momsuz123 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 We are using Real Science 4 kids right now. It is going well, the kids seem to like it, but would like to "do more". Any suggestions for science for young elementary kids? What has worked, what hasn't? Why? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Sonlight science worked pretty well, since it came with all the supplies necessary, plus a DVD of the experiments, in case ours didn't work. GEMS have also been successful here, though labor intensive, since it's nearly all experiments. Prior to that we did FIAR and science kits. Those worked ok, but the FIAR science was a bit scattered, since it was tied to the book we working on that week. I just downloaded Intellego's astronomy unit and will try that next. It looks promising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I really liked REAL Science Odyssey Life Science. I did it last year with my 2nd grade ds and invited my neighbors to come for the experiments. She had a 1st grader and 4 year old. It was easy and enough on it's own, but it had suggested books and websites if you want to investigate any topics further. It is secular, but if you want from a Christian perspective, it didn't conflict any with other POVs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom2011 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 n/m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Sonlight science worked pretty well, since it came with all the supplies necessary, plus a DVD of the experiments, in case ours didn't work. GEMS have also been successful here, though labor intensive, since it's nearly all experiments. :iagree:Both of these recs worked well for us. We ended up with Supercharged Science which is awesome, but expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I love BFSU. We are working through the K-2 book. I think it is a fantastic science program. It takes a little time to preread and gather a few materials before the lesson, but I love the great science the kids are learning. It is inexpensive, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMary2 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I use Elemental Science and Real Science Odyessy. The combo of the two works for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I love BFSU. We are working through the K-2 book. I think it is a fantastic science program. It takes a little time to preread and gather a few materials before the lesson, but I love the great science the kids are learning. It is inexpensive, too! :iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 :iagree: I really liked REAL Science Odyssey Life Science. I did it last year with my 2nd grade ds and invited my neighbors to come for the experiments. She had a 1st grader and 4 year old. It was easy and enough on it's own, but it had suggested books and websites if you want to investigate any topics further. It is secular, but if you want from a Christian perspective, it didn't conflict any with other POVs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daughterofsarah77 Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 BFSU is awesome! I was so afraid to jump into it, because of the prep...but it really hasn't been much. I utilize some of the lesson plans in the file on the yahoo group for BFSU, and that has helped. I feel much more equipped to teach science since we've been using it : ) We did use Real Science Odyssey, and while it's a good curriculum, and fun, I did find it lacking some information. But I would still highly reccomend it. For me, if I was going to tweak it and add to it, I may as well have just put the extra effort into BFSU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeeBeaks Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 It has really depended on the kid in our house. I have a full spectrum it appears of learning styles. For the oldest, if it is science he loves it and learns from it. Period. Sonlight was a real hit for him - broad, he delved deeper where he wanted to. Loved the experiments. We all hated the DVD though. For my next son, thumbs down on Sonlight. He couldn't stay on a topic long enough to get a feel for it for him. He likes to stay on a topic for weeks and weeks, long past the time mom is sick and tired of it. But that is his way. He is liking straight TWTM recommendations for 1st grade - animals, animals and more animals. We did add an Usborne encyclopedia of sea life since we are coastal to get a better feel in depth for the oceans. Both interestingly enough do like BFSU. My oldest likes to go in depth and skip around the threads as much as possible (different topics). My youngest likes to stay the source and do tract A for a while, then B, etc. For those of you who haven't seen it, BFSU you can sort of choose some the order of the material and the 4 tracts are different topics, though some rely on each other. In BFSU 1, A is matter, B is life science, C physical and D earth and space. My younger likes to do all the extra resources and books on a topic and then some (again, staying with it a while), while my older touches on a topic and moves on, to come back again later. RS4K was okay with both but lacked depth so my first zipped right through it too fast, and my second liked it but not enough on every single topic for him. And he just plain likes animals right now, so again TWTM for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WIS0320 Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Mom-made based on the Core Knowledge sequence recommendations are working for us. I've used the Baltimore Curriculum Project heavily and I utilizing an Intellgo unit study for the first time for our current topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 We really like Nancy Larson, adding in lots of living books, nature walks, and some BFSU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I love BFSU. We are working through the K-2 book. I think it is a fantastic science program. It takes a little time to preread and gather a few materials before the lesson, but I love the great science the kids are learning. It is inexpensive, too! :iagree::iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Wizards Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I really liked REAL Science Odyssey Life Science.. My 1st grader is enjoying RSO life this year. We did RSO Chemistry last year for my then 4th grader and she enjoyed that as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I really liked REAL Science Odyssey Life Science. I did it last year with my 2nd grade ds and invited my neighbors to come for the experiments. She had a 1st grader and 4 year old. It was easy and enough on it's own, but it had suggested books and websites if you want to investigate any topics further. It is secular, but if you want from a Christian perspective, it didn't conflict any with other POVs. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 (edited) We've just added Apologia Astronomy (Exploring Creation through Astronomy), with the Junior Notebook and the experiment supply kit from Rainbow Resources. Button loves it, and I'm having fun too. -- we are not Christian, though I was raised in a conservative Christian home and am comfortable working with the Apologia materials so far. ETA: what didn't work: BFSU -- Button liked it fine, I disagreed with some things and it really bugged me for some reason; Sonlight: it didn't feel systematic enough for me and I didn't think Button was getting much from the readings, which were often from science encyclopedias or science "readers" that didn't capture his interest and attention -- that was for K. But many other families love both these programs. I _do_ like many of Sonlight's read-alouds for grade 1 science and may add some of the titles to our work this year. Edited December 3, 2011 by serendipitous journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennynd Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 We are doing RS odyssey life also with my 7 yo. we also add free Mr Q life and RS4K when the material aligned with RSO. and some brain pop on the side I had my mind set on Singapore but just didn't work out as I work full time and i need an open and go with no planning curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomandlorih Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 We did most sections of Winter Promise's "World Around Me(K-2)" last year(1st grade).. Loved it! I just got the IG(used) and borrowed the books from the library and bought a couple off www.abebooks.com. It's very Charlotte Mason but there were a TON of experiments which my daughter loved! They were really easy and with stuff from around the house.. You could make it more in depth by adding more books and/or videos and even more notebooking than we actually did. I did add in reading the science sections of What Your 1st Grader Needs to Know and doing sicence biographies that were suggested there. We are doing Pre-Level 1 RS4K Chemistry, Physics and Biology this year and most of the experiments we have already done last year with WP.. but we have the books so that's what we are going to do..LOL Also I prefer the CM living book style to the textbooky RS4K(even though for a textbook I think RS4K is great:). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 update on our Apologia Astronomy: it ended up being too suffused with a Creationist perspective for us to keep it up (Button was reading along with me, which I hadn't expected, and this makes editing content harder). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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