Depressed over science

[JulieD]

First, thanks to everyone who posts here. I lurk often, and I'm always encouraged to keep homeschooling.

 

Background: I spent my first few years homeschooling gathering all my history and science materials myself, mostly from library books. I got really burned out. About that time I found WTM which really helped organize my planning and made things so much easier. But now, I seem to be getting tired; I really want and need to be able to go to the beach, on a hike, or out snowshoeing in the evenings, and I just can't do that and plan properly. I have read numerous science threads, and I still don't what to do.

 

We are finishing Mr. Q Classic Life Science, and I bought the Earth Science for this year. I like the general plan, the experiments and activities, and that it's not religious. While the experiments generally do use things I can easily find, I don't always have them on hand. I'm not crazy about the worksheet activities, either, but both of those things would be OK.

 

My kids are a little on the old side for Mr. Q, 3rd and 5th grades. I wish it had more in depth reading; but the more I look, the more I realize most science materials have very limited reading. I have tried to supplement with library books and encyclopedia readings, but this is more work for me. The biggest problem I have is with the e-book format. I like a book with nice-feeling pages and printing it at home just doesn't do it. Not to mention that incredibly awful font and layout which multiplies the pages I have to print. Currently I type a one page summary of the teacher pages for each chapter (more work) so I can stand to use it.

 

Worse, I have little feel for what I want to accomplish with science. To be honest, I think my aim is chiefly to have them score well on standardized tests. This does not sit well with me. Even when I have trouble finding what I want in other subjects, at least I know what I'm going for.

 

I have BFSU, and I use it informally, primarily as a resource for myself. I'm usually successful at getting the lesson's concepts across over the course of a week or two.

 

We used RS4K Pre-Level 1 Chemistry before Mr. Q. That generally went well, but I had a hard time finding some materials, and I really need something for a whole year.

 

Before that we read lots of science books from the library and did experiments from the Reader's Digest How It Works series.

 

From a teaching standpoint, I would like something secular with daily lesson plans and a materials kit I could just buy and be done with. I would prefer something with more extensive reading and a few well-thought-out activities that truly contribute to the lesson. I'd really like to hit some earth/space science and physical science since we've done a lot of life science and chemistry over the years.

 

For third grade I've looked a lot at McRuffy Science and Nancy Larson Science. Both seem pretty open and go, but they don't have as much reading as I'd like. Also both seem to cover some concepts we've only touched on.

 

For fifth grade Oak Meadow science seems appealing, but there isn't a materials list for it, and large sections are topics we've covered pretty well. The sixth grade is life science again. If he's going to do life science in sixth grade, he needs to get some physical science in this year. There's not much information on the weekly schedule, either, so I'm not sure how much time it would take. I loved the feel of the sample pages, though.

 

None of these programs have a science curriculum available for 4th grade, which would be great for doing together.

 

I looked at NOEO because I thought there would be more reading. However the science encyclopedias and books seem to have too much pictoral information and not enough words. That is fine for browsing, but not what I'm looking for. I would like about one picture for every three to four pages of real text. Less would be OK. I don't want the page to be distracting with several side bars and a couple of diagrams and several pictures. It seemed Sonlight was similar, and WTM uses the same distracting encyclopedia spines.

 

Ugh, I don't know what to do. If anyone has read this far, thank you.

 

Julie D.

[Kate in Arabia]

Hi Julie.. we are also Mr Q users, we'll be starting his chemistry book this year, and did his earth science and life science books previously.

 

I wanted to share how I personally use this resource, not that you need to continue using it if you don't like it, but maybe it will give you some ideas of things to use with whatever program (or non-program) you decide to go with.

 

First about eBooks vs paper books. I feel the same way as you. I want a book, a real book that you can touch and turn the pages. The first two years I printed out the books (expensive!). Last year I started printing, but my kids were excited and preferred to read the book on my laptop. I was surprised, then I felt guilty because I felt like I was imposing my analog preferences on their digital ones, lol. So this year I'm not printing the book at all, I'll just print out the activity pages and tests. I'm trying to use this as a reason we "need" an iPad, so the kids can read their science book on it, lol.

