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anyone use elemental science biology?


DDR
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I have a first grader and we're in our third week of school. We've been easing in slowly, but will be all in the week of the 14th. I was planning on following TWTM's science section, but someone mentioned elemental science biology, basically for ease of planning. It is inexpensive enough and looks like it pulls all the important stuff together.

 

Does anyone have experience with this science program? Like it? Love it? Leave it? Why?

 

Thanks for your input!

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We've completed six weeks of Elemental Biology. I really LOVE it and my girls love it too! My first, third and fourth grader are using it (the fifth grader is doing a more traditional first edition WTM approach). The girls LOVE that they do Biology daily. Because everything is prepared and scheduled, it makes it VERY easy for this busy Mama of 5. I've been supplementing with library books (the girls read between 1-3 additional books on each lesson). Elemental Biology follows the TWTM schedule. Additionally it provides narration sheets and (we've only done animals thus far), animals to cut, color and paste. I love science but it becomes the "If we just had more time subject." Elemental Biology has made integrating science into a consistent schedule virtually, a no brainer. Two thumbs up here!

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I bought it to use this year, and we haven't started yet, so take my opinion as an untested one...but I really like the layout and feel of it, now that I have everything printed out and ready to go. The books are great. I'll be using it for k/1st, and 4th grade.

I've done several other things for science and this one looks like a winner for sure

 

Jen

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In a perfect world, I would wish that this curriculum offered more meat and variety of lessons. But reality is showing that this is exactly the curriculum we needed! The lessons are SHORT, sweet, and to the point. It is just perfect for my 4yr and 6yr old kiddos. If we miss a day there is no problem adding it in the next day. You could easily do this program 1 day/wk or 5days/wk. It is very flexible! Experiment ideas don't always correspond to topic, animals for example, but they are simple and easy and the kids go crazy learning and remembering each one. You would need to supplment with additional books on topic if you were working with kids older than 2nd grade IMO. I am leaning toward trying something else for next year, but I am really not complaining. ES has been a great introduction to science for my first year hschooling.

 

Jenn

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We love it! :D I think we're about 14 weeks into it (we mixed it up and did plants first, and now we're working our way through the animal section).

 

Like you, I wanted to do a WTM-approach to science, but I wanted more than just the encyclopedias. The experiments are easy and fun, which means they get done. I love the notebooking pages, as well as all the extras (pages for nature walks, pages for animal observations, etc.).

 

FWIW, we do it two days per week rather than following the schedule. So now with animals, we read and narrate two animals the first day then do the third animal and the experiment on the second day. It works wonderfully for us. Honestly, the cutting, coloring, and then pasting the little pictures makes my daughter ecstatically happy, and that just might be her favorite part. :lol:

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I am using it for the first time this year, for my 1stie and 2nder, and I am really liking it. I agree that it may not be the most rigorous thing out there, but it's at least as much so as Noeo, and it's SO much better laid out. I like the breakdown of activities, and the printed workpages, and I prefer the selection of books to read as well. I am a very satisfied customer. :)

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My first grader and I LOVE this! It's just the right amount of reading and activities for her. I like that the lessons are short, so we can double up, or do almost everything in one day if we need to. She is learning and retaining so much info. This is the one program I have not had to tweak at all. It's well organized and straightforward, so it has saved me so much time.

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We did biology last year and are doing earth science and astronomy now. This is the first science I've had that actually gets done every week! It's simple, straight forward and makes implementing WTM SO easy! The kids really like it. I do add more in for my 4th grader. He does extra reading from a science encyclopedia... I supplement with literature from the library too. I highly recommend this curriculum!

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My first grader and I LOVE this! It's just the right amount of reading and activities for her. I like that the lessons are short, so we can double up, or do almost everything in one day if we need to. She is learning and retaining so much info. This is the one program I have not had to tweak at all. It's well organized and straightforward, so it has saved me so much time.
:iagree:
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Wow. :001_smile:

With such a resoundingly positive response I'd be nuts to pass on this curriculum. Thanks so much for your input. I'm off to order now. My son (and daughter) will be thrilled because they keep looking for science on their daily list of school subjects. I've been hesitant to get started until I knew just where I wanted to go with it.

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We are two weeks into it. So far the kids are enjoying it. It seems to me that it would be easy enough to go off on your own tangent with something if the kids were interested. It's simple enough, however, that we can get through it every day. And, when I know a busy day is coming, I can double up on assignments with very little effort and skip science on that busy day.

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