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Bird Unit Study
and Microscope
Adventure
By Kym Wright
Bird Unit Study
and
Microscope Adventure
open with an
introduction to using
the unit study. Each
book also includes a
list of materials needed
to complete the unit.
There is a list of
people to study along
with suggestions for
additional reading. For
quick reference or
recording purposes, a
course outline is
featured. Goals and
objectives are
highlighted as well.
Masters for worksheets
or lab sheets, daily
planning, and project
selections are bound
within the books. They
can be readily
photocopied for use with
multiple students. Each
unit study can be
completed in
approximately 30 to 45
days as needed.
These are “meaty” unit
studies, not at all on
the light side, yet they
can be adapted as needed
with each student. While
being very thorough in
her approach, Mrs.
Wright has left some
room for your own
creativity. Your child
will definitely grasp
the subject at hand and
have fun while doing it.
Bird Unit Study
and
Microscope Adventure
are not your average day
at school - highly
recommended!
-- Product Review by:
Teri Lucas, Staff
Writer, The Old
Schoolhouse Magazine
Here’s another Bird Unit
Study and Microscope
Adventure review!
"Join us in a unit study
adventure from Kym
Wright and alWright
Publishing!" -- TOS
Magazine
Kym Wright is a delight!
She is the author of
several items, was the
publisher of a wonderful
magazine called
Open Arms, and is
the creator of numerous
unit studies. I had the
opportunity to review
two of them for
TOS.
Microscope Adventure
is incredibly well done.
The adventure begins
with getting acquainted
with your microscope and
learning to properly use
and care for it. Using
books commonly available
at the library, the
student then reads and
researches all aspects
of the use and
usefulness of the
microscope. A complete
course of lab
explorations is detailed
for the student. Using
fabric, hair, dust,
flowers, plants, seeds,
molds, and common
insects, the student
explores a wide array of
science topics. Kym has
included a complete plan
for the unit, called
Kym's Konstruction Kit.
A handy checklist guides
the teacher through
preparation and
implementation of the
unit. She has also
included a handy
prefatory article by
Kathleen Julicher and
Steve Lambert on “Buying
a Microscope.” At
the end of the unit,
numerous websites are
listed to continue the
adventure - virtually.
Bird Unit Study
is incredibly detailed
and complete. She
supplies her famous
Kym’s Konstruction Kit
to implement the unit.
Through the unit, the
student learns about
flight, migration,
identification,
groupings, bird
communication, careers
with birds, and anatomy,
in addition to some
hands-on projects like
building a birdfeeder
and birdhouse. Kym, who
thinks of everything,
includes relevant
Scripture, library books
and literature, writing
ideas, complete guidance
on buying a bird, a
research outline, field
trip ideas, and listings
of birding
organizations.
Other unit studies
available from Kym
include one on spiders,
goats, sheep poultry,
photography, flower
arranging and wreaths,
Victorian sewing and
quilting, and botany.
Our family is blessed to
own a fairly nice
microscope. I know what
we will be doing this
summer! Join us in a
unit study adventure
from Kym Wright and
alWright Publishing.
-- Product Review by
Christine Field, The
Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Here’s another
Bird Unit Study
and Microscope
Adventure
review!
Okay, everyone knows
that unit studies are
one of the hottest
trends in homeschooling,
right? Unit studies
provide a great way to
teach many different
subjects, using
different methods, to
different ages of kids
at the same time. What
could be better for the
busy homeschool family?
How about having someone
write the unit studies
for you in a clear,
understandable, and
logical way?!
Kym Wright, a veteran
homeschooling mom of
eight children (who also
writes brilliant
articles for
TOS Magazine) has
done this difficult task
for us. She has written
several unit studies
that cover a broad
spectrum of topics, but
I looked at two:
Microscope Adventure!
and
Bird Unit Study.
Both are reasonably
priced ($17.95 each
through
alWright! Publishing,
P.O. Box 81124, Conyers,
GA 30013). Both are very
thorough with wonderful
information about the
topic, activities,
worksheets, lesson
plans, field trip ideas,
additional resources,
etc. I think either unit
could range from a
couple of weeks to a
whole semester,
depending on how
detailed you want to be
and how interested your
kids are in the topic.
