For those teaching evolution...

[NicAnn]

How and when do you start? We will be teaching Creation, and that gets done just by Bible study, really. BUT I want DD to be well versed in evolution too, since the many of the people she meets will have been taught that. Not to mention I'm a pretty firm believe of learning all sides of something to form an opinion.

 

At what age do you suggest introducing the idea of evolution?

 

Thanks!

[WTMCassandra]

I am doing this, this year. I firmly believe that this is a logic stage endeavor. I have tried to teach a solid background of logic first, and now, this year, as part of a worldview and philosophy course, we will be examining evolution from both a creation standpoint and from evolution texts. I asked for some book suggestions on here and got some good ones.

[Satori]

We learned evolution at age 4 (when studying prehistory), it really helped us understand life science. When we started studying history age age 5, we also learned about several creation beliefs.

[Alveraz]

I just wanted to say thanks from a parent who's kid has one less close-minded fundamentalist to deal with when he's older. My family is of the athiest sort but I've purchased several variations of the bible and just picked up the Koran. I plan to teach my kids the ideas behind evolution and creation, on equal playing ground. I want them well-rounded to form their own opinions as they grow older as well. So, bravo.

 

As for where to start, start at the big bang (and other theories) and work your way up! Have fun with it and dig into the various cavemen. There are SO many excellent documentaries out there too on evolution. My boys have LOVED prehistoric times so far, from dinosaurs to modern man, it's been a blast. Since we're going to use SOTW this year we've had to do everything up to that point (nomads/first farmers) on our own during our "pre-season".

 

Good luck!

Edited August 6, 2011 by Alveraz

[Crimson Wife]

I do a unit on evolution when we start biology. That reminds me I need to get one ready because we're back to bio in the cycle and the new school year starts at the end of the month.

[Kalmia]

picture book:

 

What Darwin Saw: The Journey that Changed the World by Rosalyn Schanzer (National Geographic)

 

http://www.amazon.com/What-Darwin-Saw-Journey-Changed/dp/1426303963/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312646043&sr=1-1

[Milknhoney]

Since just about any animal, geology, or astronomy book you get from the library is going to have evolutionary and/or old-earth material in it, you will be forced to introduce evolution to your child right from the beginning whether you want to or not. I found William Steig's book, Yellow and Pink, to be a good introduction to the concepts of both sides of the debate. Any time my son runs into evolutionary content that he finds confusing, I remind him of that book and then he gets it.

 

He is in second grade right now and we are presenting the YE creation viewpoint as fact. I intend to take a closer look at evolution during the logic stage, when he is better equipped to examine evidence and draw conclusions for himself. I do agree that it is important for him to form his own opinion and not just believe in something because I said so. But, my pesonal opinion is that prior to logic stage, children have a limited ability to reason on their own and are vulnerable to whoever might be the most persuasive or alluring. Throwing a variety of different worldviews at them is confusing. He is heavily reliant on me to make sense of it all for him, and I do so based on the worldview I have based on my own sense of logic and reason. When he is old enough, he can form his own. For now, I think it is a mistake to try to make him form his own in the name of being open-minded. There IS an absolute truth, and I am going to teach him that.

[Alveraz]

Throwing a variety of different worldviews at them is confusing.

 

No it's not.

 

And anyone who is irresponsible enough to "throw" around education shouldn't be teaching. If you take your time using age appropriate materials in both creation and evolution, they can form opinions and find interesting ideas in both. Then when they hit the logic stage, they have the foundation from which to start forming more critical ideas. If they have been surrounded by nothing but creation in the early years, you're fooling yourself by suggesting they now have a "choice". They don't.

[zenjenn]

Well, I believe in theistic evolution (just so you know what perspective I am coming from). My kids are ages 6 and 8.

 

We are starting SotW Volume 1 this year, so the last couple weeks we have read Genesis from a children's Bible, creation myths, as well as books about evolution, dinosaurs, and early man.

 

I picked up this book on evolution from the library:

 

 

I thought it was fantastic and did exactly what I wanted it to do at this point in their education.

[NanceXToo]

I disagree that introducing various worldviews is "confusing." It's apparent pretty much all around us, no matter who we are or where we are, that different people believe different things.

 

We are a secular Jewish family (a little bit cultural, not particularly religious, and I'm agnostic leaning more toward atheism these days myself). My kids have been taught about their Jewish culture, have been taught about the commonheld Christian beliefs in this area, have read many different myths and legends and know what different cultures believed at different times, know that some people believe in God and some people don't, know what evolution is... it's all just things we watch on documentary type things or other educational shows, have conversations about as they come up, read about in many different types of books, learn about as we meet new people, and so on and so forth.

 

Children are going to absorb their own families values and eventually form their own beliefs, they're not going to be "confused" by the fact that there are other beliefs, theories and ideas out there.

