I was recently given the opportunity to review the The Curiosity Files: Blue-Footed Booby from The Old Schoolhouse.
The 98-page ebook "Blue-Footed Booby" is an all-inclusive unit study designed for ages 8-13, and is includes a comprehensive study of the Galapagos Island booby (bird), interrelating Bible, science, writing, math, geography, arts/crafts, and critical thinking into one unit. Other additions to this unit include scripture memorywork/copywork, spelling, literature connections, introductory Spanish, and Internet links for further study.
Honestly, when I was initially asked to review this product, my first thought was, "How in THE world am I going to get a 4 year old to effectively use this product, so that I can review it?" Well, was I surprised how easily this unit study was adaptable to younger children... without ANY trouble at all! Within the unit study, the writers included their own modifications that allowed for multiple learning styles, including activities for my over-active Pre-Ker!
For instance, the unit study included information about the wingspan and diving habits of the booby. The study recommended measuring off 84 feet -- how far a booby will often dive in order to catch a fish.
So, we took that idea, and measured off 84 feet diagonally across our back yard.
Here's Aikman 84 feet away....
... and here he is, with his blue booby shoes and wings a-flying, diving down 84 feet to catch a fish.
While we had the yardstick out, we also measured the wingspan of a booby, and then compared our own "wingspans" with that of the bird.
There were SO many other wonderful parts of this unit study that we used to study the booby -- a coloring page, "parts of a blue-footed booby" labeling worksheet, and create your own unique booby "dance," to name a few.
Aikman's reaction: he LOVED this unit, as it gave him permission to say "booby" which is a "bad word" at our house. Needless to say, I cannot tell you how many times I've heard, "blue-footed booby booby booby bird" come from his mouth! Seems like someone was taking FULL advantage of the opportunity!
Personally, I am actually contemplating buying other Curiosity Files unit studies, since this one was so successful, and it also allows plenty of room for him to study this bird in more detail in the future. Likewise, I truly appreciated that everything was already organized, researched, and prepared for me... all I had to do was read it to Aikman and get involved with learning more about this interesting bird.
You can purchase the Blue-Footed Booby unit study for $6.95, or as a part of a 9-pack e-book bundle for $46 or on CD for $49.
Currently, the other Curiosity Files unit studies include: cicada-killing wasps, the blue diamond, the dung beetle, MRSA, the platypus, the puffer fish, quicksand, snow rollers, red tide, and zombie fire ants. As an e-book, these unit studies typically sell for $6.95 each, but right now, you can purchase several of these for $1 each! WHAT A BARGAIN!
So, head on over to The Old Schoolhouse Store (a part of the Old Schoolhouse) and check out this wonderful series.
Disclaimer: I was given this product free from The Old Schoolhouse, in order to review it. I am offering my honest opinion of this product as a part of the review.
