Wabi Sabi Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 First, I love BFSU. It's the way I would ideally LOVE to do science. That being said, I just can't seem to get it done. This has been our first year homeschooling. Ds, a first grader, says he's happy and would like to continue homeschooling, but that if he could change one thing we would do more science. It's really what he wants to do more than anything else. I homeschool and work full-time. I've discovered that the things we tend to get done are things that are just more open-and-go (WWE, FLL, MM, ETC). After thinking about it, I really think that we just need to find an open-and-go science program. BFSU may be fantastic, but that's meaningless if we're just not getting it done, you know? This is what I want in a program: -open and go -has lots of experiments and hands-on projects -being able to purchase a kit with all of the necessary supplies would be a nice bonus, but not an absolute must -secular I do have Elemental Science's biology program but I don't know. For some reason that I can't really articulate it just doesn't seem like a good fit for us. A little too dull, perhaps. Other suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I did RS4K Level 1 Chemistry last year with my 3rd grader, afterschooling. It was open and go, mostly used things around the house, although I did have to look at the exp. list a day ahead and stop at the store for a few things. I would use Pre-level one for a 1st grader. My dd really liked it. They have Bio & Physics, too, Physics I've not used, and Bio we are just starting. It might work for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Noeo perhaps? There are experiment kits available with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Before BFSU, we were using BJU. I was really happy with it until I found BFSU. But I would happily go back to it if I found I couldn't get BFSU done. It has everything in one package, and you can get a kit for the whole year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 I did RS4K Level 1 Chemistry last year with my 3rd grader, afterschooling. Before BFSU, we were using BJU. I was really happy with it until I found BFSU. Noeo perhaps? There are experiment kits available with it. None of those are truly secular, no? From what I've read on various threads on this board RS4K is not quite as neutral as it might initially appear and BJU is undoubtedly a very conservative Christian institution. I wasn't all that familiar with NOEO but looking it up the very first thing I clicked on their website led me to a scripture quote. Thanks for the suggestions, but I just don't think any of them are a good fit for this family. Anything else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 REAL Science Odyssey is secular and you can buy kits through Home Science Tools. It looks pretty straightforward and has great samples you can look through. You might need to supplement with additional books if your kiddos is a big reader. Nancy Larson Science is secular and VERY open and go. It's actually scripted and comes with a kit. We just started using it in order to "get science done" because my kids ask for it but it overwhelms me. So far, I think I like the format. I need to blog about it once we get a few more weeks into it to see how I feel about it then. NL is more Montessori hands on than lots of messy experiments. There are more experiments in later levels as the kids are old enough to perform them by themselves. I liked that because experiments were usually me trying to do them while holding the baby and my other kids get bored because I'm so slow. So I like that this program is more hands on rather than straight experiments that they can't do independently. As my kids are older I want lots of experiments because by then they can read directions and do it without too much help from me. Those are the two secular programs that I can think of off the top of my head. I debated for a long time between the two but NL won out because my kids could do the hands on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 There really does seem to be a lack of open and go secular science, doesn't there? We've used Real Science Odyssey Chemistry and that's definitely good, but there is no Physics (a note on their site says "it's coming" but that's been like that for a long time, and it also says "don't email to ask about it"). It's frustrating. I've started just reading a lot of living books and watching a lot of educational dvds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I am a very, very secular ;) homeschooler, and I didn't find anything missing from the RS4K Chemistry curriculum. I would not rely on it alone for biology, and perhaps not for earth science/astronomy, at least as far as the discussion of origins/evolution goes, but it was fine for chemistry. Just the facts, ma'am. I agree that there is a dearth of good, easy to implement secular science for elementary school. That's why I still think BFSU is "da bomb" and I'm coming back to it again, after another kind of lame digression . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 None of those are truly secular, no? From what I've read on various threads on this board RS4K is not quite as neutral as it might initially appear and BJU is undoubtedly a very conservative Christian institution. I wasn't all that familiar with NOEO but looking it up the very first thing I clicked on their website led me to a scripture quote. Thanks for the suggestions, but I just don't think any of them are a good fit for this family. Anything else? NOEO is secular, at least the one I used (Bio I). Real Science Odyssey looks wonderful, but we haven't used it yet. (Downloaded & printed but we're waiting until we finish BFSU I in a few months to use our RSO Life & Chemistry.