Health curriculum: do it or not? Abeka, LifePac, Horizons?

[Annabel Lee]

I'm contemplating adding Health as a subject to our homeschool, per request of my boys since they see their big sis doing it. Do you think it's worth the time & effort to do so? Could all of it really be covered as easily in regular daily life discussions? If I do add this, I want it to be meaningful & worthwhile - no fluff or busywork. I want them to learn something new & retain at least some of it. I'm also only considering curricula that would be easily done independently & that wouldn't take up too much time - Abeka for 2nd & 3rd, Horizons for all grades, and LifePac/SOS's HealthQuest for 4th - 7th.

 

Which of those do you think accomplishes the above objectives best? Have you used or seen any of these? I'm thinking of using Horizons until 6th grade and then having them do LifePac's HealthQuest afterwards.

 

Have any of you disliked Horizons, Abeka, or LifePac elementary/middle school Health, and if so, why?

[Snowfall]

I bought Horizons health for DD, first grade, just because I love curriculum and wanted to see it. I think it was a colossal waste of money and I'm glad it was only $25. There's definitely nothing in it that we haven't already covered. I would think that human body stuff would all be covered in any sort of life science or biology. The Food Pyramid probably wouldn't, and that's part of most health curricula, but #1, I think the USDA Food Pyramid is stupid and not based on any reliable science anyway, and #2, it's easily covered in one or two lessons you can come up with on your own, if you do like the USDA Food Pyramid. (See the Harvard School of Public Health's site if you want more information on why the USDA Food Pyramid is a load of garbage.;)) I definitely think that, at least in the younger grades, a health curriculum is unnecessary. If they really want to do one, though, there are some workbooks from Rainbow Resource that are under $10 that look as good as this $25 Horizons stuff (IMO, it would be hard to be more of a waste of money than this curriculum, honestly).

[Guest nikki0522]

We have always used A Beka for Health. My DS (age 8) can do the work independently and it actually holds hi interest. We have never used LifePac for Health, but have used other subjects. We found LifePacs to be very dry and boring. We ended up not finishing the whole year with it because DS was so bored and it became a constant fight to get him to do his school work.

[Guest momk2000]

We used A Beka Health for grades 1-3 and plan to continue with it. Dd loves the A Beka Health books! :001_smile:

[Annabel Lee]

Do those of you using A Beka Health find the teacher's guides, keys, or lesson plans necessary? Is most of the lesson in the student book or would I be missing alot by not getting the teacher's books?

 

I think the idea of LifePac Health will be shelved in my mind until around 7th grade. Horizons 4th grade health hits on more topics (and in more detail) than I'm ready for my innocent little guys to know about just yet.

 

I also found on the www . guesthollow. com site a free science curriculum that covers the same types of topics covered in a health course, but with thorough human body study as well. It's called "Otter's Science". It's geared towards 2nd - 6th (or 8th?) grades but has different versions for PreK - 1st and high school (complete with labs and use of a quality high school text). It starts w/ the building blocks: cells & DNA, and covers the 5 senses, brain, endocrine system, other body systems, safety, diseases, etc. Check it out!

 

ETA: correction - it was the Horizons 4th gr. health that introduces details about a few hard-core drugs that I thought, for our situation, could wait for a couple years, not the LifePacs.

Edited August 25, 2010 by Annabel Lee

[Guest momk2000]

We don't use the Teacher Guide for the A Beka Health.

[TXMary2]

We use Abeka for health and really enjoy it. I like 3rd - 6th best along with high school.

 

Oh, and I do use the TE because it is simple for me to just follow it and I don't have to schedule it out myself.

[melmichigan]

I bought Horizons health for DD, first grade, just because I love curriculum and wanted to see it. I think it was a colossal waste of money and I'm glad it was only $25. There's definitely nothing in it that we haven't already covered. I would think that human body stuff would all be covered in any sort of life science or biology. The Food Pyramid probably wouldn't, and that's part of most health curricula, but #1, I think the USDA Food Pyramid is stupid and not based on any reliable science anyway, and #2, it's easily covered in one or two lessons you can come up with on your own, if you do like the USDA Food Pyramid. (See the Harvard School of Public Health's site if you want more information on why the USDA Food Pyramid is a load of garbage.;)) I definitely think that, at least in the younger grades, a health curriculum is unnecessary. If they really want to do one, though, there are some workbooks from Rainbow Resource that are under $10 that look as good as this $25 Horizons stuff (IMO, it would be hard to be more of a waste of money than this curriculum, honestly).

 

I agree. If you want mine you can have it for shipping by whatever means you choose, it's in my make me an offer list. :D