Struggling with elementary science -- what do they do in school, anyway?

[Jenny in GA]

My oldest children are 9 and 7, and my 7 year old especially LOVES science. It's not only her favorite subject, but her favorite thing, period.

 

This is my personal weak spot. It doesn't come easily to me. I don't know much about it. I used to absolutely DREAD lab day in high school chemistry. I was always confused about what to do when to what, and was afraid of things blowing up or completely going wrong. (Which they often did.)

 

Anyway, I feel like I'm not getting a good handle on science for my girls. I am getting burnt out fast on doing an experiment one or two days a week. Plus, I feel like that's ALL we're doing -- do an experiement, make some notes about it. Repeat two days later with a different experiment. Go back to the store for materials, and do more next week.

 

When we do History, it's more varied ... read the chapter, do a narrative, label a map, read a related library book, build a Pyramid out of Legos, etc.

 

BTW, we're doing Real Science 4 Kids pre-level Chemistry right now. Earlier, we had been doing a Chemistry kit/book (can't remember the name) that we got in a toy store. It looks like by Jan/Feb we'll be done with both of these, so I must be doing something wrong.

 

I would really love to read some library books that are related to what we're doing (which right now is chemistry), but for some reason I'm having trouble finding any list of titles or anything. WTM, I believe, just mentions reference-type or curricula-type books.

 

Having said all that ...

 

I'm also really curious what they do in elementary school science. Do they do experiments every week? If so, do they do it as a class, or with lab partners, or what? When they aren't doing experiments, what ARE they doing? Do they do worksheets?? How much time per week do they spend on science? Does anyone know?

 

The only thing I can remember doing for science in elementary school is learning about the human body -- say, labeling the different parts of the digestive system and learning what they all do. That was in fifth grade.

 

Any brilliant thoughts?

 

Jenny

[bettyandbob]

My youngest son is in ps 3d grade. He has disabilities, but participates in an inclusion classroom. From the schedule they get about 2 hours of science a week. They are doing geology this year. I remember doing chemistry experiments in 6th grade.

 

I'm a science person. With my oldest we did Rainbow year 1 in 2d grade and Adventures with atoms and molecules in 1st grade. RS4K wasn't published at that time and ds was ready for a meaty program and there just wasn't anything I could find that why we did Rainbow so young. My dd did all of RS4K in 4th grade and Rainbow year 1 in 5th. I supplemented the experiments in RS4K chemistry unit with the Adventures with Atoms and Molecules.

 

I'm sorry you didn't like science. Perhaps you might get into it now. I hated history and was afraid to teach it. I'm so happy homeschooling introduced me to history again.

[hsmom3tn]

When I was in elementary school, science was just like any other subject: read the chapter and answer the questions. :glare:

 

For my kids when they were younger, we focused on one topic at a time and did mini-unit studies that I made up myself. I usually let them choose the topic. We have done dinosaurs, bees (and later on we did insects as a whole), weather, inventions, mammals, sea/ocean animals, simple machines, rocks and minerals, and more that I can't think of right now.

 

We just went to the library and picked out tons of books on the subject, I found activities/worksheets in various teacher resource books, we did nature walks, went to the zoo, did a field trip if possible, went to the science museum, etc.

 

We have used the Apologia elementary books in the past, but just as reference-type books. This year the girls are using the Human Anatomy book and we're doing it cover to cover. They really like it. They're also using the Live and Learn Learn-n-Folder to go with it.

 

My kids have done (and still do) science classes regularly that are taught by someone else, where they get to do chemistry and physics experiments. Since they have done those, and will go more in depth in later grades, I have tried to keep the focus on funner, lighter topics for the elementary years.

 

If you want something more hands-on, besides experiments, maybe check out the lapbooking projects from Hands of a Child, Knowledge Box Central, or Live and Learn Press. I'm sure there are others, but it's too early for me :tongue_smilie:

[Parrothead]

I'm having the exact same trouble and questions you are. What do kids do in science below the level of 9th grade?