 

Second about activities. I have similar issues, and have with other science curricula that give you the ideas and methods but not the materials. My solution was to pick out those experiments to do that I thought were really valuable (and doable) from the curriculum, and then bought supplemental science kits. In past years I have relied heavily on Science in a Nutshell kits; this year I have a large chemistry kit/set.

 

Third about additional reading. It is an extra chore, but at the beginning of the year I make a spreadsheet for all the topics in the curriculum by chapter, then I make columns for corresponding science kits and then corresponding books (I do the same for history, actually). It is a chore, but if I can spend the time at the beginning of the year then things flow pretty easily from there. And I'm sure if you wanted to pull together a list of reading for various science topics that folks here would help you with suggestions ;)

 

It's not a one-stop science curriculum idea, but this is how I've been approaching science. hth!

[Matryoshka]

I'm also using Mr. Q. This is our second year and probably our last, as my dd is 4th/5th this year and I agree it's a bit light for kids older than that.

 

Last year I printed the student book out, and I plan to do it again this year. I printed it double-sided on heavier inkjet paper, laminated the cover on card stock, and had it sprial bound at Kinko's. Two things I'll do differently this year when printing the Earth Science book:

 

1. Print out my own chapter header pages in black and white instead of the ones in the file. What a phenomenal waste of ink the ones he made are - even if I printed them b/w!

 

2. Print out the worksheets separately (perhaps even one-sided) and keep them in a separate binder.

 

This will save a *ton* of ink and also make the student book thinner.

 

I also plan to add "extra" reading. It's true all science "texts", especially for elementary and middle school, are light on the reading. I still enjoy having a spine to organize my thoughts around. I find it easier to add interesting/meaty supplemental reading than try to organize a whole curriclum around living books with no connecting thread.

 

Next year I'm thinking of Bite-Size Physics. When we get to middle school, we use CPO.

[Chris in VA]

Have you looked at TOPS science? There are a lot to choose from, they are excellent with the scientific method stuff, and they have kits that include almost everything you need.

It's definitely enough for 3rd, and you could have your 5th grader do research at the library every couple of weeks or month or so--he could go to the nonfic shelf that corresponds with his interests and just pull a few books that look appealing, then narrate some interesting facts back to you. Perhaps a quickie report or two? No need for you to do all the work at this point.

[JulieD]

Those are some good suggestions. Can I have your earth science spreadsheet? :D

 

It is true the kids don't mind reading it on the computer. That's totally my preference.

 

So how many of the Mr. Q activities do you actually do? Or do you use it more as a WTM spine? How much time on science every week?

 

I get overwhelmed pulling my own things together for science. History is OK. Probably that is because I have a clear goal in mind for history, and it is generally easier to find what I want.

 

Julie D.

[JulieD]

I reply slowly, I didn't realize there were responses after Kate.

 

Next year I'm thinking of Bite-Size Physics. When we get to middle school, we use CPO.

 

Where do you buy CPO, and how do you use it? It looked like the experiments were definitely more school oriented.

 

I've looked at TOPS before, but I think I want more reading, less experiments. My kids do a lot of informal investigation (a nice phrase for the huge messes and large contraptions they make!). I often think they get more out of that than most of the experiments we do.

 

Julie D.

[cschnee]

I really like Bryce Hixson's books for science. I presently have Photon U in hand and each chapter starts with a Big Idea, several experiments to show/explain each big idea and then a how come, huh? section. The book is humorous and has great illustrations.

 

Another book series I am looking at for future physics is the Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science so you can teach it from NSTA press. These books are meant to be read by the teacher so she can teach her students, but I think you could use them with kids. In these books, you do the experiments before the explanation and the explanations are quite complete. There are also links via scilinks.org to various websites.

 

I am also considering Bite Size Physics for this year for the rest of the physics component (there is no section on light.) I compared Bite Size Physics and Mr Q physics and find Bite Size a little more mature, plus I already have Bite Size Forces which was a freebie at Currclick awhile ago.

[JulieD]

How much time do you spend on a Science in a Nutshell kit? The web site says 8-12 activities, but what does that actually mean?

 

Thanks,

Julie D.

[hopeallgoeswell]

Maybe Sonlight Science 4? http://www.sonlight.com/4S5.html

 

It uses secular books, has plans, and comes with everything you need.

