Botany Notebook

We decided to do Apologia Botany this year for our science class. I really love Apologia mainly because I can use it with all three of my children at one time. I decided to create my own Botany Notebook to go along with the note booking activities that Mrs. Fulbright details in her chapters. We have been working through the notebook so far this year and it is working beautifully.

To supplement, I added a lap book of Carnivorous Pants from Dynamic2Moms. It was really well made and interesting for the kids. I even bought a Venus flytrap from our local nursery so the kids could watch science in action!:) I actually caught a fly in my house and fed the plant so the kids could see how it traps the insect. It was really fun.

I also thought that it would be a great idea to go to our city's botanical gardens. I set up a field trip to go and it ended up being a gorgeous day. I made the kids find four of their favorite plants/flowers and I took a picture of the child with each plant/flower. I plan for them to include these pictures in their botany notebook. My favorite part of the botanical gardens was the orchid exhibit. It is amazing the diversity of these flowers! My children's favorite part of the gardens was the Venus flytraps and pitcher plants.

Here are a few of the great web sites that I found when compiling my materials for this study:

http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/

http://www.abc.net.au/science/surfingscientist/magic.flower.htm

http://www.enature.com/home/

http://homemade.truepath.com/nature2.htm

http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/#life

http://www.jeanniefulbright.com/notebookpages.html

http://www.gamequarium.org/dir/SqoolTube_Videos/Science/Plants/

http://sciencespot.net/Pages/nclessons.html

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/uma/urban/ -wildflower coloring book

http://3kiwihomeschoolers.blogspot.com/2008/11/botany-lapbook.html

http://www.exploringnature.org/

http://www.lapbooklessons.com/GardenLapbook.html

http://www.greatsunflower.org/

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Down_to_Earth/garden_journal_download

http://tagfoot.com/jimmie/bookmarks/nature

http://www.geocities.com/tennis110/flowerdissection.htm

http://www.nps.gov/webrangers/

Apologia Botany and Astronomy Noetbooking Journals

Apologia is now producing notebooking journals that accompany each of the elementary science books. Both Botany and Astronomy are now available.

These journals are beautiful spiral bound notebooks that will save you time and money. You won't have to print and keep up with your child's notebook pages, buy and maintain page protectors, or purchase and compile binders...everything that makes notebooking time-consuming and labor intensive for mom. Also, your child will adore having their own notebooking journal.

Each of the notebooking journals include:
A daily schedule for those who like to have a plan or would like their children to complete the book on their own
Templates for written narrations, the notebooking activities and experiments
Review Questions
Scripture Copywork, with both print and cursive practice
Reading lists and additional activities, projects, experiments for each lesson
An appendix with beautiful, full-color, lapbook-style Miniature Books
Field Trip Sheets to keep a record field trips
A Final Review with fifty questions the students can answer either orally or in writing to show off all they remember and know at the end of the course.

See the sample pages here:
Botany: https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=128

and
Astronomy: https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=127

Jeannie is giving away four Astronomy Notebooking Journals and four Botany Notebooking Journals to bloggers who post about this on their site. Visit her blog to learn more about this contest: www.jeanniesjournal.com

Getting ready for Spring/Botany ideas

This is a great site that will send you sunflower seeds so that you can plant them and hopefully attract bees.
http://www.greatsunflower.org/en

This site has ideas on lessons for Biomes and Ecosystems.
http://www.mbgnet.net/

Wildlflower Coloring Book
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/uma/urban/

Nature Center Lesson Plans
http://sciencespot.net/Pages/nclessons.html

Botany videos
http://www.gamequarium.org/dir/SqoolTube_Videos/Science/Plants/

Nature Detectives
http://www.naturedetectives.org.uk/club/

For Kids Naturely
http://www.naturely.com/