[Science Activities--BFSU]

 

These investigations were inspired by Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding. I have found Dr. Nebel's books, a great public library system, and the internet to be invaluable resources for developing a living science curriculum. Topics progress logically and build upon each other, with four threads being conducted in tandem:

• Nature of Matter (A)
• Life Science (B)
• Physical Science (C)
• Earth and Space Science (D).

As we complete lessons, I will try to link posts about them on this page.

Volume  I

1. Organizing Things into Categories (A/B-1)
2. Solids, Liquids, and Gases (A-2)
3. Air is a Substance (A-3)
4. Distinguishing Living, Natural Non-living, and Human-made Things (B-2)
5. Gravity I: The Earth's Gravity (D-1)
6. Concepts of Energy I: Making Things Go (C-1)
7. Concepts of Energy II: Kinetic and Potential Energy (C-3)
8. Matter I: Its Particulate Nature (A-4) 
9. Distinguishing Materials (A-5) 
10. Day and Night and the Earth's Rotation (D-2)
11. Reading and Drawing Maps (D-3)
12. North, South, East, and West (D-3A)
13. Magnets and Magnetic Fields (A-5A)
14. Distinguishing Between Plants and Animals: The Plant and Animal Kingdoms (B-3)
15. Life Cycles (B-4)
16. Identification of Living Things: Discerning Similarities and Differences (B-4A)
17. What is a Species? (B-4B)
18. Land Forms and Major Biomes of the Earth (D-4)
19. Food Chains and Adaptations (B-5)
20. Sound, Vibrations, and Energy (C-2) 
21. How Animals Move I: The Skeleton and Muscle System (B-6)
22. How Animals Move II: Different Body Designs; Major Animal Phyla (B-7)
23. How Animals Move III: Coordinating Body Movements: The Nervous System (B-8)
24. Concepts of Energy III:  Distinguishing Matter and Energy (C-4)
25. Matter II: Air Pressure and the Earth's Atmosphere (A-6)
26. Air: A Mixture of Gases (Mixtures and Chemical Reactions) (A-7)
27. Inertia (C-5)
28. Friction (C-6)
29. Push Pushes Back (C-7)
30. Time and the Earth's Turning (D-5)
31. Seasonal Changes and the Earth's Orbit (D-6)
32. Gravity II: Rate of Fall, Weightlessness in Space, and Distinction Between Mass and Weight (D-7)
33. Matter III: Evaporation and Condensation (A-8)
34. Matter IV: Dissolving, Solutions, and Crystallization (A-9)
35. How Animals Move IV: Energy to Run the Body (B-9)
36. Rocks, Minerals, Crystals, Dirt, and Soil (A-10)
37. Rocks and Fossils (D-8)
38. Resources: Developing an Overview (D-9)
39. Plant Science I: Basic Plant Structure (B-10)
40. Plant Science II: Germination, Seedling Growth and Responses (B-11)
41. Plants, Soil, and Water (B-12)

Volume 2 

   42.