The
Bird Unit Study
covers information about
identifying birds,
anatomy of a bird,
migration,
communication, bird
behavior, and the
profession of
ornithology, among other
topics. The
Microscope Adventure!
unit covers how to buy a
microscope, history, lab
equipment, and
information about how to
study plants, animal
cells, microbes, and
other ooey-gooey
substances under the
microscope. The material
is very well laid out
and easy to follow. They
would be great for a
beginning homeschool
family with young
children, or for a more
in-depth study for older
kids. They could also
easily be adapted for
overachieving kids or
kids with special
learning needs. My
little scientists can’t
wait to get started on
these excellent unit
studies! If you use unit
studies, also check out
other books by Kym
Wright:
Spiders,
Goat Unit Study,
Sheep Unit,
Poultry,
Photography,
Flower Arranging and
Wreaths,
Victorian Sewing and
Quilting, and
Botany (revised).
-- Product Review by: By
Dr. Anne Margaret
Wright, The Old
Schoolhouse Magazine
Here’s another alWright
Publishing review!
Easy, practical, and
fun! That describes
these wonderful unit
studies written by Kym
Wright. Kym, mother of
eight children, has a
Bachelor of Science
degree. She and her
husband Mark run
alWright Publishing. The
units are inexpensive,
very thorough, and use
books that can be found
at your local library.
The lesson pages are set
in a checklist style;
skills and activities
can be checked off as
completed. This makes
record keeping easy for
each unit. Available
units are:
Arachnids,
Birds,
Botany,
Flower Arranging and
Wreaths,
Goats,
Microscope Adventure,
Photography,
Poultry,
Sheep,
Spiders, and
Victorian Sewing and
Quilting. These
units are a great way to
cure your unit study
fears! Ones that I
reviewed are below.
Microscope Adventure
- fourth grade through
high school. It starts
with suggestions for
buying a microscope and
slides. It includes 35
labs, vocabulary list,
answer sheet, suggested
websites, lesson plans,
and book suggestions.
With minimal writing
required, this unit,
like all of Kym’s units,
is great for hands-on
kids! Topics covered
include: people to
study, parts of a
microscope, fibers, film
and dust, crystals and
bubbles, stains and
dyes, cells and plant
cells, insects, and
more. Lessons can be
done independently or in
a group. Each lesson
with lab can be done in
one day or spread out
using as much time as
needed. This unit is so
easy, especially for
science-challenged moms
like me!
Birds Unit Study
- topics include:
flight, migration,
projects,
identification, bird
detection, groupings,
anatomy, and much more.
Instructions are
included on how to
incubate eggs, draw
birds, and set up a bird
feeder and house.
Experiments, literature
ideas, vocabulary words,
and more make this a
well-rounded unit on
birds. It is written in
Kym's wonderful, easy
style that is great for
one or a group. It's
everything you ever
wanted to know about
birds!
Botany
- this is one thick unit
study at over 174 pages.
Written for upper
elementary through high
school, this unit could
easily become a yearlong
study for your high
schooler. Forty-four
labs are included,
written in the same
check-off style as the
microscope unit. It's
perfect for the child
that enjoys a more hands
on, less writing method.
Although microscope work
is not required in this
unit, it is recommended,
so consider going
through the
Microscope Adventures
unit first. All types
and parts of plants are
covered, including
roots, stems, leaves,
flowers, fungus, algae,
reproduction, grasses,
and trees. Also includes
flash cards, answer key,
and much more. This unit
is perfect for the plant
lover in your family!
Photography
- I was intrigued by
this unit. My children
love to take pictures,
but sometimes the
resulting photo leaves
much to be desired! So
how can you teach them
to be better
photographers? This unit
is the answer! No
special camera is
required; even a
disposable one will do.
Starts with parts of the
camera, lenses, film,
lighting, point of view
and angles,
photographing people,
landscapes, and more.
Other items are using
your skills for a hobby
or career, clubs,
organizations, and
contests. A book list
and vocabulary words are
also included. This unit
is picture perfect!