[Matryoshka]

Where do you buy CPO, and how do you use it? It looked like the experiments were definitely more school oriented.

 

 

CPO is definitely middle school. I was able to get the California versions (Focus on...) fairly inexpensively "used" - I put that in quotes because they came still shrinkwrapped.

 

I use it in a coop with a few other families - we take two weeks to read the chapter and do the assessments individually at home, then take turns biweekly running the labs with the group. This means we each only have to run 4-5 labs per year. Yay.

 

I use it with my older kids, starting last year when they were in 6th.

[Sunshine State Sue]

I printed out a post years and years ago that described the sad state of secular homeschool science. If I had any idea where it was, I'd post it here for you, just so that you would know that you are not alone and this has been a problem for a long, long time. :grouphug:

 

We've used RS4K and NOEO. You may read my review here. Neither was worth a second year.

 

For 6th-7th-8th, we used a combination of Science Explorer (for more reading) and TOPS and Exploration Education (for hands-on). Not ideal, but workable. I am fortunate in that dh was in charge of TOPS and EE, though I made sure all supplies were on hand. While I found SE too "busy", I found that it explained concepts clearly. We used TOPS units that had corresponding kits (now you can purchase many of the supplies directly from them). EE comes with everything you need.

 

If I had to do elementary all over again, I'd investigate REAL Science.

 

If I had to do middle school all over again, I'd investigate CPO. When I have, the experiments always looked unimaginable for me. I'd also check out Singapore Science.

 

I refuse to do high school science. It is being outsourced.

 

Best of luck finding what works for your family!

[black_midori]

I'm hoping to try out the "Supercharged Science" at superchargedscience.com when my now-6yo gets to be around 8-9. It's definitely above his level right now, but it looks VERY nice for the older years!!

[JulieD]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I've spent way too much time tonight checking them out.

 

At this point the Science in a Nutshell kits and the Exploration Education curriculum look the easiest to pick up and go from a hands-on point of view. A lot of the other suggestions look really interesting, but I know in my gut they wouldn't get done.

 

I admit every time I look at the REAL Science material lists, I shudder. I don't have a lot of things that apparently are common household materials. When I realize how much I'd have to spend on things that I wouldn't use otherwise, the pricey curriculum kits start to look a lot better.

 

Even though CPO looks beautiful, I'm leaning toward Singapore for middle school. It looks like the CPO lab experiments rely on expensive modules to complete instead of ordinary lab equipment. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Plus there are more experienced Singapore users out there to help out.

 

I looked at the Singapore elementary levels also. I did like that they use mostly standard lab equipment. But I'd have to gather it all myself. On the other hand I'd have a start on future needs.

 

Right now I'm looking at the Delta Science Content Readers. I think they are a bit too busy, but I do love the free downloads of teachers' pamphlets to go with them. I do not know exactly what content level they are targeting, but the reading level is right for elementary, and there's enough information to make them interesting. Then maybe I could get some Science in a Nutshell kits to go with them. But then I have to do the tying together myself. Generally I'm better at that than I am at gathering supplies though.

 

Could someone make a Singapore kit, pretty please?

 

Thanks again for all your suggestions. It really helps me think things through.

 

Julie D.

[Matryoshka]

Even though CPO looks beautiful, I'm leaning toward Singapore for middle school. It looks like the CPO lab experiments rely on expensive modules to complete instead of ordinary lab equipment. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Plus there are more experienced Singapore users out there to help out.

 

We did Life Science last year and were easily able to do most of the labs without much specialized equipment. A couple we substituted, but often that was due to timing (we did lab together in 1.5 hrs, so couldn't do labs that required monitoring over hours or days, as some bio labs require) rather than any equipment issues.

 

This year we're doing Earth Science and it looks like the most "complicated" pieces are the Geo Boxes and the Stream Table - it also looks like they'd be fairly easy to recreate with some slightly modified Rubbermaid containers. There are a couple of labs right at the beginning that use their timing gates and such, but they're just to demonstrate "measurement". I can find other ways to do that fairly easily.

 

I haven't looked closely at the Physics or Physical Science yet (that'll be next year) to see how much I'd have to adapt. Most of that pricey equipment was made for Physics experiments.

