Anyone unhappy with Apologia??

[jvenice]

If you are using Apologia for lower grades, please tell me what you like or don't like.

If you used it and were unhappy and have found something you like, please post what that curriculum/publisher is. :lurk5:

[Disney Dreaming]

I found that this was over dd's(7) head. I don't know if it would be for all 7 yr olds, but it was for her. *I* loved Apologia and will try it again in a few years. We have switched to Elemental Science and love it!

[Emilylou]

We are Apologia lovers here! My DS son is 7 and he loves these books!

I think if you have a science nut for a child these books are great. Most K-2nd grade science books my son had read or had us read to him before he was in K. So these books are perfect for him.

 

My DD is younger but isn't as science crazy as DS- these probably wouldn't be as nice as fit as for DS.

 

Hope this helps.

 

We are going Zoology 1 this year. He has done all the projects and can read the book, but I do most of the "writing" for him. He tells me what he wants on the notebook pages and I fill them in.

This helps me too. because at the same time I am making notes so I will be able to teach from these books at our co-op.

[HollyDay]

A lot depends upon the learning style of your dc. My oldest did not like it at all. She did not like the chatty nature of the text, nor did she like staying with one topic the entire book. She preferred a survey type program (BJU, Abeka for example) like a traditional textbook.

 

My youngest liked it. She just finished Swimming Creatures and said it was her favorite science book so far. She said that at the end of Land Animals too.

 

I am a bit concerned that the Apologia elementary books do not cover more of a variety of topics. I've been supplementing to include other topics such as magnetism, electricity, rocks/minerals, weather, volcanoes, etc. The Apologia elementary series is basically biology with an astronomy book. We used 1 Apologia book the first semester and used something else the second semester to get the variety I think a well rounded program should include. This year, we did Swimming Creatures 1st semester and Abeka 6 2nd semester.

[Emilylou]

I should add- we use these books in addition to the science in MFW Adventures and to my kids co-op science classes.

 

So they do get a well rounded mix of science each year.

[kristinannie]

I am planning on using NOEO Science books starting in first grade. I have heard a lot of rave reviews about them. I have also heard great stuff abot REAL Science Odyssey.

[CoastalGal]

A lot depends upon the learning style of your dc. My oldest did not like it at all. She did not like the chatty nature of the text, nor did she like staying with one topic the entire book. She preferred a survey type program (BJU, Abeka for example) like a traditional textbook.

 

My youngest liked it. She just finished Swimming Creatures and said it was her favorite science book so far. She said that at the end of Land Animals too.

 

I am a bit concerned that the Apologia elementary books do not cover more of a variety of topics. I've been supplementing to include other topics such as magnetism, electricity, rocks/minerals, weather, volcanoes, etc. The Apologia elementary series is basically biology with an astronomy book. We used 1 Apologia book the first semester and used something else the second semester to get the variety I think a well rounded program should include. This year, we did Swimming Creatures 1st semester and Abeka 6 2nd semester.

 

:iagree:

 

My 2 oldest tolerated the elementary books...I wouldn't say they liked them. They both really enjoyed the high school level books.

 

My youngest despises the elementary books...I haven't decided what we're going to do next.

[indigomama]

My DS6 loves Science, but I find Apologia Astronomy boring. I dread it. We are going to finish it this year but I am looking for something else for next year.

 

We have had more fun finding supplemental books from the library on the topic we are covering. They tend to be shorter, more to the point and with better illustrations and pictures.

 

I think it would be great for upper elementary or middle school.

[Hedgehogs4]

I really loved the first one we did which was the Flying Creatures book. I like Apologia because i am not a science person at all. I find that I'm learning too.

[SnMomof7]

I'm totally ughing on Astronomy. I'm not sure why, I thought I would LOVE this program. The text BORES me though, I'm slogging through reading it aloud. I've tried to start it up 3 times and always stall out, but my DD is desperate to do science so we are trying again. I want something that uses real books I think, this is still too 'texty'. Looking into NOEO.

[monalisa]

I was just wondering this today myself! We are on chapter 4 of Astronomy. I have mixed feelings. The text is kind of annoying for me to read a loud. It has somewhat of a dumbed down, overly chatty tone imo. Some of her word choices seem strange (dumbed down) to me (like the word "stuff"; I have read that too many times in just 4 chapters it seems). I am totally surprised I feel this way about it, because most people I know who have used it love it. I do appreciate the creationist viewpoint, because that is why I chose it to begin with. My dd likes it OK, but not as much as I thought she might. I also go the notebook, but that is becoming a little burdensome for dd, who is only 8; it probably was not necessary but it is nice to have it all right there and I think it may be keeping us on track (but I am skipping a good portion of the pages already or else I am doing the writing for dd, who hates the physical process of writing). I'm only spending a week on a chapter, btw. Two weeks per chapter seems a little drawn out. Unless the ship turns around before the end of the book, this may be the only book we do in this series.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I'm totally ughing on Astronomy. I'm not sure why, I thought I would LOVE this program. The text BORES me though, I'm slogging through reading it aloud. I've tried to start it up 3 times and always stall out, but my DD is desperate to do science so we are trying again. I want something that uses real books I think, this is still too 'texty'. Looking into NOEO.