Flower Arranging and
Wreaths
- if you love flowers,
this unit will show you
how to take any type of
flowers (fresh, dried,
or silk) and turn them
into a beautiful
creation! You could even
use the information in
this unit to turn your
love of flowers into a
business. Sections
include flowers and
fillers, tools, bases,
finishings, containers,
shape, floral design,
bows, loops and
streamers, wreath
techniques, drying, and
storage and care. Also
included are field
trips, websites, book
list, color families,
and more. I love Kym's
style of writing units.
She provides the
framework, techniques,
and instruction; you
provide the enthusiasm!
Turtles!
- Well, Kym
Wright, of
Learn and Do,
has done it again! If
your kids are even the
least bit curious about
turtles, this is the
unit study for you! If
you want to introduce
animal classification in
a fun and hands-on way,
this is the unit study
for you!
Kym sent me the draft
copy of her new unit
study,
Turtles! I was
asked to review it for
the website and
magazine. I also
received a copy of her "Funsheets,"
which are kind of like
our commonplace
"worksheets," but as Kym
says, they are more fun
than work, so she named
them accordingly!
This is a very thorough
unit study on turtles.
It starts out by
introducing them and
then includes the
following chapters:
taxonomy, reptile vs.
amphibian, history of
turtles, anatomy of
turtles, age and life
span, life cycle, diet,
habitat, etc. Anything
you could ever possibly
want to know about
turtles is included in
this unit study!
It would be a very fun
study to do for those of
you that school
year-round and want a
taste of something
different for a few
months. The funsheets
that are available (you
must purchase them
separately) are divided
into a set for younger
students (K-4) and a set
for older students (5
and up). The sheets
include map work and
many charts to fill in
so even reluctant
writers can have
something to show for
their energy! At the end
of the unit, you'll have
enough material to put
together a very nice
report on turtles, and
Kym even suggests
getting together for an
evening and serving
turtle soup and turtle
eggs (boiled eggs!)
while presenting your
report. It all comes
together very easily, as
Kym includes in the main
manual her "Konstruction
Kit" with lesson
plans that are very easy
to read and follow.
Like her other unit
studies, the lessons are
in a checklist style and
utilize books from the
library and websites.
There is an appendix in
the back with good
suggestions for websites
and books. There is even
a lesson on dissecting a
turtle, although you
must purchase the turtle
separately from another
source!
Kym tells me there will
be a CD available for
those who want it so
they can virtually
dissect a turtle on the
computer. Much as I hate
to admit it, that would
be what I would prefer;
although my 10-year-old
son will have other
ideas I'm sure!
This is not just a "fun
and games" study; there
is serious stuff in here
about taxonomy, etc and
even the vocabulary
words are very complex
in nature. This is not a
study you can just pass
off to your student and
have them complete -
this is something you
will want to dig into
alongside them, but -
what fun!
You will find it quite
easy to challenge older
students and scale down
for younger students.
Overall, this is a very
comprehensive unit study
that will satisfy any
animal or science-loving
kid out there! If you've
experienced Kym's other
units, be assured that
this one is of equal
quality!
Feel free to check out
Turtles! and all
of Kym's other unit
studies at
www.Learn-and-Do.com
or through her company
at PO Box 81124,
Conyers, Georgia, 30013.
There are many
interesting studies on
her website, all written
by Kym - all very fun
and unique!
-- Product Review by:
Holly Cameron, TOS
Magazine
Here’s another alWright
Publishing review!
Mark and Kym Wright have
published
The Mother's Heart
Magazine
for five years,
and still carry back
issues and anthologies.
She also penned
The Mommy Primer
Women: Living Life on
Purpose.
Her 14 unit study titles
include:
Microscope Adventure!,
Botany,
Photography,
Volunteer,
Birds,
Flower Arranging and
Wreaths,
Library,
Arachnids,
Spiders,
Victorian Sewing,
Turtles!,
Goats,
Sheep,
and
Poultry.
Her newest title is the
Library Unit,
which is available
January 6, 2003. Her
unit on turtles will be
available February 2003,
and her
Volunteer Unit
comes out in March. I
hear she’s also writing
one on snakes.
-- Product Review by:
Debra Cogburn, Lead
Product Reviewer, The
Old Schoolhouse Magazine
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