Gathering info about Apologia's Elementary science books by Fulbright......

[Janie]

We are considering these for our school in the coming years. I've seen the Astronomy one but not the others. We like the topical approach and the fact that the student will focus on one major subject throughout the year, building a solid foundation, and then preparing for the logic stage to cover the material more in depth with a different text.

 

My questions:

 

 

• Is there a preferred sequence of these books?
  

 

 

 

• What grades are these really for?
  

 

 

 

• Do you use the Notebooking Journal? Is it helpful or a waste of time/money?
  

 

 

 

• Are the books written to do one per year or one per semester?
  

 

 

Any other comments (pros/cons) are appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[Janie]

bump

[lorrainejmc]

I have only seen and used Flying Creatures with my dd9. She is very keen to learn about the animal kingdom and had read many books written for adults before. The first few lessons about classification were tough, but she is finding the rest of it "challenging but enjoyable" to use her words. I don't think this particular one would be suitable for any younger. I think she is 3rd grade, but we are in the UK:D

 

I also meant to say yes we use the journal and wouldn't be without it. It has a schedule covering 28 weeks or 2 lessons per week. You could do 3-4 lessons per week if you wanted to cover 2 books per school year.

Edited May 21, 2011 by lorrainejmc

[mom2scouts]

We used Flying Creatures with my second grader this year and he really enjoyed it. He's begging me to start Zoology 2 now. He loves animals and soaked up the information like a sponge. He remembers much more than I do! We used one book for the whole year and found that to be a good pace. I would be rushing through it if we used one per semester. We have the notebooking journal and we do some, but not all of the activities. My son is not a hands on type of kid, but he did enjoy some of the activities.

 

I've heard that Botany is one of the easier topics, so you might want to start with that one. I know you need to start the zoology series with Zoology 1 because the animal classification will be used in the later books. As far as grades, they are geared toward grades 1-6, although my father taught middle school science for 40 years and said they contained much more information than any textbook he had ever used.

[TracyR]

Is there a preferred sequence of these books?

No. No real preferred sequence really. They do recommend if your going to use the Flying Creatures, Swimming Creatures, Land Animals that you do it in that order. But really , we started with Swimming Creatures first and we did just fine.

 

What grades are these really for?

They are recommended for kids in K-6th grade. Of course you would use it a little differently with a K/1st grader than you would with a 3rd grader or 4th or 5th grader. But you can combine if you want.

Do you use the Notebooking Journal? Is it helpful or a waste of time/money?

 

We have used the Notebooking Journal and my daughters liked it a lot. Its not a waste of time or money. It helps work on the skills they learned reading in their science book. It includes cross words for vocabulary, notebooking pages, extra science activites, chapter questions and lapbooking books if you want to make one. Well worth it. If you can't afford it Jeanie Fulbright has free notebooking pages for both younger children and older learners that you can print for free off of her website.. http://www.jeanniefulbright.com/notebook-pages

 

Are the books written to do one per year or one per semester?

You can do one per year or per semester. Its up to you how fast or slow you want to go.

[Janie]

Great info, Tracy! Exactly what I was looking for.

 

Thanks so much!

[simka2]

Here is what I love about the series: The way it is laid out. We can read together, discuss, and move thru materials as fast or slowly as we need. I like that it lends itself so well to Lapbooking/Journaling.

 

I am not super fond of the Journals. I have to many kids to make it affordable. I am also not YE so some things we skip over.

 

I REALLY like the series, but it has taken me awhile...mainly because of the YE slant. So unitl I find an OE version we will be sticking with it thru Elementary.

[QueenieReighn]

Is there a preferred sequence of these books?

Yes! The site recommends you go in order of the creation so that you are building the stepping stones for later books. For example, when you learn about animals, you have already learned about all the plants that they eat, or when you learn about plants, you have already learned about the sun that it needs. Thus, the recommended order of the books is astronomy, botany, zoology 1, 2, 3, and then human anatomy and physiology. They also stress that you can do them in any order you wish with no problems so that if your child is interested in some particular topic, they can go ahead and do it.

What grades are these really for?

These are for K-6. There is a whole lot of information, but the kids seem to enjoy that and learn a lot. I just make sure not to get my hopes up too much on my younger children remembering all those details. They really get to learn a lot though, especially if you use the notebook that helps cement some things in their heads.

Do you use the Notebooking Journal? Is it helpful or a waste of time/money?

