Category Archives: science for children

Apr 2 2023

2023 Science Olympiad State

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Cedar Springs Homeschool, our team, won second place in the Tennessee State Science Olympiad, held on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville. Our son won gold in Solar System and Crave the Wave. Our daughter won silver in Flight.

Teen cubing at Science Olympiad

Between events, in the homeroom

Teen girl Science Olympiad

Waiting between Flight and Bridge

We are proud of their achievements – overall, as a team, and individually. Our children did their part to help the team win second place out of the best 15 teams in the State of Tennessee. Continue reading »

Mar 27 2023

Medals from Regionals

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The medals our team earned at the Regionals in Science Olympiad (SO) came in, finally. We forgive the organizers for forgetting to order them in time to distribute during the awards ceremony last month. It is hard to imagine how one would forget to order medals when one organizes a competition, but we will be gracious and give them our thanks for all their efforts in putting together such a massive effort as SO Regionals.

Claire with medals

Our daughter with her two golds from SO Regionals

Our son put his on – four golds and a bronze – but he did not want to be photographed. Then, he took them off. He said it felt good to have them, but not getting them on the day of competition took away from their aura. Continue reading »

Nov 14 2022

Dodgen Invitational, Science Olympiad

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Last week, our children participated in the Dodgen-Walton Science Olympiad Invitational, together with their team, Cedar Springs Homeschool. This invitational happens at the Walton High School in Marietta, GA. We compete against teams from public schools, private schools, magnet schools, charter schools, and there was another homeschool team, as well.

Cedar Springs Homeschool Team

Cedar Springs Homeschool Team for Science Olympiad

Invitationals are tough competitions which we attend in order to learn. We build on this experience. By the time we go to Regionals, State, and (hopefully) Nationals, we feel prepared. Continue reading »

Nov 22 2020

Science Olympiad – Facebook Live

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Science Olympiad does not equal Science Fair. Many people have never heard of Science Olympiad and they assume it is a glorified Science Fair.

Occupy Mars

His Occupy Mars hoodie reflects his interest in rocket science, which he can hone during Science Olympiad.

Science Olympiad is a national tournament where teams compete for prizes and trophies after they qualified within their state. Every state declares one winner. The winners meet at an annual event, usually on a university campus. Last year, for instance, they went to Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Continue reading »

Aug 1 2018

Generation Genius Science Curriculum

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Today I want to tell you about Generation Genius science curriculum. This program consists of 36 videos, 12 minutes each, on major science topics that we should cover in grades 3-5.

Every video comes with a lesson plan, a vocabulary list, a teacher guide, and activities to do before and after watching the video. Generation Genius was produced through a partnership with the National Science Teachers Association.

Generation Genius Videos

My children watching Generation Genius videos

My children will be in 3rd grade and 5th grade respectively this Fall, so this curriculum fits our needs very well. I can see how younger or older children would like it, too. The videos entertain, besides delivering solid scientific concepts. Continue reading »

Aug 1 2016

Science Camp

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This week, Monday-Friday, 9am-12noon, at the Lutheran Church on Pullen Road in Sevierville, our children are attending a science camp. Several science teachers from the local community college and from the public school system put this program together for free, in order to revive the old way of teaching science: through experiments.

Children looking into a microscope

Looking at rocks up close

The camp director said she has been a lifelong educator and has noticed that over the years the school system has transitioned to worksheets and away from hands-on experiences. For children, science is fun if you show them experiments and let them handle substances. That’s how they develop an inquisitive mind and they learn to think outside the box.

Continue reading »