Great Documentaries About Bugs to Watch in Your Spring Homeschool
Make the most of your insect investigations with five great documentaries about bugs.
1 :: David Attenborough narrates the five-part BBC series Life in the Undergrowth (2006), which explores the world of insects, from gnats so small they’re invisible to the naked eye to millipedes so large they can capture flying bats.
2 :: NOVA: Lord of the Ants (2008) isn’t just about ants—though the Harrison Ford-narrated documentary does explain sociobiologist Edmund O. Wilson’s fascination with the insects and how they helped the scientist develop his theory of evolutionary biology.
3 :: Director Claude Nuridsany captures amazingly detailed moments of insect life in Microcosmos (1996), including bees collecting nectar, an underwater spider creating an air bubble to live in, a mosquito hatching, snails mating, and more.
4 :: The insects are coming! And their adaptability and quick reproduction cycle could spell the end of life as we know it, insists the fictitious doctor narrating the documentary/sci-fi/horror film The Hellstrom Chronicle (1971). It’s a weird mix, but it works.
5 :: Brief (it’s just 12 minutes long) but compelling, the mini-documentary Camouflage and Defense in the Insect World (2007) focuses on the ways that insects protect themselves from predators.
This article was originally published in the Spring 2014 issue of home/school/life magazine. For lots more ideas like this to inspire your homeschool life in every season, subscribe to home/school/life.
The secret to transitioning to high school isn't so secret: Just keep doing what you've been doing, and trust that you've gotten to know your kid's academic abilities.
The hero’s journey is so prevalent in film and books that it makes a great jumping off point for a comparative literature study, and these texts are a great place to begin.
Understanding the rules of grammar is great, but knowing how to put them to use is what is really important.
When you hit a plateau, you don't always need to look for a way to hurry ahead to the next thing. Sometimes homeschooling is all about slowing down.
We used Studio Ghibli's film adaptations of beloved children's books for a high school introduction to comparative literature. Here's how we did it — and how you can, too, no curriculum required.
When early readers feel overwhelmed, there are practical things you can do in your homeschool to help them build their reading confidence.
When you use writing as a form of punishment, every writing assignment can make kids feel like they're in the homeschool version of detention.
Easy volunteer projects your family can do together make community service part of your everyday homeschool life.
Documentaries for Black History Month, a saucy Jane Austen adaptation, ideas for family movie nights, and more stuff that might be fun to watch with your homeschoolers this month.
The halfway point of your homeschool year is a great time to check in with your kids about what's working — and what isn't.
Our culture needs the lessons of great literature like never before. In 2018, let’s resolve to elevate literature back to its position in the humanities.
These fun extras (all less than $30!) will add a little oomph to your everyday homeschool routine and help ease you over the midwinter slump — without busting your budget.
If you want your students to care about writing, give them writing projects that actually matter.
You don't have to use a curriculum to learn a lot about geography. Here's how Shell's family does it.
Beverly has some practical ideas to make homeschooling a little less stressful for you and your perfectionist child.
The messiness of history does not easily fit into the mold of a Hollywood blockbuster. But movies can do something history books often can’t — they can bring human stories to life and make us care about them.
When you're homeschooling with anxiety and depression, some days are harder than others. Here are some ideas to get through the tough times.
Halloween is a great excuse for a little creative writing! Here are five ideas to add a little Halloween writing fun to your homeschool this fall.
Homeschooling the second kid is a brand-new experience — now that you know what you're doing, you've got a whole new personality and dynamic to navigate.
You don't have to rush or totally shift gears to successfully homeschool first grade. Figure out how you want your homeschool to feel, and build your days from there.