[Chris in VA]

Dd is in fifth grade. She has science twice a week. They learned the layers of the earth last week, making a paper flip book about it. :glare: How in the heck that took 2 hours, I'll never know. She also had a quiz--5 questions about the continents being one land mass at one time, and what evidence is there that shows that. That's all, for 4 weeks of school.

 

Science at her school is so easy. I'd be thrilled with a book and questions at this point. It's just stupid.

[Jan in SC]

Last year my boys were in ps. My ds in first did one two-week science unit. That was it! My ds in second had science woven throughout his year. He had journals to keep, experiments to do, and projects. It was wonderful. They covered a wide range of topics, but the teacher did it well and used living books and experiments. His favorites were vertebrate and invertebrate studies, and when they hatched butterflies.

 

My ds that was in third did the textbook - answer the worksheet route. It was easy for him, with the exception of an acoustic study. That was more subjective, and therefor difficult for him. He did very well for the year and remembers all of it.

 

I just ordered Elemental science Earth & Space. I don't know if it will be too easy, but hopefully I will be able to add to it for the older boys.

[Mejane]

I remember it being like other classes, as a pp mentioned: read something, do a worksheet, done. Maybe we colored a nice picture of a flower. ;)

 

I don't have a sense of having done anything challenging until middle school, when we actually had labs. I distinctly remember middle school bio lab because I splashed some formaldehyde in my eyes and spent one afternoon practically blind.

[Guest CarolineUK]

When DS11 was 9 yo we moved him from a school we weren't too happy with (nice parents and children, so so teachers). During the first term at his new school he was thrilled because they were 'doing science'. At his previous school he said they didn't do any science at all - he said his teacher just sent them to the library to look at science books. In fact it was when he came home from school to tell me that he'd read there was more energy in a lemon than in a power station that I began to worry about his teachers (still haven't quite worked it out). In my experience science teaching in a lot of English primary schools seems rather hit and miss.

[Amy loves Bud]

Here are my thoughts on the topic of elementary science.

 

It should be fun. It should encourage curiosity and experimentation and exciting discoveries about the world. It doesn't need to be serious. There isn't a list of things you need to know by 7th grade (maybe there is for your state requirements, I'm just talking philosophy here). The goal of elementary science is to foster a love for science.

 

So, if your DC like to do experiements, do them. If they like to read, find the books. If they like to memorize lists and charts, get busy with the lists and charts.

 

The goal is that science be a fun topic. Then, when they get to the upper levels where they are using algebra and it starts getting tough, that love for the subject will be there and they will want to do it, in spite of and because of the challenging subject it is in upper levels.

[Impish]

Lets see:

Diva's science was all over the place until last year when we started following specific programs. I just followed her interest. She was really into biology, so we had a few books on human biology geared for kids, and I still have up the poster she did for a cell with all the parts labeled.

 

This year I picked up Mudpies to Magnets. Its got 112 experiments in it. I also have Chemistry For Every Kid 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work.

 

We also have tonnes of Magic School Bus books, several videos, and also some easy Usborne books, easy readers about stuff like snow, rain, human body, stars, insects, arachnids, dinosaurs...the list goes on.

 

I also have a book for gr 6-9 on CSI experiments.

 

Basically, I cobble a science program together out of the stuff I've collected, and go from there. If there's nothing the kids are currently passionate about, I present them with an experiment.

[plansrme]

What do kids do for science in elementary school? Not much, in my experience.

 

My kids were in a private school until third grade. They did a "science unit" once in a while, so I would say they did science one week out of every four. That week, they would have one activity a day on science. It usually was an activity the entire class watched, not something they all got to do themselves. They learned almost no substantive science.

 

It sounds like one of the things you dislike about science is assembling the materials. Have you looked at using a curriculum that comes with (or for which you can buy) all of the necessary materials? My 10 and 7 year olds are doing two Apologia books this year, and I bought the supply kits from Nature's Workshop. They were $70 or $80 each, but they were well worth it. Everything we need is right there in a neatly-labeled package, sorted by lesson. Of course most of it is stuff I have around the house, but having everything right at our fingertips has gone a long way towards making sure science gets done.

