Box of Ideas-SALT (Schoolhouse Review)

 

A Box of IDEAS is a ready-t0-use box of activities, all on a specific subject. Each box includes 10 or more modules of activity-based learning activities that include games and experiments. The topics include: Pigs, World War 2, Eleven, Salt, Quilting, and Laundry.
We got to try the Salt module. Ours actually came in PDF form, so I had to print out all the pages myself, assemble them into file folders, and find a few supplies to use. It took a couple of hours of my time, but then I was ready to go.






I put the colorful file folders in a basket and left it sitting out in the kitchen. Emily, who was on vacation the week I assembled the folders, and had been watching suspiciously lest I “make” her do school on her vacation, didn’t let much time go by before she was peeking into the folders to check them out! The surprise factor of this approach has something going for it!
The Salt topics include:

• The science of salt
• The history of salt
• The language of salt
• The Salt March
• Preserving with salt
• and more…..

The learning modules in the “Salt” Box of Ideas can be used in any order. Each time we did one, Emily picked a folder at random to try. Our first module, “Preserving with Salt,” included information on the topic, several internet links (with experiments), and a game. She enjoyed preserving apple slices using baking soda, Epsom salt, and table salt.









One of the activities for “The Language of Salt” was matching idioms (such as “back to the salt mines” ) and place names (Salzburg) with their meanings or origins.

Other activities include a timeline game that teaches the role salt has played throughout history, making a bar graph to compare the amount of salt produced in various locations, and an experiment that tests the effect of salt on melting ice. With the help of online videos and websites, we learned about mining salt, extracting it from sea water, and “visited” an underground cathedral in Poland made of salt. Most of the modules included card games with nice colorful drawings and photographs.
We have thoroughly enjoyed this cross-curricular study. Who knew that there was so much to study on the topic of salt! The activities generally take about an hour or two to complete, although the time could be longer if we spent longer on the internet links. We usually just picked one or two of the links to skim through.
The PDF download of Salt sells for $49 and the physical box sells for $79. Extra student modules  sell for $4.00.  The program is designed for ages 9-16.
Other members of the Schoolhouse Crew reviewed SALT and WW2-Pearl Harbor. Click below to read about their experiences!

Disclaimer: As a member of the Schoolhouse Crew, I received a free Box of Ideas unit in exchange for my honest review.