Literary Mom Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Per TWTM, we're on course to do chemistry in the fall, and my daughter is very into science, so I think all the more reason to study a new area (we've done life, earth, and astronomy). I've done some research here and elsewhere, so I've narrowed down our choices to these: Elemental Science The Elements Classic Science Elementary Chemistry Real Science Odyssey Chemistry Christian Kids Explore Chemistry The first one seems more classically oriented, which reminds me of Apologia (we just did their astronomy and loved it), but I'm drawn to the whimsicalness and creativity of the 2nd and 3rd, as my daughter gravitates toward colorful illustrations & humor. The last two seem the most comprehensive/thorough. I'm fine with getting two of these, but I can't justify spending for more than that. Most are around $25/30 (bound) but the 3rd & 4th are $50, so that's another consideration. Cathy Duffy reviewed the Christian one and said it isn't "in your face" that way, but I actually like the idea of God at least being mentioned because that was a big part of what we both enjoyed about Apologia. I'm also a little worried about all the experiments, as that's an area where I tend to be weak, though I'm bucking up for the challenge, since I know this subject is less theoretical and more hands-on, especially at this age. Still, I'd probably like something that's more evenly balanced between knowledge and practical application. ...So, has anyone used any of these with a child in the grammar stage, and what did you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 NOEO is also a great choice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommydearest Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 NOEO is also a great choice! :iagree:Everything comes prepared for you, including all you need for every experiment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivetails Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Christian Kids Explore Chemistry This one is just about as exciting as watching a puddle dry up. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dm379 Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Another NOEO fan here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Literary Mom Posted July 7, 2010 Author Share Posted July 7, 2010 I wasn't aware of NOEO, but it looks great, what with everything included in the complete set, though it's way out of our price range, but with our daughter's interest in science, maybe I can make it work with our budget somehow. Thanks :001_smile: Still, if anyone has used any of the others, I'd like to get your feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 We used The Elements and Carbon Chemistry this past year. Be aware that they are designed for middle school aged children and especially the latter program may be on the difficult side for a 3rd grader. It really depends on how strong a student your child is. The Elements is a semester-long program if you do science twice per week. A great supplement for chemistry is John Hudson Tiner's Exploring the World of Chemistry (be aware that it is explicitly Christian and has a few very subtle "intelligent design" references). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aludlam Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 This one is just about as exciting as watching a puddle dry up. :) I misread this. I thought is said "watching a poddle dry up"! I was sitting here trying to decide if that would be interesting. :lol: Angela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnegurochkaL Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 We are planning to use Real Science-4-kids, level I for 3-5 grader and continue with level II in the middle school. Apologia is going to release their Physics/Chemistry volume next year, so after level I we will do Apologia book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 We just got The Elements, and it looks great. Ds has already done the first activity. I plan to get something a little more in depth to follow up if we move through it too quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Elemental Science is very easy to implement and has a lot of experiments. I haven't used anything else to compare chemistry, but it was a lot easier than our other science program, Shoot and Sprout Buzz and Bite from WinterPromise, and just as good or exciting. (Oh, and better than SL Science 1) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Real Science Odyssey is fun and packed full of experiments that have items which are very easy to find at walmart or other local grocery store. Many things you will probably have laying around. I also love that they offer the "Try before you buy" option. You get a good amount of lessons to try out too, not just 1 or 2. My kids absolutely love it and although I've thought of doing NOEO, I figured it would be easy enough to get some books from the library to add to REAL Science Odyssey and add in the notebooking aspect of NOEO. We did try NOEO in the beginning, about 4 years ago, and although the books are good the experiments are kind of spread out and it's a lot of read and narrate, read and narrate with a few experiments sprinkled in. RSO has an activity or experiment that is hands on every week, most times 2. I hope you find what you're looking for, science can be a real tough one at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Literary Mom Posted July 8, 2010 Author Share Posted July 8, 2010 (edited) We are planning to use Real Science-4-kids, level I for 3-5 grader and continue with level II in the middle school. Apologia is going to release their Physics/Chemistry volume next year, so after level I we will do Apologia book. Thank you for telling me this. Now I'm tempted to do another Apologia course this year and save chemistry to do with physics next year. Since we started homeschooling mid-way through first grade, we actually only got in a semester of life science, and it was piecemeal, and that's my oldest's favorite kind of science (animals in particular). My younger daughter will be doing a soft first grade (she's not 6 yet), so I'm thinking that would be easier to use with both of them. Edited July 8, 2010 by Elle M. I remembered that we only did a semester of life science, not a year, so all the more reason to revisit it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moniksca Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 (edited) I have just recently purchased Elemental chem and the Elements (McHenry) for my 4th grader and decided that I will use Elemental chem this year and save McHenry for middle school, it looks so fun with many activities that I want to add in carbon chem and the brain in the same year. My ds loves having pictures to colour that I think he will do well with the narration pages in elemental. I'm really looking forward to science this year. I had considered RSO but didn't think it was meaty enough, I didn't want to pull things together myself so opted for elemental which is planned out for me already. Edited July 8, 2010 by Moniksca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 We are doing REAL Science Odyssey for 3rd grade this coming year. It is super cheap. The ebook was $39 and I printed it off. It was 431 pages! Holy cow! It is amazing! I can't believe how much stuff is covered and how great it is. You can find a kit for it here for $50. That's less than $100 for an entire 36 week science course. You should look at their Try Before You Buy option. I think you get like 9 or 11 weeks of the program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mycalling Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 Classic Science Elementary Chemistry:001_tt1: My boys will love this! I think it's just what I've been searching for. Thanks for posting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate in Arabia Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 I purchased the Classic Science book for my 4th grader for this year. We've used the Earth Science and Life Science books with success, so I'm optimistic this will be equally engaging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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