Rainbow Science Users: How's it going?

[happygrrl]

I am curious as to how you are enjoying the program. What year are you on? How does the Young Earth thing play out? Are your kids really learning the material? It looks like I need to do two separate sciences next year, and this one is on my short list for ds.

Thanks!

[lovemykids]

:lurk5:

[Julie in MN]

I am curious as to how you are enjoying the program. What year are you on? How does the Young Earth thing play out? Are your kids really learning the material? It looks like I need to do two separate sciences next year, and this one is on my short list for ds.

Thanks!

 

1. Enjoying... Well, I think the program is solid and my son has been introduced to all the major science topics in a fairly painless way. I also used it with my older dd and the new quizzes are helpful this second time around.

 

2. My youngest is on year 2, which he started in September. So he's doing the biology year, and just "dissected" a flower last week.

 

3. I didn't see any young earth material in year 1. The only mention was of a creator in very general terms. However, year 2 starts right out with stating the fact that most biology programs start with "the beginning" and with evolution. So he gets down to the details in describing what exactly all these things mean -- big bang, Darwinian theory, evolution, etc. I think by the end, the student would notice that the author favors young earth theory. The parent definitely will read some commentary in the teacher manual, but not much of that is in the student book. Anyways, we've gone past that & are just transitioning from studying plants to studying animals, and the topic is no longer an issue. I am in agreement with him, so I might not be giving an unbiased opinion here, but I think he really handled the whole controversy well. I want my son to feel knowledgeable about all views when he is confronted with them.

 

4. My son is learning the material as well as he would be willing to learn any textbook material. The other student I taught last year really excelled with Rainbow because she tried hard. So did my older dd. My dear youngest doesn't like to put himself out too much :) but I'm certain he's learning much more than he would with anything else. I am seeing the information build and he is becoming knowledgeable about the big concepts, which is most important to me; he'll be well prepared for high school concepts. He's also familiar with all of the usual lab equipment and experiment set-up, since those are never skipped with Rainbow. Retaining some of the smaller details, such as names of scientists or names of algae, has been helped by discussion, revisiting the ideas, and sometimes extra visuals I pull out. He's pulled a B average through Rainbow's Chemistry and Biology, and got a lot of A's in its Physics section, so I'm satisfied.

 

Julie

[happygrrl]

1. Enjoying... Well, I think the program is solid and my son has been introduced to all the major science topics in a fairly painless way.

Julie

 

Thanks for taking the time to reply, Julie! I appreciate your review!

[happygrrl]

:lurk5:

[johnandtinagilbert]

:lurk5: I'm spinning for next year's science already.

 

We don't want Apologia (not working for the eldest)

 

We like Noeo Chem 3, but there is no physics

 

I prefer young earth/creation, but don't need the slant. We handle the explanation of the other beliefs anyways.

 

I was thinking of

WTM science (don't really want to plan if I don't have to though)

or using Media Angels Creation, Geology, and Anatomy.

 

HELP!

[Brenda in MA]

I've used Rainbow Science with both of my boys. Boy#1 used the Physics/Chemistry section in 7th grade, but I did not do the Bio/Earth Sci section with him in 8th because he was going to do a full Bio course in 9th, and I didn't want to repeat topics 2 years in a row. Boy #1 is now a Freshman in college and did well in high school science and is doing well in college science.

 

Boy #2 did both parts of Rainbow over 6th & 7th grades. He is now on to high school science and doing well.

 

I love Rainbow Science -- the ease, the lab materials, the brief & to the point book. I was worried about retention, too, given the brief text sections and lack of reviews. What I did to deal with that issue was to have my sons make vocabulary cards from the bold words in the text. They reviewed these cards 4 days/wk (Mon-Thurs). When they got to the quizzes and section reviews in the lab book, they did really well. They were both well prepared for high school science.

 

I do not find the author to be Young Earth at all. I found his approach to be respectful in acknowledging God as creator while not espousing any particular theology. My take is that he is Old Earth, but that's just a guess from having read the book several times. He does discuss Darwinism a bit, and I think that no matter what your beliefs, it's important to know that there are other beliefs out there and what they are. Darwinism is not treated as fact in Rainbow Science as it is in a lot of secular science books.

 

The Rainbow Science program is designed as a 2-year course targeted for 7th & 8th grades. Your student reads the text 2 days/wk and does 1 lab/wk. The first year is Physics/Chemistry, and the second year is Biology/Earth Science. The one textbook and teacher's helper are used for both years, but there are separate equipment kits and lab books for years 1 & 2. When you buy the year 1 kit, you get the text, teacher's helper, Year1 lab book, Year1 durable equipment, and Year1 consumable supplies. When you buy the 2nd year (if you already own year 1), you just get the Year2 lab book, the Year2 durable equipment, and the Year2 consumable supplies.

 

HTH,

Brenda

Edited November 19, 2009 by Brenda in MA
add more details to answer original questions better

[happygrrl]

Brenda- Thanks!!!! It sounds like a good match for ds. I appreciate your review!

