Forensic Science and Homeschool

When I went to graduate school I was lucky enough to choose a master's program in forensic science.  Forensic toxicology to be specific.  So after I graduated I was thinking to myself, what do I have to offer in the way of homeschool curriculum and of course, forensic science immediately came to mind.  Kids LOVE anything and everything to do with crime scene investigation.  It just perks up their interest when you start talking about solving a crime. 

Realistically, I knew that this type of course is not for all ages, and so that is why I wrote the Simple Schooling Forensic Science course for upper middle and high school.  This is an elective course.  They can take
it in addition to biology and another year of CORE science, but realistically they cannot take it in place of those important subjects.

I did decide to leave a few topics out, such as blood spatter and graphic details about body appearance after certain types of death (because in school I was forced to see these and I will say, I am not easily grossed out but burn and drowning victims, not very palatable.)

So the REALLY gory details are left out but included in the text are CSI, death investigation, solving a case study, ballistics, toolmarks, arson, poisoning, toxicology, DNA analysis, the autopsy, fingerprints, and much much more. 

It is a great course, one of our most popular in fact.  And that is why I added it to The Simple Schooling Classroom as part of the yearly subscription rate.  It comes with the full printable student textbook/workbook and 6 interactivities for each unit (20 separate units total).  If you are a Simple-Zine newsletter subscriber you will get a free sample of it in the upcoming weeks. ;)

President's Day Unit Study

The Simple-Zine Freebie newsletter is going out in - Oh, about 30 minutes - and I just wanted to put the freebie up for you Googlers! The President's Day Unit Study is the very first interactive/printable from Simple Schooling and is a glimpse of what is to come for many of our printable courses for next school year.

I know - is it too early to think about next year?

I was counting up the lessons left in our math book last week and I told my son we have to finish the book and he replied "Sheesh mom, I still have 4 months! Leave it alone!"

I was like - yeah, Ok. Point taken.

But us moms know that we start planning for the next year once Christmas is over and I bet many of you are making plans right now. So for your benefit (don't tell the kids!) here is what Simple Scholing will have for the 2010-2011 school year:

• American History Part II - From Constitution to Civil War


• Middle School Physics (Interactive)


• Middle School Chemistry (Interactive & Printable)


• K-3 Science full year course (120 lessons -includes mammals, bugs, amphibians, reptiles, sea mammals)


• Ancient History (4-8th grade Egypt, Greece, and Rome)


• Middle Ages and Reformation (4-8th grade)


• Plus new interactive unit studies every week at The Classroom!

Independent Workers - He's On His Own Today!

I have to work at the Farm Show today as part of work, so I am leaving DS (12) to work alone. He's not home alone, mind you - just working alone. We do this a lot when I am working, which is only part time and seasonal. And I'm pretty happy with how he takes responsibility for his work. He gets himself up - later than usual of course - and checks off his work on the board as he does it.

Today he's doing Japanese (2 sections in RS and 1 page in his Hiragana workbook)

Teaching Textbooks Math

Simple Schooling American History

Simple Schooling Interactive Unit Studies (Space - he's done a LOT of space this year - but it is so easy and I just made it - plus it is fun - so he won't mind.)

Reading

Yesterday he wanted me to time him to see how long it would take him to do school if he didn't complain! What a good guy! :)

Free Summer Fun Coloring Book!

Almost every mom, whether you homeschool or not, can relate to needing some down time during the summer and that is why I am giving you the gift of coloring!

Simply add one of those delicious new boxes of 64 crayons and hand over the coloring book. Presto - Happy kids coloring happy pictures.

What could be better?

How about a 99 Cent Simple Days Unit Study from Simple Schooling? I just added 8 new ones up at the site including:

• Christopher Columbus
• Copywork for Boys
• Copywork for Girls
• The Ugly Little Duck
• The Three Bears
• The House that Jack built
• Volcano!
• Earthquake!

And don't forget, we're still running our classroom contest! It ends June 15th so go enter your classroom for a chance to win FREE CURRICULUM!

April Showers....

Well, we all know what they bring! But if you would like to get your kids ready for learning about next month's flowers, there are a few great (and CHEAP) unit studies over at The Simple Homeschool that will get them all geared up. If you didn't get these fabulous units free in The Simple Zine, then why not sign up? Next month we'll take a look at what April Showers bring and have all sorts of fun with flowers and plants. There are some great webpages on this topic already up, but it is so much easier to have a pdf file that you can print out and hand over on those crazy days, isn't it? So if you're pressed for time and need a day - go grab some 99 cent unit studies over at The Simple Homeschool!

Happy Spring!

I've done quite a bit to the website in the past few weeks. for instance - I added a whole bunch of pages about Cell Biology in The Student Help Center. Those pages will give you and your highschoolers a pretty thorough introduction to the organelles contained inside an animal cell. Enough to get you started, anyway.

If you would like more information I just gave out a unit study to Ezine Subscribers called The Cell. That little gem has a ton of info and if you aren't a subscriber you can get it for only 99 cents in the store.

Have fun!

J. Anne