 

Jennifer, we did Astronomy last semester and I felt the same way about it..."ugh". Dd's eyes glazed over for most of the text so I knew she wasn't getting all the technical jargon and all the specifics about how many earth days or years its orbit was equivalent to, etc., etc. I ended up just using the experiments and using the TOC as a spine for what order to study everything in and got books from the library. I did read through the text just to familiarize myself with certain things that I did want to share with dd. I'm using the Botany right now but I am paraphrasing a lot of the information and adding in LOTS of library books (I've actually turned it into an all inclusive unit study that spans all subjects). But the Botany book itself is just being used as a spine. I don't think I would use these again for this age.

 

I've used NOEO too and I didn't like it either. It really is nothing more than a schedule for what to read out of what book on what day. The experiments (Biology) weren't anything I couldn't have come up with on my own and we actually ended up doing our own thing for most of the experiments. Anyway, I guess I shouldn't rain on your parade because I know there are some who love NOEO...I'm just really picky about science programs and I haven't been able to find one that I really love.

 

Edited to add: If you really want to use real books why not just purchase the Usborne Science Encyclopedia http://www.amazon.com/Usborne-Science-Encyclopedia-Kirsteen-Rogers/dp/079453046X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296685402&sr=8-1

and an experiment book like this one http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=202+Science+Investigations&x=0&y=0

Get a bunch of library books to go along with each topic and viola! I think this is going to be the way we do things next year for dd8.

Edited February 2, 2011 by 5LittleMonkeys

[Annabel Lee]

Since you asked for responses about not loving it, I'll tell you what I don't like about it. While it covers each topic "enough", I prefer expanded studies with more books to read, taking the learning deeper. I also am lightly annoyed with the writing style used for some points. I paraphrase for my boys, and sometimes I'll add a quick bit of info. about what I just read, only to find the next paragraph a chatty rephrasing of what I just said. Some of the paragraphs (they're usually short) focusing on the creationist viewpoint tend to be worded in that "extra-chatty" tone. I like my science to be more "facts" than "conversation w/ the author."

 

That's what I don't like about it. I'm sticking with it for this semester, doing 1 lesson per week, and may look at other Apologia titles for future use. It's "enough" to accomplish science well, and it's short and sweet - science is finally getting done. While it's not the intricately collated plan I made initially, it's better than doing nothing for lack of time.

[SnMomof7]

Hey, I like to hear the good AND bad Aime, so thanks for your input.

 

Hey, on the astronomy front, I found this:

 

http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=LBC&Category_Code=Astronomy

 

And I HAVE that astronomy guide on my computer, I just need to buy some lit!

[Hedgehogs4]

I was just wondering this today myself! We are on chapter 4 of Astronomy. I have mixed feelings. The text is kind of annoying for me to read a loud. It has somewhat of a dumbed down, overly chatty tone imo. Some of her word choices seem strange (dumbed down) to me (like the word "stuff"; I have read that too many times in just 4 chapters it seems). I am totally surprised I feel this way about it, because most people I know who have used it love it. I do appreciate the creationist viewpoint, because that is why I chose it to begin with. My dd likes it OK, but not as much as I thought she might. I also go the notebook, but that is becoming a little burdensome for dd, who is only 8; it probably was not necessary but it is nice to have it all right there and I think it may be keeping us on track (but I am skipping a good portion of the pages already or else I am doing the writing for dd, who hates the physical process of writing). I'm only spending a week on a chapter, btw. Two weeks per chapter seems a little drawn out. Unless the ship turns around before the end of the book, this may be the only book we do in this series.

 

FYI...the Astronomy book does seem a bit "dumbed down" language-wise. It is the book (I believe) that is recommended to start with for younger kids. My DD5 likes it, my DS 9 is "meh" on it. WE LOVED flying creatures--it had a good balance of challenge and weird facts that kept us totally engaged.

[Kipling]

FYI...the Astronomy book does seem a bit "dumbed down" language-wise. It is the book (I believe) that is recommended to start with for younger kids. My DD5 likes it, my DS 9 is "meh" on it. WE LOVED flying creatures--it had a good balance of challenge and weird facts that kept us totally engaged.

