Science for 4th grader

[scbusf]

I have probably posted about this before, but I am still clueless.  DS is 9 y.o. (4th grade by age), but he is VERY math-y and science-y.  I have yet to find a science curriculum that challenges him.

 

Maybe it's time to look at a middle school level science curriculum?  I am sure he will end up going into something related to math, computer science, or science in the future.  So we need something really solid.

 

Any suggestions?

[HomeAgain]

Have you looked at Mr. Q?  The advanced is quite advanced math-wise, but you might try the life science for elementary first and see how that goes.  And I know that sounds like I'm not reading the right part of the forum, lol, but the work for 6th+ is really at the upper range of high school with its speed and math, so I'd assume the elementary curriculum to be right for an advanced elementary child.

[tjdan]

My DS is 9 and enjoyed the Mr Q elementary science series.  As an AL, he blew through it much more quickly than scripted, but it was presented in an engaging way and he enjoyed it.  He's also done the Pandia Press RSO Chemistry as well (again, finished it in about 2 months, not a whole year).  This year he's going through the JASON learning modules (currently on Monster Storms), which are targeted towards middle schoolers, and enjoying that as well.  All of those are good choices for a science-oriented kid without overwhelming them with the math- they all stick to the science concepts without getting too in-depth with the math for kids who aren't in high school calculus yet (my DS is in middle school math, so trying not to overwhelm the science with math as well).  It's not that easy to find secular science choices that work for AL kids who are ready for the science but not quite ready for the math-heavy high-school level science, that also isn't just too frustrating to do at home (because most are designed for classroom use). 

What have you already tried?

[JennW in SoCal]

My suggestions, from the perspective of someone who has been there and done that, is that you do not need a challenging science curriculum for 4th grade. What you do need is to surround your son with lots of kits, books, science documentaries and lots of basic supplies for exploring, observing and measuring the world around him. Science is open ended, and scientists have boundless curiosities. In my mind a science curriculum, especially in elementary grades, stifles that innate curiosity making it instead something limited and finite with a single set of answers. Science is always changing and evolving. Your young student is better served in following his own interests.

 

I found lots of cool projects on the internet and just poking around in museum stores or in libraries. And of course there are many more kits and resources available to homeschoolers now than there were 12 years ago when I last had a 4th grader.  One of my favorite resources is Project FeederWatch, a citizen science project coordinated by Cornell University. On the surface it seems simplistic -- hanging bird feeders and counting the birds that visit, but it is the real work of science: observing, measuring, identifying, and recording data in a systematic and concise way. They have a homeschool guide for how to incorporate the project into your studies.  NASA has tons of educational sites. Local museums often have guest speakers or host astronomy clubs or other events. Their classes for kids, however, are usually a huge disappointment, at least in our experience. They are usually nothing more than glorified day care.

 

I know it seems haphazard. I can hear you worrying that you'll be doing your son a disservice because you might miss something. But gaps still happen even with the best curricula, and a student who has been exploring his own interests will know HOW to research topics he has missed, will be wanting to fill in those gaps to see how it connects with what he has already learned. 

 

This loose, exploration based approach to science works. My youngest is about to graduate from college, with honors, in a STEM major and minor. He has presented twice now at national professional meetings in his field and his research will be published next year.  We did zero formal science until high school, yet he handled and excelled at AP level and community college science courses. 

 

OH, and one final thing. The most overlooked skill a scientist needs?  Good handwriting.  Lab notebooks are hand written in INK!!  

[chocolate-chip chooky]

I agree with JennW.

We don't use any curriculum as such.

My daughter (9) is also very mathy and sciency and for science she thrives on following her own interests.

New interests pop up from all sorts of places - documentaries, current events, family discussions etc. Nerdy family discussions over the dinner table are a fabulous source of learning around here.

 

We also always have science experiment books around, so she can choose something that sparks an interest whenever she wants.

 

Another thing that has really suited us is reading the Life of Fred physics and biology books. I don't treat these as a maths curriculum. I treat them as a fun story that we read together and I've found that these have launched us into some fantastic hands-on investigations and further learning.

 

For us, I feel that a set curriculum would hinder her learning and not help it. As the years pass, my views may change on this. But for now, this is working.

[Jackie]

My kid is younger, but we mush together JennW's general approach with BFSU. The BFSU lets me relax - we do a lesson from it every week or three, I'm reassured we're learning science in some structured way, and then we read lots of science books and do lots of science projects. I come here when there's a topic that I need specific resources for, as I recently did with a thread on chemistry

[GThomas]

We do what JennW explained but when my ds was in 4th grade last year, in addition to all that, we also tried Elemental Science for the Logic Stage, which is middle school level. We started it and I thought he'd hate it compared to the videos games he does online, but for some reason he doesn't. There isn't any math in it though. This year he's doing the Earth Science and Astronomy. Last year we did Biology.

 

He still watches a ton of science videos and shows, takes free online classes, I find stuff here and there on the internet (articles on the BBC which led to an interest in tardigrades, which then led to collecting tardigrades, which led to a science fair project on Can Tardigrades Survive a Nuclear Blast 🙄.)

[Mike in SA]

I'm starting to get that DS is unusual, but he has very much enjoyed working at a higher level. The curriculum is not critical per se, but I wouldn't rule one out if it interests your child. Ours wants to study astrobiology in fourth, so he is wrapping up the middle school sciences this year, including conceptual physics and chemistry. He's doing well, so why hold him back?

[Staceyshoe]

The only thing that worked for my science-obsessed kiddo was Ellen McHenry's science units (all of them!).  After that, he did Derek Owen's Physical Science.  He was more than prepared for advanced high school science classes after that.  For highly motivated, highly able, self-teaching students, I think it's rarely a mistake to aim high--even higher than you might think is the right fit.  Dive into the deep end and see how he does.  My guess is that you'll be surprised at how well he thrives and he will be excited by what he's learning.

[Dmmetler]

Honestly, we worked backwards. At age 8, DD started auditing college "special topics in zoology" courses very unofficially. The college she audits through has a large military population, and, as a result, records all lecture sessions. The professor teaching the classes got DD a student log in for specific classes, so she watches the lectures/class discussions, and e-mails back and forth with him, doing as many assignments as possible. Her first class was on crocodilian ethology and field observation, so we spent hours at the local zoo with her sitting, watching the alligators and crocodiles, with such gems as

 

Observation subject :Male Alligator Missisippiens

 

13:01-s. Blinked.

 

13:23- Bird landed on S's back. S. Didn't seem to notice.

 

.....

 

She's since filled in gaps, picking up a lot of high school level science, but for the most part it's come from that interest and working backwards-so we did graduate/upper division special topics before more general biology and zoology, did comparative anatomy and physiology before actually doing any of the elementary school "my body" stuff, and did general chemistry after biochemistry.

 

For a science-y kid, it works.

[mom31257]

If you aren't opposed to Christian materials, my son (who is also science/math oriented) really enjoyed ABeka's 4th grade science. We didn't use the health books and did more in-depth study in the areas he showed the most interest. It includes a study of the state birds, which is part of why I chose it.

 

http://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/BookDescription.aspx?sbn=106682