{REVIEW} The Good and the Beautiful Science: Kingdoms and Classification

We just wrapped up our first science unit of the year and we have learned SO MUCH!!!

I am going to be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect from a “Kingdoms and Classification” unit before we started but I feel like what we learned will really help us as we dive into other units in the future.

We have done almost all of The Good and the Beautiful science units and have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. This one was no different!

What is covered?

Introduction to Classification
Levels of Classification
Discovery of Cells
Cell Functions
Archaebaceria and Eubacteria Kingdoms
Protista Kingdom
Fungi Kingdom: Mushrooms
Fungi Kingdom: Mold and Yeast
Plantae Kingdom
Animalia Kingdom

Vocabulary

The vocabulary words covered in this unit were:

classify
living organism
taxonomy
binomial nomenclature
cells
microorganism
prokaryotic
eukaryotic
organelles
autotroph
heterotroph
photosynthesis
plant cell
vertebrate
invertebrate

Prerequisite Unit

This unit was listed as a prerequisite for the Botany and Mammals units.

The Number of Kingdoms

This unit teaches a six kingdom classification system.

Supplies

A microscope is required {more on that BELOW} but I felt like the other supplies required are mostly those you would find around your home or could easily find at the store.

Science Journal

Before we begin our new school year, I plan out the different units we will be completing that year. I then print out all pages needed for each child, as well as any blank pages needed for different prompts that are given throughout the units.

I LOVE doing this! I feel like it is so easy to have a paper problem while homeschooling {we have DEFINITELY fallen prey to this} and this keeps all of our science materials in ONE place.

Find out what works for you – but you will need some form of a science journal for each of your kiddos to keep their papers and other material in.

Microscope

Another thing you will need for this course is a microscope. We got this one and have really enjoyed it. You learn all about the different parts of the microscope and how to use it. The kids LOVED every time we brought out the microscope.

***the Botany and Rocks and Minerals units also require a microscope***

Read Alouds

One of my favorite things about The Good and the Beautiful science units are their suggested read aloud lists. These are not required but I feel like they always enhance our lessons and I find my kids looking at them throughout the unit {and after!}.

The read alouds we used this unit were:

Karl, Get Out of the Garden! by Anita Sanchez
Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies

Now that Jacob is getting more advanced in his reading, I am trying to “assign” some reading to him to do during his independent reading that complements what we are learning.

For this unit, Jacob read Greg’s Microscope by Millicent E. Selsam. He really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it for Levels 1-3 or ages 6-8.

Length of Unit

This unit definitely took a lot longer than I had originally planned. Part of that is how our schedule worked out but this unit does require more time than the others. There is A LOT of information in each lesson and they are filled with several activities. So I would recommend either planning on dividing each lesson in two OR dedicating more time to doing the lesson each day.

Our Favorite Activities

Living and Non-Living Hunt – We did this right at the beginning of the unit. We went on a scavenger hunt outside to find different items and then the kiddos had to determine whether it met the qualifications to be “living”.

My Six Kingdoms of Life Booklet – This was an activity that was done throughout the unit. There was a page for each kingdom and as we learned about it they filled in the information. This was really helpful as we discussed each kingdom and helped my kiddos not get the different kingdoms confused.

Microscope Activities – This unit was FILLED with microscope activities. Some favorites were looking at skin cells, looking at yogurt bacteria, and picking out four different surfaces from our home and swabbing them and looking for bacteria growth.

Mushroom Observation – We are not a mushroom family. I never cook with them so the kids are pretty unfamiliar with mushrooms. So I got some for the kids to observe and look at the different parts of the mushroom. This was simple but really effective for our study of the fungi kingdom.

Yeast Experiment – This was Jacob’s favorite activity this unit! Seeing yeast in action was so much fun and Jacob was truly giddy watching this experiment unfold.

Final Thoughts

We really enjoyed this unit and learned TONS. I definitely think it is worth doing and your kiddos will really enjoy all of the hands-on activities and experiments. Just make sure you give yourself lots of time as this unit’s lessons are longer than normal. This unit is really good and well thought out and I wouldn’t want to cut anything out.

So take your time and enjoy the ride!

We’ve done almost all of the science units from The Good and the Beautiful. I can honestly say we have yet to find a “dud”. Here is a list of our science reviews:

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask! Which has been your favorite?