Curiosity Files - By The Oldschoolhouse Magazine

This is a FUN one! - The Oldschoolhouse Magazine sent me a copy of "Curiosity Files - Cicada Killing Wasps" for me to review (no payment, just alot of fun!)

You will want to HURRY over to The Oldschoolhouse Store where you can pick up this unit for $1.00! (normally $9.95...) Select titles are on sale for a limited time (currently there are 9 titles to choose from). Grab the best deal by purchasing all nine! Two options: the CD is only $49; or downloadable E-Books $46



So, what is a Curiosity File you may be asking?
Professor Ana Lyze (an expert in outlandish oddities) will take you on a fun unit study for kids ages 8-13. And with titles like - Cicada-Killing Wasp, Quicksand, Zombie Killer Ants, and Dung Beetles - you will be going on a wild adventure.

Quess who were my testers at the Bentz laboratory? You got it - the BOYS!!
They love anything unsual, gory, gross and well - just "boy like"... They were not disappointed when I showed them their assignment.

The Curiosity Files - Cicada-Killing Wasp ebook was a "masterpiece". It's an 88 page ebook (you can get them going right away - no waiting.) It was filled with interesting information and full color photos (no problem capturing their attention...) Following the information were comprehension questions (to see if they were paying attention - they were!) I was surprised, I could even sneak in some math work (graphing, plotting coordinates, temperatures) and they still hadn't caught on that this was really "school" and not some fun web-site I found to show them for entertainment.

The oldest started to "smell" the school tie-in when I announced we were going to make "Cicada Killing Wasp Snacks"...he always knows I'm doing a unit study if we head to the kitchen. Not that any of them minded a snack break...

I was impressed! Look at all that’s included in this unit:

•Bible study, discussion ideas, and memory verses
•Math, history, and geography investigations
•Literature and suggested book list
•Writing, spelling, and vocabulary activities
•Beautiful copywork pages (manuscript and cursive)
•Science observations, projects, and experiments
•Discussion questions
•Art, crafts, and drawing and coloring pages
•Curiosity Snippets: lapbook/notebook pages and helpful links
•Special needs, hands-on discoveries
•Internet resources and video links
•Complete answer key


I love doing unit studies - but, I guarantee you won't find many unit study/lapbook topics so appealing to the 8-13 year old boys as the Curiosity Files are.

My testers enjoyed this product, and were begging for the next one... Dung Beetles anyone? (I'm just hoping the innocent check-out lady at the grocery store doesn't ask one of them what they're learning in school...it may be shocking!)

They want to do all of them.. and make a lapbook of their investigations. That ought to get a reaction from the Grandparents...

See what my other reviewers thought here