3lilreds in NC Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I know I just asked about Astronomy & Earth Science. I got lots of fabulous advice and I really, really appreciated it! :D However, we've done no life science, and I'd like to do that with the girls before we move into the next step. I am thinking I will take the summer and really get into some science with them, which I think they will love, while I work on planning out the rest of our stuff. I re-read the WTM science section and was so excited by all the cool stuff we will get to learn! I have "How Nature Works" because someone sent it to me for FREE from this board (I can't remember who, but thank you!). I have been looking for the other books. It's no problem finding them. Here's the thing: I don't know how to make lesson plans for this stuff. :blushing: For example, the first 3 weeks on cells, etc. I don't know what to do. There are lovely diagrams of animal and plant cells. We can talk about them. Is that all I'm supposed to do? I don't know how in-depth it should be. I tend to go a little overboard, I think. I was hoping someone could tell me how they've done this, or point me to another thread. I did try to search but I didn't find what I was looking for. I feel like such a dork. I wonder if it would be better to just get something like Christian Kids Explore Biology and be done, rather than try to put this all together myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I would check out Elemental Science. Her life science for the logic stage looks awesome. I have not used it yet, but I want to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsiew Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 :iagree: I bought it and it's great! It has everything already laid out and done for you! We're going to use it this coming year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 For a 5th grader? We are finishing up 5th grade earth science. I used the free curriculum posted by fellow hive member at Guest Hollow. It is really great and perfect for logic stage kids. It is very easy to modify. It is very big, like a menu. You couldn't do everything she suggests. I just picked what looked good for us. We are secular and she is not but I was easily able to make it work for us. I added a month on animal classification and evolution. Occasionally she says to not read certain sections of a book to your child because it acknowledges evolution, well, we just read those parts. She ends the year with a discussion of health issues (I think) but we are doing plants instead. I have the radish unit from TOPS. It was a little nerve wracking to to the dissections in "Blood and Guts" but both my boys, 6 and 10, loved that part. We all learned a lot. It was one of the best science years for us, EVAH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted May 9, 2011 Author Share Posted May 9, 2011 Age-wise, my girls are finishing up 4th & 5th grade right now. Science has definitely been lacking as I've tried to get my oldest, in particular, to do some MATH. I like the look of Elemental Science. Thanks for the reminder about that. It's available as a download, too, which makes it easy for me! Let me ask you this: Where did you get your DK Encyclopedia of Nature? Amazon shows it as OOP. I can get it used, I'm just wondering if you found it somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplemama Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I am planning for Life Science next year for all three of my kids. For my older two (ds12 and dd10) I am using Lyrical Life Science, all three volumes, to cover animals, plants, classification and the human body, with information from the Usborne Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Natural World and How Nature Works to supplement. The way I have planned it, we will take more than the usual 36 weeks to cover the whole subject, but physics this year is taking less time. I am planning to buy a microscope and let my kids look at slides of various microscopic life. Also we will be doing lots of experiments and activities, a long term science project (like for a science fair, which my kids will decide to participate in or not), and dissection (earthworm and frog). I have planned the whole unit on my own. My kids are really excited about it. I thought about Elemental Science, but I knew I wanted to use Lyrical Life Science and I don't want to overwhelm my kids using two curricula. Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Lyrical life science is quite good! I own it. We didn't use it, for a number of reasons, but I found it to be better than I expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplemama Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I would be willing to post my lesson plans after I have finished putting them into final form. I have a lot of scribbles. You could just ignore the Lyrical Life Science parts. Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 We did 5th grade Life Science this year using How Nature Works, Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia and a couple of other books. At the beginning of the year I laid it all out as far as what we'd study/do each week. Meaning what books/pages to read as well as any diagrams, people to enter on the timeline, experiments (we failed miserably on doing many of these), websites or DVDs (we watched a lot of these - mainly 30 min. Schlessinger ones). Personally I don't think I'd ever again try putting together a year of science like that! Major pain. It took me FOREVER. I'd be glad to send you mine, but there are definitely things I'd change. I didn't have him outline the Kingfisher, which is what I think maybe TWTM recommends? Can't remember. We did read other books on the topics sometimes, and I'd have him do an outline or write a one-page paper every few weeks (we had enough writing otherwise). For example - this week we're reading about heredity, and I found a great-looking picture book for older kids on Gregor Mendel and his peas. I'll have him write on Mendel, and I found some good websites where you play heredity games. I broke my plan into topical sections (Human Body Systems, etc.) and then by lessons. Under the lessons I listed everything to be done that week. I don't know why we didn't do enough experiments. I think if I did it again I'd write down the specific experiments and then all the materials and plan in advance. Which may be why using more of a curriculum would work better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsiew Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Age-wise, my girls are finishing up 4th & 5th grade right now. Science has definitely been lacking as I've tried to get my oldest, in particular, to do some MATH. I like the look of Elemental Science. Thanks for the reminder about that. It's available as a download, too, which makes it easy for me! Let me ask you this: Where did you get your DK Encyclopedia of Nature? Amazon shows it as OOP. I can get it used, I'm just wondering if you found it somewhere? Right now there is a shipment coming in from China on a boat. Paige is keeping people updated on that. If you can find one used I'd go with that. Also, someone said they found one at their local Border's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Here's what I did: http://greenapplesblush.blogspot.com/p/living-books-for-biology.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 Wow. You guys have done some amazing stuff! Jennifer, I'd love to see your plans, if you want to post them. What made you decide to use Lyrical Life Science? I have heard of it before but haven't looked at it. Regena, as always, your lesson plans are amazing. Heidi, your comments about the lack of experiments is EXACTLY why I think a curriculum might work better. See, this is what happens when I read WTM. SWB makes it all sound so EASY, and then I start trying to figure out the details and I'm befuddled. I would love to see your lesson plans too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Heidi, your comments about the lack of experiments is EXACTLY why I think a curriculum might work better. See, this is what happens when I read WTM. SWB makes it all sound so EASY, and then I start trying to figure out the details and I'm befuddled. I would love to see your lesson plans too. Sure - not sure how to post it? I guess I need to e-mail you? If so, I'll need your e-mail address if you want to PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I do think you could make it work - I really like "How Nature Works", and I liked that my son was reading books and watching DVDs on the topics we were studying. I just think I'd plan out the experiments ahead of time - meaning list them in your schedule and make sure you have items on hand ahead of time. Whether experiments are from HNW or another book. One advantage - this was probably the least inexpensive subject this year, since I got HNW for $5, and another book for $9. The experiments mostly used things around the house. I liked the price a LOT! I also typed up some stuff I wanted him to study for memory work and will send that if you want it. It's not a lot, and I won't say we were very diligent about it, but I quizzed him on it now and again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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