Mergath Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 It's come to my attention lately that my dd loves anything science-related. The child loves to explain how food goes down your esophagus and into your stomach, or how you have to drink water to stay hydrated, and so on. She spent an entire week obsessed with tornadoes. She makes me repeat over and over how the Earth rotates and that's why we have night because she loves to hear it. :rolleyes: We're kind of stalled out on phonics- knows all the letter sounds, just not quite ready for a formal program- and she's way past all the secular preschool curriculums I've found :banghead: so I've been looking for a more structured science curriculum for us to work on until September, because I think we'd both have a blast. Would BFSU be way, way too advanced for her? I think she could probably understand the concepts, but could a kid not yet reading or writing do the more basic activities? If it is way past her, could someone recommend something similar that would be within her ability level? Seriously, we're bored out of our minds here. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekfk Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Have you looked into science encyclopedias, like Usborne and Kingfisher? I have four or five for science that could be used by a smart 3 year old. You can use them as a curriculum by supplementing concepts in the books with videos and library books. She might also really like something like brainpopjr.com, which has a lot of really good science videos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I would do a lot of nature study with her and read books like the Let's Read and Find Out series. I think if you do a lot of nature study, you will informally cover most of the concepts in BFSU. Then when she's a little older, you can circle back through with BFSU to add organize her experiences and provide her with science vocabulary. To me nature study isn't structured. We go out, experience nature, and use it for a rabbit trail. I love seeing my littles' eyes light up with the wonder of nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeeBeaks Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) IMHO, some would be too hard and some not. I'm using it with my 6yo DS and my 4yo DD listens in. In the discussion of living versus man-made, etc., she participated fully. Same with distinguishing plants versus animals. The gravity part she did not fully grasp when discussing the size of relative planets and such. The particulate nature of matter was not a popular topic with her either. For her at least we run up against the problem of her still having trouble imagining things smaller or much larger than observable with her eyes (gravity, planets aside from night/day, atoms, molecules, space between molecules). She just is not there yet, but your DD may be. My DD is not as interested in the anxillary books we read from the library from the suggestions in BFSU. As long as you are willing to pick and choose and do it over again later though if needed, why not try it? It is a relatively inexpensive and gentle trial. If she loves hands on, we did like Mudpies and Magnets though recommended in TWTM, and Elemental Science has a program based on More Mudpies and Magnets, that looks like it is one step below BFSU. Edited January 9, 2012 by WeeBeaks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I agree with the previous poster that some of the concepts would be too advanced for her. I think you and she would have more fun if you pulled out interesting bits of life science, astronomy, and whatever else she enjoys. You could spend a week learning about trees with ABCedar and A Tree is Nice. Learn about geology in How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World. Learn about the moon in If You Decide to Go to the Moon. Learn about size in Actual Size. Learn about dust in Stars Beneath Your Bed. Learn about the the types of energy generated by the sun's light in My Light by Molly Bang. The list can go on and on. There are more great books you can use than time to use them. There is no need to be tied to a curriculum at this age and probably no benefit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anabelneri Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I'd say to give it a try. I've done a few lessons with the younger two in our mini-co-op, and they did fine with it. They were just 3 and 2.5 at the time. BFSU is totally tweakable... just present what they can handle in a way that makes sense for them. Especially since your daughter seems to be ahead of the curve, it might be perfect for her. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 Okay, thanks everybody! I just wanted to make sure that using it was somewhere within the realm of possibility. We have been doing a lot of nature study, but it's hard in Minnesota in the winter. Everything is dead and brown, the birds have all flown the coop until spring, the insects are all dead, and even the squirrels are sleeping now. There's only so many times you can walk through the neighborhood and collect dead leaves and acorns, and dd knows more about hibernation than most grown-ups. :tongue_smilie: I have no problem tweaking, so I think I'll give it a try. I just want some kind of framework to go by, really. