Finally - Actual Crystals!

One of the activities in the Mater Amabilis™ Mountains and Volcanoes study in Level 1A Year 2 (third grade) is to grow a crystal. We tried some different kits and methods with First Son, First Daughter, and Second Daughter, with varying degrees of success.

This year, I purchased the 4M Crystal Growing Experimental Kit and it was far and away the best kit we've ever used. Second Son (the third grader) used it to grow enormous crystals. It actually got away from us. Then later in the year, First Son (the tenth grader) used it to grow a second set of crystals for his geology term.

There's enough left for another set but I don't know if it'll still be around in three years when First Daughter is ready for tenth grade geology. We may have to use them up just for fun before then.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

Another Arctic Option: Alone Across the Arctic

Alone Across the Arctic: One Woman's Epic Journey by Dog Team

by Pam Flowers with Ann Dixon

Pam quit her job and invested her savings in following her dream - dogsledding in the Arctic. This book for young readers tells about her training, preparation, and journey. It's overflowing with information on dogsledding and surviving in the Arctic, a perfect companion to Mater Amabilis™Level 1A Year 2 (third grade) which includes reading on the Arctic for Earth Studies.

If you have trouble finding a copy of By Truck to the North, this would also be an acceptable substitute. While the writing is not as literary as I prefer and the message of following your dream is a little overdone, it's still a good option. Students who love dogs, like my daughter, would be especially pleased with this book.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post of my honest opinions. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. I read a library copy.

Hurricane without Warning: Isaac's Storm

Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

by Erik Larson

As I mentioned in a previous post, this year, for First Son's ninth grade science, I decided to use Sabbath Mood Homeschool's study guides. First Son is spending one term studying Chemistry, one term studying Physics, one term studying Weather, and a whole year studying Biology (but only the equivalent of a term as it's only once a week). The study guide for weather, like the others, contains a list of suggestions for independent reading during the term related to the science. Isaac's Storm was the book I selected for our term on Weather. I was able to request a copy from another member at PaperBackSwap.com.

(Side note: I seriously considered having First Son read Warnings, which I read many years ago, or another book on tornadoes, which would be appropriate for Kansas. Another good Kansas option might be The Worst Hard Time, which is a fantastic book, but I couldn't remember how much actual "weather" is described in it. In the end, I picked Isaac's Storm, partly because the reviews looked good enough that I wanted to read it and partly because I prefer to own our assigned books and this was the easiest one to get in hard copy. For First Daughter in a few years, I'll probably put them all on a list and let her choose one...and she'll probably read all of them.)

This book describes the hurricane that devastated Galveston, TX, in 1900. Told from the viewpoint, mostly, of Isaac Cline, the resident meteorologist, it also includes descriptions of the storm as it moves through space, escalating in strength. In 1900, there were no satellites to track hurricanes from space so the author relied on ships' logs and current knowledge of hurricanes. Moving over the open sea, it was completely hidden from everyone on shore until it struck with unprecedented force.

The author visited Galveston and spent hours poring over surviving photographs, augmenting the story with vivid descriptions of the bustling city before the storm. Besides Cline's experiences, interviews and written memoirs of a few others weave through the book, providing eyewitness accounts of the storm from different vantage points.

The Galveston hurricane was horrifyingly deadly. There are no pictures in the book (though some exist) but the descriptions of the death and destruction will be difficult for sensitive readers.

It's a masterful account and a compelling complement to our Weather study.

I received nothing in exchange for this post. This review contains my own opinions. Links above to Amazon and PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

Water and Life in First Grade: Rivers and Oceans

Rivers and Oceans

Young Discoverers series

by Barbara Taylor

(also part of The Earth: The Geography of our World)

This is the book recommended for Mater Amabilis™ Level 1B (first grade) Earth Studies. I've now used it four times with four different children along with the excellent schedule of lessons as recommended by Mater Amabilis™, which we follow almost exactly.

In this little book are the very basics of understanding water on earth: the water cycle, underground water, rivers, lakes, oceans, waves, and water pollution. The topics are mainly covered in one or two main paragraphs and lots of full-color illustrations and diagrams. There are many suggestions for little demonstrations you can do at home with materials you probably have on hand, most of which are included in the Mater Amabilis™schedule for you.

In addition, Mater Amabilis™ recommends regular visits (six or seven) to a local water environment. We've been lucky for the last few years to have access to a friend's bit of river which we visited regularly during our nature study time; it's easily the favorite place of the children. Over time, we've seen the river running high, overflowing its banks, and running drastically low. We've seen prints of deer, raccoons, and dogs in the sand near the river, frogs leaping from the edge, and surprises like an armadillo and a bald eagle. The children tried building bridges of sand and crossing rivulets with logs...which I tell myself must be educational somehow. Visiting some other local water environments encouraged comparisons and allowed us to see other phenomena, like the ice forming on top of the water of a little pond and only at the edges (when ice never formed on the river). It can be difficult to find an appropriate place or to make the effort to go where children are likely to get sandy and wet, but the fruits are worth it.

