DNG's Magnificent Moon Review

This week we have been learning all about the Magnificent Moon. True to form, this Download N Go is just packed with information. You could easily use this unit for several weeks. That is one of my favorite things about Download N Go. You can absolutely expand on the topics or use it just as it is and have a wonderful week of learning.



If you remember my other reviews, you know that these Download N Go units are geared to children K-4 but could easily be expanded to use with older children. Planning and Preparation is so easy because all the work is done for you. Everything you need is included – websites, videos, fun activities, and lapbook pieces. I spend about 30 minutes over the weekend looking over the unit, printing, putting books on hold, and cutting lapbook pieces. (I always cut them out ahead of time and sort them by day.) Some might think there is a lot of printing but you can print as much or little of the materials as you decide. Just as the name implies- you just download and go!

Click on the images below to see some samples from Magnificent Moon.

Here are some of the topics covered in Magnificent Moon.

What Exactly is the Moon?
Getting to Know the Moon
The Story of the Moon
Science Secrets of the Moon
Cool Things about the Moon

Geography, History, Art, Science, Vocabulary…it’s all in there! We spent time learning about the Apollo missions, spacesuits, gravity, Issac Newton and Galileo and so much more. Each day you will learn about an astronaut as well. There are also lots of games and recipes to try! One of our favorite parts of this study was the art study of Astronaut Alan Bean. Fascinating!

We also took some time to learn about moon phases and how the moon controls the tides.

I loved the video of the lunar astronauts as they began to read....In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Mom got a bit choked up *smile*

My future astronauts!!!

Here are a few shots of our completed lapbook.

Front & Back Cover



Inside front

Inside Back

There are some great specials and contests going on over at the Download N Go Blog.

Magnificent Moon Blog Tour

The Cabin Fever Fun Pack- which includes Magnificent Moon, Winter Wonders, Hoppin Popcorn, & Expedition Canada is on sale until 1/31/11 for only $20. (reg. $28)

There will be a Moon Map Giveaway beginning on Jan 24th. Enter for you chance to win!

Check out all of Amanda Bennet’s Unit Studies here!

***Disclaimer Statement: We were provided a copy of this product, free of charge, for the purpose of writing an honest review her on my blog. The opinions expressed here are those of my children or myself.***

DNG Creation Camouflage Review and Giveaway

Do you have animal lovers in your house? Then Creation Camouflage is the DNG you have to try! We have enjoyed our week learning all about how animals use camouflage to “eat or avoid being eaten”. What an amazing Creator we have!












Let me tell you about these DNG units in general and then I will give you a little more information about Creation Camouflage specifically.










Each DNG unit is geared to children K-4 but could easily be expanded to use with older children. Planning and Preparation is so easy because all the work is done for you. Everything you need is included – websites, videos, fun activities, and lapbook pieces. You could easily expand on it if you choose with more books and rabbit trails or you can use it as is and have a wonderful study. I spend about 30 minutes over the weekend looking over the unit, printing, putting books on hold, and cutting lapbook pieces. (I always cut them out ahead of time and sort them by day. Some might think there is a lot of printing but you can print as much or little of the materials as you decide. I print all the lapbook pieces and some activity pages and the rest we work on orally together. It works out perfectly.



Take a look at some of the sample pages here.







Creation Camouflage is filled with fascinating videos about interesting animals with unique abilities to survive in their specific habitats. We learned about rain forests, deserts, oceans, and the tundra. As well as, an author and several conservationists. Each day you will focus on a specific animal and the way they use adaptation to survive.









Here are a few of the titles we used for our studies. There is a very extensive list included in each DNG unit.







Each unit is broken down into 5 days/objectives:

Day 1: Hiding in Plain Sight
Day 2: Getting to Know the Rain Forest
Day 3: What Is in the Desert?
Day 4: Hiding in the Ocean
Day 5: Cool Things About the Tundra

We have completed several of the Download N Go units and I am always amazed at how much is included in each unit but not in an overwhelming way and this one is no exception. The information is presented in an inviting way and the layout is bright and attractive. The lapbook is a great keepsake and can be used for later review. It is a great way to keep a record of all your studies.

Here are some shots of our lapbook.

One of the things I love so much about these DNG units is that there is so much meat in them. This is another study we could have easily spent four weeks digging deeper into; but because it is totally self contained and easy to complete, we were able to use it as is. So that when life happens, as it often does, (for us that meant an unexpected death in the family and a trip out of state) I could still give my kids an interesting and well planned lesson. One less thing to stress about! I love that!

I found both of these books at our library and my boys really enjoyed them and they went with this unit so well.

I would gladly recommend these Download & Go Units to anyone. You can order them individually for $7.95 each. These are just a few of the titles they offer!

And if you just can’t decide, you can purchase them in bundles at a discounted price!

You can also check out the DNG Blog for all the latest information and specials.

Check out the Creation Camouflage Blog Tour and see what other bloggers are saying.

Creation Camouflage is on sale December 13th-18th for only $5.95. Check it out here. You can also enter to win a cute National Geographic Tree Frog Mouse Pad.

Now for the giveaway! I have been given the opportunity to giveaway one copy of DNG’s Creation Camouflage!

Leave me a comment about your favorite animal that uses camouflage! Be sure to include your email address so that I can contact you should you be the lucky winner.

For a second chance to win, become a follower of my blog and leave a separate comment that you did.

The winner will be announced December 23rd, 2010.

***Disclaimer Statement: We were provided a copy of this product, free of charge, for the purpose of writing an honest review on my blog. The opinions expressed here are those of my children or myself.***

Venus Flytrap

Micah has been fascinated with the Venus Flytrap for quite some time now. So when we were out shopping we ran across a kit to grow one, I knew we had to give it a try.

He was so excited.

It came with soil, moss, plastic terrarium, and a dormant Venus Flytrap and Pitcher plant.

He took great care in following the directions.

In 4 to 8 weeks, it should begin to grow. The instructions say we can hand feed him but it is not necessary to do so....eek!

By the way, his name is "Spike". We will keep you updated on his progress.

Human Body...God gave us a brain!

This week we started a unit on the Human Body. Each week we will be focusing on a specific area and this week we learned all about the brain. We are using this book from Teacher Created Materials and when we are finished we will have a paper replica of our bodies.

Each week we will add body parts to our life size mural. Micah decided he would volunteer for the tracing while Noah took the pictures.

These are a few of the books we read to learn more about this amazing part of our bodies.

We finished up the week with some fun experiments.

This first one is called "Reading Rainbows" . We read the words on the list as fast as we could and then we read the list again saying the color that the word was written in. Which one is easier to do?

Explanation: Different areas of the brain have different jobs and it sends the info to two different places so your brain gets confused. The dominant part of your brain is the part that understands language so it is easier to name the color that the word spells out.

We tried "Think Fast, Act Faster" to see how long it takes for our bodies to react to messages from our brain.

And of course, we had to try to spin like a top and learn about how our bodies balance themselves...all in the name of science!!!

Micah taking his turn. We had to try this one about 10 times to make sure our research was accurate. ** smiles**

We also learned that not only do we have a dominant hand but that we also have a dominant eye. The boys were also very interested to find out that the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa.

This is the book we are using for a lot of the experiments we will be doing over the entire unit. It has some great ideas with easy to gather materials which is a must around here!

I picked this book up at the library and we have had a lot of fun with it. Some of the tests include....

• Optimist/Pessimist
• Introvert/Extrovert
• How observant are you?

We also checked out some optical illusions online and talked about how and why they work.

We had a great week and the boys are looking forward to next weeks topic....the heart!