We used Disney’s Imagineering DVDs from our library to get ready for our trip. The 11-video series covers a ton of information in a fun, interactive way. It was funny listening to the kids as we went through the park, “Remember when Asa (the DVD host) did that?”
The series includes:
Energy
Fluids
Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion
Gravity
Friction
Magnetism
Electricity
Levers & Pulleys
Trajectory
Design & Models
Animal Adaptations: Communication
Each DVD includes instructions for a try-it-yourself, interactive activity to reinforce the science principles in the video!
I highly recommend incorporating this series into your pre-trip homeschooling! A science teacher has archived 5 of the videos on her YouTube channel (as of June 2026).
I found the entire series available at my local library. Some of the DVDs are also available on Amazon or Ebay.
Niagara Falls A couple of fiction books from the library to go along with our unit. We’ll use the Power of Speech worksheet from this TPT freebie to discuss why authors use certain dialogue for their characters and what character traits we can infer from their speech.
Also no longer available and I can’t find a good replacement for the same skill. But you could work on any skill with your available fiction books or just discuss the power of dialogue on characterization.
We’ll take a virtual field trip to Niagara Falls and a few local waterfalls via Google Earth and write about it afterward.
Hydroelectricity
A great library book – How Does a Waterfall become Electricity? – will be the basis for our science portion of this unit. We’ll use a portion of the non-fiction text to identify the main idea and supporting details of a passage/chapter.
Norris Dam State Park is about 30 minutes north of us. As we were finishing up our lesson on Thursday the news reported that the Dam would be spilling water to lower lake levels. It was such a perfect fit that we took a picnic lunch and headed out the next morning. We stopped at three different observation points and took pictures and got a real feel of the power of the water. The kids saw the size of the powerhouse and the transformers, just like we had read about! While there were quite a few spectators at the dam viewing sites, our picnic area was empty and beautiful! We also visited the Old Grist Mill, watching how the water moved the wheel and then going inside to see the gears moving. The Lenoir Museum was also interesting and educational. The kids enjoyed seeing, touching and even using some the of the tools used “a long, long time ago”, as the kids put it. Here are some pictures from our trip!
The Iditarod Sled Dog race stars March 2nd. We’ll be including some fun projects about the race & dogs in general in the week before and the 10-17 days the race lasts, or until we lose interest, whichever happens first.
Iditarod: Math, Science & Literacy Activites – Originally a free resource shared on TPT. I can’t find the creator or packet online any more. If this is your resource and you’d like it removed or the link updated to your current site, please drop a comment below.
IditaNature is a fun way to encourage outdoor play while learning about the amazing Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. From March 3rd to March 17th, 2012 children are each challenged to play outside for 1,150 minutes, while the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is underway.
TPT: I Wonder Questions – Originally a free resource shared on TPT. I can’t find the creator or packet online any more. If this is your resource and you’d like it removed or the link updated to your current site, please drop a comment below.
Math:
Scale – Translate real world measurements (race is about 1000 miles) to a scale that will fit on a large poster. Elementary math & logic problems
Thank you for your patience while I update some older content. All pages should be returned soon.
We used Disney’s Imagineering DVDs from our library to get ready for our trip. The 11-video series covers a ton of information in a fun, interactive way. It was funny listening to the kids as we went through the park, “Remember when Asa (the DVD host) did that?”