I think the notebook is a must with these books. Otherwise, my children would have just been glassy-eyed as I read. lol My kids said the notebook made the class super fun and they would get so excited when I would get it out. Some books have a junior notebook that is good for students that are good at writing yet, but if your child isn't up to writing everything yet, you could just tell them to skip parts in the regular notebook for those books that don't have a junior notebook. My first daughter loves to write and could do the regular notebook in 1st grade fine, but my other daughter stuck to the coloring more for the junior notebooks.

Are the books written to do one per year or one per semester?

They are to be done in 28 weeks if you follow the schedule in the front of the notebook (2 days per week). That gives them plenty of time to really dive into the subject, reading books from the library about the topic and studying up on things they find interesting. My girls really love science and reading so they want to do it every single day though so we do 2 books a year because they just don't want to stop. :-P It sometimes makes it a little crammed to get their other work done when we do two a year, but since we are homeschooling after all, I just let them space out science into their "summer vacation" if need be.

Hope this helps and enjoy! These are the best books ever and so very interesting!

[Janie]

PerfectPerfectPerfect! Great info, Queenie!

 

Thanks!

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

Is there a preferred sequence of these books?

 

Yes! The site recommends you go in order of the creation so that you are building the stepping stones for later books. For example, when you learn about animals, you have already learned about all the plants that they eat, or when you learn about plants, you have already learned about the sun that it needs. Thus, the recommended order of the books is astronomy, botany, zoology 1, 2, 3, and then human anatomy and physiology. They also stress that you can do them in any order you wish with no problems so that if your child is interested in some particular topic, they can go ahead and do it.

 

What grades are these really for?

 

These are for K-6. There is a whole lot of information, but the kids seem to enjoy that and learn a lot. I just make sure not to get my hopes up too much on my younger children remembering all those details. They really get to learn a lot though, especially if you use the notebook that helps cement some things in their heads.

 

Do you use the Notebooking Journal? Is it helpful or a waste of time/money?

 

I think the notebook is a must with these books. Otherwise, my children would have just been glassy-eyed as I read. lol My kids said the notebook made the class super fun and they would get so excited when I would get it out. Some books have a junior notebook that is good for students that are good at writing yet, but if your child isn't up to writing everything yet, you could just tell them to skip parts in the regular notebook for those books that don't have a junior notebook. My first daughter loves to write and could do the regular notebook in 1st grade fine, but my other daughter stuck to the coloring more for the junior notebooks.

 

Are the books written to do one per year or one per semester?

 

They are to be done in 28 weeks if you follow the schedule in the front of the notebook (2 days per week). That gives them plenty of time to really dive into the subject, reading books from the library about the topic and studying up on things they find interesting. My girls really love science and reading so they want to do it every single day though so we do 2 books a year because they just don't want to stop. :-P It sometimes makes it a little crammed to get their other work done when we do two a year, but since we are homeschooling after all, I just let them space out science into their "summer vacation" if need be.

 

Hope this helps and enjoy! These are the best books ever and so very interesting!

This is just plain creepy, and the wording is like a bad informercial (not that there are any good infomercials).

[TracyR]

I don't get what is so creepy about it. Its obviously answering a question that some one asked. And it was answered. How do you know that this person doesn't do reviews? I know plenty of homeschoolers that have the chance to get to review products and use them with their families. I do it every now and then. Doesn't mean I own the product. The question was asked and it was answered. There isn't anything on there I don't agree with. I've used the Apologia science as well with my girls and agree 100% with the answers.

 

I agree that the notebooks really give the program a better dimension. It really adds to the program.

 

I just think people are getting to parnoid on these boards. I too think that the Elementary science books are excellent and interesting. I learned a thing or two about subjects I didn't know about while using it with my children.

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

I don't get what is so creepy about it. Its obviously answering a question that some one asked. And it was answered. How do you know that this person doesn't do reviews? I know plenty of homeschoolers that have the chance to get to review products and use them with their families. I do it every now and then. Doesn't mean I own the product. The question was asked and it was answered. There isn't anything on there I don't agree with. I've used the Apologia science as well with my girls and agree 100% with the answers.

 

I agree that the notebooks really give the program a better dimension. It really adds to the program.

 

I just think people are getting to parnoid on these boards. I too think that the Elementary science books are excellent and interesting. I learned a thing or two about subjects I didn't know about while using it with my children.

It's creepy because the poster has one post and joined this month so he/she obviously subscribed to post this "review," which has a very infomercial type feel to it. I happen to LOVE Apologia's science and don't find it creepy at all.

 

ETA, isn't there a forum rule about this?

[simka2]

It's creepy because the poster has one post and joined this month so he/she obviously subscribed to post this "review." I happen to LOVE Apologia's science and don't find it creepy at all.