 

 

Good to know. We are working our way through astronomy this year. We're really enjoying it, but I can understand why others would not like it. My kids are fairly young, so I have appreciated the informal tone. I bought both the astronomy book and the flying creatures book at a used curriculum sale last summer, so I'm glad to hear good things about the one we'll be doing next year. My kids love weird facts.:001_smile:

 

For the OP - what I like (bearing in mind we have only done the one book) is the chatty tone that others have not liked. I have also liked that the reading is easy to break down into small chunks, the creationist viewpoint, the suggestions for experiments, and the free notebooking pages available at http://www.jeanniefulbright.com/notebook-pages

What I have not liked is that some of the chapters seem to not have much depth to them. I don't know a whole lot of astronomy, but I imagine there is a lot more to know about the outer planets than the book tells. For my kids, it seems age-appropriate; for older kids, I don't think it gives enough detail.

[kalphs]

If you are using Apologia for lower grades, please tell me what you like or don't like.

If you used it and were unhappy and have found something you like, please post what that curriculum/publisher is. :lurk5:

Dh and I looked over the Apologia curriculum several years ago.

The reasons we decided against using the curriculum are...

 

1. It is our responsibility parents to teach our child about our religious beliefs, why we believe what we do and how it makes a difference in our lives.

It is not the responsibility of Jeannie Fulbright or Jay Wiley to do so, it is ours.

 

2. Dh and I wanted a curriculum which teaches scientific concepts in a sequential matter, laying a firm foundation in science.

Apologia mainly focuses on teaching "apologetics" with scientific concepts becoming secondary.

Dh and I both are of the mindset Apologia is not strong enough in scientific concepts to lay a firm foundation.

 

3. The books geared for younger children appeared to be "dumbed down."

Dh and I want books which engage Dd's mind in the language/world of science.

The Magic School Bus series is excellant in its approach in presenting scienctific concepts in an engaging format.

 

 

Our family has used Sonlight Science Cores K-1, the Magic School Bus series, numerous science experiment books/dvds with Vicki Cobb being one of our faves, DK books and the WTM for the grammar stage. In the end Dh and I ended up writing our own science curriculum because we both have employement backgrounds which are heavily grounded in science.

We did purchase "Christian Kids Explore" series published by Bright Ideas Press www.brightindeaspress.com to use as an outline.

The curriculum is Christian in nature, but the faith portion is tastefully presented alongside the scientific information.

The curriculum is layed out sequentially to provide your child with a firm foundation in science for Grades 3-8. Plus the authors have an infectious love of science which will probably rub off on your child. However there is always the possibility we will probably forgo it in favor of what the WTM recommends at the logic stage.

Edited February 4, 2011 by kalphs

[siloam]

If you are using Apologia for lower grades, please tell me what you like or don't like.

If you used it and were unhappy and have found something you like, please post what that curriculum/publisher is. :lurk5:

 

We have enjoyed Botany, Zoo 1, Zoo 2 and Zoo 3. The kids won't let me do the Body book (ewww!) and they have no desire to do Astronomy. I suspect that they wouldn't like either.

 

I also use God's Design, especially for those topics which they don't like. The books are shorter and the reading time leveled. They are not astoundingly great but they get the job done.

 

My older two are doing a bunch of reading/experiments independently. I had them go through the k'nex education kits (the $30-$40 ones not the $100-300 kits). Next they are going to start the SL Science 3 video, experiment books (the TOPS books) and experiment kit. Not the whole package, just the experiments are what I want. I plan to do this sort of thing till High School. Read aloud time together, experiments and additional reading independently for the older kids.

 

Heather

[kchara]

We've only done Astronomy, but my kids (8 and 9) really enjoyed it. I didn't use the notebooks that you buy on the site, I got the free ones from Jeannie Fulbright's blog. They're the same thing, just slightly less "pretty." They have one for upper elementary, who can write out their thoughts and answers, and one for lower elementary, which has spaces for picture drawing. I had my kids write out the What Do You Remember? answers in their notebooks, and I was really surprised at how much they actually retained. We finished it up in September, and weren't able to buy another one right away, but I found a DVD on the solar system and popped it in the other day. They were SO excited, and started recounting everything they'd learned in Astronomy. We'll definitely be sticking with Apologia.

 

I do wish there was a general science course for the elementary ages. I'll have to supplement that, but we're heading to Botany next. ;-)

[Homemama2]

I'm not sure why, I thought I would LOVE this program. The text BORES me though, I'm slogging through reading it aloud

 

:iagree: I LOVE science. But I'm not loving these books. Funny thing is, I'm not even sure WHAT it is that I dislike. I just think they're boring. My oldest liked it ok, but he never complains about anything. My youngest sits w/ his eyes glazed over after I've been reading for about 5 minutes. But then, I haven't LOVED any science program I've used yet. I bought Elemental physical science for next year and from what I've seen of that I like the looks of it. The book choices seem age appropriate and fun, and there are lots of experiments. .