 

I like, but don't love, Apologia, but the best science is the one that will get done, and the fact that thorough kits are available makes Apologia get done at our house.

 

Terri

[SailorMom]

When I was in ps - science was quite elaborate in elementary school - I loved it and have loved science ever since.

I think the elementary schools now, as a whole, are doing an abysmal job on history and science and this is one of the reasons I homeschool.

Introducing kids to science in a fun way at a young age is crucial, imho, for later scientific work and an interest in science.

Hands on can be so much fun at those ages, and they are very easily impressed :)

[Pippen]

I'm also really curious what they do in elementary school science. Do they do experiments every week? If so, do they do it as a class, or with lab partners, or what? When they aren't doing experiments, what ARE they doing? Do they do worksheets?? How much time per week do they spend on science? Does anyone know?

Jenny

 

It really varies depending on the teacher. Lecture, reading the text, and doing worksheets are the standard fare. My kids have had teachers that have done only the bare minimum of demonstrations and labs required by the district guidelines, and they've had teachers that really like science and do much more. In third grade my daughter had a lab or activity nearly once a week. In fifth grade she maybe had 8 by the time spring break rolled around. It was a dreary year in science!

 

Since No Child Left Behind doesn't emphasize science, minutes alloted to elementary science have decreased in struggling schools in our district, and given to math and reading. A 5th grade class with a struggling school population might have 30 minutes of science per day, whereas a school with better test scores might do 45-50 minutes per day.

[unsinkable]

When I student taught 3rd grade, I did a unit study on geology.

 

I used the textbook to start, which we all read outloud together but we also did so much more. Drawings, models, quiz games, baking (3 different types of rocks as cookies)...and then as an extension, we did rock and roll for music.

 

I got many ideas from Ranger Rick's Nature Scope book.

[livingnlearning]

Our neighbor girl goes to the school and is in the same grade that my daughter would be in if she were still in PS and from what I've seen of neighbor girl's homework it's a lot of worksheet work with the occasional experiment. They're just starting 5th grade.

 

My DD10 loves the eequalsmcq online/printable science course and so do I. It's very accessible and has a lot of fun simple experiments. I think it's a pretty dang good science foundation for elementary age kids.

 

For biology and earth science we've done a lot of read the book then go outside and FIND it. We've dissected plants and during hunting season we've dissected deer and their parts, found examples of earthquakes and erosion, raised tadpoles, just winging type of stuff. We live in a great area for it. Chemistry and physics are more difficult for me so we need to work on those more.

[flyingiguana]

Way back when my kids were in school, science was a half hour once a week, unless that day was a release day or there was an assembly or something. Then they just skipped science for the week.

 

I don't think they did much. One kid brought home pieces of wood she had nailed together. I think it was "exploring materials" or some such thing.

 

At one point they set up some liquids and put some solids in -- having made up hypotheses beforehand as to what would happen. They also spent a long time putting together little clay balls that were supposed to be the layers of the earth.

 

I'm not saying these things were necessarily bad, there just wasn't much science.

 

If you're doing a few experiments, reading a few books, watching some interesting videos, you're way ahead of what the schools around here do for science. I'm not sure that's anything to aspire to, but at least you're not behind.

 

However, at home, for science at that age, we didn't do anything formal. We read some and watched a lot of videos. We also just hung out in the yard and watched birds and bugs and things, and played around with magnets and water and hooked up batteries to various things, etc. We also talked a lot about forming hypotheses (not formally -- but, what do you think will happen? type questions). The formal science we saved for high school when they were ready for it.

[MBM]

I would really love to read some library books that are related to what we're doing (which right now is chemistry), but for some reason I'm having trouble finding any list of titles or anything. WTM, I believe, just mentions reference-type or curricula-type books.

 

Books to Build On by E.D. Hirsch lists quite a few science books, and they're sorted by grade and, within the grade, subject as well.

 

Science magazines might be useful, too.