 

:iagree:This is what was bothering me. I love reading real reviews, but I get kinda weirded out when these posts pop up. Why this thread? Why not the others about Apologia? Why start posting this way? I don't get it, but Ihope the OP can get the answers she is looking for. :D

[Janie]

I did, and ya'll need to settle down!

 

And don't start thinking I posted the initial question to start something. People who have been around here for the past ten years know me better than that. :) The question was legitimate.

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

I did, and ya'll need to settle down!

 

And don't start thinking I posted the initial question to start something. People who have been around here for the past ten years know me better than that. :) The question was legitimate.

I was referring to the answer, not your question. You obviously didn't just join:001_smile:

[mommyagain]

If you'd like an alternative for the notebook, A Journey Through Learning has lapbooks for all of them. I'll be using the Astronomy one with my kids this year. And if you'll be printing multiple copies for a classroom, they have a black and white option that would save on printing costs.

[simka2]

I did, and ya'll need to settle down!

 

And don't start thinking I posted the initial question to start something. People who have been around here for the past ten years know me better than that. :) The question was legitimate.

 

Didn't think that at all! ;)

[kchara]

Is there a preferred sequence of these books?The only preferred sequence is doing Zoology 1 before Zoology 2 and 3. That's because terms are introduced in Zoology 1 that they'll be studying in 2 and 3, and it will make it easier to understand. Other than that, there is no preferred sequence. Astronomy seems to be the easiest, so most people start with that, and Anatomy seems to be the most difficult (according what I've heard Ms. Fulbright say, I haven't used it yet), so it's recommended for 5-6th grades.

 

 

What grades are these really for?You can start them as young as K, as long as you're looking for exposure. That's what we do here. I don't expect them to start retaining tons at that age, though. (Although I will say, I've been shocked at how much my children have retained.) The upper level is around 6th grade. The projects seem to me to be good for 2nd grade and up.

 

 

Do you use the Notebooking Journal? Is it helpful or a waste of time/money?I use the free Notebooking Journals on Ms. Fulbright's blog. They're less pretty, and slightly less content, but they do work well for us. If those weren't available, I'd probably buy the ones off of the Apologia site. My kids really enjoy notebooking.

 

 

Are the books written to do one per year or one per semester?They're written as one per year, but on the Elementary Apologia Science Yahoo group, they have a few different schedules. For Astronomy, we used a 12 week schedule. For Botany, we're using a 16 week one.

 

 

Hope this helps you out some! We absolutely adore Apologia here!

[cbollin]

My questions:

 

Is there a preferred sequence of these books?

 

I've wondered that too. I've seen Mrs. Fulbright say one thing and website say another.... There's the astronomy to anatomy sequence plan out there... I wouldn't start with the anatomy book unless you are talking 5th or 6th grader. So, there seems to be some debate on it and changes on it as company changes happened in apologia. It might just be coincidence.

I think the go in order of creation style (astronomy to anatomy) came after the fact, instead of original intent. And the recommendations for it have changed over the years as the company changed. But that's just speculation from watching it over 5 years or so now.

 

 

What grades are these really for?

I've only used astronomy and botany. They are multi age. So if you have an oldest child who is in Kindy... go lightly. If you have a Kindy kid with older siblings, still go lightly, but yes, they can tag along. Elementary ages.

 

Do you use the Notebooking Journal? Is it helpful or a waste of time/money?

 

We used our own paper... a sewn composition book like you'd buy at beginning of school year in supply section. And we'd make our own notebooks. Notebooking is valuable. spend according to your budget. I didn't want to order a pack of materials and feel pressure to use them all in this book, so we used our own paper and made notebook very individualized and simple.

 

Are the books written to do one per year or one per semester?

 

the ones I used, I was thankful to be done in a semester. Philosophy wise, I'm not on the same page as Fulbright with only covering one topic per year in elementary. Nor am I am type who likes to take 3 years to study animals/zoology stuff for science class. I seem to remember in one of the books I used, Mrs. Fulbright suggested either semester or year -- but the design is for a year.

 

I can't imagine trying to stretch out the astronomy book for one year for an upper elementary student. But that might be influenced by the fact that she wasn't my oldest nor my youngest, and had plenty of exposure along the way to astronomy topics, and the amount of paragraphs in the book is very easy to digest for upper elementary student. just saying if we were on the one year plan with astronomy and only had upper elementary....

 

But I used the scheduled that was part of my core curriculum that schedules the books.

 

Cons: everyone will differ on this, but there were times in Mrs. Fulbright's enthusiasm for young earth, that I could not read certain sentences because of the tone of them, and I'm young earth. It was phrases such as "can you believe that others don't think this?" instead of just saying "not all people agree on this. Some people think..."