Years ago, I collected a few picture book titles from the library that match up with the topics in the Rivers and Oceans study. In the beginning, I put these in a picture book basket. We don't have a picture book basket anymore (pause for no-more-preschoolers-sigh). For Second Son, I sometimes read them aloud, sometimes gave them to him to read, and sometimes just let them sit on the library book shelf.

On the water cycle:

Water Is Water by Miranda Paul (on the blog here, library copy)

Rivers of Sunlight by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm - This book is a little busy in its illustrations for my taste, but it shows how water moves, changes, and flows throughout the world. It's much more than the water cycle. (library copy)

On freshwater life:

A Drop of Water by Gordon Morrison - on the blog here. (library copy)

Pond by Gordon Morrison - This book follows the life of a pond through the seasons of a year. It's a lovely picture book of the natural world. (library copy)

On great rivers of the world:

Sacred River: The Ganges of India by Ted Lewin - Lewin is a masterful illustrator and world traveler who treats subjects around the world with respect and grace. (purchased at a library book sale)

Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest by Steven Jenkins - This book covers more than just water around the world, but Jenkins provides illustrations that place geographical features in perspective in his excellent style. (library copy)

On municipal water:

The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen - a typical Magic School Bus book with good descriptions and illustrations of how cities clean and manage water. (library copy)


Just for fun:

Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems by Kate Coombs, illustrated by Meilo So - The poems are enjoyable, but the illustrations are perfect. (library copy)

Wave by Suzy Lee - a wordless picture book of a girl and a wave, surprisingly wonderful. (used copy from PaperBackSwap.com)

The Big Big Sea by Martin Waddell (on the blog here, used copy from PaperBackSwap.com)


I purchased Rivers and Oceans long long ago, used, from somewhere. This review is my own opinion and I did not receive anything for it. Links to Amazon and PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.)

Adventuring Through the Orient: Richard Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels (Level 3 Year 2)

Mater Amabilis™Level 3 recommends Richard Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels, spread over the two years of the level, the Occident in Year 1 (sixth grade) and the Orient in Year 2 (seventh grade). I wrote about the Occident and how much I loved it last year. The Orient was just as riveting. In it, Halliburton continues his travels with a group of young people through Europe and Asia.

In the second chapter, exploring Halicarnassus, Halliburton writes:

How sad, how cruel, that this world should have been so completely destroyed; for was it not, perhaps, a better world than ours? We have radios and airplanes and motorcars, but Demetrius and Diomede, like most Greeks of that Golden Age in history, had the time and the desire to love beauty, and to understand beauty, and to live for beauty.

In the chapter on Timbuktu, the author describes how he purchased slaves on a previous visit. He cared for them well and, in the end, paid the slave dealer to take them back. I'm not sure what would have been better and perhaps it wasn't possible, but it seems like he should have at least explained why he didn't set them free. The story is quite funny as the slaves act like the children they are and frequently take off their few clothes.

The chapter on Victoria Falls is particularly beautiful, as befits the Wonder.

Before us and below us screams a hurricane of bursting water. We are on the downstream rim of the chasm, the rim which faces the falls. The curtain of water, opposite, is only 250 feet away, but we can not see it. For in this narrow abyss in front of us, and for half a mile on either side, the Zambezi seems rather to explode than fall. The violent blasts of wind shoot the clouds of smoke far up into the sky. These clouds condense and fall again and rise again, in perpetual motion and never-ending fury. They beat upon us and blind us. The shock of so much power dashing downward at our feet is physically painful. We are half-drowned in spray. 

The book ends on the peak of Mount Fuji in Japan as the sun rises.

Lifted up into this holy realm, on the white crown of the magic peak, we too stand there, as moved, as lost in rapture, as the kneeling, praying pilgrims. And as we watch the miracle of the morning unfold, each of us, after his own fashion, gives thanks to the Master Hand that made the beauty and the wonder of the world. 

[UPDATE June 2020; I wrote a kind of master lesson plan for The Geography Coloring that better avoids assigning the same map in multiple years than I did with my original plans, which were rather haphazard. I will leave First Son's assignments below, but here are the updated plans for the Orient.

