R&S science for elementary and BJU science after that?

[Lfwfv]

Hi all,

 

I have two little guys, one just starting K at home. That said, i am a planner, and I am wanting to figure out a potential science progression (understanding long-term plans could very well change, but i at least want to understand what's reasonable). I love the look of BJU, but all the moving parts, time commitment, not to mention the cost, seem a bit heavy for elementary. That said, i'm not feeling comfortable with no curriculum for science either. I plan to continue reading a lot of living science books, but I also want a curriculum to follow. Does anybody know if i could use R&S science (love the gentleness of it, that we could use it as a spine for further studies, and the cost) and be prepared to switch to more rigorous BJU in 6th or 7th grade? Or, do I need to start BJU at the beginning in order to be prepared for their middle school/high school science. I definitely want to prepare my kids for STEM major if they end up being inclined that way. Heck, I am a professional musician, and I took AP Physics in 11th grade, so i definitely don't want to be "light" on science for them.

 

thanks!

lfwfv

[Kiara.I]

Are those your only two options? What about Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding as an option?

 

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[Ellie]

ITA that BJUP science seems heavy for younger children. We do like it for high school, though (we just used biology).

 

You could use R&S. Or when your older child is nine or 10, you could do Considering God's Creation for a year, then move on to BJUP. But really, you don't have to worry about preparing your children for high school-level science. None of it is dependent on knowledge acquired earlier, not the way math or English skills is. For younger children (and by "younger," I mean when they are 12 or 13) you want to do science-things so that your children LOVE science, so that when they are an age when it matters, they will say, "Oh, boy! Science!" And then all the fun activities and random bunny trails and whatnot will have been profitable, without having done formal, textbook-led science for many years.

[homemommy83]

I have the Rod and Staff Science for Elementary and it is very simple, which is why I love it.  I like the short chapters with questions to check comprehension. We also have Apologia books for family readaloud times.  I also love Considering Gods Creation, it covers so many topics and is great for large families or for a final year of Science before doing single subject focused studies.  So my vote is yes Rod and Staff is great, but if you are Christian Apologia books are great to!

[PeterPan]

BJU science is really well done in elementary and easy to implement with the videos. I've used some with my ds with the videos and teaching it myself with my dd. It's good. 

 

It doesn't really matter what you use for science in elementary, so long as you're creating broad exposure. What will hold them back in junior high and high school is reading comprehension, prior knowledge (in a really general sense, having broad exposure), and math. As long as you nail those things, use anything you want.

 

I haven't looked at the R&S science, but since it's a curriculum driven on memorization, not analysis, application, synthesis, etc., no it's not going to be equivalent. Also, if you're using other BJU subjects, you'll find synergy and balance by using BJU across the board. For instance, people will say BJU's english doesn't have enough writing, but they didn't realize the extra writing was tucked in the heritage studies, in the science, etc. They'll ask where the logic is, where the outlining is, where notetaking is, and it was woven into those other subjects. It's especially easy to see that when you use the DVDs, because they make it happen for you.

 

There's really not a right or wrong on stuff like this. What you'll regret is poor reading comprehension and poor math. That will hold you back. For the rest, do what you want. Most kids remember more of what you DO, than what you say or read to them. Any curriculum that helps you DO more can be good. BJU includes really good hands-on activities, so it can be good. But really, do what you want. Toss a coin, try new things.

 

Btw, odds are you won't use BJU for high school. That would be a really challenging thing to jump into unless you're planning on using the dvds. Most people will end up going Apologia. Not saying you have to, but just those are the odds. If you like BJU and get in a groove, using the dvds, etc., and it really works for your kids and is a good fit, then it will be natural to continue.