 

Life on Earth, The Story of Evolution is one early book we read and enjoyed pertaining to evolution. It's by Steve Jenkins:

 

"Grabbing the audience's attention with stunning cut- and torn-paper collage illustrations, Jenkins (The Top of the World) illuminates another corner of the science world in this cogent introduction to evolution. Here, he traces the planet's history from its fiery beginnings billions of years ago through the emergence of the first bacteria, development of such organisms as jellyfish, ferns, dinosaurs, mammals and birds, on up to humans. Posing and answering questions ("Why have so many different forms of life developed on the earth?"), Jenkins ably presents such concepts as mutation, extinction and Darwin's theory of "survival of the fittest." The information spans an impressive range; Jenkins organizes and presents it with a clarity that demonstrates his mindfulness of the audience. Spacious white backdrops allow the vigorously lifelike collage images to spring to the fore. Bright-eyed frogs appear ready to jump off the pages; a shark swims menacingly toward readers; a wooly mammoth looks soft enough to pet. Science at its most inviting. Ages 6-10"

 

ETA: And I see that as I was typing this, the person right above me mentioned the same book lol.

[Satori]

I agree, that book mentioned above is a wonderful evolution book! I got it from the library, but that's one book I really wish I purchased for our home library.

[zenjenn]

Nance, funny we cross-posted recommended the same book. We are theistic, marginally observant, but also Jewish. I agree with pretty much everything you stated.

 

I find it interesting that it seems to be more common for religious people to think introducing evolution as "confusing" whereas more secular people (at least those that aren't angry religion-maligning atheists) are comfortable introducing religious ideas without worrying that it will be confusing.

 

Actually, when we read Life on Earth, my six-year-old proclaimed that "evolution mutations are weird and make no sense" and that she believes God created everyone.

 

I told her "And a lot of people agree with you. You can decide for yourself what you believe." ;) THAT is the kind of education *I* want to give my children.

[zenjenn]

Satori, I was thinking the same thing.. I've renewed it twice now and I think it may be one I need to buy.

[Alveraz]

I told her "And a lot of people agree with you. You can decide for yourself what you believe." ;) THAT is the kind of education *I* want to give my children.

 

Woot-woot!

 

:hurray:

[kristinannie]

I am not teaching evolution yet per se, but I state things such as the world is 4.5 billion years old. The dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. The kids don't understand that language yet, but they will come to. We also teach creation. I truly believe that God created the world. I just don't believe in young Earth. I would say that kids could understand the concept of evolution better when they are in upper elementary or junior high.

[kalanamak]

picture book:

 

What Darwin Saw: The Journey that Changed the World by Rosalyn Schanzer (National Geographic)

 

http://www.amazon.com/What-Darwin-Saw-Journey-Changed/dp/1426303963/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312646043&sr=1-1

 

This is a good book! Very well done.

[nmoira]

 

Since just about any animal, geology, or astronomy book you get from the library is going to have evolutionary and/or old-earth material in it, you will be forced to introduce evolution to your child right from the beginning whether you want to or not. I found William Steig's book, Yellow and Pink, to be a good introduction to the concepts of both sides of the debate. Any time my son runs into evolutionary content that he finds confusing, I remind him of that book and then he gets it.

I used it too, as an example of how people have a tendency to base arguments on (sometimes intentional) ignorance, in this case both the author and the puppets. Whether you "believe" in evolution or not, IMHO you are doing your child a disservice by using only materials that misrepresent it. Evolution cannot take place without a means of reproduction. Evolution, at its core, is about mistakes in the reproductive process, mistakes that are occasionally fortuitous. Evolution is not directed. Evolution is not a straight-line path of ascendence to some ideal. In the world-context of the book, the puppets' problem was ignorance, which is understandable given they had just come into existence. Edited August 6, 2011 by nmoira

[Clover11]

We do not censor any information pertaining to evolution. So, from an early age they are reading books about dinosaurs, evolution, etc.

 

I LOVE the book that ZenJenn posted! I will be adding that to our library.

 

Here is a game to use when your dd is older:

 

 

• Brainpop game that teaches National Science standards on evolution, adaptation, and the history of life on earth.
  

 

 

 

 

 

... If you take your time using age appropriate materials in both creation and evolution, they can form opinions and find interesting ideas in both. Then when they hit the logic stage, they have the foundation from which to start forming more critical ideas...

 

...Whether you "believe" in evolution or not, IMHO you are doing your child a disservice by using only materials that misrepresent it...

 

I totally agree with these statements.

[Jenny in Florida]

For us, it's just part of science. We don't do anything special to "teach evolution." Probably from the moment they start learning about animals, it's part of the explanation.

[RahRah]

For us, it's just part of science. We don't do anything special to "teach evolution." Probably from the moment they start learning about animals, it's part of the explanation.

