Soror Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Missed this the first time around and find it interesting as I am trying to decide what to do about science! I have looked at all the popular programs and I don't really like any of them. I think I just need to find a way to make the informal science more a part of our life, involving the kids in more things, letting go of some guilt and letting dh take the lead some as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TX Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 For my four older kids, our science in the elementary years consisted mostly of Bill Nye and Magic Schoolbus. We also read books but nothing was formal. We pretty much unschooled when it came to science. They are all in high school and college now. One has graduated from college. They went to public high school and got As in biology, chemistry, physics, and human anatomy. They are about as sciencey as they were when they were younger...some have always been more so than others. My fourth daughter loved her high school biology class. My third daughter prefers chemistry and is getting As in AP Chemistry. I continue to not teach science formally with my younger kids. The older ones did not lack anything when they went to public high school and have thrived. Susan in TX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iona Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 I think the key to doing interest-led science, though, is to actually get out and do it. If you don't make an effort to incorporate it into your daily life, then "interest-led science" can become a euphemism for "we thumb through a DK book once a month," kwim? Jackie this could be us...i like the idea of interest led, but I may need a curriculum to have at least a framework or jumping off point. what was that curriculum called..."science for couchpotatoes":tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linguistmama Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Which texts require certain courses in 7th or 8th grade? None of the high school science courses we have used have had a middle school course as a pre-req. Some texts might recommend a life science or physical science course prior to taking it, but recommended is not the same as required. Introductory biology, chemistry, and physics can all be taken w/o any pre-reqs. (for that matter, their college level equivalents can be taken w/o the high school course. I makes for more memorization and more effort, but it is definitely still possible.) I should have said recommended! I was looking at BJU and they suggest the physical science course before highschool programs. Thanks for responding :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Which texts require certain courses in 7th or 8th grade? None of the high school science courses we have used have had a middle school course as a pre-req. Some texts might recommend a life science or physical science course prior to taking it, but recommended is not the same as required. Introductory biology, chemistry, and physics can all be taken w/o any pre-reqs. (for that matter, their college level equivalents can be taken w/o the high school course. I makes for more memorization and more effort, but it is definitely still possible.) I have really bright dc, but I wouldn't have wanted to try BJU Bio without that year of Life Science in junior high. Maybe if it was the only class they were taking, but on top of the rest of their rigorous load... no way. :001_smile: And Apologia, which many use, starts in 7th grade. I suppose you could skip General and Physical science, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smithie Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 My little group of moms who are homeschooling K and 1st graders this year decided to focus our co-op on science. This has worked out really well, for me at least, in that we have a forcing function that keeps science in our weekly rotation and not relegated to "we thumb through DK books." My kid has an extreme zoological bent and could probably prepare himself for high school biology just by spending the next 8 years free-reading on this beloved topic, but non-animal-related topics really might fall by the wayside if it weren't for co-op. This week, I prepared a lesson on the water cycle for the 1st graders. Left to myself, I probably would not have done that, and left to himself, DS would not have piped up with "hey Mom, I have a passionate desire to learn about transpiration!" So for me, very informal science is a good idea in the younger grades, but taking a look at the state standards and covering all those topics in a loose informal way throughout the year is also good. In the Internet age, one certainly does not need a textbook to accomplish this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I have really bright dc, but I wouldn't have wanted to try BJU Bio without that year of Life Science in junior high. Maybe if it was the only class they were taking, but on top of the rest of their rigorous load... no way. :001_smile: And Apologia, which many use, starts in 7th grade. I suppose you could skip General and Physical science, though. I cannot imagine that BJU's bio is any more difficult than the Campbell/Reece text. I have had kids take that as a 9th grade bio course. Not suggesting that this a route all might want to consider. But, our experience has been that non-textbook, interest-oriented science has been wonderful and has prepared them for high school/college level sciences with no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandymom Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I am not starting to homeschooling until August, but a more relaxed, less structured science is what I plan on doing for my younger two. I picked up the book Literature-Based Science: Children's Books and Activities to Enrich the K-5 Curriculum from Amazon (I got it used for around $1 + shipping). It's a little bit older book, but our library carries most of the recommended reading. It's broken down into book suggestions for K/1, 2/3, and 4/5 with quite a few activity suggestions for each of the topics. Topics cover all areas of general science. I can't tell you if the kids and I will like doing science this way, but I think we will :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 I am not starting to homeschooling until August, but a more relaxed, less structured science is what I plan on doing for my younger two. I picked up the book Literature-Based Science: Children's Books and Activities to Enrich the K-5 Curriculum from Amazon (I got it used for around $1 + shipping). It's a little bit older book, but our library carries most of the recommended reading. It's broken down into book suggestions for K/1, 2/3, and 4/5 with quite a few activity suggestions for each of the topics. Topics cover all areas of general science. I can't tell you if the kids and I will like doing science this way, but I think we will :) I wish there were previews! But this does look pretty good-thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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