battlemaiden Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 I need the most parent-free science curriculum you can suggest. :rolleyes: This is for my 6th and 4th grade children, but they will be advancing grades during implementation. I'm having our 7th baby while my dh is deployed this summer and I know myself well enough to finally buy a check the box science program- I always bump science when I'm stretched thin. I really want to be hands on, but it just *isn't* going to be practical. Help! Help! Help! And thanks a bunch! :o Jo ps- I just need curriculum names, I'll do the researching footwork. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 My kids do it with very little input from me. Good luck. http://www.explorationeducation.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 McGraw Hill textbooks for the 4th grader and PH Science Explorers for the 7th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBP Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Switched-on-Schoolhouse was my solution. We've used it for third and fourth grade. I'm switching back to more hands-on science next year, but for exposure to a lot of different science topics during the grammar stage, SOS has been fine. The kids like it well enough, or at least don't complain about it, and best of all, it gets done. Good luck with your search! SBP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Whoa!!! You're expecting?! I guess I missed that announcement! Congratulations!!!! No idea on the science. We use Noeo and Apologia and they're both fairly hands on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraciebytheBay Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Alpha Omega Lifepacs filled the bill here (for the same reason). I checked their self tests and Lifepac tests; that's it. They learned well from the Lifepacs. Although I wouldn't want to use them all the time, they were great for our purposes that year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 With those ages I would do Science Explorer and have them do the same topic. Instead of planning the activities in the book, I would also buy a Science in a Nutshell kit or two on the same topic and have them do the activities together. And every so often I would get a related DVD from Netflix and have them watch it together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 They should be able to read through the volumes of God's Design Science without you. They are written to follow the classical rotation, but you could purchase whichever volumes would be most interesting to your kids. www.rdeducation.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna A. Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Abeka science -- read and discuss. Easy peasy. OR get books from the library from a resource list like WTM or Ambleside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Jo, I applaud you for knowing your limits and taking steps to make sure your children's education is taken for anyway. Many people would try to do it all and just fail. For that age I think you could do SL, God's Design or Apologia Elementary. SL I would only suggest, at a lower level. Don't look at them as grade levels. The experiments in Science 6 are difficult, but Science 3, 4 or 5 might work. The Discover and Do DVD's step through the experiments and show the Scientific process. God's Design would probably be a little simpler than SL, because SL has daily readings and GD is often done 3 days a week, though SL will more throughly cover the subject. GD has an activity of some sort for each lesson. It might be a cross word puzzle, a scavenger hunt or an experiment. I do think there are experiment kits online for GD, which would be a must so you don't have to run around and find supplies. Apologia Elementary is another easy to use resource. You would probably want to look up some schedules in the files or I believe Diana Waring has some. They do have experiments and notebooking, so you could do both, one or the other or none. Creation Sensation has kits that include everything needed for the experiments. Other kits may miss a few items and the CS kits are KNOWN for bing complete. Congrats on the little one, and I pray you find what you need! Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Probably the most independent science program would be Plato Cyber-Ed. Homeschool Buyer's Co-op does group buys for it every few months. http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/homeschool/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 You could just skip it all together, well almost all together. Provide lots of books to read, videos to watch, maybe some games or kid friendly kits. This is the approach I follow and my ds14 (9th grade) is thriving (#2 in the class) in an outside the home AP Biology class filled with 10th and 11th graders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicoryChick Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Congratulation on the upcoming birth. I second the Apologia Elementary! My daughter loves it and while we do alternate between reading it aloud and her reading it to herself, I could just give it to her and let her run with it if I wanted to! They do have questions for the end of each lesson (in the Appendix at the back), but I usually just haver her narrate what she has read about to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherri in MI Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 and then writes a paragraph about what he read. I wanted to do it with him, but just too busy this year. We don't do the activities - I might do a few with him this summer. He's learning a lot and enjoying it. There is enough info in those books for your older one as well. Sherri in MI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmsurbat Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 These are complete "in-the-box" kits designed for hands-on science for the homeschool. The box comes with just about everything you need for a 8-12 week course on one topic doing science once or twice a week. We did the "Light" kit and it was a huge hit. There are worksheets "Investigations" for the students, answer key for parent (or student to use as a self-check). Although the website advertises as suitable for 1-8, I wouldn't use them younger than 3rd grade.... A first-grader *would* need a lot of help and frankly, wouldn't get the point of the lessons..... You can check out the website (sample lessons posted) here: http://www.homeschoolscience.com/ HTH, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeinfl Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 School of Tomorrow science paces had to be my son's favorite subject between the ages of 4-6th grade. He loved them and retained so much. They have appeal because they are like little comic books that your child owns and they really begin to take pride in their work. I can't say enough about this science. I used to take away my son's paces and read them myself. That says a lot. You can order a pace or two from each grade level to find out if it's for you. I would suggest going to the schooloftomorrow.com website and taking the science diagnostic test. You want to make sure that you put them in at their proper reading levels, not grade levels. Trust me on this. Blessings in whatever you choose and on raising those beautiful babies! In Him, Dee:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbi in Texas Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I second the ACE. It has become necessary for me to work outside the home and this is what we are using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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