 

:iagree:

 

Same here, although we've used some of the books suggested above, along with others.

[Parker Martin]

We like this book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Story-Virginia-Lee-Burton/dp/0395520177

 

It does not explain evolutionary theory, so you'd need something else for that, but it does give a long account of the history of life on Earth in picture book form. We just read a bit at a time.

 

Full disclosure in case it's helpful for you to know the perspectives of those offering suggestions: We are conservative Christians who believe in and teach evolution. We believe that evolution is just one of the many processes at work in God's creation.

Edited August 6, 2011 by Parker Martin

[Imprimis]

 

Here is a game to use when your dd is older:

 

 

• Brainpop game that teaches National Science standards on evolution, adaptation, and the history of life on earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BrainPOP (and BrainPOP Jr. for K-3) is also available as a free app for those with iPhones or iPads.

[Laura Corin]

We used the Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History to fill in an overview of evolution and pre-history. I used it when the boys were about five or six.

 

Laura

[angela in ohio]

You won't be able to avoid it. Every single museum, book, documentary, etc. you use that's available to the public or schools will have it (whether the topic is related to it or not. ;)) I wouldn't worry so much about introducing evolution as maintaining an education in Creationism, which will be your real struggle.

 

My dc picked up the basics of evolution throughout their childhood, and then they did a formal study of it in HS Bio. They were not confused, as a pp said, because I was always very clear with them and we discussed it frequently. I think (Creationist Christian) kiddos get confused only when their parents aren't having the conversations with them.

[zoo_keeper]

Like Angela, we covered prehistory before starting SOTW1, so when our older daughters were 3 & 5. We checked out the following books from our library:

 

 

• Older Than The Stars, by Fox, Karen
  
• Born with a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story, by Jennifer Morgan
  
• From Lava to Life: The Universe Tells Our Earth's Story, by Jennifer Morgan
  
• Mammals Who Morph: The Universe Tells Our Evolution Story, by Jennifer Morgan
  
• Our Family Tree: An Evolution Story, by Lisa Westberg Peters
  
• Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution, by Steve Jenkins
  
• In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World, by Virginia Hamilton
  
• Kingfisher Book of Evolution, by Stephen Webster
  
• The Beginning: Voyages Through Time, by Dan Ackroyd
  

 

 

(Note: we intend to revisit the last 2 when they're older, so when we hit that part in the history cycle again in a few more years.)

[KristenR]

I love our Charlies Evolution Playmat. My girls love it and it has provided loads of conversation and play. My girls like to match up their dinosaur figures to the ones on the mat.

[momto2Cs]

I didn't see this book recommended, but since I'm just starting my first cup of coffee, I may have missed something. Anyhow, we love this book:

 

Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be by Daniel Loxton. It is beautifully illustrated, and the text is clear and easy to understand.

[NicAnn]

Thanks for all the great replies! I have a lot to look up and think about. Some of those books might help with my own education too. :)

 

Right now, I think that I will take evolution as it comes up and dig deeper into it during the logic stage.

 

Look forward to reading any more advice you all have.

[ChiknGirl]

This series is one of our favorites.

 

 

• Born with a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story, by Jennifer Morgan
  
• From Lava to Life: The Universe Tells Our Earth's Story, by Jennifer Morgan
  
• Mammals Who Morph: The Universe Tells Our Evolution Story, by Jennifer Morgan
  

 

 

[Parker Martin]

I love our Charlies Evolution Playmat. My girls love it and it has provided loads of conversation and play. My girls like to match up their dinosaur figures to the ones on the mat.

 

That looks neat. Is it super durable? (The description says that it is waterproof and printed on paper.) Does it get a lot of little creases in it if they step on it?

[lewelma]

My elementary-aged children have absorbed an evolutionary perspective by watching and rewatching all of David Attenborough's biology documentaries. And there are MANY (like 8 series with 8 movies in each). I am sure they are on Netflicks.

 

For the logic stage (possibly 8th grade) The way life works http://www.amazon.com/Way-Life-Works-Illustrated-Reproduces/dp/0812928881/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312671930&sr=8-1 is an excellent resource for thinking about evolution from a cell biology perspective.

 

If you want to educate yourself (or for a High school student), buy Biozone's Evolution worktext for about $10 http://www.biozone.co.nz/modular.php. It is by far the best 100-page summary of evolutionary principles I have ever seen, and I have a PhD in evolutionary biology so have seen A LOT of texts.

 

Ruth in NZ

[Guest pokeypup5]

Thanks for all these great links!

[KristenR]

That looks neat. Is it super durable? (The description says that it is waterproof and printed on paper.) Does it get a lot of little creases in it if they step on it?

