3browneyedboys4me Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 What is your opinion of Apologia's, Eploring Creation with General Science? I am considering enrolling my son in a class next year and this is the science program that they are going to use. I'm only asking b/c we've never used it. I own the elementary levels, but I've never looked at the Middle school level. I am just curious about how well it was received by your students. My son is a science kid. He loves BJU. I was planning on using BJU 7 next year, but if we decide to place him in this class, we will be using the texts that are required. I guess i'm just curious how it compares to other programs like BJU. thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Not a fan. Not one bit. For every person who likes Apologia's conversational style, there is someone (as I) who can't stand Apologia's yackety jabber. Although I no longer remember the particulars, after so many years, I recall reading some discourse on economics (in the General Science Apologia text) which was so inaccurate, I showed it to my economist husband. I became fond of the elementary school textbooks by Mrs. Fulbright, but we no longer will entertain thought of Apologia. Nonetheless, I'm from the negative camp. The positive camp is large and enthusiastic. The program may end up working very well for your children, and they may ask you to let them continue through the series. BJUP science is, we thought, "traditional, pokey, dullish" science. Functional, but inspiring only to a student who innately loves science. I think that programs such as BJUP inspired the birth of Apologia, Rainbow, and other such "friendly atmosphere" programs. Don't be put off by my negative comments! I'm just making available some of the "big picture" of opinions. As for your son, much will depend upon the teaching skill and enthusiasm of the instructor. He or she may be one to include good-quality supplemental materials to enhance the basic text. The course well might be a wise choice because of that, and because of the opportunity to bounce ideas with other students. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I will have my fifth go-round with Apologia General Science next fall. I have used their science sequence all the way through high school with all my kids so far. I don't love it or hate it, but it gets the job done. My oldest ones have told me that they felt well prepared for college level science when they got there, so we are sticking with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I tried the Apologia older books and was VERY disappointed. Where the younger books excel at the narrative style, these books bomb. Boring. Confusing, and the experiments were a joke. If your child does not enjoy science and you just need something to say you did the class then these might fit the bill, but not a science loving student. For Middle school and beyond my pick is BJU. Chock full of info. I personally have read the 7th and 8th grade books so I can discuss with my son, and I did not find them to be boring text books. The experiments were wonderful. Some were not possible to do in a home setting, but these were just a few of the many they offer. Your child can do this course on his own, but discussions would be beneficial. There are enough reviews to make sure your child gets it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LidiyaDawn Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I tried the Apologia older books and was VERY disappointed. Where the younger books excel at the narrative style, these books bomb. Boring. Confusing, and the experiments were a joke. If your child does not enjoy science and you just need something to say you did the class then these might fit the bill, but not a science loving student. What she said, more or less. We tried out the General Science this year for dd14 and yikes. BORRRRRRING. Dry, boring, bland, blaaaaaaaah. Jeanie Fullbright's "Exploring Creation" series though? Fantastic! Bright, colourful, great photos, lots of info, we love 'em. We're actually using the Flying Creatures one right now (both kids together) - now granted, we don't use them exactly as they're designed (we don't the 'notebooking' thing, for one, and we use lots of other stuff too - videos, library books, our own crafts/projects/etc), but we LIKE them. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karis Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 What is your opinion of Apologia's, Eploring Creation with General Science? I am considering enrolling my son in a class next year and this is the science program that they are going to use. I'm only asking b/c we've never used it. I own the elementary levels, but I've never looked at the Middle school level. I am just curious about how well it was received by your students. My son is a science kid. He loves BJU. I was planning on using BJU 7 next year, but if we decide to place him in this class, we will be using the texts that are required. I guess i'm just curious how it compares to other programs like BJU.thanks so much! I could have written this post. Our co-op is switching to the Apologia and I REALLY want the BJU Life. trying to decide what we are going to do. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I used it with a 6th and 7th grader and we did all the experiments. Some were good and some were so-so. The text was informative but a little long winded. We liked it but we also do a lot of supplementation with other texts, media and outside classes to keep science interesting. Apologia alone would IMO be dry. So we beef it up significantly. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetobehome Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Bumping this, because I have the very same question. So life doesn't end if you don't do Apologia science through high school? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calandalsmom Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Despite serious reservations about the underpinnings of the courses (creationism) I have never heard any one say that these apologia courses did NOT prepare their kids for college level classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetobehome Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 I have read people say it takes an hour or more a day, is this true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Well maybe depending on how you do it. We slotted it for 3 days a week on Tues and Thurs & Friday. We read half on Tues (about an hour and half), half on Thurs (same time) and did experiments on Fri. The experiments usually were easy and fast. I did supplement with UnitedStreaming videos and Netflix but I don't count that in the time. For us, the total per week was about 4-5 hours at most for that book. So I guess that could be an hour a day but it didn't feel like it when it was done in larger chunks of time. Mine seems to get more out of it when we broke it up less. