The Best Ways to Explore Health Careers in Your Homeschool Science

 

When your kids express an interest in a career, your ears perk up. You can learn so much about your kids when they share their dreams and aspirations for their futures. And you want to encourage them to pursue their passions!

It's super exciting when you can help them learn more about those careers right in your homeschool. And while books are fantastic ways to learn about careers, your kids learn so much more with hands-on resources and interactive experiences.

Disclaimer:  I received these Homes Science Tools products for free and was compensated for my time. All opinions are 100% honest & I wasn't required to post a positive review.

 

Recently, my two older boys said they'd like to explore health careers. As competitive soccer players, they've been learning about exercise and nutrition from their coaches and trainers. Both boys have expressed interest in possibly pursuing careers as athletic trainers, physical therapists, or other sports-related jobs.

I thought it'd be awesome to incorporate their interests in sports and health into our homeschool science studies. When I discovered Home Science Tools has kits and materials to explore health careers and dive deep into human anatomy and physiology, I was so happy to be able to give my boys these opportunities to go deeper in their career exploration than just reading from books.

 

How I Got Over My Fears & Helped My Boys Explore Health Careers

When my two older boys said they'd like to explore health careers, I froze. My negative experiences with public school career exploration made me hit the panic button. I didn't want my boys to be as ill-prepared as I was to make this type of important decision about career choice and college major.

I worked my tail off at school and my GPA reflected it. I took personality tests, career assessment exams, and chatted up every guidance counselor that was willing to open their door to me. And every single test, exam, and counselor told me the same thing: You can really pick any career you'd like (well, except auto mechanic or construction).

Picking a college major and future career was like playing darts while blindfolded. A few teachers encouraged me to choose biology/pre-med. Sounded good enough.

Pre-med classes were nothing like I thought they'd be! My fellow classmates came into these courses with hands-on and practical knowledge through volunteer work and specialized classes. My college prep classes in high school had been textbook learning, lectures, papers, and tests. I could do all of THAT with a blindfold. But, practical knowledge just wasn't there.

So I ended up switching to psychology at the end of my college sophomore year and delaying graduation. Ugh! All because I had no idea what a healthcare career would really be like!

I'd like to help my boys avoid all of that 😉

Plus, a healthcare career is so much more than book knowledge. In healthcare, you need to quickly apply that book knowledge to real-life situations while maintaining positive interaction with your patients. Movies and T.V. make it look it easy. I didn't want those romanticized ideas to mislead my boys about what a health care profession would be like. 

If my boys wanted to see if a healthcare career was for them, then we'd get down to the nitty-gritty. I looked for affordable ways that my boys could experience what it's like to examine a patient and learn about human anatomy and physiology without falling asleep. And Home Science Tools helped me do just that!

Why a Hands-On Approach to Explore Health Careers Is Important

When you give your kids a hands-on approach to exploring health careers, you help them get a feel for what it's really like as a nurse, healthcare tech, or doctor. And it's so much better than reading dry facts in a boring textbook!

The learning experience becomes real. Your homeschool science lessons become interest-led as your kids pursue their passions and discover if a healthcare profession is in their future.

Also, hands-on activities with healthcare themes in your homeschool science provide interactive experiences. You'll find yourself talking about the human body and all of its fascinating functions. Then, you might find that your conversation turns to healthy eating or getting enough exercise to take care of your body. Interactive learning helps you dig deeper into the topics and discover so much more!

 

Make It Interactive! Explore Health Careers with Amazing Kits

To enjoy interactive learning as you explore health careers in your homeschool science, you'll want How to Examine Patients Course + Kit. With a box full of materials plus an easy-to-use online site, my boys and I were able to jump right into hands-on learning.

*Side note-The box for this kit says it contains a DVD. This option is no longer available. Instead, you're given a USB stick AND URL for online access. We used our PlayStation4 to pull up the site on our T.V. Such a relaxing way to learn!

We love the interactive index where you can click on a heading or chapter title and instantly go to that spot and pick up where you left off. We zoom in on the text portion and take turns reading out loud. Then, we click on an interactive video that explains the concept and demonstrates the skill. Once we feel comfortable with the lesson, my boys practice what they've learned.

So far, my boys have learned how to:

• Take a detailed patient history
• Use a stethoscope
• Use a sphygmomanometer (that's the correct term for a blood pressure monitor-check out the kit!)
• Properly wash their hands for hygienic purposes and put on surgical gloves
• Conduct a reflex test
• Use a fingertip pulse oximeter
• Differentiate between the 11 human body systems

 

These lessons are for real! I was concerned that they'd be watered-down versions of proper medical procedures. Instead, the information has been professional and demonstrates how to use authentic medical instruments.

*Additional side note-It's recommended that children under 16 have parental supervision when using this kit. Believe me, you won't mind learning along with your kids!

Another amazing interactive homeschool science activity to learn about human anatomy and physiology uses the Lung Volume Kit. My boys were particularly interested in this activity because Professor has asthma and uses an inhaler before exercise. This fascinating project showed the boys what's it's like for individuals with respiratory issues, especially before and after exercise.

Best Hands-On Ways to Explore Health Careers in Your Homeschool Science

While the How to Examine Patients Course + Kit includes over fifteen hands-on materials, I wanted to take our homeschool science to explore health careers to the next level. I know that both boys learn best with hands-on experiences. And, as I thought would happen, my three younger boys jumped into our lessons.

 

To get a 3-D Anatomy & Physiology experience, the Human Body Model is perfect. My boys love how they can take apart the pieces and rebuild to see how it all fits together. Captain (15) and Professor (13) use this hands-on learning resource to review and demonstrate an understanding of organ systems.

 

 

For a super fun homeschool science activity, the Life-Size Human X-Rays Set is an awesome way to learn about the skeletal system. The boys check out each X-ray and learn about those bones. Then, we had a blast putting it all together!

 

Based upon recommendations from friends who work in healthcare, I got Kaplan Anatomy Coloring Book. Totally blown away by how this single resource goes in-depth to explain and show all aspects of human anatomy! This book pairs easy-to-understand descriptions with coloring pages to solidify the concepts. Flashcards and a self-quizzing feature wrap it up to truly be "the easiest way to learn human anatomy".

 

Tips to Explore Health Careers with Your Kids

The materials and kits from Home Science Tools make it easy and fun to explore health careers and learn about human anatomy and physiology in your homeschool science. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of this special learning time with your kids:

• Keep it relaxed. There's a lot of information and it's easy to feel like you have to start cramming it all in. Take a deep breath and enjoy the interactive experiences.
• Get feedback. Check in with your kids to see how they're doing. Are you going too fast or too slow? Would a review or more hands-on practice be helpful?
• Answer questions. These lessons will get your kids thinking and they'll have questions. Do your best to answer and look up information, if necessary.
• Keep the homeschool science fun going! See what other materials and kits are available from Home Science Tools that you can use to boost your homeschool science. Homeschool Science Tools has a fantastic program called My Science Perks! When you sign up by clicking HERE, you'll get a $5 off coupon plus find out ways to easily earn more points (like following on Facebook and Instagram).

You CAN explore health careers and boost your homeschool science! Help your kids explore their interests and give them excellent hands-on learning experiences. And who knows? You may have a future doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional in the family 😉

Which of these hands-on & interactive resources look like the most fun to explore health careers?

 

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