Chapter 1 - Turkey on p. 28
Chapter 2 - Mark where Halicarnassus would have been on the map on p. 30
Chapter 3 - Island of Rhodes on p. 30
Chapter 4 - visible parts of Egypt on p. 28
Chapter 7 - part of Crete shown on p. 30
Chapter 8 - Find or add Timbuktu on p. 37
Chapter 9 - Mark Victoria Falls on p. 37
Chapter 10 - Saudi Arabia on p. 28
Chapter 11 - Jordan on p. 28
Chapter 12 - Israel on p. 28
Chapter 13 - Cyprus on p. 28
Chapter 14 - Lebanon on p. 28
Chapter 15 - Syria on p. 28
Chapter 17 - Iraq on p. 28
Chapter 18 - Kuwait on p. 28
Chapter 19 - Iran on p. 28
Chapter 20 - India on p. 28
Chapter 21 - Pakistan on p. 28
Chapter 22 - Afghanistan on p. 28
Chapter 23 - Bhutan on p. 28
Chapter 24 - Nepal on p. 28 (Optional: The Top of the World by Steven Jenkins)
Chapter 25 - China on p. 28
Chapter 26 - Mongolia on p. 28
Chapter 27 - Sri Lanka on p. 28
Chapter 28 - Cambodia on p. 28
Chapter 29 - North and South Korea on p. 28
Chapter 30 - Japan on p. 28

END UPDATE]

As last year, I assigned some mapwork in his Geography Coloring Book as it was appropriate. I bought this book a few years ago and we use it over and over again, coloring in new pages as we work through geography and other lessons.

Chapter 1 - Color Turkey and Greece on p 18.

Chapter 2 - Mark where Halicarnassus would have been on the map on p 30.

Chapter 3 - Color the island of Rhodes on p 30.

Chapter 4 - Color what you can of Egypt on p 30.

Chapter 5 - Nothing this week.

Chapter 6 - Nothing this week.

Chapter 7 - Color the part of Crete shown on p 30.

Chapter 8 - Mark Tibuctoo on p 37.

Chapter 9 - Mark Victoria Falls on p 37.

Chapter 10 - Color Saudi Arabia on p 31.

Chapter 11 - Color Jordan on p 30.

Chapter 12 - Color Israel on p 30.

Chapter 13 - Color Cyprus on p 30.

Chapter 14 - Color Lebanon on p 30.

Chapter 15 - Color Syria on p 30.

Chapter 16 - Nothing this week.
Chapter 17 - Color Iraq on p 31.

Chapter 18 - Color Kuwait on p 31
Chapter 19 - Color Iran on p 31.
Chapter 20 - Color India on p 32.

Chapter 21 - Color Pakistan on p 32.
Chapter 22 - Color Afghanistan on p 32.

Chapter 23 - Color Bhutan on p 32.
Chapter 24 - Color Nepal on p. 32. Also read The Top of the World by Steve Jenkins.
Chapter 25 - Color China on p 33.
Chapter 26 - Color Mongolia on p 33. 

Chapter 27 - Color Sri Lanka on p 32.
Chapter 28 - Color Cambodia on p 34.

Chapter 29 - Color North and South Korea on p 33.
Chapter 30 - Color Japan on p 33.

First Son's copy of the Geography Coloring Book is an older one, but First Daughter has the third edition and I checked that the page numbers are still accurate.

The Book of Marvels remains my favorite book of Level 3.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Bookshop and Amazon are affiliate links.

World Travels with Richard Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels: The Occident (Level 3 Year 1)

Mater Amabilis™Level 3 recommends Richard Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels, spread over the two years of the level, the Occident in Year 1 (sixth grade) and the Orient in Year 2 (seventh grade). I debated about finding an alternate title as it seemed expensive, but everywhere I looked online the homeschool voices resounded with praises for this book and lamentations that nothing else was comparable. I found Richard Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels at the bargain price of about $28 including shipping using BookFinder.com. It may be cheaper to buy the two copies separately, but I like having it all in one book. (When I checked earlier this spring, it looked like the complete book was more reasonably priced than each volume separately.) I did talk seriously with First Son about our copy, explaining it was an older book that would require gentle handing.

[UPDATE June 2020: Halliburton's Book of Marvels has been reprinted by Living Book Press.]

Today I'd like to add my voice to the others singing the praises of The Complete Book of Marvels. This is by far my favorite Level 3 book!

Richard Halliburton writes as if he is traveling with a group of young people beginning in California, traveling east across the United States and then through Europe, ending in Istanbul. Written in the 1930s, the descriptions and stories are, of course, missing a few decades of history, but it's simple to supplement with some searches online if necessary. Each chapter swirls from geography to history to inspiring descriptions to travel adventures. There are ample photographs in the book, some from the author's own travels. His stunts like swimming the Panama Canal and thrusting a stick into the a smoking crack of Vesuvius thrill the reader and are perfect for reading rather than doing.

