Science and Culture Around the World and at Home

The Virtual Curriculum Fair is still going on.  The theme this week is: Exploring Our World: Social Studies and more Science---includes history, geography, world cultures, worldview, biology, botany, geology, etc., etc., etc.

Full Definition of social studies

1. :  a part of a school or college curriculum concerned with the study of social relationships and the functioning of society and usually made up of courses in history, government, economics, civics, sociology, geography, and anthropology

First Known Use of social studies1926
noun plural Definition of social studies

1. :  the studies (as civics, history, and geography) that deal with human relationships and the way society works
   

This year for geography we are studying Europe.  We started with a course called Drawing around the World: Europe.   It was a fairly simple study that my son wasn't keen on doing due to the repetitive nature of the program so we morphed it into something else.   We watch videos, we learn some facts, we ask questions, and we make a meal.   We make the meals for the most part as fun as we can, inviting friends to come and join us and help create them.   It's GOOD to do these things.     We've done Finland, Sweden, Georgia, Russia, Iceland and Azerbaijan.

Studying Europe is fascinating because each country teaches us something new about the people.  For instance in Azerbaijan, a predominately muslim country, they are open to other faiths practicing, while in Georgia they often have toasts when friends and families gather.   Different things capture me and my son's attention which is good.

sci·ence
noun
noun: science
the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

For science we do a couple of things
God's design series by Answers in Genesis.

click image to go to source :answers in genesis

We do at least one lesson a week, we strive for more, but often other things intervene like.. gardening, yard work, feeding the birds at the local provincial park, nature walks, learning about air movement with a fan, or whatever.   It's all good.  As long as somehow he's learning about the world and how it works from a scientific point of view it's all good. 

On Fridays we do things a bit differently around here.
We learn about Canada.   As we engage in our Canadian Studies we are doing art, watching videos. doing some geology (digging up gems/minerals and talking about them), science, math, history and whatever else I can squeeze into a morning.  We try to combine as many things as we can on Fridays.  Anything we can't work into our Canadian studies we do differently than the rest of the week (and sometimes (oh horrors) skip it completely).  :)   Newfoundland pt 1 and pt 2.   Nova Scotia pt 1 and pt 2.   It is by no means a speedy process but we'd rather enjoy the journey eh?  :)

So that's a bit of a touch on what we do here for social studies and science.  It's by no means the end all and be all, but it's a least a glimpse.

If you would like a glimpse of what others do as well, check out the links below (when I get them added!).   :)

Yvie @ Gypsy Road - Bringing It to Life! History, Geography, & Science Jen Altman @ Chestnut Grove Academy - Virtual Curriculum Fair 2016: Exploring Our World, How We Do Social Studies and Life/Earth Science Laura @ Day by Day in Our World - Learning About the World Around Us Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses - Social Studies a Science of Relations Lisa @ GoldenGrasses - Exploring & Discovering Around the World Annette @ A Net In Time - Science and Culture Around the World and at Home Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break - Exploring History and Geography Laura @ Four Little Penguins - Going Around the World at Our Kitchen Table Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory - Our Tackling of the Social Studies and Science Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset - Encouraging Curiosity about the World