 

Pro: good photos, most experiments weren't hard. The borax thing in botany wasn't worth it though. Helpful links given to find extras as needed. Notebooking and narration tips are nice.

oh, the Botany book is useable year round in my opinion - and easy to adapt with house plants or buying something from local grocery store floral shop if needed.

 

We liked the books we used. just glad to use them quicker and not exclusively due to our preferences and philosophies on science instruction in elementary. and desire to have more hands on projects for chemistry and physics (my dh holds a phd in chemistry, so those things are important to us)

 

 

hope some of that helps you decide. Remember -- it's multi level text, so, if it seems too hard for youngest, just read smaller parts, enjoy the pics, draw in notebook, use narration.. don't fret about not covering all of it will youngest. They'll get it again in jr. high and high.

 

-crystal

[Angela13]

We started with Flying creatures this year. My ten year old and 7 year old are really enjoying it - and are turning into little bird spotters! Im about to order swimming creatures to use next year. I think it also becomes a very good shelf reference book later on. I have looked at the astronomy book - but dont think ill use this at all. I am going to leave the botony book till after the three zoology books as ive heard it is quite intensive. Being written from a christian viewpoint it doesn't take evolution into account at all - which suits some families but not others, This can be adjusted according to the families beliefs, as i am doing. :001_smile:

[Mama2Many4]

If you'd like an alternative for the notebook, A Journey Through Learning has lapbooks for all of them. I'll be using the Astronomy one with my kids this year. And if you'll be printing multiple copies for a classroom, they have a black and white option that would save on printing costs.

 

 

We've done the lapbooks for Zoology 1 from them and LOVED it! My kids have some great lapbooks stocked full of info because of it. Highly recommend for all of the books!

[QueenieReighn]

I'm sorry that some of you found my post creepy. I am not a reviewer...just a researcher/biologist. I was doing an internet search looking for an apologia lab kit and stumbled upon this thread. I know how much I want to know before I buy books for my girls so I decided to write a review even though I normally don't get on sites like this often (no time usually). I like to be helpful when I can. :-) I am happy to see it was helpful though and I had fun typing it so maybe I'll check this site out more and do more posts and learn about other books that I don't have experience with....though I do hope that the majority of people on here aren't of the variety that think I'm creepy just because I'm new to this site and don't post a lot of things. What's so bad with trying to be helpful anyways no matter how long I've been on here?

[cbollin]

What's so bad with trying to be helpful anyways no matter how long I've been on here?

 

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

 

It was guilt by association. Not that long ago there were some other companies sending employees to answer questions and post ads while using bot searches and . and those were, well, uhm... well..

 

It was more that the style that you answered may you seem like you might or could have been another one of those. So people are still on edge over here from some of that. It's not really about how long you've been here, but it looked out of place based on behavior of rule breakers recently.

 

So.... forgive those who got a little on edge from the activity that happened right before you showed up?

 

so... in spite of the faux pas, would you like to introduce yourself with homeschooling stuff? sounds like you using apologia with some/all of your children.

 

-crystal

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

I'm sorry that some of you found my post creepy. I am not a reviewer...just a researcher/biologist. I was doing an internet search looking for an apologia lab kit and stumbled upon this thread. I know how much I want to know before I buy books for my girls so I decided to write a review even though I normally don't get on sites like this often (no time usually). I like to be helpful when I can. :-) I am happy to see it was helpful though and I had fun typing it so maybe I'll check this site out more and do more posts and learn about other books that I don't have experience with....though I do hope that the majority of people on here aren't of the variety that think I'm creepy just because I'm new to this site and don't post a lot of things. What's so bad with trying to be helpful anyways no matter how long I've been on here?

Thank you for coming back and explaining, and I apologize for calling your post creepy. Unfortunately, 99% of the time when someone joins a forum to post a single post it's not because they are trying to be helpful, if you know what I mean. Usually it's to advertise, stir up trouble, etc. Your post was of the enthusiastic type that screams advertising when it's the only post someone has posted. I'm very happy to have been wrong:001_smile:

[Mom0012]

Are there samples online anywhere for the journals?

 

Thanks!

Lisa

[Janie]

Yes, Lisa, one of the best sites, imo, to see samples of these books and notebooking journals is CBD. This is the link to all of Fulbright's books; just select the one you want and find the links at the bottom for table of contents, etc. Great samples!