The descriptions astound and delight. Reading about places I'd been, I yearned to return. Reading about new and exotic places, I suddenly felt a wanderlust, a desire to venture out into the wide world. Halliburton invites the reader to venture to the edge of volcanoes, the pinnacle of mountains, and the dungeons of castles. In the chapter on the Iguazu Falls, he writes:

Then, abruptly, we reach the edge of a terrific mile-wide abyss, and stand before what seems, at the moment, to be all the beauty in the world changed into mist and moonlight, floating out from among the stars, and falling and fading into a bottomless fissure in the earth.

There are also exquisite descriptions of the wondrous, like the Blue Grotto:

Magic has been worked on everything. About us hang the draperies of an azure fairyland. The rock of the cavern walls has been changed to a curtain of soft sapphires ashine with silver spangles. And the water we float on is no longer water. It's a bottomless sky shot full of unearthly blue light. Blue--blue--blue--silvery, shimmering, fairy blue dances on the ceiling, electrifies the quivering lake and touches the very air with supernatural radiance, overwhelming us with its blue beauty.

[UPDATE in June 2020. I'm going to leave First Son's schedule below, but I want to share an updated one here from a Master Lesson Plan that allows a student to use the Geography Coloring Book over five years while avoiding duplicate assignments as much as possible. Pick the one that works best for you.

Chapter 1 - California on p. 3
Chapter 3 - Washington on p. 3
Chapter 4 - Arizona on p. 3
Chapter 5 - Nevada on p. 3
Chapter 6 - New York on p. 3
Chapter 8 - Washington, D.C. on p. 3
Chapter 9 - Florida on p. 3
Chapter 10 - Mexico on p. 3
Chapter 12 - Haiti on p. 3
Chapter 13 - Panama on p. 3
Chapter 14 - Peru on p. 14 (or p. 17)
Chapter 15 - Argentina on p. 14 (or p. 17)
Chapter 16 - Brazil on p. 14 (or p. 16)
Chapter 17 - Spain on p. 18
Chapter 18 - France on p. 18
Chapter 21 - Switzerland on p. 18
Chapter 23 - Italy on p. 18
Chapter 27 - Greece on p. 18
Chapter 29 - Russian Federation on p. 18 (may be colored from earlier study)
Chapter 30 - Turkey on p. 18

END UPDATE]

First Son read one chapter each week, narrating it orally. I also assigned him mapwork in his Geography Coloring Book as it was appropriate. I bought this book a few years ago and we use it over and over again, coloring in new pages as we work through geography and other lessons.

Chapter 1 - color California on p 11
Chapter 3 - color Washington on p 11
Chapter 4 - color Arizona on p 11
Chapter 5 - color Nevada on p 11
Chapter 6 - color New York on p 7
Chapter 8 - color Washington, D.C. on p 7
Chapter 9 - color Florida on p 8
Chapter 10 - color Mexico on p 12
Chapter 12 - color Haiti on p 13
Chapter 13 - color Panama on p 12
Chapter 14 - color Peru on p 17
Chapter 15 - color Argentina on p 17
Chapter 16 - color Brazil on p 16
Chapter 17 - color Spain on p 21
Chapter 18 - color France on p 21
Chapter 21 - color Switzerland on p 22
Chapter 23 - color Italy on p 23
Chapter 27 - color Greece on p 23
Chapter 29 - color European Russia and Asian Russia on p 26
Chapter 30 - color Turkey on p 30

First Son's copy of the Geography Coloring Book is an older one, but First Daughter has the third edition and I checked that the page numbers are still accurate.

I am eagerly anticipating the second half of this book as we venture into the Orient!

Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links. I have received nothing in exchange for this post.

Homeschool Review and Lesson Plans: By Truck to the North

Mater Amabilis Level 1A recommends a study of Extreme Environments in Year 2 (third grade) for Earth Studies. The books are meant to be read independently, then narrated. I added a little notebooking and extra books from the library.

I posted earlier about our first term study, 52 Days by Camel, and our second term study, Jungle Islands.

In our third term, First Son read By Truck to the North: My Arctic Adventure (Adventure Travel) by Andy Turnbull with Debora Perason, part of the same series. It's full of interesting facts of the Arctic and lots of pictures. First Son especially enjoyed the pictures of the little dog that traveled with them.

Here's our schedule for the term. As with the other books, I added a few notebooking pages. First Son did all of his reading independently, narrated to me, and then did the notebook pages independently as well. For the notebook pages, I rarely asked him to elaborate on them. These were a chance for him to practice taking some notes or consolidating information into a picture.

The basket books were all from our library. I would display them during the appropriate week so they were available for independent reading during free time or for supplemental information for notebook pages. If he could help it, he didn't use any of these books, but I liked having them available regardless. At the time, we also had Draw Write Now book 4 which I let First Son use as he wanted for the notebook pages, but I recently sold the whole set (since we switched the Cursive First) so we won't have that available for future students.

