MrsBanjoClown Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I am so confused with science. I think part of the reason is that I have a degree in science and I currently teach science. I just want a good, solid, challenging program for my future K'er and 2nd grader. I have looked at Noeo, RS4K, Mr. Q., BFSU, and Singapore Earlybird. I just haven't been able decide which direction to go. I've also thought about putting something together to go along with SOTW 1, such as a study of scientists, inventions, and scientific discoveries of ancient times. Any insight or advice from those of you who have been doing this for a while would be greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momsuz123 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Well, we did RS4k. It is good for a beginning intro program, but we are having way more fun with doing our own curriculum based on the recs by SWB for the younger ones. What we did is let the girls each pick 10 animals they want to learn about. Each week we cover a new one. To introduce the animal we use Dk Animal Enc. or other good nonfiction sources. We add in several (a ton) of other fun nonfiction books and fictional book too. We try and find a movie or video clips relating to the animal, and are making more trips to the zoo to see the specific animal. We also try and find a related craft and science experiments. They seem to be loving this so much more. They enjoyed rs4k, but it is our first yr hsing, so anything compared to not having any science in ps is good to them. We also bought the kid gardening book that SWB recommends (holding a fussy one - will add it later). It looks awesome. I can't wait tilnspring so we can start adding this too. HTH. Good luck! I think our girls are having a blast. For t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDad Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 We really love BFSU. My wife was a science professor in a past life and gives the program her Stamp of Approval (she's understandably very picky about science curric). We also do CM-esque/Ambleside-guided nature study. If the kids are really interested in something, we'll throw in an Intellego unit or something like that. We also do lots of random experiments from books we have lying around the house. Did I mention that we also have started pulling from Joy Hakim's new science books for science history? I apologize if that sounds confusing. It's fairly simple in practice. We really only do BFSU once per week, nature study once per week (or more if the weather is nice), and interest-guided science once per week. Obviously, we use a lot of different resources around here... but I've found (so far) that our piecemeal approach (which we use before wntering high school sci) is the most effective one for our family. Immersing the kids in all of those resources encourages them to study and experiment with science outside of school time. My wife and I had terrible (and frequently nonexistent) science experiences/classes in ps, with hardly any experiments, and we just want our kids to fall in love with science in a way we never were able to. We can't force them to love science, but we can at least help them to not dread it. I firmly believe that the most important element of elementary science is to investigate the world. Kids are curious. They will follow. With you being a science teacher, and your kids being so young, you really can't mess up too badly at this point. :D I am happy to answer any more questions. HTH, SuperDad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsutsie Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Easy Classical's Science programs. FaNtAsTiC! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 My husband and I both have careers in the science field. We use BFSU, and every week I am more and more impressed with the program. My kids are learning basic science principles that I didn't learn until high school. Of course, the K-2 program is greatly simplified for the younger kids, but it lays a wonderful foundation for future study and more advanced courses. I think you would enjoy this program especially since you are a science teacher. You could also add to this program in any direction you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 We really love BFSU. My wife was a science professor in a past life and gives the program her Stamp of Approval (she's understandably very picky about science curric). We also do CM-esque/Ambleside-guided nature study. If the kids are really interested in something, we'll throw in an Intellego unit or something like that. We also do lots of random experiments from books we have lying around the house. Did I mention that we also have started pulling from Joy Hakim's new science books for science history? I apologize if that sounds confusing. It's fairly simple in practice. We really only do BFSU once per week, nature study once per week (or more if the weather is nice), and interest-guided science once per week. Obviously, we use a lot of different resources around here... but I've found (so far) that our piecemeal approach (which we use before wntering high school sci) is the most effective one for our family. Immersing the kids in all of those resources encourages them to study and experiment with science outside of school time. My wife and I had terrible (and frequently nonexistent) science experiences/classes in ps, with hardly any experiments, and we just want our kids to fall in love with science in a way we never were able to. We can't force them to love science, but we can at least help them to not dread it. I firmly believe that the most important element of elementary science is to investigate the world. Kids are curious. They will follow. With you being a science teacher, and your kids being so young, you really can't mess up too badly at this point. :D I am happy to answer any more questions. HTH, SuperDad :iagree: I totally agree with the above and doubly for the bolded. We have a similar approach, using a variety of