The Book of Trees from Memoria Press -- my REVIEW

To preface this review, I love science.  My pre-children career was in environmental education, and we as a family really enjoy the outdoors; since they were young, I have taught my children about many aspects of the outdoors and nature--basically just as "fun learning" and not "formal" education. I was so excited to have the opportunity to review a middle school botany curriculum--and my daughter was happy to give it a try!

The materials we received for this review were three items from the set called The Book of Trees set by Memoria Press.  The full set includes the three titles put out by Memoria Press as well as two supplementary books which will enhance your learning about trees and plants in general.  The subtitle of the books is "An Introduction to Botany Through the Study of Trees," and I would really agree that this more fully states what this course is about.  It is not purely a study of trees, but rather a study of botany that then narrows down so that the student can specialize in a study of trees.

Students read a selection from The Book of Trees and then turn to the corresponding section of the workbook to easily answer the page of questions about their reading.  The following page includes things such as diagrams and labelling as well as other suggested activities.

The study begins with a discussion of why we should study trees and plants) and moves through different plant systems with chapters on roots/root systems, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits; the next segment is tree observations--students learn how to observe a tree and will conduct 15 different tree observations (including things such as structure, location, bark, leaves, flowers, fruits, identifying the tree, further research of the tree, as well as sketching different aspects of the tree.)  The final unit delves further into some of the chemical processes that a tree/plant experiences:  photosynthesis and respiration.

The student who used these books in our family was my youngest daughter, who is 12 (7th grade).  She was excited right from the start.  The textbook was written in an easy to understand, easy to follow manner, and the workbook was simple to complete following the reading.  She used these books independently (though we did a LOT of discussing of the things she had learned!  She sprinkled her new knowledge into many conversations and car rides!)

As a parent/homeschool teacher, I was pleased with the level of material that this curriculum contained.  It was definitely written for a middle school audience (not childish, but written in a way they would process and truly understand easily).  The material covered is a great overview of the high points of botany.

Here's what my daughter said about this set The Book of Trees:  "The Book of Trees was very informational, and I learned a lot.  It teaches in an interesting way and it is easy to follow along.  It isn't very hard and when you're done, you leave feeling (and knowing) that you learned so much.  

As you have probably already gathered, I would definitely recommend this botany curriculum.  It covers the topic nicely, it is written in a very readable fashion, and the workbook is comprehensive and very helpful to enhance the learning.  

Here are just a few more pictures from the workbook to give you a better feel for it:

This is not the first Memoria Press product that we have had the opportunity to review.  I have been VERY pleased with their curriculum thus far.  They have many different course offerings, including quite a complete Latin program.  In this review cycle, some of the homeschool reviewers got to use curricula other than the Book of Trees-- some others that were reviewed included Prima Latina Complete Set , Latina Christiana Complete Set , First Form Latin Complete Set , 
Second Form Latin Complete Set, Third Form Latin Complete Set,  Fourth Form Latin Complete Set, and Nature's Beautiful Order .  .  Curious?  Click on the banner below and you can read some reviews of these products as well!

American History Middle School Curriculum by Memoria Press -- my REVIEW

What type of history does your family like to learn about?  I have one child who particularly likes ancient history, but all of my family enjoys learning local history...and American history, maybe because it reverberates with us somehow.  It is events that occurred relatively a short time ago.  It happened in places that we recognize and perhaps have visited.  It is our land, our heritage,our history.

My youngest daughter (7th grade) has recently been using a curriculum by Memoria Press which is called The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set, accompanied by the 200 Questions about American History Set.  I have not used products from this publisher before, and I will say that I am very impressed with these materials.

Included with the set of books that comes with The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set are a student text by H. A. Guerber, a student guide (workbook), and a Teacher Guide.

My daughter could very easily use these books very independently, reading the chapter in the text and completing the accompanying workbook pages. These pages encompassed things such as facts to know, vocabulary, comprehension questions, and enrichment activities. The book also contains maps, charts, and important documents referenced in the lessons.

The teacher's guide also contains tests and keys to the tests and the workbook.

A great accompaniment to this book/workbook is the 200 Questions about American History Set. This set contains a workbook, teacher key, and flash cards.

The chart in the beginning of this student guide coordinates the reading sections (from the Guerber book) with drill questions/timeline/quotes/Presidents questions. This allows the student to focus on these facts which are repeated by answering the question in writing in the workbook as well as going over those flashcards.




So...pretty basic, right?  Book, workbook, and a few extras?  Yes!  And let me tell you why I like this set-up so much!  We all realize that there are different types of learners, and some people learn more effectively in one way than others, right?  I'd also add that repetition makes learning easier and "stick" better!  This method combines all in a way that makes learning come quickly!  The student first gets the information through their eyes or ears (by reading it or being read to) and then they follow that with looking into the details of the lesson further -- looking up vocabulary words that relate to the lesson and thinking and writing about it answering the comprehension questions.  The enrichment activities allow the student to further dig into the material -- locating the lesson places on the map, adding the events to a timeline, adding the events to a chart, reading primary sources that relate to the lesson (for instance, the Mayflower Compact and more), and writing a journal entry as if written by someone from the time period/event.

The 200 Questions go right along with the readings/workbook and cover highlights from the historical period, including facts, dates, quotations and those quoted, US Presidents, and more!  Easy to use, cardboard, question on one side, answer on the other.

So many different aspects of learning!  Reading/listening, writing, writing more, processing, researching, locating on maps, orienting in time, as well as simple flashcard-type repetitious review!

Would I recommend this curriculum?  Yes!  Definitely.  The reommended ages for these lessons are grades 5-8.  My 7th grader is easily using this curriculum independently, reading the chapters and filling in the workbook.  She is enjoying the lessons and learning a lot as well.

We've also been using the drill questions as a family kind of as a game, going through them and answering/learning together.  My oldest child is planning to take the CLEP test in American History and these flashcards are really helping her to learn and review as well!

If you're looking for an early US History Curriculum for your middle-schooler, I would certainly recommend this one! Check it out!  The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set accompanied by the 200 Questions about American History Set.

Check out some other people's thoughts on these curriculum sets  as well as others by Memoria Press here: