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REAL Science Odyssey OR Nancy Larson Science?


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Would ya'll be so kind as to compare these two for me. What have you liked? What have you disliked? Anyone use either for more than one year? Content? Ease of use. That sort of thing.

 

Thank You!!

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I have actually used both of these programs. We are using Nancy Larson and LOVE it. I also like REAL Science too, except that for me it didn't work becasue there were just too many items that I needed to collect, buy and find to do the expereiments. I don't know what age group you are looking at this for, but we did NL 1 last year, we are doing NL 2 this year and I already have purchased NL 3 for next year. My kids love it too. Here is my review of the NL 1 from last year.

we just built a skeleton - Page 2 - The Well-Trained Mind Forums (aka Hive Mind) scroll down to post #13. I would be happy to answer any specific questions you might have about NL or REAL Science. PM me so I am certain to get your question.

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I am looking for ages 71/2 and 61/2 boys with a 31/2 yr old girl tagalong. Your review was helpful. So what level should we start with K or 1st? Will not starting at K be a disadvantage? Excellent customer service is a huge plus. i have read other reviews saying the same thing about NL.

 

Not having all the supplies and having it slide are my concerns, too. I know Home Science Tools has RSO kits but they do not have everything. I am about to order Rainbow Science for my older two (15 and 13) for that reason. I don't think it is that expensive once one figures in the cost both monetary and timewise to find all the supplies.

 

I like the idea of a script. Is there much of dig in the dirt type things? Mine do not like that much. That could be because of the ants that are so prevalent here in Texas.

 

Is NL planning more levels? I would like a series we can stay with for all grammar, and maybe part Logic stage.

Are lots of outside resources (books, etc.) required? Where do you find lapbooks to go with the units? I am not crafty but my kids love cut and paste.

 

 

So far as content and level of difficulty, are they both about the same?

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I am looking for ages 71/2 and 61/2 boys with a 31/2 yr old girl tagalong. Your review was helpful. So what level should we start with K or 1st? Will not starting at K be a disadvantage? Excellent customer service is a huge plus. i have read other reviews saying the same thing about NL.

 

I would start with level 1. The K level came out after we started level 1. I don't you will miss anything by starting there.

 

Not having all the supplies and having it slide are my concerns, too. I know Home Science Tools has RSO kits but they do not have everything. I am about to order Rainbow Science for my older two (15 and 13) for that reason. I don't think it is that expensive once one figures in the cost both monetary and timewise to find all the supplies.

 

This is one of my favorite parts of NL....just having nearly all I need...except for the occasional water bottle, glass of water, tin foil, etc.

 

I like the idea of a script. Is there much of dig in the dirt type things? Mine do not like that much. That could be because of the ants that are so prevalent here in Texas.

 

There is no digging in the dirt stuff that I can think of.

 

Is NL planning more levels? I would like a series we can stay with for all grammar, and maybe part Logic stage.

 

she is working on level 4 right now. Beyond that? I don't know. But if you ask one of the customer reps, they will tell you one way or the other. The reps are REALLY amazing and will bend over backward to help you.

 

Are lots of outside resources (books, etc.) required? Where do you find lapbooks to go with the units? I am not crafty but my kids love cut and paste.

 

if they use a book for anything, it is in the kit. If you want more books, they have a list you can ask for for supplimental materials.

 

The lapbooks mostly came from this site:

Lapbooks at HSS - Master List

 

 

So far as content and level of difficulty, are they both about the same?

 

I am not sure what you are asking here. Can you rephrase it? Thanks.

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I am not sure what you are asking here. Can you rephrase it? Thanks.

 

Do they cover roughly the same topics in roughly the same depth?

RSO titles are meant to be used with 1st to 4th graders so the activities seem 'old' for a younger person. Are the activities in NLS more age appropriate for the level you buy?

 

Do the experiments work?

 

Thank you for answering my other questions. Now off to purse some more (and convince dh).

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Do they cover roughly the same topics in roughly the same depth?

RSO titles are meant to be used with 1st to 4th graders so the activities seem 'old' for a younger person. Are the activities in NLS more age appropriate for the level you buy?

 

Do the experiments work?

 

Thank you for answering my other questions. Now off to purse some more (and convince dh).

 

I think the topics in NL are age appropriate.

