Rainforest Journey ~ A Review

Over the past few weeks we've been reviewing Rainforest Journey, a fun online science program from EdTechLens as part of my 2nd grader's school day.

We were provided with a one year subscription to Rainforest Journey in order to write this review.

What is Rainforest Journey

Rainforest Journey is the the first interactive digital learning program released by EdTechLens. This product is aimed at children in grades K - 5. The thoughts behind it is to deliver an aesthetically pleasing program that you would normally only see delivered in the higher education levels but for the elementary aged child. The concept is that of a photo book, filled with video clips, photographs and audio that the children can easily interact with. Each level covers the same concepts, however they increase in complexity as the grade level increases.

First Impressions

The EdTechLens website is bright and fresh with stunning photographic images on the home screen. These create a sense of what is to come for the user and you know already from the home page that a great deal of passion has been put into this site.

The site is laid out in an easy to navigate fashion, with all of the regular links  across the top that one would expect to see within a website such as this. After clicking on the programs link you can read in more detail all about Rainforest Journey, including access to a few free sample lessons across the various grade levels. Be sure to watch the introductory video found on the bottom of that page.

How We Used Rainforest Journey

We used Rainforest Journey exactly as detailed within the program. At this stage we haven't added any extra's as for us right now this is a nice little bonus learning opportunity.

My son logs in using the user name supplied to him by EdTechLens and he is taken directly to the first lesson. From then each time he logs in the first screen he sees is exactly where he is up to in the program.

There is a course outline link to the left where you can move back to review complete lessons and see what is coming up.

The lessons in the grade 2 level include a couple of stunning photograph's of either the rainforest itself or of some of the animals found within a rainforest. From time to time there are also short videos to watch.

With each image there is a small snippet of information that can either be read or the option to hear the details being read aloud is also there right on the screen.

There is a brief enrichment section, which contains just that little bit extra information about the topic being discussed right there alongside the lesson too.

So far we have looked at all the layers of the rainforest, some of the many animals that reside within those layers and various types of rainforests

At the end of each lesson there is a printable PDF of review materials. For the grade 2 option he has been asked to draw what he is learning about the layers and to describe each layer with several words. This is simple enough for him to complete and does help him to listen closely to the audio as knows he needs to come up with some describing words at the end of the lesson.

Each unit finishes with assessment quizzes. There are 5 units with a total of 34 lessons. Each lesson only takes around 10 - 20 minutes to complete, with end of lesson hands on activities as an extra.

We have also been using the Grade 5 level and it covers the same lesson concepts just at a higher level, with each lesson, being slightly longer and with more reading material. It still includes that audio link though which is a huge plus for me as so many programs remove that option for older children. The Grade 5 level also expects short paragraphs in terms of lesson review output as compared to just a few short words that is required in the Grade 2 level.

What We Didn't Like

At first logging in and getting ourselves all set up with user names for each student was a little confusing, but I contacted EdTechLens straight away and they were more than helpful in getting us all ready to go.

With each lovely photograph there is a piece of information that can either be read or listened to, however the links for the audio aren't aligned right there on the screen, so I found myself scrolling up and down a bit so that we could listen and look at the pictures at the same time. I'd love to see the audio button right there alongside the image.

Being an online program, if like me, you don't have fabulous internet, can make things a little tricky at times. This is just something to be aware with your own situation.

What We Did Like

The stunning large pictures and the audio voice overs is what makes this program so unique. We can listen to the audio and sit and discuss the images included. At times choosing to go and find more information than what is provided.

I really liked that this can be used exactly as is, as an easy supplement to your current science program. Or if you choose it can be fleshed out into one entire year long theme of study, that adds an element of audio visual, video's, photographs and voice overs to the unit.

Looking Ahead

This has been so easy to add into our week that we will most definitely continue along with the remainder of the Rainforest Journey.

I'm very interested in seeing what other 'journey's' EdTechLens may be working on. This is a great way to add supplemental information to a larger theme that you may be studying.

Details & Pricing

A 1 year license for the Rainforest Journey program for 1 child is $50.

To see more from EdTechLens visit them via your favourite social media outlet.

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/edtechlens
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edtechlens
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/edtechlens/
Google +: https://plus.google.com/+Edtechlens
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edtechlens

I hope you found this review helpful. If you would like to see further reviews of Rainforest Journey from members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, please visit this link.

Happy Homeschooling,
Kylie

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Hands On Child Led Backyard Ponding

15+ Ideas for Hands on Child Led Learning with your Backyard Pond

We've been growing the ponds we have in our backyard, yes they are increasing in number, if I'm not careful I may just turn around and find we are living in one giant pond.

I never really gave these outdoor decorative ponds much thought, other than the fact that they look charming, sitting there amongst the gardens and I know that the birds love them so.

Lately though I've been thinking more about them as I have noticed how much the children gravitate towards the pond and the creatures that live within and around the ponds.

