Hedgehogs4 Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Every year I have attempted to do a science curriculum with my ds who just turned 10. Every year it is the last thing to get done, and I hate doing experiments in the kitchen. I just haven't been organized when it comes to systematically doing science. OTOH, he has been an avid "critter hunter" and bird watcher in the back yard, has great fun playing with magnifying glasses and fire (what boy doesn't), blowing stuff up with his dad, building stuff involving electricity (he studied a book on circuits and wired his sister's dollhouse for lights and a doorbell)...things of that nature. This year we are doing a TOG co-op and the group will be doing a few science-y things along the way when the subject matter naturally lends itself, but nothing organized and defined as "science." How does one manage science in these middle years without totally overwhelming the mom? It just seems like way too much to fit in. Is it really important to follow a science curriculum before middle school, or does this count now as "middle school"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Every year I have attempted to do a science curriculum with my ds who just turned 10. Every year it is the last thing to get done, and I hate doing experiments in the kitchen. I just haven't been organized when it comes to systematically doing science. OTOH, he has been an avid "critter hunter" and bird watcher in the back yard, has great fun playing with magnifying glasses and fire (what boy doesn't), blowing stuff up with his dad, building stuff involving electricity (he studied a book on circuits and wired his sister's dollhouse for lights and a doorbell)...things of that nature. This year we are doing a TOG co-op and the group will be doing a few science-y things along the way when the subject matter naturally lends itself, but nothing organized and defined as "science." How does one manage science in these middle years without totally overwhelming the mom? It just seems like way too much to fit in. Is it really important to follow a science curriculum before middle school, or does this count now as "middle school"? We just started today (boys are having a snack now ;)) so I have no experience to share, just plans...We are planning to do Elemental Science with TOG...We are doing science twice a week on Thursdays and Fridays...We are history three times a week, Monday - Wednesday...Elemental Science is doable for us and I really like it...We used the grammar stage before and will use Biology for the Logic Stage this year... Snack time over, gotta go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Buy kits, get videos from the library, call it done. My dd loved Snap Circuits at that age. Go to Hobby Lobby. There are tons of science kits there to keep you busy. There's this one series with black boxes with terrific instructions, all the parts. You just can't get any better, and he's at the PERFECT age to do them. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 (edited) We just started today (boys are having a snack now ;)) so I have no experience to share, just plans...We are planning to do Elemental Science with TOG...We are doing science twice a week on Thursdays and Fridays...We are history three times a week, Monday - Wednesday...Elemental Science is doable for us and I really like it...We used the grammar stage before and will use Biology for the Logic Stage this year... Snack time over, gotta go! We are doing the same type of science and TOG schedule for LG/UG and are using Elemental Science, too. We are doing TOG yr 4 and Elemental Physics. Edited August 15, 2011 by Quiver0f10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankcassiesmom Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I'm taking a break from TOG this year but I'm doing the CEP task cards and I think they'd be super simple to do alongside TOG and would be child-driven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Y3 lends itself to some science naturally, such as the Ben Franklin experiment book from UG, it covers weather, electricity, and more. The kids are loving snap circuits right now. You can certainly use it as a stepping off point with scientific discoveries and the history of science if that is more your thing. (Last year we did Leonardo DaVinci and the experiments with that book with success.) We will also tackles Darwin as part of Y3 D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I have read that the one area that homeschoolers are week in when they get to college is science. So I would say that once you reach 6th-7th grade, it becomes pretty important. But I wouldn't worry about it too much at 10yo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I have read that the one area that homeschoolers are week in when they get to college is science. So I would say that once you reach 6th-7th grade, it becomes pretty important. But I wouldn't worry about it too much at 10yo. Actually, I have a friend at a university where they tracked the incoming freshman, comparing homeschooled to traditional school, and the biggest issue by far was *writing*. They also found that by the end of the year (after the freshman remediation classes), the homeschooled students were statistically on-par with the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Actually, I have a friend at a university where they tracked the incoming freshman, comparing homeschooled to traditional school, and the biggest issue by far was *writing*. They also found that by the end of the year (after the freshman remediation classes), the homeschooled students were statistically on-par with the rest. Interesting! Do you happen to know which university? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankcassiesmom Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I was always told writing was the biggest weakness with homeschoolers as well. It's why I'm such a writing nut with mine lol. I'm super paranoid about raising homeschoolers who can't write. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted August 16, 2011 Author Share Posted August 16, 2011 About the weak areas of hsers and college--I would think that children have a bent toward science or not. Writing is necessary across the disciplines so children "weak" in science would be harder to assess than "weak" in writing. I just want to make sure my ds 10 has the opportunity to decide if he loves science or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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