 

I'm also really curious what they do in elementary school science. Do they do experiments every week? If so, do they do it as a class, or with lab partners, or what? When they aren't doing experiments, what ARE they doing? Do they do worksheets?? How much time per week do they spend on science? Does anyone know?

 

 

My youngest's school uses the Prentice Hall Science Explorer series.

 

They began experiments around fifth grade, maybe once or twice a month at most. Usually students worked in pairs or small groups. Now that my son is in eighth and studying chemistry, they use the lab about three times a month, again working in pairs most of the time. Experiments are pretty simple.

 

When not doing experiments, they read the text and work on the packet of worksheets the teacher hands out at the beginning of each chapter. They also listen to their teacher discuss the lesson. Science is taught daily for 40 minutes.

 

Students also have to participate in the science fair and write a report about a certain topic in science. They're given months to work on those two projects.

 

Do you have any groups involved with Science Olympiad that you could join? My son goes to a private school that doesn't participate, but our public school often takes first in state and has done well at the national level. Some of my son's friends are in it, and they think it's a blast! I know that the coaches hand out snippets from high school and college textbooks for the kids to read. I would think this might be a good route for your children.

 

Also, you might want to go to the accelerated board and ask about resources such as online or correspondence classes or if anyone knows of anything offered in your area. For example, in Illinois where I live, the Illinois Math and Science Academy offers science courses in the summer.

 

HTH. IMO, you have a wonderful problem! Good luck. :)

[lisabelle]

Last year my ds was in 5th grade--his last year in public school. Science at his school was always really scattershot--it alternated with Social Studies on Fridays and the kids always had at least one Friday a month off. And assemblies tended to be on Fridays so the kids were lucky to get science once a month.

 

Over the course of his public school years I remember them doing things like:

--studying the life cycle of meal worms by raising them

--creating small aquariums out of 2-liter bottles, with small fish, aquatic plants and snails

--making an "electric city"--creating buildings/rooms out of boxes and setting up batteries and lights

--they did some kind of experiments on erosion using tanks of dirt and pouring water in

--they did some work with pulleys

--in 4th and 5th grade they had science workbooks where they did exercises. There were readings with activities like supplying definitions, word finds, answering questions.

 

Really, there was so little science it was disappointing...especially since it's one of my son's favorite subjects.

[momof4pks]

Since No Child Left Behind doesn't emphasize science, minutes alloted to elementary science have decreased in struggling schools in our district, and given to math and reading.

 

This is exactly this situation in our schools. We have been in the public elementary school for 8 years, and we have seen the shift--less and less time for science as they try to focus more and more on reading and math. In the middle school it is still one of the core four--LA, SS, Math, and Science. It's foreign language, arts, etc. that are getting shorter time slots this year to give more time to the core subjects.

[anneofalamo]

science in public school is pretty non existent in our experience.

 

My kids all had the same 2nd grade teacher whose major was science and she LOOOOOVED it, so they had a science nook, and whenever she could, that is where she would bring the kids.

She was awesome!!

 

I think perhaps, that is why homeschool curriculum is so experiment heavy!

We are doing Christian Kids do Biology mixed with Mr. Q's freebie Life Science, I am in no hurry to finish, as I have one year left with elementary grades!!

 

My high schooler had NEVER done a science report or experiment form. He is in Apologia...and along with Donna Youngs links for organization with Apologia, he is in his own little world for Science!

 

Me, I grew up in California, and Science was all about how man ruined the world, and how man was horrible. I remember being so overwhelmed by the species dying, the rain forest dying and other bummers, that Science was dreaded.

[Alessandra]

I have two dc in elementary ps -- I like the science teaching. It is very hands on, emphasizes the scientific process -- oh, and it is fun!

