In Alice Springs we have a yearly Science Fair.
The schools and homeschoolers are invited to attend a hands-on day to explore a range of science experiments and things to help the environment. Our boys attend a CSIRO workshop where they got to try out testing sugar levels in drinks, wattage in different appliances, CO2 levels, UV protection, water evaporation and making electricity grids. You can find out more about the fair here.
When I first started home school I tried to find suitable curriculum for my children but didn’t know quite where to start. I knew of one website LEM and so I tried to get everything from there. I love their phonics program and decided on a Rod and Staff Curriculum for Maths. I felt a little like I was stepping back in time to my old Sunday School class with them wanting me to use a feltboard and cut out 20 little yellow ducks. But it worked for me and my first boy for the first year.
After that, I found there was a range of things it wasn’t teaching that were part of the Australian Curriculum (at that time it was the state curriculum-everyone was different) and it was so repetitive and… boring, but I still tried to persevere with it, not knowing any affordable alternatives… until a fantastic lady from the Education Department was visiting us on our yearly review and suggested Signpost Maths. It has been a gamechanger. It covers everything we need. Is bright and colourful, hands on and is only around the $18 a book for a year! It is also easy for me to follow and gives me helps when I may have forgotten what a concept is :-).
My boys have progressed quickly and the diagnostic tests it does at the end of the term give me good insight into where any gaps in their learning are or things they need more practice. It has worked for each of my boys so far even though they are very different learners. I would recommend this to any family looking for a solid curriculum that doesn’t require a lot of extras. I have included a link to some sample pages of year 5 here . 
LoudLearnLaughRepeat 