Secular science for a sciency kid

[mo2]

My 7yo loves science. She really struggles with reading, so I want to make sure that science stays fun for her. I want it to be interesting, challenging, and make her think, but not rely on worksheets or anything that requires her to do a lot of reading or writing. Any ideas?

[hmschooln]

We really liked Noeo science. It does have books which you can read to the student and then the student can take notes or draw a picture if they prefer on what they've learned. Then it uses the young scientist club kits for the experiments which we loved. You could just get the kits and use them as a science curriculum.

[sagira]

I really like Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding K-2, but it does require some reading and advanced planning on the teacher's part. It really stimulates thinking and is completely secular.

[Ray]

I really like Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding K-2, but it does require some reading and advanced planning on the teacher's part. It really stimulates thinking and is completely secular.

 

 

We have the BFSU book too. We don’t employ it often enough but BFSU’s first lesson on gravity is going to change how she thinks about the measuring scales seen in her math books about topics concerning ‘weight’. I think it will be fun to watch DD shift her perspective about what the scale is actually doing when something is placed on it- right now I think she views it as the objects weight pushing down on the scale. After that gravity lesson she will get to wrestle with the idea that a force is pulling the object down instead.

[nukeswife]

I know you mentioned no worksheets, but have you looked into REAL Science Odyssey by Pandia Press. It does have a small reading section (only 1 page) per lesson and then there are usually 1-3 activities to do. The worksheets are really more lab sheets to record the results of the experiments and activities, not fill in the blank after reading type worksheets. We used Life level 1 last year and the kids and I had so much fun. I was going to go with something else this year but they asked to do RSO again so we'll be using their new Chemistry level 1 program.

 

The experiments use most things you can find at home or at a place like walmart.

 

They also have a "Try it before you buy it feature" so you can try it out (all sheets are provided) for about 7 weeks or so before you buy the curriculum.

[skaterbabs]

We're using the Solomon Resouce Guide Science vol 1 from Teaching Without Textbooks combined with several books of experiments. It's designed to be used with multiple age groups in a spiral sequence that repeats every 3-4 years, so you use the same book with early- and upper-elementary & middle school aged kids.

http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=4966&page=146

[kalanamak]

I know you mentioned no worksheets, but have you looked into REAL Science Odyssey by Pandia Press. It does have a small reading section (only 1 page) per lesson and then there are usually 1-3 activities to do. The worksheets are really more lab sheets to record the results of the experiments and activities, not fill in the blank after reading type worksheets. We used Life level 1 last year and the kids and I had so much fun

 

:iagree: I did much of the Level 1 Bio with a non-reader.