 

Rather than spend a whole year on one science area, our elementary schools do three topics per year. Here are some of the topics and fun things that go with them. For example:

 

Soils -- each kid got a pet earthworm

Life cycles -- the class raised butterflies

Food chains - the class kept anoles, which ate lizards, which ate grass

Solar system -- planetarium field trip, visit from a NASA scientist/astronaut

Human body - small group dissection of pig heart & lungs; demo dissection of pig digestive system

Water -- small aquarium for each table, Aquarium field trip

Rocks & minerals -- lab samples, plus field trip. Grew crystals and a lot of experiments from Janice VanCleave's Earth Science. Some of the experiments were assigned as homework (to do with parent's help)

 

There are a lot of topic books, similar to (or the same as) those in Books to Build On, but never a textbook. Some of the books are lighthearted -- like Diary of a Worm. There are worksheets, but not too many -- a nice balance, I think.

Edited October 7, 2010 by Alessandra

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

The "best" schools in my area spend 15 minutes per week on science at the third grade level, and half an hour per week on social studies.

 

They spend four hours per day on reading-related instruction.

 

My child would be so incredibly miserable. He loves science and history, and he is already a very proficient reader.

[Lisa in Jax]

B/c all of his grades are online, I can go back and look at what they did.

 

4th grade: 1st and 2nd quarters, they studied the solar system and the earth. This involved reading a couple of chapters of their science book and some additional (short) books on the planets. They colored solar-system diagrams and wrote paragraphs/papers (one-two pages) about each planet, then each kid chose a planet and made a brochure about traveling to their chosen planet. They built a solar system model for a project. There were no formal experiments, as far as I can remember.

 

3rd and 4th quarters, they studied the human body using books, drawings and videos to learn about anatomy and body systems.

 

This year (5th), they've been studying "States of matter." So far (week 6), they have done a "trifold" pamphlet, had a quiz, and read about water. That's about it. It's not in-depth at ALL.

 

Years ago, when I home schooled dd in 4th and 5th, we covered science by reading about the type of science that corresponded to the history stage we were doing. We talked about science in the news a lot, too, but it was pretty informal. I supplemented science by taking her to the local Museum of Science and History for day camps. The camps included a lot of hands-on experiments and fun activities.

 

When she went to back to PS for middle school, she was AHEAD of her peers in science, b/c she had read more at home, and had done two weeks of "science camp."

 

When I homeschooled dd, my main goal was to introduce the main types of science (physical, chemical, etc.) and to learn the terms associated with each branch of science.

 

You'll have done more than most ps teachers just by reading about science topics, watching videos (Discovery Channel, etc.?), and talking, talking, talking about science in daily life.

 

HIH,

 

Lisa

[unsinkable]

I want to add that around here there a few Catholic elementary school (there are probably public schools, too, I just don't know personally) that have advanced science so the kids can take Regents Biology in 8th grade and then take Regents Chemistry in 9th grade.

 

They have to be doing something substanial in lower grades in order to get the kids ready for the Bio Regents class & exam.

 

Plus, for the Regents exam itself they have to have done at least 30 labs and the school has to keep the labs on file in case the Regents request to see them.

[myfunnybunch]

I don't know what they do in elementary school.

 

I gave up on elementary science curricula because I couldn't find something I really loved to use, and there's no sense paying for a curriculum you'd dread teaching. Now I use a science encyclopedia, Janice VanCleave's books, the internet (you can find tons of fabulous material if you Google "______(say, Physics) for kids."

 

Now our science studies follow a very similar pattern to our history studies. We study science 3x/week. One day we read from the science encyclopedia and the boys do copywork in their science notebook. Another day we do supplemental readings and/or watch a Bill Nye video (or other science video). The boys write a simple narration of what they've read or seen and illustrate it. The third day we usually do some kind of experiment and record it in the science notebook. Most experiments we do use simple household materials, so I am not buying a whole lot.

 

:)

 

But I love teaching science. (Well, now I do.) And now that we have a basic structure, it doesn't take a lot of planning on my part beyond requesting library books, because we just do the next section in the encyclopedia.

 

ETA: And I agree with Dot. If it becomes tedious or boring, just allowing exploration can do wonders. You can gradually add back more structure, but science should be approached with a sense of wonder and delight, most of the time anyway!

