Help! Teaching science to multiple kids?

[Cake and Pi]

How reasonable is it to teach several children science each separately?  What I'm imagining seems incredibly time-consuming!  If you have 3+ kids all doing science at different levels, how do you make it work?  Can each kid be in a different curriculum, studying completely different topics and there still be time left in the day for other subjects?

 

Up to this point, I've kept my DS#1 and DS#2 together for science.  However, since BFSU hasn't been getting done, I'm searching for something else.  I found what I think will be the PERFECT fit for each of them, in two different curricula!  While I was freaking out about it to my mother, she suggested splitting the boys up.  Do science with each of them separately she said.  On top of that, my DS#3 is showing a lot of interest, and will likely want to have regular sciencey stuff by this fall (at the latest), and he really COULDN'T be combined with either of his older brothers.  So that would leave me with 3 kids working at 3 different levels  in at least 2 different curricula.  The prospect of doing all these experiments and demonstrations makes me want to go hide under my covers -- or just not teach science at all, lol.

 

So, what do you do for science if you have several kids to teach?

[Hobbes]

At those ages, I'd prioritize combining or science just wouldn't happen in our house! I'd definitely just have a 4yo tag along with another child.

 

OTOH, I think it depends on how many other things you are combining/teaching individually and how much time you have. If a lot of other subjects are combined or independent and individual science would be positive for all of you, go for it!

[purduemeche]

We combine everyone on the same subject matter with Apologia.  We have 7 in school from K-6, so doing them separate would be...difficult.

 

Our oldest, entering 7th, will begin his own Apologia middle school science class next year.  We are relying on much of this being independent, and then rest will stay together.

[reign]

Why is BFSU not getting done and how would that change with these new curriculums? Because now you would be doing 3 times the work. That seems more difficult. I combine all my girls for science. I suppose if you loved this idea and it excited/energized you and you just couldn't wait to start. Then it would be a good plan. Personally it sounds like a lot of work for not enough gain.

[Syllieann]

I'm doing two levels of bfsu right now. I'll likely have 3 levels going at some point. I'm always surprised that people can combine kids for science in the early years. The math and reading ability is just so far apart for my kids even though it is just two years. I just can't pull it off; I tried so hard to find a way to combine, but at the end of the day I would have actually been teaching only one at a time, thus doing 2x the work within 1 curriculum or only giving each child half as much teaching. I just suck it up and teach it separately. I think you could do nature study type things together-learning names and vocabulary could probably be together, but not the conceptual stuff. To manage I only do one science per day and I rely on living books, discussion, and observation of the science that already surrounds them. I do not bend over backwards trying to do hands on activities to recreate the science that is already under our noses.

 

What are you thinking of using? Are your older two independent readers?

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I just teach all of mine together. I have 4 in 1st-6th. Next year my oldest will split off and do Apologia General - hopefully mostly on her own. We are using SITB right now but have also done Apologia. I read the textbook aloud to everyone and we do the demonstration or experiment together. We've been doing it like this since my oldest was in 2nd grade. The younger kids always just tagged along for whatever they were interested in but weren't required to participate until 1st grade. For us, science in the elementary years is primarily for fun and exposure. I don't do tests and it doesn't bother me if they don't remember everything. If your goals are different, keeping everyone together might not work as well but I'd definitely consider it over trying to teach three sciences!

[Cake and Pi]

Thanks you guys!  I appreciate all your thoughts on this.

 

 

Why is BFSU not getting done and how would that change with these new curriculums? Because now you would be doing 3 times the work. That seems more difficult. I combine all my girls for science. I suppose if you loved this idea and it excited/energized you and you just couldn't wait to start. Then it would be a good plan. Personally it sounds like a lot of work for not enough gain.

 

BFSU isn't getting done now mostly because there is too much planning involved (maybe there doesn't have to be, but I don't think I'll be able to work around myself on this one).  I have a hard time even extracting what I'm supposed to do and say from the lessons.  I need something much more open-and-go that involves a lot less wading through language.  Say this.  Do that.  Done.

 

Also, the guided discussions don't work well as DS#1 dominates all conversations (not in a good way) while DS#2 just agrees with whatever DS#1 says without ever fully engaging.  DS#2 is a strongly visual learner -- to the point that I suspect he may have some kind of auditory processing problem.  He gets basically nothing from the BFSU lessons.  He's not interested in participating and doesn't grasp what was talked about.  He needs something to read and pictures to examine.

 

I suppose we could use BFSU as a spine and just learn about the topics in the general order of the flow-chart from library books, without doing the discussions and whatnot, but then I'll be doing even more planning.

 

 

I'm doing two levels of bfsu right now. I'll likely have 3 levels going at some point. I'm always surprised that people can combine kids for science in the early years. The math and reading ability is just so far apart for my kids even though it is just two years. I just can't pull it off; I tried so hard to find a way to combine, but at the end of the day I would have actually been teaching only one at a time, thus doing 2x the work within 1 curriculum or only giving each child half as much teaching. I just suck it up and teach it separately. I think you could do nature study type things together-learning names and vocabulary could probably be together, but not the conceptual stuff. To manage I only do one science per day and I rely on living books, discussion, and observation of the science that already surrounds them. I do not bend over backwards trying to do hands on activities to recreate the science that is already under our noses.

What are you thinking of using? Are your older two independent readers?

 

It's good to know that it IS possible to do science individually!  Thank you!  I feel like it's something we could do as long as I'm teaching to each child's strengths and we're all interested and enjoying it.

 

My older two are both very strong readers.  DS#2 loves to read and gets a lot out of reading, but will only read what he finds interesting, which is mostly graphic novels or other books with appealing illustrations in quantity.  DS#1 is an even stronger reader than DS#2, but does not read for fun.  He likes for information to be presented in a very direct manner and doesn't generally enjoy fiction.  He reads only what he must, and even then he's likely to ask me to read it to him. 

 

I considered REAL Science Odyssey and a few others, but nothing really jumped out as quite right.  Then I ran across Mr. Q Science.  It's really an amazing fit for DS#2!  He happily read the first chapter and laughed about all the funny bits, thought the cartoons were hilarious, and then asked for more.  DS#1 complained about reading it, said the jokes weren't funny, and requested to do math instead.  For DS#1 I'm looking at Real Science 4 Kids.  It seems straightforward enough, and I won't mind reading it aloud to him.

[BusyMom5]

I don't think it would be awful to do them separately (I am doing 2 levels currently), but I wonder if a unit study approach might work better for your family?  You could use BSFU as a guide, then jump from there.  Pick the topic- for example weather, then decide what each of your students needs to learn for that level, find some books on each level and some fun experiments to illustrate what they are learning.  Throw in some DVDs from Netflix, and just have fun with it.  An older child might have some written work, the younger one may have to draw examples of types of clouds and label them, older one may have more vocabulary terms to understand, littler one may be able to describe what happens in a tornado and how to be safe, while older one learns more depth about how and why they form.  Right now I have an older MS student who does her own thing, and kids in PreK-5 who work together with unit studies.  One thing I have noticed is that each child will 'get' the right amount, no matter how much I present.  When I add movies and an experiment, it seems like everyone understands more.  Even my 4 year old likes to make science pages or take her turn answering questions.  You said your oldest dominated discussions, that's rude and he should be taught to take his turn.  I say each child's name before the question- "John, can you tell me.....?"