 

Yes, it is thick foam paper. Very durable. I have a 5, 3, and 1 year old who step, jump, hop and slide on it whenever I take it out. I highly recommend it. It's lots of fun.

[tntgoodwin]

I am doing this, this year. I firmly believe that this is a logic stage endeavor. I have tried to teach a solid background of logic first, and now, this year, as part of a worldview and philosophy course, we will be examining evolution from both a creation standpoint and from evolution texts. I asked for some book suggestions on here and got some good ones.

 

This sounds ideal to me. I am a Young Earth Creationist, but want my children to have a solid working knowledge of evolution as well. Bringing it up in the logic stage (in depth) makes sense to me.

[Wheres Toto]

We are in the middle of doing our prehistory study and evolution obviously comes up quite a bit with it. (It's a page on my blog and there's a few posts so far if anyone wants to see) We did a brief overview of evolution using the Usborne IL Encyclopedia of World History and some of the other books mentioned (Our Family Tree).

 

We have the Charlie's Playhouse timeline and the Creature Cards and my kids LOVE them. I have the timeline hanging from my fireplace mantel and my son loves trying to read what it says, or sitting asking me to read one after the other. Each time period we match the Creature Cards up with the Timeline, play a game and/or do an activity. We're about to start dinosaurs which I'm very excited about since there are sooooo many activities. I took quite a few suggestions from Angela. :D

 

We will be going through again in a year or so when we get ready to start history. We are doing it now because our local museum opened up a new dinosaur exhibit. We will do Prehistory/Evolution as our Science while doing Creation Stories/Myths as our History.

 

I'm an agnostic with a Biology degree so definitely an evolutionist here.

[WishboneDawn]

 

We will be going through again in a year or so when we get ready to start history. We are doing it now because our local museum opened up a new dinosaur exhibit. We will do Prehistory/Evolution as our Science while doing Creation Stories/Myths as our History.

 

I'm an agnostic with a Biology degree so definitely an evolutionist here.

 

I'm Christian but this is how we handle the two as well. Evolution is science and creation is religion/myth (I've posted enough on this that no one should interpret my use of myth to mean lies/superficial or "just stories"). I have actually discovered I am much more adament about that separation then many atheist/agnostic homeschoolers I've known. :)

[zoo_keeper]

If you want to educate yourself (or for a High school student), buy Biozone's Evolution worktext for about $10 http://www.biozone.co.nz/modular.php. It is by far the best 100-page summary of evolutionary principles I have ever seen, and I have a PhD in evolutionary biology so have seen A LOT of texts.

 

Ruth in NZ

 

Do you recommend the "Human Evolution" workbook or the "Evolution" workbook, or both?

[zoo_keeper]

I stumbled across the below book today on Amazon and thought of this thread. If you try it and like it, there's a few more in the series (Marco Polo, Columbus, and Robert Scott).

 

Animals Charles Darwin Saw, by Sandra Markle

[Mama2Many4]

How do we know that we evolved at all?

 

I'm a Catholic and have just recently been giving thought to the whole "Evolution" theory. Can anyone recommend some good reads that won't also derail my teaching.

[Alveraz]

How do we know that we evolved at all?

 

After reading the confederate flag thread, I'm not convinced we have.

[Elizabeth in WA]

After reading the confederate flag thread, I'm not convinced we have.

 

:lol::lol::lol:

[Mom-ninja.]

This series is one of our favorites.

 

Really? I bought and can't stand the Jennifer Morgan series. It's way too new age for me.

 

My kids love the Charlie's Playhouse time line. They stare at it daily.

 

 

Alveraz, you made me snort.

[Wheres Toto]

How do we know that we evolved at all?

 

I'm a Catholic and have just recently been giving thought to the whole "Evolution" theory. Can anyone recommend some good reads that won't also derail my teaching.

 

I thought the Catholic Church supported evolution.

[Mom-ninja.]

I thought the Catholic Church supported evolution.

 

It does. It allows for Catholics to follow either Creation or evolution depending on which one they want to follow.

[Alveraz]

Edited: nevermind.

Edited August 7, 2011 by Alveraz

[EKS]

We study evolution in detail when we do biology, as evolution is the unifying theory (I'm using the word theory in the scientific sense here) of biology.

 

I also go over it when we cover prehistory.

[RahRah]

 

My kids love the Charlie's Playhouse time line. They stare at it daily.

 

 

 

 

DS loves that timeline...and it's amazing (to me) how much he's learned without specifically being taught, just it being up and his looking over it and reading parts.

[nansk]

After reading the confederate flag thread, I'm not convinced we have.

 

:lol:

There is just such a dialogue in a movie we watched last weekend: Inherit The Wind. The creationist says to the evolutionist, something along the lines of: "We used to be friends. How did we grow so far apart?" The evolutionist replies, "That's evolution for you."