 

She has many hand's on activities, but I wouldn't call them expereiments per se. At first I thought this was odd, so I called and asked about that. I was told that when Nancy and her team were working on putting this together, they talked with many parents, teachers and kids and discovered one of the biggest disappointments with science programs were the failing expererments in which the kids learned nothing. So, instead of expereiments, she has experences. For example, when we were talking about the mass of an object, we used the balance, the weights (both included in the kit) and compared the mass of many things in our home...OR, when we were talking about magnets, we used the included magnets and we made a map on a posterboard and let the kids figure out how to make a magnet travel down the road on the map. Her activities don't fail...they are activities to do to help the kids expereince the concept. I like NL so very much!!

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So if this is the same lady who wrote the Saxon K-3rd math programs, how does that qualify her to write about science? Does she have a science background?

 

yes it is, but it's not like she is doing this alone...she has a very good team of people to work with her. In my opinion, she has done an amzing job...and her program is the first science program we actually can do on a regular basis.

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That was my beef about R.E.A.L as well.

 

I'll third this gripe.

 

I despise running around town looking for an obscure experiment item. I enjoy science but am having a hard time conveying the fun of science to dd. I haven't enjoyed teaching RSO at all. I saw NL at convention this past summer and it seemed really great. I also asked about supplementing the curriculum and they said to contact a woman named Madon <sp?> who is in charge of gathering supplemental material for those who would like more book suggestions, worksheets, etc. The price scared me a bit, honestly, which is why I went with RSO. But for a good fit that gets done ( unlike RSO) it might be worth it.

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Madon is AMAZING!!! She is one of the best sales reps I have ever come into contact with. Yes, the program is not the cheapest one out there, but in this case (IMO) you get what you pay for...this program for me is worth EVERY penny I pay for it...my children't education is something that is so important to me that I am willling to put out the extra money. Now, that being said, for those who can make science happen another way, great...you probably have resources that I don't have...better libraries, stores, museums etc. I live in rural Nebraska and have basically NOTHING outside of NL..so in my case, she and her program are a life saver.

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Yes the activities in NL Science are more like hands-on experiences than experiments, per se. But even ones that strike me as being rather simple turn out to be extremely memorable for my kids. I've heard the NL people have tested and re-tested this program to make sure it "works," and I really believe it does. To me the pros are:

 

1) It's Open and Go

2) The kids retain a lot, and even talk about it in other settings

3) It gets DONE!

 

Added bonus: for some reason it provides a lot of humor in our family. (there's nothing in the content that would cause this) But for example, a hands-on activity might be one child being the sun, and the other child orbiting AND revolving around him/her while tilted. (parent can be the sun if you only have 1 child) Stuff like this provoked hilarity in my kids, but it also causes them to remember all their concepts. (and honestly if the script didn't direct me to do this, I'd probably say that's silly let's skip it. But no, the NL people know this is an image that will stay with your kids forever.)

 

Just a point about levels, they are not "grade levels" (excpet K). We are doing Level 3 right now and I have a 5th and 7th grader. (I give the 7th grader extra work because this is on the easy side for him)

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So basically everyone's beef with RSO is the difficulty in gathering materials? Has anyone tried using the Home Science Tools RSO kits? We detest in the strongest way Saxon so I am concerned about a Saxonesque Science program.

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ok, I wasn't going to post because I've never used NL science, but have used RSO. My kids love it and I honestly haven't had any issues gathering supplies. At the beginning of each year I would just go buy all the non-perishable items and make my own kit of those (Home Science Tools didn't have kits when I started using it) and then I usually on Fridays would look to see what type of perishable items I may need and add them to my grocery list. I guess this could be an issue if your personality is to get it all ready over the summer and then just not worry about it, but I tend to plan in chunks of a few weeks at a time.

 

I know many even think I'm bonkers because I use RSO for my 7th grader, but he loves it and it gets him interested in things he may not have otherwise delved into. He does plenty of outside research or book reading based on things brought up in RSO.

 

 

I guess the way I do RSO it meets the 3 requirements or benefits many have mentioned.

It's open and go (maybe because of the way I approach it)

the kids retain it (my kids are always talking about what we did in science)

it gets done (now this year it may not look like it, but that's because we finished half of this years book early so we have time to play with in our scheduling)

Edited by nukeswife
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ok, I wasn't going to post because I've never used NL science, but have used RSO. My kids love it and I honestly haven't had any issues gathering supplies.