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Another family that didn't like it very much. My ds didn't have any retention using it. By the time the author got to the point, my ds had forgotten what the subject was about. We only did a few of the experiments and they were so-so. I heard that Physical Science was much better, so we tried that this past year and didn't enjoy that one either. We switched to Rainbow, but the lessons seemed too short and choppy. Now we're deciding between Oak Meadow and Mother of Divine Grace, both of which have a different science sequence than Apologia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Lovetobehome, have you looked at the DIVE cds yet? You can use them with any text or even no text. If you don't think he's ready for that in 7th (they start with physical science), then you could do something else for a year (Hakim, whatever) and start DIVE in 8th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 We like it - I guess it just suits us, certainly at the moment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spock Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I don't like Apologia General Science or Physical Science. Biology is just okay. I do like the Chemistry and Physics books. My oldest used about a third of Physical Science, and about a third of Biology. My second son used all of General Science, and thought it was okay, but I do remember disliking the author's argument that second-hand smoke isn't actually more dangerous than smoking. The main problem I have with Biology and General Science (which covers a fair bit of biology, along with some geology and history of science) is that the author is actually a chemist (with a minor in physics, if I remember correctly), not a biologist or geologist or astronomer. He doesn't really have the background in those areas to write a good textbook, in my opinion. (Physical Science is mostly about areas he did study--introductory physics and chemistry--but also has a longish section on astronomy. However, my main complaint about that book is that it is boring.) I will be looking for other textbooks for my younger two for 7th/8th grade science and for biology--something written by someone who has actually studied in depth the area he/she is writing about. I will probably still use the chemistry and physics texts we have, since Dr. Wile is actually qualified in those areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 (edited) How about supplementing like 2Cents suggested when she said: We liked it but we also do a lot of supplementation with other texts, media and outside classes to keep science interesting. Apologia alone would IMO be dry. So we beef it up significantly. What would you suggest? Blessings, Lucinda Edited May 23, 2011 by HSMom2One Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy in NJ Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 We did not complete General Science but jumped into Physical in 8th grade. It's been a challenging but good experience. My feelings are much the same as MamaT's. It's a git'er done thing, but, then, I'm not a sciency person. Since your ds is scieny, can you get your hands on the text just to review? He may have strong feelings one way or the other just by reading through the text. I'd borrow a copy from a friend or buy one used cheap before deciding on the class. I will have my fifth go-round with Apologia General Science next fall. I have used their science sequence all the way through high school with all my kids so far. I don't love it or hate it, but it gets the job done. My oldest ones have told me that they felt well prepared for college level science when they got there, so we are sticking with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I have read people say it takes an hour or more a day, is this true? I've downloaded the Core Foundations schedule for this course and it doesn't look that way at all. The schedule has it all broken down into 32 reasonable weekly sections with reading and writing throughout the week, plus experiments 1-4 times per week. Of course, like I said in a previous post, we haven't done it yet. But as I look at the schedule it does look doable. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Weeellll....b.or.i.n.g. comes to mind. My sons pleaded with me to never again torture someone with the Gen. Sci. The Physical Science was better, but we felt like the push for Young Earth was too hard. We are young Earth and we got a "he's trying too hard and it's kind of annoying" feeling. We have moreso enjoyed the Biology for high school. I am going a different route with the next lot and putting together more living books + Lyrical Science (in the pipeline for next year) + Noeo + Unit Studies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clover11 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 We are almost finished with General Science and my ds12 really enjoys it (it's his 1st year with Apologia). We have used a few different programs in the past, and he got a chance to look at quite a few at a recent curriculum fair. (We have never used BJU, only looked through it at the fair). My ds does a module a week. He reads, takes notes, and does experiments Monday-Friday, and takes the test on Saturday. We add in Netflix dvds, various books when we come across them, and I have Prentice Hall books on hand for a different 'view'. I actually prefer a secular science curriculum and didn't think I would like Apologia. The author spends quite a bit of time proving his viewpoint, but he is also fair and gives both sides of everything. (While also admitting his bias). It gives us a chance to talk about issues and lets ds hear a side different than my own. Ds has always enjoyed science, but since starting Apologia it is his favorite subject. I always pre-read the week's module, and have to admit that I enjoy his chatty way of teaching! Science was never my favorite subject, but I find myself interested in it now :) We plan on continuing through the high school courses, but may start Red Wagon dvds when we get into Biology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirowife Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 We did BJU Life for 7th this year and my daughter loved it. The experiments were all doable and we even did all the dissections (perch, worm, crayfish, frog). She learned a lot and enjoyed it. Now what to do for 8th... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 (edited) nm Edited May 26, 2011 by Blueridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.