pick my science

[dm379]

Both my sciences are a bust so I need help picking a new one.

 

Ok so I don't hate it or even dislike it, I just dislike what we've done so far. Right now science consists of Bill Nye and Magic School Bus. They've seen every single episode of both.

 

What we've done and why we don't like it:

 

McRuffy - Too easy. He was getting nothing out of it. We tried to supplement with library books but our current library has 1 shelf for children's science. I did keep it and may reopen it after we move.

 

Noeo - Too hard. Dd could not comprehend anything no matter how much I tried. Plus she's not a fan of notebooking for yet another subject. Again, I kept it and may try again when she's older.

 

What I want:

 

-secular

 

-textbook or dvd. I'm old and tired and want something they can do mostly on their own.

 

-comes complete so I don't have to buy anything extra

 

-something I don't have to explain what anything is. I majored in science and part of the reason why Noeo failed is because I am incapable explain things on a children's level. I can't wait for high school level science but this elementary stuff is killing me. I don't know how to break down the structure of an atom in simpler terms.

 

-fairly cheap. Our budget is already shot.

 

-no biology or plants. they've already done it to death

[min]

Probably not what you're looking for, but there are a bunch of great videos available from iTunes - "Life of.." etc. They're cheaper than buying DVDs, but then I had to buy the cable to plug my iPod into the TV so we didn't have to watch the teeny tiny screen!

 

Min

[Annabel Lee]

Ooohh. Your kids are the same ages as mine; that's a tough one. One you could maybe stretch to early middle school level, yet the other is smack dab in the middle of elementary. It has to be meaty enough for the 9 yo but graspable for the 7 yo. I totally get that.

 

Doesn't Saxon have science? Have you looked at Singapore's MPH? How about just going w/ Houghton Mifflin - I flipped through a friend's 3rd grade program (which consisted of TM & student book - so simple! Yay for simple!) and it looked very thorough. Not WTM sequence, but still good. You might look at some online samples of Prentice Hall, Pearson & other well-known textbook companies. I have a Scott Foresman Science book that doesn't have a grade level listed but definately takes it to at least a 5th gr. level with the extra "Challenge" sections and has units divided up by field of study a la WTM. I don't know how someone would get through it in one year unless they only skimmed the surface and didn't do any of the projects, discussion questions or online linked activities. It could last for at least 2 school years easily. Let me know if you want the ISBN.

 

Sorry I'm not a whole lot of specific help w/ secular WTM style rec's. I'm curious to hear about some, though.

[katilac]

Honestly, for those ages, I probably wouldn't swing at the third pitch this year. I'd just put science on the backburner for a while, and start keeping an eye out for great books, activities, and field trips.

 

At 9 and 7, I personally don't think there's much in the way of worthwhile science that they can do on their own. Much better, imo, to give it a rest for a while (even if a while means this year). If you're going to buy a text book and hand it to them, you might as well save the money and just have them check out a science book from the library each week, y'know?

 

They're a bit young to do actual experiments on their own, but "explore and discover" time can be just as fun and worthwhile. Week 1, hand them the scale balance, weights, and a challenge to see what else they can find to weigh/balance. Week 2, give them bins of water and a variety of measuring cups, and have them explore volume. Week 2, give them the digital camera and send them into the backyard to photograph as many examples of animal life as they can find. And so on. Giving them the time and permission to discover and explore is much more worthwhile science than you will find in any elementary book! And all you have to do is keep a running list of ideas (after a few weeks, they will probably start chiming in as well).

[Poke Salad Annie]

 

They're a bit young to do actual experiments on their own, but "explore and discover" time can be just as fun and worthwhile. Week 1, hand them the scale balance, weights, and a challenge to see what else they can find to weigh/balance. Week 2, give them bins of water and a variety of measuring cups, and have them explore volume. Week 2, give them the digital camera and send them into the backyard to photograph as many examples of animal life as they can find. And so on. Giving them the time and permission to discover and explore is much more worthwhile science than you will find in any elementary book! And all you have to do is keep a running list of ideas (after a few weeks, they will probably start chiming in as well).