semi-CM-style activities and lots of good books along with BFSU, which can be made as easy or as difficult as you like. I think many parents with science backgrounds find BFSU easy to implement, since it presents an intuitive path for science that builds on itself. Most of the parents I've seen that find BFSU too hard to use are not as comfortable with science themselves (just a generalization, of course!) I have looked at RS4K and some of the others you mention, but I didn't like them because I do not want to "compartmentalize" science for my kids while they are still so young. Science is a way of looking at the world and all the different strands (ie. physics, chemistry, biology, etc) really are interconnected, and do not need the arbitrary boxes that are put around them by many curricula and the public school system. Down the road there is plenty of time for textbook formal study. Anyway that's just my $.02, ymmv. Good luck and have fun! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I was a chem major and my husband is a pharmacist. We are really happy using a combo of NOEO and RS4K. It is working very well for us (we are doing Bio 1). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 BFSU! I am currently making worksheets/review sheets to go alongn with it and will share when they are done. We have found it to be a fantastic science program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I couldn't agree more on BFSU. It's a solid program that, as applied, provides your child with a thorough understanding of the lesson, and an interest in the subject. As a bonus, it helps develop critical thinking skills, a primer on scientific theory, and has the child see connections throughout the different branches of science. Together with ongoing nature study (which the author recommends), it's unmatched in its quality IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warneral Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I like BFSU. Adding books and resources to the activities and discussions make an impact. We also do some simple note booking on most topics. They are old for the curric at the level we are at, but that's fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warneral Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) This WTM momma has great suggestions. http://only-smallthings.blogspot.com/search?q=BFSU Edited February 21, 2012 by warneral Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 We do "science fair" projects here. These are big 2 month long investigations. I have posted about 20 posts about science instruction in general and investigations specifically on this thread: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=263107 Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) For the young years, pre-1st or 2nd, I love Sandbox Scientist. The project "kits" vary greatly in their complexity, but even the simpler ones are very good, and give children a nice amount of experience futzing with stuff and a fondness for science. I myself do not like BFSU, some of the presentations have really irked me. If you do want to teach a formal science early in the game, consider with going interest-led: either yours or the child's. :) We are currently using Apologia Astronomy, which Button loves, with the experiment kit from Rainbow Resources. Esp. if you are a young-earther I second the PP regarding Easy Classical (they use Apologia, among other things, and follow the WTM cycle for science topics). (We are not young-earth/Creationist and I am rewriting our astronomy as we go, but it is worth it) For history of science look at Beautiful Feet's literature guide. Some board members do not buy from Beautiful Feet, I should mention, as they feel the other history guides have a strong anti-Catholic bias. If you like the CM approach, be sure to peek at Mara Pratt's Storyland of the Stars and Fairyland of Flowers. Finally, SWB is very dismissive of the educational power of videos, but they are marvelous for science. All our favorites are from an old-earth perspective & I won't bother listing them here (feel free to PM me if you are interested in titles), but with the great graphics and the fact that children will watch over and over, videos make a very valuable addition to your teaching repertoire. Edited February 21, 2012 by serendipitous journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Another enthusiastic vote for BFSU! The more I use it the more impressed I become. We read lots of books linked to it, for sure, but it gives me the structure I need to be effective. I find that when I try to "do it myself" even in my field of expertise, it becomes way less effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LenasMommy07 Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Have you looked into Nancy Larson Science? We are really enjoying it a lot. :) My daughter is learning pretty quickly because it is interactive. It's very well laid out too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 When my kids were that age they really enjoyed sonlights science because of the Dvd that demonstrates the experiments. My son watched it over and over. They also really enjoyed Janice van cleave books. With your background you can do lots of hands on things while reading books from the library and they will love it. My neighbors were high school science teachers and couldn't believe what they were doing and understanding. Just enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova mama Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 I didn't see Elemental Science on your list? It follows the 4-year cycle (Bio, Earth, Chem, Phys) and includes two (I think) scientist biographies per year, as well as experiments and readings from supplemental books. You can see a sample of the Biology curriculum here: http://d3r1z7wkgqhj9d.cloudfront.net/Biology20sample.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 BFSU!! :party: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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