reesecoli Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 (edited) I am pulling together my Elementary Science Curriculum and I am looking for any "oh my! you have to check out this!!!!" or "don't forget this" or "big picture things to keep in mind" kind of stuff. 1. I am looking into RealScience-4-Kids. What is the philosophy or general perspective of this curriculum? How does it differ from other programs? Are their other science options out there like this one? Are their good supplemental activities? 2. If you are not using this what science programs are you using PreK-2, 3, 4, 5, and beyond? pros? cons? 3. Does anyone know of any free resources for teaching science to the littlest ones - online sites with hands on experiments? 4. any other great resources.....What about The Story of Science? I already have Building Foundations of Understanding Science..... 5. I am prepping to do some prehistory with my soon to be 5 year old too....already have Born with a Bang, the cartoon with Einstein (can't remember the name), Ubiquitous....any other recommendations? 6. Any great fiction - along the lines of the burgess bird book or the secret of nimh - fiction about space or animals or scientists or experiments that conveys facts in the process of telling stories? I would especially love to hear from those with backgrounds and/or careers in science....but any advice is welcome! I am looking for "oh my you have to check out this!!!!" kind of stuff. Thank you! Edited July 13, 2010 by reesecoli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pata Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 I am pulling together my Elementary Science Curriculum and I am looking for any "oh my! you have to check out this!!!!" or "don't forget this" or "big picture things to keep in mind" kind of stuff.Don't forget to have fun! Big picture:grammar stage is just for exposure and to spark enthusiasm for science, you will miss things and that's ok :). 1. I am looking into RealScience-4-Kids. What is the philosophy or general perspective of this curriculum? How does it differ from other programs? Are their other science options out there like this one? Are their good supplemental activities? I haven't personally used RealScience 4 Kids. 2. If you are not using this what science programs are you using PreK-2, 3, 4, 5, and beyond? pros? cons? We use Elemental Science, but then again I originally wrote the program for my dd. 3. Does anyone know of any free resources for teaching science to the littlest ones - online sites with hands on experiments? I highly, highly recommend Barb's blog for nature study. It's awesome! 4. any other great resources.....What about The Story of Science? I already have Building Foundations of Understanding Science..... When we have access to a library I love to check out the Let's Read and Find Out About... Series. They are a great way to learn more about science, same with the Magic School Bus books and DVD's. 5. I am prepping to do some prehistory with my soon to be 5 year old too....already have Born with a Bang, the cartoon with Einstein (can't remember the name), Ubiquitous....any other recommendations? ???? 6. Any great fiction - along the lines of the burgess bird book or the secret of nimh - fiction about space or animals or scientists or experiments that conveys facts in the process of telling stories? Old Mother West Wind and I believe that Burgess has more than just the bird book. I would especially love to hear from those with backgrounds and/or careers in science....but any advice is welcome! I am looking for "oh my you have to check out this!!!!" kind of stuff. Thank you! I have a BS in Biochem so I guess that qualifies me as having a science background ;). Other than what I've already mentioned, I would definately check out the experiment books by Janice Van Cleave. She has lots of topics covered and the experiments are easy and fun. Oh, and Williamson books has some good ones as well (Science Play; Fizz, Bubble, Flash; Gizmos and Gadgets to name a few). Hope that helps and good luck figuring out your science choices! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Kirsten~ Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 I'm just beyond thrilled with Paige's Elemental Science programs! Thrilled, I tell ya! :D We have Biology and now her new Intro to Science. The programs are easy to implement but meaty. Other than that, Paige mentioned a lot of the stuff we use--Magic School Bus, Let's Read and Find Out, Barb's nature study. We own BFSU as well, and I think it's wonderful, especially for giving me ideas on how to approach and discuss science in daily life. We truly enjoyed Pagoo by Holling C. Holling--a fictional account of the life of a hermit crab. I believe his Minn of the Mississippi is similar but about a turtle. Also, for earth science fun, we really loved How the Earth Works: 60 Fun Activities for Exploring Volcanoes, Fossils, Earthquakes, and More. David Macaulay has a series of videos that explore different aspects of science, too. We've seen the one on Magnets and the one on airplanes. Definitely give Elemental Science a look, though. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 I'm using McRuffy Science and also Science Excursion. You might want to check out SE; the 1st on up boxes are jammed packed with hands-on experiments. http://scienceexcursion.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 There is a Yahoo group called Living Science. I think you would find lots of helpful information there (such as book and dvd recommendations). Check out their files section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cschnee Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 You should check out TOPS Learning systems (http://topscience.org/), GEMS guides (http://www.lhsgems.org/gemsguides.html) and Ellen McHenry's website (http://www.ellenjmchenry.com/) I have used many of these resources and they remain my all time favourite for being hands-on and interesting. I plan on using several of the guides in each next year for grade 6. I should also mention that I have used both RS4K pre-level (grades 2-3) and level 1 (grade 4). I think RS4K is brilliant in its simplicity of use and not too in-depth content. Yet it doesn't talk down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 For a free online curriculum: http://www.msnucleus.org/ http://www.eequalsmcq.com/ (Life Science book is free online) BFSU is really inexpensive. I got mine for less than $30 on Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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