 

This is great advice. We are doing much of the same. I have the old Golden Press Human Body Book and the Donald Silver project book to use with it. We are reading through it and doing a project from it. I plan on also implementing some of the ideas at the squidoo lens for Human Body study. Fridays are setting up to be an astronomy study, after reading a post by Corraleno about doing this without a bought program. I just need to buy the telescope soon. Other than that, we will do a simple science experiment from one of the books I have on hand and make a lab page with it. We are doing notebooking pages with the pictures of nature as described in the post above. I am spending very little (except for the cost of a telescope), and it is low stress but also fun and productive. At this age, that's all you really need.

[Luckymama]

And you could add some Bill Nye videos, too!

[sagira]

Sonlight has Discover and Do DVDs chock full of experiments. Maybe you can try to get these used either here or elsewhere.

[christine in al]

Or somework booky thing from Evan Moor.

 

It was an effort to just make sure at least they got SOMETHING.

 

Mine ages 8 and 10 even have a science tutor this year, ( I can barter child care with her)

 

I am looking at Galore Park Jr. Science and So You Really Want to Learn Science. for next year.

 

AND Discovery Education Streaming has amazing videos. but is pricey, last year we got it free through Alabama Public Television, but this year had to buy it through Homeschool Buyers co-op.

 

I look at the state requirements,, ie weather versu climate, and call up some videos for them to watch... very much less than perfect, but something. We bought the Discovery subscription because ds is doing Elementary Spanish via DE Streaming anyway. We already hve the workbook from Northern Arizona University.

 

good luck.

~Christine in al.

[Susie in CA]

We have never been able to find a Science program we like. The best approach has always turned out to be science ala WTM. In the earlier years we read lots of books and did some activities/experiments. We hardly ever wrote anything down. Every once in a while we drew something. That's it.

 

In about 3rd grade we started writing some lab reports; again ala WTM. Now my boys are in 5th and 6th grade and we still do science ala WTM. We use the old Reader's Digest books as our base and add lots of kits. We write a lab report once a week and are working on writing a regular report on a part of the subject we are studying once a week. This has worked very well overall.

 

Everyonce in a while I still check out other curricula, but I have not been able to find anything that would last us a year, or we could understand, or wouldn't be boring, or......you get the idea.

Sometimes I have added other things in, but only to supplement something we found interesting and wanted to know more about. An example of that is Chemistry by Ellen McHenry.

 

My son had to do the Science test in 5th grade last spring and tested 100% in almost all categories for Science. I think it is working just fine. :001_smile:

 

I know I am rambling now.... I just want to say that you don't need a science curriculum.

 

Get books and read them

Do some activity/experiment once a week

Write down something about the acitiviy once in a while (the younger one doesn't even need to do that)

Watch movies like Magic School Bus and documentaries in the evening.

Call it Science.

 

Warmly,

 

Susie

Edited October 14, 2010 by Susie in CA

[Aoife]

My hands down favorite sciences are:

 

Nancy Larson - spendy but AWESOME and complete! Planning on this for next year.

 

R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey - a LOT cheaper but you would have to gather some supplies although they do sell kits on homesciencetools.com This is what we'll use for 1st and it really is an awesome program!

 

You could just get some Science in a nutshell kits from Delta school supply which are FANTASTIC and do have little journals and whatnot that the kids can fill out as they go through the experiments. With this option you can really pick and choose the units more towards your DC's interests. We have several on our shelves now and they really are nicely put together and easy to use kits!

[mcconnellboys]

What about Mr. Q's life science, which is free online?

 

http://eequalsmcq.com/homeschoolers.htm

[Hericane]

:iagree:

Really, if you value your time, gas and peace of mind, Nancy Larson Science is a must. All of the thinking, planning, and work are done for you. There's no downloading and printing worksheets, so my paper and ink budget is nil. The photo cards, CD, extra books and materials mean no crazy trips to the library or Borders at night. There's really no prep time, you just open and go.

