The Curiosity Files: Zombie Fire Ants--TOS Review

We are in a bit of a homeschool transition in our house, which you know if you have been following my blog.  :)  Part of my frustration with our curriculum, which I still do love, is that there is little wiggle room for jumping off the schedule for a bit and exploring something new and different.  I don't know about you--but at this time of year, as we are buried under snow, bundled up in layers, and begging Spring to add a little green to the bleak landscape--I NEED to mix things up a bit. 

Enter The Curiosity Files: Zombie Fire Ants. 

This was such a fun unit study!  Our Zombie Fire Ants study is part of a larger group of unit studies  for children ages 8-13 called The Curiosity Files, which are explorations with Professor Ana Lyze (ha ha. so clever.).  There are nine different study options in this group.  In addition to learning about zombie fire ants, students can also learn about blue diamonds, dung beetles, MRSA, puffer fish, red tide, the blue-footed booby, the cicada killing wasp, and quicksand. 

We chose the to review the Zombie Fire Ant unit because Amélie's nana grew up in Georgia, and we have heard her stories of being bitten by fire ants.  We thought we could learn maybe learn some things about fire ants that might teach nana a thing or two, and we were right.  :)  Amélie had a lot of fun calling her and telling about these amazing, yet disturbing, creatures. 

As the website indicates, this Zombie Fire Ant study included the following components:

•Bible study, discussion ideas, and memory verses

•Math, history, and geography investigations
•Literature and suggested book list
•Writing, spelling, and vocabulary activities
•Beautiful copywork pages (manuscript and cursive)
•Science observations, projects, and experiments
•Discussion questions
•Art, crafts, and drawing and coloring pages
•Lapbook/notebook pages and helpful lapbooking links
•Special needs, hands-on discoveries
•Internet resource and video links
•Complete answer key

We especially enjoyed learning about the zombie fire ants from the introductory "Everything You Never Wanted to Know about Zombie Fire Ants" section, and then, using the links provided, we learned about even MORE zombie creatures, which was just ...incredible (and incredibly disgusting!!!).  We had fun with art projects, tasty treats (especially a very "hands-on" snack called Ants in the Sand!), math problems, and music.  We truly loved this unit study, and I think we might just have to sample more of Professor Ana Lyze and her Curiosity Files. 

There are several purchasing options for you if you are interested in trying out these unit studies.  If you are interested in all of explorations with Professor Ana Lyze, you can buy a 9-Pack CD-Rom bundle for $49.00 or the 9-pack of e-books for $46.00.  You can also purchase each unit study individually.  If you would like to take a sneak peek before you buy, you can check out this link for a free sample of each unit!

I would highly recommend this product for a fun and educational unit study. I promise your kids won't get "antsy" while they are learning. :)

If you would like to see what my other crewmates are saying about this product, you can check out their reviews here.

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product for my honest evaluation. I was given no other compensation for this review.