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Maybe McRuffy ? I haven't used it but I thought about it - hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I had the same problem with BFSU so what I'm doing is using it as a planning tool and then using RSO for the implementation. I bought all three of the RSO topics and I set up a plan using the thread idea of BFSU. I supplement with books and other resources for some topics, others I just use exactly as they are in RSO. RSO does have kits available to make it easier. I bought the Rock & Mineral kit from Home Science Tools but most of the other stuff isn't hard to find. I personally don't like "neutral" science since I worry about what kind of things may be left out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I've been having the same struggle with 3rd-4th grade science. I even have the first volume of BFSU, but it just doesn't get done. We used Sonlight one year, but it's definitely not secular. There's Exploration Education, which is physical science that comes with a kit, but the K-3 level is made to do only once a week. I liked the look of the Supercharged Science kits, but they're so expensive! They might work for you, though. Galore Park is open and go, but it's mostly a textbook with one experiment per chapter. So far all that we've been able to make happen in the last couple of years is some nature study, a few GEMS units, a couple of experiment kits and books on certain topics. We're working through a unit study from Intellego, and it's good, but it takes some work to put together. If I were able to get it, I'd probably go with NOEO, and if Nancy Larson weren't so scripted, it would be a contender. I guess what I'm trying to say is "I feel your pain." It's really frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 It wasn't happening here either. I really hated science in high school, and I think that's a lot of why I was avoiding doing it. DH & I had a "progress meeting", and that's one thing that I brought up as an area that needs improvement. He took it on! It happens now every Sunday afternoon, without me! :) He loves feeling a part of the whole school thing, and I love for him to get a taste of it. The kids are LOOOOVE doing it with Daddy! Would it be possible to pass that over to him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 This is the million dollar question! I don't think it exists yet. But Wendy K or Aurelia if you find it, let me know. I generally like the same style science as you gals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I'm curious what you mean by this. Issues of Old Earth/Young Earth can touch on a lot of things besides evolution. Besides the obvious (paleontology) geology and astronomy both have topics (rock cycle, light years, size of the galaxy) that information would be left out if you are trying to avoid anything that indicates the universe is older than 10,000 years. While I could just make sure to include supplemental materials that expand on those topics, I don't want to spend a lot of time searching for those little omissions. Probably not a major concern in very early elementary levels but as you get into higher levels, more things would be missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happycc Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 might be working on such a curriculum. He was on here recently inquiring what us moms want out of a curriculum. Hope is there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfknitter.# Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I also work and homeschool. We've been using Intellego simply because I can fit it into our schedule but sometimes it does take a little bit of prep. It works for us for now, but I'm always on the look out for the next science curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 I also work and homeschool. We've been using Intellego simply because I can fit it into our schedule but sometimes it does take a little bit of prep. It works for us for now, but I'm always on the look out for the next science curriculum. I've been eying some of the Intellego units and have come awfully close to just buying one to check it out more closely. What kind of prep work does it generally involve- gathering supplies? Reserving library books? Something else...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 might be working on such a curriculum. He was on here recently inquiring what us moms want out of a curriculum. Hope is there! :party: BFSU Happy Scientist-style with videos would make my day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_midori Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 For the physics, I REALLY recommend "Education Exploration" as an open-and-go, box-included kit that works well. My 7yo is doing the intermediate level this year, and I plan to repeat it in a few years with him again (to get a higher level of understanding out of it) and his younger bro. That said - I'm on the hunt for something for 3rd grade now! