Does this ever happen to you? Something unplanned and possibly off-topic finds a way of landing in your child’s radar and completely captures their attention and somehow resource materials barrage you at the same time to reinforce the unschooled approach?
Fortuitously-timed resources have a way of falling into my lap at just the right time when we can utilize them.
That’s been the case with us as we’ve stumbled our way into a spontaneous mini-unit on the periodic table. We’ve been having so much fun with it so wanted to share the resources for you to keep in mind for your future learning adventures.
This awesome Periodic Table with images was one of my earliest finds back when I was just beginning to contemplate homeschooling. I remember printing it off, laminating it, and thinking how cool it would be when my girls were old enough to enjoy it.
And here we are. :)
The neat thing about this Periodic Table is that you can print the illustrated version AND a version written out in words. (Be sure to check out the other fabulous learning resources available from this site!)
I printed my Periodic Tables on card stock, layered them front to back, and laminated them together. As cool as our Illustrated Periodic Table is by itself– for my daughters’ young ages it took the allure of a fun app to get them to appreciate it fully.
- Enter the “Toca Lab” app available on Amazon for the Kindle Fire and on the Apple iStore.
*Depending on how scientifically accurate you want your apps to be, this resource may or may not appeal to you. I made up this info-graphic so you can decide if it would be a good fit for your family:
You might be asking yourself what it means by “the way elements are created is not accurate”? – Basically, if you leave your child to play by herself she might walk away assuming that one can easily transform oxygen into carbon by using a little electricity; which is pretty misleading because elements don’t work that way. Some hardcore science-minded folks might not want to utilize this resource.
Maybe it’s because chemistry is not my strong suit that I am able to overlook this whimsical depiction of the periodic table and still find it beneficial. (You can read a more detailed review of Toca Labs here at GeeksWithJuniors.)
I hope to counter the unrealistic portions of the Toca Lab app with concrete and accurate examples like the aforementioned Illustrated Periodic Table of Elements.
When the girls play the app they have to find the element on their illustrated table and tell me about the example given. For Stella, this game is also great for helping reinforce number recognition. For now, Stella just focuses on the illustrated version of the periodic table. However, my oldest daughter Mira likes to flip the chart over to read more details about each element as she comes across them in the app.
I also pulled out a couple of books that have been sitting on our bookshelves patiently awaiting their time in the limelight. (…cause unschoolish times like these are exactly the time to utilize all the tools at your disposal.)
Two books in particular have proven very valuable indeed.
- Wonderful Life With the Elements-The Periodic Table Personified
- The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Element in our Universe
Be warned though– as much I like the first book for it’s distinctly unique way of giving life to the elements, it also has a weird habit of giving just a tad bit too much life. Really…. couldn’t they have left them a bit more androgynous? Sure, if my kids were a bit older and not still firmly planted in the “potty-humor zone” this feature wouldn’t be a problem. As it is, I’m posting my pics here so you can decide if you want your children’s introduction to the elements to feature these added squiggly lines or not. They are pretty prolific, if not explicit, in the book.
The second book is Theodore Gray’s The Elements, which seems to be a staple in most of the homeschool households I’ve entered. I pulled our book out a few days after the girls had been playing the Toca Lab app and left it out on a couch to see who would come by and take the bait.
I pleased to report that they each took turns falling for my ‘trap’.
The resources I highlighted in this post are just a small handful of the numerous available. There are countless fun, free websites online (like these collections of short videos for each element) and various resources to find. A little searching and you’re bound to find something that appeals to your kids.
Now I just need to get my hands on a good chemistry set . . .
What fun resources have you come across for introducing chemistry?
Linking up with some more homeschooling fun over at– Wonderful Wednesdays!
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