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The Curiosity Files E-book Review

I have been given an e-download of one of the Curiosity Files put out by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine to review.

If you are not familiar with The Curiosity Files e-books, they are a set of 9 Unit Studies with a very peculiar science theme. The titles included in this series are:

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These titles speak for themselves.


These unit studies are geared towards 8-13 years old and I would say that it is a pretty accurate target age group. That said, one can find things in there to involve and occupy a younger one.

Given the amount of information and work involved in these unit studies, the price of  $6.95 is very reasonable if you are looking to enhance your homeschool with interesting material,  and if you like learning about new things, such as oddities in science. Make sure to check it right now as some of the titles are on sale for $1.

You can buy them one at a time, or as an e-book bundle for $46.00 or even as a bundle on a CD-Rom for $49.00.

My personal thoughts:

I have to admit I am not a fan of unit studies in general, more because my boys rather learn things on their own and are not very good at directed studies, so our school consists mainly of doing the core subjects and then they get to go off to doing their own thing.

Another thing I was not too keen about, was that it was an e-book, as I do not like to have to print too much, as the e-book ranges from 80-100 pages, even if you don't have to print everything.

I have to say though that I like the format of the Curiosity Files. I was impressed by the amount of information given and all the subjects covered.

I was given the Unit Study on The Blue-footed Booby, and we learned so much. The unit study includes:

  • a Bible study on wisdom

  • Math exercises with problems

  • Language Arts

  • Creative writing

  • Fun activities like coloring, crossword puzzles, word search, fill in the blanks

  • Games

  • Bible copywork (cursive and manuscript)

  • Hands on projects like recipes to attract birds and experiments

  • Nature journal

  • History and a timeline work

  • Geography - what is an island and an archipelago (Galapagos Islands)

  • Art


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As you can see it is all inclusive and that is definitely a pro. With no prep required (except for the printing), you have comprehensive, fun, interesting, out of the ordinary learning time. It includes quiz questions to see what is being retained, and a fact file for memory sake. At the end of the e-book you can find the answers to all the questions and problems contained in the study, and a list of books and internet resource.

My 7 year old enjoyed listening to me reading off the computer the informational part of the e-book (to which I was surprised). Overall he enjoyed learning about the Blue-footed Booby and drawing islands and an archipelago. We are planning to do the hand on project of creating a habitat but we are not sure when yet.

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As a conclusion I will say that these curiosity files are great additions to any homeschool, for a nice change, or a break in routine. They are meaty, peculiar and very interesting. I think most kids in that age range (8-13) would probably enjoy one of these titles. Go and check out their samples for yourself.

Comments

Kimberly said…
my boys would like the zombie fore ants, I bet.
those sound fun!!
Kellyann W. said…
Sounds like he had fun. I'm your newest follower ... welcome to the Crew!

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