4KookieKids Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Our approach to science thus far has been very nature oriented: nature walks, animal books, weather, and an occasional related experiment (e.g., melting ice on a plate vs. ice that's been sprinkled with salt). But my 6 yo has been asking for "real" science lately: "mixing powders and watching reactions and stuff like that" - which I think probably falls under the heading of chemistry. Problem is, I have three younger kids (including a baby), and I have no desire or time or anything leftover to put towards an intensive science program, much less the money. Any ideas out there? If not, I'll probably just put him off for a year or so, but I just thought I'd ask. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Mystery Science comes to mind. We've been going through it this year and like it a lot. There are different categories to work through, and each week we watch a video that self-pauses as the kids gather and relate clues, then there is a small lab that goes with it. Each lab so far has used 99% of household items (I've had to go buy a bag of gummy bears) and they explore different areas of science pretty easily for a 6yo. We couple ours with notebooking, Usborne links, and the extended activities after each lab. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcitedMama Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Thanks HomeAgain! That sounds like a fun program! FYI anyone else who is interested Mystery Sci is free for homeschoolers once you sign up. I'm waiting for my activation link now but their website said they want to spread word of mouth for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Thanks HomeAgain! That sounds like a fun program! FYI anyone else who is interested Mystery Sci is free for homeschoolers once you sign up. I'm waiting for my activation link now but their website said they want to spread word of mouth for it. You're welcome! Yes, I forgot to mention it's free! And I love that we don't feel like we're doing things out of order when we do different topics. Within the topics themselves it is best to stay on the track, but my son feels more in charge of what he wants to learn with this program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Well Mystery Science sounds really cool! Adventures with atoms and molecules by Robert Mebane and Thomas Rybolt comes to mind. I think there are a few books. Really quick fun experiments using household items as well. Boy the amount of experiments one can do with vinegar, food coloring, water, and sugar! I bought mine from abebooks.com for about $3. Good luck and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Well Mystery Science sounds really cool! Adventures with atoms and molecules by Robert Mebane and Thomas Rybolt comes to mind. I think there are a few books. Really quick fun experiments using household items as well. Boy the amount of experiments one can do with vinegar, food coloring, water, and sugar! I bought mine from abebooks.com for about $3. Good luck and have fun! This is an excellent series. IIRC there are 5 or 6 books in it. Also, "Awesome Ocean Science" is great for this age, and like AWAM uses mostly household ingredients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristie in Florida Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 "Mixing powders and watching reactions" has me thinking about baking. It would be easy and then you could eat it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Nancy Larsen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer132 Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 (edited) There's the magic school bus science kits. They come with everything, so you wouldn't have to take time gathering supplies. I don't think they are terribly expensive. MSB chemistry kit: http://www.amazon.com/Magic-School-Bus-Chemistry-Lab/dp/B004OYYAUE/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1448502837&sr=1-1&keywords=magic+school+bus+science+kit MSB secrets of space: http://www.amazon.com/Magic-School-Bus-Secrets-Space/dp/B0016A14GC/ref=sr_1_6?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1448502837&sr=1-6&keywords=magic+school+bus+science+kit There are several others; these are just two I quickly linked to. Edited November 26, 2015 by Jennifer132 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4KookieKids Posted November 27, 2015 Author Share Posted November 27, 2015 Mystery Science comes to mind. We've been going through it this year and like it a lot. There are different categories to work through, and each week we watch a video that self-pauses as the kids gather and relate clues, then there is a small lab that goes with it. Each lab so far has used 99% of household items (I've had to go buy a bag of gummy bears) and they explore different areas of science pretty easily for a 6yo. We couple ours with notebooking, Usborne links, and the extended activities after each lab. Can you tell me where to find the labs? I signed up and started poking around a bit, but most of what I'm finding are the videos, the clues, and activities, but not actual "labs". Am I just missing them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcitedMama Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 (edited) Did your account get activated? They just emailed me that I had my account activated so now I can see the topics and watch them. Did the first one today and it had a short video which pauses to ask questions and then you go on. It had links to the materials needed, questions and additional videos. It was the perfect length and really added to what I had been teaching DS this week. Edited November 27, 2015 by ExcitedMama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Can you tell me where to find the labs? I signed up and started poking around a bit, but most of what I'm finding are the videos, the clues, and activities, but not actual "labs". Am I just missing them? The activities are the labs. They're designed so that the child can reinforce the lesson hands on. There are no mixing chemicals, but there is plenty of science for the kids to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staceyshoe Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding is excellent for accelerated students. It is not open-and-go, but it takes me about 15 minutes to prep 2 weeks of lessons. It can be labor-intensive, but it doesn't have to be.My oldest adored (still adores) science. He did Ellen McHenry's The Elements in K. It had fabulous depth while still being very kid-friendly. My youngest still isn't ready for Ellen's programs. She has very generous samples available for download so you can get a feel for her style/content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Inquiry in Action is meant for upper elementary, but it's free and excellent and uses a lot of really basic, cheap supplies. Did I mention free? It's really a great program. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4KookieKids Posted November 28, 2015 Author Share Posted November 28, 2015 Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding is excellent for accelerated students. It is not open-and-go, but it takes me about 15 minutes to prep 2 weeks of lessons. It can be labor-intensive, but it doesn't have to be. My oldest adored (still adores) science. He did Ellen McHenry's The Elements in K. It had fabulous depth while still being very kid-friendly. My youngest still isn't ready for Ellen's programs. She has very generous samples available for download so you can get a feel for her style/content. This looks really good, and I think I may get it to use next year! Thanks! Inquiry in Action is meant for upper elementary, but it's free and excellent and uses a lot of really basic, cheap supplies. Did I mention free? It's really a great program. This does look really great, and I think may be perfect for us right now! (At least until the baby starts sleeping through the night and mama gets more sleep... :) ) Thanks! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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