Week 1

Read the introduction and chapter 1. Narrate.
Draw a map for your notebook of western Canada and Alaska. Be sure to include the towns they'll visit.

Independent reading - Tikta'Liktak retold by James Houston
I asked First Son to read this on his own time over the course of a week or so. I did not require narrations for it. I thought it was a great story to complement our study of the extreme environments of the Arctic.

Book basket:
Arctic Hunter by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith
Icebergs, Ice Caps, and Glaciers by Allan Fowler

Week 2

Read chapters 2 and 3. Narrate.

Week 3

Read chapter 4. Narrate.
Make a page for totem poles for your notebook.
Learn a little about Kitwanga on this website.

Book basket:
Totem Poles by Jennifer Frantz
Carving a Totem Pole by Vickie Jensen - I thought this was a pretty good book with lots of pictures and a great look at the creation of a totem pole for the people involved.

Week 4

Read chapter 5. Narrate.
Make a notebook page on the Klondike Gold Rush (using words and pictures). Use Klondike Gold by Alice Provensen in addition to your book. (I really like this Provensen book.)

Book basket:
The Klondike Gold Rush by Marc Tyler Nobleman

Week 5

Read chapter 6. Narrate.
Make a notebook page on the northern lights. Be sure to include a little about how they form and draw a picture.
We were supposed to look at this website as well on the northern lights, but I forgot and we never made it back.

Book basket:
Science Matters: Northern Lights by David Whitfield

Week 6

Read chapter 7. Narrate.
Make a notebook page on timber wolves or other animals of the Arctic.
Book basket:
DK Eye Wonder: Arctic and Antarctic

Week 7

Read chapter 8. Narrate.
Make a page on the sunlight and darkness in the far north. Use Arctic Lights Arctic Nights. (I thought this was a particularly good book on this topic.)

Week 8

Read chapter 9. Narrate.
Make a page on pingos for your notebook. Be sure to draw one and describe how they are formed. Alternatively, make a page on polar bears for your notebook using A Polar Bear Journey by Debbie S. Miller.

We moved a little more quickly through By Truck to the North than we did with the books the first two terms so we could include this short book based in Antarctica: Antarctic Journal: Four Months at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Owings Dewey. First Son was always dismayed by the number of pages we read in a day, but there are lots of illustrations. This is a great book for showing the value of nature study drawings. I requested a copy of this book from PaperBackSwap.com.

Week 9

Read pp. 6-17. Narrate.
Draw a map of Antarctica for your notebook. Be sure to include Palmer Station. Add a few notes about Palmer Station to your page.

Book basket:
Antarctic Journal by Meredith Hooper
My Season with the Penguins: An Antarctic Journal by Sophie Webb

Week 10

Read pp. 18-31. Narrate.
Make a page for your notebook about Litchfield Island or any of the animals mentioned in the book.

Book basket:
Penguins by Sylvia A. Johnson
Penguins at Home: Gentoos of Antarctica by Bruce McMillan
Penguins from Emperors to Macaronis by Erin Pembrey Swan

Week 11

Read pp. 32-45. Narrate.
Make a page for your notebook about blue whales, winter and summer in Antarctica (p. 37), or glaciers in Antarctica.

Book basket:
Icebergs, Ice Caps, and Glaciers by Allan Fowler
Big Blue Whale by Nicola Davies
A Look at Glaciers by Patrick Allen
Glaciers by Margaret Carruthers

Week 12

Read pp. 46-63. Narrate.
Make a page for your notebook about elephant seals, blue-eyed shags, icebergs, glacier snow, or Weddell seals.

Book basket:
Elephant Seals by Sylvia Johnson

As with the other posts, I welcome any suggestions. I'll be doing this study again in three years with First Daughter (or maybe in four years with First and Second Daughter together).

Also, I tried a new method for the Amazon links for most of the books in this post. Please let me know if any of them don't work or if they take you to some random page instead of the appropriate one.

Homeschool Review and Lesson Plans: Jungle Islands

Mater Amabilis Level 1A recommends a study of Extreme Environments in Year 2 (third grade) for Earth Studies. The books are meant to be read independently, then narrated. I added a little notebooking and extra books from the library.

I already blogged about the book for our first term, 52 Days by Camel.

In the second term, we studied the Solomon Islands with Jungle Islands: My South Sea Adventure by Maria Coffey and Debora Pearson. This is another wonderful book in the same series as 52 Days by Camel, full of photographs and insight into the South Sea cultures and environment. I think First Son liked this book the best of the three we read this year in our Extreme Environments studies.