At first I was concerned about the scripting. It seemed boring to me. Then I realized that when I 'wing it', I ramble or forget the important facts. My son (gently) told me that he learns more when Mommy reads her book out-loud. (I learned that it's not about me, it's what helps the kids.) So now I follow the script in the Teacher's Manual and everything works. Oh, a side benefit of having the lessons scripted, I know exactly how long each lesson will take so we stay on schedule. Also, if you have an emergency run to the ER for the toddler; a neighbor, sitter or grandparent can pick right up and finish the lesson. It's absolutely foolproof.

And who knew? It teaches reading and writing at the same time. There's a word wall and key words (like cranium or mandible) are in bold type. The script talks about sentence and paragraph structure, and provides training in study skills. For each booklet, the science, name for that scientist, and what they study is right there on the cover. So kids learn that Investigating Animals and Their Habitats is Zoology and those scientists are Zoologists. Nancy Larson has packed in so much more than just science lessons. You really get a lot of learning for the money and you can use it again as your children get older, or sell it to another family. They would just buy the consumable student materials for their new scientists.

[Mom-ninja.]

I would say Singapore MPH. You could skip the Cycles and Diversity portions.

 

You could simply hand your kids the student text, ask them the questions from the Homework book, and do a few activities if you wanted to. It's not teacher intensive.

 

I actually have MPH are here new that we barely used. PM if you're interested.

 

 

Oh, and documentaries on Netflix count as science in my house. ;)

Edited October 13, 2010 by Kleine Hexe

[leann_in_tx]

Elemental Science has earth science and chemistry available. I've read a lot of positive reviews of this one. It's essentially a pre - planned version of the WTM science plan.

 

http://www.elementalscience.com/

[Mom-ninja.]

Elemental Science has earth science and chemistry available. I've read a lot of positive reviews of this one. It's essentially a pre - planned version of the WTM science plan.

 

http://www.elementalscience.com/

 

 

I was just coming back to suggest this. :001_smile:

[corbie]

I want to 2nd REAL Science Odyssey! My 4th grader is doing Chemistry and loving it. It is an inexpensive PDF. I got the kit at Home Science Tools. There is no Teacher's Manual - Yahoo! There are two labs a week, but they are easy to do and do teach something! There are a few household things you will have to buy to supplement the kit, but they are super common. I occasionally have to add something to my grocery list, like grape juice. More importantly, my dd hated science before and now really enjoys it. I let her do all the reading, which is short. You could have your older one read to your younger. I help out with labs, but it is truly easy, and I can see her making connections. I don't think it is meant to be as self led as I am allowing, but it works for us. For the first time, I have three kids using 3 different science programs. Believe it or not this has been our easiest science year so far. My K-er is using Elemental Science. It's perfect for her, but teacher intensive and notebook centered.

 

I have tried the self led method or piecing things together myself, but it never worked. We skipped around too much or just dropped it. We've done 6 weeks now of REAL Sci Odyssey - I am amazed at the response from my "science hating kid".

[Osaubi]

What about Homeschool Science Adventures? I have not used it, but I have heard a lot of good things about it. It is geared for multiple ages, and has everything included (enough for 2 kids).

 

 

http://www.homeschoolscience.com/

 

I am going to order a kit for next summer.

[Tree House Academy]

Elemental Science. It is very much like NOEO, but NOT hard and so much fun! If my ds were the ages of your kids, he could probably do most of it on his own. It is so fun and quick that I actually enjoy doing it with him! Biology takes us around 10-15 minutes a day, 4 days a week. Experiments may take 20-30 minutes, depending and they are usually 1 day a week.

[AKMsMom]

We love Elemental Science. You may have to get a few things for experiments, but I have found it to be fairly easy.

