Course Sample for Our Ditch the Desk Homeschool Language Arts Course

Backyard Critters

My friends suggested this unit. The idea is to learn about the creatures that may be living in your own backyard. However, depending on where you live you may or may not have all of these in your backyard. If you live in an urban environment and can’t find enough living creatures to study try to look in nearby places where some might be hiding, like parks or riverbanks or nearby nature preserves.

This unit is very science heavy, but I will try to include options for some other subjects as well. Keep in mind that any hands-on science activity can be turned into a great writing opportunity by having children keep a science journal and record their observations.

For extra visuals and fun ideas check out my Pinterest page for this unit at http://www.pinterest.com/davidholden3158/backyard-critters-for-ditch-the-desk/

Worms, Snails and Slugs

• SCIENCE (worms)—The awesome things about worms and slugs is that almost everyone can find these. Most children will already be familiar with worms but may not have taken the time to really examine them. We are vegan pacifists in our house, so I am not going to suggest that you dissect anything. But, taking some time to really watch the worms and see how they move and find out what all of the parts of a worm are is still a great science activity for young kids. This is an incredibly cool and well put-together site with more information about worms than I ever realized. There is information about worm anatomy (written to engage kids), but SO much more than that! It even tells you how to make a worm bin and why you might want to do such a thing! http://urbanext.illinois.edu/worms/
• SCIENCE (worms)—Make your own Worm Habitat! Use a clean 2 Liter bottle, a small plastic animal habitat or tank, and a glass goldfish bowl or any similar container to make your own worm observatory. Layer dirt and sand in the container. Moisten them, add worms, and place vegetation such as grass, leaves, or lettuce on top. You should be able to watch the worms making tunnels in the dirt and see firsthand what worms do for our soil and how they aid decomposition.
• WRITING/ART (worms)—After they have learned about how worms live and what they do and have had a chance to observe them, give each child a large piece of paper and some construction paper. Allow them to construct a picture of a worm habitat (with as much assistance as they need). Be sure to include plants for the worms to eat, dirt for the worms to tunnel in, etc. Have the child label each component of their picture according to their ability. For some this may be one word and for others it may involve several sentences explaining how this is vital to an earthworm’s health. Have them write their labels on lined index cards and glue them to the picture.
• SCIENCE (snails)—Snails are gastropods. They are a type of mollusk (like clams and other shelled marine creatures). Snails consist primarily of a head and a long flattened foot. However, snails and other mollusks are incredibly complex and many of the sites detailing snail anatomy are very detailed. This is a less complex version: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=cowrie+snail&view=detail&id=DDCB11D0367 834E94469FC2B6D6BDA952A00FB81&first=31&FORM=IDFRIR#a This one is much more detailed (it includes labels for reproductive parts, so be aware): http://visual.merriam-webster.com/animalkingdom/mollusks/snail/anatomy-snail.php
• SCIENCE (snails)—Homeschoolshare has a great lapbook for younger kids. You can find it here http://www.homeschoolshare.com/snails.php 
• SCIENCE (snails)—Not everyone can find snails in their backyard, but if you can they can be a very interesting pet for your child. You can keep them temporarily and then place them back in nature or keep them long term. It takes little upkeep and the set-up can be fairly simple and inexpensive. This site has some basic information and gives a list of supplies and ideas for how to care for your new pet: http://www.wildlifefun4kids.com/2013/05/08/keeping-garden-snails-as-pets/
• SCIENCE (slugs)—There just is not a wealth of information out there about slugs unless you would like to know how to get rid of them. This is a great pdf with basic facts about slugs including anatomy: http://www.lakesidenaturecenter.org/AOM%20-%20Slugs.pdf
• WRITING (Research report)—Students could either choose a particular type of snail/slug or choose snails, slugs, or worms in general. Depending on their writing skills and whether or not they have written a research report before you can use one of the following formats (or use whatever you are already comfortable with).
  • Make an “All About _____” book. There is a basic template for use in making this type of book at the end of this week’s unit, but you could change it or add to it as you and your child like. The idea is to have the child use nonfiction sources (either books or internet sources) and have them learn how to use that information to make a report. We used these types of books for our kids once they had some basic reading and writing skills and continued up to around 4th grade, gradually adding more complexity, until we felt they were ready to use the next step
  • Use graphic organizers to record the information that they find and wish to include. Organize this information into a logical order and write the research report using the graphic organizer as a guide. Record which sources were used on a separate page and include it in the report (at this point it is enough for them to just write the book title and author or the webpage link).
  • Write the information about their creature on index cards. Use an index card for each basic type of information (habitat, diet, reproduction, appearance, etc) and record the sources used on the back of the index card. Write the report using the information from the index cards as a guide. Include a Bibliography or Works Cited page (but don’t worry too much about formatting this properly, the idea is just for them to learn to include the information).

To view a full sample of this class, click here.