I was pleasantly surprised to realise just how much learning happens with our little backyard pond. In fact I easily compiled a list of 15+ ways in which the kids have been undergoing self directed learning in and around the ponds.

1/. Reflections: Depending on the time of day and exactly where the sun is in the sky, the pond water provides the perfect playground for looking at reflections. This has provided endless fun and laughter and they now know they need to time their reflection play to coincide with the sun.

2/. Ecosystems: What better way to see an ecosystem at work, in all weathers and all seasons than with a pond in the backyard. We have in the past covered ecosystems in a more formal way, but having the opportunity to witness one in action on a daily basis is a fabulous asset.

3/. Life Cycles: we've observed and discussed on many occasions the Frog Life Cycle with our tadpoles. Looking on in wonder, admiring their metamorphosis. We've discussed the various stages and have witnessed each stage for ourselves.

Including the wonderful opportunity to admire gorgeous tiny frogs resting on the lillypads.

4/. Plant Life: One simply cannot own a pond without having plants to grow in them. This of course has led to much research on the best plants and in particular lilly's for the newer larger pond.

Here they have rescued some lilly's that were on the brink of death from being eating by something. Very quickly they began to sprout fresh new leaves and the children were able to see how important the entire mini ecosystem is to each living thing within it.

5/. Fish Care & 6/. Aquarium Visits: There have been several visits to our local aquarium pet store.

The possibilities for fish are endless, but because this is an outdoor pond the children have needed to understand the requirements of the fish and the reasons why they can keep some here in the pond, like Australian native fish and why they simply cannot have a Nemo fish in their outdoor pond.

We've had fish not survive and have had to speculate on the reasons why and make better choices when purchasing new fish.

7/. Feeding: With a new pond there isn't generally enough fodder around and so they require feeding, this has been the responsibility of the children also and in particular our six year old.

8/. Pond Care: This is an important learning experience when owning a pond. Whilst they mostly look after themselves from time to time they require some cleaning, here my six year old is helping his dad to move some of the fish into the new larger pond and to give this smaller one a clean.

They had been stirring the water up and moving the rocks around considerably so the water is quite murky looking in this photo.

9/. Mosquito Larvae: Where there is water there is often mosquitoes and mosquito larvae. However this provides some very yummy food for our pond inhabitants.

10/. Crustaceans: The kids absolutely love having freshwater yabbies in the pond, although they hide very well and we don't often get to see them, everyone was in awe at how much this guy had grown. He obviously loves it in there.

11/. Reptiles: We are fortunate enough to have quite a large garden where the pond is nestled, therefore several critters live within those gardens that surround the ponds.

Not only are lizards a common occurrence but we also have at least one resident green tree snake that has made his home right here in this garden.

12/. Birds: Wherever you supply bodies of water birds will come. They particularly love this smaller bird pond and most days can be found sploshing and splashing about.

We can easily view this particular water feature from our windows and front door, so it makes for a great spot to view the birds and get to know them a little better.

13/. Bird Feeders: Of course no garden and pond are complete with the addition of a bird feeder or two. We have some permanent feeders and have also tried our hand at making our own bird feeders. This is what I can see from our office window as I type. There is almost always a constant gathering of birds hanging around the pond.

14/. Self Reflection: Daily each and every one of the children can be seen completely mesmerised by the allure of the pond water. It is so tranquil and provides the perfect space for some quiet meditative time.

The best part is that this happens completely naturally, no one is playing meditation discs or asking everyone to gather for some quiet self reflection time.

Simply walking by the pond gently invites and encourages you to do that almost immediately and without thought.

15/. Art: We decided to sketch and paint the pond and surrounding garden area. Our term focus with our art lessons has been on Impressionism and this was such an obvious choice for us to recreate this scene.

16/. Nature Journals: We have added several pages to our nature journals this year and I am sure that the ponds will continue to be a source of inspiration for more backyard nature journalling in the future.

17/. Books: We own and use just a small smattering of books related to the pond. Each of these have been invaluable in assisting us to learn more about our ponds and the wildlife that live within and around the pond.

18/. Critters: We even have a few naughty bunnies living in our gardens that surround the pond. This guy has been so very brave and on several occasions we have watched him in broad daylight out munching the grass near the pond. The kids have tried so hard to catch him but of course no such luck. I think we are pretty lucky to even get this little glimpse of him on the camera.

Who would've thought that there were so many learning opportunities from simply owning a backyard pond.

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Do you have a backyard pond? Does it also provide your children with endless hours of learning opportunities?

Happy Homeschooling
Kylie

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Swan Nesting

This is such an exciting piece of nature study for us!

Seriously I have never seen anything quite like it. We are so blessed, not only have we been able to witness the nesting of a pair of Black Swans, we've also met a lovely new to homeschooling family to study them with! And even better still their children are nearly the same ages as our younger two, don't you love that :-)

Anyway, back to the swans. Here they in full public view having built their nest at the far side of a large pond situated at the back of a park and playground area. So it certainly isn't a quiet spot for them that's for sure!