 

:iagree:

 

I've never used NL either, but I just wanted to agree that we really like RSO. This year my 6 year old is doing Life (with 3 year old tag-along), and last year my then 4th grader did Chemistry (with tag-along younger sister). I don't have a problem getting the things together for experiments (but that may just be where I am right now in life...a few years ago my answer probably would have been different). There are also suggestions for extra reading for every unit (not just encyclopedias). If you like to buy books in advance, there's a bunch of choices and you could do that, or you could just go to the library and pick out books on the topic. My 6 year old doesn't need much more than what's provided, so if we have a book or two at home we read them, but if we don't, I don't stress about it. Life has been fun and full of giggles for her, so I'm happy.

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I couldn't even make it past the first section on weather. It has you build a weather station out of paper plates and plastic cups. Then you are supposed to track weather with that. Yeah right. :glare: It didn't work, it fell apart, and then I was stuck with a big pack of plates, and cups (among other things).

 

that was our expereince too...but only after I had to pospose that part becuase the Nebraska weather wasn't coorperating....and then we hit the part where we were to dig up worms....well, that happened in Janurary with 7 inches of snow on the ground...no little wormies then....UGH!

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So basically everyone's beef with RSO is the difficulty in gathering materials? Has anyone tried using the Home Science Tools RSO kits? We detest in the strongest way Saxon so I am concerned about a Saxonesque Science program.

 

we don't llike the Saxon math either...hate it, in fact....but for some reason the NL science is a PERFECT fit for us.

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Yes the activities in NL Science are more like hands-on experiences than experiments, per se. But even ones that strike me as being rather simple turn out to be extremely memorable for my kids. I've heard the NL people have tested and re-tested this program to make sure it "works," and I really believe it does.

 

Nancy herself has talked with parents, kids and teachers as she was developing this program and she on purpose left out the experement parts...the kids just didn't like having so many fail and they didn't retain the scientic information but rather the experiment information (if that makes sense)...for example, making a cell out of jello....they didn't remember the cell parts and the science around it, they just remembered making it. (not 100%.....but most).

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We are doing RSO Chemistry this year, and are really enjoying it. I purchased the supply kit, and that saved me untold amounts of frustration. I am still getting into the groove of double checking for the supplies I need to pick up, but the book provides a wonderful guide that breaks down supplies by lessons. I have only purchased one book to supplement, (and it was a splurge purchase, not a necessity), and have been using the resources available through our library system. Admittedly though, I have not systematically augmented the program; I have just strewn about more information and allowed dc to dive in or not according to their interest.

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We LOVE Nancy Larson Science. At first I worried it would be too simple, but found that the concepts build on on another. My son is learning more and retaining more than he did with previous curriculum. I love the script (even my husband will teach science for me when I'm busy...he will not teach any other subject...so that is really saying something about its' ease.) It is *mostly* open and go and has just the right amount of hands-on interaction for my son. My son actually enjoys science now! Also the customer service is the best. We are using science 2 for my ds (8) this year and looking forward to science 3.

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I couldn't even make it past the first section on weather. It has you build a weather station out of paper plates and plastic cups. Then you are supposed to track weather with that. Yeah right. :glare: It didn't work, it fell apart, and then I was stuck with a big pack of plates, and cups (among other things).

 

NL is looking better and better...:tongue_smilie:

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We use NL 1 with my 6 year old, and it works for us. Yes, it's slow and incremental, and yes, many of the concepts had already been introduced. However, my son greatly enjoys the lessons, loves the books that she has the child work in, and enjoys learning new vocabulary words. I think that extra living books are a must, however, so we go to the library weekly. It is absolutely open and go, and would work well for a child who enjoys creating books (she provides the pdf booklet, child fills it out. ) I did a long blog post on NL 1 earlier this year here.

 

One thing that sticks out for me is that, while _I_ don't find it as fascinating as some of the other resources we've used for science, it gets done, my son retains, my son enjoys it, and he's learning new information. These are biggies.

 

I will be posting an update now that we've used NL for a while (we're on Lesson 42 now).