[Lovedtodeath]

I thought it was for ages 10-12??

[Jen the RD]

The Rainbow Science program is designed as a 2-year course targeted for 7th & 8th grades. Your student reads the text 2 days/wk and does 1 lab/wk. The first year is Physics/Chemistry, and the second year is Biology/Earth Science. The one textbook and teacher's helper are used for both years, but there are separate equipment kits and lab books for years 1 & 2. When you buy the year 1 kit, you get the text, teacher's helper, Year1 lab book, Year1 durable equipment, and Year1 consumable supplies. When you but the 2nd year (if you already own year 1), you just get the Year2 lab book, the Year2 durable equipment, and the Year2 consumable supplies.

 

Brenda, thanks for sharing your experience. I was wondering if the order of the years could be reversed. IOW, could we do bio/earth first and then cover physics/chem. (At the end of this year, we'll have covered physics/chem because of a co-op class. I feel like it would be redundant.) OR Is it possible to cover the whole program in a shorter amount of time? If so, what do you feel is realistic?

 

Thanks,

Jennifer

[Julie in MN]

I thought it was for ages 10-12??

 

Rainbow? Mostly grades 7-8. My 8th grader is 13, and will be turning 14 in a week or so, so he'll do Rainbow Year 2 at age 14 mostly, which is a typical 8th grader in Minnesota.

 

Julie

[Lovedtodeath]

Rainbow? Mostly grades 7-8. My 8th grader is 13, and will be turning 14 in a week or so, so he'll do Rainbow Year 2 at age 14 mostly, which is a typical 8th grader in Minnesota.

 

Julie

Oh, thanks... I double checked and I was thinking of The Colors, which looks significantly delayed. Oh well, I still have all of Elemental Science and RS4K to get through. ;)

[Brenda in MA]

Brenda, thanks for sharing your experience. I was wondering if the order of the years could be reversed. IOW, could we do bio/earth first and then cover physics/chem. (At the end of this year, we'll have covered physics/chem because of a co-op class. I feel like it would be redundant.) OR Is it possible to cover the whole program in a shorter amount of time? If so, what do you feel is realistic?

 

Thanks,

Jennifer

 

Jen,

 

I think you could reverse the years. Year 2 is harder in that there is a lot of terminology of biological classification that is on the quizzes. I chose to have ds memorize this info (mostly as a mental exercise), but you could skip it and alter the quizzes accordingly. The second half of the book does refer back to the earlier sections a bit, but not too much.

 

I seem to recall that you do need a few of the supplies from the Year 1 durable kit to do the Year 2 experiments. I'd suggest you write to the author and ask what he thinks.

 

You could do the whole program over a shorter timeframe, and that would probably be OK for an older student (9th grader), but I wouldn't recommend it for a younger student.

 

Brenda

[Kathleen in VA]

Ds13 is doing Year 1 this year and likes it very much. It is open and go, which is what I like. I LOVE the fact that all the materials for the labs are right there and I do not have to hunt for anything. As far as whether he is learning anything, well, as another poster said, probably as much as with any other program. He wants to do his school independently of me so Rainbow suits us perfectly. I see it as an introduction to topics I will expect him to master in his high school years.

[lovemykids]

How do the labs compare to the Thames and Kosmos kits? Are they more extensive, about the same as a similar grade level kit, or how do they differ?

 

:lurk5:

 

swimmermom? Where are you?

 

Thanks everyone for the reviews! Keep them coming. :)

[atozmom]

I remembered there being something about not doing the book out of order. This question was asked on their website and here is the response from Durell Dobbins who wrote the curriculum.

 

"Can we skip Year 1 and start with Year 2?The Rainbow curriculum is written from the perspective that an understanding of physics is fundamental. The program then builds on that foundation into a study of chemistry, which is an application of physics, and then into the study of biology. Because our program is structured to build on concepts, beginning with the Year 2 curriculum defeats the purpose. Also, our Year 2 program requires the use of many of the items from the Year 1 lab kit.+"

[Jen the RD]

Jen,

 

I think you could reverse the years. Year 2 is harder in that there is a lot of terminology of biological classification that is on the quizzes. I chose to have ds memorize this info (mostly as a mental exercise), but you could skip it and alter the quizzes accordingly. The second half of the book does refer back to the earlier sections a bit, but not too much.

 

I seem to recall that you do need a few of the supplies from the Year 1 durable kit to do the Year 2 experiments. I'd suggest you write to the author and ask what he thinks.

 

You could do the whole program over a shorter timeframe, and that would probably be OK for an older student (9th grader), but I wouldn't recommend it for a younger student.

 

Brenda

 

I remembered there being something about not doing the book out of order. This question was asked on their website and here is the response from Durell Dobbins who wrote the curriculum.

