1st Grade Science: Heredity Unit

For science this year we are doing units based on the Next Generation Science Standards for 1st grade. We usually do more than just what the standard says, but try to hit it at minimum. Here is the second part of life science. Unfortunately, this unit was short and I don't have a lot of pictures for it.

Standard:

1-LS3-1.

Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents.  [Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns could include features plants or animals share. Examples of observations could include leaves from the same kind of plant are the same shape but can differ in size; and, a particular breed of dog looks like its parents but is not exactly the same.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include inheritance or animals that undergo metamorphosis or hybrids.]

• We began with an animal sorting activity from Generation Genius. It was incredibly easy for a 6 year old, but let us start the discussion.
• Then we read some books. We probably could have skipped the two focusing on genes, but I thought he would find them interesting, and he did.

See Inside Genes and DNA

How Do You Look Like You?

Max Axiom Decoding Genes

All in the Family (probably the most grade appropriate)

• Videos

• Inheritance of Traits matching page from Exploring Nature

Valentine's Day Tot School Activities

So I realize it is actually after Valentine's Day, so this won't help anyone this year, but life just got too busy. Hopefully, this will help someone next year, or even just give them ideas for tot school activities in general!

As always, we read tons of Valentine's Day themed books. Here are her favorites this year.

Love Monster and the Last Chocolate

Pugicorn and the Lovebug

Love You Hoo

Loves is My Favorite Thing

Plenty of Love to Go Around

Love Splat

Pie Love You

A Pizza My Heart

Last year I hearts out of these colored filter sheets so we used them again this year.

Valentine's day sensory bin (wearing both a Christmas and Easter dress)

Heart pony beads with this counting page from Tot Schooling. She did a couple before running out of patience.

Working on a pattern page from Tot Schooling. She definitely still needs a lot of help.

Heart number matching from Tot Schooling

We did the letter matching hearts from Tot Schooling also, but I divided them up into three different chunks so as not to overwhelm her.

Felt envelope shape/color matching activity.

We used little heart links with some pipe cleaners to make "bracelets"

I gave her the first ten numbers from Conezilla to practice putting numbers in order.

Magnetic pattern blocks with a template from Playdough to Plato

Valentine's Day stickers.

Enchanted Cupcake game.

We have this board I got from Michaels forever ago. I gave her some Valentine's paper straws, some pink and purple pipe cleaners and a bunch of fun beads to build with.

Unicorn Glitterluck

Decorating a mini heart cake at our yearly cousin party.

Transferring pom poms (and making "cupcakes")

Heart pattern matching

Flower building

A foam heart puzzle I made... might have gotten bitten when her brother tried to take it.

Valentine's play dough tray.

 

Homeschool Science: How parents help their offspring survive

We did this unit right after the Biomimicry unit for Next Generation Science Standard 1-LS1-1. This next standard focused on how parents help their offspring survive.

Standard:

1-LS1-2 Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive. [Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns of behaviors could include the signals that offspring make (such as crying, cheeping, and other vocalizations) and the responses of the parents (such as feeding, comforting, and protecting the offspring).]

• We started with this animal sorting activity from Generation Genius.
• Then we read the following books:

How Animals Care for Their Young: Parenting Styles in the Animal World

Born in the Wild: Baby Mammals and Their Parents

What Animal Parents Do

Who Wants a Ride?

How Animal Babies Stay Safe

• Then we did the birdwatching activity from The Wonder of Science

• We wrapped up by completing this graphic organizer

One Two Many Rabbits

One Two Many Rabbits

Players: 1-4

Play Time: 10-15

Ages: 6+ (officially 7+)

Overview Video:

 

Thoughts:

This game is kind of like Shut the Box, but there are some fun bonus cards to mix it up. I also like that you draw cards for the dice you don't use, making you think about how many to roll.

I love this both as a kids game and as a gameschool game. The artwork is fun and quirky, the game moves quickly, occasionally giving you things to do on the other person's turn. There's some math involved, but nothing heavy so kids won't fight you on it. It's good practice for kids while still being fun for adults. Since you start with a lot of cards, I would suggest using some card holders for younger players.

Archer had to teach Dad right away, but Juniper wanted to join in.

*Game kindly gifted from the publisher, but thoughts are my own

Check out my board game section of the blog:

Tot School Winter Activities

Winter is in full swing where we are, but we recently wrapped up our winter activities

I printed some snowflake outlines onto transparency paper and gave her some transparent gems and beads to make designs.

We used some winter animal erasers with her beginning tens frames cards.

Mitten pattern matching. Still an enjoyable activity for her.

I made a "snowflake" out of pipe cleaners, intending for her to use pony beads in blues and whites. She decided she needed neon heart pony beads. 

Winter sensory bin with epsom salts, some arctic toob figurines, trees, wood slices, sticks and a butterfly (on Juniper's insistence)

Emotions matching from Natural Beach Living

Winter word vocabulary matching cards. 

I got out our snowman playdough set. 

Snowball Soup Math Activity was fun for her

 

Ancient China Homeschool Unit

This year we are using units for social studies instead of a set curriculum. This was our unit on Ancient China. We also tasted some Chinese teas, but I forgot to take a picture.

Chinese Menu

Eyewitness: Ancient China

Adventures in Ancient China (Good Times Travel Agency)

Ms Frizzles Adventures in Imperial China

You Wouldn't Want to Work on the Great Wall of China!: Defenses You'd Rather Not Build

Blast Back: The Great Wall of China

Kai and the Monkey King

Chapter Books: 

We started out planning to have Archer read Day of the Dragon King on his own and I would read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon as a read aloud. However, he ended up loving Where the Mountain Meets the Moon so much that he stole it and read it all on his own.

Ancient China Pages from Ancient Civilizations

For art we had him watch this Art Hub video and then attempt his own drawing. He really did not want to color it, though.

 

Ancient Rome Homeschool Mini Unit

This year we are using units for our history curriculum instead of doing one overriding theme. We did a unit on Ancient Rome, but honestly, I forgot to document most of it. Here are the only pictures I got.

See Inside Ancient Rome

How to Be a Roman Soldier

Top 10 Worst Things About Ancient Rome: You Wouldn't Want to Know!

You Wouldn't Want to be a Roman Gladiator

A Roman Adventure (Histronauts)

Building a Colosseum with blocks