Nancy Larson and more science

[lexi]

I'm sorry I'm beating a dead horse! :smash:

 

I have been trying to figure out science. I'm not a science person. But my kids enjoy it. And of course, it doesn't get done often at our house.

 

This fall we did Apologia Astronomy. My kids loved it. We read the book and made lapbooks. They retained a ton! Next year, we are going to use Botany. But we're almost done with Astronomy and I don't want to hit Botany this spring. *I* need a change of pace for the next semester. I want something more hands-on. But experiments scare me. It's a lot of stuff I don't have on hand, a lot of time, and a lot of clean up for something that might not even work. Plus, my kids are little and unable to do most of the experiment stuff on their own.

 

I was thinking about RSO Earth and Space but the experiments looked like a lot of work. Most of the Apologia Astronomy experiments did not get done either because some were time consuming.

 

Then I read someone's post about Nancy Larson science. I had not ever heard of it before. It does look neat. It looks like it would be on the level of my kids and everything is included. No shopping trips. And it doesn't look like it's experiment based.

 

So, I haven't found the Nancy Larson site super helpful. Can someone give me some more insight?

 

I know we'll be using Level 1 if we use Nancy Larson.

 

Is it tons of worksheets? Does it come with suggestions for other books to read? We are readers here so my kids would love science read alouds. I would be using it with my 6-year-old and the 4-year-old with the 2 1/2-year-old listening in.

 

Is there anything you don't like about it? I haven't yet seen a negative review although I'm sure one must exist!

 

Is it crazy to read an Apologia book one semester and do something like this the next semester? We would probably do science at least 3 days a week if not more. I like variety and my kids *like* school. The schedule keeps us all sane :001_smile:

 

I guess I'm just trying to justify the expense to myself and my hubby...:tongue_smilie:

 

Ohhh and I realize that I *could* pull something together. Lots of living books, a few experiment kits, nature walks........etc. But, that doesn't get done here. I want something that I can follow. I need a guide that tells me what to do so I will actually do science with my kids when they ask for it. For the past several years we've read tons of nature books and all that, and they are ready for actually DOING something. So, is this what I need to get it done and allow my kids to feel like we're doing science? Will RSO or something else better fit the bill?

 

Thanks for reading my rambling thoughts and for any ideas you can throw my way. You all have been so amazingly helpful as we've begun our homeschool journey. We are loving pretty much everything this year and our year so far has been fun and successful. Much of what we use I would never have found except for recommendations from you all on here! Thanks!! :D

[Halcyon]

Feel free to read my review of NL Science here. Still moving along with it :) We have added living books from the library as well. We also are a family that tends to have lots and lots of science discussion, so that helps.

[lexi]

Thanks! It helps to see more samples. Does it seem like worksheet overkill or busy work?

[kfeusse]

Is it tons of worksheets? Does it come with suggestions for other books to read? We are readers here so my kids would love science read alouds. I would be using it with my 6-year-old and the 4-year-old with the 2 1/2-year-old listening in.

To specifically answer these questions. Each lesson has one worksheet as a review. They aren't really long, but detailed enough to review the main concepts. And every so often they include a couple questions from previous lessons. And then at the end of an unit, there will be a review and an assessment. The way I do all of this is, we do a lesson one day and then the next day I give my children the worksheet to fill out (on their own if possible to see what their retention is) but then we go over in later "in class". I do the same thing with the bigger reviews and assessments. It takes only minutes to complete.

As far as other books are concerned...if you contact Madon at NL, she will email you a list of additional books that can be used. She is AWESOME!!!

I don't know if you are planning on starting something new in January and I don't know where you live, but we started in Janurary and becasue of some of the topics, we had to rearrange the order of units, but it wasn't a big deal at all. If this is your situation, let me know and I can give you the order that we did our units in.

[kfeusse]

Thanks! It helps to see more samples. Does it seem like worksheet overkill or busy work?

 

 

I dont' think it is worksheet overkill.....they take minutes to fill out...and you wouldn't have to do them if you don't want to.