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 :party: BFSU Happy Scientist-style with videos would make my day. Yes, I'm hoping for this too. He's fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I work and homeschool too.... seems like there's a lot of us lately! Or maybe there always has been and I was just ignorant. Anyhow, I'm trying to make BFSU work for us because there is othing else quite like it. First, I wrote up complete flow charts. Then I tied in a list of potential books, Bill Nye/other videos, encyclopedia pages to be read by my oldest, etc. Every two-three weeks, I place on hold what I need from the library. We implement it as such (just starting back up with it): Watch a video and/or read book(s) about the topic, then discuss. Do a hands-on project, or two or three, to go with the topic. Finally, Ds10 logs everything in a cheap science project notebook I got somewhere. Dd8 draws a picture and copies her narration (which I write down for her). And there you go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Yes, I'm hoping for this too. He's fantastic! :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I also work and homeschool. We've been using Intellego simply because I can fit it into our schedule but sometimes it does take a little bit of prep. It works for us for now, but I'm always on the look out for the next science curriculum. Thank you so much for mentioning Intellego! This looks really good, and their K-2 Earth Science bundle may be perfect for us next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfknitter.# Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I've been eying some of the Intellego units and have come awfully close to just buying one to check it out more closely. What kind of prep work does it generally involve- gathering supplies? Reserving library books? Something else...? Usually library books, sometimes I don't have a few supplies on hand. I also like to check the links before hand. While Intellego does find new links for broken ones, I like to know ahead of time where the new link redirects so I can see if its worth our time doing or if I would rather find something else. But overall, the monkeys are enjoying the weather unit. We also have the k-2 astronomy (we'll switch back to this in the spring when the weather warms,) habitats and human body along with gr 3-5 astronomy and chemistry (we haven't tried these yet.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 (edited) Nancy Larson Science (absolutely open and go, scripted, etc.),McRuffy Press Science, REAL Science Odyssey, Mr. Q's Lab (not sure how well that would work, though.), NOEO is secular though the company is Christian. Edited February 18, 2012 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I work and homeschool too.... seems like there's a lot of us lately! Or maybe there always has been and I was just ignorant. Anyhow, I'm trying to make BFSU work for us because there is othing else quite like it. First, I wrote up complete flow charts. Then I tied in a list of potential books, Bill Nye/other videos, encyclopedia pages to be read by my oldest, etc. Every two-three weeks, I place on hold what I need from the library. We implement it as such (just starting back up with it): Watch a video and/or read book(s) about the topic, then discuss. Do a hands-on project, or two or three, to go with the topic. Finally, Ds10 logs everything in a cheap science project notebook I got somewhere. Dd8 draws a picture and copies her narration (which I write down for her). And there you go! this sounds like what I want to do with BFSU for first grade. Couldn't access the flow chart tho, I'll try again later. Is it the same as the one in the book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WIS0320 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Supercharged Science, the Silver package. It is freakishly expensive but from what I understand the package comes with everything you need for 8 units (thorough units) plus all of e-science which you stream via the internet. Aurora Lipper teaches cool and intense science for you. I do not like science and I think this is the route we are going. We can probably get a few years out of the Silver package and do RSO for "textbook" work here and there. http://www.superchargedscience.com/mastery.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4littleones Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Another vote for NOEO. We are using Chemistry II with a 3rd grader boy and it is a blast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 this sounds like what I want to do with BFSU for first grade. Couldn't access the flow chart tho, I'll try again later. Is it the same as the one in the book? Hopefully it'll work for you at some point! The flow charts are based off the books, but are... well, more organized for lack of a better word. I also listed all the "prerequisite" lessons for each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomandlorih Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Real Science 4 Kids is secular. They are secular enough to be funded by our public school ALE anyway.:D That being said it has been a huge bomb at our house=D We will finish out the year with Biology because we have to do something but I'm looking for next year. I'm def going to check out Intelligo.. I haven't heard of that one before and also AHA science. I don't know if I can make a curriculum out of that but it's worth a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfknitter.# Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Nancy Larson Science (absolutely open and go, scripted, etc.),McRuffy Press Science, REAL Science Odyssey, Mr. Q's Lab (not sure how well that would work, though.), NOEO is secular though the company is Christian. I'll admit, I'm a font snob and at first Mr. Q's just turned me off. But I'm looking at it again (and trying to ignore the font) and I can see why people like it. Why do you think it might not work well as an open and go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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