers.

450px-Family,_Origins_and_Heritage_Master_Award

There are several Pathfinder awards dealing with Adventist Church history.  Combine them with other doctrinal & Bible awards to earn the Master award for that category.

 

Don’t forget the Adventist Church’s official Office of Archives, Statistics and Research website– chock-full of photographs,
online archives and more.  An excellent resource for a high school level research project.