Everyone was mesmerized for quite some time just watching the swan protecting those eggs like her life depended on it. We were all quite surprised as to how close we were allowed to get to the nest. And the size of the nest, did you see it, it's huge!

They appear to have ripped up several clumping grass/reeds, as you can see in the background of this image and used those to build up the nest. Adding pieces of newspaper and other odds and ends as they find them no doubt.

On this particular day we only caught a very brief glimpse of the eggs, but just the other day our friends saw them in all their glory and there are a total of six. Let's hope that all six hatch and thrive.

We will be checking on these gorgeous creatures regularly and are itching to see some babies, hopefully very soon.

O is for Owl

We recently spent time learning and having loads of fun with Owls. The kids really got into this topic, considering that seeing an owl in the wild for us here is pretty rare, they were really very engaged.

We read the delightful story of Owl Moon on several occasions. Heading out into the moonlight on a snowy winters night is not something that my kids will get to experience any time soon, so this was quite a magical way for us to experience this through the story.

We completed some of the lapbooking activities found over at Homeschool Share. I hope to post on that one soon.

I found these super cute Paper Plate Owls online and knew we had to make some. They look great hanging from the ceiling and would have to be one of the simplest crafts we've done.

Owl Babies by Martin Wardell, this is a truly delightful story and whilst aimed at the younger crowd I'm fortunate enough to have an 11 year old that can still see the beauty in such a story.

This fabulous little guy is thanks to my delightful friend that played with us as we learned about owls. Once again a simple craft, found via google, but very effective. Although the help of a glue gun for this one is quite useful!

They each researched an owl of choice using the internet. Generally after a little looking around we tend to always come back to our favourite sites for animal research, Wikipedia and Animals A-Z.

I have been very pleasantly surprised as to the level of enthusiasm the kids have with these research documents. It's wonderful too watch.

We read Owls by Gail Gibbons. Yet another informative and interesting book by Gail. A couple of the pages focus mainly on American Owls, which is expected, but thought I should mention for any Australian readers. This book is full of facts and information presented with great illustrations.

Each of the kids water coloured an owl page and gave a brief narration on some of what they learned about owls. We still have some work to do on narrations, but they are improving and making progress in this area.

I purchased an Owl Puke kit for each of them to dissect. This was a little bit gross, but a whole lot of fun too! I would have to put it up there as something every child should do. The oohs and ahhs were running hot during the dissecting.

Whilst we have completed the dissection and found what creatures were devoured by our owls, I would love to reconstruct the skeletons. It's a big job as the pieces are so tiny and fine. Will see how we go.

Finally we rounded it all out with some art, as we always try to do with our units.

Fairy Princess 8 was very proud of this piece and so am I. Not necessarily for the finished product, but for her stamina and perseverance. She spent a great deal of time working on this, made a huge effort when it came to filling the entire page and finished with a smile. Often her art attempts end up in tears as what she has in her head isn't replicated on her paper. We've been spending a great deal of time talking about this and I think those discussions are starting to pay off.

Owls are such interesting creatures, we all learned so much from our time spent exploring them.

>>> Check out my Owl Themed Pinterest board for lots of ideas and links.

>>> Download the Animal Notebooking pages by clicking here.


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Our Animal Kingdom Notebooks With Printable Materials

You may recall me mentioning that we've been working on an Animal Kingdom Notebook over the past few weeks. This is not being completed as one big giant unit. The plan is that we will add to it slowly, little by little, as we come across an animal that fascinates us or as it relates to other units of work we are doing.

For example when my youngest worked on activities for the picture book Caps For Sale, the older two chose a monkey each to research. We recently spent some time with Owls, so they have featured in the Animal Kingdom Notebook also.

Currently we are looking at Ocean Life and everyone is trying to decide which sea animals are 'notebook worthy'. After all there is such an abundance of sea life we can't possibly notebook all of them.

However, with our notebooks set up the way they are, in simple 2 ring binders, we can continue to add to these for years to come. Each child building their very own researched Animal Kingdom Reference binder. This gives each of them the freedom to add any animal they wish whenever they wish, along with anything we all do together.

I am really looking forward to watching this project grow and develop with the children.

I've kept it simple, the cover page above slides into the front clear cover of the 2 ring binder. Inside it is broken into two main categories, that of Vertebrates and Invertebrates.

These are the divider sheets for the Vertebrate section of the binder,

along with divider pages for the Invertebrate section.

Currently I have prepared two 'Animal Notebooking Pages', one with less detail for a younger child and the other covers classification and allows more space for research.

At some point I will probably need to add to these again as the children enter their high school years. I have been tossing around a simple way to do this with our preschooler also. If I do come up with something I'm happy with I'll be sure to share with you though.

If you'd like to begin an Animal Notebook Binder with your children you can download the full colour binder pages by clicking here.

You can also download the blank Animal Notebooking page by clicking here. The notebooking page for younger children can be found at this link.

If your children keep or begin an Animal Notebook I'd love to see it!

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