[TracyR]

Glad you came back on here to set things right. I didn't think your post was creepy at all. It answered everything the person wanted to know. It didn't seem advertizish ( is that a word even? ) at the least to me. That's why I didn't think you were someone from a book company. Didn't think that you even sounded that way either.

Sounded like a well educated parent that loved what they used.

[Mom0012]

Yes, Lisa, one of the best sites, imo, to see samples of these books and notebooking journals is CBD. This is the link to all of Fulbright's books; just select the one you want and find the links at the bottom for table of contents, etc. Great samples!

 

Thanks!

Lisa

[Homemama2]

I'm sorry that some of you found my post creepy. I am not a reviewer...just a researcher/biologist. I was doing an internet search looking for an apologia lab kit and stumbled upon this thread. I know how much I want to know before I buy books for my girls so I decided to write a review even though I normally don't get on sites like this often (no time usually). I like to be helpful when I can. :-) I am happy to see it was helpful though and I had fun typing it so maybe I'll check this site out more and do more posts and learn about other books that I don't have experience with....though I do hope that the majority of people on here aren't of the variety that think I'm creepy just because I'm new to this site and don't post a lot of things. What's so bad with trying to be helpful anyways no matter how long I've been on here?

 

 

Not creepy! Welcome to the boards!

[QueenieReighn]

Thanks for the explanation of why people were unhappy. That makes sense. And thanks for the welcome. :grouphug:

 

would you like to introduce yourself with homeschooling stuff?

 

Not exactly sure what you're asking here. My name's Rebekah and I homeschool my two girls because they are "too advanced" so the public school is not very helpful with them and I want them to have a God focused life that the school doesn't offer anyways.

 

We've done the lapbooks for Zoology 1 from them and LOVED it! My kids have some great lapbooks stocked full of info because of it. Highly recommend for all of the books!

 

Just wanted to say thanks for this link! I think my younger daughter would love this much better than the notebook that my older daughter likes. She is much more hands on, while the older one loves to read and write everything in 'special' notebooks like a real scientist. lol

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

I would recommend doing the Astronomy and Botany books according to season. The Astronomy book is great for winter because viewing the night sky minus the bugs is great and I find winter skies clearer. Botany is good for the beginning of school months or spring. You will a lot more out of the Botany course is you can view the flora in your area. The same with the Flying creatures. This is a great book to begin in the late winter/early spring when the bird activity is high.

 

My son did these books when he was starting 4th grade and got so much out of it. He did a book a semester. The amount of info he retained is phenomenal. He has pulled from his learned knowledge from these books numerous times over the years to help in other studies. I am sure they will be good for younger children, but personally I would not use them until at least 3rd or 4th grade if you want them to get the full impact of the books

 

For all the books we used the free notebooking pages.

[hollyh]

Just FYI, they are coming out with the JR notebooks for all the books! Right now there is a JR one for anatomy.

[simka2]

I'm sorry that some of you found my post creepy. I am not a reviewer...just a researcher/biologist. I was doing an internet search looking for an apologia lab kit and stumbled upon this thread. I know how much I want to know before I buy books for my girls so I decided to write a review even though I normally don't get on sites like this often (no time usually). I like to be helpful when I can. :-) I am happy to see it was helpful though and I had fun typing it so maybe I'll check this site out more and do more posts and learn about other books that I don't have experience with....though I do hope that the majority of people on here aren't of the variety that think I'm creepy just because I'm new to this site and don't post a lot of things. What's so bad with trying to be helpful anyways no matter how long I've been on here?

 

Thank you so much for this!!! ;) Sorry, for jumping all over you like that, it was more of a "last straw" issue. This really is a great place, with tons of ideas and experiences. I would recommend checking the accelerated board as well.

 

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

 

It was guilt by association. Not that long ago there were some other companies sending employees to answer questions and post ads while using bot searches and . and those were, well, uhm... well..

 

It was more that the style that you answered may you seem like you might or could have been another one of those. So people are still on edge over here from some of that. It's not really about how long you've been here, but it looked out of place based on behavior of rule breakers recently.

 

So.... forgive those who got a little on edge from the activity that happened right before you showed up?

 

so... in spite of the faux pas, would you like to introduce yourself with homeschooling stuff? sounds like you using apologia with some/all of your children.

 

-crystal

:iagree:

Thank you for coming back and explaining, and I apologize for calling your post creepy. Unfortunately, 99% of the time when someone joins a forum to post a single post it's not because they are trying to be helpful, if you know what I mean. Usually it's to advertise, stir up trouble, etc. Your post was of the enthusiastic type that screams advertising when it's the only post someone has posted. I'm very happy to have been wrong:001_smile:

:iagree: