Combining Science with several ages?

[LAmom]

Do people use Science as they do History (MFW, TOG, etc) to combine with multiple ages? For example, trying to line up using Apologia, would I eventually have different groups of kids using different levels, since Apologia is K-6 and then 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are all individual? And I have 4 kids, all 2 yrs apart.

 

Hope this makes sense. :glare:

[m0mmaBuck]

I combine my 5 and 9 yos... Last year we did unit studies (animal kingdoms, humans, astronomy). This year we did health and chemistry. I choose a spine that is somewhere between their levels and then add books and writing projects for the older child. For instance, we are currently using RS4K prelevel (K-3) chemistry and I have DS9 do outside reading and written summaries.

[eternalknot]

I'm not familiar with how Apologia works, but my plan is to combine science with my kids. I have two, five years apart.

 

Like Michelle, we are using RS4K. I have the pre-level (K-3) to use with my five year old, and the level 1 to use with my ten year old. I read the lesson with my older student, then supervise him reading the pre-level to my younger student. We do the experiment together, then I help my youngest with her lab work while my oldest works on that independently. I chose RS4K because it could be done this way -- the levels have the same content, just written to different audiences. Or at least that's true of the Chemistry, which is only as far as I've looked and we've done so far LOL.

[kfeusse]

I have a 6, 9 and 10 year old and we both History (SOTW) and Science (Nancy Larson Science 1) all together and it works wonderfully!!!

[boscopup]

My oldest is only first grade, but my tentative plan (unless someone comes out with science that's totally TOG-like :D) is to do science altogether until the oldest is 7th grade or so, and then he'd do his own thing while the youngers are still together. In the upper levels, I'd think they'd be more independent anyway, right?

 

For elementary, I'm definitely combining. We're doing interest-led right now and enjoying it, though my 4 year old is just now starting to have science "turn on" in his brain (he let me know that fire is plasma the other day... just a few months ago, he couldn't understand the simplest of science concepts :confused:).

[LAmom]

I guess I am having trouble figuring out how to eventually be teaching science to 4 kids, 2 years apart (currently, 7, 5, 3, 1). Do I do some kind of rotation: Biology, Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics, repeat? Will that work out using something like Apologia or Elemental Science? I guess I could email either of those curricula and ask the writers.....

[eternalknot]

I guess I am having trouble figuring out how to eventually be teaching science to 4 kids, 2 years apart (currently, 7, 5, 3, 1). Do I do some kind of rotation: Biology, Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics, repeat? Will that work out using something like Apologia or Elemental Science? I guess I could email either of those curricula and ask the writers.....

 

That's my current plan - to do one subject (Biology, Astronomy, etc.) and tailor it to each child's working level. In your case I'd probably double up the two elder with the two younger, if their abilities allowed - just for your own sanity.

 

I don't know about those two programs, but I bet someone else can chime in on that :) bumping up for you!