 

Cat

Edited October 7, 2010 by myfunnybunch

[Karen in CO]

The enrichment school my girls go to does the FOSS or Delta science kits. Right now, the youngest is doing lifecycles and the oldest is doing ecosystems. Later, the 4th grade will do a unit on space and a unit on solar energy. They take a field trip to go with each topic, read books, do group projects, and experiments. Right now the Ker is growing beans at home and in her class, and the 4th they are making terrariums and will be bringing home fish and snails.

 

 

For science at home, we pick a topic and a science kit then take trips to the library. The girls work through their kits on their own. I try to find kits that are as complete as possible. Right now, my older is working on experiements with electricy as a follow up to a kit she just finished, and the younger is doing a physics kit from Thames and Kosmos Little Labs.. I try to not be involved in these and let them follow the directions and do each experiment alone. When they finish an experiment, they explain to me what they did and how it works. Easy peasy.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Older ds was in PS for K and 1st grade. As far as I know, he didn't do any science at all, either of those two years.

 

Younger ds was in PS for K and they did a lesson on pan balances, and learned all about penguins. That was it.

 

I'm not sure what other grades did.

 

This year, we are doing earth science and astronomy. So, I alternate reading library books on topics like weather, storms, mountains, oceans, volcanoes, etc., with projects like making a rain gauge and keeping a rain diary, experiments with fog and mist, using sponges to show how the earth's plates move, etc. My kids also attended a class at the Natural history museum on natural disasters. It was a GREAT class. They are going to two classes at the library- one about the solar system and one about the water cycle. We have also visted the planetarium. It's a mix of reading, experiments and outside activities for us. It seems to keep it interesting.

[katemary63]

Here are my thoughts on the topic of elementary science.

 

It should be fun. It should encourage curiosity and experimentation and exciting discoveries about the world. It doesn't need to be serious. There isn't a list of things you need to know by 7th grade (maybe there is for your state requirements, I'm just talking philosophy here). The goal of elementary science is to foster a love for science.

 

So, if your DC like to do experiements, do them. If they like to read, find the books. If they like to memorize lists and charts, get busy with the lists and charts.

 

The goal is that science be a fun topic. Then, when they get to the upper levels where they are using algebra and it starts getting tough, that love for the subject will be there and they will want to do it, in spite of and because of the challenging subject it is in upper levels.

 

:iagree::iagree: Exactly! My DD loves to just look up certain topics on the internet with me. We are loosely doing Christian Kids Explore Biology. We read the lesson but then run in any direction she wants. We research more on the internet or at the library. She loves printing off pictures we find and labeling them for her notebook. I give her some of the worksheets I find on Enchanted Learning or Edhelper as reinforcers. (I LOVE these two sites) We do experiments we find in other books about nature or lifescience. The last lesson in CKEB she did was on sharks. She LOVES sharks so now we are taking a whole week and making a lapbook about them. She is trilled with it! Then it all goes in her science binder of which she is very proud! Just plain have fun. Don't worry about learning any particular bit of information.

[fairfarmhand]

one suggestion...

 

usborne books

 

We're systematically checking them out of the library...the ones on animals and we picked up an experiment book this week also by usborne. My dh has also picked up some of these books and paged through them as well.

[mcconnellboys]

Here are some living books for children, including Fabre's Wonder Book of Chemistry:

 

http://www.yesterdaysclassics.com/catalog/displaycatalog.php?catalog=nature

 

Any of the Let's-Read-and-Find-out-About-Science series books (various authors and levels) that cover chemistry related topics would be good:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Read-Find-Out-Science/b?node=3323

 

What is the World Made Of? What Makes a Magnet? Forces Make Things Move Energy Makes Things Happen

Air is All Around You Oil Spill! Pop a Book About Bubbles, etc. are some of the ones I see off-hand that are chemistry related.

 

What's Smaller than a Pigmy Shrew?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Smaller-Than-Pygmy-Shrew/dp/0807588385

 

...talks about the parts of an atom....

 

What Makes a Lemon Sour? Gail Haines, is about acids and bases....

 

Gobbs of Goo, Vicki Cobb (she has out lots of chem related titles that are fun)

 

That's some I can think of off the top of my head....