As I mentioned before, each week First Son would read from this book and narrate. Then I often asked him to complete a notebook page as well. I usually asked for a few words (labels, notes, a sentence or two) and a drawing, which I encouraged him to color. The library books were set out to entice additional reading, which sometimes happened.

Week 1

(No reading this week.)
Create a map of the Solomon Islands for your notebook. (First Son used the library book below and an atlas.)

Independent reading: From Kansas to Cannibals: The Story of Osa Johnson by Suzanne Middendorf Arruda - I shared this with First Son because Osa's life was truly fascinating and she was a country girl from Kansas, but we talked a little about how the native people of the islands and Africa were described and treated by Osa and her companions. (Their treatment of wildlife was also very different from what is expected today.) It made for exciting reading and some thoughtfulness on changing times and how we should always strive to be considerate of all people and careful in our stewardship of God's earth. She has a museum not too far away, but too far for a mid-year field trip.

Library book:
Solomon Islands (Enchantment of the World) by Judith Diamond

Week 2

Read the introduction, "Help! I'm Drowning!" and "My South Sea Adventure."
Narrate.

Week 3

Read chapter 1, "All Aboard!"
Narrate.
Research coconuts or sugar cane. Draw a picture of the life cycle of one of them for your notebook. (We went online for this research because there wasn't an appropriate book at our library.) Taste shredded coconut or make something with coconut milk for dinner.

Week 4

Read chapter 2, "Jungle Eyes."
Narrate.
Read about wildlife mentioned in the chapter (parrot, bats, sharks, or mudskippers). (Again, we went online for this research.) Draw an animal for your notebook with notes from your research.

Week 5

Read Life in a Coral Reef (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Wendy Pfeffer, Coral Reefs by Jason Chin, and This Is the Reef by Miriam Moss.
Draw and color a coral reef for your notebook with notes from your research.

First Son didn't make many notes, but he could name everything. The fish are frowning because they know the shark is going to eat them.

Library books:
Coral Reefs by Gail Gibbons
The Coral Reef: A Colorful Web of Life (Wonderful Water Biomes) by Philip Johansson

Week 6

Read chapter 3, "Come On In!"
Narrate.
Draw a picture of the war canoe built by the islanders and a picture of the kayak used by the author and photographer. Note the differences on your notebook page.

Week 7

Read chapter 4, "Crocodiles!"
Narrate.
Draw a picture of a crocodile for your notebook with written notes.

Week 8

Read chapter 5, "Land of the Skulls."
Narrate.

Week 9

Read chapter 6, "Into the Unknown."
Narrate.
Draw a page on frigate birds for your notebook. (We went online to find pictures of frigate birds of all ages.)

Week 10

Read chapter 7, "Make Way for Giants."
Narrate.
Draw a page on leatherback turtles for your notebook with written notes.

There are probably some good documentaries on leatherback turtles, but I didn't have time to screen any.

Week 11

Read chapter 8, "Diving into Adventure."
Narrate.

Week 12

Read chapter 9, "Up, Up, and Away."
Narrate.

I considered watching South Pacific at the end of our term, but decided in the end we didn't need more screen time.

I'll be doing this study again in three years with First Daughter, so be sure to share any ideas or other resources!

Homeschool Review and Lesson Plans: 52 Days by Camel

Mater Amabilis Level 1A recommends a study of Extreme Environments in Year 2 (third grade) for Earth Studies. The books are meant to be read independently, then narrated. I added a little notebooking and extra books from the library.

In the first term in third grade, First Son read from 52 Days by Camel: My Sahara Adventure by Lawrie Raskin with Deborah Pearson. This book is wonderful. It's full of pictures and interesting bits of information on the culture, environment, and people of North Africa. First Son was not very happy about narrating for me each week and he grumbled about the notebook pages (though he has improved dramatically on those as we reach the end of the school year and are now on our third book in this series). He loved the readings, though, and poring over the pictures.

I bought this older version used on Amazon.

Here's our schedule for the term, for those that might be interested in doing something similar. The library books were placed on our desk or on our window sills in an attempt to attract First Son or the other kids to flip through them. They were not assigned reading. Sometimes I selected them just for the pictures.

Often I encouraged First Son to use them to find additional information for his notebook pages. In general, I was not demanding in the content of the notebook pages. I usually required some labels, brief notes, or one sentence (so a little writing) and a picture. I encouraged him to color the picture with the good colored pencils or beeswax crayons. At the beginning of the year (and for most of this particular book), his notebook pages were not extensive or impressive, but he gained in confidence and skills through the year.

Week 1

Read "How I Became a Desert Explorer" (up through p. 5).
Narrate.
Draw a map for your notebook of northern Africa. Be sure to include Fez, Timbuktu, and other major cities, rivers, and ocean names.

