Galore Park Science ?

[christine in al]

Hi All, Science wasn't happening at our house.

I hired a science tutor and while that has been wonderful. I can't keep that up.

 

I need a straight -up, secular, covers-the-basics, easy to implement program.

And while cost is a bit of a concern ( hate to buy something else that I dont' use) almost any program will be cheaper than a tutor.

 

I like scripted, get it done stuff. I am not feeling like exploring , just want to check it off.

 

Anyone have any ideas.

oh kids are 8 and 10 years.

~christine in al

[christine in al]

~c.

[StephanieZ]

I've been very satisfied with Galore Park So You Really Want to Learn Science Levels 1 & 2. It's aimed at middle school. My 11 & 13 yos can do it completely independently. You have to add exp'ts if you want them.

 

I am VERY happy with it. It is solid, easy to implement, secular, well done. The exercises require thinking & application of ideas in addition to simply regurgitating main facts. (Graphing data, analyzing things, thinking, etc)

 

You could try the JR level with your kids since they are younger.

 

HTH

[abbeyej]

I agree with Stephanie. It has been a very good git-'er-done program for us. And while they initially look rather light, I find that the questions and exercises *do* require some real thought. If you want it to be a meatier program, I think the teacher CD would probably be a good choice, but we've made do without. For my younger one, doing the Jr level (she's done 1 and half of 2), we've done some of the experiments in the book. Others we've just discussed. At the SYRWTL level, you'd need the teacher materials for the experiments. Instead, we've worked through the Thames and Kosmos Core Science (middle school) kit. It hasn't lined up exactly (ds has done SYRWTL 1 and half of 2), but I needed everything in a box, and eventually the concepts do reinforce each other.

 

You don't need to start with the first Jr level -- you can skip to the second or third. I find there's a nice step up in terms of difficulty and depth with each level. The 2nd SYRWTL level is actually pretty hefty.

 

I feel like my kids (especially the older one) have really learned a lot. And, best of all, science is actually getting *done*.

[Shawna in Texas]

I agree with Stephanie. It has been a very good git-'er-done program for us. And while they initially look rather light, I find that the questions and exercises *do* require some real thought. If you want it to be a meatier program, I think the teacher CD would probably be a good choice, but we've made do without. For my younger one, doing the Jr level (she's done 1 and half of 2), we've done some of the experiments in the book. Others we've just discussed. At the SYRWTL level, you'd need the teacher materials for the experiments. Instead, we've worked through the Thames and Kosmos Core Science (middle school) kit. It hasn't lined up exactly (ds has done SYRWTL 1 and half of 2), but I needed everything in a box, and eventually the concepts do reinforce each other.

 

You don't need to start with the first Jr level -- you can skip to the second or third. I find there's a nice step up in terms of difficulty and depth with each level. The 2nd SYRWTL level is actually pretty hefty.

 

I feel like my kids (especially the older one) have really learned a lot. And, best of all, science is actually getting *done*.

 

Is this the kit you have? I bought an incomplete B101 labpaq from ebay for parts (it was only $15 or so), but haven't put together the labs I wanted to. I need something easier to manage on the weeks I don't feel like planning.

[christine in al]

We are oh so happy with Latin Prep and Latin Exercises. and successfully used Jr. Maths to supliment RS to teach to the test just before SAT's last year. That worked well.

 

Thanks a million,

 

get-it-done is what we are looking for. thanks again.

~Christine in al

[Greta]

get-it-done is what we are looking for.

 

Then I will add another voice of agreement. I think Galore Park would be a great choice for you. We used it for one year, and while I liked it a lot, my dd begged for something more hands-on. But for what you need, it sounds like a perfect fit!