 

"Can we skip Year 1 and start with Year 2?The Rainbow curriculum is written from the perspective that an understanding of physics is fundamental. The program then builds on that foundation into a study of chemistry, which is an application of physics, and then into the study of biology. Because our program is structured to build on concepts, beginning with the Year 2 curriculum defeats the purpose. Also, our Year 2 program requires the use of many of the items from the Year 1 lab kit.+"

 

Thanks for answering my questions!

 

Jennifer

[Julie in MN]

I remembered there being something about not doing the book out of order. This question was asked on their website and here is the response from Durell Dobbins who wrote the curriculum.

 

"Can we skip Year 1 and start with Year 2?The Rainbow curriculum is written from the perspective that an understanding of physics is fundamental. The program then builds on that foundation into a study of chemistry, which is an application of physics, and then into the study of biology. Because our program is structured to build on concepts, beginning with the Year 2 curriculum defeats the purpose. Also, our Year 2 program requires the use of many of the items from the Year 1 lab kit.+"

 

I think, tho, the OP has already done chem & phys, so it might work.

 

We're only on lesson 19, but whenever something from lab 1 has come up, I've been too lazy to go downstairs & dig it out. We used a fork instead of the glass stir rod, etc. So far, I don't think it would be a big deal.

 

One thing I've been very grateful for in year 2 is already having a real microscope at home. We've had a lot of fun extending the experiments by looking at more mold, etc.

 

Julie

[happygrrl]

One thing I've been very grateful for in year 2 is already having a real microscope at home. We've had a lot of fun extending the experiments by looking at more mold, etc.

 

Julie

 

Julie- What scope do you have?

[Julie in MN]

Julie- What scope do you have?

 

I bought it from Sonlight some years back.

J

[happygrrl]

I bought it from Sonlight some years back.

J

 

For some reason I remembered that after I posted! :) I think Home Science Tools carries the same one, but I am not sure.

Thanks!

[mom31257]

We are in the first year and near the end of Physics. I think it is a good program; however, the labs have been a little disappointing. By disappointing, I mean not very exciting. I hope that chemistry will be better next semester. I have not looked ahead much.

 

I like the idea of the vocabulary cards. I might have to implement that in some fashion for the rest of the text.

[lovemykids]

We are in the first year and near the end of Physics. I think it is a good program; however, the labs have been a little disappointing. By disappointing, I mean not very exciting. I hope that chemistry will be better next semester. I have not looked ahead much.

 

I like the idea of the vocabulary cards. I might have to implement that in some fashion for the rest of the text.

 

See, that is exactly what I would like to avoid, spending a ton of money; only to be disappointed in the labs. Thank you for this disclosure! :glare:

[Lovedtodeath]

We are in the first year and near the end of Physics. I think it is a good program; however, the labs have been a little disappointing. By disappointing, I mean not very exciting. I hope that chemistry will be better next semester. I have not looked ahead much.

 

I like the idea of the vocabulary cards. I might have to implement that in some fashion for the rest of the text.

Well, what is exciting? Maybe physics labs for homeschool are never exciting. LOL

[amtmcm]

See, that is exactly what I would like to avoid, spending a ton of money; only to be disappointed in the labs. Thank you for this disclosure! :glare:

 

 

We enjoyed the labs and I appreciated that each lab was totally relevant to the lesson and enhanced teaching each concept. For instance, I like Christian Kids Explore, but some of the labs are kind of crafty and I had to explain how they related to the scientific concept. I never felt that way with Rainbow. Physics is not personally my favorite topic so I didn't find the labs exciting either, but I blame that on my lack of interest and not the curriculum. My DD likes physics and her enthusiasm for the subject was strengthened by Rainbow so I thought the labs were A+ for her.

Edited November 20, 2009 by amtmcm

[Brenda in MA]

However, the labs have been a little disappointing. By disappointing, I mean not very exciting. I hope that chemistry will be better next semester. I have not looked ahead much.

 

 

 

I like to call the labs elegant, but simple. By that I mean that the labs are fairly easy to do and generally don't have a "wow" factor, but they very clearly illustrate the concepts. Personally, I like that approach, but YMMV.

 

We also have the Sonlight microscope, and it has served us very well over the years. If you intend to teach Biology at home in high school, that's when the full-sized microscope (as opposed to the small one that comes in the Rainbow kit) will come in handy. I decided to buy the full-sized scope a few years early, and we did use it for some of the Rainbow labs, too.

 

Brenda

[johnandtinagilbert]

hoping to find people who used it both years of middle school. Here is it, just in case.

 

Brenda,

Thank you for your review. I am gonna have to really look at this. I may be switching over!

[happygrrl]

hoping to find people who used it both years of middle school. Here is it, just in case.

 

Brenda,

Thank you for your review. I am gonna have to really look at this. I may be switching over!

 

Thanks, Tina! Without you this thread would have died an untimely death :).

[Lovedtodeath]

I am not deterred by the questions about the value of the labs. I still intend to use this.