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Mom, I'm Bored! Series - Goop, Not Just a Science Project / Rainbow in a Jar / Make a Lava Lamp / How to Use Galileo and Skateboard in the Same Sentence Review by Brandi Tesreau

Shawna Huggins
3966 S Pacific Hwy Space 54
Medford, OR 97501
541-512-9415
http://www.learningisfun.biz/

Shawna Huggins, teacher, author, and professional tutor, has a cure for the boredom blues! In her four-booklet Mom I'm Bored! Series, she provides instructions, hands-on activities, and worksheets for fun and educational projects. Each booklet is available in two digital formats. The $.99 Kindle version, which is downloadable but not printable, is available on Amazon. The $2.99 version, available at www.teacherspayteachers.com, is downloadable, printable, and includes writing templates and handouts for kids.

Each booklet contains an outline, a short introduction, a supply list, step-by-step instructions, and an explanation at the end. Pictures are provided as well. Worksheets are included in the TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) version.

In Book One: Goop. Not Just a Science Project, children will be inspired to write creatively through a fun and messy science project. After reading a Dr. Seuss book, children will make Goop and write a "How to" manual about caring for this Goop, which is now their best friend. Grade levels for this project are 4th - 8th.

In Book Two: Make a Rainbow in a Jar: Discovering Density, children will complete a project using water, salt, and food coloring to demonstrate density. Grade levels for this project are 4th - 9th.

In Book Three: How to Make a Lava Lamp, Shawna adds zip to understanding density. It isn't required, though, that children must do the project in Book Two in order to make a lava lamp. Grade levels for this project are 4th -10th.

In Book Four: How to Use Galileo and Skateboard in the Same Sentence, children will perform a hands-on physics lesson using a skateboard and a ball. Grade levels for this project are 4th -12th.

All homeschoolers will benefit from doing these experiments together. However, younger children may need assistance from older siblings or parents in order to complete the projects and assignments.

My children, ages 12, 9, and 6, had fun making the lava lamps. In fact, all three bottles are still sitting on the counter, and my kids like to give them a good shake every once in a while to watch the colorful bubbles rise again. We are saving the rest of the projects for when we take a holiday break. I can't wait to make Goop with my kids!

I think Shawna's Mom, I'm Bored! Series is an inexpensive way to get kids excited about science, especially those who may not have access to science books and curriculum with a lot of extra projects. For children like mine, these booklets can provide Christmas or summer break activities. I am thankful for teachers like Shawna who make learning fun!

Product Review by Brandi Tesreau, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, November, 2011

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