Edited by Halcyon
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Halcyon, thank you so much for the link to your review of Nancy Larson Science. It is so helpful to see more samples. There are only two per level posted on her website. She takes a museum-education approach (which I like being a former museum (zoo) educator) rather than an experimental approach which is perfectly valid for grammar stage and much easier for the moms who have trouble with the experiments. It also looks like it is a curriculum that would be easy to supplement with living books, more specimens, and museum and nature study field trips), and experiments if you were so inclined. After R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey turned out to be a flop with my little one, I'm looking for something new for the new year. Nancy Larson might be a useful option.

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We've used both. RSO felt very disjointed to me. It was hard for us to get it done because every day was an activity and required we do or make something. It just became too much to make it happen and I began to dread it. It also seemed like me doing a lot of the making of the various projects. Consequently, science fell to the wayside.

 

I had not planned on using NL this year(it is expensive), but was looking at the CK sequence. Then reality hit and I just knew I wasn't going to get it laid out and planned the way I needed it to be, so I went ahead and got NL3.

 

We used NL Science 2 for the last half of last year. I did not start with 1 because I was combining a 4th and 1st/2nd grader. Science got done, it was easy for me to do and my kids were retaining information. I really like the incidental skills NL covers, things like highlighting key information, finding the topic sentence. Last year it was definitely science lite for my older child, BUT we were working on good habits and applying other skills through less challenging material.

 

We have been using Science 3 this year and I can really appreciate how the program builds after seeing these two years. We have just gotten through the first Chemistry portion and I continue to be impressed. There has been a solar system report and a couple of computer activities that are new in this level. It really walks the child through it. Many people probably already do some of this, but my life is busy and it works so much better to have somebody just lay it all out for me.

 

I can understand that this may not be enough science for some people or that the material isn't super challenging, for us it has been a great opportunity to practice skills in a content area. It provides enough of a framework for me to be sure science gets done and because I have that framework I can add additional reading etc. for my older child a la WTM. For my reality, NL is the structure I need. I can totally appreciate that many (most?) people don't need that.

 

I am a former Special Ed teacher, so I really like Direct Instruction materials., but they are not for everyone and I can certainly appreciate that. They provide a nice frame for me, but also allow me tailor for our particular needs.

 

Have fun choosing!

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I couldn't even make it past the first section on weather. It has you build a weather station out of paper plates and plastic cups. Then you are supposed to track weather with that. Yeah right. :glare: It didn't work, it fell apart, and then I was stuck with a big pack of plates, and cups (among other things).

 

 

This was my problem as well. The kids were so excited, but the first few experiements on weather were so time consuming (and a lot of stuff we needed was NOT in the very expensive kit I order from Home Science Tools) and they did not work as they should have. I actually put the whole thing away for good. Then I switched to unit studies and took it back out to do the space experiments when we were studying the solar system. The kids enjoyed the experiments we did, but honestly I didn't do all of them because a lot of them were so difficult and required so many extra pieces that the payoff just wasn't there. I really enjoyed the space experiments in Apologia's Astronomy. The experiments with lots of extra work (the volcano on Mars) really had a huge payoff so it was worth it. The other complaint I have about RSO is that there is just not enough information to read to the kids. You really need to supplement with outside books. That isn't a problem for us, but you need to know that going into it. I am planning on doing the Earth Science part of RSO later on in the spring. I will use it since I have it, but I won't be purchasing any more levels.

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Ok, I think I will cross RSO off my list. NLS is looking like a good fit for us even if we hate Saxon Math. Are extra ideas suggested such as books, etc. to scramble down those rabbit trails?

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Ok, I think I will cross RSO off my list. NLS is looking like a good fit for us even if we hate Saxon Math. Are extra ideas suggested such as books, etc. to scramble down those rabbit trails?

 

don't let the fact that Saxon math wasn't a fit, stop you from using NL Science. We couldn't make the math work, but science feels so different. There are not extra ideas included...HOWEVER, contact Madon at NLS and she will give you TONS of extra stuff to do and read with your kids!!!

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I have two 9yrs old and that are pretty advanced in science concepts and was wondering if Nancy Larson 3 would work for them as well. I will also have a 7yr old in there as well.

 

I would think it would be okay if you hadn't covered the topics in Level 3 thoroughly at this point. If you haven't, you can always add extra books to it. Or, you could consider Level 4 which is coming out this summer.

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