Library books for deeper reading:
Morocco (Enchantment of the World) by Ettagale Blauer and Jason Laure
Morocco (Major World Nations) by Frances Wilkins

Week 2

Read chapter 1, "Fun Times in Fez."
Narrate.
Make a page for your notebook on Fez.

Week 3

Read chapter 2, "Chills 'n' Thrills."
Narrate.
Make a page for your notebook on the Atlas Mountains.

Library book:
The Butter Man by Elizabeth Alalou and Ali Alalou - This is a touching story of a young boy (as told later when he is a grandfather) of a time when his family faced extreme scarcity. It may be hard for little ones to read who would be upset by the thought of children starving, but for older children it can be a good way to help them think about children that are not blessed by an abundance of food. It happens to take place in Morocco, so I included it here in our study.

Week 4

Read chapter 3, "What a Blast!"
Narrate.
Make a page for your notebook on the Sahara. Use information from the library books.

Library books:
Earths Changing Deserts (Landscapes and People) by Neil Morris
I Wonder Why The Sahara is Cold at Night: And Other Questions About Deserts by Jackie Gaff

Week 5

Read chapter 4, "A Camel Tale."
Narrate.
Make a page for your notebook on camels.

Week 6

Read chapter 5, "Fun in the Sun," and The Storytellers by Ted Lewin.
Narrate.
Make a page for your notebook on African markets and bargaining.

Week 7

Read chapter 6, "Midnight Madness."
Narrate.
Make a page for your notebook on mirages.

Week 8

Read chapter 7, "Almost There..."
Narrate.
You've been given a map of the Niger River Basin. (I printed one out from Wikipedia.) Make some notes about it on the paper for your notebook.

This week I also shared Chike and the River by Chinua Achebe with First Son. He read it independently over a few days and we talked about it briefly. I think this is a wonderful book when it stands on its own merits and fit nicely into our study as a glimpse of the people who live around the Niger River.

Week 9

Read chapter 8, "Timbuktu at Last."
Narrate.
Make a notebook page on Timbuktu.

Week 10

Read chapter 9, "In Search of Salt."
Narrate.
Make a notebook page on salt.

Library books:
Sodium (True Books: Elements) by Salvatore Tocci
Salt (Around the World with Food and Spices) by Melinda Lily

We finished in ten weeks, instead of twelve, because we took a few weeks off in September. (I can't remember why now, but probably because we had a series of well-child and dentist appointments.)

I'll be doing this study again in three years with First Daughter, so please share any ideas or other resources!

Third Grade Earth Studies: Mountains and Volcanoes

Update on July 23, 2017 - I'm preparing for our third child to do this study and am pleased to say the Mater Amabilis™ ™plans have been updated. Many of the links work now. Leaving out the visits to a local mountain (since we still don't even have a substantial hill), we'll be doing those plans pretty closely this year.


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Within Geography and Earth Studies, Mater Amabilis™™ recommends a study of Mountains and Volcanoes in third grade. There's a schedule of lessons based on Mountains and Volcanoes (Young Discoverers: Geography Facts and Experiments) by Barbara Taylor.


I noticed as I went through the lesson plans that some of the links no longer work. More worrisome were the number of lessons during which we should go visit a mountain. Honestly, I think we'd have to drive a couple of hours to even find something close to a "hill" so that's not really an option on a regular basis. I reworked the lessons to fit our Kansas homeschool and thought I'd share. I expect First Son to read nearly all of these lessons aloud to me, though perhaps by the end of the year he'll be reading them independently and simply narrating to me. We'll have to see how it goes.

Again, most of these lessons are based on the schedule at Mater Amabilis™. Mainly I've added a few resources.

Lesson 1
- I Wonder Why Mountains Have Snow On Top: and Other Questions About Mountains pp. 4-5
- Mountains and Volcanoes (Young Discoverers: Geography Facts and Experiments) pp. 4-5
- Print a blank map of the world. (I found one here.) Add the major mountain ranges (draw mountains) and name them.

Lesson 2
- Mountains and Volcanoes p. 6

Lesson 3
- How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World (This book is one of my favorite picture books.)

Lesson 4
- Mountains and Volcanoes p. 7 (demonstration on the movement of magma)
- In the book basket: Volcano and Earthquake (DK Eyewitness Books)

Lesson 5
- Mountains and Volcanoes p. 8
- Print another copy of the world map (above) and draw the tectonic plates on it.

Lesson 6
- Mountains and Volcanoes p. 9 (demonstration to see how Africa and South America may have fit together)

Lesson 7
- Mountains and Volcanoes pp. 10-11
- Make an earthquake with wooden blocks.
- In the book basket: Earthquakes (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)

Lesson 8
- Compare the map of major fault lines with a world map. Which major cities are most at risk of earthquakes? Mark them on your map. Talk about the need to build carefully in earthquake prone areas. Simulate an earthquake and see its effect on buildings. (Or watch a YouTube video of an earthquake on buildings.)