[Mommee & Baba]

I was so excited to start Apologia last year. When we pulled out the Astronomy book we were so pumped up and excited. We purchased a binder for each of the kids to have their own journals for notebooking pages and we purchased a solar system kit to put together. After making it halfway through the book I shelved it. My first thought was...WHO really needs to KNOW that much about a planet!!?? I mean I can see covering the basics and going into an activity/project per planet to finalize it then move on...at the time my children were in first grade and K4 and enjoyed it but it started to drag out and the kids were starting to moan and groan about science and we LOVE science..so that was a tell tell sign that they are too young for that particular book. We'll come back to it when they are older but we went to CGC this year and are just doing it part time..next year however we're doing Apologia Zoology 1. I did plan to do Apologia Botany this year and even printed off EVERYTHING for the entire year and file it but after reading over the first chapter again and again I decided it wasn't the best move this year.

[lexi]

Jennifer, we did Astronomy last semester and I felt the same way about it..."ugh". Dd's eyes glazed over for most of the text so I knew she wasn't getting all the technical jargon and all the specifics about how many earth days or years its orbit was equivalent to, etc., etc. I ended up just using the experiments and using the TOC as a spine for what order to study everything in and got books from the library. I did read through the text just to familiarize myself with certain things that I did want to share with dd. I'm using the Botany right now but I am paraphrasing a lot of the information and adding in LOTS of library books (I've actually turned it into an all inclusive unit study that spans all subjects). But the Botany book itself is just being used as a spine. I don't think I would use these again for this age.

 

I've used NOEO too and I didn't like it either. It really is nothing more than a schedule for what to read out of what book on what day. The experiments (Biology) weren't anything I couldn't have come up with on my own and we actually ended up doing our own thing for most of the experiments. Anyway, I guess I shouldn't rain on your parade because I know there are some who love NOEO...I'm just really picky about science programs and I haven't been able to find one that I really love.

 

Edited to add: If you really want to use real books why not just purchase the Usborne Science Encyclopedia http://www.amazon.com/Usborne-Science-Encyclopedia-Kirsteen-Rogers/dp/079453046X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296685402&sr=8-1

and an experiment book like this one http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=202+Science+Investigations&x=0&y=0

Get a bunch of library books to go along with each topic and viola! I think this is going to be the way we do things next year for dd8.

 

Ok, I'm looking into Apologia Astronomy too and now I'm a little worried after reading the posts. :tongue_smilie:

My daughter will be 6 so I think the simple text will be more appealing to her than an older student. I had planned to check out lots of living books from the library to correspond to each chapter as well as biographies of astronomers. I guess I was planning to make our study a little bit like TOG, using the Astronomy book as our spine- for a non-science mommy- and then supplementing because we love to read. For those of you who have used the program, do you think this is doable or even a good idea? :confused:

Is there a science type curriculum that covers this topic that recommends supplemental books? I looked at NOEO but it didn't look very appealing. It looked like nothing more than a reading schedule.

Now I'm on the fence for next year ad I really want to enjoy science because I never enjoyed it in school! :001_unsure:

[5LittleMonkeys]

I had planned to check out lots of living books from the library to correspond to each chapter as well as biographies of astronomers. I guess I was planning to make our study a little bit like TOG, using the Astronomy book as our spine- for a non-science mommy- and then supplementing because we love to read. For those of you who have used the program, do you think this is doable or even a good idea?

 

 

This is essentially what we did and it worked out fine. Only you know what your dc will be able to handle and what she won't. The text does have a simple tone to it but there is information in there that my dd didn't really grasp like how hot a planet was (she has nothing to compare what 700 degrees is), how many miles away from earth it was, how much the planet weighed, etc. I just gleaned over that stuff. We did like the projects though. My suggestion is to pre-read and note\highlight what you want to read to her, what you want to omit and what you want to paraphrase. We will keep these books on our shelf...dd11 is using it as just a read through right now, but I wouldn't use the books as a stand alone program again. The botany study that I wrote is going well but the Apologia book is just one of MANY that we are using.

 

I will add too, which I should have mentioned in my other post, that a large part of why the book felt awkward to me is the young earth discussion. (Well, I wouldn't really call it "discussion"...more like "see, this proves young earth theory, there is no discussion") I've used young earth material before and was able to turn it into a discussion of the different beliefs (because I want my dc to respect the beliefs of others and to be informed so that as they mature they can formulate their own opinions) but this just felt very preachy to me.

 

Keep in mind that it does have a fairly good resale value, especially if you buy it used to begin with.;)