Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc.
1106 Meridian Plaza Suite 220/340
Anderson, IN 46016
Phone: 765-608-3280
Fax: 765-608-3290
Website: www.apologia.com
Jeannie Fulbright and Apologia have answered prayer for this homeschool family with the Young Explorer Series. Volume 2, Exploring Creation with Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day explores the swimming creatures in depth! This full-color, hardbound book is full of photos and graphics, and it includes an index and even answers in the back to the posed narrative questions in each lesson--over 230 pages total. A beautiful book! We absolutely love this series!
Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day starts off with an introduction that explains the book, what it's about, and the author's goals in writing the book. Jeannie has a very down-to-earth, simple approach to teaching, making it fun for the whole family. As a teacher to my children, I love the easy-to-read style of Jeannie's writing and explanations. I also so appreciate her breakdown in the Introduction of how each chapter is laid out. The complete overview of how the book and lessons "work" was a huge help to me. She even includes a detailed list of materials needed for hands-on experiments, by lesson. The website gives additional helps and tons of extras related to the book too!
For the 13 lessons in this book, you will need a notebook, blank paper, lined paper, and some colored pencils. Lessons can span a week or a few weeks--depending on your family's preference. Each lesson is broken down into smaller sections, assignments, and Hands-On projects. The projects are fun, and they actually use things you are likely to have on hand. Projects include Making an Ocean Box, a Sound Experiment, a Buoyancy Experiment, and more! There's even one that tests the electrical signals of fish underwater. We so enjoy this Charlotte Mason method of learning.
Lesson titles include "Aquatic Animals," "Whales," "Seals and Sea Cows," "Fish," "Sharks and Rays," "Mollusks," "Echinoderms," "Crustaceans," and more! Each lesson dives deep--no scratching the surface here!
For example, in Lesson 2, "Whales," the teaching includes a study of whales, how God made each one (including killer whales, belugas, blues, humpbacks, grays, narwhals, and more). We learned about their specially designed tails, their families, and how they communicate. The hands-on project involved making a simple megaphone to test different sounds and how they reflect off of different objects. Along the way, we also learned how sounds travel. This is just one of the lessons in the book, and I just listed a taste of it.
We have really enjoyed using this book. It has been a blessing to all of us! As tends to be true with home educating, we've all learned a lot. If you are looking for a rigid textbook approach, this will not be for you. Exploring Creation with Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day is well rounded, fun, family-oriented learning from God's Creation. I highly recommend the Young Explorers Series from Jeannie Fulbright and Apologia. Look for more volumes in this series soon!
Product review by Lisa Barthuly, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, October 2007
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