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 If she loves hands on, we did like Mudpies and Magnets though recommended in TWTM, and Elemental Science has a program based on More Mudpies and Magnets, that looks like it is one step below BFSU. Hmm, looks interesting. Heck, maybe I'll get them both. :D Is it a bad sign that dd is only three and a half and I'm already a curriculum junkie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadsandLilysMom Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 My girls love science and we have been reading science books to them since they were very young. The PP had some great suggestions and I would also add kits from Insect Lore. We hatch butterflies every spring. We have also used the Ladybug kit, Ant farm and praying mantis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staceyshoe Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Your daughter sounds pretty advanced in science so it may work. The beauty of BFSU is that you can cover the basics or go very deep into the topic. (*I* learned about science in volume 1, so it does/can go surprisingly indepth.) Because you can tailor it to the level of your child, I think it would work. On the other hand, BFSU isn't the easiest to implement so I'd be tempted to wait until she would get the most out of it. Whether you go ahead with it now or wait, I think you and your dd will really enjoy it. It's a fantastic curriculum for kids who get really fired up about science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I'd probably do a lot of LRaFO series first. Heck, that's what we ARE doing. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/ Someone here mentioned this site before. We love it for finding good books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 My son is 3 (he is 4 at the end of feb), he has been joining in with BFSU when we have done it over the last year or so. I don't really think he gets the same out of it as my 7 yr old but he uses a lot of the vocabulary involved and I think he gets the general gist of what is going on. For example he is just as capable as the 7 yr old when it comes to taking part in conversations about putting things in categories or talking about what things are made of and their characteristics and then running round the house finding other things made of the same materials. He has also picked up quite a few things about the earth and time and all kinds of other things and plays with magnets all that kind of stuff. We read lots of the Lets read and find out science books too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Okay, thanks everybody! I just wanted to make sure that using it was somewhere within the realm of possibility. We have been doing a lot of nature study, but it's hard in Minnesota in the winter. Everything is dead and brown, the birds have all flown the coop until spring, the insects are all dead, and even the squirrels are sleeping now. There's only so many times you can walk through the neighborhood and collect dead leaves and acorns, and dd knows more about hibernation than most grown-ups. :tongue_smilie: I have no problem tweaking, so I think I'll give it a try. I just want some kind of framework to go by, really. Thanks again! There are some great aspects of nature study that can be done in the winter, if you are keen: weather journals and reading about weather. Experiments with snow and ice, look at snow flakes, see how fast it melts and what is in the water, look at how ice can move things, glaciers, and so on. astronomy in the winter sky at night, the sun, shadows, making a sun dial put up a bird feeder and keep track of winter birds, collect any feathers that fall, try different food combos If you can get to a forested area looking for animal tracks and maybe making casts out of them, look for animal trails, signs of hare forms or deer yards. Look at winter vegetation - how to tell trees by the bark and branches, cones and seeds, coniferous trees and broad-leaf evergreens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Experiments with snow and ice, look at snow flakes, Snowflake Bentley is a great book about a man who spent his life photographing and studying snowflakes. http://www.amazon.com/Snowflake-Bentley-Caldecott-Medal-Book/dp/B001TODO5O/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326135922&sr=1-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I have read that you can get the PDF for $5. Seems worth it to check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 There are some great aspects of nature study that can be done in the winter, if you are keen: weather journals and reading about weather. Experiments with snow and ice, look at snow flakes, see how fast it melts and what is in the water, look at how ice can move things, glaciers, and so on. astronomy in the winter sky at night, the sun, shadows, making a sun dial put up a bird feeder and keep track of winter birds, collect any feathers that fall, try different food combos If you can get to a forested area looking for animal tracks and maybe making casts out of them, look for animal trails, signs of hare forms or deer yards. Look at winter vegetation - how to tell trees by the bark and branches, cones and seeds, coniferous trees and broad-leaf evergreens. We've been trying, but right now, we don't have any snow! Weirdest winter I've ever seen. Normally we're knee-deep in the stuff at this point, but it's been in the forties forever now, and it all melted. :001_huh: Just bizarre. We've tried to do astronomy- dd has gone on several stargazing walks with dh- but we've also had a near-constant cloud cover. She can identify Orion, though. :D That's part of the reason I was looking for some kind of curriculum. This winter has been the least conducive to any kind of educational stuff I've ever seen. Mother Nature is just not cooperating with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Hey! Quit spamming my thread! :mad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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