THE UNIVERSE IN MY HANDS

This one  year introduction to science uses The Universe in My Hands by Mary Daly as a framework. It will teach your child how everything in the universe can be classified by order of magnitude. He will set up a binder in which his work, both at this level and in the future, can be kept in a logical scientific order. Certain topics will be explored in greater depth. 

Time requirement:  Two weekly lessons of approximately 30 minutes. 

Teacher involvement: You will need to work with your child for these lessons

Key Texts

The Universe in My Hands by Mary Daly (available from Ye Hedge School)

Note: You will require both the booklet and the set of dividers. We advise you to read through the booklet before starting the lessons with your child. 

Home Science Adventures: Microscopic Explorations

Adventures With Atoms and Molecules: Chemistry Experiments for Young People (Vol.1), by Robert Mebane and Thomas Rybolt

Home Science Adventures: The Astronomy Adventure

Recommended Resources

Heaven and Earth: Unseen by the Naked Eye, by Katherine Roucoux

This book is a collection of photographs taken through either a microscope or a telescope, arranged in order of magnitude. This book will enable your child to see both the smallest items (electron trails in a bubble chamber) and largest items (a galaxy field) discussed in The Universe in My Hands - and items of every size in between. It is available in both a large hardcover or a mini paperback edition. The larger pictures have more impact, but pictures from the small book could be scanned, copied, or even cut out  for inclusion in your child's binder. 

or Powers of Ten: a Flipbook by Charles and Ray Eames

Another photographic journey, starting with a view of one billion light years and moving inwards by powers of ten down to subatomic particles. Directly correlates to magnitude studies, with postcard sized pictures

Optional Extras

The Films of Charles and Ray Eames, Vol.1 is available on DVD and includes Powers of Ten, a nine minute film exploring magnitude.

Usborne Internet-Linked Mysteries and Marvels of Science  

Teacher Resources

Cosmic View: The Universe in My Hands - talk on the program given by the author, Mary Daly at the
2005 Greater Milwaukee Catholic Home Educators conference. (Order Form)

Note: We highly recommend listening to this talk if you are unsure about how the orders of magnitude work, or how to teach them.

MAGNITUDE: The Universe in My Hands (One lesson weekly)

Note: When using The Universe in My Hands, try to have your child draw or paste in as many pictures as possible as each order of magnitude is studied

Unit 1: What is size? What is small?  

Lesson 1: Size and smallness; What is a magnitude? (pp.10-12)

Have your child set up a binder with the tabbed dividers.

Optional activity: Memorise Bible verse (Ws. 11:20)

Lesson 2: Page Zero - One meter (pp.13-15)

Lesson 3: Page (-1) - One decimeter (pp.16-18)

Lesson 4: Page (-2) - One centimeter (pp.19-21)

Lesson 5: Page (-3) - One millimeter (pp.22-24)

Lesson 6: Magnitude review (pp.25-27)

Unit 2: My Home on Earth

Lesson 7: Page (-4) - One tenth of a millimeter

Lesson 8: Big Things (pp.33-34)

Lesson 9: Page (+1) - Ten meters (pp.35-38)

Lesson 10: Page (+2) - One hundred meters (pp.39-41)

Lesson 11: Page (+3) - One kilometer (pp.42-43)

Lesson 12: Page (+4) - Ten kilometers (pp.44-45)

EXPLORATION (One lesson weekly)

Note: Remember to relate your child's studies to the orders of magnitude, and file activity sheets and narrations in the appropriate section of the binder. 

Magnitude (-3) and (-4): MICROSCOPIC WORLD

Home Science Adventures: Microscopic Explorations (14 lessons)

Optional Reading

Usborne Internet-Linked Complete Book of the Microscope

MAGNITUDE: The Universe in My Hands (One lesson weekly)

Unit 3: Down to the Quarks

Week 13: Page (-5) - Cells (pp.48-49)

Week 14: Page (-6) - Light, Bacteria (pp.49-50)

- discovery of the microscope

Week 15: Page (-7) - DNA, Molecules (pp.50-52)

Week 16: Pages (-8) and (-9) - smaller molecules (pp.52-55)

Week 17: Page (-10) - Water molecules, atoms (pp.55-57)

Week 18: Pages (-11), (-12) and (-13) - Electrons (pp.57-59)

Week 19: Pages (-14) to (-19) - Quarks (pp.59-61)

Week 20: Page (-34) - Planck's Constant (p.61) 

Week 21: Review

Unit 4: Up to the Stars

Week 22: Page (+5), 100 kilometers (pp.64-66)

Week 23: Pages (+6) and (+7), 1,000 and 10,000 kilometers (pp.66-67)

Week 24: Pages (+8), 100,000 kilometers (pp.68-69) 

EXPLORATION (One lesson weekly)

Adventures With Atoms and Molecules 

Choose any twelve experiments from the book.

Note: If you are enthusiastic scientists and have time, do two experiments each week

Optional Reading

Pasteur's Fight Against Microbes (Beverley Birch)

Marie Curie's Search for Radium (Beverley Birch)

The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System (Joanna Cole)

MAGNITUDE: The Universe in My Hands (One lesson weekly)

Unit 4: Up to the Stars

Week 25: Pages (+9), (+10) and (+11), 1 million to 100 million kilometers - Stars (pp.69-71)

Week 26: Pages (+12 to +15), 1 billion to 1 trillion kilometers - Comets (pp.71-72)

Week 27: Page (+16), 1 light year - Measurement (pp.72-74) 

Unit 5: A Universe Just Your Size

Week 28: Page (+17), 10 light years - Why stars burn (pp.76-78)

Week 29: Page (+18), 100 light years - Constellations (pp.78-79)

Week 30: Page (+19), 1000 light years - Orion (pp.79-80)

Week 31: Pages (+20) and (+21), 10,000 and 100,000 light years - Milky Way (pp.80-82) 

Week 32: Pages (+22) and (+23), 1 million and 10 million light years - Andromeda Nebula and Virgo supercluster (pp.82-83) 

Week 33: Pages (+24), 100 million light years - Galactic superclusters (pp.83-85)  

Week 34: Page (+25), 1 billion light years - Universe and time (pp.85-86) 

Week 35: Page (+26), 10 billion light years - Creation (pp.86-89) 

Week 36: Review

Note: These are complex ideas! Don't worry if your child doesn't grasp them at this stage. This is just a first introduction to the universe, and will be revisited again at Level 3.

EXPLORATION (One lesson weekly)

Home Science Adventures: The Astronomy Adventure (16 lessons)

Lessons 1 to 11 and 16 to be used during class time. Lessons 12 to 15 are observations of the night sky, one for each season.

Optional Reading

The Stars: a New Way to See Them by H.A.Rey

Find the Constellations by H.A.Rey

One Small Square: the Night Sky by Donald M.Silver