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Jan28
Category Archives: Usborne Books
Jan26
Loving Usborne for Science
The last stop on our homeschool tour of Usborne is our favorites for science. I mentioned in my geography post about the books and cards we’ve enjoyed using for our animal study. And really for this year, that’s all we’ve done for science. But I wanted to show you what we used last summer and some ideas I have for this summer.
Last summer, we explored the world using our five senses. In addition to our nature study, I wanted them to get a picture of how our senses work. A perfect resource for this was the See Inside Your Body book. My kids had so much fun opening the flaps and exploring the inside of eyes and ears and mouth, etc. The book goes through each body system revealing fascinating facts behind all of the fun flaps.
It totally captured the attention of my then 4 year old and 2 year old, but I’ve also had 5th-9th graders drooling over this book when I took it with me to an event. Either this summer or next school year, I want to tackle some basic anatomy and nutrition with my kiddos, and I’m definitely pulling this book back out as part of our study.
A couple of my other favorites are the Usborne Science Encyclopedia and 50 Science Things to Make and Do. These are books that I’m saving for special projects this summer (and beyond). Right now, the encyclopedia is beyond my littles, but it definitely helps me with the thousands of curious questions they ask about how things work or why something happens. The 50 Science Things is a small spiral book filled with fun ideas that are engaging and creative. I can’t wait to surprise them with a few of these projects, like the foaming monster and the rubber band paddle boat.
50 Science Things to Make and Do
What about evolution?
This is a great question, and one I want to be sure to address. Usborne is not a “Christian” company, so there will be evolution and prehistoric history presented. However, this is what I’ve found as I’ve look through a number of their books: evolution is the worldview, not the agenda. That means, any evolution is going to appear in the obvious places, not hidden in every nook and cranny of their line of books. And any time you have questions about a specific product, please email and ask me (even if you don’t intend to order from me, I’d love to help you find what works for you). See Inside Space has a lot of evolution when relating the origin of stars and planets; the Usborne Encyclopedia of World History has a section on prehistoric man; books on dinosaurs have an evolutionary timeline or references to millions of years.
What’s my view? My children are going to encounter these ideas and this language. I want them to learn to recognize the ideas as false, and I want to be able to moderate their encounter with these ideas. To me, a book is a much safer environment to provide this information than a classroom or a video. Through these books, I’m in control of what they encounter, when, and how.
Overall, I love how interactive and engaging Usborne makes every subject. Learning with Usborne books is exciting and stimulating, exactly what I want my children to remember about their homeschooling years.
Fun fact: Usborne Books are recommended by the Smithsonian Institute for their accuracy, and they are also one of the largest suppliers of non-Disney books to the Epcot Center.
The Usborne Encyclopedia giveaway closes tomorrow! Be sure to enter or pick up a few extra entries while you can.
Jan25
Loving Usborne for Art and Activities
Usborne has so many activity books to choose from: coloring/sticker books, Search-and-Find books, craft books, “learn to draw” books, and art books. Our personal favorites have been First Book of Art and Art Treasury.
Though we haven’t had as much time with them during the school year (our emphasis has been geography), we had a blast with them last summer, and I’m hoping to repeat some of the magic this summer as well. Here are a couple of our favorite memories from these books.
We painted our version of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.
And we studied artist portraits with a fun “Funny Face” project.
Fun Fact: Earn free and discounted Usborne books as a consultant. No pressure to sell, no quota to meet—and through the month of February, the starter kit is only $29! Join my team for tons of great products for your family and homeschool, plus some extra income on the side. It’s a win-win!
Jan20
Loving Usborne for Geography
Usborne books have made our geography study this year; it truly would not have been the same study without them. Not only did I get my anchor texts from Usborne, but many of our fun embellishments are from Usborne as well.
The Usborne Essential Atlas of the World
Click for sample pages
When I chose to purchase this atlas ($10.99) over the Usborne Encyclopedia of World Geography ($39.99), I was a little worried it would be insufficient. But this has really been the perfect atlas for us, particularly for the age my kids are at. The 112 page atlas provides an overall map for each continent with some additional information and internet links, plus additional maps to cover specific countries and regions within each continent. While the larger Encyclopedia of World Geography is still on my wish list, this atlas has been literally “essential” to our geography study.
And my kids love the bright colors and easy to follow topography key. It’s a highlight of our week.
Around the World Sticker Dolly Dressing Book
An important part of our geography study was looking at the cultures of other countries, both the differences and the similarities. We’ve loved using the book Children Just Like Me, and I have my son do a notebooking page each week from this book. But I really wanted something for my little one, too, something that she would be able to interact with on her level. The Around the World sticker book has been perfect. Though not every one of our countries is covered, it’s still a thrill for her when I pull it out. The stickers are reusable, and the characters throughout the book display the traditional dress of their country.
It’s been a huge hit, for my son as much as for my daughter.
Animal Jigsaw Atlas
Another fun part of our geography study has been learning the animals that make their home in each country. We make flip-books and classify the animals (mammals, reptiles, etc.). But another highlight is our Animal Jigsaw Atlas. The jigsaw books are honestly the coolest books I’ve seen. The pages are similar to board book pages, with jigsaw puzzles that fit into the actual page. Remove the puzzle pieces and the picture is beneath to help the child match the right pieces in the right place. In this particular book, each spread of pages covers a different continent with pictures of animals that live on that continent. The facing page shows the animals for the child to spot within the puzzle picture.
So much fun!
The Living World Encyclopedia
The Living World Encyclopedia adds to our animal study by providing more specific information on the habits and habitats of the animals. It’s the perfect tie-in with the geography and land features we learn about in the atlas. For instance, as we covered the Sahara desert, we were able to read more about deserts and the animals that made their home in the desert. It really brought the lesson to life for the kids and helped them to understand what a desert is, beyond just a definition.
Animal Fact Cards
Click to see sample cards.
Another resource that I haven’t used as much as I would have liked are the Animal Fact Cards, and that’s just because I often lack the energy to find the cards we’re covering before we actually cover them. So you see, it’s not that my kids don’t love them, it’s that I’m lazy or unmotivated or pregnant. Either way, I wish we were using them more. They are fun, beautiful, informative, funny (when do pandas do handstands?) and the perfect on-the-go homeschool lesson. Hmmm. Maybe that’s what I should do with them. Put them on a ring and toss them in my purse for an on-the-go activity.
So now you see why I’m a consultant. These are just our resources for one subject. I love Usborne Books!
Fun Fact: Over 80% of Usborne’s products are under $10. And a purchase of any amount earns you 10 extra entries in the giveaway for an Usborne Encyclopedia. Place your order at this link; then be sure to claim your entries for the giveaway.