[Luckymama]

We're using CPO Earth Science (not the Focus on edition) Dd10 is only a fifth grader but I went with the middle school science because the other choices seemed too young for her. She really enjoyed science in the past when her teachers got around to it :rolleyes: so I wanted to make science a priority for our first homeschooling year.

 

We've only done the first two labs but I've gone through the first 10 chapters, checking the labs for needed equipment. There is only 1 lab out of the 20 (2 per chapter) that we won't be able to do at all----6B Storms because it relies on a set of radar images.

 

We'll need to adapt labs for the stream table (using either a Rubbermaid box or a paint tray liner) and the geo box for convection (unsure if I want to cut the Rubbermaid box lid...) Other labs will need to be adapted slightly but I've found modifications online.

 

My dh is a homebrewer so we had a bucket w/ spigot to use for the first two labs. We used the stopwatch function on my cellphone for timing. Dd thought it was fabulous to do lab outside on the deck!

[StephanieZ]

How much time do you spend on a Science in a Nutshell kit? The web site says 8-12 activities, but what does that actually mean?

 

Thanks,

Julie D.

 

Each activity usually takes us about 30-45 min. If you add a nice spine, then it can be an excellent, and very easy, way to cover a subject. The Nutshell booklets provide good instructions and questions/etc but limited background info, so I do like to have a spine to beef up the background info.

 

I've really enjoyed the Nutshell kits. They really do have virtually everything you need, except for *very* common objects such as pencils or pennies.

[JulieD]

We did Life Science last year and were easily able to do most of the labs without much specialized equipment. A couple we substituted, but often that was due to timing (we did lab together in 1.5 hrs, so couldn't do labs that required monitoring over hours or days, as some bio labs require) rather than any equipment issues.

 

This year we're doing Earth Science and it looks like the most "complicated" pieces are the Geo Boxes and the Stream Table - it also looks like they'd be fairly easy to recreate with some slightly modified Rubbermaid containers. There are a couple of labs right at the beginning that use their timing gates and such, but they're just to demonstrate "measurement". I can find other ways to do that fairly easily.

 

I haven't looked closely at the Physics or Physical Science yet (that'll be next year) to see how much I'd have to adapt. Most of that pricey equipment was made for Physics experiments.

 

We're using CPO Earth Science (not the Focus on edition) Dd10 is only a fifth grader but I went with the middle school science because the other choices seemed too young for her. She really enjoyed science in the past when her teachers got around to it :rolleyes: so I wanted to make science a priority for our first homeschooling year.

 

We've only done the first two labs but I've gone through the first 10 chapters, checking the labs for needed equipment. There is only 1 lab out of the 20 (2 per chapter) that we won't be able to do at all----6B Storms because it relies on a set of radar images.

 

We'll need to adapt labs for the stream table (using either a Rubbermaid box or a paint tray liner) and the geo box for convection (unsure if I want to cut the Rubbermaid box lid...) Other labs will need to be adapted slightly but I've found modifications online.

 

My dh is a homebrewer so we had a bucket w/ spigot to use for the first two labs. We used the stopwatch function on my cellphone for timing. Dd thought it was fabulous to do lab outside on the deck!

 

Ah, this is good to know. That makes the choice more a matter of style preference. Also I could use CPO Earth Science next year and then decide between Singapore or CPO Life and Physical for 7th and 8th. Maybe by then one of you could update me on how hard it is to modify the physical science labs.

 

Each activity usually takes us about 30-45 min. If you add a nice spine, then it can be an excellent, and very easy, way to cover a subject. The Nutshell booklets provide good instructions and questions/etc but limited background info, so I do like to have a spine to beef up the background info.

 

I've really enjoyed the Nutshell kits. They really do have virtually everything you need, except for *very* common objects such as pencils or pennies.

 

Thank you so much for posting this. I'm really leaning toward this option because I could keep my children together for science for another year. Actually if my daughter keeps progressing at the rate she is, they might be able to do the earth science together next year, too. Hmm. But yes, this gives me a much better idea of how much time science would take each week if I do this. Do you like to present the background info first or do you do the lab and then read about it after?

 

Julie D.