[Aludlam]

I would love to hear what you decided to do!

[Disney Dreaming]

Elemental Science has earth science and chemistry available. I've read a lot of positive reviews of this one. It's essentially a pre - planned version of the WTM science plan.

 

http://www.elementalscience.com/

 

 

:iagree:

[Mallory]

I wouldn't spend much on another science this year either, but have you looked at TOPS?

 

There are several free activites available online and they are plenty of topics besides biology. The books are also cheap and easy to get supplies for.

 

Supercharged Science (while the kits are very expensive) often have free ideas/videos that are lots of fun and are also physics (so not more bio).

[nova mama]

Another vote for Elemental Science. It's not really something most grammar stage kids could do by themselves, but the readings and experiments are all laid out. As another poster pointed out, you have to gather experiment materials, but they should be inexpensive and easy to find if you don't already have them.

 

The book list for For ES Chemistry includes Usborne's Internet-Linked Science Encyclopedia. If you have youngers listening in (don't remember your kids' ages), it will probably go over their heads. You may want to get the Usborne First Encyclopedia for them.

 

Anyhoo, I'm pretty satisfied with Elemental Chemistry. I hope you find something that works for you!

Edited November 24, 2010 by nova mama

[daughterofsarah77]

Panida Press R.E.A.L science...we love it! I'd say it's complete, has lots of expiriments. We add additional reading from the library, but it's not necessary.

[Tiramisu]

I'll add my voice to the others: R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey I'd love to try R.E.A.L. again. Two dds did life science at a coop years ago and the experiments were easy and lots of fun.

 

If that doesn't float your boat, I'd try a Spectrum or Steck-Vaugn workbook if it would make you feel like you were covering your bases. I had a friend who took that route at a very stressful time in her life and her dc had great science scores when they were tested at the end of the year.

[catz]

Honestly, for those ages, I probably wouldn't swing at the third pitch this year. I'd just put science on the backburner for a while, and start keeping an eye out for great books, activities, and field trips.

 

I find by just having a science read aloud going all the time and hitting those field trips and outings when we can, we are covering quite a bit. We use some videos too. We use library books and I've bought books that I thought looked interesting, so we have a nice sized pile of science related books laying around the house. When we have more time and energy we might set up an experiment or project. But if we don't, I don't stress too much about it. I've had a number of curriculum too and none of them seemed meaty or interesting enough or it required too much busy work. I don't see the need to make science less than fun at this age.

[ummof3]

Honestly, for those ages, I probably wouldn't swing at the third pitch this year. I'd just put science on the backburner for a while, and start keeping an eye out for great books, activities, and field trips.

 

At 9 and 7, I personally don't think there's much in the way of worthwhile science that they can do on their own. Much better, imo, to give it a rest for a while (even if a while means this year). If you're going to buy a text book and hand it to them, you might as well save the money and just have them check out a science book from the library each week, y'know?

 

They're a bit young to do actual experiments on their own, but "explore and discover" time can be just as fun and worthwhile. Week 1, hand them the scale balance, weights, and a challenge to see what else they can find to weigh/balance. Week 2, give them bins of water and a variety of measuring cups, and have them explore volume. Week 2, give them the digital camera and send them into the backyard to photograph as many examples of animal life as they can find. And so on. Giving them the time and permission to discover and explore is much more worthwhile science than you will find in any elementary book! And all you have to do is keep a running list of ideas (after a few weeks, they will probably start chiming in as well).

 

My kids are 9 and 7 too. Where could I get a list of ideas like you have suggested?

[Momling]

How about Brainpop?

I know it's not a complete curriculum, but there are around 240 science topics on brainpop divided into different fields. You could write it in the order you think would make sense. Then, each day, you could have each of your kids watch one video and then answer the quiz questions that follow it. It'd be about 10-20 minutes of self-contained entertaining science each day that you wouldn't need to prepare at all. Plus, there are other activities too if you wanted to do more.