Lesson 9
- Make a page on the Richter scale for our notebook. Use Great Shakes: The Science of Earthquakes (Headline Science)
- Print another world map and show most recent earthquakes 5.0 or higher using this site.
- Note for teacher - consider discussing tsunamis.

Lesson 10
- Mountains and Volcanoes pp. 12-14
- Make a notebook page on fold, block and dome mountains.
- Make a model of fold mountains using colored play dough, modeling clay or plasticine.
- Add the Great Rift Valley and the Appalachians to your mountain map.

Lesson 11
- I Wonder Why Mountains... pp. 6-7
- Add the highest mountains to your map.
- Mountains and Volcanoes p. 15
- Learn about how the Himalayas were made. Demonstrate with ice cream and cookies (biscuits).

Lesson 12
- The Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest

Lesson 13
- I Wonder Why Mountains... pp. 14-17
- Make a notebook page on glaciers and plant life on mountains.

Lesson 14
- I Wonder Why Mountains... pp. 18-19
- Make a list of animals that are found in mountainous areas. Make a page about one type of animal for your notebook.
- Use these books for research: Mountain Mammals (True Books: Animals), Animals of the High Mountains (Books for Young Explorers), and Draw Write Now, Book 8: Animals of the World, Dry Land Animals (Draw-Write-Now)

Lesson 15
- Mountains and Volcanoes pp. 16-17
- Explain erosion.
- Demonstrate the effect of the acid in rain on rock – put a piece of limestone or natural chalk in a jar and pour vinegar onto it.
- Look at pictures of Bryce Canyon (Utah) and the Giants Causeway (Ireland) to see examples of erosion.

Lesson 16
- Mountains and Volcanoes pp. 18-19
- Make fossils with Plaster of Paris and modeling clay.

Lesson 17
- Mountains and Volcanoes pp. 20-21
- Talk about how volcanoes are made. Demonstrate how lava flows and sets by making toffee. (Maybe.)
- I Wonder Why Mountains... pp. 8-11

Lesson 18
- Mountains and Volcanoes p. 22
- Discuss and draw three different kinds of volcanic types.
- Check Volcano World or other online site for pictures/videos of three types forming.

Lesson 19
- Learn about the six eruption types: Icelandic, Hawaiian, Strombolian, Vulcanian, Pelean and Plinian from Volcano World. Make a page on eruption types for your notebook.

Lesson 20
- Choose a symbol for volcanoes and make a key for your mountain map. Mark the following volcanoes: Mount St.Helens, USA (composite cone); Mount Fuji, Japan (composite cone); Mauna Loa, Hawaii (shield cone); Mount Vesuvius, Italy (cinder cone), Mount Etna, Sicily (composite cone).
- Look at pictures of as many of these volcanoes as possible, either online or in a book.

Lesson 21
- Mountains and Volcanoes p. 23
- Build an erupting volcano.

Lesson 22
- Mountains and Volcanoes pp. 24-25
- Read about undersea volcanoes and volcanic islands. Add Krakatoa, Surtsey and Mauna Kea to your map. Add pictures of volcanoes to your notebook.
- I Wonder Why Mountains... pp. 12-13

Lesson 23
- Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens Chapter 1

Lesson 24
- Volcano Chapter 2

Lesson 25
- Volcano Chapter 3

Lesson 26
- Volcano Chapter 4

Lesson 27
- Volcano Chapter 5

Lesson 28
- Mountains and Volcanoes pp. 26-27
- Learn about igneous rocks. Look at a diamond and a piece of pumice stone and examine them with a magnifying glass.
- Mark Le Puy (France), Giant's Causeway (Northern Ireland) and Staffa (Scotland) on your map.

Lesson 29
- Mountains and Volcanoes pp. 26-27
- Make crystals.

Lesson 30
- Mountains and Volcanoes p. 28
- Explain geysers and look at pictures.
- Add geysers to your map key and mark Yellowstone National Park (USA), Iceland, New Zealand and Honshu (Japan).
- Make a page on geysers for your notebook.
- View webcam of Old Faithful.

Lesson 31
- Mountains and Volcanoes p. 29
- Make a geyser.

Lesson 32
- Mountains and Volcanoes pp. 30-31

Lesson 33
- I Wonder Why Mountains... pp. 20-23

Lesson 34
- I Wonder Why Mountains... pp. 24-27

Lesson 35
- I Wonder Why Mountains... pp. 28-31

And that's it! I think First Son is going to love this course!